Call Description

CraftForms 2026, 31st International Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Fine Craft

Call for Entry: March 16-September 9, 2026

Exhibition: December 5, 2026 – January 23, 2027

Wayne Art Center, Davenport Gallery, Wayne, Pennsylvania

Jurors: Dr. Robert K. Liu and Patrick Benesh-Liu

ABOUT THE CALL FOR ENTRY

Wayne Art Center is seeking submissions for CraftForms 2026, the 31st International Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Fine Craft, in the following mediums: basketry, ceramics, fiber, furniture, glass, jewelry, metal, mixed media, paper, wearable art, and wood. Works created utilizing CAD/CAM technologies and 3D printing tools are also eligible. Selected works will be on display in the Davenport Gallery of Wayne Art Center in Wayne, Pennsylvania from December 5, 2026 through January 23, 2027. This year’s Jurors, Dr. Robert K. Liu and Patrick Benesh-Liu of Ornament Magazine will present $12,000+ in prize awards funded by Wayne Art Center.

For more information about CraftForms 2026, visit  www.craftforms.org

Nancy Campbell, Executive Director and Chief Curator

Pam McLean Parker, Exhibition Coordinator

Karen Louise Fay, Director of Marketing and Events, Gallery Shop manager

ABOUT THE JURORS

CraftForms 2026 Jurors Dr. Robert K. Liu and Patrick Benesh-Liu are the father-son editorial team behind Ornament Magazine, a publication dedicated to the history and craft of personal adornment. Founded in 1974 by Robert and his late wife, Carolyn L.E. Benesh, the magazine serves as a scholarly bridge between science and the arts. 

Dr. ROBERT K. LIU

Born in Italy and raised in China, Robert K. Liu is a multifaceted scholar, author, and jeweler. After earning a Ph.D. from UCLA in ethology and ichthyology, he transitioned from medical research to the arts, founding The Bead Journal in 1974. This evolved into Ornament Magazine, which he continues to co-edit with his son, Patrick Benesh-Liu.

A self-taught photographer and jeweler, Liu has published over 800 articles and several books, including Collectible Beads and Naval Ship Models of World War II. His work uniquely bridges the gap between science and craft, utilizing his background in behavior and evolution to study ancient and contemporary adornment. Based in California, he remains an active lecturer, curator, and researcher in the fields of jewelry history and scale modeling. 

PATRICK BENESH-LIU

Patrick Benesh-Liu is the co-editor of Ornament Magazine, a role he assumed following the passing of his mother and mentor, Carolyn L.E. Benesh, in 2020. Raised in the magazine’s offices by his parents, Benesh-Liu bypassed a traditional path at Oberlin College to commit to the family publication at age nineteen.

Since his first feature in 2007, he has authored 116 articles spanning ethnographic art, museum exhibitions, and contemporary subcultures like cosplay. A dedicated advocate for the craft community, he has curated his mother’s jewelry collection in Wayne Art Center’s 2021 CraftForms companion exhibition The Process of Becoming, appeared on Craft in America, and served as a juror for the Smithsonian Craft Show and the SNAG Impact Awards. He returns to the Wayne Art Center this year as a juror for CraftForms 2026.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Artists must be 18 years of age or older.

Works submitted must be original in design. Collaborative works are accepted. Work derivative of other artists or work created in a workshop with the aid of an instructor is not eligible.

Work must have been completed in the last two years. (Created after January 1, 2024)

Work previously exhibited at Wayne Art Center is not eligible.

All work must be for sale.

Work must remain on display for the duration of the exhibit.

Withdrawal of invited work by the artist prior to the exhibition will result in exclusion from exhibiting at WAC the following year. 

All artwork submitted online to CraftForms MUST be available for the entire duration of the jurying process and exhibition. If a piece is accepted to both CraftForms and a simultaneously running exhibit, the piece must only be exhibited in CraftForms. 

Wayne Art Center reserves the right to reject entries that do not meet the requirements. Work that differs from the work invited through digital submissions will be disqualified. 

AWARDS

$12,000+ in prize awards funded by Wayne Art Center will be presented by Jurors Dr. Robert K. Liu, Patrick Benesh-Liu and Nancy Campbell, Executive Director and Chief Curator of Wayne Art Center, at the CraftForms 2026 Preview Party on December 5, 2026.

ONLINE ENTRY INFORMATION

Artists may submit up to 2 works per application. A maximum of two additional images may be uploaded per piece to show alternate views or details of work for a total of three images per piece for two works.

$50 per application

Artists are permitted to submit additional CaFE accounts/applications. Artists may use the same name and contact (including email) information for both applications but must use a different username to create additional CaFE accounts/applications.

Visa, MasterCard, AMEX or PayPal will be accepted for application fee payment via the CaFE platform. 

Artists are asked to carefully review submission info before completing an entry.  Exhibition inventory for works invited to this exhibit will be created from your submission listings. 

Updates, edits and/or changes to any part of application listings (artist name/title/medium/size/price of work) post-entry and prior to juror review can be made only by contacting WAC.  A $20 administrative fee will be applied to make any requested changes to original application listings of invited works.  

All Work MUST be for sale.

UPLOADED IMAGE SPECIFICATIONS

Be sure to have upload-ready JPG files:

·      File format: JPEG or JPG only

·      File dimensions: 1200 pixels or greater on the longest side.

·      File size: under 5 MB

Please name each jpg file with the title of the work and specify full, alternate or detail view.

IMPORTANT ENTRY WINDOW DATES

MARCH 16, 2026:  Call for Entry Online Submissions Opens

SEPTEMBER 9, 2026:  Midnight MST  Call for Entry Online Submissions Close

NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPT/DECLINE

September 30, 2026  Notification of Accepted and Declined Work

Jury result notification will be communicated by email only.

Multiple submissions may receive two different email notifications – one for accepted work and one for work that has been declined. Email notifications will specifically list the work(s) selected or declined for CraftForms. Do not send email inquiry requesting notification confirmation until after October 1st. (Please check SPAM.)

SHIPPING AND DELIVERY OF WORK

Shipped and hand-delivered work should arrive at Wayne Art Center from November 9-13, 2026.

Monday- Friday, 9am - 5pm

Artists are responsible for all shipping costs. The work must be shipped via FedEx or UPS and A PRE-PAID RETURN-SHIPPING LABEL MUST BE ENCLOSED WITH THE WORK. No work will be exhibited that does not include a prepaid shipping label. If an artwork is purchased, the return shipping label will not be used and therefore the noted account will not be billed.

Crates or extra-large boxes must arrive on a straight truck (24’ trucks are the max capacity for the Wayne Art Center property). No tractor trailers are permitted on the property. Artist or Gallery delivery instructions must state that the shipment must be delivered into the building premises (no exterior deliveries can be accepted). Crates or extra-large boxes cannot exceed 100 lbs. and must be moveable with a hand-dolly.  All delivery trucks MUST have lift gates of their own for heavy work. No forklifts or loading docks are available to receive or to return ship crates and extra-large boxes. Delivery boxes and crates CANNOT exceed 74"H x 35"W x 55”L. Note that crates that need to be brought in via cart/up the art center ramp cannot exceed 35" wide across as they will NOT fit through the ramp and cannot be delivered to the building. 

INSURANCE

Wayne Art Center will insure CraftForms work for 60% of its retail value while on the premises after it has been determined that sent work has arrived unharmed.

Artists are financially responsible for the cost of shipping to Wayne Art Center and for Return shipping and all in-transit insurance.

WAC will not be responsible for loss or damage to work in transit to or from Wayne Art Center.

Hand delivered work not retrieved by March 2, 2027 will become the property of Wayne Art Center.

For internationally accepted work, please review the country of origin shipping and customs regulations and the best way for US customs to receive work. Regulations and rules change frequently and can cause artwork to be delayed in customs or returned to the artist. Often a commercial invoice is required for return shipping.

In the event of damage in transit, the artist is responsible to settle all claims directly with the shipping carrier.

Accepted artists are invited to submit small works for the Wayne Art Center Gallery Shop. Please email Karen Louise Fay at karenlouise@wayneart.org for Gallery Shop inquiries.

INSTALLATION

There will be a $30 fee for handling of work, which must be paid upon confirmation of participation in the show.

If the artwork installation is overly complex, the artist should contact Pam McLean-Parker to discuss. The artist may be required to assume financial responsibility for additional assistance to install pieces with numerous parts or works that involve carpentry, alterations to gallery walls, site-specific pedestals, armatures, lighting, electrical, etc. Artists are responsible to install their complex artworks. Unusual installation requests must be made in advance and approved by Wayne Art Center.

OPENING RECEPTION WEEKEND

Saturday, December 5, 2026, 6pm - 9pm  CraftForms 2026 Preview Party

Sunday, December 6, 1pm - 3pm  CraftForms 2026 Jurors Lecture and Meet the Artists

EXHIBITION DATES

December 5, 2026 – January 23, 2027,  Open to the Public

Monday–Friday 10am - 5pm, Saturday 10am – 4pm

Closed on Sundays and Holidays

HAND PICK UP OF UNSOLD WORK

January 26 – 30, 2026  Monday–Friday 9am - 5pm

RETURN PACKING AND SHIPMENT OF WORK FROM WAYNE ART CENTER

Work will be repacked and ready for shipping by approximately February 5, 2027.

All works must be delivered to Wayne Art Center with a return shipping label.

COMMUNICATIONS

The artist contact email provided on the online application must remain active during the submission and exhibition process. The artist is responsible for checking email (and SPAM) for acceptance and/or decline and other information regarding the CraftForms 2026 exhibition.

SALES POLICY

All work submitted to CraftForms 2026 must be available for sale and, once accepted into the show, remain on display throughout the duration of the exhibition. NFS or POR submissions will not be accepted. The threshold for pricing artwork is $25,000; however, Wayne Art Center strongly recommends that works not exceed $12,000 (in-gallery/for sale price).  

The sale price submitted on the entry form must remain throughout the duration of the show. Wayne Art Center will retain 40% commission of the sale price, or on any sale that results from mediation by the Wayne Art Center staff.  W9 forms from artists whose works sells is required.

WAYNE ART CENTER CONTACT

Nancy Campbell, Executive Director and CraftForms Founder 610.688.3553 x204, nancy@wayneart.org

Pam McLean-Parker, Exhibition and Program Coordinator 610.688.3553 x211, pam@wayneart.org

Karen Louise Fay, Director of Marketing/Events 610.688.3553 x214, karenlouise@wayneart.org

Wayne Art Center  413 Maplewood Avenue  Wayne, PA 19087, craftforms.org

If you have any questions about the exhibition, please contact Pam McLean-Parker at pam@wayneart.org. If you have technical questions about the online system, please contact the Call for Entry support team at Cafe@westaf.org

Application Requirements

UPLOADED IMAGE SPECIFICATIONS

Be sure to have upload-ready JPG files:

·      File format: JPEG or JPG only

·      File dimensions: 1200 pixels or greater on the longest side.

·      File size: under 5 MB

Please name each jpg file with the title of the work and specify full, alternate or detail view.

Eligibility Criteria

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Artists must be 18 years of age or older.

Works submitted must be original in design. Collaborative works are accepted. Work derivative of other artists or work created in a workshop with the aid of an instructor is not eligible.

Work must have been completed in the last two years. (Created after January 1, 2024)

Work previously exhibited at Wayne Art Center is not eligible.

All work must be for sale.

Work must remain on display for the duration of the exhibit.

Withdrawal of invited work by the artist prior to the exhibition will result in exclusion from exhibiting at WAC the following year. 

All artwork submitted online to CraftForms MUST be available for the entire duration of the jurying process and exhibition. If a piece is accepted to both CraftForms and simultaneously running exhibit, the piece must only be exhibited in CraftForms. 

Wayne Art Center reserves the right to reject entries that do not meet the requirements. Work that differs from the work invited from digital submissions will be disqualified. 

Entry fees are non-refundable.