ART EXPOS AND EVENTS IN THE CAPITAL
Become an Exhibitor
Join us this November 3, 4, and 5 at the Horticulture Building
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The Call for Artists is now open!
Structure of NOIR 2023
Festival Dates and Structure
NOIR has grown from a two-day event in 2022, to a four-day festival in 2023! See below for details on the way the NOIR Art Festival will be structured this year.
Thursday
November 2
6:00pm - 10:00pm​
Gala Fundraiser for QCH
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Opening Night of the Festival
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VIP Admission, includes exciting gastronomic salon, a welcome drink, Day of the Dead themed gala and performance, and silent auction for Queensway Carleton Hospital with donated artwork and more!
Friday
November 3
6:00pm - 9:00pm
Artist Meet and Greet
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Opening Night of Art Exhibition
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General Admission, includes first pick of art at the exhibit, chance to mingle with the artists, access to Mexican food and drink, and altar lighting spotlight.
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Saturday
November 4
11:00am - 8:00pm
Extended Exhibition Day
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General Admission, a portion is donated to QCH. Arts and Culture themed programming.
Free Admission after 3pm!
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Sunday
November 5
10:00am - 4:00pm
Final Exhibition Day
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General Admission, a portion is donated to QCH. Arts and Culture themed programming.
Free Admission after 3pm!
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Artist Set-up Time
Artists will be able to set-up their displays on Friday November 3rd, from 2:00pm - 5:00pm.
Extended set-up time will be given to any artists who volunteer to help with grid preparations (i.e. mounting fabric to grids, mounting signage, etc.). This will be from approximately 12:00pm, giving volunteers extra time to use as desired, prior to the Meet and Greet which is scheduled to start at 6pm.
Theme for NOIR 2023
Day of Dead Theme
Last year, we introduced NOIR with an inspiring Masquerade theme. This year, NOIR 2023 will be an exciting Day of the Dead theme, with support from the Mexican Embassy.
This theme will include programming honouring the culture and celebration surrounding the Day of the Dead traditions, and broader Mexican culture.
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Visitors will be encouraged to pay homage to this theme by either participating in dressing up, or attending one of the various programmed sessions devoted to the Day of the Dead, including the altar, pan de muertos, sugar skulls and more.
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The images being used for NOIR this year represent the "Catrinas", a symbol for Day of the Dead traditions.
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You can learn more about the inspiration for this theme through the Day of Dead Festival.
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What's new about NOIR 2023?
You Spoke, We Listened!
Thanks to all of the constructive and supportive feedback we received from our inaugural event in October 2022, we have made several updates and improvements to NOIR, including:
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Number of Days
NOIR is now a 4 day festival starting on November 2nd which will have a Fundraiser Gala for Queensway Carleton Hospital. The following 3 days will be dedicated to the art exhibition (November 3, 4, and 5). This will increase the amount of time and access the public will have to artists and the exhibition!
Opening Night
This year, the Opening Night gala event will be on November 2nd, and not include the exhibition. The gala will be dedicated to the fundraiser for QCH, complete with performers and restaurants. NOIR artists will be encouraged to donate for the auction, and those who donate will receive 2 gratis VIP tickets to the gala.
Booth Sizes
The exhibition lay out has been re-imagined to help accommodate more options for artists, increase visibility, and create better traffic flow throughout the exhibition floor. Artists will be able to customize the size of their booth, and get discounted pricing when registering for more linear feet.
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Power & Lighting
The re-imagined exhibition floor plan will also increase access to power for artists wanting to use lights for their display set up. Lighting is not required, and the house lights will be on full brightness for the entire exhibition. Artists may want access to power for a small fee.
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Growing and Improving!
The inaugural NOIR event paved the way for many promising years ahead. We have listened to our exhibitors, collaborators, volunteers, and attendees, and have made key improvements that will benefit artists, including:
Event to Festival
NOIR is now a 4 day Festival! It has grown from a two-day event in 2022, to now offering one day for the Queensway Carleton Hospital Fundraiser (a gala on November 2nd), as well as three days dedicated to the art exhibition (November 3, 4, 5). There will be some art related programming on the exhibition days as well, to bring extra value for our attendees.
Meet & Greet
Many artists expressed how much they enjoyed meeting other artists, and we want to make more of that possible with a Friday night Meet and Greet on November 3rd. Food and drink will be available, tickets will only be $15, and participating artists will get 10 gratis tickets to give to friends, family, collectors, and fans!
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Free After 3
This year, a portion of all ticket sales will be donated to Queensway Carleton Hospital. We are only charging $10 for admission into the exhibit, and admission will be free to everyone after 3pm on Saturday and Sunday (November 4th and 5th respectively).
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Festival Pass
In the spirit of keeping admission flexible and affordable this year, we are introducing a Festival Pass, which will allow visitors to access the exhibition portion of the festival on all three days. Attendees of the gala will also receive a festival pass automatically included with their ticket!​
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Process for Becoming an Exhibitor
Eligibility Criteria
In order to apply to become an exhibitor, please consider the following first to ensure you are eligible:
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You are an established/professional artist, who has been creating visual art for at least two years;
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You create original artwork, and will only be selling your own original pieces that are all part of one cohesive collection or clearly connected body of work;
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You understand and agree that all of your pieces at the exhibition must be outfitted with appropriate hanging hardware (i.e. D-rings and wire);
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Your artwork is priced (or will be priced at the show) at a minimum of at least $0.80 cents / per square inch or higher;
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You have previous exhibition experience at professional art exhibitions / art shows.
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You understand that print sales of your own original artwork are permitted, provided that they are either limited edition prints, or a modest selection of professionally produced items (e.g. cards or mounted prints). Some exceptions may apply, please contact us if you feel your body of work requires an exception: wallcandy.questions@gmail.com .
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Exhibition Space and Fees
There will be approximately 65 spaces, complete with grids, available for artists to choose from within the Exhibition Floor Plan (please note that the floor plan is TBA and will be posted to this page once it is available). Some premium spaces will be available as well. All artists will be able to select their space well in advance of the event, and space selection order will be first-come-first-served based on the order of registration with payment. It is highly advised that artists apply early in order to secure priority selection for exhibition space.
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Fees:
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Starting from $370 for a single 10' ft segment
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Starting from $270 each, for two 10' ft segments (discounted rate)
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No Commission Fees, artists keep 100% of all their sales!
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Measurements:
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All segments are 8' ft high
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Most segments are 10' ft wide (linear feet)
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Some segments are 15' ft wide (in total linear feet)
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See Site Map
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Fees Include:​
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Grids (ModuLoc panel) and black backdrop for all exhibition spaces​
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Three (3) exhibition days (full weekend + Friday night)
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Artist Meet and Greet event
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10 gratis tickets to give to friends, family, and fans
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Feature post on social media
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Profile on our website with link to your website or social media
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Marketing, Promotion, and PR
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Access to Artist Only area with complimentary refreshments
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Application Submission
Opens: April 25th
Closes: June 15th
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Once accepted, artists will be able to register and secure their preferred exhibition space. Artists accepted after we have reached capacity (approximately 55 exhibitors) will be added to a waitlist. For this reason, artists are highly encouraged to apply early, and register as soon as possible upon being accepted.​
Selection Process
Applications will be reviewed by a Selection Committee, and assessed (on an on-going basis, as they are submitted), based on the following considerations:
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Professionalism in the application. This includes the representation of the artwork/collection (clear, quality images), as well as the Artist Statement (articulate, grammatical, etc.).
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Professionalism of the work. This includes demonstrating (one of the submission images can be used for this) that edges are finished/painted, and/or that pieces are framed, as well as have appropriate hanging hardware.
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Professionalism of Online Presence. This includes having some method of online representation of your artwork, wherein clients can contact you, view your portfolio or currently available pieces. Active social media presence is a strong asset.
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Previous Experience. This includes previous Wall Candy events, but ideally will also include other art shows or art exhibits. Having participated in other art events is helpful to your application because it allows us to see your level of engagement/investment in your art, as well as your ability to prepare for a show.
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Registration Process
Once you have been accepted as an Exhibitor, you will need to pay for your registration in order to be officially in the exhibition, and to be able to select your preferred exhibition space (please remember that this is first-come-first-served, and therefore artists who register early will have more to select from).
To officially register you will need to:
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Reply to the acceptance email, confirming that you have received it, and that you will register within 72 hours (or let us know if you need more time so we can temporarily hold your spot).
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Register using the instructions provided to you in the acceptance email, and select your preferred space (based on what's available). You must complete payment in order to be officially registered.
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VIP Tickets to Gala for Donated Art
We are supporting Queensway Carleton Hospital Foundation again this year, and will be hosting a Silent Auction for their "Building Space Between the Walls" fundraising campaign which will help add 15 more beds to the hospital! You can help us with this meaningful fundraiser by donating a piece of your art to the Silent Auction, which will be held during the Fundraiser Gala on the Opening Night of the Festival, Thursday November 2nd from 6:00pm - 9:00pm.
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Artists who donate to the Silent Auction will receive:
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Two (2) gratis VIP Tickets to the Gala on November 2nd
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Artist Feature on our homepage and a dedicated social media post
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Promotion on Queensway Carleton Hospital web-platform