Back to Top

EXHIBITION: As part of an ongoing commitment to promote drawing practices in the visual arts, the University of North Carolina Asheville (UNC Asheville) invites artists to submit entries to a Juried International Exhibition of contemporary drawing. UNC Asheville seeks to examine drawing as it is practiced and defined by today’s artists. Such an exhibition will demonstrate the continued significance of drawing through both conventional and innovative methods. Accepted work will be exhibited in UNC Asheville’s S. Tucker Cooke Gallery from January 14, 2022 through February 11, 2022. 

JUROR’S LECTURE: Esteemed juror, artist Catherine Murphy, will open the exhibition with a Zoom webinar lecture about her practice on January 14, 2022, from 5:00-6:00 p.m. An opening reception for the Drawing Discourse Exhibition will immediately follow the lecture in the newly renovated and expanded, S. Tucker Cooke Gallery on the campus of UNC Asheville.

CATALOGUE: A full-color catalogue of the exhibition will be printed. Each accepted artist will receive one complimentary copy, additional copies will be available for purchase. Previous catalogues may be viewed on our website at https://aah.unca.edu/exhibitions

AWARDS: $2000 in cash prizes, as chosen by the Juror, will be awarded. A purchase prize award will also be available for the permanent collection of the UNC Asheville Department of Art and Art History. Both cash and purchase prize awards are made possible due to the generous contributions from UNC Asheville Professor Emeritus, S. Tucker Cooke.

MEDIA: In an effort to support the breadth in contemporary drawing, media is open to any traditional or experimental drawing media welcoming both two or three-dimensional works, video, and/or installation as long as it can fit through a doorway opening that measures 67” width x 117” height.

JUROR: Catherine Murphy received her BFA from the Pratt Institute and attended the Skowhegan School. Former Senior Critic at Yale University Graduate School of Art, she is a two-time recipient of a National Endowment of the Arts Grant and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Additionally, Ms. Murphy was awarded an Ingram Merrill Foundation Grant. In 2002 she was inducted as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her work can be found in noteworthy public collections such as; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the National Portrait Gallery, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden.

PROGRAMMING: Additional virtual events in association with the exhibition still to be announced.

ONLINE IMAGE SUBMISSIONS: Submissions are accepted only via CaFÉ (Call for Entry) at http://www.callforentry.org/ All entries must be uploaded using this online system. Please do not upload digital images that contain borders or text info that is not part of the original work. Applications must be received by Midnight, December 12, 2021 (Mountain Time Zone)

NOTIFICATION: All entries will receive a CaFÉ email notification of juror’s results no later than December 23, 2021. Please check your spam folder if you do not receive an email or check status on the CaFÉ website under My CaFÉ Entries.

ACCEPTED WORKS: Accepted works must arrive ready to install between January 3-7, 2022.  Works received outside of this time frame may not be exhibited. Work should not exceed 120lbs and should be able to fit through a standard set of double doors. The University reserves the right to exclude any work that is not professionally presented. Please note: this does not infer that works have to be framed and under glass (especially larger works). All works must remain on display for the entire exhibition. Shipped works should be packed in reusable containers.  DO NOT use styrofoam peanuts when packing artwork. Artwork should be shipped prepaid via UPS, USPS, DHL or Fed Ex, and must be accompained with a prepaid return shipping label. COD deliveries will not be accepted. Artwork may be hand-delivered to the S. Tucker Cooke Gallery between January  3-7, 2022 during normal operating hours; Monday-Friday 9:00 am - 4:00 pm. Hand-delivered entries may be picked up between Feb. 14 & 28, 2022. Accepted work left for 30 days after the designated return dates will be disposed, at the discretion of the Director.

SALES: Sales will be encouraged and a 30% commission will be retained by UNC Asheville from the retail price listed on entry form. All work will be available for purchase unless indicated NFS on the entry form.

QUESTIONS: May be sent to Tamie Beldue; Professor, Department Chair & Director of Drawing Discourse Exhibitions at tbeldue@unca.edu

Application Requirements

ENTRY FEE: Each artist may submit one image for a non-refundable fee of $30. Each additional image, including detail images, is an additional non-refundable fee of $5 each, limit 6 images total (for example, the fee for 3 images is $40, fee for 6 images is $55). Credit cards are accepted forms of payment via CaFÉ online submission.

Eligibility Criteria

ELIGIBILITY: Open to all artists who are 18 years of age or older. All work must be original, and cannot have been exhibited at The University of North Carolina Asheville before. It is at the Juror’s discretion to choose single or multiple works from each artist’s submission.