About Commerce

The Oklahoma Department of Commerce is now accepting proposals for the display of artwork at the agency. Interested visual artists or their representatives should submit a proposal.

Follow the instructions below and send your proposal to:
bryan_boone@okcommerce.gov

Or by mail to:

Art Curatorial Committee
Attention: Bryan Boone
The Oklahoma Department of Commerce
900 N. Stiles Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK 73104

General Guidelines for a Successful Proposal

The Oklahoma Department of Commerce (ODOC, Commerce, the agency) uses a committee comprised of members from the agency’s staff to judge proposals. The gallery will focus on Oklahoma artists. The Curatorial Committee will make the final selection of each work to be included. Consideration will be given to the cohesion of the entire show and to how each piece contributes to the body of work.
The space will best serve art that is ready to hang from a hook, is less than 200 pounds, and will not stick out from the wall more than six inches. The Curatorial Committee will work with prospective artists to consider other types of work, but may not be able to accommodate all submissions due to public safety, ADA compliance, and other issues.
Art must be appropriate to the professional environment at the Oklahoma Department of Commerce as judged by the Curatorial Committee.

Criteria for Proposals

• Is the work relative to contemporary perspectives of what constitutes today’s art?
• Is the art work of merit?
• Does the proposal represent a cohesive body of work?
• What are the artist’s intentions with the work?
• Is the body of work fit for all ages of the general public?
• Can Commerce reasonably accommodate the work in our space?

Proposal Instructions

Proposals will be retained by the agency. Proposals must include the following items:

• 10 to 15 images of work. Images should be of the work to be shown, or if the work to be show is not complete, images of recent work that are most similar to the new body of work. Images should be submitted on CD/DVD or by e-mail. Disks should be labeled with the artist’s name and the date. All images must be in JPEG, TIFF, or PNG format. Filenames must include the artist’s name and the title of the piece.
• An image list that includes a thumbnail image of each piece along with its title, dimensions, and year of completion (Include the artist's name for group proposals)
• A current resume or CV (For group shows, include all artists' resumes or CVs)
• An artist’s statement (For group shows, include all artists' statements)
• A written explanation of the show’s idea, theme, or premise

Decisions

Proposals may submitted at any time. Submissions may be held for as long as the Curatorial Committee chooses. Because of the time between acceptance and showing, it is understood that the work in the proposal may differ from the work to be shown. However, if work varies significantly in quality, media, or direction, Commerce reserves the right to reconsider the exhibit. Authors of accepted proposals will be contacted by the agency.