The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery opens a “call for entries” for the third annual Teen Portrait Competition. Artists between the ages of 13 and 17 may electronically submit portraits to the juried competition in the medium of painting and drawing, photography, and video through Wednesday, September 30 2015. The grand-prize portrait will be printed and displayed at the National Portrait Gallery in 2016.
The theme for entries is interact and interaction.
Interact – verb: in·ter·act \in – ter -’akt\: to talk or do things with other people: to act together: to come together and have an effect on each other.
Interaction – noun: in·ter·ac·tion \in – ter -’ak – shen\: mutual or reciprocal action or influence.
Portraiture implies an interaction between the sitter (person in the portrait) and the spectator (person viewing the portrait). Portraiture can also imply an interaction with the setting, with only you or with others, or about an experience. “We are looking for portraits that share the theme of interaction and we want the competition to be available to all teens nationwide,” said Blair Kirkbaumer, Teen Programs Coordinator for the National Portrait Gallery.