Call Description

The James Library & Center for the Arts 2025 Annual Fall Juried Show

Sponsored by the Cordelia Family Foundation.

EXHIBITION PROSPECTUS

Exhibition Dates: October 17, 2025 to November 22, 2025

Opening Reception: October 17, 2025    6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

All eligible, accepted work will be available for viewing and purchase in person and on our online gallery at JamesLibrary.org

EXHIBITION THEME: Open—Non-specific

ELIGIBILITY

Open to all painting and drawing, sculpture, graphics, photography, ceramic, textiles, wood or metal work, and mixed media.

You must be age 18 or older to submit work.

No pieces may have been shown or displayed previously at The James Library & Center for the Arts.

All works must be original and created within the last three years.

All entries for this exhibit must be submitted online through CAFÉ:  www.CallForEntry.org

Works should not exceed 72 inches in any dimension (including diagonal) or weigh more than 75 pounds, if hung*. Works must be framed or otherwise ready for hanging/installation. Pieces must be wired or hanger clips attached on each side of piece. No French Cleat style hangers are allowed. No clamped glass, cardboard, paste-on or saw tooth hangers allowed. Large 2D pieces normally framed in glass that exceed 48 inches in either direction must be framed using an acrylic glazing (such as Plexiglas) only. Any sculpture or 3D pieces that require a pedestal must be included in entry and available for use should the piece be accepted. *Sculpture entries cannot weigh over 200 lbs. Due to space constraints, all 2D pieces must not exceed 48 inches x 72 inches and 3D pieces must not exceed 36 inches x 60 inches. No pieces may be larger than 72 inches on the diagonal.

Due to safety concerns, any work found to not be suitably framed may be disqualified and rejected from the exhibit with no refund of entry fee(s).

Any work accepted for the exhibition that is not deemed representative of what was presented in the submission process is subject to rejection with no reimbursement of entry fee(s). This includes any changes or modifications to the work.

All pieces must be available for exhibit throughout the duration of the exhibition. All work must be available for sale. A 35% commission/donation to The James will be due within 14 days from close of the exhibit. Accepted works not made available for the full duration of the exhibit will be disqualified from the exhibit as well as from receiving any awards possibly won. No early pickups. No exceptions.

Artists, or an assigned representative, must submit accepted works in person. No exceptions. All pieces must be labeled on the back with artist name, title of work, and contact information on the standard form provided on the James Library & Center for the Arts’ website.  

REQUIRED ARTWORK DATA

Title

Medium

Creation Year

Size (Width x Height x Depth) in inches  (image size)

Price in USD

ORIGINALITY & RIGHTS

Artworks must be entirely the work of the entrant, executed without the supervision of an instructor.

Artists should have all the rights to present and publish their artworks.

Entries must not be copies or derivatives based in any way on other copyrighted or published paintings, photographs, or other artistic work. Any infraction of this rule will result in disqualification.

SUBMISSION FEES

$15 per entry

Limit 6 entries per artist

*All fees are non-refundable

JUROR

Nancy McCarthy

Massachusetts College of Art and Design

NANCY McCARTHY is a painter who works both from imagination and observation. Exhibitions include: “Veils,” There Gallery, NYC; “Beyond Texture,” Truro Center for the Arts, Truro, MA; “The Unstilllife,” Guest artist, Zeuxis,University of Arkansas, Fort Smith, AK; “A Cat May Look,” Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA; solo exhibition, Fitchburg University; "Color Works," Truro Center for Arts, Truro, MA; Manifest Drawing and Painting Center, Cincinnati, OH; Simmons College, Boston; Gutman Library, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA; and Bowery Gallery, NY. Awards include: a residency at the Inside Out Museum in Beijing China, a St. Botolph Foundation Award, Artist's Grant, Vermont Studio Center and a Ragdale Foundation Fellowship. She has served as a mentor in both MassArt's and Lesley University's low residency MFA Programs and has taught painting, drawing and color courses at Massachusetts College of Art and Design since 2005. In 2018 she was a visiting artist at the Beijing Royal Academy in Beijing, China. She is a co-owner of Black Pond Studio in Rehoboth, MA.

AWARDS

$250.00 Best in Show

$125.00 Second Place

$75.00 Third place

*Four honorable mentions

IMPORTANT DATES:

August 6, 2025 through October 1,  2025 11:59 pm EST: Online entries accepted on CAFÉ:  www.CallForEntry.org

October 6, 2025: List of accepted works will be posted on The James Library & Center for the Arts website after 9:00 pm.

October 8, 9, 2025: Drop off of accepted works during business hours. See website for current hours of operation. https://www.jameslibrary.org/location-hours

October 17, 2025: Opening Reception, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

November 22, 2025: End of exhibition

November 25, 26, 2025: Pickup of unsold artwork during business hours. See website for current hours of operation. https://www.jameslibrary.org/location-hours

*Artists will be charged a $5.00 per day fee for any work not picked up by December 9, 2025

Application Requirements

You must be age 18 or older to submit work.

No pieces may have been shown or displayed previously at The James Library & Center for the Arts.

All works must be original and created within the last three years.

All entries for this exhibit must be submitted online through CAFÉ:  www.CallForEntry.org

SUBMISSION FEES

$15 per entry

Limit 6 entries per artist

*All fees are non-refundable

You understand that The James Library & Center for the Arts requests a 35% donation/commission for any pieces sold during the run of the exhibit and a 10% donation/commission for any pieces that sell within 60 days after the close of the exhibit and are sold as a result of being included in this exhibition.

Eligibility Criteria

Open to all painting and drawing, sculpture, graphics, photography, ceramic, textiles, wood or metal work and mixed media.

ABOUT THE JAMES LIBRARY & CENTER FOR THE ARTS

The James Library & Center for the Arts is a nonprofit organization offering programs in music, art, and literature. Housed in a landmark 1874 Victorian building in the heart of historic Norwell Center, in Norwell, Massachusetts. The James features a concert hall with a Steinway B grand piano, a free lending library, and an art gallery offering new exhibits each month.

The James is a vibrant place within the South Shore of Boston arts community offering high quality programming in music, literature, and visual Arts.