Artina 2025: Upside Down – Inside Out

About the Open Call

The realities of today’s world seem to have turned topsy-turvy. What was up is now down, ‘left’ is pitted against ‘right’, and confidence proportionally falls as uncertainty climbs higher with the hour. Meanwhile, self-proclaimed outsiders have resolutely taken ownership of the inside track. In reflection, we ask ourselves collectively, “What now? What next? Where are we? Where do we go from here? How do we reorient ourselves within a world turned upside down and inside out?” We ask these questions in an attempt to locate ourselves within a morphing paradigm and to ground ourselves despite ever-changing circumstances. Quite possibly, creative responses to these questions are best communicated in sculptural form. Through sculpture, installation, sound, performance, and interdisciplinary expression, Upside Down, Inside Out invites artists to explore inversions and reorientations. Inversion and orientation can each be interpreted geographically or directionally, psychologically or sexually, politically, positionally, or materially. This exhibition thematically embraces the carnivalesque: inclusive of mischief, playfulness, whimsy, chaos, and excess. Approaches and interpretations of related topics may range widely, from the unfamiliar and the uncanny, to the surreal and the satirical, the absurd and the abject, the ironic and the burlesque, the silly and the serious. As such, Upside Down, Inside Out is a space of radical hospitality, welcoming and inviting all modes of imaginative subversion and unfettered inquiry that challenge the dominion of absolute power, unquestioned patrimony, and obligatory acceptance of the status quo. - Zoma Wallace, May 2025. The ARTINA exhibition series, now in its 9th year, is an ongoing partnership between Washington Sculptors Group and the Sandy Spring Museum that invites social engagement with the environment through participation and collaboration. Artists are encouraged to envision interactions in the natural landscape, engaging visually and physically with nature. The Sandy Spring Museum is located on 7+ acres of land, with sculptures able to be installed throughout the property, including a wooden trellis. Works should be suitable for long-term, outdoor exposure, fabricated, and installed in a viewer-safe manner. Artists are responsible for any maintenance of the work, and there are no restrictions on media/materials.

What is Offered

Accepted Artists will receive an honorarium of $150. Sandy Spring Museum insures works on loan up to $10,000 after delivery and signing of the exhibition loan agreement. Insurance during transportation is the responsibility of the artist. Artists are encouraged to offer their work for sale, with artwork sold remaining on display for the duration of the exhibition. The Museum will coordinate pickup by purchasers after the closing date, and a check will be mailed to the artist within 40 days. The Museum takes a 30% commission on all sales.

Requirements

The exhibition is open to current or new members of the Washington Sculptors Group only. Non-members may join WSG by paying annual dues of $45 ($15 for full-time students) during the Entrythingy checkout process or via the WSG website/mail. Existing WSG members must renew their dues for 2025 to be eligible. Proposals are accepted from emerging and established sculptors for outdoor sculptures at Sandy Spring Museum. Artists are invited to submit existing or new sculptures, and site-specific installations that fit the theme and engage with the museum’s history and mission. Works must be suitable for long-term, outdoor exposure and be fabricated and installed in a viewer-safe manner. Artists are responsible for any maintenance. There are no restrictions on media/materials. Artists should detail installation requirements. It is highly recommended that artists visit Sandy Spring Museum to get a sense of the surroundings prior to applying.

How to Apply

Submissions must be made digitally through EntryThingy. Applicants should visit www.entrythingy.com, click on 'for artists', then 'list of current calls', and select the Artina 2025 listing. Create or log in to an account and complete the entry steps. There is a $5 entry fee. A maximum of 6 images (including detail images) of sculptures/installations per artist or team may be submitted. Artists must also include a proposal in .doc or .pdf format detailing the project description, concept sketches or renderings, and other pertinent information. Submissions must be anonymous, with files named only by the title of the work (no names). Artists should describe where site-specific pieces are to be placed, provide background/narrative information, and explain how the project relates to the theme and any light, sound, or movement impacts. Public participation during installation or over the life of the artwork can also be detailed. All applicants will receive notifications via email.