The Nave Gallery has announced a new music-themed exhibit coming to the Somerville art house later this year, and is currently seeking submissions.
Curated by Jenn Harrington and Nave Gallery Director Susan Berstler, the exhibit, titled “I’ve Been Everywhere, Man: Musicians on the Road,” seeks to document musicians on tour, from the highs to the lows to everything in between. The call for submissions runs until October 3, and the full guidelines and process is detailed below. It’s open to all.
“As someone who is not a musician but goes to a decent amount of shows, I have made it a priority to support those who devote their efforts to a very difficult artistic trade,” Harrington tells Vanyaland this morning. “Oftentimes attending a show is enough, but sometimes you have to try to do something special to make musicians (and many others who work in the industry) feel like it is worth it; to encourage them to keep on going on (just a little bit more); to pull them out of the grind and remind them why they were inspired to dedicate so much effort for so few favors.”
Harrington had been shopping the idea around to galleries and venue spaces since last spring, with the idea that proceeds would go to a musician-related health care organization. “Due to the high rents in the area, I found it was almost impossible to find an appropriate space that was able to cater to the benefit portion of the project,” she says.
Then, in April of this year, she ran into Berstler at the David Lamb memorial show at the Columbus Theatre in Rhode Island. “She got in touch with me a couple of days afterwards and asked if I wanted to collaborate on a music-related exhibit,” Harrington adds. “I immediately sent her the exhibit description for “I’ve Been Everywhere, Man: Musicians On the Road.” After some discussion, we ended up with two shows.
The first is “Winter,” opening at Nave on Thursday, which shows 20 artists with work ranging from photography, sculpture, painting, mixed media, and installation. “Since the exhibit description was inspired by a song composed by Brown Bird, their songs will play throughout the exhibit run, and the Nave will be selling three of their CDs,” Harrington says. “The exhibit is dedicated to Dave Lamb.
The second, of course, is “I’ve Been Everywhere, Man: Musicians On the Road”
“We are truly interested in showing work that honestly considers the joys and trials of being a traveling musician and those who work within the field will most frankly be able to tell the tale,” Harrington says.
Here are the full details:
DEADLINE: October 3, 2014
EXHIBITION DATES: November 6 to November 22, 2014
LOCATION: Nave Gallery Annex, 53 Chester St, Somerville, MA
CURATED BY: Jenn Harrington and Susan Berstler
We elevate our heroes. The gods are in the clouds. Superheroes fly. Marbled idols stand on pedestals. And our cameras aim at musicians where they are at their best—on stage. But how do they get there? And, more importantly—with days dedicated to cramped cars, thin wallets, beat-up motels, loneliness—why do they follow that long and winding road from one venue to the next? ‘I’ve Been Everywhere, Man: Musicians on the Road’ is an intimate exhibition of the reflections, adventures, humor, and hardships of musicians on tour.
The Nave Gallery Annex (Somerville, MA) encourages musicians, road crew, engineers, venue employees, and other supporters of the music scene as well as professional artists to submit work. All mediums will be considered. Applications will be accepted until October 3, 2014. There is no entry fee for this call for art.
GUIDELINES:
– A maximum of five pieces may be entered for consideration.
– Submissions will be accepted through October 3, 2014.
– The Nave Gallery will retain a 30% commission for work sold.
– Artist is responsible for cost of shipping work to and from the gallery.
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR WORK:
Applicants must submit
1. Up to five images of work relating to this theme; email to jennifer.harrington@gmail.com
2. An image list with title, dimension, media, and date
3. Website (optional)
4. A brief description of the image/s (optional)Each .jpg file should be 1200 pixels in the long dimension and named as “#_NAME.jpg” where # is the submission number and NAME is your last name.
Accepted pieces should be delivered to the Nave Gallery Annex located in Davis Square (53 Chester St, Somerville, MA) ready to install.
CALENDAR:
Exhibition dates: November 6–November 22, 2014
Deadline for Entries: October 3, 2014
Notification of acceptance: October 11, 2014
Artwork drop off: October 22,2014
Opening reception: November 6, 2014