Art gallery guidelines and call for submissions

Submissions due Monday December 16, 2019 for the 2020 exhibit.

Benedictine Women of Madison at Holy Wisdom Monastery sponsor two art exhibits every year as part of their mission. Held in the spring and fall, these exhibits hang in the Gathering Area of the LEED-certified monastery building. Selected artwork is in keeping with the monastic environment and reflects the Benedictine values of beauty, balance, simplicity, contemplation and reverence for creation.

Exhibits at Holy Wisdom Monastery seek to:

• Highlight creativity as an aspect of our spiritual lives
• Encourage a ‘new way of seeing’ by the viewer
• Open our space to the creative gifts of others and give them an opportunity to share their work with all guests
• Bring a representation of contemporary artistic expression to the monastery
• Provide an additional opportunity for guests to experience Holy Wisdom Monastery

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the special art exhibit The Flowers are Burning by Helen Klebesadel and Mary Kay Neumann will open on Thursday, April 16, 2020 with a reception. Regular gallery hours are 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday (excluding holidays) and Sundays 10:00-11:00 am.

The 2020 fall exhibit at Holy Wisdom Monastery will open with a reception on Friday, October 23, 2020. Regular gallery hours are 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday (excluding holidays) and Sundays 10:00-11:00 am.

General information for artists

Generally the monastery features annual art exhibits which open on a Friday in May and October. The exhibit is on display for 8-12 weeks depending on our schedule. The gallery has approximately 42 lineal feet of exhibit space with enough equipment to hang 16 sets of artwork. One wall is 22’6″ and the other wall is 19’6″.

A jury meets once a year in mid-January to select art that is harmonious with Benedictine values and will display well in the gallery space. The jury will select both artists for exhibits to be featured during the next calendar year.  Submissions for the exhibit are due on Monday, December 16, 2019 at 4:00 pm. Artists will be notified by February 1st of the jury’s choice of artist to be featured in the 2020 exhibit.

Artists wishing to submit their work for consideration are asked to send the following by 4:00 pm on Monday, December 16, 2019:  

• An artist’s statement. (A resume is optional.)
• A narrative explaining the focus and content of the exhibit.
• A minimum of 8 and a maximum of 16 images (photographs or jpegs are acceptable) that reflect the content/theme/materials for the proposed exhibit, submitted on a disc, USB flash drive, attached to an email or shared electronically via DropBox.
• The size of the proposed artwork.

PLEASE NOTE:  To assure diversity in the exhibits, we ask that artists who have been featured within the last two years in a one or two person show refrain from submitting their work for this show. This does not include artists who have exhibited their work in a group show.

Send proposals to: 
Art Gallery
Holy Wisdom Monastery
4200 County Road M
Middleton, WI 53562

Or

Email proposals to: rolson@benedictinewomen.org with Gallery Submission in the subject line.

Artists (or their designee) are responsible for delivering, hanging, and taking down their exhibit.  Exhibits must be hung and removed on the agreed-upon dates.

Artists may sell their work on display at the monastery, with 30% of all sales going to benefit Holy Wisdom Monastery. Artists are required to manage sales. Artists who have published a book or books of their work are welcome to promote the book(s) at the opening reception and have them available for sale that evening.  The monastery is unable to keep books on display or for sale after the opening night of the exhibit.  Artists may also choose not to have their artwork sold at the monastery.

Example of one wall (out of two) of the display space showing the Serendipity art exhibit by Jennifer Peters in fall 2017 at Holy Wisdom Monastery.

Due to the structure of the gallery, only wall-mounted art that can use the existing hanging system is accepted. Artists must have enough material to exhibit in 42 linear feet of wall space. The monastery has 19 lights to highlight the work. Artists are welcome to visit the gallery space prior to submitting their work. The monastery is open Monday-Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, excluding holidays and Sundays, 10:00-11:00 am.

The monastery does not have facilities to store artwork before hanging or after the exhibit dates.

Holy Wisdom Monastery does not assume responsibility for damage or theft to the artwork on display.  Artists are welcome to provide their own insurance for their work.

Holy Wisdom Monastery will provide the following to the artists:

• Gallery space with 42 linear feet of wall space and a Gallery System Art Displays, Inc. hanging system. This system can hold approximately 15 pounds per plastic tape hanger and 30 pounds when used in pairs.
• Postcard invitations will be mailed to our mailing list to announce the exhibit and opening reception, and 75 additional invitations will be provided to the artist.
• The exhibit and reception will be promoted widely to various websites, public event calendars, Facebook and newspapers in the area.
• Food prepared by our monastery chef will be provided at the opening reception, as well as beverages.
• One 24 inch x 36 inch poster of the artist’s statement will be created and displayed on an easel in the Gathering Area during the exhibit.

Holy Wisdom Monastery reserves the right to reject any work that is not in keeping with the agreed-upon theme or is in conflict with the monastery’s mission/purpose.

Please contact Rachel Olson at rolson@benedictinewomen.org. with any questions.