51st Annual Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition 

CALL FOR ENTRIES
Submission Deadline: June 1, 2024
Exhibition Dates: September 19 – October 26, 2024

The Rocky Mountain National Watermedia (RMNW) exhibition, in its 51st year, is presented by Center for the Arts Evergreen (CAE) in Evergreen, Colorado. RMNW attracts entrants and jurors from throughout the United States and is regarded as one of the top watermedia exhibitions in the country. This show traditionally offers more than $10,000 in cash awards.

CAE is pleased to announce that internationally-acclaimed painter, Mary Whyte, will serve as the juror for the 51st Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition. (https://www.marywhyte.com/)

CAE’s mission is to promote and cultivate artistic excellence and to enrich the art experience in our mountain community. A nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, CAE is committed to delivering engaging exhibitions and diverse educational programs for adults and children. In 2017 we moved to a new facility, which includes a modern gallery space housed in a historic old school house that became a church and is now the home of CAE.

2024 JUROR—MARY WHYTE

CAE is pleased to announce that internationally acclaimed painter and teacher, Mary Whyte, will serve as the juror for the 51st Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition. (https://www.marywhyte.com/) She will give a watermedia presentation and will teach a 2-day workshop at CAE. Whyte’s work is in many corporate and museum collections and has been featured in International Artist, American Artist, Artist Magazine and American Art Collector magazines.  She has been awarded the Portrait Society of America’s Gold Medal.

In 2010, Whyte set out on a mission to paint fifty large-scale watercolor portraits of what it means to be an American veteran today. Over seven years in the making, WE THE PEOPLE: Portraits of Veterans in America took her across the United States to meet men and women of all ages and from all walks of life, and paint some of our country’s truest patriots. Whyte’s WE THE PEOPLE , which includes portraits of a Missouri dairy farmer, Rhode Island lobsterman, Pennsylvania science teacher, South Carolina single mother, and 46 other moving works, is poised to become a national treasure honoring and connecting with men and women in uniform for generations to come. CAE is excited to bring Mary’s expertise and distinct styles to RMNW.

2024 JUROR WORKSHOP

Mary Whyte, the 2024 juror, will offer a 2-day Master Workshop, Portraits and Figures in Watercolor, in-person at Center for the Arts Evergreen on Friday and Saturday, September 20 and 21, 2024. Join us for an extraordinary workshop at Center for the Arts Evergreen in Evergreen, Colorado. Using live clothed models, Whyte will demonstrate daily and guide you through the techniques of planning your compositions, drawing, mixing color and creating great backgrounds. She will show you how to work with the model, avoid mistakes and give personal critiques and great tips for marketing your work.

• The workshop will take place from 9 am-4 pm on both days with a break for lunch.

Registration for the workshops is now open on our website here. For questions on the workshop, you may contact CAE’s Senior Director of Exhibitions & Outreach, Sara Miller, sara@evergreenarts.org. To see Mary Whyte’s work, visit: https://www.marywhyte.com/

CALENDAR OF IMPORTANT DATES 

ELIGIBILITY

• Open to all artists residing in the United States.
• Each artist may enter up to 3 paintings for consideration. Accepted artists will have only 1 original painting hanging in the exhibition. Please only submit images of finished original paintings that you would like to be considered for hanging display in the exhibition.
• Paintings must consist of water media on watercolor paper, watercolor canvas, watermedia boards such as Aquabord, Claybord, Gessobord, Yupo, illustration boards, or panels. Computer-generated works or Giclee prints are NOT permitted.
• Watermedia includes watercolor, acrylic, water-based mediums (such as texture mediums), water-based ink, gouache, casein, egg tempera, watercolor pencil and watercolor crayon.
• All works must be at least 90% watermedia
• Alcohol inks, water soluble (miscible) oils, oil, pastel, and other non-aqueous media are not allowed.
• Any additional media, if used, must be identified (collage, glitter, newspaper, etc.). All collage materials must be painted by the artist.
• Paintings on boards, panels, or watercolor canvas that are not framed must have finished (non-raw) edges and be gallery-quality exhibition ready. Deckle-edged paper mounted on board, panel or canvas will NOT be accepted as it may be damaged in packing or hanging.
• All entries must be one-of-a-kind. No copies of another artist’s work or recognizable use of another’s copyrighted intellectual property will be accepted.
• No copies of any photos other than those taken by you.
• No work done in a workshop or under paid or unpaid supervision.
• Artwork must have been painted in the last two years and may not have been shown previously in any exhibition at Center for the Arts Evergreen.
• Your source material must be your own design or made from your own photograph.
• If accepted, the painting shipped must be the same as the image submitted.
• Paintings must be for sale throughout the exhibition. See “Sales” note below for details.

FRAMING

• Minimum image size is 8” x 10”.
• Maximum frame size is 40” x 60”.
• Minimum depth for unframed canvases is 2”. Anything under 2” MUST be framed.
• No glass is permitted. Plexiglas only.
• Frame must be sturdy enough to support the artwork without buckling the Plexiglas.
• Frame must be wired for hanging. No other types of hangers are allowed.
• Mats, if used, must be white or off white unless it is an integral part of the artwork.
• All terms and conditions for entry in this exhibition are required. CAE reserves the right to refuse any work for unacceptable quality, improper framing, damage caused by shipment, fingerprints, pet hair or smudges on matting. The RMNW Committee may arrange with the artist to take it for repair/reinforcement at the artist’s cost. Any work, once selected by the juror, later found to be not in compliance with any term of condition, will be disqualified from exhibition. CAE’s RMNW Committee’s determinations and decisions are final.

DELIVERY AND RETURN OF ACCEPTED WORK

• All shipped artwork will be charged a $25 handling fee.
• Detailed instructions will be sent with notification of acceptance.
• All artists shipping work must provide a pre‐paid return-shipping label, a check for the $25 handling fee, and a sturdy box. Unsold work or sold artwork empty boxes will not be returned without a prepaid return-shipping label. CAE will not create labels or call FedEx/UPS to process call tags with a shipping account number.
• CAE is not responsible for damage or loss during transport.
• CAE provides insurance for artworks while on premises.

CATALOG

CAE produces a beautiful full color catalog featuring the artwork in the exhibition and indicating the award winners. All artists who are accepted into the exhibition will receive one complimentary print catalog. An online catalog will also be available for download and to allow for off-site purchases of the work.

AWARDS

In 2023, awards totaled over $10,000 in cash and merchandise to exhibition artists.

SALES

All paintings must be available for sale during the exhibition. Please note that CAE retains a 40% commission on all art sales. Prices may not be changed after submission. Payment for sold artwork will be issued 30 days after the close of the exhibition. 

AGREEMENT

Submission to this juried exhibition constitutes an agreement on the part of the entrant to the conditions set forth in this prospectus. CAE reserves the right to final curatorial, educational, installation, and marketing decisions.

HOW TO ENTER

PREPARE YOUR IMAGES:

1. Orientation: ensure your image is properly oriented (vertical or horizontal)
2. Show only the image, no frame or mat
3. No digital enhancement to the image is allowed
4. No slides or print photographs will be accepted
5. It is in your best interest to submit a high resolution, high quality image
6. Your $40 entry fee allows you to upload 2 images. Even if you only wish to submit one image for consideration, the Cafe system requires that you submit two images. If it is the case that you only wish to submit one image, you may upload a blank image for your second or simply duplicate the same image in your portfolio and apply both to your application. You may submit a third image for an additional $10 charge. ($50 total to submit 3 images.)

ENTERING THROUGH CAFE:

1. Prepare your digital image before you apply through www.callforentry.org
2. Please ensure that the email address you have associated with your café account is up to date.
3. If entrants have not registered previously with CaFE, setting up a portfolio is free of charge
4. Pay the non-refundable entry fee of $40.00 for 2 images or $50.00 for 3 images.
5. Images submitted may be used for publicity and/or educational purposes
6. For technical assistance with your entry, please see www.callforentry.org/cafehelp.phtml or contact cafe@westaf.org directly (CAE cannot provide technical assistance for CaFE)

COMMUNICATIONS & NOTIFICATIONS
Correspondence and notifications with entrants will be done via email. Please make sure that your contact information is correct. If you do not have an email address, it is advised that you create one before you enter. For further inquiries, contact Sara Miller via email at Sara@evergreenarts.org.

Application Requirements

Your $40 entry fee allows you to upload 2 images. Even if you only wish to submit one image for consideration, the Cafe system requires that you submit two images. If it is the case that you only wish to submit one image, you may upload a blank image for your second or simply duplicate the same image in your portfolio and apply both to your application. You may submit a third image for an additional $10 charge. ($50 total to submit 3 images.)

Eligibility Criteria

ELIGIBILITY

• Open to all artists residing in the United States.
• Each artist may enter up to 3 paintings for consideration. Accepted artists will have only 1 original painting hanging in the exhibition. Please only submit images of finished original paintings that you would like to be considered for hanging display in the exhibition.
• Paintings must consist of watermedia on watercolor paper, watercolor canvas, watermedia boards such as Aquabord, Claybord, Gessobord, Yupo, illustration boards, or panels. Computer-generated works or Giclee prints are NOT permitted.
• Watermedia includes watercolor, acrylic, water-based mediums (such as texture mediums), water-based ink, gouache, casein, egg tempera, watercolor pencil and watercolor crayon.
• All works must be at least 90% watermedia
• Alcohol inks, water soluble (miscible) oils, oil, pastel, and other non-aqueous media are not allowed.
• Any additional media, if used, must be identified (collage, glitter, newspaper, etc.). All collage materials must be painted by the artist.
• Paintings on boards, panels, or watercolor canvas that are not framed must have finished (non-raw) edges and be gallery-quality exhibition ready. Deckle-edged paper mounted on board, panel or canvas will NOT be accepted as it may be damaged in packing or hanging.
• All entries must be one-of-a-kind. No copies of another artist’s work or recognizable use of another’s copyrighted intellectual property will be accepted.
• No copies of any photos other than those taken by you.
• No work done in a workshop or under paid or unpaid supervision.
• Artwork must have been painted in the last two years and may not have been shown previously in any exhibition at Center for the Arts Evergreen.
• Your source material must be your own design or made from your own photograph.
• If accepted, the painting shipped must be the same as the image submitted.
• Paintings must be for sale throughout the exhibition. See “Sales” note below for details.

FRAMING

• Minimum image size is 8” x 10”.
• Maximum frame size is 40” x 60”.
• Minimum depth for unframed canvases is 2”. Anything under 2” MUST be framed.
• No glass is permitted. Plexiglas only.
• Frame must be sturdy enough to support the artwork without buckling the Plexiglas.
• Frame must be wired for hanging. No other types of hangers are allowed.
• Mats, if used, must be white or off white unless it is an integral part of the artwork.

All terms and conditions for entry in this exhibition are required. CAE reserves the right to refuse any work for unacceptable quality, improper framing, damage caused by shipment, fingerprints, pet hair or smudges on matting. The RMNW Committee may arrange with the artist to take it for repair/reinforcement at the artist’s cost. Any work, once selected by the juror, later found to be not in compliance with any term of condition, will be disqualified from exhibition. CAE’s RMNW Committee’s determinations and decisions are final.