Tell Me a Love Story: Juried Exhibition

“Love makes us feel more alive.” (hooks, 191)

Often we exist without hearing about all of the love that is the lives of those who surround us. This show aims to foster connections that may have gone un-made and highlight stories that often go untold.  

This exhibition is inspired by bell hooks’ All About Love: New Visions and her introspection surrounding love. This show calls for artists to submit work that displays living in and with love. As hooks describes: “To truly love we must learn to mix various ingredients – care, affection, recognition, respect, commitment, and trust, as well as honest and open communication.” (hooks, 5). 

Artists are encouraged to interpret the meaning of love in their life and submit work that they find exemplifies their personal experiences of love; whether it be in the form of self-love, friendship, community, spirituality, parenthood, the love of making art or other. Explore openness, self-discovery, empathy and the transformative power of love.

In place of an artist statement on the application we are asking artists to reply to the following prompt: How do the piece(s) submitted represent love to you?

“The essence of true love is mutual recognition – two individuals seeing each other as they really are.” (hooks, 183)

Required Application Materials:

Completed Application Form – Due Thursday, April 10th by 11:59 pm

• You must complete all required information on the application form. Incomplete applications will not be accepted. Click on this link to submit artwork

• Applications must be submitted electronically to be accepted.
• If contributing artists exceed expectations, the Rumriver Art Center reserves the right to close submission acceptance early.

Up to three images of artwork – Due by Thursday, April 10th by 11:59 pm (part of the application form)

• You will upload the image(s) of your artwork in your application form. You MUST name each image file with your last name and first initial, entry number, and artwork title. (Example: BotticelliS_01_Venus, BotticelliS_02_Primavera)
• Please submit images as a JPEG file.
• Please submit well lit images featuring only the artwork. Blurry, cluttered, and poorly lit images will NOT be used in press materials.

Our Call for Entries are juried by different anonymous artists who are professionals in a creative field related to the show’s theme. When making their decisions many aspects are taken into consideration. The judge will examine the overall cohesion of the submitted artworks, adherence to the theme, presentation, and compliance to the application guidelines.

Timeline:

• Complete application and submit artwork images by Thursday, April 10th by 11:59 pm.
• Artists are notified as to which of their artwork(s) is accepted into the show by Friday, April 18th by 11:59 pm.
• Drop off artwork on Tuesday, May 6th between 10 am and 5 pm at Rumriver Art Center (2665 4th Ave. Suite 103, Anoka, MN).
• Show opening reception is on Saturday, May 10th from 2 pm – 4 pm at Rumriver Art Center.
• Gallery Show ends at Rumriver Art Center on May 31st. The show will then move to the Northtown Library.
  • If you do not want your artwork to move to the library you must pick it up on Monday, June 2nd between 1 pm – 7pm OR Tuesday, June 3rd between 10 am – 7 pm.
• Show moves to Northtown Library on Monday, June 2nd.
• Artists pick up their artwork at Northtown Library on August 7th, 2025 between 4 pm and 6 pm.

Application Guidelines:

* If you have any questions regarding these guidelines please contact Madison Nelmark at madison@rumriverart.com *

• ALL ages can apply! We are a community art center and believe that you can be an artist at any age. 
• Your artwork must be ready for installation. ONLY wired hanging systems will be accepted for work that is meant to be hung. (e.g. paintings, drawings, prints, hanging sculptures…)
• All mediums can apply, with the exception of digital/virtual art forms that require technological support to be displayed.    
• Each of your submissions must not be larger than 36” x 36” for two-dimensional pieces. Three dimensional works may not exceed 36” x 36” x 36”
• Accepted artwork will be labeled with a price. Submitted artwork marked NFS or left empty in the entry form will be marked NFS (Not for Sale).
• Rumriver Art Center will take a 35% commission on the sale price of any artwork sold during the show. Please price your pieces accordingly.
• All accepted artworks MUST be dropped off at the Rumriver Art Center Gallery on Tuesday, May 6th between 10 am and 5 pm. If you are unable to drop off your artwork during this time, please email madison@rumriverart.com to set up a time to drop off your artwork.
• Artwork that has been unclaimed after 2 weeks will become property of the Rumriver Art Center, either being added to our collection of artworks or sold as part of a fundraiser for the organization.
• Rumriver Art Center will not ship artwork back to participating artists; all artworks must be picked up in-person.
• You may NOT remove your artwork from the gallery earlier than the designated pick-up time.

The following will result in the rejection of your application:

• Failure to adhere to the provided application guidelines.
• Incomplete application.
• Harassment, discrimination, or inappropriate actions towards any Rumriver Art Center staff.

Liability:

All reasonable care will be taken with artwork. Rumriver Art Center staff and volunteers cannot be held responsible for loss or damage to artwork including frames and mountings, no matter how damage/loss is caused. All entries submitted are subject to this condition. Rumriver Art Center has an excellent record in the care and handling of works of art. We suggest that artists insure work privately if they feel the need for such protection.

Additional Notes:

• Buyers of artwork sold during the exhibit agree that the artwork will remain in the Rumriver Art Center Gallery until the show ends on Saturday, May 31st (sold artworks will NOT move to the library.)
• Reproduction of Images for Publicity – Permission is granted to the Rumriver Art Center for reproduction of artwork for advertising purposes. Entry into the exhibit constitutes agreement with this rule. Images of artwork may be used for flyers, press releases, posters, on the Rumriver Art Center website (rumriverart.com), social media, etc. 

About Rumriver Art Center:

The mission of Rumriver Art Center (RRAC) is to make a difference through art by being a welcoming and inspiring environment for artists of all ages to explore their creative potential through our classes, collaborations, and partnerships in the North Metro.

The art center began in 2009 as a small 500 square foot studio and has expanded to over 5,000 square feet with the addition of an art cafe and library, a ceramic studio, a larger multi-purpose studio, and four private artist studios in a historic milk factory along the Rum River. We opened a community art gallery in the fall of 2018 for local artists to showcase their work and have been organizing a community art fair in Ramsey each summer since 2016.

We reach over 10,000 students annually of different ages, ethnicities, abilities, and economic backgrounds offering the opportunity to grow artistically and creatively while building confidence and social skills. The art center offers programs for public and private educational institutions, summer art camps for youth, art courses for homeschool families, and a Vitality Arts program for older adults ages 55+. We also offer a variety of virtual art classes, community programs, Free Family Art Days, and a Senior Art-Reach program.

Call 763-323-8830 or email Madison Nelmark at madison@rumriverart.com with any questions.

Rumriver Art Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.