PROSPECTUS
"Likeness" is a Juried art show to be held at Ardest Gallery in The Woodlands, Texas, just North of Houston between
The Opening Reception will be held on Saturday, March 20th with a presentation by the Juror at 7 p.m.
The Submission Deadline is Friday, February 5th by 11:59 p.m.
What does it mean to capture a likeness? For centuries, portraiture has been one of art’s most enduring traditions: a way to remember, honor, question, and reveal. Today, artists continue to reinvent what a portrait can be.
Likeness is a group exhibition celebrating portraiture in every form, from the classical to the experimental. We invite artists working in any medium to submit work that explores the human face and figure, identity, presence, and resemblance in whatever way they choose.
We welcome traditional portraits as warmly as work that stretches the definition. A portrait might be a realist oil painting or a single gesture in charcoal. It might be a self-portrait, a family photograph, or a stranger met once. It might depict a person through the objects they leave behind, the spaces they inhabit, a voice, a silhouette, or data. It might portray a pet, an ancestor, an imagined figure, a community, or an absence. Likeness can be literal, abstract, symbolic, playful, political, tender, or strange.
GUEST JUROR- Tony Paraná
Tony Paraná’s first contact with art was in his early teenage years drawing with his mother on the kitchen table in Bahia, Brazil. Years later, Tony Paraná moved to São Paulo, Brazil and met an established artist, Rodolfo Rondon, who mentored him in the beginning of his artistic career.
In 2003 Paraná moved to New Mexico where he took the opportunity to start painting on a regular basis as he continued to learn and work on his technique. A few years later, in 2006, he started a local art meeting in Bernalillo-NM to bring exhibitions and art classes to the community.
In 2007 Paraná moved to Houston and started connecting with the art community. From 2009 to 2018, he taught weekly art classes to seniors at the Wesley Community Center in the Historic Near Northside through his work at the Brazilian Arts Foundation. In 2010 he created a local art movement called the Montrose Art Society, which later became Forum 6 Gallery in 2018 and curated a diverse body of work and art-based events from local community artists of various cultural backgrounds.
In 2017 Paraná was invited to be the featured artist at the Bayou City Arts Festival Downtown in Houston, TX. In 2018 Paraná created the Mobile Art Space for the Artists (MASA) from a repurposed 40’ shipping container with the intent of traveling the city and offering free art, music, poetry and different cultural arts classes to low income communities where he continues to work collaboratively with local organizations. Currently the MASA is stationed in the heart of Fifth Ward on Lyons Ave, working closely with community-based artists, and the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation.
NUMBER OF ENTRIES & APPLICATION FEE
Each artist is limited to six (6) entries per submission. There is a $30 (USD) non-refundable/non-transferable fee for up to six (6) images. Payment must be submitted at the time of the application.
HOW TO ENTER
Please read through all of the materials, including load-in and load-out dates to ensure that you can participate. Entries can only be submitted via JotForm.
Please LABEL all submissions as "Work Title.Artist Name.Medium.Size.Price." Should your work(s) require additional details or notes, kindly note that in the "special requests" section offered in JotForm.
ELIGIBLE MEDIA
All works must have been completed between 2021-2026 and not previously exhibited at Ardest Gallery. We are looking for both wall pieces and pedestal pieces for this exhibition.
If you have a question about whether your work is suitable for submission, please contact julieverville@ardestgallery.com.
ARTIST NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE
Accepted artists will be notified no later than February 12th by EOD via the email provided in the submission application.
LOAD-IN/LOAD-OUT DATES
Load-in for will be offered both Friday, March 5th between 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and Saturday, March 6th between 2-4 p.m. at Ardest Gallery, located at 25200 Grogan's Park Drive, The Woodlands TX 77380.
Pre-arranged shipments of artwork WITH return labels are also accepted. BUT, the works must arrive during the gallery's open hours. **Please contact us prior to shipping artwork.
ALL accepted works delivered MUST be ready-to-hang or display AND include a printed inventory sheet with title/size/medium and price alongside a thumbnail of the work(s).
Load-out will be offered on Saturday, April 24th between 2-4 p.m. or MONDAY, April 26th between 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
GALLERY SALES
Works will be exhibited and available for purchase by visitors to the gallery, and via an online gallery. All sales throughout the show's duration will be managed by the gallery, with a 35% commission retained by the gallery. Commission statements will be provided via email to artists that sell work along with payment via their preference of Zelle, Venmo or check.
AWARDS
Awards will be provided for one Best in Show, 1st Place & 2nd Place. Honorable mentions will also be noted.
PUBLICITY
The exhibition will be publicized locally via our social media platforms, digital media platforms and event listings, email newsletter and press releases submitted to local news outlets. Ardest Gallery reserves the right to use photographs and/or digital images for the purpose of publicity for the exhibit and/or the artist.
If you have any questions about this exhibition - please contact Julie Verville, Gallery Director/Curator, julieverville@ardestgallery.com or 832-296-6723. Thank you!