Calling All Artists: CRT Accepting Submissions for 2018 National Arts Program®
For 27 years, Community Renewal Team (CRT) has served as the sole host in the state of Connecticut for the annual National Arts Program® (NAP), providing an opportunity for local artists to showcase their art within the community. Professional artists, along with youth, teens, amateurs and intermediate artists from Middlesex and Hartford counties are invited to submit their work now for the 2018 art show, which will be on display at Capital Community College (950 Main Street in Hartford, CT) from January 19 – February 7, 2018.
“We are very excited to once again serve as the host for this amazing program, encouraging and developing artistic talent throughout Central Connecticut,” says Ilana Bernstein, Director of Development for CRT. “We cannot wait to see the creativity and imagination that will be submitted to the National Arts Program for 2018.”
All forms of visual arts are accepted for this show; from paintings and photographs to sculptures, crafts and textiles.
All entries submitted must be the original work of the applicant and completed within the last three years - only two entries per artist. Participants must be current residents of Hartford or Middlesex County, or an employee or family member of an employee of CRT.
Details about how to submit art work are available on the NAP registration page: https://www.nationalartsprogram.org/hartford/hartford-ct-2018-registration-form
Applications are being accepted now until January 11, 2018, and it is free to submit work for the show. By removing the financial and commercial requirements of most exhibitions, the NAP creates a sense of community and artistic fulfillment to all participants.
The NAP provides materials and funding for this visual art exhibit, including cash awards totaling $3,450.
All prizes are determined by a panel of judges with experience in the arts. Prizes will be awarded by classification:
- Adult (Amateur, Intermediate and Professional) – There will be three First Place Awards of $350; three Second Place Awards of $250; and three Third Place Awards of $150.
- Youth / Teen – There will be two First Place Awards of $150; two Second Place Awards of $100; and two Third Place Awards of $50.
- A Best of Show Award in the amount of $400.
- An Art Education Award for $200.
- Honorable Mention Ribbons will be awarded at the discretion of the judges.
Awards are limited to one cash award per artist per classification.
Celebrate the arts on Saturday, Jan. 27:
A public reception and presentation of awards for NAP on Saturday, January 27, 2018 from 1pm – 3pm at Centinel Hill Hall, 11th floor, Capital Community College (snow date: February 3, 2018).
More than 350 people are expected at the awards ceremony which becomes a performance in and of itself! There will be live entertainment, and the National Beat Poetry Foundation, Inc. and its poets/musicians will recite Ekphrastic poetry in response to the award-winning art.
For more information:
More information about how to get involved in the 2018 National Arts Program is available on the CRT website: http://www.crtct.org/en/events/national-arts
To volunteer at this upcoming event, please contact Ilana Bernstein at (860) 560-5657 or by email at bernsteini@crtct.org.
Samples of previous submissions can be viewed on the National Arts Website: https://www.nationalartsprogram.org/venues/hartford
(CRT NAP Best in Show pictured above)
Community Renewal Team, Inc. is the designated Community Action Agency for Middlesex and Hartford Counties and is the largest non-profit provider of human services in Connecticut. The agency’s mission is Preparing Our Community to Meet Life’s Challenges. The mission is achieved each day by helping people and families become self-sufficient while making sure basic needs are met. CRT’s programs include Head Start, Meals on Wheels, energy assistance, supportive housing and shelters, and many others, serving people in more than 60 cities and towns in both our core catchment area and throughout Connecticut. www.crtct.org