Are you a local artist or an aspiring artist?  Please read about exhibiting your art free of charge at WCPL.  Click the Get Started button to apply!

 

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Washington Carnegie Public Library Art Exhibit Policy (approved 11/10/22)

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Overview

• Art exhibits in public library buildings offer the community an opportunity to enjoy the visual arts free of charge, allow artists and community residents to share creative talents and information, and enhance the visual environment in which library service is delivered. 

• The library encourages free expression and free access to ideas, both essential elements in a democratic society, and does not knowingly discriminate regarding age, race, beliefs, or affiliations.

• Artists must consider that the viewing audience will include all ages, levels of sophistication, religious backgrounds, and personal tastes when judging the appropriateness of their particular exhibit for the public library.

• Exhibits are offered as community service and do not carry the endorsement of the Washington Carnegie Public Library (WCPL). The Library Director and the Art Committee will decide on the exhibit’s appropriateness.

• Applications for exhibits may be made online on the form above and will be processed on a date-received basis. Photos of your item are required to apply. Please give the library 14 days to respond to your application.  Preferences for exhibits will be given to residents of Washington (city) and Daviess County. The artist must be at least 12 years of age.  A photo ID must be presented when the agreement is signed; youth under age 18 must have a parent’s signature on the agreement.  No fees are charged for displaying art pieces.

 

Art Exhibit Spaces Available

1. Adult Services:  One Glass Display Case in the Reference Reading Room.  Items are behind display glass. Height limited:  12 – 16”

2. Youth Services:  Display area on top of shelves

 

General Guidelines

The following guidelines govern all exhibits and displays at the Washington Carnegie Public Library, including art gallery exhibitions.

• Exhibits should contribute positively to the Library’s environment and enrich the lives of the WCPL community.

• Requests for exhibit space will generally be considered in the order in which they are received, with possible exceptions for the vital timeliness of a particular art or exhibit (seasonal).

• The Library reserves the right to limit the size, the number of items, the schedule of any display, and the frequency with which any individual or artist may place art in the Library.

• Exhibits that contain partisan viewpoints, religious references, nudity, sexually explicit imagery, or graphic depictions of violence will be refused. If elements of a display are judged inappropriate by the Board of Trustees or the Library Director, the sponsoring individual or organization will be required to remove those elements immediately.

• The Library is not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items while the exhibited objects are in the Library.

• Insurance coverage for the exhibited items' value is the exhibitor's responsibility.

• Before approval of any exhibit, the library will require the exhibitor to sign a disclaimer releasing the library from any responsibility and liability for loss or damage to the items in the exhibit. The Library assumes no responsibility for the safety of any items on display. Exhibitors must sign the “Exhibit Agreement and Release Form.”

• Exhibits will be limited to a maximum of 30-60 days at the discretion of the Library. The dates of any display or exhibit will be agreed upon, arranged, and established in advance with the exhibitor.

• All exhibits require a title and definition of the mediums used.

• Exhibitors are responsible for bringing all necessary supplies to display the art piece.

• Artwork may be of any medium (canvas, paints, metal, clay, rubber, wood, etc.). Excluding harmful and or toxic substances.  We do not accept living or perishable art.

Installation and removal of exhibits

• Transporting, unloading, or setting up exhibits, as well as the later dismantling of same, are the exhibitor’s responsibility, with and under the supervision of the library staff.

• If the exhibitor requires assistance in this effort, it is their responsibility to bring someone to assist them.

• The library does not have space, nor will it accept responsibility for storing the property of exhibitors in the Library building. Therefore, exhibitors must deliver and pick up their materials according to the dates established in advance.

• Exhibitors are responsible for removing all packing materials once the exhibit is displayed. The library cannot provide temporary storage space for storage boxes and other packing materials.

• An inventory of pieces will be submitted to the WCPL director or art committee when the exhibit is set up and should be rechecked upon dismantling of the exhibit.

• Responsibility for any damage to Library property caused by the installation, display, or dismantling and removal of an exhibit will rest with the sponsoring individual.

• An exhibitor may indicate on the agreement form that their items are for sale. It will be posted on the display information with the exhibitor’s contact information.

• The library will not act as a middleman in any sales.  That is between the exhibitor and the interested party.

• Any items sold during a display period shall remain on display until all items are scheduled to be removed.

• The library has the right to remove art exhibit materials if they aren’t picked up by the agreed-upon date. Items not retrieved by that date will be considered donations and may be disposed of.

• Once the art exhibit is installed, changes may be made only with Library approval.

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