Igniting Ideas: Emerging Artists

This will be a juried exhibition. The jurors will select works based on creativity, originality, and quality. IAS invites artists working in all mediums and styles to submit their work. The winning and selected honorable mention submissions will be shown at an in-person curated exhibition as part of the IAS' Mentors & Mimosas Gala on May 3, 2025 in the Los Angeles area and featured online on the IAS website. Jurors will select winning entries. All selected entrants will receive*:

• Rocketbook Letter Core Dot-Grid Notebooks
• Ray-Ban | Meta Smart Glasses

The top four entries will receive Dick Blick Gift Cards.

*Selected artists must be present  at the Mentors & Mimosas gala to receive their gifts.

Artists can be as creative as they want. Each entry must be original in concept, design, and execution and may not violate U.S. copyright laws. Any entry that has been copied from an existing photo or image (including a painting, graphic, or advertisement) that was created by someone other than the student is a violation of the competition rules and will not be accepted. Work entered must be in the original medium (that is, not a scanned reproduction of a painting, drawing, etc.).

The selection process will be blind. Once the jurists have made their selections, the selected finalists & their teachers will receive an email from IAS with a Release Form, a list of images and the artists selected for the show. The Release Form contains a legal release and a certification that the artwork is original in design and execution. The student, an art teacher, and a parent or guardian must sign where appropriate.

The selected images and artists’ names will be posted on IAS’s website. The selected artwork will hang in the Mentors & Mimosas Gala venue for the duration of the exhibition. Students should only submit artwork they will not need for other purposes.

IAS is not responsible for connecting the selected artists with the jurists. In addition, IAS reserves the right not to use a particular selected image(s) for promotional purposes if the image(s) is deemed inappropriate for use on IAS’s social media, newsletter feed, and/or on in any other marketing material.

NOTE: Please DO NOT watermark your images when submitting your application. Thank you.

Each framed artwork cannot be smaller than 8" x 10" or larger than 28" x 40". The minimum and maximum dimensions include the frame. If your artwork is selected for the exhibition, it must be delivered framed. Even when framed, it must still measure no larger than the above maximum dimensions. No framed piece should weigh more than 15 pounds. Double check the size before dropping the work off. Framed works smaller or larger than the specified dimensions & weight requirements will be turned away.

All works accepted for exhibition must be presentation-ready and labeled on the back of the frame or submission with your name, image title, and contact information (email and phone). Please deliver your work with protective wrapping. Exhibiting artists are provided with two options for delivery and retrieval of their artwork:

1. In Person Delivery of Art
   • Drop-Off: Artists will deliver their work to designated drop-off locations in the San Fernando Valley, or Inglewood before the event (exact drop-off locations and times will be communicated to artists & teachers in the acceptance notification). A TYPED copy of the Release Form, signed by the teacher, a parent or guardian, and the student, must be securely attached to the back of the artwork to certify the originality of the piece. Entries without signed originality certifications and artwork releases may not be accepted. Please retain a copy for your records.
   • Pick-Up: Artists will need to take their work home at the conclusion of the Mentors & Mimosas Gala on the day of the event. (Early pick-up is not available.)
2. Round-Trip Shipping: Artists can choose to ship their artwork to Ignite Arts & STEM (IAS) using a prepaid shipping label. We recommend insuring your work during shipment. A prepaid return shipping label will be required for the artwork's safe return after the event. Please note that IAS takes no responsibility for damage during shipping.

Artwork Sales and Donations: Following the Mentors & Mimosas Gala, any unclaimed artwork may be offered for sale through an online auction or donated to a local arts organization, with proceeds benefiting future Ignite Arts & STEM programs. Artists will be notified in advance regarding the sale or donation of unclaimed artwork.

We encourage all artists to attend the Mentors & Mimosas Gala. However, the options outlined above ensure the safe handling and return of your work should you be unable to attend.

Framing requirements apply only to the artwork selected by the jurists. All artwork should be presented in a simple, professional manner. Consider yourself a professional and treat your artwork with respect. Always use the best materials.

The finished presentation – front, back, top and bottom - is part of the whole work. It should appear to be new and well crafted, not battered and shop worn or flimsy or fragile.

Poor presentation can make great art look terrible. Good presentation can make terrible art look great.

• All work must be presented ready-to-hang. If you choose you can attach a wire to the frame between one-third and one-quarter of the way down the sides of the piece. Stainless steel braided picture wire works best for smooth hanging and deters rusting.
• Do not use sawtooth hangers. They are not strong enough to support the weight of a frame safely.
• Frame molding varies greatly in style and quality. Avoid over powering the art with brighter, bolder, or busier framing materials that distract from it visually and look amateurish, cheap, or out-of-place.
• While grand masterpieces are well suited to hand-carved gold frames; most other pieces look best in modest real wood or metal frame moldings with clean lines and black, neutral, or natural wood finishes.
• Do not use "snap on" frames, corner-clips with glass or “easel” frames designed for tabletop use.
• Photographs and all two-dimensional work on paper should be matted with neutral tones (white, gray or black only) and covered with clean, scratch-free glass or Plexiglas.
• Matting serves to separate the art from the glazing, but it also isolates it for viewing. The artwork should stand alone without being enhanced or abated by the mat and frame.
• Mat size should be appropriate to the piece. A wide mat is better; it expands the work and makes it appear larger. Narrow boarders visually reduce the artwork and look cheap. A three to four-inch mat with an extra half-inch on the bottom gives a nice visual feel to a finished piece. But, do not use extra wide mats just to make a piece fit in a standard size framee.
• Float-mounting the artwork over the mat, so that the edges are seen, is an option when an artwork has a deckle edge or is constructed with handmade paper. A spacer within the frame should be used to keep the art from touching the glazing.
• A stretched canvas requires no glazing because the canvas needs to breathe. The frame may be backed with a dust cover and/or moisture barrier, but this must be perforated to allow air to circulate.
• Large oils or acrylics on heavy-duty stretchers with a gallery wrap do not need to be framed. The canvas should be stapled on the back and the edge should be painted.