“Spirit of the Boom” Student Art Show
Presented by the Big Wills Arts Council & the City of Fort Payne
Sponsored by Coca-Cola Bottling Company United
CALL FOR ART
Boom Days Heritage Celebration is now accepting submissions for the 2019 Boom Days Student Art
Show. This event will be a juried art show held in conjunction with the Alabama 200 Bicentennial
Celebration and is open to students in grades Pre-K – 12th. The theme for the 2019 Boom Days Student Art
Show will be “Spirit of the Boom”. All entries must be inspired by the history of Fort Payne and the
surrounding area. Winning entries will be displayed at the annual Boom Days Heritage Celebration in
September.
“Spirit of the Boom”
The idea for “Spirit of the Boom” comes from Fort Payne native and artist Dr. Bobby Welch. Through his
art, Dr. Welch demonstrates that there were and will be many “booms” in our area. These can be traced
back as early as Cherokee Chief Sequoyah “ who single-handedly created an alphabet that allowed an
entire nation of Indians the ability to read and write,” or the coal and iron boom of the late 1800s, which is
considered the Boom Years. One of the most prosperous booms for the Fort Payne area was the hosiery
boom which began in the early 1900s with the W.B. Davis and Son Hosiery Mill. In the late 1970s and
early 1980s, Fort Payne saw a boom in Music with the Hall of Fame Country music group ALABAMA.
Their success combined with the June Jam launched Fort Payne into the national spotlight which
continues today. By the time the 90s rolled around we began to see a cultural boom with the influx of the
latino population as well as an increase in outdoor tourism and recreation with the establishment of the
Little River National Preserve.
As you can see, Fort Payne has seen many “booms”. They are what make us who we are and continue to
guide us toward who we will become. We encourage all artists to venture in to the community for
inspiration. Visit the Historic Fort Payne Depot, hike the trails of Little River Canyon National Preserve
and listen to the music of local musicians. Inspiration abounds! If you are unable to visit the area in
person we recommend visiting the following websites for inspiration:
Landmarks of DeKalb: http://www.landmarksdekalbal.org
Fort Payne Depot Museum: http://www.fortpaynedepotmuseum.com
City of Fort Payne: http://www.fortpayne.org
Little River Canyon National Preserve: https://www.nps.gov/liri/index.htm
Country Music Hall of Fame: https://countrymusichalloffame.org/Inductees/InducteeDetail/alabama
If needed, the artist may submit an explanation of their artwork in the form of a Word document along with
their digital submission.
Submission Guidelines
The 2019 Student Art Show will be juried. The panel will have two judges; one who is an expert on the
history of Fort Payne and DeKalb County and one judge who is qualified to judge the art itself. The
combination of these two scores will determine the juried entries and winners.
2019 Jurors – TBD
The 2019 Boom Days Student Art Show will accept art in the following three categories:
● Traditional
Painting, drawing, pastels, inks, pencil, encaustic, fiber, and mixed media.
● Photography & Digital
Analog photography, digital photography, digital photo artwork, digital painting, digital
manipulations, digital collage, photo painting, vector drawing, digital mixed media (integrated art).
● 3-Dimensional Art
Relief, pottery, sculpture, installation, kinetic, and conceptual 3-Dimensional artworks created in
metal, paper, wood, stone, fiber, plastics, glass, ceramics, or any other material which can be
used to create 3-dimensional art.
The entry fee for the 2019 Student Art Show is $10 for up to three pieces of art (limit three works per
artist). This fee is non-refundable. Artists will be asked to provide an artist statement for display on the
Boom Days website as well as for educational and publicity purposes.
All entries will be juried anonymously from electronically submitted images. Entries must be submitted
through the “Call for Artists” section of Boom Days website in jpg form only and labeled in the following
format: First Initial/Last Name_Category_Sub-Category
For example: jsmith_traditional_painting
Accepted entries must be wired, labeled and ready to hang. Shipped entries should be securely packed in
a reusable shipping container, with appropriate packing materials (no styrofoam peanuts).
Traditional and Photography & Digital Categories submissions must be no larger than forty-eight inches in
width or height. 3-Dimensional entries must be able to be carried comfortably by two people and not
exceed seventy-two inches in any direction. Any piece requiring assembly must be assembled by the
artist at a time arranged with Boom Days staff.
Application materials will not be returned, and entry fee is nonrefundable. Images of selected works may
be used for PR, marketing, or educational purposes. Selected works must be available for exhibition for
the duration of the show. All artwork must have a declared value for insurance purposes.
Awards
Awards will be given in the following categories:
● Best In Show ($250 Purchase Award)
● Best in Traditional ($100 Cash Award)
● Best in Photography & Digital ($100 Cash Award)
● Best in 3-Dimensional Art ($100 Cash Award)
Awards will be presented in check form made out to the name submitted on the entry form.
Liability
All work is insured while on the premises at Boom Days. Boom Days, the City of Fort Payne, the Big Wills
Arts Council and their officers, employees, directors, members, or volunteers will not be liable for
damages that occur during shipping. It is therefore suggested that artists carry their own insurance for this
purpose. Damaged shipping containers will be returned unopened. Submission of an entry to the “Spirit of
the Boom” Juried Art Show signifies agreement with these conditions.
Timeline
Entry Deadline: Friday, August 30, 2019 (all images, entry forms, and entry fees must be submitted by
this date ). Entries must be submitted via https://marcatoapp.com/forms/boomdays/student_art_show/new
Artist Notification: Artists will be notified via email on Friday, September 6, 2019.
Shipping: Shipped works must arrive by Friday, September 13, 2019. Include prepaid shipping
label or check made out to “Boom Days” in the amount of return shipping.
Hand-Delivery: Works may be hand-delivered Monday – Friday from 9am – 5pm at the Fort Payne Coal & Iron Building Office, 107 5th Street NW, Fort Payne, AL 35967. Works must be hand-delivered by 5pm on Friday, September 13, 2019.
“Spirit of the Boom” Exhibition: Winning entries will be displayed during Boom Days on Saturday,
September 21, 2019 at the Coal & Iron Building, 510 Gault Ave N, Fort Payne, AL 35967. The exhibit will
be held in conjunction with the Alabama Bicentennial Celebration.
Pick-Up of Artwork: Coal & Iron Building Office, Monday, September 23, 2019, 9am – 5pm, or by appointment.
Return Shipping: Works will be shipped by Monday, September 30, 2019.
