We believe in the power of art to express imaginative ideas, create positive change, and bring joy to our lives. Wells Art Contemporary remains committed to providing the unique opportunity of showing in Wells Cathedral to all artists. To give them more time to enter, the submission date is extended until 1 August 2020. With the full support of the Dean, we will present the exhibition in Wells Cathedral as soon as it is safe to do so. 

PLEASE ONLY USE THIS ENTRY PORTAL IF YOU ARE SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL FOR AN INSTALLATION.  IF YOU ARE WANTING TO SUBMIT IMAGES FOR WELLS ART CONTEMPORARY ART AWARDS,
PLEASE CLICK HERE:

wac.artopps.co.uk

Call for Installations and Interventions within Wells Cathedral

The Wells Art Contemporary Open Competition will be held at the magnificent Wells Cathedral.  A footfall of 20,000 is expected over the three weeks of the exhibition.  The majority of the artworks for this Open will be exhibited in the cloisters leaving a great amount of space inside and outside the Cathedral for Fine Art Installations and Interventions. This is the second year that we are offering this remarkable opportunity to exhibit.  In the Summer of 2019, thirteen WAC installations were chosen, please see map and photographs showing some of the sites and art works shown.

The Cathedral offers a broad field of possibilities for installations and interventions; so we are proposing that artists look at the sites we describe online and submit on that basis or come on a tour of the Cathedral with the WAC Team so that you can discuss possible sites for you. New ideas as to where work might be situated will be welcomed.  If your work is provisionally accepted and you have not identified a specific space in which to place your work; then we will invite you to the Cathedral to discuss this with you.

Our selector, artist Simon Periton, will be looking for innovative proposals, that will engage the audience in a broad range of experiences. The media considered include: sound, light, performance, projection and site-specific artwork in any medium.  Along with the vast potential of the Cathedral interior we also have extensive spaces outside the building in the form of the Palm Churchyard and the Camery Gardens.

The same rules and conditions apply to these installations and interventions as with all other accepted artworks in relation to promotion, WAC prizes, etc. You can make as many proposals as you wish and individual or collaborative proposals can be made. Links with the Cathedral’s very long sacred history, its material fabric or its current day usage are encouraged. WAC is a vanguard project for the Cathedral’s developing strategy of social and secular engagement.   This openness extends to and beyond the local community towards national and international engagement.  Beyond Simon’s selection and the specific placement of the work there are also considerations of access, health and safety and the content and context of the art piece set within this place of worship.

The selected artists will install the works, in accordance with the Cathedrals health and safety regulations, therefore we highly recommend applicants visit the Cathedral and familiarise themselves with the spaces on offer.

Visit the Cathedral:

Unfortunately, the Cathedral is currently closed in accordance with Government guidance.

Please contact robin.sewell@mac.com for further information and guidance with your submission or if you wish to visit and be shown around the site.

Please submit your proposal as:

• Text with Drawings and or Photographs, to provide us with a clear and comprehensive description of what you are proposing. Please keep your text to within 300 words.
• Provide a brief statement: 50 to 100 words specifically about the proposed work that will be a guide to the public if your work is shown.
• Provide: Links to your website, Instagram and video work online that supports your application. + your mobile number.

Entry Fee is £20 per artist.

Deadline for entry is 1 August 2020.

Submission is via online entry only.

The competition is open to all artists aged 18 and over based in the UK or internationally.

The application fee is £20.

Please submit the following via the online application only:

• Up to 10 images (preparatory drawings and/or images)
• Text to provide us with a clear and comprehensive description of what you are proposing. Please keep your text to within 300 words.
• How long you expect it will take to install and take down the work? (50 words max)
• Which site/s in the Cathedral would be your preferred site? (50 words max)
• Provide a brief statement: 50 to 100 words specifically about the proposed work that will be a guide to the public if your work is shown
• Links to your website or Instagram or video work online that supports your application. + your mobile number.