elected membership Process
Fall 2024 Application process
Applications will be accepted for SCA Elected membership from September 6 – October 18, 2024. Please read the SCA Fall 2024 jury process information carefully as there have been some changes.
The Society of Canadian Artists call for Fall Elected membership! Successful applicants will be notified by email. The Elected membership is open to all professional artists who are either:
1) A Canadian-born citizen living in Canada, or temporarily or permanently living outside of Canada.
2) Born outside of Canada but have become a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident and currently reside in Canada.
Important Dates and information
- Application Window: September 6 to October 18, 2024.
- Application Jury Fee $75 (non-refundable, subject to change), payable through PayPal.
- Your CV must include all the required sections included as follows.
- Your application must include images of 10 works that have been completed since January 1 2021, and your CV.
- The application for Elected membership is to be submitted with the 11 attachments (1 CV + 10 images = 11).
- Make sure your CV is saved as .pdf file and uploaded as an attachment in EntryThingy.
The Jurying Process
Elected membership is a juried process. Your work and experience will be adjudicated by five Elected Members from across Canada who represent a wide variety of experience, medium, and style.
The Jury
Wendy Bermingham SCA
Jennifer Heine SCA
Marc T. Holmes SCA
Doreen Renner SCA
Blake Ward SCA
Jurying Criteria - Artistic works
Applications for Elected membership will have their work assessed on the following three criteria:
1. Technical Expertise:
Technical expertise encompasses a comprehensive understanding of the elements of design. Submissions will be assessed based on the artist’s mastery of technical skills, demonstrating a high level of proficiency and craftsmanship in the chosen medium. Jurors will consider the artist’s skillful technical execution evident in each artwork.
2. Artistic Expression:
Artistic expression is the soul of the piece, capturing the viewer’s attention and fostering a meaningful connection. This category focuses on the artist’s ability to convey emotions, ideas, and concepts through their work. Jurors will assess the depth of expression, originality of interpretation, and the artist’s unique voice evident in the artwork.
3. Creative Innovation:
Creative innovation celebrates the artist’s ability to break from convention and contribute to the evolution of artistic creation. Innovative thinking and the ability to push artistic boundaries will be central to evaluating entries in this category. Jurors will look for artworks that demonstrate a fresh perspective, unconventional approaches, and a willingness to explore new concepts or techniques.
Jurying Criteria - Curriculum vitae (CV)
Your artistic experience and background are given consideration during the jurying process as your body of work. As part of the submission process, you will be required to submit your Curriculum vitae (CV) which must contain the following 11-point sections.
Your CV has to be submitted to Entry Thingy and not in a separate email. This is the ONLY way the jurors will read your CV.
Save your CV named as: firstname_lastname_CV.pdf
NOTE: PLEASE USE ALL OF THE FOLLOWING ELEVEN (11) CATEGORIES IN YOUR CV
- Professional Development: Include art education, training, major workshops attended, etc.
- Memberships & Affiliations: include only those art associations that were obtained through the process of jury or election.
- Exhibitions: limit information to the last 10 years (2014 to present).
- Galleries, Public/ Private Collections: List galleries you are associated with, and any major corporate or public collections that have collected your work.
- Awards, Public Recognition & Other Accomplishments: limit award information to the last 10 years, and other artistic accomplishments that have not been noted elsewhere on this application.
- Publications: list any publications your work has been featured in, written articles, books, newspapers, etc.
- Contributions to the Artistic Community: Include art-related professional experience such as teaching, instructing workshops, volunteerism, and jurying experience.
- Personal Contribution to the SCA: A brief statement on how you would, if accepted as an Elected Member, personally voluntarily contribute to the work of the SCA. If possible, list specific areas of expertise you may have such as workshop coordination, exhibition coordination, website knowledge, etc.
- Biography and Artist Statement/ Vision: Keep the two separate. A combined maximum of 400 words. Include a vision of where your work is and where you want it to be in the future.
- Motivation For Becoming an Elected Member of the SCA: A brief statement on your reasons for applying for Elected membership, including how you heard about the Society of Canadian Artists.
- Introduction Statement & Image: Should your application be successful, this statement may be included in the SCA newsletter, the SCA website, and a slide show introducing newly Elected Members at the SCA Annual General Meeting/ Holiday Party. Please indicate which one of your 10 images you would like included with this statement.
entry conditions and image specifications
Applicants must verify that their submitted work meets the following conditions and ensure their image files meet the specifications as noted.
- All work must have been completed on or after January 1, 2021.
- All work must be original artwork and must NOT be copies or derivatives of someone else’s: paintings, photographs (copyrighted or not), or other artistic work. The artwork must solely created by the applicant without guidance from an instructor(s).
- The media must be clearly identified and may include techniques such as: painting, drawing, pastel, printmaking, sculpture, fibre art, photography, mixed media and digital art. Artwork generated using an artificial intelligence (AI) platform is NOT permitted.
- Digital files must be in JPG format and be PC/ MAC compatible. When opened, only the image of the artwork should show (cropped with no frame, no mat board or extraneous background showing).
- Image files should have a recommended with of 1920 pixels but no smaller than 1200px or larger than 2400px, saved at the highest possible quality.
- The file size should be in the range of 1.0MB to 2.5 MB, depending on the amount of detail.
- The 10 image files should be named in this format:
Number_FirstName_LastName_Title_Medium_Size.jpg
Example: 01_John_Smith_Waterfall_OilOnPanel_20x16.jpg - NOTE: You may show another view of your work or a work-in-progress shot.
Submission Process
The Society of Canadian Artists uses a 3rd party online submission system called EntryThingy.
When you proceed to the following submission section, you will enter your submission on their site.
You will need to have, or create, an account on EntryThingy in order to submit your entry. Also note that EntryThingy is an English-only site.
The SCA call for entry you want to submit to will be called “SCA Call For Elected Membership: Fall 2024“.
Notification
Jury results are typically available within a month of the application deadline. However, because our jurors are from across Canada, there could potentially be a short delay.
The SCA fiscal year is May 1 – April 31. Should your fall application be successful, your annual membership fee for the current year (2024-25) will be prorated from the annual fee of $105 to $50, due immediately upon notification.
If you have any questions regarding being an Elected Member please send an email to membership@societyofcanadianartists.com
Submission Checklist
Before proceeding to our submission page on EntryThingy please use this checklist to ensure your have everything ready.
- Your English language 11 point CV, saved in PDF format, named as previously indicated.
- 10 images of your best work, in JPG format, following the aforementioned size requirements.
- Your credit card or PayPal account to pay your non-refundable jury fee.
Ready to Apply?
If you have all your information in hand and are ready to apply or want to return to your application in progress, select the Apply Now button.