As art directors on the Élan staff, we work closely with all submissions, voting processes, and final selections of pieces for the Fall/Winter, Spring/Summer, and print editions. We are also closely involved with our school’s visual art department and our National Art Honor Society. These in-school organizations provide additional help with encouraging campus involvement during submission periods. Throughout the year, we like to keep a few things in mind when considering art for Élan.
During each submission period, we keep an eye out for pieces that take a creative approach to storytelling, as well as pieces which focus on the creative elements of production. As artists, we understand the fear or apprehension towards submitting work that could be misinterpreted or overlooked, but on the Élan staff, we adore work that steps outside the box and beyond comfort zones.
We see an abundance of paintings and drawings that present these ideas, but we often receive a lack of photography and sculpture. While all pieces will be considered with the same mindset and approached with the same level of respect, we strongly encourage artists to submit their photography, sculpture, and printmaking pieces, as long as they conform with our submission guidelines.
As art directors, we understand that art is subjective, especially when it comes to visual art. We deeply value the story told through your art and we try our best to uphold its image as the staff approaches our voting period. We keep all possible approaches and meanings in mind as we reach our final selection process. We pair your art with writing that best supports its meaning.
That being said, don’t stress if your art is too specific or too broad! We are open to accepting all art, be it broad or specific. As we mov into our Spring/Summer submission period, we hope you will consider sharing the work you may not have thought about sharing before.
Signed,
Emerson Flanagan and Marcus Holley, Art Direction Team
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