TEXAS PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY | Members Only Show 36

TEXAS PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY'S 36TH ANNUAL MEMBERS ONLY SHOW

AMA Exhibition Dates: May 10th - June 23rd

View the online gallery HERE!

Check out this terrific new article about MOS36 in the Fort Worth Report: Picture Perfect Exhibit (Many thanks to reporter and photographer Drew Shaw!)

We are thrilled to announce that Texas Photographic Society’s 36th Annual Members Only Show is now on view at the Arlington Museum of Art! The exhibition opened on May 10th and will continue through June 23rd. For more details, please visit their website: Arlington Museum of Art

Since we last partnered with the AMA on Street Encounters, they have moved into a terrific new space on Ballpark Way in the middle of Arlington's enertainment district. We are hugely grateful that they have committed to making photography an important part of their ongoing exhibition plans.

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We are proud to announce that Juror Roy Flukinger has selected 50 images by 50 artists for Texas Photographic Society’s 36th Annual Members Only Show. A complete list of the exhibiting artists is below. Heartfelt congratulations to the selected artists and warmest thanks to all of our TPS members who generously shared their work for consideration.

MOS36 opens on January 27, 2024 at the Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock, Texas. BHC usually holds opening receptions in conjunction with Lubbock's monthly First Friday Art Trail event. Date and time of the opening reception for MOS36 will be posted here as soon as we have details.

VIEW ONLINE GALLERY HERE!

(Top Left: Ed Malcik, Top Right: Cheryl Medow, Bottom: Ashton Thornhill)
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Texas Photographic Society is honored to announce our 36th Annual Members Only Show, which will be juried by esteemed curator, and one of TPS' founders, ROY FLUKINGER. MOS36 will be exhibited at Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock, Texas. This call is open themed and welcomes submissions from artists of all levels internationally. Please also read the Jurors’ Statement below. You must be a current TPS member to enter and may join at the time of entry. 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 

September 22, 2023 Call for entry opens
November 14, 2023 Deadline for entry (11:59 p.m. Mountain Time Zone)
December 7, 2023 Exhibiting artists announced and emails sent to all entrants
January 19, 2024 Work due at Buddy Holly Center, Lubbock, Texas
January 27, 2024 Exhibition opens at Buddy Holly Center
March 17, 2024 Exhibition closes

AWARDS

First Place = $500 
Second Place = $300 
Third Place = $200 
Up to 5 Honorable Mentions may be awarded

ENTRY FEE

The entry fee for current members of Texas Photographic Society (TPS) is $30 for 5 images, plus $6 for each additional image. You may enter up to 12 images. (CaFÉ requires a minimum of five images; if you really need to, you may submit mulitples of the same image to reach the minimum.) You must be a current member of TPS to participate and may join or renew on the CaFÉ website at the time of entry. All entry and membership fees are non-refundable.

ELIGIBILITY

The 36th Annual Members Only Show is open to artists internationally, of all levels, who are at least 18 years old at time of entry. All photography-based work is encouraged including digital, silver, and alternative processes.

You MUST be a current member of TPS to enter this competition (read more about TPS member benefits). If you are not a current member, you may join or renew and enter this show at the same time. If you need to verify your membership status, please contanct Ann at ann@texasphoto.org. Works exhibited previously in a TPS show are not eligible. Current members of the TPS Board of Directors are permitted to enter but are not eligible for awards.

IMAGE REQUIREMENTS

Please submit digital JPG files only, minimum of 1200 pixels on the longest side and 5 MB maximum. Please remove watermarks from images. For each image you will need to provide the image title and the process (medium) used to make the image/print (Archival Digital Print, Silver Gelatin Print, Platinum/Palladium Print, Wet Plate Collodian, etc.) To clarify, you will submit a digital file of your image for the contest application; if your work is selected for the show you will print your image, frame it, and ship it to the exhibition venue.

Need help resizing images? You can resize via a Mac or PC computer, or use a number of third-party applications, many of which offer free trials or solutions. Please go here for suggestions.

JURORS’ STATEMENT

So, two score years plus some months ago (as those who keep score inform me) a number of us friends and professional associates established the Texas Photographic Society. Our aim was to establish an organization which would provide greater understanding, communication, and encouragement to all levels of photographers throughout the state. Over the next few years this goal was implemented through a variety of programs, shows, publications, and annual juried competitions and exhibitions. Under the early presidencies of Rick Williams and D. Clarke Evans we saw membership and contributions expand both nationally and internationally, growing the organization to become, as Clarke often called it, “one big tent” to help others to build upon their foundation in the photographic practice throughout all its various disciplines and genres. It has been remarkable to follow that dynamic ebb and flow throughout the past decades’ programming, newsletters, gatherings, and constant competitive exhibitions.

I am flattered to be asked to jury this year’s competition. In the first place it is always fascinating to undertake the challenge of making qualitative decisions about the serious work of others. I also enjoy the subtle democracy of a blind jurying process which forces the judge to consider and then reconsider again all the factors which have shaped the artist and their imagery. Finally, it is equally important to see just how the process (be it the medium of documentation, a challenging art form, a means of personal expression, etc.) has evolved throughout the most recent generations of image-makers. Forty years ago cell phones were just emerging from their prehistoric era, the vast majority of cameras were still analogue, and electronic pictures were largely unavailable except in low-digit gigs of memory. (“Hey, does anybody here still practice the Zone System?”) Over the ensuing four decades we have been fortunate to witness the rise of new technologies and means of communication and representation, while the disciplines of traditional photographic expression continued to be increasingly influenced by rich dimensions of cultural and personal change.

Despite all these directions and changes of the last decades, what remains at the core of a good and honest photograph is the creator of the image. The photographer should maintain a solid grounding in the processes and techniques they choose to employ. Once that is established, however, one can – indeed, must – effectively break rules, explore media, bend methodology, and embrace one’s imagination in pursuit of one’s imagery. Throughout the jurying process I constantly look for those facets of the photographer’s personal expression and passion that effectively guide them throughout the dimensions of their work. Traditionally the strongest art and the best communication arise from the magic that evolves equally from both the eye and the mind. It remains a challenge and a pleasure to search for and recognize these rich threads that run through the fabric of your fine photographs.

--- Roy Flukinger, August 2023

ABOUT THE JUROR

Roy Flukinger is an Independent Curator Emeritus and the former Senior Curator of the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas. In addition to his past administrative leadership and management at the Center, he has written and edited over a dozen publications and has taught and lectured at UT and many other institutions of higher learning. He retired in 2017 but continues to participate, lecture and teach actively in the field. He consults with a wide variety of individuals and institutions on the administration, funding and operation of photographic organizations; serves as juror, reviewer and evaluator for contemporary photographic groups, events and support organizations; and conducts peer reviews and evaluations for a number of professional and developmental organizations. He is currently at work on other books, articles and essays for various photographic and art publications.

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Members Only Show 36 is made possible through a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts, a partnership with Fujifilm, and the generous support of our members.

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SALES

TPS and our partner venues encourage the sale of exhibited work and will collect a commission from all prints sold during the exhibition. (The average commision is 30%; final sales/commission details for each venue will be included in the exhibition contract for accepted artists.) Please indicate the sales price of your framed print. If your photograph is Not-For-Sale, simply note NFS. If your work is accepted and you do not indicate a sales price, the artwork will be listed as NFS.

IF YOUR WORK IS ACCEPTED

PLEASE NOTE: Update for this exhibition, the framed (finished piece) must not exceed the size of 40" in the longest dimension.

1. Artwork must be ready-to-hang using wire stretched between D-rings on the back. The finished piece must not exceed 40" in the longest dimension (including the frame). Sawtooth hangers are NOT permitted. Please use white mats and white or black frames that are gallery quality and complement your work (color mats are NOT acceptable). Plexiglass must be used with the frame, NO GLASS ALLOWED. Photographs printed on metal are allowed, but must be framed, with the photograph safely recessed from the front of the frame, and packed appropriately. Clearly label the back of your work with your full name, address, telephone number, email address, image title, medium, dimensions and sales price or NFS. TPS reserves the right to exclude works from the exhibition that are not gallery-ready and professional in presentation.

2. Clearly label the back of your work with your full name, Image title, email address, medium, and sales price or NFS.

3. A prepaid return UPS or FedEX shipping label MUST be provided with your work for prints to be returned to you when the exhibition concludes. Work WITHOUT return shipping will NOT be included in the exhibition and will NOT be returned. Please keep a copy of the prepaid return shipping label and your receipt.

4. Please ship photographs in a sturdy, flat box (do not use moving boxes) with your last name clearly written on the box (not just on the shipper's label). Packing “peanuts" are NOT permitted. Artwork will be return-shipped in the container in which they were received. If shipping and packing materials are insufficient for safe return, the artist may be charged an extra fee for packing materials provided by TPS or the venue. If additional exhibition venues are added, artists will be notified with location, dates, and other pertinent details, and work will be return-shipped from the final venue.

5. Framed prints with a prepaid return shipping label must arrive at Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock no later than January 19, 2024.

6. TPS and Buddy Holly Center will exercise all due care in handling your artwork. However, TPS is not liable for loss, theft, damage or replacement of artwork, nor is TPS liable for damage during shipping. Buddy Holly Center does not insure artists' work. Please consider insuring your work.

Our friends at Frame Destination in Dallas, Texas, have prepared a special archival gallery frame kit for TPS artists that meets standard matting, framing and presentation requirements. The frame kit can be customized to meet various print sizes. TPS Members receive an additional 10% discount (contact Frame Destination customer service to join the TPS club customer group). This affordably priced package can be purchased online here.

TPS TERMS AND AGREEMENT

You retain all rights to your images. If your image is selected for the exhibition, you grant Texas Photographic Society (TPS) the right, in perpetuity, to use and display your image, image title and process, your name, city, state and country of residence for TPS publicity and promotion. Permissible use includes the display, reproduction and distribution of said information on the TPS website, in TPS exhibitions, presentations, program promotions, artist features, fundraising initiatives and publications, and on social media networks, without further contact from TPS. Please note that we may have to crop images to meet space/proportion requirements for promotional platforms.

TPS will not be held responsible for loss, theft, damage or replacement, whether caused by the negligence of its officers, members or others. TPS is not liable for damage during shipping. Non-members of TPS who enter the competition without joining or renewing TPS at the time of entry, will be disqualified. All entry and membership fees are non-refundable. Submission entry and payment signifies understanding and agreement to all of the above terms and conditions.

QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions, please contact TPS Executive Director Ann T. Shaw at ann@texasphoto.org.