Calling all Dark Peak local or regionally linked artists who would like to display their own photographs on the theme “Now & Then” in the window walk section of the Dark Peak Photography Festival 2024.

We will print all the selected images with the consent of the artist. You will retain copyright to your image but Dark Peak Photo hold the right to use the image for marketing purposes for 2years.

Please resize your images to 30 x 40 cm (11.81 x 15.75 inches) or square size 30 x 30 cm (11.81 x 11.81 inches).

PARTICIPATION FEE

• FREE Submission (send min. 3 - max. 5 images for consideration)
• One artwork by each artist will be selected and exhibited.

Only the artists who get selected will be asked to pay the participation fee in order to cover the expenses (see list below).

• Participation fee - £17.50
  
  

We prefer to charge a 'Participation Fee' that will share the costs of the exhibitions with the artists instead of charging for a 'Submission Fee' that artists pay just to submit their work and can often be rejected.

Cost: free to apply, £17.50 to have your art piece included in the window walk of the festival. 

PARTICIPATION FEE INCLUDES

• Exhibition space
• Curating and organising the exhibition
• Printing each artwork (30x40cm or 30x30cm)
• Hanging the artworks
• Exhibition webpage
• Print material (poster, labels, etc)
• Marketing and promotion
• Pictures of each artwork in the venues

PAYMENT METHODS

Only the selected artists will receive the payment link and will have 3 days after selection to pay the participation fee and secure their spot.

Payments can be made through PayPal and Credit/Debit Card.

SELECTION PROCESS

All submissions will be reviewed and selected by the curator: Vikki Rutter

For a number of years, Vikki has participated in open calls around the world and is very conscious of the ways this can be used to bring a new audience to your work. Whether you are an amateur just taking pictures locally or a professional experimenting with new pieces. The feedback and admiration from viewers can also inspire you to adapt your work and give you a new perspective when taking photos in the future. 

It’s also important that it’s easy to participate and worth the cost. 

Artworks can be selected before the deadline.

One artwork by each artist will be selected and exhibited.

Please note that the decisions are final and we are unable to offer feedback.

Exhibition: 19th - 25th February 2024

Please fill in the form and provide a high-resolution image (max 4MB) of which you would like to exhibit in Now & Then festival. You can submit up to 5 pictures with only one being selected for the festival. This work must be your own to which you own the copyright. During the exhibition, the artists work will be arranged in a window display spanning the whole of Glossop High Street and online where you will be able to sell your work if you wish. We will not tell you which shop your work is displayed in to encourage you to seek it out and share your piece during the festival on social media. 

Timeline: 

• 1st December 2023 - Open call is live
• 20th January 2024 - Deadline for submissions 
• 25th January - Successful candidates announced 
• 1st February - Deadline for bio, text and images
• 19th February - Window images installed
• 22nd February - Festival and exhibition live
• 25th February - Festival closes

About Dark Peak Photography Festival 2024

Dark Peak Photo is organising a new photography festival, staged across the market town of Glossop, on the edge of the Peak District.

For the first edition of Dark Peak Photo Festival, artists will respond to the theme of NOW & THEN – reflecting on the changes that time brings, the nature of memory and the lessons to be learned from history. 

We have invited leading artists to exhibit new projects alongside work from local practitioners more familiar with the landscape. Together, they have embarked on a social, political, and aesthetic investigation of the Dark Peak - the higher and wilder part of the Peak District. 

Alongside this, we have a programme of work that embraces the theme over a wider geography.

This activity is supported by an engagement programme of talks and workshops, working with people of all ages and levels of experience to develop new conversations and skills in photography. Allowing the Dark Peak Photo Festival to be shaped by those who take part in it. 

The festival will run from 22nd to 25th February 2024, across multiple venues in Glossop. With the kindness and support of many local organisations and businesses, we will be able to bring an exciting, inspiring, and aspirational visual arts festival to the foot of the Dark Peak. 

During the show: 

The selection process and curation will be managed by Vikki Rutter. 

Work will be displayed in the windows of Glossop High Street as part of the festival for the whole week and you will be able to sell or collect your piece at the end of the festival.

Each artist will have their exhibition piece uploaded to Instagram with a takeover day showing their work.

About Dark Peak Photos mission:

Founded in 2023, Dark Peak Photo is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to inspire public enjoyment and participation by bringing contemporary photography to new audiences in fresh and unusual ways. We believe in the power of photography as a tool to experience the world anew; to bring together communities, explore underrepresented issues, and to foster dialogue and exchange.

We want to provide opportunities for the local photography community by fostering opportunities to nurture their professional development and strengthen their practice. Keeping them informed of current conversations within the international photography community, supporting their participation in the field. 

Our work is locally grounded, co-created with those we serve, and internationally-focused. Look out for more events throughout the year.

The main challenge to making the photography festival (and the art world) more inclusive is that the “scene” imagines its users to be almost exclusively galleries. This excludes all art institutions and universities, regional collectives, small galleries, geographically isolated individuals who share the same ethical, formal, or aesthetic concerns, and artists who are now achieving viral fame without any desire for traditional gallery representation. 

Dark Peak Photo supports a “blended” photography festival approach. One that provides current photography leaders, while also allowing access for those usually excluded.