elected membership Process

Spring 2024 Application process

Applications will be accepted for SCA Elected membership from March 4 – April 3rd.  Please read the SCA Spring 2024 jury process information carefully as there have been some changes.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS EXTENDED TO APRIL 3RD, 2024 11:59 PM ET

The Society of Canadian Artists call for Spring 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. arch

Important Dates and information

  • Application Window: (March 4 to April 3, 2024)
  • Application Jury Fee $75 (non-refundable, subject to change), payable through PayPal
  • Your CV must include all the required sections included below.
  • Your application must include images of 10 works that have been completed in the past 3 years (2021-2024) 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. 

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 THE ITEMS BELOW AS A GUIDE IN YOUR CV PREPARATION

  1. Professional Development: Include art education, training, major workshops attended, etc.
  2. Memberships & Affiliations: include only those art associations that were obtained through the process of jury or election.
  3. Exhibitions: limit information to the last 10 years (2013 to present)
  4. Galleries, Public/Private collections: List galleries you are associated with, and any major corporate or public collections that have collected your work.
  5. 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.
  6. Publications: list any publications your work has been featured in, written articles, books, newspapers, etc.
  7. Contributions to the Artistic Community: Include art-related professional experience such as teaching, instructing workshops, volunteerism, and jurying experience.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. Motivation for becoming a 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.
  11. Introduction Statement & Image: Should your application be successful, this statement will 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 with the last three (3) years.
  • 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 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 submission section below, 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 “2024 Spring Call: Elected Membership“.

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.

Should your application be successful, your annual membership fee for current year (2024-25) is:  $105 (subject to change) due immediately upon notification.

The SCA Fiscal year is May 1- April 31st.

If you have any questions regarding being an Elected member please send an email to [email protected] 

Questions??

If you have any questions regarding the application process please send an email to our Elected jury coordinator, Attn. Marissa Sweet at [email protected]

Need a bit more Help?

Two of our members are available to mentor you in the process of photographing your artwork or how to prepare an effective application. 

Application Preparation

Andrew Sookrah SCA-Hon

Andrew Cheddi Sookrah is available to provide assistance to anyone wishing to apply for membership to the SCA, his guidance will include a review of selected works (with feedback solely on how to best meet requirements for application, i.e. consistency, and not on quality of work), clarity of images, etc., and a clarification if needed, of the requirements.

Contact Andrew at [email protected]

Photographing your artwork

jack gilbert sca

On photographing artwork: I can offer help in shooting and submitting your artwork.
At a minimum you will require a semi professional digital camera, perhaps lights specifically designed for photography, a tripod, possibly a polarizing filter, and a cable release.
If you then intend to self edit your photos please advise me of your computer and the post editing software you intend to use. Alternatively you may have to take your photos to a professional lab for processing.

Contact Jack at [email protected]

READY TO APPLY?

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in progress, select the Apply Now button

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