Call to Artis

Feast: Food Represented in the Visual Arts 

Dates: January 26–March 8, 2024

The Mosesian Center for the Arts invites artists to submit work inspired by food. Depictions of food have been around since antiquity. In mosaics and frescos from Roman times, wine, fruit, bread, and grains have been depicted in private houses and temples. In later centuries, paintings portraying both religious and secular themes often incorporated food and drinks. The still life genre pioneered by the Dutch and Flemish masters has endured for centuries. From the early representations of lavish food displays of grapes, lobsters, game animals, and exotic fruit to the still life paintings of Cezanne and Warhol’s Cambell soup cans, artists have been fascinated by food. It is imbued with symbolism and is often used to make commentary on economic and social issues. In earlier times, food still life paintings represented wealth, and some illustrated the simpler meals of bread and fish of the less prosperous. Throughout the centuries, religious and symbolic works of art often incorporated fruit and other foods to express ideas of knowledge and enlightenment, to represent the cycles of life, death, and notions of good and evil.

Today we are surrounded by images of food. With Instagram feeds dedicated to depictions of food to professional food photographers, food is not only sustenance but also indulgence, comfort, and an aesthetic experience. Our relationship with food is complex. We categorize food, often in a very black and white manner, as good and bad, or addictive and life sustaining at the same time. As a society, we acknowledge both the lack of food and overindulgence as problematic. Because of our current state of global interconnectedness, food from various parts of the world is available and has been incorporated in our life.

Mosesian Arts accepts artworks of all media such as painting, printmaking, drawing, illustration, photography, 3D, mixed media, and video that uses food as inspiration. The work can be anything from a still life painting to art pieces using food as a commentary on contemporary issues such as food scarcity, how food is produced and processed, ethical, and not so ethical practices around food, or using actual food as a part of the work. The work can be representational or conceptual in nature.

Important Dates:

Submission Deadline: December 11, 2023
Announcing Selected Artists: December 18, 2023
Drop off Dates: Saturday, January 13, 2024, 10:00 AM–12:00 PM / Tuesday, January 16, 10:30 AM–3:00 PM
*Shipped work must be received no later than January 18, 2024
Exhibition Opens: January 26
Opening Reception: Thursday, February 8, 5:30–7:30 PM
Exhibition Closes: March 8
Artwork Pick Up: Saturday, March 9, 10:00 AM–12:00 PM and Tuesday, March 12, 10:30 AM–3:00 PM
*Please note that the Mosesian Center for the Arts reserves the right to make minor adjustments to the exhibition timeline.

About Mosesian Arts:

The Mosesian Center for the Arts is a multidisciplinary arts venue in Watertown, Massachusetts. The 30,000 square foot center, located within a former U.S. Army arsenal, houses a 339-seat main stage theater, a 100-seat black box theater, exhibition galleries, classrooms, and rehearsal studios. Mosesian Arts is located six miles from downtown Boston, borders the Charles River and Brighton, and is easily accessible from surrounding suburbs and Metro West. Programs include professional theater and musical performances, gallery exhibitions, literary and art discussions, and performing and visual arts classes and workshops for all ages.

Eligibility:

All artists regardless of location are welcome to apply, including international artists. Local artists may drop their work off on Saturday, January 13, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM and Tuesday, January 16, 11:00 AM-3:00 PM. Non-local artists work must be received at the Mosesian Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA 02472 c/o exhibitions by January 18, 2024. Non-local artists are responsible for shipping costs both to and from the MCA and are responsible for insuring their work while in transit. If shipping work, each artist must provide a pre-paid, UPS or FedEx return shipping label including insurance. Please pack your work in sturdy reusable packaging. The Mosesian Center for the Arts carries appropriate insurance to cover all artwork in the show for the duration of the exhibition, including the time frame of drop-off, installation, de-installation, and pick-up.

Additional guidelines: 

• Any work accepted for exhibition may not be removed or exchanged during the duration of the exhibition.
• Work must be framed and ready to hang with wires and screws. Saw tooth hangers and sandwich frames may not be used.
• Works on paper and smearable mediums such as charcoal and pastels must be protected under glass or acrylic.
• For framed artwork larger than 24” on the longest side, glass may not be used. Instead, artists must use Plexiglas or comparable acrylic glass.
• If used, mats must be white, off white, gray, or other neutral tones. Frames should be neutral colors (white, black, silver, gold, wood).
• Unframed stretched canvases must have the sides painted or otherwise finished to be integral to the work and must be dry.

Submission Fee:
$10 per submission. Limit 5 submissions per artist. Artwork must be submitted online here at: https://mca-feast-foodinart.artcall.orgTo submit work, click the register or login buttons at the top of this page. There's an Application Process Tutorial if you'd like more info on the submission process.

Commission Structure:
Artists receive 60% commission, and the Mosesian Center for the Arts receives 40% for art sold during the exhibition. The Artist reserves all copyrights and reproduction rights on the artwork in the exhibition. Mosesian Center for the Arts may duplicate and reproduce images of work for purposes of public relations and exhibition announcements directly related to the exhibition.

The Mosesian Center for the Arts is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.