Themed Portfolios

A Guide for Participants and Organizers

Themed Portfolios are conference-theme inspired print exhibitions organized and curated by and for SGCI members, and are based on the conference’s theme. Usually around 20 different Themed Portfolios are displayed during the conference. Participants receive a portfolio with a full set of prints. One copy of the portfolio is donated to the conference’s host institution/s and one copy is donated to the SGC International Archive at the Zuckerman Museum of Art at Kennesaw State University.

 Overview of the Themed Portfolio Process

* Please note that artists may participate in only one Themed Portfolio per conference, and must be active SGCI members. *

Proposal: Portfolio organizers or curators apply with a theme for inclusion in the conference programming.

Round 1 Adjudication: Events are juried and selected portfolios are listed on the SGCI website for members to view.

Themed Portfolio Specifications: Portfolio organizers or curators will define the parameters of their portfolios. Specifications must include:

• Instructions on How to Apply for participation in the Themed Portfolio.
• Edition Size: Number of participants plus two (donation prints to the SGC International Archive and the host institution/s).
• Edition Dimensions.
• Edition Special Requirements (if any).

Themed Portfolio Participation Fee: Covers the cost of portfolio cases, shipping completed portfolios to participants, and any additional costs. One completed portfolio with archival box and prints interleaved with glassine will become part of the SGCI Archive at the Zuckerman Museum of Art with all completed documents 

Event Listing: Portfolio organizers or curators update their Portfolio on the SGCI website to include the participation fee, edition dimensions, edition size, special edition requirements, and instructions on how to apply, before Round 2 opens.

Member Participation Application: Members apply to Themed Portfolios, sending their applications directly to the Portfolio organizers or curators for jurying (per the Event Organizer’s specifications). Members may participate in ONLY ONE Themed Portfolio per conference. * Organizer: please collect each applicant’s SGCI Username with their application.*

Round 2 Adjudication: The Portfolio organizers or curators select artists. While it is not required, the SGCI conference steering committee encourages Portfolio organizers or curators to select participants with diversity and inclusivity in mind; please try to include students and individuals from a different cultures/demographics in their roster of participants.

Participants: All chosen artists for Themed Portfolios must be SGCI members in good standing at the time of the conference, though they do not have to attend the conference. Artists can only participate in one Themed Portfolio per conference. It is advised that Portfolio organizers or curators choose one or two alternates to invite to participate at a later date in case a participant has to drop out.

SGCI Proposed List of Participants Notification: The Portfolio organizers or curators emails a full listing of participants to SGCI by the given deadline. SGCI will review all lists of proposed Themed Portfolio participants to make certain participants have not been accepted for multiple Themed Portfolios.

Participants Notification: SGCI will notify Portfolio organizers or curators of acceptance of their lists of participants. Portfolio organizers or curators will notify participants via email of their acceptance into the Themed Portfolio.

Event Listing Update: Portfolio organizers or curators must update their page to include a listing of participating artists.

Shipping of Completed Editions[change to Preparation of Themed Portfolio]: Artists are responsible for shipping their prints with glassine interleaving sheets sized to each print to the Portfolio Organizer along with the REQUIRED paperwork. One copy will become part of the SGCI Archives at the Zuckerman Museum of Art. 

Portfolio organizer or curator is responsible for bringing one competed set of the entire portfolio in an archival, acid-fee box (specific for that portfolio), interleaved with glassine sized to print and with all completed paperwork. Prints must be sized to the box and may not be folded to fit inside. INCOMPLETE PORTFOLIOS WILL NOT be accepted. 

Portfolios are due in their entirety by the conference end. Approved sources for glassine and archival boxes: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/ https://www.archivalmethods.com/ https://www.universityproducts.com/ https://www.gaylord.com/ 

Required Paperwork:

• The artist must fill out the Artist and Print Datasheet and the Limited Purpose Release
• The Portfolio organizer or curator must fill out the Portfolio Datasheet
• View the most up-to-date versions of these on our Achives page

Collating: Portfolio organizers or curators receive and collate the finished prints with glassine divider sheets and produce the portfolio cases.

Distribution: Portfolio organizers or curators distribute the completed portfolios to all participants (either by mail or by distribution at the conference).

Conference Exhibition: Portfolio organizers or curators will bring the host institution donation copy of the portfolio to the conference for exhibition. Each portfolio will be displayed for at least one day of the conference, along with a listing in the conference app and website.

Exhibition Installation: Unless otherwise noted, the conference Steering Committee will oversee installation of the portfolio, with assistance from onsite volunteers.

Donation Prints: By participating in a Themed Portfolio, artists agree to the donation of two of their prints from the edition they contribute to the Themed Portfolio.

• One set of prints from each portfolio is becomes part of the SGCI Archives at the Zuckerman Museum of Art. The SGC International Archive copy must include completed REQUIRED paperwork.
• One set of prints from each portfolio is donated to the host institution/s. The conference exhibition copy will be left with the host institution to fulfil this donation requirement.

Waiver of Liability and Assumption of Risk

SGC International is not financially responsible for incomplete portfolios, lost editions, completed portfolios, or participation fees.  As a condition of participation, participating artists assume the risk and responsibility of shipping editions to the Event Organizer and the Event Organizer assumes the risk of shipping completed portfolios to participants and handling participation fees. SGCI is not liable for any Themed Portfolio editions, completed portfolios, or participation fees.