The Richmond Arts Coalition, with support from the Richmond Art Gallery and financial support from the City of Richmond and the BC Arts Council, is pleased to present ArtRich 2023, our fifth juried exhibition for local artists at the Richmond Art Gallery. This exhibition will take place from Nov. 24 to Dec. 31. ArtRich 2023 provides an opportunity for emerging and established artists from Richmond, the Lower Mainland, and nearby communities to exhibit together and celebrate local talent. Entries are not expected to fit a specific theme—we want to see the work you are most excited to share!

The Richmond Arts Coalition (RAC) invites artists with a connection to the Lower Mainland to enter a maximum of two works per artist (regardless of medium) for adjudication. We welcome original artwork in a variety of mediums, including painting, drawing, 3D works, textile/fibre arts, photography, video, and digital media. Artworks must be made between 2021 and 2023.

Only one work per artist will be selected for the exhibition. Each artist submitting work must be or become a member of the Richmond Arts Coalition. The membership fee is $10 per year (or $45 if you choose a five-year membership). Richmond-resident youth artists (under the age of 18) who apply for ArtRich 2023 will receive a year-long free membership with the Richmond Arts Coalition. Please note: you must be an individual member of RAC, not just a member of a group that is a RAC member.

All applicants must be members with the Richmond Arts Coalition to apply. Thanks to grants from the Province of British Columbia via the BC Arts Council, there are no other entry fees to apply. Entry forms will not be processed from entrants until they have an active membership with RAC. Memberships can be acquired at richmondartscoalition.com/membership.

Thanks to a kind and generous one time Impact grant from the BC Arts Council, each selected ArtRich 2023 artist will receive an honorarium. 

Once again, there will be People’s Choice awards for the event, with winners chosen by the public and announced at the end of the exhibition. There will be three $150 awards for three artists with the most votes. 

Two ways to enter: 

1. To enter online, click here: richmondartscoalition.com/artrich2023. Fill in the online form, upload up to two images, and submit. (Preferred)

2. If the above form does not work for you, you may enter by email. To do so, please send an email with responses to all the online form categories to richmondartscoalition@gmail.com. Attach no more than two digital images of your artwork.

If you have problems or concerns with either method of submission, please contact richmondartscoalition@gmail.com for assistance.

If a new member, please go to richmondartscoalition.com/membership and fill out the form there.

Entries (including active membership status), MUST be received by Sept. 1.

Jurors will make selections based on the following:

• Originality, technical execution, and creativity of work, exploration, and approach

• Balanced presentation of a range of styles, subject matter, and media

Richmond Art Gallery will take the utmost care in handling the work. Artwork must be dry and ready to be displayed, with (for 2D work) a hanging device (such as a hanging sleeve, cleat, or loops/rings on the back of the work). Interactive computer-based artwork must be presented on a supplied computer. Artwork must be able to be carried easily by one person and fit through a standard door. Works exceeding four feet in width (including the frame), or of excessive weight or height, will be refused entry by Richmond Art Gallery staff at the time of delivery. Multi panel or multi component pieces (i.e. diptychs, triptychs) will be accepted; however the whole work cannot exceed the four-foot width limitation as outlined above.

Selected works must be dropped off at the Richmond Art Gallery on Nov. 14, between 3 to 7 p.m.

The exhibition runs from Nov. 24 to Dec. 31. All artists who submit pieces for the exhibition (not merely those whose pieces were accepted) will be invited via email to join us at the ArtRich 2023 Opening Reception at the Richmond Art Gallery on Nov. 24 from 7 to 9 p.m.

Artists will be asked if they would like their contact information to be given to potential purchasers, should a purchasing inquiry be made. If the artist agrees, the Richmond Arts Coalition will forward their contact information to the potential purchaser.

Richmond Art Gallery will insure all artworks while on site.

Work must be collected from the Richmond Art Gallery between 2 - 7 p.m. on Jan. 4, 2024. Work must be picked up on this date, unless other arrangements have been made with the RAG. Otherwise, the artist will be charged a storage fee of $5.00/day/item. Work not picked up within 2 weeks will be discarded. When picking up work, please bring the necessary materials to wrap and pack works—the Gallery does not supply this.

All concerns or questions must be addressed to the ArtRich 2023 Committee: richmondartscoalition@gmail.com. In all cases, the ArtRich 2023 Committee has the final decision. Do not contact the Richmond Art Gallery with questions.

ArtRich 2023 important dates:
Application deadline: Sept. 1
Notification of selection: by Sept. 20
Drop off of selected works: Nov. 14 between 3 to 7 p.m.
Opening reception: Nov. 24, 6 to 9 p.m.
Exhibition opens: Nov. 24
Exhibition closes: Dec. 31
Pick-up of work after exhibition: Jan. 4, 2024, between 2 to 7 p.m.
Art Column Exhibition: Feb. 1 to July 31, 2024.