EXHIBITION:

Focus on Nature (FON)

is abiennial exhibition o scientic, natural andcultural history. It began in 1990in conjunction with the Northeast Natural History Conerence. While theopening still coincides with the NNHC,the exhibit has taken on a lie o itsown and each year the geographicalrepresentation, breadth o subjectmatter and quality has increased to alevel o high standard and internationalparticipation. Artworks considered or inclusionmust accurately represent the subjects, or researchresults and processes.

VENUE:

The New York State Museum is aspacious building in the Empire State Plaza, amajor government complex that includes the statecapital in Albany. Its geographic situation at theconfuence o the Hudson and Mohawk Riversand Lake Champlain places it at the crossroadso the main thoroughares between New YorkCity and Canada, the Catskill and AdirondackMountain ranges and New England and thewest. The Museum attracts approximately onemillion visitors each year including thousandso school children that participate in programssurrounding the exhibitions. The Museum isree and open 362 days a year. This encourages adiverse population to have access to the culturaland scientic accomplishments that appear inFocus on Nature.The Museum’s inception began in 1836 as anatural history survey and oicially became theState Museum in 1879. It is the longest continuousstate natural history research and collection surveyin the United States. The Museum’s growth in the19th century was based upon the contributions o preeminent scientists in mycology, entomology,paleontology, botany and ethnology. Thetradition o high quality investigation and surveywork continues and is refected in the biennial Northeast Natural History Conerence, a orumor current research.

EXPECTATIONS:

The FON committee will select original works o natural science subjects (in whole or in part), excluding human anatomyand portraiture, that demonstrates:

SUBMISSION:

Up to 2 submissions in any onesubject and/or media. No more than a total o 4entries will be considered. On-line submission:

www.nysm.nysed.gov/fon/

FORMAT:

jpg or ti les, 300 dpi les at

5” x 7”

emailed or mailed on cd.

DEADLINES:

October 1, 2009.

MEDIA:

All media, except photography, areconsidered.

FRAMING:

Artwork must be matted in whiteor o-white, ramed, and glazed in a proessionalmanner and ready to hang.

FEES:

There is no entry ee.

INSURANCE:

The New York State Museumcarries ull institutional insurance.

SHIPPING:

Artists are responsible or incomingdelivery or shipping. The Museum pays or returnshipping in original packing materials.

MAIL A CD WITH THIS FORM TO:

PatriciaKernan, New York State Museum, Research andcollections, Cultural Education Center, #3140,Albany, NY 12230.

The jury is looking or ORIGINAL artworks. Scanned traditional techniques that have been signifcantly modifedshould be entered as mixed media. For example, a scanned image o a watercolor, without signifcant modifcation is not acceptable.

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a high degree o technical skill

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scientic accuracy includingtaxonomic denition

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aesthetic qualities, includingcomposition

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a broad representation o artists

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a unique scientic and/orartistic viewpoint, technique,media, or ormat (organicdepiction, schematics,diagrams, etc.) includingtraditional, mixed andmultimedia, and computer-generated images