Veterans Arts Council - Artist Information

The Veterans Arts Council (VAC) operates the arts program for VFW Post 1 and manages the VFW Post 1 Art Gallery. Also, alongside the VA Hospital Art Committee, we curate the art displayed on the concourse at the VA Hospital in Aurora, CO. (We are a separate organization and only have a partnership for that program with the Veterans Affairs Administration) In addition, the VAC organizes special arts events and partners with other arts organizations to promote and benefit veteran artists and art opportunities for veterans and all artists throughout the Denver Metro area.

If you'd like to be considered for upcoming shows and get on our New Mailing List Please Fill out the New form Below. This Form MUST be completed before your work is accepted, filling out this form does not gain automatic curation, you must be present on 2nd Saturday by 2:30pm and be selected by the Curation Board on that 2nd Saturday.  

 

Please Remember it is a Privilege and an Honor to be curated into this gallery, it is not a Right regardless of Veteran or VFW Member status. 

Art Intake, Gallery Rotation, and Pick-up Date/s: Second Saturday of each month from 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm, All Artists wanting to be curated in will be in the building at 2:30pm All art is accepted for one month or single show display. Extended display is decided on a month-to-month basis. To be on extended display, artists must attend and be on time at Second Saturday Open Call.

For Special Shows off site, see the VAC website or Facebook page for any changes to the Rules.

Delivery and Return of Work: All work accepted for the exhibit must arrive ready to install. Works not gallery ready or suffering from poor presentation may be omitted from the exhibit. Wall and suspended art must have a suitable means for hanging. Wire hanging is preferred. NO SAWTOOTH HANGARS. Standing work must be stable. Works may be hand delivered or shipped. Shipped works must be sent in an easily reusable container/packaging with return shipping prepaid. Artists are responsible for all shipping costs. Works will be return-shipped in the same manner and using same shipping service as delivered or via UPS/USPS. All works must arrive by the specified pre-show intake date. Works arriving late may be omitted from exhibit.

Artwork not picked up within 30 days of pick-up date will be considered abandoned and may be disposed or sold.

Artist Agreement & Release: I acknowledge that my property, including, without limitation, any art or other items on display (collectively to be known as the "Property") may be damaged, lost or stolen during the exhibition of or during the unpacking, packing or transportation of said Property and I acknowledge and understand the risk involved by allowing such property to be displayed by the Veterans Arts Council at VFW Post #1 located at 841 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO 80204 I understand that the Veterans Arts Council and VFW Post 1 do not insure said Property and if I so choose I must acquire my own insurance. If I so choose such insurance, I agree to submit a copy to the Veterans Arts Council.

Unless released from the requirement by gallery staff, I agree to be present at the gallery's First Friday event to meet with visitors and potential buyers. I also agree to be at Every open Call for Art, missing these events will result in being rotated out of the gallery. 

 

The VFW Art Gallery is open to the public for the First and Third Friday Art Walks each month from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm. (Although we usually stay open later because of large visitor traffic on First Fridays. Our visitor count is commonly between 2,000 and 4,000 people and is even higher some months. Our record attendance for a First Friday is over 9,000 visitors Third Friday crowds are significantly smaller.)

* The VAC holds an Open Call for art on the second Saturday of each month at 2:30 pm. Eighty percent of the art in the gallery is created by veterans and we open twenty percent of our gallery space to non-veteran community artists as part of our community outreach program. This means any artist can bring in their art to be viewed and possibly displayed in the VFW Post 1 Art Gallery. Art and artists are rotated in and out of the gallery every month. Anyone can be rotated out or back into the gallery on any given month.

The VAC requires accepted artists to be present at the gallery for the First Friday Art Walk. Also, an artist must be present at the second Saturday Open Call each month to be considered for showing in the gallery the following month. Artists who do not show up for Open Call without contacting the VAC Director or Assistant Director before hand to explain their absence will not be displayed in the gallery the following month.

While attendance is not mandatory at the Third Friday Art Walk and other announced events, it is encouraged, as each artist is expected to talk to visitors and sell their own work. While the VAC staff may accept payment for art when an artist is not available, it is better for the artist to be there to sell their art themselves.

If someone shows interest in an artist's work any time during the month when artists are not at the gallery, VAC staff will give the visitor the artist's contact information so they can speak with the artist directly about the art work.

The VAC charges a 10 percent commission on gallery sales from veterans and a 20 percent commission on gallery sales from non-veterans. There are no other fees or costs to be in the gallery.

All Artists will be rotated, all over the Building From the Front Main area, Back Area or Upstairs Gallery Space on Second Saturday, this is to give everyone a fresh experiance every month. one month you could be in the front, the next month the back, it does not matter all areas are well visited during First Friday. 

Artists are given approximately 6 to 8 horizontal feet of wall space to display their art. The vertical space is approximately 9 feet. Artists may hang work in salon style up and down and side to side on the wires in their space. Artists may also have a folding print bin or a 4-foot folding table to also display on (tables must have a table cloth). The table and/or bin must be set against the wall. You may not sit behind your table and extend yourself into the open walkway, but if there is space, you may have a folding chair beside your table or bin.

Whatever the art displayed or table, print bin, or chair used, no artist may extend beyond the space they are allocated. We leave a reasonable space between each artist of approximately 18 inches and that space must be left vacant to respect the artists on either side of you.

Artists are asked not to show up or park in the lot for First and Third Friday art walks before 4:00 pm, as you will interrupt VFW staff who are working and may be parked in the lot and need to get out. If the Lot is full, Please do not park in private parking areas in the Art District, you could put yourself at risk of being towed or locked in

If you park in one of the rows in our parking lot behind the building, you are asked to pull in as far as you can so more cars can be parked in behind you.

No one will move cars during the evening except in an emergency. If you park in our lot, you are there until the end of the evening when everyone leaves for the night. We ask that all artists help clean and maintain the gallery at the end of the night so we can all leave in a timely manner. There is absolutly NO OVER NIGHT Parking, after the VAC Staff leaves your car will be Fenced in and locked in and VAC/VFW may not have the time to unlock your vehicle.