HEARTh – This is not a typo but rather a stylized play on the words – heart, hearth, home. A “hearth” – as in “residence” – is a place where one lives: “all were welcome, friends and strangers alike, to their humble hearth.” Scenes of the Nativity – whether three dimensional or not – have been bringing Christ from His humble birth in a stable or cave into our hearts and homes for centuries.

This is the fifth year Crèche Festival Houston has displayed artwork which interprets Christ’s Nativity using various media. This year’s exhibition entitled: From the Manger to the HEARTh is an international call for artwork and will use a blind jury process for its selection. Up to 25 artworks will be chosen. The exhibition’s historical acceptance rate is 80%. Selections will be made from photographic images of the artwork.

Unleash your creativity and share how you interpret bringing Christ’s birth from the manger, in Bethlehem, into your heart and hearth - home. How does your nativity scene look? Perhaps it’s with the brilliance of the Bethlehem star; the presence of angels; the peace of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph; the modest visit of curious shepherds; the glitz and adoration of the Magi; the stable animals; or something else – a cultural/ethnic nuance; influenced by a Christmas hymn or anthem; filled with Biblical imagery or Christian symbols; or of a specific setting in time or place. Work should include at least the Holy Family – Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Use any material - mixed media, collage, assemblage, acrylics, oils, watercolor, ceramics, woodworking, metal, enamel, paper, drawing, textile, glass, needlepoint, embroidery, etc., - to make a nativity meaningful to you which finds a special place in your heart and home.

Artists who have participated in previous Crèche Festival Houston exhibitions, whether they received honors or not, are eligible to participate in this year’s call for entries.

Cash prizes will be awarded. Selected artists may also choose to participate in an online auction after the exhibition of their selected work.  

Juror

Rev. Johann Roten, S.M. – International Marian Research Institute, University of Dayton

The Rev. Johann Roten, S.M., is an internationally recognized scholar and authority on Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. Father Roten is familiar with how faith and the church intersect in diverse cultures and countries, in dimensions ranging from the political to the artistic. This knowledge has deepened his special interest for how artists throughout the world use alternative materials to interpret the birth of Christ, and to express their faith and cultural perspective in the form of nativities, also called crèches. Father Roten has authored books and writings on the crèche, as well as developed workshops on crèche art.

Prizes

A Grand Prize in the cash amount of $1,000.00 will be awarded.

Two additional cash prizes in the amount of $500.00 each will be awarded; one for most creative; one for best use of Christian symbolism.

Additional ribbons will be awarded for Honorable Mention recognition.

Prizes will be announced prior to the opening day of the exhibition.

Site of Exhibition

The festival’s exhibition will be in the Parish Hall on the Rice Village campus of Christ the King Lutheran Church on December 13 & 14, 2025, located at 2353 Rice Boulevard in Houston, Texas. Christ the King Lutheran Church is a welcoming and inclusive community nourished by Christ in vibrant worship and committed to God’s mission of love and service especially to the oppressed and to the poor.

Online Auction

Artists selected for the exhibition may choose to participate in the festival’s online auction selling their work. The artist will receive 80% of the sale proceeds and Crèche Festival Houston will retain 20% of the sale proceeds to benefit Bright Stars of Bethlehem (www.brightstarsofbethlehem.org), a program supported by Christ the King Lutheran Church (Houston) in Bethlehem, Palestine. The online auction will open for bidding on December 13, 2025, and close December 18, 2025. 55% of the eligible art sold at auction in 2024. Sale prices ranged from $25.00 to $1200.00; the average sale price was $226.00.

Important Dates:

Submit application and photographic images by October 17, 2025

Artists will be notified of selection/non-selection of work by November 3, 2025

Selected artwork should be shipped to Crèche Festival Houston by November 15, 2025, or hand delivered in person to the festival coordinator at a Houston location prior to November 22, 2025

From the Manger to the HEARTh: A Crèche Festival is Saturday, December 13 & Sunday, December 14, 2024

Return of artwork not sold in auction and requested returned to the artist to occur by years end.

Questions and requests for additional information:

Email – crechefestivalhouston@gmail.com

Crèche Festival Houston is an all-volunteer organized and executed project which began in November 2021. The project produces an annual exhibition of nativities displaying the diversity of crèche art from around the world. A different-themed exhibition is presented each year: Finding Bethlehem (2021); Crafting Tradition (2022); Hands of the People (2023); Unique and Unexpected (2024). Crèche Festival Houston has a presence in social media on Facebook (Creche Festival Houston) and Instagram (creche_festival_houston).

Application Requirements

There is a $10.00 (ten) dollar fee for each application of artwork. Artwork will be chosen from photographic images.

An artist statement is required.

Answers to additional questions are also required.

Eligibility Criteria

This year’s international call for entries is open to all (individuals and collectives). All media is accepted – mixed media, collage, assemblage, acrylics, oils, watercolor, ceramics, woodworking, metal, enamel, paper, drawing, textile, glass, needlepoint, embroidery, etc.

Work should include at least the Holy Family – Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

Submitted original 2D and 3D work must be complete and presentation ready; has not been previously published, exhibited, nor produced for sale; nor will it be published or reproduced for sale prior to December 31, 2025.

Subject matter must be family-friendly, specifically no nudes or partial nudity, gore, violence, or obscenity in words, gestures, or depictions in the artwork or its title.

The maximum size for 2D artwork is 36” W X 36” H and these dimensions include the frame. 2D artwork is not to exceed 10lbs.

3D artwork is not to exceed 20lbs., must be self-supported. Installation must be simple to assemble with instructions to assemble supplied.

No elements of artwork should require its hanging from the ceiling.  

Crèche Festival Houston will remove from consideration artwork outside any part of these guidelines and specifications prior to the jury’s online review.

Handling and shipping costs of selected artwork TO the exhibition is the sole responsibility of the artist. Selected artwork may be delivered in person to the festival coordinator at a Houston location (to be provided later) prior to November 22, 2025.

Handling and shipping costs of artwork returned to the artist AFTER the exhibition will be the sole responsibility of the artist. Artwork may be retrieved in person from a Houston location (to be provided later) and to be arranged with the festival coordinator.