Blue Monkey Network is excited to announce this year's Open Call for our 2025 members' exhibition, Printworks.
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Printworks will be held at the Emma Mason Gallery,  21 Lushington Lane, Eastbourne BN21 4LJ and will include a Private View, our August event and a talk by Emma Mason. This will be followed by an online exhibition.
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About
Printworks will explore the diverse languages of printmaking, revealing how Blue Monkey artists leave their mark—both physically and conceptually—through a variety of printing techniques, materials, and experiments.

Selection:
Emma and Richard Mason will select the works for the exhibition. Each artist will have at least one artwork selected. We adopt a blind selection process where only the work is seen, i.e. no names.  The process is carried out using the photographs that you submit and therefore it is essential that your photograph/s clearly and accurately represent your work. Poor-quality images may result in your work not being included in the exhibition. If you are entering 3D work, you may feel an additional image is needed to support your application, on the form below you can submit up to two images per artwork.

Criteria for entry/submission: 
 

• Blue Monkey Members ONLY. (Your membership must be valid at the time of application and during both exhibitions).

• Members are invited to submit up to 2 works for the exhibition.

• Works must be independent from each other, i.e. can be shown individually.

• There is no theme, but all submissions must incorporate some form of a printmaking process.

• 2D Work must be no bigger than A1 (60 x 85 cm).

• 3D work must be no bigger than 60cm in any direction.

• All 2D work must either be framed in a plain frame - white, black or wood - with D rings to gallery standard OR must be mounted on plain board with a max 2 cm border (not foam board). Work that is not presented as required may not be included.

• All artists must be able to drop work off and collect work at the end of the show, and be able to invigilate the exhibition for at least 3 hours during opening times (see below).

• The exhibition will need to be invigilated by BMN members and ALL artists will be expected to support this.  A schedule will be shared nearer the time for you to confirm your availability. We anticipate that this will be one 3 hour slot, but will depend on how many members take part.

• Film is also accepted but you must provide the equipment and instructions for running it. To enter this work, please supply links to YouTube and or Vimeo, etc, on the application form below.

• Artworks can be available for sale, but this will not be processed by BMN or The Gallery.  Buyers will be given the artist’s details and advised to contact the artist concerned.

Key dates:
Open call dates: 1st April–30th June 2025
Deadline for applying: 30th June 2025 (via the BMN website)
Confirmation of work selected by: 31st July 2025 (by email)
Drop off: Tuesday 5th August 10.00–3.00 pm (In person only)
Install/Hang: Wednesday 6th August 10.00 am–5.00 pm (Events team only)
Opening: Thursday 7th - Sunday 10th August 11.00 am–5.00 pm and Thursday 14th–Sunday 17th August 11.00 am–5.00 pm
Private View: Friday 8th August 6.00 pm–8.00 pm
Blue Monkey Events:  Thursday 14th August – Show & Tell, members talk for 5 minutes about their work in the exhibition
Thursday 7th August: Emma Mason Talk about printmaking/printmakers TBC
Collection of works: 5.00–6.00 pm Sunday 17th August or 10.00 –12.00 pm Monday 18th August

Print Making Guidelines
To inspire as many members as possible to take part, we will be adopting a broad definition of printmaking to include, but not limited to:
 

• Monoprints

• Collagraphs

• Linocuts

• Woodcuts

• Etchings

• Embossing

• Screenprints

• Cyanotypes

• Any alternative printmaking processes - for examples, see https://www.instagram.com/alternativeprocesses/

• Gel prints

• Original photographs

• Potato prints or similar

• Original Digital prints - this excludes printed copies of an original artwork such as a painting

If you are not sure if your work/idea fits the brief, then please do contact Nikki by email: bluemonkeynetevents@gmail.com

An informal online talk to give inspiration and discuss any ideas or questions is being held on 9th April, 6.30–7.30 pm, to support members. (You must RSVP to this via the April Newsletter to take part and a Zoom link will be sent to you before the talk date.)