Call Description

What is DownEast?
The DownEast National Juried Sculpture Exhibition celebrates its 20th year in 2026! The exhibition has two components: a month-long indoor exhibition and a year-long outdoor exhibition. 

Entries and Fees
All entries are to be submitted digitally through www.callforentry.org (CaFÉ). Please retain a copy of the information you provide on the entry form.

If you have not registered previously with CaFÉ, setting up your portfolio is free. CaFÉ requires that all images conform to a specific format. Before you begin the entry process, review CaFÉ’s instructions and tutorials. For technical assistance with your entry, please see https://www.callforentry.org/cafehelp.phtml, or contact cafe@westaf.org.

Each artist may submit up to 6 entries. Artists are required to submit 3 entries for a fee of $20, with the option to submit 3 additional entries at $5 each. There is a limit of 6 entries per artist.

Each entry will receive the jury’s decision in a separate email, via CaFÉ, no later than January 31, 2026. It is the artist’s responsibility to monitor his/her CaFÉ account where all submissions will be listed and marked either invited or not under “My CaFÉ Entries”.

It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to note each artwork's application number, as this identifier will be used to announce the accepted works. Please retain a copy of the information you provide on the entry form.

Entries will be active on the CaFÉ website beginning November 20, 2025, and must be completed by 11:59PM MST on January 15, 2026.

Indoor Exhibition Eligibility
This exhibition is open to all artists ages 18 and up. Any three-dimensional media is eligible. Indoor submissions must fit through a standard sized door (36”x80”). Work must be ready for display. All entries must be submitted digitally. Work submitted that is above our insurance value may not be accepted into the exhibition. All work must be able to be exhibited for the length of the exhibition, March 6-28, 2026.

Drop-Off and Pickup
Accepted indoor work must be hand delivered or received by Friday, February 27, 2026, between 10:00am – 8:00pm to Emerge Gallery, located at 404 Evans Street, Greenville, NC 27858. Shipped work must include a prepaid mailing label for return. If shipped, the work must be received by Thursday, February 26, 2026. Accepted indoor work must be picked up at the conclusion of the exhibition on March 29 or March 31, during open hours. Work left after the exhibition will become the property of Emerge Gallery. Work that is shipped will be sent back starting April 1, 2026.

Indoor Sculpture Prizes
1st Place: $500, 2nd Place: $250, 3rd Place: $100 

Insurance for Accepted Indoor Entries
Emerge Gallery will provide insurance for accepted indoor work from the drop-off dates through the last day of the exhibition. Work will not be insured after March 29, 2026. Work will be insured only for 70% of the sales price, with a maximum of $5,000. Insurance value must be a realistic value and may be questioned. Proof of similar sales will be requested, if necessary. Consent to reproduce for publicity, catalog, or educational purposes is assumed unless specifically reserved in writing. Submission of entry constitutes agreement to all conditions. 

Meet the Juror
Sculptor Jordan Parah has been a visual artist her whole life, drawing on a childlike imagination to inspire her metal sculptures today. Her work challenges the intrinsic properties of metal and is formed into harmonious compositions that exemplify coexistence, creating balance and harmony out of diversity. She received a BFA in Sculpture and minor in Art History from East Carolina University in 2014. Today, Parah runs her business, Parahdise Sculpture, creating contemporary aluminum and steel sculptures in Greenville, NC. She also works at City Art Gallery and has worked in museums and galleries for 15 years. With over a decade of experience in public art exhibitions, her main focus is large-scale outdoor commission work, which can be found throughout the southeast including the Greenville Museum of Art, UNC Rex Hospital Cancer Center, Wake Forest Renaissance Arts Center, The Pointe at Barclay in Wilmington, and Novant Health. Her sculptures are in private collections across the United States. Parah also actively serves on the ACE Committee at the Greenville Museum of Art and the Civic Arts Committee in Greenville. 

Application Requirements

Each artist may submit up to 6 entries. Artists are required to submit 3 entries for a fee of $20, with the option to submit 5 additional entries at $5 each. There is a limit of 3 entries per artist. All entries must be submitted digitally via café and received by January 15, 2026. 

Images of work must be submitted as jpgs. Emerge Gallery will retain a 30% commission. If work is not for sale, an insurance value must be given and NFS stated or work will not be insured.

Eligibility Criteria

This exhibition is open to all artists ages 18 and up. Any three-dimensional media is eligible. Indoor submissions must fit through a standard sized door (36”x80”). Work must be ready for display. All entries must be submitted digitally. Work submitted that is above our insurance value may not be accepted into the exhibition. All work must be able to be exhibited for the length of the exhibition, March 6-28, 2026.