Print or Download PDF of Artist Opportunities at CSP and Guidelines

Central School Project offers a number of reoccurring opportunities for artists to exhibit work. These include:

The Bisbee Biennial
The Annual Mystery Ball
Exhibitions proposals for the Ida Powers Gallery
Exhibitions proposals The Little Gallery
Shorter duration events: media, performance, readings, etc.

We welcome proposals from curators and artists to participate in our exhibition program. Central School Project typically presents 2-3 solo and group exhibitions each year. Shows typically run 2-3 weekends.

Each year, CSP seeks to balance a number of needs in our programming schedule- to showcase work created within the southeast Arizona region, as well as to introduce work from artists outside our community. Programming includes thematic group shows, exhibitions of current work, and retrospectives.

CSP's programming schedule is determined in April of each year, based on the recommendations of our Curatorial Committee. Exhibition proposals must be received by post, email or in person by March 15 to be considered for the season starting in September. (Shorter duration events- media, performance, readings, etc. may be proposed throughout the year.) The committee selects exhibitions based on several criteria. These include the quality of the proposed work; the relationship of the proposal to other CSP programming; and regional or topical relevance.

Please be aware that CSP is a small nonprofit organization with a limited budget, and maintains a minimal paid staff. Much of the work of presenting exhibitions falls on one paid employee, the CSP Director, with volunteer work also contributed by CSP members. Therefore, we ask that all artists proposing an exhibit recognize that each exhibition requires a collaborative effort between the exhibiting artists, organizers and CSP. We ask that any exhibiting artist enter into a CSP exhibition in this spirit of collaboration. Specific responsibilities for marketing, installation, etc. are determined on a case-by-case basis, in discussion between artists and CSP. An Exhibition Agreement is created for each exhibition, outlining the breakdown of these responsibilities.

In order to give full consideration for each proposal, we ask that your project descriptions be as complete as possible. Biography and work description should not exceed two pages total.

Proposal Guidelines

Please include the following in your proposal:

Biography
Who is/are the artists whose work will be shown? Include a brief biographical and/or artist statement. Include prior exhibition record, education, etc. Discuss any reasons for your interest in showing this particular work at CSP.

Work samples
Please submit at least 5-10 images. These can be either printable digital files or hard copies. No slides please. Ideally, samples will show the actual works to be exhibited, if available. Examples of past work are acceptable as well. Proposals for group exhibitions should include previous work of enough of the included artists to give a clear idea of the character of the proposed show.
If images of the work are not readily available, CSP may be able to assist in photographing original work. Please contact the Director, Melissa Holden at 432-4866 for assistance.

Description of the work
How is this body of work defined? Is there a consistent subject matter or theme running through the work? How was the work created? Discuss media and techniques utilized. Will this be an exhibition of new work? A career overview? How will the work be displayed? Discuss any installation requirements.

Thank you for your interest in exhibiting at Central School Project. Please contact Melissa Holden with any questions about the proposal submission process.
(520) 432-4866 melissa@centralschoolproject.org