Call Description

EXHIBITION: As part of an ongoing commitment to promote drawing practices in the visual arts, the University of North Carolina Asheville (UNC Asheville) invites artists to submit entries to a Juried International Exhibition of contemporary drawing. UNC Asheville seeks to examine drawing as it is practiced and defined by today’s artists. Such an exhibition will demonstrate the continued significance of drawing through conventional and innovative methods. Accepted work will be exhibited in UNC Asheville’s S. Tucker Cooke Gallery from January 16, 2026, through February 13, 2026.

JUROR’S LECTURE: Esteemed juror, Katharine Stout, will open the exhibition with a virtual lecture on January 16, 2026, from 5:00-6:00 p.m. An opening reception for the Drawing Discourse exhibition will immediately follow the lecture in the newly renovated and expanded, S. Tucker Cooke Gallery located in Owen Hall on the campus of UNC Asheville.

CATALOGUE: A full-color catalogue of the exhibition will be printed. Each exhibited artist will receive one complimentary copy, additional copies will be available for purchase. Previous catalogues may be viewed on our website at https://aah.unca.edu/exhibitions

AWARDS: $2000 in cash prizes, as chosen by the Juror, will be awarded. A purchase prize award will also be available for the permanent collection of the UNC Asheville Department of Art and Art History. Both cash and purchase prize awards are made possible due to the generous contributions from UNC Asheville Professor Emeritus, S. Tucker Cooke. International awardees are subject to a 30% federal withholding.

ELIGIBILITY: Open to all artists who are 18 years of age or older. All work must be original, and cannot have been exhibited at The University of North Carolina Asheville before. It is at the Juror’s discretion to choose single or multiple works from each artist’s submission.

MEDIA: In an effort to support the breadth of contemporary drawing, media is open to any traditional or experimental drawing media, welcoming both two or three-dimensional works, video, and/or installation as long as it can fit through a doorway opening that measures 67” width x 117” height.

JUROR: Katharine Stout is a freelance arts consultant, currently curating a solo exhibition of Rose Wylie’s works for the Royal Academy of Arts, opening in February 2026. She has worked in various public arts organisations, including as Director of Focal Point Gallery in Southend-on-Sea (2019 to ‘24); as Deputy Director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London (2017 to ‘19,) and as ICA’s Head of Programme (2013 to '17). Prior to the ICA, Stout was Curator of Contemporary Art at Tate Britain (1999 to 2013), curating contemporary exhibitions, the Art Now series, Turner Prize, and collections displays and acquisitions. In 2001, she co-founded the Drawing Room with Mary Doyle and Kate Macfarlane, where she is Associate Director, and serves on the Board of Tannery Arts, which provides artists’ studio space. Stout curated the inaugural contemporary art commissions at the National Maritime Museum as part of a major refurbishment completed in 1999. She has written numerous texts on contemporary art, and her book, Contemporary Drawing: 1960s to Now, was published by Tate in 2014.

PROGRAMMING: Additional virtual studio visit events in association with the exhibition will be forthcoming.

ONLINE IMAGE SUBMISSIONS: Submissions are accepted only via CaFÉ (Call for Entry) at http://www.callforentry.org/.  All entries must be uploaded using this online system. Please do not upload digital images that contain borders or text info that is not part of the original work
Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. November 30, 2025 (Mountain Time Zone). No extensions will be provided.

ENTRY FEE: Each artist may submit one entry for a non-refundable fee of $30. Each additional entry, including detail images, is an additional non-refundable fee of $5 each, limit of 6 entries total (for example, the fee for 3 entries is $40, fee for 6 entries is $55). Credit cards are accepted forms of payment via CaFÉ online submission.

NOTIFICATION: All entries will receive a CaFÉ email notification of the juror’s results no later than December 15, 2025. Please check your spam folder if you do not receive an email, or check the status on the CaFÉ website under My CaFÉ Entries.

AGREEMENT: Submission of an entry to UNC Asheville constitutes an agreement on the part of the entrant to all the conditions set forth in this prospectus. UNC Asheville reserves the right to reproduce accepted entries for publicity and exhibition purposes.

ACCEPTED WORKS: Accepted works must arrive ready to install between January 5-9, 2026.  Works received outside of this time frame may not be exhibited. Work should not exceed 120 lbs and should be able to fit through a standard loading dock door that measures 67” width x 117” height. The University reserves the right to exclude any work that is not professionally presented. Please note: this does not infer that works have to be framed and under glass (especially larger works). All works must remain on display for the entire exhibition. Shipped works should be packed in reusable containers with a prepaid return shipping label. Artwork may be hand delivered between January 5-9, 2026 during operating hours; Monday-Friday 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.

SALES: Sales will be encouraged, and a 30% commission will be retained by UNC Asheville from the retail price listed on the entry form. All work will be available for purchase unless indicated NFS on the entry form. Purchase awards will be granted 70% of the retail price. 

CALENDAR: 
November 30, 2025 Submission deadline via CaFÉ
December 15, 2025 Notification emailed to artists
January 5-9, 2026 Delivery of accepted artwork
January 16, 2026 Juror’s lecture 5:00-6:00 p.m. Opening reception 6:00-8:00 p.m.
February 13, 2026 Exhibition closes
February 16-20, 2026 Return of artwork

QUESTIONS: May be sent to Tamie Beldue; Professor & Coordinator of Drawing Discourse Exhibitions at tbeldue@unca.edu

Application Requirements

ONLINE IMAGE SUBMISSIONS: Submissions are accepted only via CaFÉ (Call for Entry) at http://www.callforentry.org/ All entries must be uploaded using this online system. Please do not upload digital images that contain borders or text info that is not part of the original work
Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m., November 30, 2025 (Mountain Time Zone)

ENTRY FEE: Each artist may submit one entry for a non-refundable fee of $30. Each additional entry, including detail images, is an additional non-refundable fee of $5 each, limit of 6 entries total (for example, the fee for 3 entries is $40, fee for 6 entries is $55). Credit cards are accepted forms of payment via CaFÉ online submission.

NOTIFICATION: All entries will receive a CaFÉ email notification of the juror’s results no later than December 15, 2025. Please check your spam folder if you do not receive an email, or check the status on the CaFÉ website under My CaFÉ Entries.

Eligibility Criteria

ELIGIBILITY: Open to all artists who are 18 years of age or older. All work must be original, and cannot have been exhibited at The University of North Carolina Asheville before. It is at the Juror’s discretion to choose single or multiple works from each artist’s submission.

MEDIA: In an effort to support the breadth in contemporary drawing, media is open to any traditional or experimental drawing media welcoming both two or three-dimensional works, video, and/or installation as long as it can fit through a doorway opening that measures 67” width x 117” height.