Call Description

Art Quilt Elements 2026, the 17th International Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Fine Art Quilts

March 23 to April 25, 2026

Wayne Art Center, Davenport and Ethel Sergeant Clark Smith Galleries

Jurors: Toni Kersey, Karl Reichert and Danielle Williams

Wayne Art Center seeks submissions for Art Quilt Elements 2026, a juried group exhibition of contemporary fine art quilts. Selected works will be on display in both the Davenport and Ethel Sergeant Clark Smith Galleries of Wayne Art Center in Wayne, Pennsylvania from March 23 through April 25, 2026. For more information about AQE 2026 visit: www.artquiltelements.org.

ABOUT THE JURORS

Toni Kersey 

Toni Kersey is an award-winning mixed-media fiber artist living and working in Springfield, Pennsylvania. Her background as a graphic designer informs her work. She received her degree in graphic design from the University of Illinois and began designing and making quilts in 2005 after studying fabric painting techniques. A self-taught quilter, she has concentrated on developing a creative language that fuses African American improvisational quilt making with painterly abstraction. Kersey’s work is focused on narratives that use visual rhythm and movement to explore the shared cultural experiences of the African Diaspora. Her quilts have been exhibited nationally and internationally, most notably as part of the “Art in the Embassies” program. She explores cultural relationships combining Dutch wax and African fabric with hand-dyed and painted textiles, embroidery and beading. Her work has been included in publications such as Artistry in Fiber Volume 1 and most recently in the fall 2024 Surface Design Journal. 

Karl Reichert 

Karl Reichert serves as the Executive Director for Textile Center, a national center for fiber art based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A seasoned arts executive, he joined Textile Center in 2014 and has led the organization through an exciting decade of programmatic growth. With its mission to “honor textile traditions, promote excellence and innovation, nurture appreciation, and inspire widespread appreciation in fiber art” Textile Center’s programming includes year-round fiber art exhibitions, classes, and retail sales. The Textile Center Library is among the nation’s largest circulating libraries dedicated to textiles and fiber art, with over 35,000 books and periodicals. Reichert served as a juror for the Visions Museum of Textile Art’s Quilt Visions 2024 exhibition in San Diego, California, and he looks forward to serving as a juror for Art Quilt Elements 2026 at Wayne Art Center. 

Danielle Williams 

Danielle Williams was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, she resides in sunny Southern California, with her husband and their growing family. Since 2012, Williams has worked for Stampington & Company in various editorial roles, including managing the magazine Art Quilting Studio. She comes from a family of creatives and loves immersing herself in the quilting world. 

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

• Artists must be 18 years of age or older.
• Works submitted must be original in design. Collaborative works are accepted.
• Work must have been completed in the last two years (after January 1, 2024).
• Work previously exhibited at Wayne Art Center is not eligible.
• All work must be for sale.
• Work must remain on display for the duration of the exhibit.
• Size Limitations:  Works of any size not exceeding 12' (144") high will be considered.
• All artwork submitted online to AQE 2026 MUST be available for the entire duration of the jurying process and exhibition.  If a piece is accepted to both AQE 2026 and a simultaneously running exhibit, the piece must only be exhibited in AQE 2026. 
• Withdrawal of invited work by the artist prior to the exhibition will result in exclusion from exhibiting at WAC the following year.
• Wayne Art Center reserves the right to reject entries that do not meet the requirements.  Work that differs from the work invited through digital submissions will be disqualified.

ONLINE ENTRY INFORMATION:

Artists may submit up to THREE works per application. A maximum of six images may be uploaded to show an alternate view or detail of each piece for up to three pieces.

Entry fee is $50 per application.

Artists are permitted to submit additional applications. The artist should use the same name and contact information (including email) for both applications but must use a different username/account for additional applications.

Visa, MasterCard, AMEX or PayPal will be accepted for application fee payment. The application will not be finalized until the entry fee has been paid.

Artists are asked to carefully review submission info before completing an entry.*  Exhibition inventory for works invited to this exhibit will be created from your submission listings. 

*Updates, edits and/or changes to any part of listings (artist name/title/medium/size/price of work) after entry and for the in-gallery exhibition can be made only by contacting WAC.  A $20 administrative fee will be applied to make any requested changes to listings of invited works.  

UPLOADED IMAGE SPECIFICATIONS:

Be sure to have upload-ready JPG files:

File format: JPEG or JPG only

All images should be at least 300 dpi

File dimensions: 1200 pixels or greater on the longest side.

File size: under 5 MB

Please name each jpg file with the title of the work and specify full, alternate or detail view.

IMPORTANT ENTRY DATES:

• Online Call for Entries Opens - July 1, 2025
• Final Deadline for Entries - October 16, 2025, at Midnight MST
• Notification of Accepted/Declined Work - November 3, 2025  (Jury result notification will be communicated by email only.)

COMMUNICATIONS:
Notification to artists will occur via email. Multiple submissions may receive two different email notifications–one for accepted work and one for work that has been declined. An email will be sent for each image submitted. Please read each result email carefully, to understand the status of each submission. The artist contact email provided on the online application must remain active during the submission and exhibition process. The artist is responsible for checking email (and SPAM) for acceptance and/or decline and other information regarding Wayne Art Center’s 2026 Art Quilt Elements. No communications will be mailed regarding acceptance and/or declined information. Please do not contact Wayne Art Center for updates regarding notifications until after November 4, 2025.

SHIPPING AND DELIVERY OF WORK:
Shipped and hand-delivered work should arrive at Wayne Art Center between Wednesday, March 11 - Friday, March 13, 2026; 10am–5pm.

Artists are responsible for ALL shipping costs. The work must be shipped via FedEx or UPS and A PRE-PAID RETURN-SHIPPING LABEL MUST BE ENCLOSED WITH THE WORK. No work will be exhibited that does not include a prepaid shipping label. If artwork is purchased, the return shipping label will not be used and therefore the noted account will not be billed.

INSURANCE:

Wayne Art Center will insure AQE 2026 work for 60% of its retail value while on the premises after it has been determined that sent work has arrived unharmed.

Artists are financially responsible for the cost of shipping to Wayne Art Center and for return shipping and all in-transit insurance.

WAC will not be responsible for loss or damage to work in transit to or from Wayne Art Center.

Hand-delivered work not retrieved by May 31, 2026, will become the property of Wayne Art Center.

Wayne Art Center provides insurance coverage only while work is on our premises. Once the artwork is shipped with the designated carrier, insurance is the responsibility of the artist and not WAC. In the event of damage or loss in transit, the artist is responsible to settle all claims directly with the shipping carrier.

While all precautions will be taken to ensure the protection of submitted work upon receipt, Wayne Art Center cannot assume liability for any loss or damage to artwork in transportation. Artists and agents must arrange their own shipping and in-transit insurance.

For internationally accepted work, please review the country-of-origin shipping and customs regulations and the best way for US customs to receive work. Regulations and rules change frequently and can cause artwork to be delayed in customs or returned to the artist. Often a commercial invoice is required for return shipping.

IMPORTANT EXHIBITION DATES:

• EXHIBITION DATES - Monday, March 23 – Saturday, April 25, 2026
  Gallery Hours: Monday–Friday 10am - 5pm, Saturday 10am – 4pm, Closed Sundays and Holidays
• RECEPTION - Sunday, March 29, 2026,  3-5pm
• RETRIEVAL OF WORK - April 27-29  10am-5pm
• RETURN PACKING AND SHIPMENT OF WORK - Work will be repacked and ready for shipping around April 31, 2026.  All works must be delivered to Wayne Art Center with a return shipping label if work is to be shipped back.

SALES POLICY:
All work submitted to AQE 2026 must be available for sale and once accepted into the show, remain on display throughout the duration of the exhibition. NFS or POR submissions will not be accepted. There is no threshold for the level of artwork pricing; however, Wayne Art Center recommends that works not exceed $10,000.

The sale price submitted on the entry form must remain throughout the duration of the show. Wayne Art Center will retain 40% commission of the sale price, or on any sale that results from mediation by the Wayne Art Center staff.

INSTALLATION:
All work should be submitted installation ready.  Work should be accompanied by rails or rods for wall installation.  If the artwork installation is overly complex, Wayne Art Center will contact the artist to request assistance with the installation process. The artist may be required to assume financial responsibility for any alterations (painted walls, site-specific pedestals, armatures, lighting, electrical, etc.) that are requested or required by a particular installation. The artist is welcome to install their complex artworks if necessary. Installation requests must be requested in advance and approved by Wayne Art Center.

QUESTIONS:
For questions regarding prospectus and exhibition, please contact Pam McLean-Parker, exhibition coordinator at pam@wayneart.org or 610-688-3553, ext. 211. For online submission support with CaFE, please direct your inquiries to cafe@westaf.org.

Wayne Art Center Contact:
Pam McLean-Parker, Exhibition Coordinator
Wayne Art Center
413 Maplewood Avenue
Wayne, PA 19087
610-688-3553
wayneart.org
artquiltelements.org

Application Requirements

Artists may submit up to THREE works per application. A maximum of six images may be uploaded to show an alternate view or detail of each piece for up to three pieces.

Entry fee is $50 per application.

Artists are permitted to submit additional applications. The artist should use the same name and contact information (including email) for both applications but must use a different username/account for additional applications.

UPLOADED IMAGE SPECIFICATIONS

Be sure to have upload-ready JPG files:

File format: JPEG or JPG only

All images should be at least 300 dpi

File dimensions: 1200 pixels or greater on the longest side.

File size: under 5 MB

Please name each jpg file with the title of the work and specify full, alternate or detail view.

Eligibility Criteria

• Artists must be 18 years of age or older.
• Works submitted must be original in design. Collaborative works are accepted.
• Work must have been completed in the last two years (after January 1, 2024).
• Work previously exhibited at Wayne Art Center is not eligible.
• All work must be for sale.
• Work must remain on display for the duration of the exhibit.
• All works must be for sale.
• Size Limitations:  Works of any size not exceeding 12' (144") high will be considered.
• All artwork submitted online to AQE 2026 MUST be available for the entire duration of the jurying process and exhibition.  If a piece is accepted to both AQE 2026 and a simultaneously running exhibit, the piece must only be exhibited in AQE 2026. 
• Withdrawal of invited work by the artist prior to the exhibition will result in exclusion from exhibiting at WAC the following year.
• Wayne Art Center reserves the right to reject entries that do not meet the requirements.  Work that differs from the work invited through digital submissions will be disqualified.