Call Description

You are invited to apply to be a part of McGuffey Art Center’s Second-Annual Mid-Atlantic Juried Show! 

McGuffey Art Center is located in downtown Charlottesville, VA and is one of the oldest artist-run cooperative art centers in the country. The show will take place April 3 - April 25, 2026 in the historic elementary school building that is McGuffey’s home and will feature an opening reception on Friday, April 3, 2026, 5:30 - 7:30pm.

Any artist residing in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, or North Carolina may enter. All work must be original and completed within the last three years.The competition is open to the following categories: painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, fiber, sculpture and mixed media. 2-D entries should not exceed 8 feet in any direction. No entry that requires the artist to be present for moving or assembly will be accepted.

All of the works are available for purchase unless designated “Not for Sale” at the time of entry. Artists receive 65% of the sale price of their art. McGuffey receives 35% of the sales price. For sold work, a check will be mailed to artists a few weeks after the show end date.

Find us online: Visit the McGuffey Art Center website for more information at https://www.mcguffeyartcenter.com/mid-atlanticshow or email mac@mcguffeyartcenter.com with specific questions using the subject line, “Juried Show 2026.”

Our Jurors:

Maya Brooks, Associate Curator of Contemporary Art at the North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh and Winston-Salem 

Karen E. Milbourne, PhD, J. Sanford Miller Family Director at The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Deadline for entries: Thursday, January 15, 2026
Notification of decision sent to artists: Sunday, February 15, 2026
Receiving accepted hand delivered work: March 26 - 28, 2026
Receiving accepted work-shipped by March 26, 2026
First Friday Opening Reception: Friday, April 3, 2026
Show closes: Saturday, April 25, 2027
Ship returns/In-person pick up: April 26 -April 29, 2026 

INSURANCE

McGuffey Art Center is not responsible for theft or damage of artwork from any cause whatsoever. Artists should insure their own work. McGuffey will not be responsible for insuring work in transit or on exhibit or for works unclaimed after date specified in contract.

DELIVERY OF ACCEPTED WORK

Entries may be shipped or hand-delivered to:

McGuffey Art Center
201 2nd St., NW
Room: Office
Charlottesville, VA 22902
phone: (434) 295-7973
mac@mcguffeyartcenter.com

Shipped entries must be sent in reusable containers (no packing peanuts) with return shipping form enclosed. Works selected for exhibition must either be delivered in-person or shipped PREPAID

A $15 handling fee is required for each piece accepted to the show. If shipping, please include a check made payable to McGuffey Art Center. If dropping off in-person, you are welcome to pay by check or by credit card at the front desk.
 

Application Requirements

Online through CaFE only, at  www.callforentry.org.  
You will need to create an account (unless you already have one). It is free.
Populate your CaFE portfolio with images and information as instructed inside your account.

A non-refundable application fee of $35.00 covers up to three (3) submissions per artist.

McGuffey Art Center Association Member Application Fee: $25.00. Obtain coupon code by contacting MAC front desk.

Payment can be made securely online through CaFÉ. Payment options with CaFÉ include credit cards, PayPal, and check.

All work must be original and completed within the last three years.The competition is open to the following categories: painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, fiber, sculpture and mixed media. 2-D entries should not exceed 8 feet in any direction. No entry that requires the artist to be present for moving or assembly will be accepted.

Eligibility Criteria

Any artist residing in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, or North Carolina may enter.