Calling All Creative Crochet Artists!
Since our previous three World Amigurumi Exhibition (2014 | 2015 | 2016) have been so successful, we’re bringing it back and calling all talented crochet artists for our fourth exhibition!
Our goal is to completely fill our gallery space with at least 3,000 amigurumi. We want to turn the gallery into an “amigurumi room”, filled to the brim with cuddly and cute! This is a unique exhibition in that it’s not displaying an individual artist, but a concept. The concept, amigurumi, is a culture that began in Japan, but is now cherished by crocheters all over the world. We were so inspired by the amount of amigurumi artists out there that we decided to embark on a journey to create an exhibition showcasing the united, global love of this cute craft! To make this a successful exhibit, we need amigurumi contributions from crocheters everywhere!
Go on a video tour of last year’s World Amigurumi Exhibition!
Exhibition Theme Description – Daily Life –
In the previous years, we’ve asked artists to create amigurumi that represented their region and amigurumi that were made of unconventional items and we were excited to receive all different kinds of creations. This year, we’ve decided to take it a step further and ask artists to create anthropomorphic amigurumi that may be used in daily life.
Among many characteristics in this unique crochet culture, amigurumi is one of the more special ones that you can play around with. Although they are generally known to be cute dolls or stuffed animals that are often used for display or given to children, there are rare moments when we sometimes see amigurumi that can actually be used in our daily lives. For this year’s exhibition, we would like to take a close look at this characteristic and explore the further possibilities of amigurumi such as how it is incorporated in our life. There are many dolls in the world that resemble us as human beings and stuffed animals that become our good friends, but amigurumi could play a variety of roles for us while keeping their doll-like shapes (face, body, arms, and legs).
In Japan, these kinds of functional craft art are used in daily life at home and are sometimes called “Okan Art.” Okan is a way of saying “Mother” in friendly sense, particularly stressing on the idea of a mother’s maternity period as well as a respect to her as a mother. It doesn’t necessarily require an actual mother creating the art, but it represents a type of craft makes us feel “at home” and as an item to take with you as a part of daily life. By exploring this point of view, the objects surrounding us all have potential to be transformed into amigurumi and can be both good friends and useful instruments in wider occasions.
To apply for the exhibition, we would like each participating artist to submit an idea of what kind of animal/human-shaped amigurumi product they can create to be used in daily life.
Much like last year’s exhibition, at least one piece should match our theme: a crocheted amigurumi product that can be used in every day life. Such creations can be amigurumi bags, tape measures, tissue box covers, wall mount clocks, wallets, scissors, book covers, pencil cases and holders, smartphone covers, mirror cases, water bottle holders, coasters, hair ties, etc. We ask artists to be as creative as they want and think of interesting ways their amigurumi creations can be incorporated in their daily lives!
Any other pieces submitted to the exhibition can be “free styled,” so artists have the option of sending us any kind of piece they want to show off in New York.
Theme Examples
These amigurumi were designed and crocheted to be useful in every day life. Take these as pieces of inspiration for your own works!
Works by Lemo from Japan
Works by Lumièna from Japan
Basic Exhibit Information
- Duration: December 11, 2017 to March 31, 2018
- Location: RESOBOX, 41-26 27th St, Long Island City, NY 11101 | www.resobox.com
- It would be great if you could come to NY during the exhibition, but you don’t have to. Our staff will take care of your amigurumi (sales, display, shipping, etc.)
- Artists must submit a minimum of 10 amigurumi pieces.
- All pieces from the various contributing amigurumi artists will be for sale during the exhibition term.
- Artist retains ownership of all work consigned to or represented by RESOBOX Gallery.
- Each work should have a small loop (fishing line, thread, yarn, etc. is fine) and tag. The tag must include the following: a) artist/brand name; b) baby safe or not baby safe; c) Country (country flag image or country name) d) price; e) item number (RESOBOX will send this number in mid-October), and; f) any other information you want to include.
**NOTE: Each artist who is participating MUST submit at least one amigurumi piece that is part of the exhibit theme. So, if you send us 50 pieces, at least 1 out of those 50 pieces must be a themed piece and the rest of them can be free-style – whatever you want to exhibit.
Interested artists must fill out the following form by October 10th:
Applications are closed!
Shipping Your Amigurumi To Us
Please send up to 100 amigurumi pieces eligible for sale to:
41-26 27th Street
Long Island City, New York, USA 11101
Please note:
- The artist is responsible for the transport of amigurumi pieces to and from the gallery, including any costs related thereto.
- Each artist can send up to 100 amigurumi pieces. All pieces must be for sale.
- All amigurumi must arrive by November 30th at RESOBOX Gallery. If your amigurumi does not arrive by November 30th, we can not guarantee it will be on display for the exhibit’s opening party (December 10th).
- The artist should certify each piece as being “baby-safe” or “not baby-safe”. A piece is “baby-safe” if: a) the eyes are safety eyes or embroidered; b) the little appendages can’t be pulled off and swallowed, and; c) the stuffing can’t be pulled out
- The artist should certify either that the pieces are his/her original pattern, or that the person who created the pattern has given them the right to sell that particular design (please check the original creator’s website).
Fees and Commission
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- Retail sales prices: The prices for each piece will be established by the artist. If we feel a price is unreasonable, we will contact you to negotiate. If you do not hear from us, please assume your prices are okay.
- Commission when sale occurs: Commission varies depending on the number of pieces.
21-50: 25% commission to the gallery (75% to the artist)
51-75: 15% commission to the gallery (85% to the artist)
76-100: 10% commission to the gallery (90% to the artist)
- Payment will be sent within 10 days after the end of the exhibition unless there is a special request by an artist.
- The gallery is responsible for all marketing fees of the exhibit such as postcards/flyers, drinks for the opening reception, event webpage, promotion to media/press, etc
Frequently Asked Questions
Please thoroughly read this section before emailing us with your questions.
– Are you going to publish an article about this exhibition anywhere?
Yes. We will create an English press release and deliver to as many media outlets as we can all over the world. Unfortunately, we can’t have all images of all artists’ works included in the press release, but will list all participating artists’ names and web pages on our website.
Additionally, if this exhibit is featured in blogs, magazines, newspapers, etc. we will post links to these articles on the exhibit page, our Facebook page, and on our Twitter account. The past two years, we were featured in publications such as:
- The Lion Brand Yarn Blog
- Happily Hooked Magazine (Issue 11)
- Simply Crochet Magazine (Issue 27)
- About Travel
- Inside Crochet Magazine
- Petits Pixels Blog
** We may ask each artist for some media contacts in your local area.
– What type of amigurumi are you looking for?
Please see the description of this year’s theme at the top of this page. Each artist must submit at least one amigurumi item that can be used in daily life.
**We WILL NOT accept any amigurumi based on licensed characters. If your pieces are based on licensed characters, we will not display it during the exhibit and we will send them back to you immediately.
– I didn’t create the patterns for my pieces. Is that okay?
Please check the original creator’s website. Normally, there are some comments explaining if you can sell the pieces based on their patterns. We will only accept works that are originals or have permission from the original creator. Please note again that amigurumi based on licensed characters WILL NOT be accepted and will be sent back to you.
– If my amigurumi arrive at RESOBOX after the November 30th deadline because of a post delay, is that okay?
If your pieces arrive after November 30th for any reason, we cannot guarantee they will be on display for the opening party (December 10th). In order to ensure that your amigurumi arrives on time, please ship your package(s) in a timely manner.
– Commission
The commission that the gallery takes varies depending on the number of pieces to be exhibited.
10-20 pieces: 35% commission to the gallery (65% to the artist)
21-50: 25% commission to the gallery (75% to the artist)
51-75: 15% commission to the gallery (85% to the artist)
76-100: 10% commission to the gallery (90% to the artist)
– May I send all the things for gift-wrapping the amigurumi (paper bag, ribbons, etc…)?
Please do not send anything for gift-wrapping the amigurumi. We cannot accept custom gift-wrapping from each participant. Thank you for your understanding.
– Can I include my own tag?
We require that all artists attach a tag to their pieces. Feel free to use your regular tags. This tag can be a piece of paper, your business card, etc. However, all tags must include the following information:
- Artist/brand name
- Country (country flag image or country name)
- Baby safe or not baby safe
- Item number (RESOBOX will send you this number in mid-October.)
- Price
- Any other information you want to include (website URL, Facebook page, etc.)
– Who will bear the shipping and return shipping costs if my items aren’t sold?
Artists are responsible for all shipping costs (to and from New York). Unsold pieces will be returned to you, or with your permission, donated to local kids’ organizations. The gallery will not buy your pieces. We will first calculate the cost of the shipping of your unsold pieces and the profit that you make during the exhibition. And then, if there is a surplus on your side, we will send the unsold pieces as well as the profit that you make to your account through PayPal or bank wire. If not, once we confirm the payment received from you, we will send unsold pieces back to you. You need to pay to us the cost of shipping from NY to your place. Once we confirm the payment received to our account from you, we will ship your unsold items back to you.
– May I send the same character with a different color scheme? Do the pieces submitted all have to be different, or can they be duplicates of the same piece?
Duplicates are okay whether they are the exact same or different colors/styles.
– Is it possible to send business cards to go with the amigurumi to gain exposure?
If you would like to send business cards, please attach them to your amigurumi. See the tag instructions above.
– How will you establish the retail prices?
Each artist will decide the price for each of their pieces. After we receive your price list and amigurumi contributions, we will contact you if we believe a price is inappropriate. (If you don’t hear from us, please assume that your prices are okay.)
– Will there be any kind of opening reception?
Yes. We will have an opening party (December 10th, 2017). If you can make it to New York, please join us!
– Do you need a detailed list of all of the amigurumis I’m sending? And if so, what information should be on this list?
Yes, once you are accepted to the exhibition, we will ask each artist to send a detailed list of amigurumi by the mid of November. Please send the following information by email. The list does not need to be included in the package:
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- Name of each piece with a photo of each (or at least a description of what the piece looks like)
- Price for each
- Baby safe or not
- Any other things that the gallery should know
– Do you take full responsibility for the amigurumi stock during the exhibition?
We cannot provide artists with compensation for lost/stolen items. However, reasonable efforts will be made to protect consigned artwork from accidental damage, breakage or lost items but insurance liability for accidental damage or breakage is not provided by the gallery.
