Exhibition Guidelines

*Updated September 2018
Please review our updated exhibition guidelines before submitting to any show.

Artists who exhibit with the Columbia Art League agree to abide by the following policies. The Columbia Art League provides insurance on all pieces up to 50% of the fair market value placed on the work by the artist. The Columbia Art League provides security on the building premises through an alarmed security system. The Columbia Art League reserves the right to use images of artists’ artwork in a fair and reasonable way for the promotion of the Art League and its events.

    • All work submitted to exhibitions must be for sale. Artwork should be fairly and reasonably priced according to the fair market value.

    • Columbia Art League receives a 35% commission on all work sold in the exhibitions.

    • Artists will be paid at the beginning of the month for the previous month’s sales. If an artist’s monthly sales are less than $20, that amount will roll over onto the next month until the artist reaches at least $20 in sales. All remaining amounts will be paid out in December of the same year.

    • Artwork must be ready for display upon arrival. All work that is expected to hang on the wall must be wired; no sawtooth hangers will be accepted. All work should be legibly signed by the artist on the back. How to Wire Your Artwork for a Gallery Show.

    • For ceramic and sculpture artists, all work must be created without use of a commercial mold. It must be created with a lead free glaze. Work must be able to stand sturdily on its own or the artist must provide a base for it to be displayed on.

    • For jewelers, no kits or commercial cut-outs may be used. Jewelry should be prepared for presentation, i.e. earrings should be on a card.

    • Fiber hangings must be mounted on a rod.

    • Artwork that has been juried out of an exhibition previously is ineligible for consideration in a future exhibitions unless approved by the Executive Director, Operations Manager, or Education Director.

    • Artwork that has been on exhibition at the Columbia Art League previously is not eligible for re-submission.

    • The Columbia Art League reserves the right to reject any work. Work may be rejected for any reason including, but not limited to: the work is too fragile; the work is improperly prepared for exhibit; the work is damaged; the work is overvalued; the work is not delivered on time; the artist does not remit the appropriate fees (membership or otherwise) in a timely manner.

    • Art submitted to shows must be the artist’s original work or reproductions of their own work to which they hold the rights.

    • Artists should not submit work to the gallery which is based on a photograph/artwork made by someone else, unless they have been cleared of any copyright issues. Many photographs online are copyrighted to the original photographer and should not be used the basis for an artwork, especially if the artist is planning on producing prints of that work.

    • Artists are responsible for transporting the work to and from the gallery. Any art not picked up at the Columbia Art League after 120 days from the end of the show will become property of CAL. Artists are responsible for contacting the Columbia Art League if other arrangements need to be made.

    • If an artwork sells within 6 months after being shown at the CAL gallery and as a direct result of being shown there, ie the purchaser contacts the artist as a result of seeing the work in the CAL gallery, the artist agrees to direct the sale of the work through the gallery.

  • Artists are required to pay an entry fee for all shows. Members pay a discounted entry fee. Below is the breakdown of entry fees:

    Member- $15

    Non-member- $25

    Member, Student*- $10

    Non-member, Student*- $15

    *Anyone paying the student fee must be a full-time student, either in high school or an undergraduate in college.

    Please remember anyone can join/renew membership at any time! Entry fees cover costs for the promotion of the shows, the Opening Reception and juror/awards judge. Entry fees are non-refundable, even if a piece is not selected for a show.

  • The Columbia Art League hosts 6-8 shows in its main exhibition space annually. Two of these shows are open to Columbia Art League members only; the rest are open to both members and non-members.

    CAL will publish the full schedule of shows for the upcoming year on our website in the fall of the previous year. CAL will also publicize the upcoming shows on our social media sites, in our print newsletter, and through our e-newsletters. *As of 2018, CAL will no longer send postcard announcements for shows.

    If you have entered one of the five shows that have open entry to everyone, there will be a jury process. This means CAL will hire an outside juror, unaffiliated with the Art League, to jury the show. For most shows, everyone is invited to submit up to two pieces of artwork for consideration. Any exceptions to this standard will be noted in the show description. One, both, or none of your pieces may be selected by the juror.

    If you have entered one of the two shows open to members only, there will not be a theme or a jurying process. Members are invited to showcase pieces of their choosing, so long as they have not been juried out of a previous exhibit with CAL. There will be a cutoff point for entries, every artwork will be accepted until the gallery is at capacity. It is for these Members’ shows that artists may only submit one piece to the show. CAL will hire an awards judge to select winners and honorable mentions for this show.

    Artists will only pay one entry fee, whether they choose to submit one or two pieces. One, both, or none of your pieces may be selected by the juror. If your work is not selected for the show, you will be notified via email by the Monday following drop off, after which you are responsible for picking up your work. If your work is accepted, you will receive an email the following Tuesday after drop off containing important show details.

    Awards judges and jurors will always be unaffiliated with the Art League to ensure the highest degree of objectivity and impartiality in their process. The jury process is entirely anonymous. Jurors and judges do not have access to artists’ identifying information. The juror is instructed to view all submissions and select those that they believe to be the strongest technically and speak most effectively to the theme.

  • The Columbia Art League hosts 6-8 shows in its main exhibition space annually. Two of these shows are open to Columbia Art League members only; the rest are open to both members and non-members.

    CAL will publish the full schedule of shows for the upcoming year on our website in the fall of the previous year. CAL will also publicize the upcoming shows on our social media sites, in our print newsletter, and through our e-newsletters. *As of 2018, CAL will no longer send postcard announcements for shows.

    If you have entered one of the five shows that have open entry to everyone, there will be a jury process. This means CAL will hire an outside juror, unaffiliated with the Art League, to jury the show. For most shows, everyone is invited to submit up to two pieces of artwork for consideration. Any exceptions to this standard will be noted in the show description. One, both, or none of your pieces may be selected by the juror.

    If you have entered one of the two shows open to members only, there will not be a theme or a jurying process. Members are invited to showcase pieces of their choosing, so long as they have not been juried out of a previous exhibit with CAL. There will be a cutoff point for entries, every artwork will be accepted until the gallery is at capacity. It is for these Members’ shows that artists may only submit one piece to the show. CAL will hire an awards judge to select winners and honorable mentions for this show.

    Artists will only pay one entry fee, whether they choose to submit one or two pieces. One, both, or none of your pieces may be selected by the juror. If your work is not selected for the show, you will be notified via email by the Monday following drop off, after which you are responsible for picking up your work. If your work is accepted, you will receive an email the following Tuesday after drop off containing important show details.

    Awards judges and jurors will always be unaffiliated with the Art League to ensure the highest degree of objectivity and impartiality in their process. The jury process is entirely anonymous. Jurors and judges do not have access to artists’ identifying information. The juror is instructed to view all submissions and select those that they believe to be the strongest technically and speak most effectively to the theme.

    • The Artist must be a current member of the Columbia Art League to sell work in the Members’ Gallery.

    • All work submitted to the Members’ Gallery must be for sale. Artwork should be fairly and reasonably priced according to the fair market value

    • Columbia Art League receives a 35% commission on all work sold in the Members’ Gallery.

    • Artists will be paid at the beginning of the month for the previous month’s sales. If an artist’s monthly sales are less than $20, that amount will roll over onto the next month until the artist reaches at least $20 in sales. All remaining amounts will be paid out in December of the same year.

    • Artwork must be ready for display upon arrival. All work that is expected to hang on the wall must be wired; no sawtooth hangers will be accepted. All work should be legibly signed by the artist.

    • For ceramic and sculpture artists, all work must be created without use of a commercial mold. It must be created with a lead free glaze. Work must be able to stand sturdily on its own or the artist must provide a base for it to be displayed on.

    • For jewelers, no kits or commercial cut-outs may be used. Jewelry should be prepared for presentation, i.e. earrings should be on a card.

    • Fiber hangings must be mounted on a rod.

    • Artists are responsible for transporting the work to and from the gallery.

    • Artwork may not remain in the gallery for a period of longer than six months. The Columbia Art League will contact artists when their work needs to be picked up or rotated.  Any art not picked up at the Columbia Art League after 120 days from date of notice will become property of CAL. Artists are responsible for contacting the Columbia Art League if other arrangements need to be made.

    • Art submitted to the Members’ Gallery must be the artist’s original work or reproductions of their own work to which they hold the rights.

    • Artists should not submit work to the gallery which is based on a photograph/artwork made by someone else, unless they have been cleared of any copyright issues. Many photographs online are copyrighted to the original photographer and should not be used the basis for an artwork, especially if the artist is planning on producing prints of that work.

    • The Columbia Art League reserves the right to reject any work. Work may be rejected for any reason including, but not limited to: the work is too fragile; the work is improperly prepared for exhibit; the work is damaged; the work is overvalued; the work is not delivered on time; the artist does not remit the appropriate fees (membership or otherwise) in a timely manner.

    • If an artwork sells within 6 months after being shown in the Members’ Gallery and as a direct result of being shown there (i.e. the purchaser contacts the artist as a result of seeing the work in the CAL gallery), the artist agrees to direct the sale of the work through the gallery.

  • The Columbia Art League will retain 35% of any artwork sold in the Members’ Gallery or exhibition gallery. Artists will be paid at the beginning of the month for the previous month’s sales. If a piece sells from a members-only show, that member is invited to bring in another work in its place. If a piece sells from a themed and juried show, the artist may not bring in another work.

    If your work did not sell during the show’s duration, you can pick it up at CAL on the assigned pick-up dates for the show you’ve entered. You can find the pick-up dates on the gallery schedule or by visiting the Exhibition Opportunities page and clicking on the title of the show you entered.