暗网51

Open to all students at Hope, the competitive Juried Student Show is an annual fixture at the De Pree Gallery. Each year, the Department of Art & Art History invites a recognized artist or curator to select and judge student work. This year鈥檚 juror is Jennifer Wcisel.

Juror

Jennifer Wcisel

Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the Grand Rapids Art Museum

Jennifer Wcisel is a curator and art historian currently with the Grand Rapids Art Museum, where she has served on the curatorial team since 2015. She leads the museum’s diverse program of rotating exhibitions, including traveling and independently organized exhibitions. Wcisel is responsible for the stewardship of GRAM’s permanent collection of nearly 7,000 objects, which she activates through original exhibitions, installations, research, community programs and publications. She has facilitated several important acquisitions for the collection during her tenure, including works by Kelly Church, Guy Carleton Wiggins, Jenny Holzer, Hwa-Jeen Na, Christopher Myers and Mario Moore. Her recent curatorial projects include Christopher Myers on Myth and Migration, Jess T. Dugan: Look at me like you love me, Mario Moore: Revolutionary Times and a forthcoming solo-exhibition with Seattle-based artist Parisa Ghaderi.

Prior to her time at GRAM, Wcisel helped develop audience-centered gallery activities and experiences at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Wcisel holds a master's degree in arts administration from Indiana University Bloomington and a bachelor's degree in English literature and art history from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids.

Exhibition Timeline

• Call announced: October 13
• Entry deadline: October 27 at 11:59 p.m.
  • Follow instructions under How to Submit (see below) and fill out the entry form
• Artists notified: November 5
• Accepted artworks delivered: November 8 from 9 a.m.鈥�12 p.m.
  • Artwork must be brought to the gallery by 12 p.m. and meet De Pree Gallery Exhibition Standards (see below)
  • Matting and Framing Workshop at 2 p.m., required for artists whose accepted work must be framed for the Juried Student Show and all senior Studio Art majors
• Exhibition dates: November 14鈥揇ecember 4, 2025
• Juror鈥檚 Talk and Opening Reception: November 14 at 4:30 pm
• Artwork pickup: December 8 and 9 from 9 a.m.鈥�4 p.m.

ELIGIBILITY

• Open to all current 暗网51 students 
• Work must have been completed within the last two years and during the student's time at 暗网51 (no high school artwork)
• Original artwork only (no copies of another artist鈥檚 work, no AI-generated images)
• Works in any media are accepted for submission (see How to Submit for guidelines for each medium)

Requirements

• Limit five artwork entries per student, up to five images per entry
• Accepted works must meet the gallery鈥檚 Exhibition Standards before being delivered to the gallery (see below)

How to submit

The De Pree Gallery will accept only digital images/files for consideration, following the below specifications. The Gallery will retain the submitted images of accepted artwork and reserves the right to use the images in publications and gallery publicity. Beyond such use, the artist retains full copyright of exhibited work.

Entry Image Specifications

• Up to 5 entries per artist. Up to 5 images per entry.
  • Note: 5 images per entry are to allow for detail and alternate views of the same entry (see 鈥渇ile naming鈥� below).
• Images must comply with Image Sizing and File Naming guidelines:
  • Image Sizing
    The image files should be in high quality jpeg format. Images should be no smaller than 1,000 pixels in any direction (about 13") and be 72 dpi. This should result in most image files ranging from 700kb to 2mb in file size, but this is only an approximation.
  • File Naming
    All entry files (regardless of type or media) must be named with the artist鈥檚 last name (underscore) first name, followed by the entry number as noted on the entry form (for example: Jones_Mike_1.jpg). Please do not include any other information in the file name, such as title of work, etc.
    • Detail, installation or alternate view images must include the word 鈥榙etail鈥� in the filename (for example: Jones_Mike_1detail1.jpg). If you do not include the term 鈥榙etail鈥� as part of the filename for any additional, installation or closeup images supporting your entry, these will be counted as additional separate entries. Information for detail images should not be included on the entry form.
  • Images must be oriented properly (top of the image is the top of the artwork) and should not include text or borders that are not part of the actual artwork. 
  • Do not upload anything other than entry images (no r茅sum茅, bio, statement, etc.). Any essential information regarding the nature of the artwork should be included in the notes section for each work on the entry form.
  • Remember the importance of good photographic documentation of the artwork being submitted. In many cases, the nature of the presentation of the work in a gallery setting is critical to the juror鈥檚 understanding of the work, especially for works that are presented in a way that could be considered non-traditional (unframed, suspended from the ceiling, floor-based, etc.). Good detail images should convey the actual physical nature of the work as displayed. 
  • Keep in mind that presentation matters. How a work is presented is critical to its success in a gallery setting. Choice of framing, mounting, etc. is paramount in delivering an experience of the work to an audience. Take advantage of the notes section for each entry on the entry form to explain in simple terms how your work is presented, especially if this is not already evident in your submission images.

Video, Motion, and Interactive Entries

• All video, motion or interactive submissions (or videos showing details of an entry) must be submitted as a link to a viewable online copy of each work. The work should be shown online in its full length.
• Video links should be provided on the entry form in the Viewing Link section. The link should go directly to the online content that not require a login, password or membership to view. Some acceptable platforms are YouTube, Vimeo, Dropbox.
• Effort should be made to eliminate confusion or extraneous information that may interfere with the juror鈥檚 viewing of the work. Any distracting material or information not considered to be part of the work itself will inevitably detract from the juror鈥檚 understanding of the work.

Site-Specific Installation

• Artists wanting to submit a site-specific installation will need to write a detailed Installation Proposal, including images of the piece previously installed.
• Upload a PDF of the proposal in the Entry Image Upload section of the entry form. No new installations that have not been previously installed will be accepted.
• Your proposal must include the following:
  • Why 鈥� Provide a short artist statement about the work. Explain your vision for the work in three sentences or less.
  • What 鈥� Describe the materials to be used. Include images of the work previously installed (full page images recommended).
  • Where 鈥� Explain the location of the installation in the De Pree Gallery. See the here.
  • How 鈥� Explain how the work will be installed and what equipment you will need. All materials and hardware needed for the installation must be provided by the artist.
    • The scissor lift may only be used by certified individuals (i.e. the Gallery Preparator). The Preparator can only provide a maximum of an hour to help with installation using the lift.
  • When 鈥� Determine an installation timeline, including what work will be done in how much time. If the work is accepted, you will need to coordinate with the Gallery Preparator to schedule access to the gallery to complete the installation.

Exhibition Standards

Accepted works must meet the following requirements. Works delivered to the gallery that do not meet these requirements will not be included in the exhibition, regardless of their previous acceptance from the juror. All works must be fully complete at time of delivery to the gallery. No works in progress will be accepted (no wet paint, non-cured glue, etc.).

2D 鈥� Works on Paper: Drawings, Photographs, Hand-Pulled Prints, Watercolor

• Charcoal drawings must be spray fixed.
• Photographs should be printed at the highest quality possible.
• Pieces smaller than 18" x 24" should be matted and framed. Artists whose accepted work is smaller than 18" x 24" must attend the Matting and Framing Workshop. Frames and mats will be provided by the gallery, but must be returned at the deinstallation of the exhibition.
• Pieces 18" x 24" or larger must specify the presentation method for display in the entry form, unless it is framed, wired and ready to hang. If magnets are the planned method of display, they should be provided by the artist. These are recommended.
• Hanging artwork with push pins is not an acceptable form of display in the gallery.

2D 鈥� Paintings: Stretched Canvas or Panel

• Paintings on panel should have a framework, typically made from 1" x 2" boards, on the back to attach hardware to.
• Pieces 18" x 24" and smaller should have D-ring and wire or a cleat installed on the back. D-rings should be one-third from the top of the piece and the wire should be taut.
• Pieces larger than 18" x 24" should have D-rings or a cleat installed on the back. Wire is optional if the two D-rings are level with each other on the back of the stretchers or panel.

3D 鈥� Sculpture: Wall-Mounted or Suspended Display

Describe the planned method of display in the entry form. Any necessary hardware for installation should be provided by the artist. If the work is chosen by the juror, installation assistance by the artist may be required.

3D 鈥� Sculpture: Floor Pieces

Indicate in the Method of Display section of the entry form if a pedestal is requested. The gallery鈥檚 inventory of pedestals and vitrines can be found . If the work requires a size that is not available, the pedestal will need to be built and provided by the artist.

Time-Based Video Entries

Indicate in the Method of Display section of the entry form whether you prefer a projection or monitor display. The gallery has a limited number of AV equipment available. Please see the available equipment . For exhibition, artists with accepted video works will need to provide an MP4 or MOV file on a thumbdrive or SD card.

Our media players support MKV, AVI, TS/TP, MP4/M4V (4GB file size limit), MOV, VOB and M2TS files encoded with H.264/AVC, VC1, and MPEG1/2/4, up to 1920 x 1080, 30 fps, 10 mbps. Note: formats not listed above, such as H.265/HEVC, are not supported.

Artwork Documentation

Artists wishing to submit work to the Juried Student Show should keep in mind the importance of good photographic documentation of the artwork being submitted. Here are some resources to help you document your work well.

matting and Framing Workshop
Saturday, November 8, 2鈥�4 p.m.

The De Pree Gallery Preparator Emily Mayo will be teaching proper matting and framing techniques. Watch her and follow along through the process by bringing your own 2D work to be matted and framed. All students are welcome, but frames, mats and glass are reserved for artists whose work was accepted into the Juried Student Show. All materials must be returned to the gallery at the end of the exhibition. Attendance is required for senior Studio Art majors and artists whose work is accepted into the Juried Student Show that requires framing.