15th Annual Best Of West Virginia Open Juried Exhibition

 
Tamarack Marketplace celebrates West Virginia artists by showcasing their creativity and talent in this special juried competition.  This exhibition is the only exhibition hosted by the David L. Dickirson Fine Arts Gallery that can be entered by any artist or artisan who is a West Virginia resident. Participants compete for four monetary awards, totaling $4000.

Exhibition Run: June 24 – August 9, 2023 
Image Submission Deadline: April 23, 2023
Decision Notifications (sent via email): May 18-20, 2023
Drop Off Deadline for Accepted Work: June 14, 2023
Work Pick Up Deadline: August 19, 2023

Eye For Art

 
Known as “windows of the soul”, eyes have long been symbols of knowledge, foresight, power, and protection. Across many cultures, both ancient and modern, eyes are considered portals for knowledge, providence, and divine direction. Ancient myths associate them with higher vision, higher clairvoyance, and consider an eye to be an emblem of protecting power.
 
In Egyptian Mythology the Eye of Horace represented the moon while the Eye of Sut represented the sun. In India, the Eye of Siva is an “all seeing eye”. During the Renaissance, the eye symbolized magic, and later was a symbol of God’s omniscience for Free Masons. On today’s dollar bill, the eye is seen as a protective force and called the Eye of Providence.
 
Surrealists after WWI were fascinated by the eye and saw it as a portal between the inner subjective self and the external world. The eye was a featured subject in artworks such as Rene Magritte’s The False Mirror, and Eye by M.C. Escher. One surrealist proprietor described the eye featured in The False Mirror as something that “sees as much as it is seen”.
 
Most people, no matter the time period, could agree that the eye is a wonderous object. Ever inspirational for artists, it is a natural camera designed to gain knowledge through observation and reveal knowledge as it conveys emotion through expression. It truly is an object that sees everything around it, and it is an object that is seen by onlookers as something mysterious, revelatory, and full of insight.
 
Exhibition Run: August 19 – October 11, 2023
Image Submission Deadline: July 9, 2023
Decision Notifications (sent via submittable): July 13 – 15, 2023
Drop Off Deadline for Accepted Work: August 9, 2023
Exhibition Opening: August 19, 2023

Southern Gothic

 
Emerging in 18th century Europe, the Gothic arts genre emphasized intense emotion, terror, death, and love. Gothic arts can be characterized by an environment of fear, the threat of supernatural events, and past events haunting the present. Today, the term still describes work characterized by mystery, horror, and gloom. Gothic patterns appear in the works of notable novels such as Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, and Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell Tale Heart.
 
Out of the Gothic genre grew the subgenre “Southern Gothic” – a term highlighting the dark corners of the American South. The category is characterized by the grotesque, and it showcases everything from disturbing masked figures to overgrown landscapes with decaying houses. While art of this nature may contain some supernatural elements, it often reveals the eerie flaws of people and places in the physical world.
 
To honor this spooky season, Tamarack is seeking original gothic-inspired artwork to haunt our gallery and mystify our guests .
 
Exhibition Run: October 21 – December 6, 2023
Image Submission Deadline: September 17, 2023
Decision Notifications (sent via submittable): September 21 – 23, 2023
Drop Off Deadline for Accepted Work: October 11, 2023
Exhibition Opening: October 21, 2023

Small Packages

 
An exhibition of small proportions is back for round 2! This exhibition is seeking artwork measuring 12inx12in and under (or alternatively 144 square inches- if you have questions please reach out), perfect for holiday gift giving. Theme of work is whatever your heart desires, all we ask is that you please abide by our gallery guidelines and have fun during this holiday season by creating big things in small packages. Tamarack’s David L. Dickirson Fine Arts Gallery is inviting artists to submit two- and three-dimensional pieces that are tiny in proportion and big in impact!
 
Exhibition Run: December 16, 2023 – January 24, 2024
Image Submission Deadline: November 12, 2023
Decision Notifications (sent via email) November 16-18, 2023
Drop Off Deadline for Accepted Work: December 6, 2023
Work Pick Up Deadline: February 3, 2024