Unprecedented: The Inaugural Postmark Biennial - Auburn, WA

Postmark Center for the Arts and the White River Valley Museum are hosting a competitive juried biennial art exhibition, titled “Unprecedented: The Inaugural Postmark Biennial.” 

'In times of crisis, art becomes a vital medium for both reflection and action."- Virginia Vigliar

How is art informed by the exceptional moment in which we are living? Curated by two esteemed jurors, Ellen Ito and Jabari Owens-Bailey, this exhibition is seeking work from artists living and working in Washington state; Unprecedented is interested in highlighting creative explorations in all media created from 2020 to the present.

Postmark Center for the Arts and the White River Valley Museum are hosting a competitive juried biennial art exhibition, titled “Unprecedented: The Inaugural Postmark Biennial.” 

'In times of crisis, art becomes a vital medium for both reflection and action."- Virginia Vigliar

How is art informed by the exceptional moment in which we are living? Curated by two esteemed jurors, Ellen Ito and Jabari Owens-Bailey, this exhibition is seeking work from artists living and working in Washington state; Unprecedented is interested in highlighting creative explorations in all media created from 2020 to the present.

Artist awards will be granted. First Place or Best of Show will receive $300, Second Place $200, Third Place $100, and People’s Choice $150. We aim to showcase emerging and established artists working in a wide variety of media.

Curator Bios:

Ellen Ito is an artist, programmer, and curator who lives and works in the Puget Sound region. Recent and current projects include the exhibition Soft Power, On Site, an interdisciplinary moving image series at Seattle's Mini Mart City Park, and Following Gordon, an experimental documentary inspired by the hitchhiking experience of activist Gordon Hirabayashi. Ellen is the Curator of Collections and Special Projects at the Tacoma Art Museum.

Jabari Owens-Bailey is an arts administrator, curator, writer, educator, and artist. He currently works as Curatorial Educations Program Manager for Museum of Glass. Jabari received his Bachelor of Fine Art from George Washington University: Corcoran College of Art + Design and his Master of Fine Art from School of Visual Arts. He Completed a Curatorial Fellowship at Museum of African Diaspora Arts (MoCADA). His varied career in arts administration has shaped his values on diversity and inclusion in the museum and arts fields and believes in the personal healing powers of creating. Jabari has worn many hats during his arts administration career that have included roles as a curator, scholar, Museum of Glass podcast host, curriculum designer, program designer, project manager, art installer, and much more. He currently serves as Board Member for the Washington Museum Association. Jabari Has curated exhibitions and managed projects at other institutions and currently is the curator of Walter Lieberman: Are you the guy who does the chalk drawings in the Hot Shop? at Museum of Glass.

Where: Postmark Center for the Arts, 20 Auburn Ave, Auburn, WA 98002
 and the White River Valley Museum, 918 H St SE, Auburn, WA 98002

When: July 23 – October 15, 2025 (installation July 14-18, deinstallation October 16)

Timeline:

·         May 21 – Call to artists deadline

·         Early June – Notifications to artists

·         July 14 – Artist drop-off: All artwork must be dropped off in-person at Postmark Center for the Arts or White River Valley Museum.

·         July 23 – Opening reception and curators talk

·         July 23 – October 15, 2025 – Exhibition on display. Artists may offer to do a technique demonstration or artist talk during this time.

·         October 9 – Closing reception and artist talk. 3-5 artists will be invited to talk briefly about their work at each site.

·         October 16 – Deinstallation. All artwork must be picked up in-person at Postmark Center for the Arts or White River Valley Museum.

Subject Matter:
“Unprecedented: The Inaugural Postmark Biennial” is an exhibition seeking work from artists living and working in Washington state and is interested in highlighting creative explorations in all media created from 2020 to the present.

Curated by Ellen Ito and Jabari Owens-Bailey, submissions will be juried according to thematic resemblance, conceptual strength, and artistic merit. Artwork, according to the discretion of the curators and Arts staff, may be chosen to be displayed at either the Postmark Center for the Arts Gallery or the White River Valley Museum Gallery.

Artist Application Requirements:

• 5-10 images of artwork that is eligible to be selected for the exhibition (not just examples)
  • Submit one image per artwork (If detail shots are needed, please collage into one image submission)
  • Up to three videos will be allowed, up to two minutes in length

·         Optional written statement to provide the curators with any additional information you feel would be helpful to further understand you as an artist, your work, or artistic practice.

Artist Eligibility:

·         Artists working in all media working and residing in Washington State. Artists of diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

·         Artist must be 18 years of age or older at the time of application.

·         The application exists only at callforentry.org.

·         All entries must be submitted online at callforentry.org. Entries sent by standard mail will not be accepted.

·         Artists are encouraged to submit their most recent body of work.

Accepted artists must deliver their artwork in person to Auburn, WA on the assigned installation dates of July 14-15, 2025.