Call Description

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts presents Images 2026, a juried exhibition recognizing excellence in two-dimensional visual art by Pennsylvania artists. Held July 1–31, 2026 at the Schlow Centre Region Library in downtown State College, the exhibition is a featured component of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, one of the nation’s most respected juried arts festivals.

Located in the center of the Festival footprint, the exhibition offers participating artists exceptional public exposure. The Festival attracts approximately 125,000 visitors and includes nationally ranked juried artist exhibitions, performances, and cultural programming.

Juror

Amanda H. Hellman will serve as juror for Images 2026. As juror, she will review all submissions and select the exhibiting artists and award recipients.

Amanda H. Hellman is the director of the Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State. Previously she held positions at Vanderbilt University Museum of Art and the Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University where she was the curator of African art. Her exhibitions include And I Must Scream (2022); Strata: an installation by Shannon Collis (2021); Press Here (2021); Between the Sweet Water and the Swarm of Bees (2016); and Southern Connections: Bearden in Atlanta (2014). Dr. Hellman’s research on museum development in West and East Africa reveals how heritage formation and artistic practice are inextricably linked. Recent publications include The Making of Museums in Nigeria: Kenneth C. Murray and Heritage Preservation in Colonial West Africa (2023), And I Must Scream: the monstrous expression of our global crises (2022), “Die and Do: Egungun as a form of resistance and recovery,” in Visible Man: Fahamu Pecou (2018).

Awards

Cash awards totaling $1,800 will be presented, including:

• Best of Show: $500
• Best Painting: $200
• Best Pastel: $200
• Best Photograph: $200
• Four Merit Awards: $150 each
• Best Student Submission: $100

Awards will be presented at a public reception on July 9, 2026, during the Arts Festival.

Exhibition Details

Exhibition dates: July 1–31, 2026
Location: Schlow Centre Region Library
211 S. Allen Street
State College, PA 16801

Delivery and Retrieval

Hand delivery: June 29, 2026, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Shipped work must arrive: June 25–26, 2026
Pickup: August 3, 2026, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Accepted artists will receive detailed delivery instructions.

Sales

All artwork must be offered for sale. All sales inquiries will be directed to the artist. The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts requests a 25% commission on sales resulting from the exhibition. 

Catalog and Online Exhibition

A printed catalog will be produced and distributed during the Festival. An online exhibition, including juror remarks, will be hosted on the Festival website through June 30, 2027:

https://arts-festival.com/images-exhibition-gallery

Application Requirements

Entry Requirements

• Entry fee: $35 for up to 3 submissions
• Maximum of 2 works accepted per artist
• Image format: JPG or PNG, maximum 5 MB
• Maximum framed dimension: 48 inches on the longest side

Entry deadline: May 8, 2026
Notification of results: May 29, 2026  

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility

Open to Pennsylvania residents age 16 and older.

Eligible work includes original two-dimensional art in the following media:

• Drawing
• Painting
• Pastel
• Mixed Media
• Photography
• Hand-pulled Prints
• Watercolor
• Fiber
• Paper
• Digital Art

All work must:

• Be original and completed after January 1, 2023
• Not have been previously exhibited in Images
• Not include AI-generated or AI-referenced source material
• Be available for sale
• Remain on display for the full duration of the exhibition