Summary Gallery Rules & Definitions
(Last revised 04/02/06)

The Carlsbad-Oceanside Art League maintains an art gallery for use by all members in good standing. Work may be submitted subject to the following regulations:

EXCHANGE DAY: Normally, the first Monday of each month. Artwork must be submitted and/or picked up only on the exchange day. Only SOLD artwork may be removed from the Gallery prior to the next exchange day.

SUBMITTAL LIMITATIONS:

• Regular Entries: Five or fewer. Very large sized entries may be limited or refused when space limitations are a factor.
• Shrink-Wrap & Note Card Packs: Provided at least one regular sized entry is submitted, a member may also submit a certain number of shrink-wraps and note card packs for three months. No crafts or jewelry are accepted.

FEES: For hanging artwork the fee is based on diagonal measurement including the frame. Fees vary depending on the size of the artwork. All other artwork including freestanding sculptures, are at one fixed fee per entry. There is no fee for shrink-wraps or note card packs. Entry fees must be paid on Exchange day. Fees for juried award shows may be higher.

HANGING REQUIREMENTS: All frames must be clean, strong, and well assembled. They must have strong picture wire for hanging and the wire ends taped for safety. Serrated hooks are not allowed. Glass and/or Plexiglas and mats are required on other than oil/acrylic hangings to protect the work. Plexiglas must be used on work 24x30 and up. Weight and size limitations apply. The Gallery has display stands for sculpture pieces.

SITTING REQUIREMENTS: Artists hanging their work must sit one or two three-hour shifts (1/2 day each) during the month, depending on how many entries are submitted. Extenuating circumstances may require further assignments. It is the artists’ responsibility to find a substitute if he/she cannot keep the appointed time. All substitutions and sitting slot trades require the approval of Director of Gallery Operations.

SALES: Artists who submit work into the Gallery must include the sales tax in the price of the piece. All prices including sales tax must be rounded to the nearest $5.00. Minimum prices apply. If an artist sells artwork as a result of exposure at the Gallery, a donation (a percentage of the selling price) from the artist is expected to help defray the cost of Gallery operations. The Board of Directors establishes the donation percentage.

JUDGING: Whenever possible, the guest demonstrator at each regular monthly meeting will judge that month's show. A professional judge or judges always judge cash award shows.

OUTDOOR DISPLAY: Sitters are permitted to display their work outside the front door of the Gallery and original note cards on the desk. Work currently on display in the gallery may not be used for an outdoor display.

UNCLAIMED ARTWORK: All artwork must be removed on the exchange day following the end of the exhibit month. All artwork that is left or stored in the Gallery storeroom for over 30 days becomes the property of the COAL Gallery and will be disposed of appropriately.

LIABILITY RELEASE: All members who display their artwork within the COAL Gallery must sign a liability release.

DEFINITION OF ACCEPTABLE ENTRIES: COAL confines itself primarily to two-dimensional, framed artwork or photographs suitable for wall hanging, and sculpture. Preferred sculpture is hand sculpted, or cast from hand-sculpted forms. Some leeway may be provided to cover certain ceramics, provided the work is intended as a work of art only and has no utilitarian purpose, however slight. It is recognized that items may occasionally be submitted that are marginal in terms of acceptability. In such cases, acceptance or rejection will be decided by the Director of Gallery Operations or the person in charge at the gallery or other venue on Exchange day.

DEFINITION OF CRAFTS: Crafts are loosely defined as handmade items having utilitarian value (e.g., having a useful purpose). Examples are (but are not limited to) most pottery, jewelry, wooden toys, floral arrangements, knickknacks, poetry, etc. Crafts are not accepted for display in the gallery or at COAL-sponsored outdoor shows except at special events.

PAINTING & DRAWING MEDIA: For the purposes of categorizing submissions for judging, the following rules apply:

• Acrylic paintings on canvas or other non-paper substrate, such as Masonite, are classed with oils.
• Acrylic works done on paper and placed under glass in the manner of a watercolor are classed, along with standard watercolors, as “water media.”
• Mixed media includes most works employing more than one medium. Exceptions do apply.
• While pastel paintings are placed in their own category; charcoal, pencil, pen and ink, etc. are classed as graphics; as are monotypes, block prints, etchings, & lithography. Laser prints made as copies of work in other media are reproductions and are not accepted in this category (see Reproduction Prints).

PHOTOGRAPHY: This category includes prints from either film or digital capture with any camera type or film. Digital work must be straight prints using only traditional darkroom techniques such as burning & dodging, contract control, color correction, etc. No montages or adding of elements allowed.

DIGITAL ART: This category includes either a digital image modified on a computer or from original designs generated by using a computer. Works may look like a photo or a painting, but its design is primarily accomplished by manipulating images on a computer.

PRINTS:

• Original prints - An impression pulled from an original plate, stone block, or screen prepared solely by the artist. Except for photographic and digital art prints, original prints are classified as graphics for judging purposes.
• Gicleé prints – Copy of original paintings printed on acid-free archival paper or canvas with archival inks using inkjet printers for color accuracy. Gicleé prints must be labeled clearly as gicleé and are not allowed in judged shows.
• Reproduction prints - Copy of artwork reproduced by computer and laser copier, offset press, etc., from an artist’s original painting without quantity limits. Reproductions are allowed to hang at designated times and must be labeled clearly as print reproductions.

ORIGINALITY: All work submitted must be the artist’s own creation and not copied from the work of other artists or cloned from copyrighted material. No commercially manufactured items are allowed either as stand-alone items or by incorporation into another work. Classroom work will be accepted in the regular monthly shows at the gallery, but will not be allowed at the annual judged and juried shows.

A detailed set of Gallery Rules and Definitions are provided to new members when they first join.