The Call for Entries for the ‘2008 Rockford Midwestern’—on display July 11-Oct. 5 at Rockford Art Museum (RAM)—is now open. This year marks the 70th presentation of RAM’s juried exhibition, which began in 1913 as an annual showcase of local artists, then expanded eligibility and became the ‘Stateline Vicinity Show’ through 1998, and now exists as a biennial competition open to artists in nine Midwestern states.

Artists residing in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin may apply. Original paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings and photographs created since 2006 are eligible. The Dean Alan Olson Purchase Award ($2000), Best of Show ($1000), First Place 2-D ($750) and First Place 3-D ($750) will be awarded at the exhibition opening on Friday, July 11. The exhibition will remain on display through Sunday, Oct. 5.

A downloadable prospectus (including more details about the entry process) is available online at www.rockfordartmuseum.org. Each artist may submit up to three works for juror consideration, either by slide or compact disc. Entry fee is $20. Entries must be postmarked no later than Apr. 18; notifications will be mailed from RAM by May 9.

JUROR
The 2008 juror is noted artist and professor Robert McCauley, chair of the department of art and art history at Rockford (Ill.) College. He plans to retire at the end of the 2007-2008 academic year and move to his home state of Washington. A Pacific Northwest native and longtime Rockford resident, McCauley received his M.F.A. from Washington State University in 1972, and B.A. from Western Washington University in 1969. He was first featured in the ‘75th Exhibition by Artists of Chicago and Vicinity’ at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1975; numerous group and solo exhibitions have followed. McCauley has been a visiting artist at several schools throughout the last three decades, including Ball State (Ind.) University, Columbia College Chicago, Northwestern University, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Sonoma State (Calif.) University, Southern Illinois University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Nevada Las Vegas, University of Notre Dame, and West Virginia University. Gallery affiliations include Linda Hodges Gallery, Seattle; K. Kimpton Contemporary Art, San Francisco; Perimeter Gallery, Chicago; and Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, Idaho.

RAM
A Partner in Excellence of the Illinois Arts Council, Rockford Art Museum is located inside Riverfront Museum Park for the Arts & Sciences, 711 N. Main St., Rockford, Ill. Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 12-5 p.m. Admission: $6 (free for members), $3 students/seniors, free for children under 12. For more information call 815.968.2787 or log on to www.rockfordartmuseum.org.