Hill-Stead Museum is thrilled to announce its first Annual Juried Members Exhibition, which is intended to connect artists with the Museum's natural beauty and collection masterworks. Calling all artists who are inspired by nature and light to submit their piece(s) to this juried show. Artists may work from the naturescape of their choice. They are warmly welcome to draw inspiration and/or work on site at Hill-Stead. Its 152 acres of grounds include gardens, meadows, trails, sweeping vistas and pastures filled with sheep and freshly-made haystacks.

Application Requirements

Hill-Stead Museum will only accept submissions through CaFÉ before the submission deadline of February 29, 2024. CaFÉ is an online application and jury management system for calls for entry. Visit www.callforentry.org and click on “Help” and follow their directions for submitting. 

GUIDELINES FOR ARTWORK: • Up to three works per artist may be submitted. • A maximum of one work per artist may be selected. • All two-dimensional work must be framed and/or ready for installation with hanging hardware, wire, or d-rings already installed on work and the entire work must not exceed 60 inches in any dimension. The work cannot exceed 50 pounds. Pieces without hanging hardware will not be included in the exhibition. • Three-dimensional work cannot exceed 48 inches in any dimension and should be accompanied by a pedestal/or be ready for display as a freestanding or self-containing work. The work cannot exceed 100 lbs. • Hill-Stead Museum will not accept installations due to space constraints. • The Museum prohibits glitter, wet paint, sharp objects, open flames, balloons, spray (perfumes, hairsprays, etc), dangerous chemicals, weapons, pressurized containers, plants or animals (alive or dead), hazardous materials (explosive, flammable, or perishable), decaying materials (mold or insect infestation), or anything deemed harmful to the Museum’s collection. If there are questions about this please contact Melanie Bourbeau, Senior Curator, at bourbeaum@hillstead.org or (860) 677-4787, ext. 122. 

SELECTED WORKS: Selected works must be delivered ready to hang/display. Artworks considered unsuitable for hanging/presentation will be refused. Curatorial staff reserves the right to refuse an artwork that is misrepresented through documentation or is not the piece selected by the juror. 

SHIPPED ARTWORK: The deadline for receipt of shipped artwork is April 11, 2024. If work is not at Hill-Stead by April 11, 2024, we reserve the right to not include it in the exhibition. Any artwork being shipped must include return postage/shipping fee that must be received before the end of the exhibition (May 26, 2024). In the case of inadequate or nonexistent return postage, works will be considered abandoned property and disposed of as the Hill-Stead sees fit. All artwork should be packaged in a manner that will allow for the materials to be re-used for return shipping. Otherwise please include materials for return packaging. Please do not ship artwork with packing peanuts. 

LIABILITY: Hill-Stead Museum will not be responsible for any damage whatsoever, before, during, or after the exhibition. No works will be released without proper identification. Any work not picked up by the dates noted above will become property of the Museum and will be considered abandoned property and disposed of as HillStead Museum sees fit. 

SALES: We encourage the sale of artwork; however work does not have to be for sale if selected for the exhibition. Hill-Stead will not deduct a commission for any sale of work in the exhibition. Hill-Stead will not serve as a third party for sales; we will provide artist contact information to any individuals inquiring about purchases. 

Eligibility Criteria

ELIGIBILITY: National and International artists 18 years or older with current Hill-Stead Museum membership. Original works accepted in all media, executed during the past year. 

MEMBERSHIP: You must have a current Hill-Stead Museum Membership to be eligible to submit your work. If you are not a current member, the Museum reserves the right to remove your work from the jurying process with the loss of entry fees as a result. For membership information, please contact Megan Olver at olverm@hillstead.org or (860) 229-0257, ext. 231 or go to hillstead.org and see “SUPPORT” on the homepage before accessing CaFÉ.