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Introducing Eye of the Beholder: The Art of the Found Object
Inspiration can come from anywhere. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure, or in this case, the beginning of a found object assemblage artwork. Eye of the Beholder: The Art of the Found Object is a biennial found object art exhibition now in its 8th year. This exhibition will showcase fine art constructed from ordinary, everyday objects that have been scavenged and repurposed into art by the artist. All original 2D or 3D work following exhibition guidelines is eligible for this exhibition. Please note that art including, but not constructed of found objects, and photographs or paintings of assemblage art or found objects are not eligible for this show. Works selected by the juror will be exhibited in MFA’s Circle Gallery from Jul 26 – Aug 26, 2023. Exhibition Chair: Angela Petruncio.
Juror: Toni-Lee Sangastino
As a scholar of the carnivalesque and a multidisciplinary artist, Dr. Toni-Lee Sangastino studies the postmodern sideshow’s American and European processional original, and its relevance to contemporary language, aesthetics, and media. She makes visible the people and spaces of the postmodern sideshow, the codes of normality they challenge as social activism onstage, and the circus through contemporary realism and maker technology. As a leading sideshow banner painter and scholar, she produced this early form of advertisement for the last permanent sideshow in Coney Island during the “sideshow Renaissance” of the 1990s. Sangastiano also approaches the circus and the sideshow, two distinct types of performances, through documentary photography, mixed media, and video. She is primarily trained in visual arts, art theory, and aesthetics, and her work engages the analysis of power structures and language. She is an Associate Professor of the Practice in the Art & Art History Department and a Medical Humanities faculty member at Georgetown University. Learn more and see her work at sangastiano.com.
Terms of Entry
- Entry is open to artists residing in the any of the states or territories of the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
- Entering this exhibition indicates understanding and agreement on the part of the artist with the conditions stated herein and with (a) MFA’s approved Statement of Equity and Diversity and (b) MFA’s General Guidelines. Work must meet exhibition guidelines to be included in the event. MFA may determine work ineligible if entry guidelines are not followed. Work delivered must correspond with the image(s) submitted to the juror.
- Images of accepted works may be used at the sole discretion of MFA for promotional purposes including, but not limited to: the invitation, catalog, website, social media, or a subsequent year’s prospectus. Images will include attribution wherever possible.
- Work cannot be withdrawn before the end of the event.
Liability
- Artwork will be handled with all possible care. MFA will not be responsible or liable for loss or damage from any cause whatsoever. Insurance, if desired, must be carried by the artist.
Awards
- Cash awards total $1,000
Entry Requirements
- All work must be entered by uploading JPEG images through MFA’s online entry system. Set pixel dimension to between 1,500 and 3,000 pixels on the longest side. File size may be no more than 5 MB.
- To enter online, you will need an MFA account that includes an email address and a password. There is no charge to create an MFA account.
Entry Fee
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1 or 2 entries $40 ($25 for MFA Members). Additional 4 entries $5 each. Entry fees are non-refundable.
Work
- Images for the juror must correspond with the actual work.
- All entries must be original and completed solely by the artist’s hand. A maximum of 6 original works created within the past 3 years may be entered.
- Art including, but not constructed of found objects, as well as photographs or paintings of assemblage art are not eligible for this show.
- Work previously exhibited at MFA Circle Gallery is not eligible for re-entry.
- Maximum size of work, including edges of artwork or frame, cannot exceed 72″ in any direction. Artists may be asked to assist with the installation of oversized work (greater than 60″ or over 40 lbs.).
Sales
- Artists will retain 70% from sales (75% for MFA Members). MFA will retain 30% commission on any work sold through MFA (25% for MFA Members at the time of the sale).
- Work must be for sale. Work may be set to Price on Request (POR).
Exhibition Schedule
- May 15 Online Entry Opens for Submissions
- May 10 Entry Deadline
- Jun 13 Notification @ 5 PM
- Jul 19 – 23 Accepted and Shipped Work Must Arrive at MFA Circle Gallery
- Jul 26 Exhibition Opens
- Aug 6 Virtual Awards Ceremony from 4 – 5 PM via Zoom
- Aug 26 Last Day of the Exhibition; Closing Reception at MFA Circle Gallery from 4 – 6 PM
- Aug 27 – 28 Pick-up Hand-Delivered Work from 11 AM – 4 PM
- Aug 30 Shipped Work Will Be Sent
NOTE: Should the exhibition space be closed for reasons beyond our control, MFA reserves the right to move a planned physical exhibit to our online gallery.
Notification
All artists will receive notification by email. Accepted artists and artwork will also be posted on MFA’s website. Artists who have unsubscribed from MFA’s emails will not receive notification.
The notice to accepted artists will include specific details and may vary from the prospectus.
Please set your email account to recognize notification@mdfedart.org and info@mdfedart.org.
Stage of Life [Stage III], found objects, mdf, Yunkyoung Cho, from Eye of the Beholder 2021