Call Description

The Cultural Center of Cape Cod invites artists to submit works for Unfinished Woman, an exhibition inspired by Joan Anderson’s A Year by the Sea series.

This show honors a profound and often overlooked chapter in life—the moment after the roles of partner, best friend, volunteer, and caretaker begin to fade, and a woman is left staring at the mirror, asking: Who am I beyond the roles that I play?

With few cultural roadmaps, limited resources, and too little visibility, women at this stage are expected to vanish quietly. Instead, they are awakening.

Unfinished Woman invites artwork that embraces this season of emergence—raw, real, and unapologetically incomplete. It celebrates the messy middle: the space between who we were told to be and who we are finally ready to become. 

• Radical Reinvention in Midlife - This is not a second act, this is a reclamation.
• The Sacred Solitude of Becoming - There is power in stepping away. From noise. From duty. From the gaze of others.
• The Beauty of the Unfinished Self - We live in a culture obsessed with arriving—At success. At love. At wholeness. At answers. But the truth is, we are never finished.

$1,000 Best in Show cash prize

IMPORTANT DATES

• Show runs from October 6 –November 1, 2025
• JPEGs due by Friday, September 19, 2025
• Notification of acceptance by Sunday, September 21, 2025
• Local drop-off of work on Monday, October 6, 2025, between 8am - noon
• Work being shipped must arrive by Friday, October 3, 2025
• Opening reception with Joan Anderson, Thursday, October 9, from 5-7pm
• Pick up unsold work, Monday, November 3, between 8am - noon.
• Work being shipped will be sent the week of Monday, November 10, 2025

ENTRY FEE

$30 for first entry and $5 for each additional entry, you may enter up to 20 total. Payment is non-refundable and does not guarantee acceptance.

Who is Joan Anderson?

Joan Anderson is a bestselling author, speaker, and spiritual guide whose work has deeply resonated with women seeking transformation later in life. Best known for her memoir A Year by the Sea: Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman, Anderson chronicles her bold decision to step away from the roles of wife, mother, and caregiver to rediscover herself in solitude by the ocean. With honesty, vulnerability, and poetic insight, her writing gives voice to the internal struggles many women face as they transition into a new identity—one no longer defined by others’ needs but by their own desires and authenticity. Through her books, retreats, and public speaking, Anderson has become a powerful advocate for midlife renewal, urging women to embrace the freedom that comes with unfinishedness and to live fully in their own becoming.

Curator

Molly Demeuleanere is an innovative curator recognized for her daring, thought‑provoking exhibitions that push the boundaries of contemporary art. With a keen eye for work that challenges narratives and ignites conversation, she has introduced the region to engaging installations, multimedia storytelling, and voices that provoke emotional and philosophical reflection. Molly’s approach centers on creating immersive, layered experiences—where art becomes an entryway into deeper questions about identity, society, and transformation. Her curatorial projects consistently elevate artists, revealing the surprising, the unfinished, and the essential.

 ELIGIBILITY

This call is open to artists worldwide, both amateur and professional. 

RULES

Work that is copied or done under the guidance of an instructor is not eligible. Please submit only work that will be available at the time of the exhibit and will remain for its entirety. If the work does not fully reflect what is represented on the jpeg the Cultural Center reserves the right to eliminate it from the exhibition.

FRAMING

Framed work must be fitted firmly in frame with wire for hanging. No loose glass over mats. Gallery wrapped canvases are permitted. Poorly presented work will not be hung.

 ARTWORK DELIVERY

Airfloat Systems' are recommended and a handling fee of $25 will be charged to the artist if a proper art box is not used for shipping.

The artist is responsible for shipping costs to and from the gallery. 

Please send work to:
The Cultural Center of Cape Cod
Attn: Molly Demeulenaere
307 Old Main Street
South Yarmouth, MA 02664

Artists must issue pre-paid return labels for their works through UPS, FedEx, or USPS.

Works should be shipped in reusable containers for return. PLEASE MAKE YOUR RETURN LABEL EASY TO FIND UPON UNPACKING. Clearly indicate any packing directions for return of works. Works that do not include a return label, and/or works that are not picked up within one month of the end of the exhibition become property of the Center.

NO PACKING PEANUTS. 

NOTIFICATION

Notification will be done by email. If for any reason you do not receive your notification by the notification date, please check the filters in your email account.

FORMATTING

All images must be in JPEG or JPG format using CaFÉ guidelines. The image size must be 1,200 pixels or greater on the longest side. Maximum file size is 5 mb.  

SALES

The Center lists exhibiting work for sale using the price of the work listed on the artist’s CaFe account. It is the artist’s responsibility to ensure that their sale price is correct in their CaFe account. All works should be for sale. Members of the Cultural Center are charged a 30% commission on all sales, non-members a 40% commission.

REGULATIONS

By submitting images, you agree that the images are your own work, you own all rights to the images, and you take full responsibility for the content of all images, including the likeness of recognizable individuals. The actual artwork will remain the property of the artist. The artists will grant copyright to the Cultural Center for display and promotional use. By entering our calls for art through Cafe you are agreeing to be added to the Cultural Center of Cape Cod's email list for forthcoming artist opportunities.

LIABILITY

The gallery staff will take great care handling artworks for exhibition. However, Center and its staff are not responsible for any damage that may occur. We strongly recommend artists insure the works themselves, and also purchase insurance from the shipping company used. Shipping your work means you agree to this.

**Disclaimer: The Center’s insurance does not cover damage to art during shipping and transit to or from The Center. Artists should insure all work to and from The Center.

The Center would like to know the stories behind this work. Please make sure that your artist statement on CaFe is 1000 characters (including spaces and punctuation) or less. Please also make sure that your statement is free of grammatical errors. 

Submissions: All entries and payments must be submitted via Call for Entries (Cafe). Please follow the directions on Cafe. If you have exhibition questions, please contact exhibitions@cultural-center.org; questions related to submitting through the Cafe platform should be directed to Cafe. 

All 3D works that require presentation other than standard pedestals must include those items with the works. Works that require special installation must come with clear instructions. Any works that require complicated specialized installation must be installed by the artist. ALL WORK MUST BE HANG/PRESENTATION READY. We reserve the right to reject work for the exhibition that differs significantly from the submitted images and/ or for craft issues. 

Application Requirements

All images must be in JPEG or JPG format using CaFÉ guidelines. The image size must be 1,200 pixels or greater on the longest side. Maximum file size is 5 mb.  

Eligibility Criteria

This call is open to artists worldwide, both amateur and professional. Work needs to have been produced within the last five years. All styles and aesthetics are considered. The Cultural Center is a public non-profit art center open to everyone; as such, the content of submissions should be appropriate for all viewers.