Call Description

2026 NCECA JURIED STUDENT EXHIBITION - Call for Entries 

DEADLINE Wednesday, September 10, 2025, 11:59 pm MDT
(Please note time zone - late entries will  not be accepted)  

If you encounter problems and require technical assistance, contact CaFE™ support staff at cafe@westaf.org.

If you have questions about eligibility or submission rules that are not answered in the listing description, contact tammy@nceca.net

NOTE: CaFE™ is available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time (MDT). If you need assistance, please allow a few hours for a response. Do not wait until after 4:00 p.m. to submit, as NCECA staff are unable to assist with any technical issues related to the CaFE™ system."

Hosted by:
Valade Family Gallery Of The College For Creative Studies
A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education
460 W. Baltimore
Detroit, MI 48202 
313.664.7400

EXHIBITION DATES: March 6-April 4, 2026 

The 2026 NCECA Juried Student Exhibition will run concurrently with VOLUMES, the 60th annual conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, Detroit, Michigan, March 25-28, 2026. Ceramic artists Eva Kwong and Gary Schneider will jury the Exhibition.

ABOUT THE 2026 JURIED STUDENT EXHIBITION JURORS:

Eva Kwong is an American Postwar & Contemporary artist born in Hong Kong in 1954. Numerous key galleries and museums, such as the Carl Solway Gallery, have featured Kwong's work in the past. Kwong has been featured in articles for Hyperallergic and Cleveland.com. The most recent article is Artists Remember the Transformative Teachings of Toshiko Takaezu written for Hyperallergic in April 2024. Kwong taught at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, between 1990 and 2006 and is currently visiting faculty at The Ohio State University in Columbus. She earned a BFA in ceramics and sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA in drawing and ceramics from the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. Kwong’s ceramic works are in collections worldwide, including the Mint Museum of Craft + Design, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Finnish Craft Museum, and FuLe International Ceramics Art Museum. She is a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship recipient, and in 2018, the National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts honored her with an Excellence in Teaching Award.

Gary Garrido Schneider is executive director at Grounds for Sculpture in New Jersey. An artist, educator, and museum administrator, Schneider previously held senior leadership roles at the Montclair Art Museum, including Director of the Yard School of Art, Director of Education, and culminating as Deputy Director.  He has over 20 years’ experience in museum, university, and community non-profit settings including Studio in a School, Brooklyn Museum, The Drawing Center, Parsons School of Design, and the Associated Blind Housing Development Fund.  He is a vocal advocate for museums' social responsibility and potential and remains committed to making the visual arts accessible to a broad range of audiences. Schneider received his BFA from Parsons School of Design and K-12 Art Education Certification through Bank Street College. He graduated from the Getty Museum Leadership Institute at Claremont Graduate School and the Teacher Institute in Museum Education at the Art Institute of Chicago.
 

ABOUT THE VENUE: 
The Valade Family Gallery, located on the first floor of the A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education at the College For Creative Studies (CCS) presents exhibitions on topics relevant to contemporary art and design practice today for and with students, faculty, CCS alumni, and the Detroit community. Its focus is to establish educational linkages between the College and the community and to provide a space for exhibitions that advance and support the academic departments of CCS.

ELIGIBILITY

The 2026 NCECA Juried Student Exhibition is open to undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate students enrolled in the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico.

Work must have been completed within 12 months of the submission deadline.

Applicants must have been working toward a degree or post-baccalaureate in art when the work was created.

Students enrolled at institutions where the jurors currently serve as faculty are not eligible to apply.

Work by recent graduates is eligible as long as it was created within the last 12 months and while they were still students. 

NCECA membership is not a requirement of eligibility; however, NCECA members receive a complimentary entry fee to NCECA exhibition calls.

Note: The entry fee has been established to support the scope and quality of the exhibition and cannot be reduced. As a nonprofit organization with a limited budget, NCECA works diligently to keep entry fees as accessible as possible. We ask that you do not contact NCECA to request a discount on the entry fee. 

Entry Fees:
Member: $0.00 
Non-member: $30.00   NOTE: the $30 fee will be waived for non members who submit a second application with a second artwork. Use the Coupon Code NonMem2 for your second application

NCECA can not process refunds to those who submit incorrect fees. 

NCECA will verify membership. Please check your NCECA Membership status and expiration date by logging into your NCECA Account/Profile at this LINK or contacting tammy@nceca.net 

To renew or become a member of NCECA, go to https://nceca.net/members


MEDIA & LIMITATIONS 

This exhibition focuses on dynamic expressions of ceramic creation, media, process, history, and context. Mixed-media pieces are acceptable only when clay and ceramic expressions are predominant and essential to the work’s creation. 

All work samples and attachments (other than a resume) submitted must NOT include the applicant’s name.

• This enables the adjudication process without bias in knowing artists’ identities.
• Any reference to an applicant’s name or school will disqualify the participant from jurying.
   

Work involving video referencing ceramic materials, process, history, and/or extending expressive work capacities in clay will be considered at the jurors' discretion. 

- Video work samples should be submitted as links to accessible files uploaded to YouTube, Vimeo, or similar platforms.

- One video sample per artwork may be submitted; no longer than two minutes per video. Another link may be provided to a full-length video.

- Videos requiring private login information to be entered for review will not be considered.

Work involving digitally or chemically produced photography referencing ceramic materials, process, history, and/or extending expressive work capacities in clay will be considered at the jurors' discretion.

Floor and pedestal work must be self-supporting.

Wall mounted work must be provided with hanging systems that are suitably fashioned to install securely.

Individual objects should weigh less than 100 lbs. and have dimensions that can pass through a 36” x 80” entrance door. Larger work designed to be assembled from multiple parts in a modular fashion may be accommodated. 

The jurors will make final selections following the venue's confirmation about the ability to install all work safely and professionally.

PLEASE CONSIDER THE SIZE/WEIGHT OF YOUR WORK, AS THESE FACTORS WILL IMPACT YOUR SHIPPING DECISIONS AND COSTS.

NUMBER OF WORKS

One (1) Artwork per application only. Artists may submit a maximum of two applications.

EXCLUSIONS

NCECA reserves the right to exclude from the review/selection process any submissions that include more than one (1) work and more than two (2) media files per work. 

Artists are not permitted to submit the same work to multiple NCECA calls within the same year. Doing so may result in disqualification from consideration.

NCECA reserves the right to exclude any submissions with incorrect fees from the review/selection process. 

Jurying will be conducted from the images of the work submitted in this call.

IMPORTANT: The specific work submitted to this call must be available and committed for inclusion in the exhibition. 

No substitutions or changes to the submitted artwork will be permitted for the artwork/images submitted in this call.

Unfinished work will not be accepted.

Representations via sketches, illustrations, models, and maquettes will be excluded from consideration

NCECA and exhibition venue staff reserve the right to exclude from exhibition work that arrive at the venue in unstable condition.

ENTRY PREPARATION & APPLICATION PROCESS

Applicants must first create a CaFE profile at https://artist.callforentry.org/login.php  

If you have a CaFE™ profile, log in and confirm your current contact information. This information will be used to contact you about acceptance or decline, loan agreements, and location in the catalog and exhibition labels.

   - For complete specifications, tutorials, and resources, please visit the CaFE™ website at  https://www.callforentry.org/artist-help-cafe/

   - Uploaded media files will be stored in your CaFE™ Portfolio as a repository of images to be accessed while completing the submission.

   - Media file submissions must comply with specifications found at CaFE™ https://www.callforentry.org/artist-help-cafe/uploading-media/

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING!

CaFE™ accounts unused within two years are automatically deactivated in the CaFE™ system.  Please give yourself plenty of time to contact them and have them reactivate your account. 

CaFE™ is experiencing a high email volume, they may not reply for a few hours. CaFE™’s hours of operation are M-F from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Mountain Daylight Time (MDT)

NCECA will not extend the deadline for applicants who attempt to submit after 4pm MDT on September 18, 2024, and encounter technical difficulties with CaFE. 

Please do not wait until the last minute to submit in case you encounter technical difficulties. 

BEFORE beginning submission, applicants must be prepared to provide the following, as well as images and image details. It is recommended that you save all text to your local computer for future reference. Please proof carefully and submit as print-ready.

Again, artists’ names must not appear in any images or file names submitted for consideration. This enables the adjudication process without bias in knowing artists’ identities.  

ARTIST STATEMENT  

Provide an artist’s statement that offers context for your work. You may include insights into your creative process, material choices, influences, and the ideas or themes you explore through clay.

Character limit: 1,000 characters, including spaces (approximately 150- 165 words)

Do not include the artist's name in the statement. Your entry will be eliminated if your name is in the statement. 

NOTE: NCECA reserves the right to edit all statements according to its publication style guide, spelling, grammar, and clarity.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT 

Provide a short biographical statement written in the third person. If selected, this may appear in the catalog.

Ideal length: 300–440 characters, including spaces (approximately 45–70 words)

Maximum length: 650 characters, including spaces (approximately 100 words)

Proof carefully and submit text that is print-ready.

The jurors will not have access to the biographical statement during the selection process; however, it will be used in the exhibition catalog if the artist is selected.

LEVEL OF STUDY: Undergraduate, Graduate, or Post-baccalaureate, Recent Graduate

SCHOOL NAME, PROFESSOR NAME, PROFESSOR PHONE, PROFESSOR E-MAIL

PRONOUNS (optional)

HEADSHOT: Submit a high-resolution (300 dpi) image, head-and-shoulders, on a clean, neutral background. JPEG or JPG format only. DO NOT SUBMIT A PDF 

Headshot File Naming Instructions:
    Lastname, Firstname_ 2026NJSE_Photo credit_ .jpg

Example: Lynn,Tammy_2026NJSE_Photo credit_Robert Couto.jpg

SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES: Website, Instagram, and/or other social media handles; limit two items in total (if applicable, otherwise indicate NONE). 

IMAGES

One  (1) Artwork only per application. Artists may submit a maximum of one individual artwork per application.  Artist may submit a maximum of two applications. 

Two (2) Media Files per Artwork. Each submission may only consist of two media files (e.g., an image and a video or audio file, or an image and a detail image) for a total of no more than four media files across all submissions.

High-resolution photographs are required.  

You may submit a full view and an alternative view of each individual artwork marked as such.

BE SURE TO MARK THE DETAIL SHOT AS A DETAIL SHOT AND ALWAYS PUT THE TITLE IN THE FILE NAME: 

EXAMPLE:  Testimony_2026NJSE_ DETAIL.jpg

File Type: Uncompressed or high-quality files are ideal, (.JPEG or .JPG only) at 300 dpi resolution
File Dimensions: Sized 8" x 10" (2400 x 3000 pixels) 
File Size: Under 5 MB

REVIEW (Uploading Media to CAFE): - https://www.callforentry.org/artist-help-cafe/uploading-media
WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPddZVJzTAE&t=3s

Uploaded media files will be stored in your CaFÉ™ Portfolio as a repository of images to be accessed while completing the submission. 

Each work sample submitted with your entry must include the following details:

TITLE

MEDIUM (60-character limit with spaces)

HEIGHT x WIDTH x DEPTH (in inches  - not in feet or metric measurements)

IS THE ARTWORK FOR SALE? (Yes/No)

RETAIL VALUE Retail value must be reported regardless of whether the work is for sale. The insurance value will be calculated as 50% of the retail value. 

• This value may not be altered at a later date.

YEAR COMPLETED Work must have been completed within 12 months of the entry deadline. 

PRIMARY DISCIPLINE (ceramics)

DESCRIPTION - any additional information you would like the jurors to know about this work

No changes will be allowed once an entry has been submitted. Once data is entered into the CaFE system, it cannot be altered. 

Please PROOFREAD your data carefully, as this information may be used to generate the insurance value, publicity information, exhibition labels, and catalog.

REVIEW and SELECTION PROCESS

Jurying will be conducted from images of the actual work available for the exhibition. 

No substitutions or changes to the artwork will be permitted for the artwork/images submitted in this call.

The jurors will make final selections following the venue's confirmation about the ability to install all work safely and professionally.

Selected artists will be notified by October 31, 2025

SHIPPING, DELIVERY, AND RETURN OF ARTWORK   

Artwork must at The Valade Family Gallery of the College for Creative Studies between February 16-20, 2025

Before submitting your work for consideration, please research shipping costs to ensure you can cover round-trip shipping and insurance expenses.

Shipping costs for any work sold during the exhibition are the responsibility of the collector and must be coordinated between the artist and the venue.

Artists are responsible for the following:

Securely packing artwork for transport

Arranging and paying for round-trip shipping to and from the exhibition venue.

Providing Insurance for the work while it is in transit

Including a pre-paid return shipping label in the package

An appointment must be made in advance for self-delivery or installation.

Emailing proof of return shipping to tammy@nceca.net before the exhibition opens

NOTE: NCECA, its agents, and representatives shall have no responsibility or liability whatsoever if work is lost, stolen, or damaged. This, however, shall not bar artists from filing claims with the insured venue or transit company with respect to any such loss, theft, or damage.

NOTE: If the work is damaged in shipping, replacement work will not be considered.

SHIPPING REIMBURSEMENT

NCECA will reimburse shipping/transport up to $400.00 per artist.

Reimbursement is eligible only for ground shipping, except where unavoidable due to shipments to/from overseas.

Rush delivery surcharges are not eligible for reimbursement

Should you choose to drive the work to and/or from the venue, reimbursement will be calculated at total mileage x.505

Artists traveling to hand-deliver work are responsible for their personal travel, housing, food, and other expenses. NCECA will reimburse only the mileage for hand-delivered/picked-up work. 

If an artist submits two applications and the curator selects both works by an artist, the artist must: 

• Obtain a combined shipping quote
• Request NCECA approval to increase the $400 reimbursement cap before signing an agreement. Note: This does not apply to a single entry consisting of multiple components.

Please do not contact the NCECA office to increase your shipping reimbursement unless you have more than one work accepted into the exhibition.

Please retain all hard copy and/or digital receipts to be submitted for reimbursement after the exhibition closes. Reimbursement requires receipts!

Again, it is the artist’s responsibility to consider the size and weight of their work before submitting it for consideration. These factors will impact shipping decisions and costs.

DOCUMENTING THE PACKING PROCESS

Artists are responsible for securely packing their work for the exhibition and arranging and paying for shipping and insurance to the exhibition venue. 

NCECA recommends that all artists document their packaging process using digital images and text descriptions before closing all crates and /or boxes for shipment. This documentation may provide critical information to support claims against carriers for damage in transit.

RETURN OF UNSOLD WORK

Artists must prepay return shipping prior to the exhibition opening and must be listed as the shipper of record.

Immediately following the close of the exhibition, the venue will pack the artwork for return shipping or in-person pickup.

All work will be re-packed using the original crates or boxes in which they were shipped to the venue.

If appropriate, reusable crating or boxing is not provided, the artist will be responsible for any additional packaging costs.

INSURANCE

The venue shall maintain insurance coverage for all work included in the exhibition only while on its premises.

The artists are responsible for providing insurance coverage for their work while in transit to the venue.

The gallery insurance will cover up to 50% of the works' reported retail value.

The retail value must be reported even for work included in the exhibition that are not for sale.

If damages occur to work in the exhibition, artists may be required to demonstrate that the value(s) declared are established fair market values.

NOTE: NCECA, its agents, and representatives shall have no responsibility or liability whatsoever if work is lost, stolen, or damaged. This, however, shall not bar artists from filing claims with the insured venue or transit company with respect to any such loss, theft, or damage.
 

SALES 

Work is to be offered for purchase at the discretion of artists included in the exhibition. 

Artists will receive 50% of the purchase value of work sold, and 50% will be retained as a commission by NCECA and the exhibition venue. 

Shipping fees for purchased work will be the collectors' responsibility, and shipping should be arranged with the artist and the venue.

PHOTOGRAPHY
Participating artists must agree to allow NCECA, Valade Family Gallery Of The College For Creative Studies, and visitors to photograph work while on display for educational and publicity purposes. Images of accepted work will be retained by NCECA for promotional purposes, posting on the NCECA website, and shared with media-related publications. NCECA may create a digital catalog and/or an online exhibition version using images of accepted work. 

CATALOG
NCECA may produce a catalog documenting the exhibition experience using color images of artwork. Each artist in the exhibition will receive one (1) complimentary copy of the catalog to be picked up at the conference. Additional copies of the catalog will be available for purchase online. 

CATEGORIES AND AWARDS

The jurors will determine merit awards after the work is installed in the venue, which will be announced during the exhibition reception. 

CONFERENCE PASS AND MEMBERSHIP

Selected artists will receive membership and a complimentary conference pass for the 2026 conference. 

If the artist is a current member, they will receive an extension to their current membership expiration date for up to one calendar year.

The 2026 conference pass and the membership are not transferable to others.  

The complimentary conference pass is limited to the 2026 conference and cannot be used at future conferences.

IMPORTANT DATES

CALL DEADLINE: Wednesday, September 10, 2025, (11:59 pm MDT) Please note time zone - late entries will  not be accepted

Artist notification: by October 31, 2025
Location: The Valade Family Gallery of the College for Creative Studies
Shipped and hand-delivered work to arrive:  February 16-20, 2026

Installation: February 26 - March 6, 2026
Exhibition Dates: March 6- April 4, 2026

Volumes, 60th Annual NCECA Conference in Detroit, Michigan, March 25-28, 2026

Reception: Thursday, March 26, 2026 6-9 pm

De-Installation and packing: April 6-9, 2026

Return Shipping: April 9-14, 2026
Damage Claim: Upon return, please open your shipment immediately to confirm the work has arrived safely.

If you encounter problems and require technical assistance, contact CaFÉ™ support staff at cafe@westaf.org. Please allow enough time (two to three hours) for CaFÉ™ to get back to you if they have high email volumes.  NCECA staff cannot provide technical assistance with CaFÉ™ above what is stated in this prospectus.  

When in doubt,

• Clear your Cache
• Close and reopen CaFÉ™
• Files should be .jpg or .jpeg
• Switch to a different browser.  Some people have switched to a different browser to upload their headshots.
• Contact CaFÉ™ cafe@westaf.org

The CaFÉ™ website is best viewed with the following desktop browsers:

Firefox: current version
Safari: current version
Chrome: current version

Application Requirements

All work must be primarily ceramic. Mixed media work will be accepted only when clay is the dominant material. 

One  (1) Artwork Only. Artists may submit up to one (1) individual work per application with no more than two (2) supporting media files (image, video, or audio) per work, not to exceed two total media files (this includes images).  

Artists may submit up to two (2) applications for a total of two artworks entered into the competition.

The work must be available for the duration of the exhibition.

Retail value must be reported regardless of whether the work is for sale. 

Artists’ names must not appear in any images or file names submitted for consideration. This enables the adjudication process without bias in knowing artists’ identities.  

Eligibility Criteria

The 2026 NCECA Juried Student Exhibition is open to undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate students enrolled in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Recent graduates’ work is eligible if created in the last 12 months and when they were still students.

Applicants must have been working toward a degree or post-baccalaureate in art when the work was created.

Students enrolled at institutions where the jurors currently serve as faculty are not eligible to apply.

NCECA membership is not a requirement of eligibility; however, NCECA members receive a complimentary entry fee to NCECA exhibitions.

Entry Fees:
Member: $0.00 
Non-member: $30.00  

NOTE: the $30 fee will be waived for non members who submit a second application with a second artwork. Use the Coupon Code NonMem2 for your second application