Call Description

Tennessee Craft seeks entries for ‘2025 Tennessee Craft Member Exhibition’, to highlight and promote the excellence and high standards of Tennessee Craft member artists and to provide public visibility and recognition for the quality and diversity of craft found in Tennessee. The exhibition is open to original works of craft created by artists 18 years of age or older, including students. All applicants must be 2025 members of Tennessee Craft to be considered for jury.

Approximately 70 pieces of artwork will be selected for this craft exhibition, hosted by The Pryor Art Gallery, Columbia State Community College, Columbia, Tennessee. 

Dates for the public exhibition are October 27 – December 11, 2025. A closing reception will be held December 11, 2025.

Application Requirements

Artists may submit up to three (3) craft pieces for exhibit consideration. Each piece should be represented by one image; no detail views or images depicting the same piece from multiple angles.

ENTRY FEE
A single non-refundable fee of $30, payable by check, credit or debit card, must be included at the time of application at CaFE’. Application fee is non-refundable.

DEADLINE FOR ENTRY
All entry forms must be electronically submitted no later than 11:59 PM Mountain Time August 16, 2025. 

Printed applications and/or mailed submissions will not be accepted.

Eligibility Criteria

ELIGIBILITY

The application is open to craft artists 18 years or older, including students. Applicants must be 2025 members of Tennessee Craft. Work must be original, not previously exhibited at a Tennessee Craft exhibition, and within generally accepted craft media. Notwithstanding the eligibility criteria stated herein, no person shall be excluded from entry on the grounds of race, ethnicity, age, ability, sexuality, gender identity, religion, citizenship, socioeconomic status, geographic origin, language, or appearance.

Original artwork only may be submitted. Any commercially made embellishments must be subordinate to the handcrafted work. Finished pieces must show a manipulation of the materials and originality in design to be eligible. For upcycled/recycled artwork, including jewelry, the finished pieces must show a manipulation of the materials and originality in design beyond the purchased or found components to be eligible. In addition, computer-assisted works are not allowed unless the generated components are subordinate to the finished artwork. Artwork produced with commercial kits, molds, patterns, plans, prefabricated forms or other commercial methods are ineligible.

Eligible crafts include: basketry, books/paper, clay, drawing, fiber/textile, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, wood and other.

• Basketry: Functional and sculptural works where the material used is woven or plaited.
• Books/Paper: Functional and sculptural work created primarily from paper.
• Clay: Functional and sculptural work where the primary material is clay. All original clay and porcelain work other than jewelry is accepted in this category. No machine-made or mass-produced work is permitted. Molds, if used, must be made by the artist and subordinate to the overall finished work.
• Drawing: Work created in which the main body is made by using dry media including chalk, charcoal, pastels, pencil, wax, crayons, etc. or from a fluid medium of ink.
• Fiber/Textiles: Wall hangings, quilts, rugs, wearable items, etc. where the primary material is fiber are to be entered in this category.
• Furniture: Work where the primary intention is furniture, including lamps. All media are included.
• Glass: Functional and sculptural work where the primary material is glass. No forms of mass production are permitted.
• Jewelry: Work made from precious or semi-precious materials as well as other materials such as glass, ceramic, paper, fiber, wood, leather, polymer clay, etc. Any commercially-made embellishments must be subordinate to the handcrafted work. No commercial casts, molds or production studio work is allowed.
• Leather: Functional and sculptural work where the primary material used is leather.
• Metal: Functional and sculptural work where the primary material is metal, and includes all non-sculptural, non-jewelry works crafted from metals. No production studio work is allowed. In addition, CAD- or CNC-assisted works are not allowed unless the generated components are subordinate to the finished artwork.
• Mixed Media: Work that is three-dimensional and the primary intention of the work is the union of two or more media. Note: Jewelry is not considered mixed media.
• Painting: Original 2-D works created with acrylics, oils, watercolor/gouache or other type paints.
• Photography: Photographic prints made from the artist's original negative or digital image processing, and which have been processed by that artist, or under his or her direct supervision, are included in this category. All prints must be signed and numbered, regardless of size or mounting substrate. Photographs taken by digital means and works consisting of photographs that have been manipulated using a computer are allowed; however, work that has been significantly manipulated into the final artwork may be considered Digital Art and may not be allowed.
• Printmaking: Printed works from which the artist's hand manipulated the plates, stones or screens and which have been properly signed and numbered as a limited edition, may be entered in this category.
• Wood: Functional and sculptural work where the primary material is wood. Original works must be hand-tooled, machine-worked, turned or carved.
• Other: Work made from components which fall outside of media categories previously listed. Examples might include musical instruments, brooms, kaleidoscopes and the like. Note: Packaged foods, living botanicals, candles, soaps and other non-craft items are ineligible and should not apply under this category or any other category.

GUEST JUROR
Ellen Kleckner (she/her) is an artist and educator based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Her interdisciplinary practice integrates community engagement, material exploration, and collaboration. Kleckner holds a BFA in Ceramics from the Appalachian Center for Craft and an MFA from Ohio University. Kleckner is the Executive Director of the Iowa Ceramics Center and Glass Studio, a nonprofit art center that supports artists and learners of all levels. Her work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally, including at KVALITRA Gallery (Czech Republic), Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Baltimore Jewelry Center, Gilded Pear Gallery, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, and the Mezinarodni Muzeum Keramiky. She has received numerous grants and awards in support of her craft-based research. www.elenkleckner.com

JURYING
Jurying will be conducted solely from images submitted through callforentry.org.

The  Art Gallery is unable to show works depicting nudity, demons, or violence, and has the final discretion of work that is appropriate for their viewing community.

SALES

Sales will be handled by The Pryor Art Gallery.  The artist will receive 80% of the sales; the Gallery will receive 20% of the sales.

Artwork available for purchase should be labeled “For Sale” when shipped/delivered to the Gallery, with the retail price clearly marked (if different than the insurance value).

Sold artwork must remain on display for the duration of the exhibit.

AWARDS
Recognition certificates will be presented at the conclusion of the exhibition.

TRANSPORTATION/DELIVERY/INSTALLATION

Work must be ready to hang or display. The artist must furnish any special hanging or display devices, including a mount if it is necessary for display, or, if it is meant to hang, including hanging equipment (e.g. a measured slat with pre-attached Velcro).

Hanging pieces without hanging equipment (E.g., cleats/Velcro and corresponding slat/hanging rings, etc.) will not be displayed, or if there is available space, and at the Gallery discretion, they may be laid flat. Artists should note any special handling or care of artwork on a separate sheet of paper, included in the shipping container with artwork.

Each artist is responsible for the cost of transporting artwork to and from the Gallery as well as insurance while in transit to and from the Gallery. Artwork may be shipped or hand delivered. If shipped, all artwork must include an artist-provided return shipping label included in the shipped artwork at the time the work is received by the Gallery.

Note: All work must be packed in strong reusable containers.

Neither Tennessee Craft nor Gallery will be responsible for breakage due to incorrect packing or inadequate containers. Artists will be notified immediately regarding work which arrives in damaged condition. Damaged work, or work that is damaged in transit, will not be exhibited and will be returned to the artist using the artist-provided shipping label. Alternatively, the artist may pick up the damaged work from the Gallery in person.

If shipping, artists are responsible for checking with the shipper regarding insurance and correct packing procedures. All artwork shipped must include a return shipping label provided by the artist at the time the artwork is delivered to the Gallery for the exhibit. Additionally, please make certain that the package will NOT arrive at the Gallery on the weekend when there is no certified registrar staff on duty to receive it and take it to secure storage.

Ship to:

ATTN: Gabriel Trius

The Pryor Art Gallery
Wayman L. Hickman Bldg.
Columbia State Community College
1665 Hampshire Pike
Columbia, TN  38401

 All work to be exhibited, whether hand-delivered or shipped to the Gallery, must be received between October 14 – 17, 2025

Artists wishing to hand-deliver their artwork to the Gallery may do so during normal business hours, which are as follows:
Monday – Thursday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Friday, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

To make a reservation or for any specific hand-delivery instructions, contact:

Gabriel Trius, Curator
The Pryor Art Gallery
931.540.2883

Transportation, shipping, and related expenses to and from the Gallery are the sole responsibility of the artist. Unsold artwork will be returned using shipping label(s) provided by the artist or may be picked up in person.

If picking up artwork, artists pick-up can occur December 11, after the closing of the exhibition, or Friday, December 12, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm, or Monday, December 15, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Please contact the gallery curator to make other arrangements.

Added Note: If invited to exhibit, detailed artwork delivery information will be provided to each invited artist.

LIABILITY

INSURANCE: Columbia State Community College will maintain insurance on the work from the time of delivery of the artwork through the agreement term and the 3-day removal

period. Columbia State Community College will notify artist promptly if it becomes aware of damage, destruction, or theft of the artwork. The Artist/Responsible Party agrees to inspect the artwork within 5 days of receipt from The Pryor Art Gallery. The Artist shall check for any visible damage or discrepancies and promptly report any issues to The Pryor Art Gallery in writing with accompanying photos of damage. Failure to conduct this inspection and communicate within the specified timeframe (5 days) may affect the Artist's rights under this agreement. If shipping, note that carriers may have different requirements for inspection and reporting timeframes and The Pryor Art Gallery cannot be responsible for damage caused by carriers.

The Artist grants The Pryor Art Gallery, Columbia State Community College, and the Columbia State Community College Foundation permission to photograph, record, and use images and/or audio of the Artist(s) submitted works and related materials for noncommercial, educational, and promotional purposes. This includes, but is not limited to, use in printed materials, on social media, in press releases, on websites, and in presentations. All efforts will be made to credit the Artist in any public use of their work.

IMPORTANT DATES

June 13, 2025: Call to Artists opens.

August 16, 2025: Deadline for receipt of entries.
Week of September 15: Notification of selected artworks.
October 14 – 17, 2025: Receipt of selected work at The Pryor Art Gallery.
October 27, 2025: Exhibition opens to public

December 11, 2025, 5 PM – 7 PM:  Public closing reception

December 12 & 15, 2025:  Pick up of hand delivered artworks.

Week of December 15, 2025:  Shipped work returned to artist using artist-provided shipping labels.