Description

Restoration Station presents Open Call for the inaugural Minnesota Avenue Biennial
EXHIBITION DATES: October 25 - December 6, 2024
OPENING RECEPTION: October 25, 6-9PM
DEADLINE: September 27, 2024, at 11:59 PM EDT

Restoration Station presents the inaugural Minnesota Avenue Biennial. The theme for this group exhibition is
Retrospective: [definition of retrospective]. In art-speak the Retrospective is a major milestone of cultural value
typically reserved for established artists. The Minnesota Avenue Biennial seeks to collectivize the market for
contemporary art by prioritizing the life and work of native Washingtonian artists. We encourage artists to
submit work that reflects their own histories and experiences of DC, as we honor our communities and
celebrate our present. This exhibition considers how narratives—those that are lived, inherited, or imposed—
can be dissected, reframed, or imagined anew through artistic practice. Artists who resonate with themes like
memory, erasure, visibility, and the ephemeral in their work are strongly encouraged to apply.
We live in a time when history is constantly being rewritten, both by the powerful and by those who resist.
Through social media, archives, monuments, and street protests, the battle over what stories are told and
whose lives are remembered or forgotten is ongoing. How do we contend with these complex layers of
personal and public histories? What bones—metaphorically or literally—do we unearth, preserve, or leave
behind?

"Minnesota Avenue Biennial” seeks submissions that navigate these questions and encourage viewers to
reflect on how the past determines and deconstructs the present. Whether through photography, video, sound,
text, sculpture, or performance, artists are asked to offer works that challenge, reframe, or reveal the layers of
our shared and disparate histories.

**SUBMISSION GUIDELINES**
- **Works must be pre-existing and ready for exhibition.** Proposals for new works will not be accepted.
- **Images must be JPG files only.** Each image may not exceed 1MB and 1000 pixels in any direction.
- **Videos must be in .MOV or MP4 format only and must not exceed 3 minutes in length.**
- **Text submissions must be in PDF format.**
- **Sound submissions must be in MP3 format.**
- **No identifying information:** This is an anonymous review process. Absolutely none of the submitted
materials may include the artist’s name; the artist's name may not appear in the file name or body of images,
videos, texts, or any other submitted files. If a submitted file contains or is titled with the artist's name, the
submission will be disqualified.

**PLEASE NOTE:**
- You must fill in all fields and submit three works for consideration for your application to be complete.
- Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
- Applications will be reviewed in October/November 2024. Due to the large volume of submissions, the gallery
is unable to respond to individual inquiries regarding application status.
Restoration Station is committed to supporting a diverse range of voices and encourages applications from
artists of all backgrounds, including those who have been historically underrepresented in the arts.
We look forward to receiving your submissions and to sharing your work with the public in our inaugural
exhibition.