Language
  • English (US)
  • OSA 2023 Open Juried Exhibition

    Submission Deadline: Friday February 24 2023, Midnight.
  • The Ontario Society of Artists (OSA) invites Canadian* artists to apply to  our 149th Annual Open Juried Art Exhibition, with the theme Colour Splash. This exhibition will welcome spring with splashes of reviving and re-invigorating colour after the dormancy of winter. We look forward to seeing how you use colour to inform and shape your work.

    The Exhibition will be held April 6-May 4 2023, at the John B. Aird Gallery, Artscape West Queen West, 906 Queen Street West, Toronto. An opening reception will be held (date TBA).

    (*Canadian artists living abroad, and permanent residents af Canada also eligible to apply.)

    Important Dates

    • Submissions open: Monday January 16, 2023, 9:00AM (EST)
    • Submissions close: Friday, February 24, 2023, Midnight (EST) or maximum 500 submissions, whichever comes first
    • Notification date: March 6, 2023
    • Notification method: All applicants will be notified by email
    • Artwork delivery: Wednesday March 29 & Thursday March 30 (2-4 PM)
    • Installation: Saturday April 1 and Sunday April 2
    • Show dates: April 6-May 4, 2023
    • Opening reception: TBA
    • Artwork pick up: Friday May 5, 2-4 PM

    Submission Information

    • Application Fee: $40.00
    • ONE submission maximum per artist
    • Method of Payment: by PayPal or credit card at the end of this application form
    • Due to space constraints, the maximum width for work is 30 inches (maximum height is 60 inches)  
    • The decision of the Jury is final


    Prizes

    $1,000 – Award recipient chosen by an OSA Life Member
    $1,000 – Best in show award recipient chosen by the Jurors
    $250 – Award for excellence will be awarded to four artists chosen by the Jurors 

    Criteria

    This is an annual exhibit of the OSA with the purpose of promoting the best art that Canada has to offer from emerging and established artists. With that as your guide, the jurors will be looking for:

    • Originality
    • Artistry in composition and design
    • Excellence and skill in the chosen medium

    All applicants must be able to navigate basic digital processes including creating and uploading photographs of their work and properly labelling and submitting work according to the instructions.

    Digital submission only. Use this online portal to submit and make payment.

     

    Jurors

    We are honoured to have these 3 renowned members of the art community as jurors:  

    Joshua Heuman:

    Josh Heuman attended York University (BA and MA in Art History). He has since worked nearly 25 years as a curator, an educator, and in visitor services at Joslyn Art Museum (Omaha, NE); Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, Utah State University (Logan, UT); Salt Lake Art Center, now Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (Salt Lake City, UT); Museum of Fine Arts Houston (TX); The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery (Toronto, ON); and for Art Toronto, Canada’s largest international art fair. He has developed 1,000+ public programs, organised nearly 50 exhibitions, juried exhibitions, and lectured at many museums and universities. Read more information about Joshua here.

    David Griffin:

    David Griffin (born Kingston, Jamaica) works with drawing, colour, and writing, and has presented, published, and exhibited work across North America and the UK, most recently in the journal “Drawing: Research, Theory, Practice” (2019, Intellect Press, London UK).  David is currently Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Art at OCAD University in Toronto, Canada, and is Chair of the University’s Research Ethics Board. He holds a PhD from the Glasgow School of Art, an MFA from the Pratt Institute, and a BFA from Parsons School of Design. Read more information about David here.

    Anne Cavanagh:

    Anne Cavanagh studied in the United States, France, and England, obtaining a Bachelor of Art in Pre-Medical Illustration (2004).  Recent exhibitions of her work have included Connections an exhibit by the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Breath. Heart. Spirit. 150th Anniversary Launch Exhibition at Glenhyrst Art Gallery, Brantford, Ontario, the Art Gallery of Northumberland’s 43rd Juried Exhibition in Cobourg, Ontario, and the 7th Biennial Alumni Art Exhibition at the VAB Gallery, Carrolton, Georgia, USA.

    In 2015, Cavanagh’s work was published in Strokes of Genius 7: The Best of Drawing (North Light Books, Rachel Rubin Wolf, Cincinnati, OH, USA). Cavanagh was the Ontario Society of Artists Eastern Hub Director from 2018 until 2020. Read more information about Anne here.

     


    2023 OJE Show Coordinator for the OSA:
    Robin Kingsburgh, OSA. Read more information about Robin here.

    • contact for questions: robin.kingsburgh@gmail.com

    For the John B. Aird Gallery:
    The winning entries will be curated/hung by:
    Carla Garnet, Director/Curator for the John B. Aird Gallery.

  • Part One: How Does This Work?

    Here is some general information to guide you through the submission process.
  • Applications are done strictly online through this portal.

    This show usually gets a large number of entries, so please make sure everything is accurate before you submit your application. We will not chase artists for incomplete or incorrect submissions. Only complete and eligible applications will be considered.

    We will cap the number of entries at a MAXIMUM OF 500. So if we reach that before the deadline, we will close the portal. (Hint: You might not want to wait til the last minute.)

    Once we reach our deadline/cap, we will give the entries to our jurors for their consideration. Due to space limitations ~30 pieces will be selected. There is a limited capacity to show 3-dimensional work; smaller pieces may be accepted provided they will fit on 12-15" plinth.

    This is a blind adjudication; the judges will not know who the creator is until the final results have been determined. The art will be juried solely on merit.

    The jurors were chosen precisely because of their constant and varied exposure to emerging artists in many disciplines. We have confidence in their decisions, and their decisions are final. Everyone who applies will be notified with results by March 6, 2023. We respect your time, and the OSA feels strongly that artists should never be left wondering if they got in.

     

  • Part Two: Terms of Entry

    Please ensure you carefully review these Terms of Entry before you complete and pay for your submission.
  • Eligibility
    The competition is open to all Canadian artists. Artists may submit work in any medium, with a maximum of ONE work submitted.

    Work must not have been shown previously in other OSA juried shows. Work must have been completed after Jan 1, 2020. All works MUST be original art. Entries must not be copies or derivatives. Photography must be limited editions. If work is based on existing work, the title must clearly indicate the source, e.g. “After Rembrandt”.

     

    Transportation and Insurance
    You must be able to deliver and pick up your work from the gallery according to the dates noted  (see IMPORTANT DATES).

    Packing, delivery and pick-up of artwork is the sole responsibility of the artist, who must adhere to the schedule listed here. There is no storage available, so packing materials must be removed after drop off. The OSA and the John B. Aird Gallery will take all reasonable care during the hanging and display of your work.

    Exhibiting artists are responsible for insuring their own work.

     

    Delivery and Installation
    All accepted works must be ready to hang. We reserve the right to exclude work that is not prepared to our satisfaction.


    Size and Weight Limits
    Artwork must not exceed 30 inches in width and 60 inches in height.

    Please include in your entry any special installation instructions for the works you are submitting. Advise if you need access to power.

     

    Accepted Work
    Work submitted to the exhibition must be the one that was submitted for jurying, or it will be disqualified. No substitution will be accepted.

    By entering this exhibition, artists agree to provide JPG/JPEG images of the accepted work for educational, publicity and archival purposes. No work may be removed from the exhibition until closing.


    Labelling
    Each work must have an identification card attached to it, stating the artist’s name, address, title of work, medium, size and price of work.


    Sales
    The Aird gallery takes a 20% commission on any sales from the show. Art which is not for sale must be marked NFS in the entry.

    Please note: The OSA abides by an honour system. If the buyer goes directly to the artist, or if work is sold after the end of the show (up to the end of July, 2023), and the artist knows it to be as a result of the exposure from this show, we ask the artist and buyer to honour the commission structure indicated above.

     

    Image Requirements
    NOTE: Images submitted must be of a professional standard. Admission images will be used for promoting the exhibit. We reserve the right to reject images that do not meet the standard, which may then disqualify your application.  Submission fee will not be refunded.

    Image size: Maximum of 5000px on the longest side, no larger than 3MB, in JPG/JPEG format. Resolution: 300 dpi.

    If that sounds way too technical...we have a free online tool that might help you: BeFunky.com Image Resizer

    Images must be cropped to the artwork edges. Show only the art; do not include frame or surrounding environment. Do not watermark your image.

    Before you begin, you'll need to rename your file to ensure we can identify them later and connect them to you. Your image must be labeled Your Initials (FirstLast), Artwork Title, Medium, Size (h x w inches) and price.

    Some examples:

    KS_TheChaperone_encaustic_76x61_$3049.jpg
    LR_Eufloric_photography_30x40_$1600.jpg
    EC_RedCedar_oil_44x27_$NFS.jpg


    Results

    Artwork will be juried online. The decision of the jury is final. 

    Results will be sent by email, by March 6 2023. NO RESULTS WILL BE GIVEN BY PHONE. Work selected for the exhibition must be as submitted for jurying, or it will be disqualified.

    Accepted artists are expected to share information about their piece and the exhibit on their own social media platforms. The OSA will also place advertisements and use their own social platforms and mailing list to promote.

    By submitting to this exhibition, you agree to allow reproduction of your digital files for educational, publicity and archival purposes, unless we are informed otherwise in writing. You also give us permission to communicate with you via e-mail about this and future events.

  • Part Three: Contact Information

    Note: Personal ID will be concealed from the jurors so that all applications are judged entirely on merit.

  •  -
  • Online Presence / Social Media

    Accepted artists will have at least one online address associated with their work on any labels, etc. (website preferred). If you do not want the additional SM addresses included, leave them blank. Please note: social media pages should be art specific, not personal pages.
  • Part Four: Upload and Describe Your Artwork

  • Here again are the image specifications before you begin: 

    • Images must be no larger than 3 MB, in JPG/JPEG format
    • Maximum size: Images must be smaller than 5000x5000 pixels
    • Resolution: 300 dpi

    If you need some help with resizing your image, this free, online tool can assist: BeFunky.com Image Resizer

    Images must be cropped to the artwork edges. Show only the art; do not include frame or surrounding environment. Do not watermark your image.

    NAMING PROTOCOL: You will need to rename your file to help us identify it later and connect the image back to you. Your image must be labeled:

    Your Initials (FirstLast)_ArtworkTitle_Medium_Size (h x w inches)_$price.jpg

    Some examples:

    KS_TheChaperone_encaustic_76x61_$3049.jpg
    LR_Eufloric_photography_30x40_$1600.jpg
    EC_RedCedar_oil_44x27_$NFS.jpg

    NOTE: If your artwork is not for sale, please indicate that by typing NFS on the PRICE line. If it is not photography, please type XX on the PHOTO EDITION line (if you do not do this, the form will not submit properly).

  • 0/20
  • Enter a 150-word Artist Statement about your submitted work, and a brief biographical statement:

  • 0/150
  • 0/150
  • Application Fee

    To complete your application, please pay the application fee via PayPal or credit card. The application is not considered complete until the fee is paid.
  • prevnext( X )

      Total $0.00CAD

      loading smart payment buttons...
      The payment is ready! It will be completed once you submit the form.
    • Instructions: When you are ready to pay, please click PayPal Checkout or Debit/Credit Card.  You will then be prompted to log in to PayPal and select your payment option. If successful, you will receive an email receipt from PayPal and a copy of your application from Jotform. 

    •  
    • Should be Empty: