Call Description

***Entry Fee: $25 is required. Artists will receive an invoice via email approximately 3-5 business days after we receive your entry.

EXHIBITION TITLE: Rooted In Nature

EXHIBITION DATES: June 1 - July 1, 2026

EXHIBITION THEME:
When human creativity intertwines with the natural world, something profound emerges. Rooted In Nature explores the abundant beauty of nature focusing on its textures, colors, and rhythms through an artistic lens. The show highlights the dialogue between humanity and the environment. IU Kokomo Art Gallery invites artists to submit works inspired by the natural earth or art created using organic, earth-derived materials. 

ELIGIBILITY: This juried exhibition is open to all artists over the age of 18, who reside in the United States. 

• All work must be original and completed in the last two years.
• All work must be accurately represented in the images and submitted in JPEG file format (exceptions apply for video and audio files).
• Works created by Artificial Intelligence (AI) are not eligible.
• Artist must pay the entry fee invoice to complete their submission. Unpaid submission fees are not eligible to be reviewed by the jury for consideration in the exhibition.
• Artworks must arrive ready to hang. (see the Presentation & Hanging section for further details)

Artworks not meeting all eligibility criteria will not be exhibited.

ENTRY FEE: A $25 is required. Artists will receive an invoice via email (gallery2@iu.edu), to pay their entry fee online. The email is not automatic, therefore artists can expect gallery staff to send this to them approximately 3-5 business days after the entry is received on CaFÉ. Gallery staff will change the status of each entry to show as "Incomplete" while the entry fee payment is pending. After the gallery has confirmation that the entry fee has been paid, we will update your status to "Reviewed" until it is time for the jury process to begin. All completed submissions eligible for review by the juror will have their status changed back to "Received" as the start of the jury process. Artists who have not paid the entry fee by the required deadline will not be eligible to the exhibition and forfeit their right to be included in the jury process. 

ENTRY IMAGES: Artworks will be chosen from the images and videos that are submitted by the deadline. Image flies must be in JPEG format and may not exceed 5MB (exceptions apply for video and audio files). For 3D works only, artists may send up to 2 (two) additional detail images of each 3D piece to gallery2@iu.edu. The gallery reserves the right to reproduce images of works accepted into the show for promotional purposes and for documentation of the exhibition. **IMPORTANT NOTE: For accepted artworks, artists will be asked to provide a high-resolution JPEG image of the artwork for use in the exhibitions catalog.

PRESENTATION & HANGING: Professional presentation of each piece is required for display in the IU Kokomo Art Gallery. Videos  2D and 3D work are all eligible. 

• 2D: All 2D works must be ready to hang with a secure hanging wire on the back. Each piece must be either framed, presented with clean/gallery wrapped canvas sides, or with presentably finished edges. Photographs and works on paper must be in a frame with wire for hanging. (no sawtooth hangers)
• 3D: 3D works must be ready to display on a standard pedestal. If the piece requires any custom display equipment, it must be provided by the artist. For artworks over 5 feet or 100 lbs., please contact the gallery prior to completing your entry so we can first determine if the gallery will be able to accommodate the piece if it is selected (gallery2@iu.edu).
• VIDEO: The gallery will display videos on a large flatscreen TV. If the artist may contact the gallery if they wishes to provide equipment for an alternative display method for their video.

DELIVERY & PICK-UP:  Delivery and pick-up of artwork will be the responsibility of the artist. The artist may choose to either personally drop-off and pick-up the work during regular gallery hours or ship their work directly to the gallery. It is the artist’s responsibility to send any shipped artwork in a sturdy, reusable box with a PREPAID return shipping label inside (please no packing peanuts).  Any artworks shipped without a return shipping label or works not picked up within 30 days after the end of the show will become the property of the Indiana University Kokomo Art Gallery and may be disposed of at our own discretion. 

QUESTIONS: Questions should be directed to gallery2@iu.edu with the subject line "Rooted In Nature".

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

• Entries due: 04/12/2026
• Notifications: 05/04/2026
• Artwork Received: 05/ 18-21 /2026, (during gallery hours, M-Th 10-5pm) or by appointment
• Exhibition Dates: 06/01 - 07/01/2026
• Closing Reception: 07/01/26 4-6 pm (attending artists may collect their artwork after 6 pm)
• Artwork Pick-up: 07/2/2026 & 7/6-9/2026 (during gallery hours, M-Th 10-5 pm) or by appointment

GALLERY INFO:

The IU Kokomo Art Gallery is located on the Indiana University Kokomo campus. The gallery displays artwork by students, faculty, alumni as well as local, regional and national artists. 

**Please note, submissions to our juried exhibitions do require a $25 entry fee, but the gallery CANNOT collect payment through CAFÉ. Artists will receive an invoice to pay their entry fee via email (gallery2@iu.edu), approximately 3-5 business days after we receive your entry. Artist entry fee payments must be completed before the entry will be made visible to the juror. (see the Entry Fee section for further details)

HOURS: Monday-Thursday: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Email Address: gallery2@iu.edu
                         Subject line: Rooted In Nature

Drop-off Address: 2300 S. Washington St., Kokomo, IN (Room KA-102, next to the IUK Library)

Shipping Address: Indiana University Kokomo, ATTN: IU Kokomo Art Gallery, 2300 S. Washington St., Kokomo, IN 46902

Application Requirements

1. All entries must be made through CaFÉ.
2. All entries will be chosen from the images and videos submitted on CaFÉ.
3. All work must be accurately represented by the submitted images and in JPEG file format (exceptions apply for video and audio files)

Artworks not meeting these criteria will not be considered by the juror.

Eligibility Criteria

This juried exhibition is open to all artists over the age of 18, who reside in the United States. 

1. All work must be original and completed by the artist within the last two years. Works created by Artificial Intelligence (AI) are not eligible.
2. Artist must pay the entry fee to complete their submission. Submissions with unpaid entry fees are not eligible to be reviewed by the jury for consideration in the exhibition. (see the Entry Fee section for further details)
3. Artworks must arrive ready to hang. (see the Presentation & Hanging section for further details)

Artworks not meeting these criteria will not be eligible for to be included in the exhibition.