OPEN CALL
We do accept submissions for proposals at our partner sites. Our next submission period is not currently scheduled. Proposals from Jamaican artists are accepted on a rolling basis, since Jamaica is our hosting country. Our annoucement will be in our newsletter and a portal will open here when it is. Updates will be on social media and in our e-newsletter. We are currently focused on fundraising for the current proposals we’ve accepted.
Coral Projects is an artist-run, non-profit project and all future dates are pending our funding. So if you have an idea of a sponsor or granting organization (including grants for nonprofits since we are 501(c)3 sponsored) who would like to support us, do share it with Vanessa via email! We very much appreciate your interest to work with us. We can’t wait to see your ideas for the next call and bring them to life!
Some frequently asked questions:
Who will be considered for Coral Projects?
This is an international art exhibition permanently sited at a fish sanctuary. Our first partnership is with Oracabessa Bay Fish Sanctuary in Jamaica. Therefore 25% of our commissioned artworks will be from Jamaican artists and all projects will be judged on merit along with the conceptual and visual framework of the exhibition.
We are accepting applications from artists from all over the world with a 5-year minimum exhibition history. No students at this time. (We will have opportunities for students later, so students, cook up your ideas!) For all applicants, please be specific about your country of birth and where you live now in your bio. Jamaican passport and birth certificate holders will be highlighted for consideration for the slots reserved for Jamaican artists and also considered for the other slots as well. If you are Jamaican and living in Jamaica, we will consider applications with shorter exhibition histories.
What are you looking for in the proposals?
We are in the ideas collecting phase. We have a beautiful sites at OBFS, in Southern Italy and other locations in development. We will be working with each selected artist to adapt and adjust his or her proposals as needed after considering materials, concepts and site visits. Since most artists do not work as underwater creators, anticipate an editting phase before your ideas will be finalized. This call is not like most public art calls in that we are interested in your points of inspiration and your dreamed up ideas in this phase. Do not get too caught up on precision or details, the micro. Share your macro ideas with us.
What materials can be added to the reef?
All sculptures will be made of entirely ocean-friendly materials. We want to only help, not hurt!
Approved materials are ceramics, glass elements/ pieces, limestone, volcanic lava, untreated wood, some steel alloys, raw aluminum, natural fibers, animal horns or bones (found or repurposed only)... We are open to considering other materials that inspire you, but they must be ocean-friendly.
Our artworks will permanentally be installed on the seafloor and reef, so they will change with the ocean environment and some of these materials will change and possibly disappear sooner, such as wood and fibers. We will be working with our selected artists on material sourcing. For us, the project is a success when an eel has made a home in an intriguing sculpture and baby corals proliferate across it!
Is it safe to mount artwork to the reef?
Yes. The sanctuary and marine protected areas are created to bring the dying reef and sea life back. Whereas many have made big strides, there’s still plenty of spots for us to place pieces that will not harm the reef.
What size should my proposed piece be?
We don’t have a specific anwer to this one. OBFS is along the shoreline with waters ranging from the beach to about 30 feet deep. (See our page about OBFS.) We aim to site pieces in the 10 to 18 foot deep areas. The reef has exisiting coral structures that reach up towards the surface. You can propose sculptures for the open sandy areas or to be sited with the exisiting corals. We call these artworks Land Art, which suggests the sense of scale we are going for, so think of Smithson’s Spiral Jetty or Nancy Holt’s Sun Tunnels. The pieces will be substantial. We will be considerate of exisiting coral growth and site the pieces around the corals. We aim to solely help the corals and the reef life!
When will the artworks be placed at OBFS?
This will happen incrementally over a few years. Summer is the best time to place pieces in the ocean, with calmest waters, so we will fabricate and site pieces over the Summer. We have a plan for production of all approved materials on island.
What is the budget?
We are focused on the ideas and concepts at this juncture. There is a decent budget for each piece. Do not focus on that right now. Ideas are the key!
Open Call Details from 2019
Prepare the following:
10 jpeg images of related works (15 for a collective)
titled lastname_firstname_01.jpg with a length of 1000 pixels on the longest side
A list of works: include only the filename, artwork title, date, size, material and a one sentence description of the image.
A brief bio (300 words max, include country of birth and country of residence)
A brief statement about your motivations to create an underwater piece (300 words max)
Up to 2 proposals with a sketch and brief narrative project description
a link to your website and contact information
$10 submission fee (wavied for Jamaicans born or living in the country. If you are not Jamaican and have a hardship, email us at info {at} coralprojects {dot} com for waiver consideration.)
Submissions that are incomplete or that do not follow these guidelines will not be considered. Please triple check your work prior to submitting.
You may preview the application form on our jot form link here. It will not allow you to submit an application until October.
We are so excited to see your work and your underwater ideas!
Please join our mailing list to be notified by email of our open call, news, artists updates and events. Also, follow us on Instagram @coral.projects ︎
We promise to keep your information confidential.
