Northwest Arts Center

INT'L Paperworks Call For Entries

The Northwest Arts Center is excited to announce the 55th year of the Paperworks juried exhibition at Minot State University. Founded to enhance the study and appreciation of contemporary visual arts in our region, the exhibitions attract excellence in works on paper each year. INT'L Paperworks 2027 continues to welcome entrants from around the world. We are grateful to the many artists who have shared their work and passion for art with our audiences. It is our honor to invite you to contribute to this enduring dialogue of creative exploration and exchange.

» INT'L Paperworks 2027 Prospectus [pdf]
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INT'L All Media Juried Exhibition
January 14 through February 18, 2027
Walter Piehl Gallery
Northwest Arts Center
Minot State University
Minot, North Dakota

Juror: Aline Smithson, Los Angeles, CA.

ALINE SMITHSON is an interdisciplinary artist, educator, editor, and filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California. She has exhibited widely including over 50 solo shows at a variety of international institutions and her work has been featured in publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, and PDN. Smithson is the Founder and Editor- in-Chief of Lenscratch, a daily journal on photography. She received the Rising Star Award through the Griffin Museum of Photography and also received the prestigious Excellence in Teaching Award from CENTER. In 2014, 2019, and 2025, Smithson’s work was selected for the Critical Mass Top 50. The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum commissioned Smithson to create a series of portraits for the Faces of Our Planet Exhibition. In 2018 and 2019, her work was exhibited in the National Portrait Gallery in London. In 2022, Smithson was recognized as a Hasselblad Heroine. With the exception of her iPhone, she only shoots film.

Awards:

Cash and Purchase Awards: five Merit Awards and one Best of Show. Best of Show earns a future solo exhibition and an invitation to the Best of the Best exhibit.

FAQ:

What is a Juried Exhibition?

A juried exhibition shows artwork selected through a competitive process. Artists submit images and information for the artworks they hope will be selected by the juror. A juror is responsible for reviewing all the submissions, and determining which of the artworks will be declined, accepted, or awarded additional prizes. At the Northwest Arts Center, the initial submissions are reviewed electronically, and often the juror makes their final decisions about awards while looking at the artwork in person.

Why do you have a Juried Exhibition?

The Juried Exhibitions at Minot State University were started by faculty and students in 1969 to bring contemporary artwork of merit to our region for the enrichment of audiences, and to start a teaching collection through purchase awards.

How are Juried exhibitions selected?

The Northwest Arts Center invites guest jurors for the INT’L Juried Exhibitions; typically an artist, curator, museum or gallery director, or other arts professional. We provide the juror some basic guidelines: an ideal range for the number of pieces they select, number and type of awards and purchase recommendations. Then, the juror determines and uses their own criteria for selection. In this way, a juried exhibition is always created to a large degree by a subjective sets of standards and individual taste. Our jurors are not provided with the names of artists or any other identifying information, a process known as a “blind jurying.”

Why do you have an entry fee?

The entry fee is used to support the juried exhibition and provides for exhibition expenses, including awards, juror costs, marketing materials, and a printed catalog. Entry fees do not underwrite any other programming or activities at the NAC.

Are there additional expenses beyond the submission fee if selected?

There is no additional exhibition fee, beyond paying for shipping/transportation of your art to and from the NAC.

Does my fee get refunded if I’m not selected?

Submitting to the juried exhibitions does not guarantee you will be curated into the exhibition, and the NAC does not refund entry fees for unaccepted artist submissions.

What happens if I am selected?

You will be contacted by the selection notification date with shipping/delivery details and artist information. Artwork must arrive presentation ready (framed or with appropriate installation materials).

Who is responsible for delivery, handling and installation of work if selected?

Artists are responsible to arrange for shipping, delivery and pickup if selected. NAC staff receives, handles, designs and installs the exhibition.

Can my artwork be for sale?

Work for sale must be priced by the artist. The Northwest Arts Center encourages sales, and has a 30% commission for sales. This commission contributes to supporting the mission, programming and sustainability of Northwest Arts Center.

What does ‘All artworks must be original’ mean in your eligibility requirements?

Original artwork, for the purposes of the INT’L Juried Competitions, means that the submission is not a reproduction, replication or copy. For example, a oil painting is original, but a digital print produced from a photograph of the oil painting is a reproduction. A one of a kind print made from a digital drawing or digital painting is considered original. Submissions from mediums working in multiples must be from an edition. Transformative appropriation artwork, such as collage, is considered original.

Each INT’L submission is examined to ensure it meets eligibility requirements. The NAC Director maintains approval rights for submissions and exhibitions.  If you have questions about the eligibility of individual submissions, please contact nac@minotstateu.edu.

Do you accept video entries?

Yes. There are no file size limitations. Submissions can be provide in .mp4, mpeg, or .mov format via download from cloud storage or a link to a hosting sight such as Vimeo, Youtube, etc.

What are the restrictions for A/V equipment?

For new media or time-based artwork, we are able to provide audio and visual equipment and installation. Please reach out with any questions before or during submission.

What are the restrictions for sculpture and installation work?

The gallery has a range of bases and pedestals, as well as wall mounted shelves. Work cannot be attached to the floor, but may be attached to the ceiling at the discretion of the NAC. Mountable 3D assemblage may be attached directly to the wall, and can weigh up to a maximum of 50 lbs, with the appropriate installation hardware provided by the artist.

Are there restrictions or rules for AI generated images or work incorporating AI elements?

If generative AI is used in the creation of an artwork in any capacity, the generative AI model must have been trained on copyright free materials or images copyrighted by the artist. Generative AI usage must be detailed in the artwork medium. The Northwest Arts Center does not consider images created by generative AI trained on copyrighted materials to be original works of art.

For More Information
Phone: 701-858-3264 or 800-777-0750 (ex.3264)
E-mail: nac@minotstateu.edu

History
» The History of the Northwest Arts Center
» The History of the Annual Juried Competitions