The Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community (VMRC) in Harrisonburg, VA,  hosts an annual Juried Art Exhibition with a history dating back to 2004. The purpose of the Exhibition is to showcase working artists to enhance the lives of VMRC residents, staff, and visitors. The Exhibition is professionally installed in the Park Gables Gallery, located in the main building on the VMRC campus. Spacious and with plenty of natural light, the Gallery is similar to an enclosed mall.  It can accommodate approximately 100 works of art and is open to the public.

The Exhibition has three Divisions:

• Division 1: Drawing/Painting/Printmaking
• Division 2: Photography/Digital Artworks
• Division 3: 3-dimensional/Fabric/Other Media

The application fee of $40 covers the entry of up to three (3) works, regardless of Division.  Juror selections are based on mastery of design, technique, conceptual quality and creativity.  The number of works in each Division is not predetermined but will be decided by the jurors.  NOTE: Works generated by artificial intelligence will not be accepted in any Division.

The following cash awards will be made:

• Best In Show: $1,000
• Best In Division (3): $500
• Honorable Mention (6): $250
• Juror’s Choice (3): $250
• Popular Choice (3): $250
• Anne Pauley Award: $750.  Honoring our now-retired former Director.  Only artists who are exhibiting in this Exhibition for the first time are eligible for this award.
• Park Gables Gallery Grant (1): $1,500.  Funding to support further study. Accepted artists, regardless of Division, will be eligible to apply for this grant to assist in continuing their creative journey.  A recipient of the award in the previous year is not eligible.

Sale of exhibited work is encouraged and no commission is charged. Sales in the recent past have averaged about 30 percent each year and reached over 40 percent in 2024. 

The jurors for the 2025 Exhibition are:

Erin Raedeke received her MFA from American University in 2009, and her BFA in Painting and BA in Art History from Indiana University Bloomington in 2000. She also studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2003. Raedeke has exhibited her work extensively ingalleries and museums in both group and solo shows, nationally as well as internationally, including at the National Portrait Gallery in London. She has been awarded a Carnegie Mellon Research Grant, and has twice been the recipient of the Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award. Currently Raedeke lives in and works in a Maryland suburb of Washington DC.

Website: erinraedeke.com                                                              Instagram: @erinraedeke

Robert S. Hunter is a digital printmaker, bookmaker, and art educator who explores narratives that draw from a wide-range of sources, including literature, popular culture and social/political subject concerns. He maintains an active studio practice and he exhibits his prints and books in national invitational exhibitions and in selected group shows all across the United States and Europe. He is a member of the TAG Gallery, the American Color Print Society and the Washington Print Club. His work is in the collections of Arkansas University, Purdue University, East Tennessee State University, as well as in the Kathy Caraccio Fine Art Print Collection and in many private collections in the United States and in Europe.

Sara Allen Prigodich is a mixed media artist who received her BFA from the Hartford Art School in Connecticut and her MFA from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Her professional experience includes positions such as studio technician, resident artist, as well as instructor. She has exhibited her work widely, including exhibitions in Philadelphia, New York, Chicago & Boston and has work in both private and public collections. Sara is currently an Associate professor of Ceramics at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland. 

Website:  sarallen.com

A schedule of relevant dates is as follows:

• Submission deadline:  Monday, March 10, 2025
• Artists notified of jurying results:  Friday, April 4
• Deadline for shipped works:  Friday, May 23
• Hand-delivered works accepted:  Thursday, May 29
• Exhibition installed:  Friday, May 30
• Exhibition opens to the public:   Sunday, June 1
• Reception & awards ceremony:  Sunday, June 8
• Exhibition closes:   Friday, June 27
• Artists/buyers pick up artwork:   Saturday, June 28
• Shipped artwork returned:  by Monday, July 8

Application Requirements

Requirements

• One application per artist. Up to three (3) works may be entered per application, regardless of which Division each work is entered in.
• Submit one photo for each work.
• Two-dimensional works must be suitably prepared for hanging and no larger than 72" by 90", including frame.
• Three-dimensional works to be displayed on pedestals must be no larger than 84" by 30" by 40"; smaller 3-D works to be displayed on a wall must be suitably prepared for hanging.
• Works weighing more than 50 pounds require advance approval for submission; contact the Director for further instructions.
• Delivery and pickup/return of selected artwork are the responsibility of the artist. There is no surcharge for receiving and return of accepted works.
• No nudity.  All entries must be family-friendly.
• No jewelry, for security reasons; no installation art, video or audio enhancements because of gallery limitations.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility

• Open to all artists residing in the United States.
• Submitted works must be original and created after January 1, 2023.
• Submitted works must not have been displayed in the VMRC Juried Exhibition in a previous year.
• Works created through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) are not eligible.