(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Art House Productions has announced the Art House Gallery Art Competition. Sponsored by Mack-Cali Realty/Harborside JC, this online art competition is open to artists currently based in New Jersey. Selected by a panel of curators, the winning artist will receive $500, their work will be exhibited as part Art House’s group show for the 30th Annual Jersey City Art & Studio Tour (JCAST) in October 2020, and they’ll be featured on the Art House Productions’ website and social media channels for one month. The theme for submissions is “Pressing Pause: Living Life While Staying Put.” Submissions close Friday, May 15th at 5:00pm EST.

The selection panel includes Andrea McKenna, Artist and Director of the Art House Gallery; Loura Van DeMule, Artist; Miguel Cardenas, Artist and Art Educator; and Cheryl Mack, Director of Bridge Art Gallery.

Gallery Director Andrea McKenna says, “As much as artists need their solitary time to work, they also need connection to their peers and to their community. Speaking through art about the current times is what makes art relevant and artists relatable. The practice of art and the sharing of the work helps us all get through to the other side of this experience.”

Pressing Pause: Living Life While Staying Put

COVID-19 has us all experiencing life very differently. Never before have we had to collectively and indefinitely quarantine away from friends and family, stand 6’ apart, wear masks, and rapidly learn new skills in order to survive. Hand sanitizer and toilet paper are valuable commodities. Lysol and bleach have earned our deeper respect. Cities are at a standstill, with closures everywhere and there is a mounting death toll that we’re reminded of each day. The unthinkable is happening right before our eyes and, as visual artists, all we can do is stay home and hopefully continue our practice. 

Anxiety, stress, fear, boredom, panic are now quotidian, yet, we must keep living. We must adapt to unemployment or working from home, and do our best to take care of ourselves and others, pay our bills, make tentative plans for the future, and steal moments of joy throughout the day. How and what are you, the artist, creating in the time of quarantine? How is this new duality of life being expressed? How are these changes being expressed visually?

Full submission guidelines are available online. Please contact [email protected] with any questions. 

Art House is working creatively to deliver digital content during this pandemic. While the doors to our physical space might be temporarily closed, we are here in the digital space as a source of strength, creativity, humor, and light when you need a bit of inspiration and affirmation.

In the coming days, weeks, and months, we're planning artist features & profiles, performance videos, online galleries, and livestreaming community events! For information about upcoming digital events and features, click here, along with our Facebook, Twitter & Instagram for more information. To sign up for Art House's mailing list, click here. 

Art House Productions is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to the development and presentation of the performing and visual arts in Jersey City, NJ. Art House Productions presents theater, performing and visual arts festivals, arts events, visual art exhibitions, and adult and youth art classes.