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Baton Rouge Gallery is a professional, non-profit, contemporary art gallery, founded in 1966. The Gallery is seriously dedicated to the purposes of community cultural education, audience development and promotion of individual artists.

Artistic decisions, such as exhibit installations and artist membership are made by the existing artist membership. The administrative decisions are made by the Gallery’s director and board of directors. The Gallery staff is responsible for all publicity (press releases, exhibition announcements, etc.) regarding Gallery activities and programs. The Gallery director also acts as a liaison between the general public and the artists, making available information and opportunities to interested artists.

Baton Rouge Gallery receives funding from three main sources: Community and artist memberships; Baton Rouge Recreation and Parks Commission (BREC), and; the Community Fund for the Arts. BREC has made a commitment to the welfare of the arts in Baton Rouge and houses the Gallery in the City Park Pavilion. BREC funds a part of the Gallery’s operational expenses. In return, the Gallery dedicates a percentage of the commission (30% of the purchase price) of all on-site art sales to BREC. BREC then pays the artist’ their share (60% of the purchase price) with the remaining 10% donated back to BRG.

Artist Member Annual Requirements

• Artists must pay annual dues of $80. Artists that perform cooperative volunteer service (serving on committees, etc.) will receive a $1 per hour credit towards the next years’ dues. Attendance at artist meetings will not be considered volunteer work.
• Artists must update their resumes, slides and biographical sheet every year (by October 1st) in order to be eligible to exhibit during the year.
• Artists must participate in at least one group exhibition per year and exhibit in a one, two, three, four or five person show every three years. The Group show traditionally occurs in December, but other exhibition opportunities are available throughout the year.
• Artists must submit to a review by the Artists’ Screening Committee every five (5) years in order to retain membership.

Application Procedure
Applications for artist membership are reviewed once a year in October (call 225/383-1470 for specific dates). Applications are received between noon and 6:00 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday at the Gallery offices (1442 City Park Avenue). Applicants will be notified of the Artists’ Screening Committee’s decision approximately three (3) weeks after submission of application.

Applicant Eligibility
Applicants who meet the following requirements will be considered eligible to compete for membership in Baton Rouge Gallery

• No student work or work executed under other supervision will be considered.
• Professional experience must reflect evidence of participation in professional juried exhibitions, awards, commissions, grants, fellowships, etc.

Application
A completed application must include:

• A current resume
• A slide sheet of 10 to 20 slides
• An accompanying slide identification page
• Two actual pieces of completed art work
• Completed biographical overview sheet
• Artist statement
• A self-addressed, stamped envelop for the return of slides (see specifics on Applications Materials List attached

Evaluation
Applicants will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Quality and consistency of craftsmanship
• Ability to maintain a consistent conceptual focus within a body of work
• Quality of presentation regarding resume, slides and actual work
• Professional experience

STANDARDS FOR APPLICATION MATERIALS

Resume
An applicant’s resume should include education, professional activity (i.e., exhibition record, history of participation in juried or invitation exhibitions, etc.), awards, employment, etc. A resume should focus on the last five (5) years of the applicant’s career. Dates of exhibitions, awards, professional accomplishments, etc. must be included with all resume information. Baton Rouge Gallery is a contemporary arts facility. The committee will focus on an applicant’s most recent work and accomplishments. It is in the applicant’s best interest to catalogue the most recent accomplishments in the resume. Applicants should include two copies of the resume.

Slide Sheet
Applicants should submit a slide sheet of 10 to 20 professional-quality slides that represent the last three years of work. Slides should accurately depict the work and should be numbered in the order the applicant wishes them to be viewed. The top and front of each slide must be clearly indicated. Each slide must be labeled as illustrated below:

Slide Description Page
The applicant should submit an accompanying, typed attachment which lists the slides in order and includes the title of each piece, date of completion of each piece, dimensions (HxWxD). The applicant’s slide description page should indicate any commissioned works on your slide description page.

Actual Work
Applicant’s should submit two actual works that are represented in the slide sheet (for comparison purposes). Works should be presented in the manner they would be for exhibition (framed, matted, etc.). If the works are three dimensional, please attach a written explanation of how you would present these works in an exhibition.

Biographical Information Sheet
Completed in full (see attached). This is in addition to the applicant’s resume and does not substitute for the resume.

Applicant’s Artist Statement
Should refer to the submitted work and must be typed, single-spaced, 12-point type or larger, one-inch margins all around.

Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope
For the return of slides of applicants not adjudicated for Baton Rouge Gallery membership, applicants must submit a self-addressed envelop with appropriate postage affixed. Baton Rouge Gallery will retain the application materials of those applicants accepted for artist membership. Applicants will be notified of the Artists’ Screening Committee’s decisions approximately three weeks after submission of application.

BIOGRAPHICAL OVERVIEW FOR ARTISTS

Applicants must complete this form in its entirity.
This page does not substitute for a complete resume.