Franchise Program
Accepting submissions from April 4 to May 3, 2013, the Franchise is an open call for 500-word proposals for group shows that take place anywhere in the world outside of New York City. One of apexart's two curatorial open calls, the Franchise asks for submissions for exhibitions that examine a specific idea or theme. Exhibitions can be about anything that the organizer finds compelling and can take place anywhere other than NYC. Past shows have explored construction in Mexico City, community in Memphis, and translation in Kampala. The Franchise is an opportunity to help bring a compelling idea to fruition and to illustrate that the center of the world is wherever you are. Please note that apexart is not a funding organization and exhibitions are part of apexart's regular programming.
No prior curatorial experience is required and we invite submissions from people of all backgrounds. Proposals do not have to be for the city where the curator is based, do not need to take place in traditional gallery settings, and venues for the show and artist lists do not need to be confirmed in advance of submitting an idea. Three winners receive an $8,000 budget and administrative support to mount their exhibition in the location of their choosing, and apexart works with winning organizers on all of the details of the project. In addition, apexart produces a brochure in an edition of 9,000 with an essay from the curator, which is distributed to subscribers in more than 100 countries.
For its open calls, apexart has developed a form of crowd sourced jurying that asks as many as 150 people to take part in the voting process. Our jurying system is designed to be as democratic as possible and the jury identifies the winning exhibitions without knowing the names of any of the submitters. Jurors read and evaluate proposals online, each juror reads a random cross section of all the proposals, and we ensure that each proposal is voted on 20 times.
Franchise 2012-13 jurors:
Alice Adams, Greg Allen, Jane Ingram Allen, Lauren Amazeen, Karen Archey, Julie Ault, Somaya al-Sousi, Nadine Badran, Jan Baracz, Rosa Berland, Norman Brosterman, Richmond Burton, Molly Butzer, Tania Candiani, Claudia Cannizzaro, Kaili Chun, David Colagiovanni, Carrie Cooperider, David Cruz, Nico Daswani, Matan Daub, David Dean, Jade Dellinger, Chinnie Ding, Sunita Dixit, Ale de la Puente, Maarin Ektermann, Cat Gilbert, Sofija Grandakovska, David Greg Harth, Greta Gundersen, Line Halvorsen, April Hannah, Clay Hapaz, Ellen Harvey, Dara Herman-Zierlein, Amber Hickey, Michelle Hyun, Frederick Janka, Andrea Jespersen, Tammy Kinsey, Jaya Klara Brekke, Peter Krashes, Rainy Lehrman, Daniel Monroy Cuevas, Eric Morrill, Sina Najafi, Gabi Ngcobo, Kukiko Nobori, Douglas Paulson, Snezana Petrovic, Puleng Plessi, Diana Quintero, Kirk Rader, Rapunkzel Rockon, Brian Rogers, Katharina Rohde, Blake Ruehrwein, Adania Shibli, Brian Sholis, Andras Szanto, Stacy Szymaszek, Robert Thill, layinka Topping, Rosy Tyree, Francisco Ugarte, Rob Walker, Nancy Wender
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2012-13 Winning Proposals
Three Franchise Winners this year!
We have expanded our program by introducing a domestic exhibition opportunity. apexart will now present the two top-scoring proposals for projects outside the U.S. and one top-scoring proposal for a project in the U.S. (outside NYC).
Carlos Leon-Xjimenez's proposal for Lima, Peru, received the highest score; Marisa Jahn and Paul Falzone's proposal for Kampala, Uganda, received the second highest score; and Tom McGlynn and Bill Doherty's proposal for Memphis, Tennessee, was the top scoring domestic submission.
Lima, Peru (2012)
Lima Rooftop Ecology
November 3 - December 1, 2012
Organized by: Carlos Leon-Xjimenez
download winning proposal pdf
Presented on roofs in Lima's historic city center, Lima Rooftop Ecology features the work of artists and architects in an exhibition examining poverty, historic preservation, and tourism. |
Kampala, Uganda (2013)
Video Slink Uganda
February 7 - March 6, 2013
Organized by: Marisa Jahn and Paul Falzone
download winning proposal pdf
Video Slink Uganda presents short-form experimental videos by artists from the African Diaspora in Ugandan video halls (or "bibanda"), popular gathering places known for showing pirated movies on DVD.
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Memphis, Tennessee (2013)
Memphis Social
May 10-18, 2013
Organized by: Tom McGlynn and Bill Doherty
download winning proposal pdf
Presented in multiple sites in the city, Memphis Social highlights the local cultural traditions of this vibrant city alongside the work of artists from around the world in an exhibition designed to inspire debate and catalyze community exchange through art. |
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FAQs
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 Q: Is this a grant for an exhibition? |
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A: No, this is an apexart exhibition, organized by you in the location you determine.
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Q: When is the submission deadline? |
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A: Submissions will be accepted from April 4 to May 3, 2013 (11:59 PM EST—New York time).
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Q: Who can submit a group exhibition proposal? Do I have to be a curator? |
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A: Anyone from anywhere is encouraged to enter and no prior curatorial experience is necessary. The jury will read your proposal without your name attached to it. Curatorial teams are eligible and encouraged to submit using one single name as the contact.
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Q: What kind of exhibition are you looking for? |
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A: The jury is looking for compelling exhibitions based on a good idea. A successful idea-based show is a group exhibition that examines a specific theme. Shows can be about anything that the organizer finds compelling—successful exhibitions have been mounted about everything from television to mapping to literature. The show should have a clearly stated thesis or hypothesis.
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Q: What kinds of ideas are the most successful? |
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A: We do not encourage our jury to evaluate one type of exhibition over another, rather we ask them to look for the most compelling argument for a show. As a result, we encourage organizers to submit proposals for things that they are personally interested and invested in and focus on drafting a proposal that is as clear as possible. Submitters should consider including in their essay what effect the proposed Franchise exhibition might have on the locale.
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Q: How many exhibitions will be selected? |
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A: Three. In addition, three exhibitions are also selected through our Unsolicited Proposal Program.
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Q: When will the selected exhibitions be on view? |
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A: Exact dates will be announced, but all three exhibitions will be presented between September 2013 - July 2014.
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Q: Who juries the exhibition proposals? |
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A: An international group of up to 150 creative professionals evaluate the proposals in a "blind" process online. Jurors do not know each other and there is no discussion between them or apexart staff. The jury changes every year.
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Q: Should my proposal include artist names and descriptions of their work? |
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A: You are welcome to include whatever information you think is essential while emphasizing the exhibition's idea. Should you include artist names in your proposal you do not need to contact them or confirm their participation in advance, as the idea is a proposal, not a set exhibition, and will not be made public.
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Q: Can I submit images? |
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A: No. We have returned to the previous process of not accepting images. We do this because more often than not images are not available of actual or even closely resembling work.
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Q: Can I submit an exhibition with an open call for artwork? |
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A: No. A proposal's concept should be fully established/constructed when it is submitted. Should you want to conduct an open call it must take place before the proposal is submitted.
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Q: Can I submit a proposal for a solo show or an exhibition of my own work? |
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A: No. All proposals must be group shows of at least 3 people. Including yourself in an exhibition proposal is allowed but must be clearly stated. In addition, proposals will not be accepted for exhibitions where multiple people create a single artwork or artist project.
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Q: What is the exhibition budget and what does it cover? |
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A: apexart will provide an $8,000 budget for travel (organizer/artists), transportation of artwork, and general expenses and a $2,000 curatorial honorarium for organizational activities and the brochure essay (approximately 1,500 words). The emphasis of your proposal should be on the idea behind the show and organizers should work within the size and budget limitations as part of the creative challenge. apexart will assist and support the organizer to locate outside support for shipping, artists' travel, and other miscellaneous, however the curator/organizer is under no obligation to raise funds. apexart covers the expense of printing and mailing the full color brochure to over 120 countries and promotion of the exhibition. In addition, there are no costs for the organizer or artists for participation.
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Q: Can I submit more than one proposal? Can I submit an exhibition that has been presented elsewhere before? Can I submit supplementary materials? |
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A: No.
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Q: Do I need to secure a site/exhibition space for my exhibition in advance? |
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A: You can, but apexart will assist in securing a space for the exhibition and will help with any other "business" transactions.
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Q: I'm already working on an exhibition, can I submit it to the Franchise? |
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A: Yes, but please know that if you win it will become an apexart Franchise and will need to adhere to our timelines, standards, and calendar.
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Q: Can I propose an exhibition that will take place in more than one city or country at once? |
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A: No, your exhibition must have one central location for apexart. However the exhibition can travel afterward.
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Q: Who can I contact if I still have questions? |
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