By ST. CLAIRE DONAGHY
Index-Journal staff writer

Artists and shutterbugs, get ready to submit your works.

South Carolina Festival of Flowers entry deadlines for the juried art show are today through May 21, and the deadline for the photography exhibition and contest will be here before you know it, June 15.

JURIED ART SHOW

The juried art show is open to artists working in a variety of media, and submissions must be ready to display. Works to be hung must be matted, framed and include a wire for hanging.

There is a $25 fee for the first entry and a $35 fee for up to two entries.

Works must be hand-delivered to the Arts Center at the Federal Building, 120 Main St., Greenwood. Entries must be received today to Sunday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. or Monday between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., or by appointment. For information, call 388-7800.

The exhibit includes works from artists across the state and cash awards are given for best in show, merit, Festival of Flowers award for the best floral entry and honorable mention. The show has $3,000 in prize monies.

The juried art exhibit is open for public viewing June 5 through July 13 during Arts Center hours.

The art exhibit is funded, in part, by the Arts Council of Greenwood County, which receives support for the SC Arts Commission and from the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation of S.C. Additional sponsors include Countybank, Fujifilm and Greenwood County ATAX.

In addition to the juried art show, artists are invited to sell their works (those not displayed in the show) in the art market.

Jim Boote, chairman of the Festival of Flowers juried art show, said the opportunity for artists to show works at the arts center is”attracting some excellent artists from all over the Upstate.”

This is the first year that the show is offering 17 awards, Boote said, thanks to the generosity of event sponsorship from Countybank.

Another aspect that’s generating interest is the art market, Boote said.

“It allows all of the artists to showcase their pieces, and sell them if they choose, even if those pieces aren’t selected for the juried exhibit,” Boote said.

PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT AND CONTEST

Contest entries for the main photography exhibit are categorized as advanced, basic or digital. Regarding advanced and basic, photographers may enter either advanced or basic, but not both.

The advanced category includes advanced color and advanced black and white. Photographers may submit up to three prints in each advanced category. In advanced, prints must be mounted on 16-inch by 20-inch mounting board with single mats only, no frames, please.

The basic division is a single category for both basic color and basic black and white. Prints must be mounted on 11-inch by 14-inch mounting boards with single mats only, no frames, please. Entrants in basic are limited to three prints.

The digital division is a single category for both color and black and white digital originals (non-scanned photos) on photographic paper. In digital, prints must be mounted on 11-inch by 14-inch mounting boards with single mats only, no frames please.

For each category, photographers must pay a $15 entry and handling fee for up to three prints. Photographers must print their names, addresses and telephone numbers on the back of each entry and indicate “proper viewing orientation” for each print. Titling of work is encouraged, but no photographers’ signatures should appear on the fronts of the works.

This year, participants in the Fujifilm YMCA Kids’ Photo Camp are also encouraged to submit entries, which will be judged separately from the main exhibit entries. The winner receives a new digital camera. For information about the camp, call the Greenwood Family YMCA, (864) 223-9622.

Entries must be delivered in person or mailed to: Greenwood Area Chamber of Commerce, Festival of Flowers Photography Exhibition, 110 Phoenix St., Greenwood, SC 29646.

Works will be exhibited June 22, 23, and 24 at the Arts Center at the Federal Building, 120 Main St., Greenwood.

For the main exhibit, cash prizes are awarded in each division. The first-place award in each division is a purchase award by the contest sponsor, Fujifilm Manufacturing U.S.A. Inc. First place prints will not be returned and Fujifilm reserves the right to use first-place images in part, or in their entirety, for the purposes of promotion, advertising or publication, without further compensation for the photographer. First-place prints become part of the Fujifilm Print Collection exhibited at the company’s Greenwood facility.

Kendall Adams, chairman of the Festival of Flowers photography exhibit, is encouraging photographers to submit their works well before the entry deadline this year.

“We’re anticipating a much larger exhibit and contest this year due to a change of venue (the Federal Building Arts Center) and the fact that there’s going to be a professional exhibit of works by accomplished outdoor photographers Ben Geer Keys and Doug Kennemore that’s running in conjunction with the festival one,” Adams said, adding that works by Keys and Kennemore will be displayed from June 4 through July 13.