Description

Peters Valley School of Craft is excited to invite submissions for the Second Career Makers exhibition to be displayed in their Sally D. Francisco Gallery.  

Are you a maker who previously had a career in another industry?  Are you currently working full time and building a career outside of your art/craft work? If so, then this open call is for you!  We are seeking makers who have led or are leading another story alongside their creative practice; we want to hear your story and how your career has influenced your work.

In addition to the in person exhibition display in our New Jersey Gallery, we will be publishing a full color exhibition catalog that will highlight all selected works and the artist's stories.

**Accepted artists will receive a follow up form with questions about their former/current career and how it influences their work.  This information will be used either in the print publication or as additional insights to posts of your work across our social media channels.  

All crafts media are welcome to apply.
 

Venue

Peters Valley School of Craft is located in the beautiful and historic Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and offers adult workshops, artist residencies, special events, and gallery exhibitions in an effort to enrich lives through the learning, practice, and appreciation of fine craft.  The Sally D. Francisco Gallery is located on the second floor of the gallery building, above a retail gallery featuring over 250 American based craftspeople.

Entry Fee

$30 for up to 3 works per submission.  You may submit multiple times, and pay $30 for up to 3 additional works by submitting another form.

Jury

Submissions will be juried by a group of talented, working artists.

Lisa Lofdahl of LLMetalworks, is a bladesmith, blacksmith and metalworker whose shop is located in Irvington, NJ. Lisa designs and creates custom pieces by hand, focusing primarily on kitchen knives and functional and decorative household fixtures and furnishings. Whether hand-forging a chef’s knife or fabricating a table base, she endeavors to incorporate sound design with purpose and function. Lisa enjoys employing traditional blacksmithing techniques, but is not a purist, and often mixes and matches old and new methods to find the right look for her clients. After careers in engineering and law, Lisa has been smithing and forging knives full time since 2015. She has expanded her skills under expert instructors at the New England School of Metalwork, Rochester Arc & Flame Center, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Center for Metal Arts, and various hammer-ins and conferences. Lisa has instructed workshops and assisted other instructors and gives occasional private lessons in her home shop.

Erika Hewston received her BFA in Textiles and Material Studies and BSBA in Business Management from Kutztown University in 2018.  Erika also earned her Masters in Arts Administration from Kutztown University in 2024.  Erika currently serves as the Retail and Gallery Exhibitions Director for Peters Valley School of Craft in Layton, New Jersey.  In this role, she gets to develop and coordinate exhibitions and special events as well as work with artists to showcase and sell their work in the gallery storeroom.  She is striving to increase accessibility to the traditional exhibition space by incorporating touch elements and audio descriptions whenever possible. Her woven work has been exhibited nationally and internationally.  Along with exhibitions, she has sold her work at in person fine craft fairs in the Northeastern United States including at the American Craft Council Baltimore Craft Show, Smithsonian Craft: Fashion & Home, and the Academy Art Museum Craft Show.  Find more information at www.erikahewstontextiles.com

Emily Fowler-Haag is a contemporary abstract expressionist based in New Jersey and is known for her sculptural sand compositions. Haag’s works center around the physicality of the material and how it plays with light and shadow, while simultaneously peaking into the inner workings of mental health. With a BFA in Painting from Rhode Island School of Design, Haag works spontaneously and unrestrained. Haag’s style of painting embodies meditation and a search for understanding one’s mental health. Through her processes of meditation, self-reflection, and manipulation of material, Haag strives to capture something that cannot be seen or shown, but rather felt.  

 

Image Specifications

Please provide 1 to 3 images or videos for each piece.  Please use a light or neutral backdrop for your piece. Between 1000 and 1920 pixels on the longest side, minimum 72 PPI/dpi (standard web resolution) but 300 dpi preferred, 5 MB maximum file size.

An optional audio description can be included in submission; this would be used to allow visitors to hear about your piece directly from you as the maker.  Audio descriptions are provided via QR codes throughout the gallery space and included in the online exhibition.

**These images will be used in the exhibition catalog, so image quality is very important. If you have any questions about photographing your work, please reach out to us at 973-948-5202

Sales

All items must be available for purchase.  A commission of 50% will be retained on all sales. Artworks will be insured for 50% of their retail value while on premises.  We will exercise due care in handling all work submitted for the exhibition.

Shipping

If accepted, shipping of artworks is the responsibility of the artist. Works must be shipped in sturdy reusable boxes. Please include any special packing or display instructions.  Please include a return shipping label, if none is provided the artist will be billed for the cost of shipping.  Further shipping information will be included with notification of acceptance.  If selected artworks cannot be picked up, or a return delivery label cannot be sent, by the deadline artists are responsible for notifying the gallery as soon as possible to make alternative arrangements.

Promotion

Accepted works will be highlighted in many ways.  There will be a brochure and full exhibition catalog produced, an online virtual exhibition display, and works will be featured on our gallery social media accounts.  In addition all items will be listed available for sale online as well as in person.  The exhibition will be promoted through our mailing list, as well as through print, virtual ads, and boosted social media posts.

Event Calendar

Show Dates:  March 15 - April 20, 2025

January 17, 2025: Submit Forms/images due via Submittable

February 7, 2025: Notification of acceptance

March 1 - 7, 2025: Delivery and drop off of work to Peters Valley School of Craft no later than 3/7/2025

March 15, 2025: Opening Reception  3-5PM

April 20, 2025: Exhibition Closes

April 20 - 27, 2025: Work must be picked up from the Gallery
 

Questions?

Contact the Erika Hewston, Gallery Director, at gallery@petersvalley.org or by calling 973-948-5202

Thank you for your interest in showcasing and selling your work through the Gallery at Peters Valley School of Craft.  We are a non-profit organization whose mission is to enrich lives through learning, appreciation, and practice of fine crafts. The gallery supports this mission by supporting living artists through the facilitation of sales of their work and creating opportunities for them to exhibit their work in a professional setting.

Jury Process: professional and emerging craft artisans working in ceramics, textiles, woodworking, blacksmithing, fine metals, glass, and other special topics are welcome to apply. All media is considered.  All artists must be juried in for acceptance.  Acceptance is based on quality, continuity, and space availability within the gallery.

Details: items are sold on consignment at a 50% commission rate.  There are no addition fees!  We do not charge a submission fee, space rental, or any other hidden fees.  Only once your items sell do we retain the commission fee to help cover these expenses.

Devote yourself to your work on Peters Valley’s beautiful campus located in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area! This location provides tranquility and inspiration in a supportive artistic community. Come spend uninterrupted time in one of our fully-equipped studios. Two to four-week residencies may be available in the following studios on a very limited basis:

• Ceramics: November - April

Unlimited access to our fully equipped printmaking studio (all utilities included) and a private room in a fully furnished shared house will be provided for a fee of $500. All materials and supplies are the responsibility of the resident artist. Due to the rural nature of our campus, a personal vehicle is required. The guest artist residency program is open to all artists, from emerging to professional however you must have experience with all of the tools and equipment and be able to work independently. In ceramics, the Studio Head will oversee the studios and be available for a studio orientation. Private instruction for particular equipment and techniques may be available for an hourly rate on a case by case basis. This should be discussed with the studio head prior to arrival.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. There is a $5 application fee for this program.

Join Peters Valley’s supportive community of artists and gain experience managing a fully equipped and busy craft studio while mentoring our studio assistants. This can be a career launching opportunity for those seriously pursuing a position in the field of craft. We are seeking experienced energetic artists with great people skills and strong working knowledge of a fine craft studio.

We are pleased to announce the opening of our Studio Coordinator positions for the 2025 workshop season which runs May 1st through October 30th. These positions will be available to one individual in each of the following studios: Fibers/Textiles, Jewelry/Fine Metals, Woodworking, and Printmaking/2D/Special Topics. This program provides invaluable professional development opportunities and experience working in a non-profit art organization. Candidates will receive a stipend of $10,000.

In addition to the stipend, studio coordinators receive unlimited studio access with all utilities included; a private room in a house shared with other studio coordinators (all utilities included) and are welcome to complimentary meals when the dining hall is serving.  Due to the rural nature of our campus, candidates must have a car.

Peters Valley School of Craft champions the unifying power of art, craft, and creativity; celebrates the diversity of our shared humanity; and condemns racism and violence in all forms. We are committed to eliminating barriers to participation in all of our programs so that we can create opportunities for creative people and encourage BIPOC candidates to apply.

 Deadline to apply is February 2nd. (There is NO fee to submit an application)

Join Peters Valley’s supportive community of artists and gain hands-on studio experience assisting instructors, studio heads & students during the workshop season. This is an intensive, fully immersive residency program for emerging artists.

We are accepting applications in 5 craft media studios; blacksmithing, ceramics, fibers, fine metals, and woodworking.

We are looking for excited, engaged emerging artists to participate in our summer assistantship program. Each year Peters Valley selects talented and motivated people, to participate in our summer program by assisting our instructors and studio heads.  The Studio Assistantship is rigorous, requires long days in the studio and provides invaluable professional development opportunities. Due to the rural nature of our campus, candidates need to have their own cars.

Peters Valley School of Craft champions the unifying power of art, craft and creativity; celebrates the diversity of our shared humanity; and condemns racism and violence in all forms. We are committed to eliminating barriers to participation in all of our programs so that we can create opportunities for creative people and encourage BIPOC candidates to apply.

Deadline to apply is March 2nd. (There is NO fee to submit an application)

Peters Valley will offer a limited number of half-tuition scholarships to college students during the 2025 workshop season.

Scholarship recipients will receive 50% off of the workshop tuition as well as 50% off of the cost of Room & Board. The balance of the tuition, room & board, and the Studio/materials Fee will be the responsibility of the student. 

A panel of Peters Valley staff will choose the scholarship recipients. The panel will review the applications and select those that reflect the strongest need and desire to further develop their skills and understanding of craft media. The panel will take into consideration the applicant’s experience and the contents of the letter of intent. It is our hope that by taking a workshop at Peters Valley, the recipients will be inspired to grow creatively in their personal work and push themselves into new artistic territories.

Applications are accepted throughout the workshop season, with no deadline to apply.

There is NO application fee for this scholarship.