Photoville Fence waives fees for photographers

Deadline approaching for next year's juried national exhibition

By Klint Lowry
| 11:53 a.m. April 1, 2020

The Photoville Fence is a national touring juried photo exhibit that for the last two years has displayed in Nathan Benderson Park. (Courtesy photo by Barbara Strauss)

Arts + Culture

All you photographers out there, from enthusiastic amateurs to seasoned pros, if you’ve ever entertained the notion of submitting your work for the Photoville Fence outdoor photo exhibit, which has been on display in Nathan Benderson Park the last two years, but you’ve never been able to talk yourself into following through, now is the time to get off the fence and take a shot at getting on The Fence.

The deadline for next year’s national Photoville Fence traveling exhibit is April 14, and organizers have decided that because of the economic hardship the COVID-19 virus has brought on to so many, they are waiving the $35-per-series entry fee and making it a pay-what-you-can fee.

While thousands have seen the installation in its first two years in Sarasota, not everyone may be familiar with the Photoville Fence. It was started by Brooklyn, N.Y.-based United Photo Industries, in partnership with Photo District News, in 2011. The first fence exhibit was displayed in Brooklyn Bridge Park in 2012. The exhibit now shows in nine cities, including Sarasota, with a definite eye on expansion.

The installation is essentially one long outdoor photographic exhibit on vinyl mesh. A jury of about 50 photographic professionals selects 40 submissions for the installation, which, along with Sarasota, is presented for free in public spaces in:

Atlanta
Brooklyn
Calgary, Alberta
Denver
Durham, N.C.
Houston
Seattle
Winchester, Mass.

In addition to the central installation, another 45 photographers’ work will be selected for regional installations.

Photographers submit their work as a series of five to 10 images in one of seven categories: creatures, homes, people, streets, nature, food and play.

Those chosen for the installation will have up to five photos displayed together as a series that either tell a story or are tied thematically.

This year, a series of photos by Cliff Roles of the Icelandic landscape was among several local artists whose work was seen in the Sarasota edition of the Photoville Fence. (Courtesy photo by Cliff Roles)

Along with the opportunity to have their work seen by an estimated 8 million people across the continent, one artist will be chosen as the Juror’s Choice Winner, which comes with a $5,000 project development cash grant, a solo exhibition at Photoville 2020 and a yearlong mentorship with the Photoville team.

There will also be a Peoples Choice Award, which comes with a Leica camera package and a one-year mentorship with the Photoville team.

For more information about the Photoville Fence showcase and to enter, visit fence.photoville.com.