March 6, 2023Bellingham National Juried Art Exhibition Returns to the Museum with the theme of Healing and Repair
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Bellingham, WA, March 3, 2023—The Whatcom Museum will present the fourth biennial “Bellingham National” in the fall of 2023. This juried art exhibition and awards will take place at the Museum’s Lightcatcher building and will open to the public Sun., Nov. 12. Grace Kook-Anderson, the Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Curator of Northwest Art at the Portland Art Museum, is the guest juror for this exhibition titled “Acts of Healing and Repair.” The show will feature the work of artists from across the United States and will center broadly around the theme of healing.
Beginning March 3, the open call to artists will go live on the CaFÉ website at https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=11403 an online platform for accepting art submissions. Artists will be able to submit up to three artworks for consideration for this exhibition. Entries will be considered and chosen by the juror, Kook-Anderson, and accepted artists will be announced by September 25. Artists may submit works from a broad range of media and styles that respond to the topic of healing.
Kook-Anderson states, “Having the opportunity to learn about new artists and see a large body of work is one of the most exciting endeavors when jurying an exhibition. I’m honored to be a part of this year’s Bellingham National and to have the opportunity to meditate on the theme of healing and renewal.”
Three artists, chosen by Kook-Anderson, will receive cash awards of $2,500, $1,500, and $1000. The first prize winner will also be awarded a spotlight exhibition featuring a selection of their work in a forthcoming solo presentation at the Museum. Winners of the juror’s choice awards will be announced at the member preview reception at the Lightcatcher on Sat., Nov. 11. Visitors to the exhibition will have an opportunity to have their voices heard through a popular choice award. The winning artist by popular vote will be announced the last week of the exhibition and will receive a $500 award.
Important dates to note:
Call to Artists Live on CaFÉ: March 3, 2023
Deadline to Apply: August 11, 2023
Artists Announced: September 25, 2023
Opening Reception: November 11, 2023
Artists can submit works starting March 3 at the CaFÉ website at https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=11403. For more information email info@whatcommuseum.org. “Acts of Healing and Repair: Bellingham National Juried Art Exhibition and Awards” will be on display at the Lightcatcher building Nov. 12, 2023 – Feb. 25, 2024. A member preview reception will be held Sat., Nov. 11, 5:00 -7:00 p.m.
About Grace Kook-Anderson: Grace Kook-Anderson was appointed The Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Curator of Northwest Art in 2017. At the Portland Art Museum she is responsible for the Northwest Art Collection and Galleries and the APEX exhibition series, which features solo exhibitions and projects of contemporary northwest artists. Prior to joining the museum, she was an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Art in the School of Art + Design at Portland State University while working as an independent curator and arts writer. From 2008-2015, Kook-Anderson was the Curator of Contemporary Art at the Laguna Art Museum. Kook-Anderson received a dual B.A. degree in art history and art practice from the University of California, Berkeley, and received her M.A. degree in Curatorial Practice from the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. She has held prior positions at the Asian Art Museum and the CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts in San Francisco.
