Call Description

Announcing our 2025 Juror...

Ian Gabriel Wilson is a curator, art historian, and arts administrator who has been the Curator of Exhibitions & Collections at the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum (BRAHM) since 2021. He holds a BA in Art History and Cultural History from Marlboro College in Vermont and dual master’s degrees in Modern & Contemporary Art History and Arts Administration & Policy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC).
Before joining BRAHM, Wilson served as the Jeanne and Ralph Graham Collections Fellow at Cranbrook Art Museum in Michigan, where he curated exhibitions such as Ruth Adler Schnee: Modern Designs for Living, the first major museum retrospective on the celebrated textile designer and architect. At BRAHM, he has organized over 40 exhibitions, including The Hard Edge & The Soft Line: A Retrospective of Maud Gatewood in 2024, which brought together works from private and public collections across the Southeast.
Gabe has previously held positions at the academic journal ARTMargins, the Roger Brown Study Collection in Chicago, and the Sullivan Galleries of SAIC, where he was awarded a Graduate Curatorial Fellowship by the Institute for Curatorial Research and Practice. Wilson’s curatorial practice emphasizes the intersections of modern and contemporary art, design, and craft. He has contributed to numerous publications, authored exhibition catalogs, and taught courses on the history of craft and visual culture.
 

Eligibility: 

• Applicants must be residents of North Carolina.
• Applicants must be age 18 & older.
• Artists may submit two original works.
• Students enrolled in out-of-state educational institutions are eligible to enter provided they (a) are classified as North Carolina residents; and (b) provide a valid North Carolina address.
• Works must be created after July 1, 2023.
• Artworks selected for previous Raleigh Fine Arts Society exhibitions are ineligible.
• All works must be the sole work and exclusive property of the submitting 
artist.
• Works must be no larger than 70 inches in any dimension, including frame, and weigh no more than 50 pounds. Image size and frame size must be specified.
• All art must be available for purchase. Artists will receive 70% of total sales price when works are sold; Raleigh Fine Arts Society receives 30%
• Sale prices are firm.
• Exhibition will be open for seven weeks at the Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh.

Deadline: 

Entries may be submitted beginning May 1, 2025. Entries must be finalized with entry fees received online no later than 5:00 p.m. on June 15, 2025.  Entry fees are nonrefundable.

Procedure:

• Raleigh Fine Arts Society uses CaFÉ for online submissions, and artwork must be submitted using this software program. 
• ​If an artist is unable to submit an entry online, or has questions or technical problems with the CaFÉ program, the artist should contact the CaFÉ support staff at cafe@westaf.org.
• If an artist has other questions, including questions about the artist’s statement and biographical information for the Artists Exhibition Catalogue, the artist should contact artistsexhibition@gmail.com.
• Artists must provide the name of the medium used. An artist who submits mixed-media work must include the names of all media used in the creation of the artwork.
• Artists may submit two artworks. For each two-dimensional artwork, the artist may upload one image of the artwork. For each three-dimensional artwork, the artist may upload one image of the artwork. The jurors will be able to zoom in on the image. The Raleigh Fine Arts Society reserves the right to edit submitted entries to meet these requirements. TO AVOID AN ADDITIONAL $35 ENTRY FEE, ALL IMAGES MUST BE SUBMITTED AT THE TIME YOU ENTER.
• File sizes of the photo images of submitted art may not exceed 5MB. Minimum image size is 1920 pixels on the longest side. Resolution must be 72 dpi. Artists whose artwork is selected for the exhibition will be asked to provide higher resolution photo images for the catalogue.
• Images must be oriented correctly. They should not include the framing or empty space, but should be cropped to show only the image of the artwork.
• All entries will be juried from digital images. Awards will be selected from the original works of art.
• Raleigh Fine Arts Society and the Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh reserve the right to eliminate from the exhibition any work deemed inappropriate in content or form.

Entry Fee:

The entry fee is $35.00 for up to two works and is nonrefundable. Payment is accepted online in CaFÉ.

Awards:

The Juror will present awards totaling $10,000.

(1) $5,000 Betsy J. Sykes Award 

(1) $3,000 award from the Joyce Wilkins Pope Endowment for the Raleigh Fine Arts Society, a component fund of the North Carolina Community Foundation 

(2) $1,000 Juror's Choice Awards 

Art will not be separated into categories for judging.

Artists Exhibition Catalogue:

Raleigh Fine Arts Society will publish a catalogue for the Raleigh Fine Arts Society: 2025 North Carolina Artists Exhibition. Copies of this catalogue will be available at the Opening Reception & Art Sale on Sunday, September 28, 2025.  The Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh will offer the catalogue for viewing during the Exhibition, which closes November 16, 2025. 

Due to publishing deadlines, all information provided must be complete and no changes are permitted after June 15, 2025.

The Artists Exhibition Catalogue will feature a full page for each artist selected for the Exhibition and will include the following information:

• Each artist’s page will include a 1/3-page photograph of the selected artwork, along with the artist’s name and the title, dimensions and media of the artwork. The cost will be listed elsewhere in the catalogue.
• ​Each artist’s page will also allow space for the artist to provide information about their credentials and work which should include (a) an artist’s statement in the first person and (b) a biographical statement in third person. THIS INFORMATION MUST NOT EXCEED 200 WORDS FOR BOTH STATEMENTS TOGETHER.
• The artist’s statement written in the first person may consist of information about the artwork submitted or about the artist’s work in general. If more than one artwork is submitted, a separate artist statement should be written for each piece.
• The artist's biographical statement written in third person may provide information about the artist’s professional background, such as: (a) where the artist is from; (b) whether the artist has any higher education degrees in art; (c) other art training the artist has obtained; (d) what the artist does for a living; (e) whether the artist’s occupation or profession is related to art; (f) any awards or honors the artist has received, including juried shows for which the artist was selected.
• The artist may list up to two North Carolina galleries that represent them.

The artist’s statement and biographical information may be submitted with  their entry in CaFÉ or no later than the final date for submitting entries to the Exhibition: June 15, 2025. THERE WILL BE NO CHANGES AFTER THIS DATE.

Specifications for Submitted Artworks:

The maximum dimension of a single work, sculpture included, is 70 inches (including frame), and the maximum weight is 50 pounds. Image size and frame size must be specified.

 Delivery of Accepted Works:

• Selected works must be delivered in excellent condition and ready to install or Raleigh Fine Arts Society will refuse art at delivery.
• Two-dimensional work must be properly framed, wired and ready to hung.  If using glass use conservation or museum glass. Paintings that are canvas wrapped may be submitted without frames or glass if the sides of the canvas are neat and painted.
• Three-dimensional sculpture work will need display stands suitable for presentation.
• Submitted works must be the original work of the artist. Giclée prints or reproduced art works are not acceptable. Digital photography is acceptable, and the digital print method may be used to produce original photographic images.
• Each artist must include a card or label with their name, address, email and phone number in a discreet place behind or under each piece of art. The card or label must be securely affixed to the artwork. Please note: the name an artist puts on this card or label will be the name used in the catalogue and on the label beside the artwork at the Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh.

Hand delivery: Delivery is September 18 and 19, 2025, from 11am-3pm at the Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh, 409 West Martin Street Raleigh, NC 27603.

Shipping: A prepaid return label must be enclosed. Ship via UPS or FedEx to:  The Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh, 409 West Martin Street, Raleigh, NC 27603 

Raleigh Fine Arts Society and the Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh are not responsible for damage during shipment. Raleigh Fine Arts Society members will inspect shipped art upon receipt.

Pick-up of Unsold Exhibited Work:

Accepted entries may not be removed during the Exhibition. Artists must pick up unsold works November 18, 2025, from 11am-3pm. Shipped artwork will be returned to the artist in the original packing materials after November 18, 2025, if accompanied by a prepaid return label.

Liability:

Raleigh Fine Arts Society and the Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh are not responsible for loss, theft or damage during transport by lender/artist. Raleigh Fine Arts Society will take all reasonable care of loaned works while art is in its custody. Artists, if they wish, may make their own insurance arrangements to cover the first $2,500 in value for any art on loan to the Raleigh Fine Arts Society. Insurance coverage of value lost over $2,500 may be available in some circumstances.


2025 Calendar

Digital Entry Submission Schedule
May 1, 2025 - June 15, 2025

All Notifications of Acceptance will be sent by August 1, 2025 (via email)

Hand Deliver Works to the Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh
September 18, 11am-3pm and September 19, 11am-3pm

2025 Artists Exhibition Opening Events 

Sunday, September 28

Preview of Art for RFAS Members
2:00pm - 3:00pm
The Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh, 409 W. Martin Street Raleigh, NC 27603

Jurors' Lecture & Awards Ceremony
 for artists and family 
3:00pm
Junction West, 310 S. West Street Raleigh, NC 27603

Opening & Reception for artists and family
4:00pm - 5:30pm the Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh

Closing of 2024 North Carolina Artists Exhibition 
 
Sunday, November 16

Pickup of Unsold Exhibited Works by Artists 
and
Pickup of Sold Works by Buyers

November 18 11am-3pm

Agreement, Photography, and Reproduction Rights:

see Legal Agreement

Application Requirements

• Works must be created after July 1, 2023.
• Artworks selected for previous Raleigh Fine Arts Society exhibitions are ineligible.
• All works must be the sole work and exclusive property of the submitting 
artist.
• Works must be no larger than 70 inches in any dimension, including frame, and weigh no more than 50 pounds.
• All art must be available for purchase. Artists will receive 70% of total sales when works are sold and Raleigh Fine Arts Society receives 30%.
• Sale prices are firm.
• The entry fee for up to two pieces of artwork is $35.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must be residents of North Carolina 
• Applicants must be age 18 & over.
• Artists may submit two original works.
• Students enrolled in out-of-state educational institutions are eligible to enter provided they (a) are classified as North Carolina residents; and (b) provide a valid North Carolina address.
• If selected by juror, artists agrees to list Raleigh Fine Arts Society: 2025 North Carolina Artists Exhibition when referencing the exhibition in curriculum vitae, promotional materials, written materials, speeches or videos.