2026 Jewelry and Adornment
An AVA Member Group Show
Call Open/Submission Deadline- Friday, December 19th-Saturday, February 14th @ 11:59 PM
Delivery/Install Week- Saturday, February 28th-Wednesday, March 4th
Exhibit dates: March 6th-April 24th
Exhibit Reception: Friday, March 6th from 6-9 PM
Where: AVA Main Gallery
Prompt & Eligibility:
This call is open to all AVA Member Artists for our annual member’s only medium specific show. This exhibit seeks to highlight the artists amongst AVA’s member roster who create handmade jewelry, wearable art and body art ( such as tattoos), etc. Adornment in this case means “applied to or in direct relation to the body.” There is no fee for AVA members to submit. Membership will be verified by AVA staff upon submission. Please note that selections for this exhibit are at the curatorial discretion of the AVA gallery director and submission does not guarantee that your work will be included in the show.
For more information on membership visit: http://www.avarts.org/membership
Limitations & Restrictions
1) All artwork must be hand made and original to the artist. No buy/sell works or imported pieces will be permitted for jewelry and garments. Particularly with jewelry and wearable art, artists may not submit work made using commercial casts/molds, kits or patterns. In the case of hand-made wearable art, the artist must have constructed the garment themself. Pieces utilizing recycled or reclaimed materials are welcome but the artist must have reframed the material through a significant transformative process into a fully new work. In a case where a garment serves as a substrate (like an artist’s t-shirt), the artist must have painted or screen printed the artistic intervention themself the by hand. Absolutely no work produced through a “print-on-demand” platform will be accepted. This exhibit is not intended as a shop for “merch” items. For tattoo or body artists, photographic documentation, hand-drawn flash sheets or original artwork are welcome but should be framed and ready for display (see below). Sketchbook or sketchbook pages are also welcome. There will not be an in person “performative” component to this show so no live displays of body art will take place. AVA members may submit up to five works, produced in the last three years.
2) 2D works MUST be ready to hang at time of delivery (see diagram). 3D works must have a hanging system (if suspended) or a secure base. Jewelry artists will need to provide their own display stands and any artists working with fashion/garments will need to provide their own mannequins. If there are sufficient submissions in this category, a clothing rack can be installed in the gallery temporarily for this show. Absolutely NO loose works on paper will be accepted without an appropriate plan and means of display that must be approved by the AVA gallery director. No artworks including live animals or live vegetation will be accepted.
3) Due to the particular nature of the works in this theme, there is no size limit for this show.
3) Works can be delivered to AVA during the allotted time frame prior to the exhibit. If the artist needs to ship the work to AVA, shipping and handling is the responsibility of the artist. The gallery director will contact artists about logistics for picking up work closer towards the time of the end of the exhibit.
4) AVA reserves the right to reject works that are misrepresented in the submission process or are not properly outfitted to display in the gallery.
5) AVA handles all sales transactions and receives a 30% commission from all gallery sales after processing fees (for works purchased by credit card).
Submission Requirements
1.) Submit images. Image(s) must be:
- Saved in .jpg format (no .HEIC files)
- No added filters to the image
- File saved as artist’s last name and image’s title. Example: JONES_UNTITLED.jpg
-Image must be clear, centered and evenly framed. No keystoned images. No extraneous information beyond the artwork, empty wall or neutral backdrop (feel free to make use of AVA’s white room to photograph your work). Here’s a great youtube tutorial with pointers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrsKycVp-bA)
2.) PARTICULAR TO THIS SHOW-If the work is wearable art, please at least one image per piece of the work shown being worn or displayed as envisioned.
-The image is going to be used for an online gallery (and store) on AVA’s website and should be the best, clear representation of the work possible. AVA will be creating an online store for this show.
3.) Include the below listing for each work submitted:
- Artist Name
- Title
- Medium (please be specific to your work, for example: instead of simply saying “mixed media,” say “mixed media: pen, acrylic paint and mosaic and paper clay on tree bark.” Yes that’s a silly example but you get the gist.)
- Framed dimensions (if applicable) or particular measurements for jewelry or garment work.
- Price
4.) Include preferred social media handles/links, website or contact info for promotion. These links will be included on the wall labels.
5.) We will not be including artist statements or biographies in the exhibit material.
6.) If you would like to leave business cards at AVA during the exhibit, bring them with you at the time of delivery.
All materials should be submitted via the submission form link below. Contact AVA’s Gallery Director Tim Goldsmith via email with any questions. AVA’s staff is happy to help!
Submitting your work indicates that you have read and understand all guidelines and criteria contained within this prospectus. You understand that it will be your responsibility to deliver your work to the AVA Gallery ready for installation and on time, concurrent with any schedules given to you. All works are insured while on AVA’s premises.
For more information regarding this exhibit or other AVA programming, visit http://www.avarts.org or contact the Curator and Education Director, Tim Goldsmith, at tim@avarts.org or 423.265.4282.
Please note you will need to resubmit this form for each individual artwork you intend to submit.
No person will be excluded from participation in or otherwise subjected to discrimination in regards to services, programs and employment, provided by the Association for Visual Arts based on color, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, age, or religion.