WEST RUTLAND, VT- The Carving Studio and Sculpture Center invites artists to submit proposals for SculptFest 2018, September 8 - October 21. The theme for this year’s outdoor exhibition is interdependence, guest curated by Alisa Dworsky. Ms. Dworsky is an artist and architectural designer who lives and works in Montpelier, Vermont.

Interdependence reflects a form of symbiosis, the interaction between two or more elements for the benefit of all. Interdependency is a state of mutual support.

The concept of interdependence can serve as a lens to understand the relationships within natural systems and between people, industries, nation-states, structural components and abstract forms. The modern era is defined, in part, by an increase in interdependency. As our technologies, economies, and cultures have evolved they are more apt to be tied to complex systems of mutual reliance. We have always been in a state of interdependence with our natural systems. Within many fields of study, we examine the interdependence of factors that drive outcomes.

Within the field of art and the practice of art it is useful to ask in what ways our practices are dependent on the work of other artists or other works of art. How are we influenced and inspired by fellow artists? How do we in turn support others? What other systems of mutual support drive creativity? Nothing we achieve is accomplished alone.

The Carving Studio and Sculpture Center occupies a site shaped by an industry’s need for the marble below the surface. The transformation of this defunct quarry into a thriving art center reflects a web of supporting relationships, not least that between the art exhibited and the site. How does the site impact the art made and exhibited here and how does this art shape the way we understand, move through and experience this place?

Artist’s responding to this call are encouraged to think across and between creative disciplines and media. We invite artists from a wide range of approaches to submit work to this call including sculptors, installation artists, sound artists, video artists, web based artists, performance based visual artists, and multimedia artists. Please visit the Carving Studio and Sculpture Center website for more information about the history of the grounds as a former marble quarry, www.carvingstudio.org.

Proposals should include:A one-page project description, sketches, photos or other visual representations of proposed project;Artist’s resume; Up to 10 images of previous works (emphasis on site-specific);Artist statement. Applications are due Friday, June 22nd, 2018.

Please mail proposals to “SculptFest 2018” The Carving Studio & Sculpture Center P.O. Box 495, West Rutland, VT 05777 or email to info@carvingstudio.org (each image must be in jpeg format, under 1MB, text documents in pdf format, videos may use website/YouTube/Vimeo links).