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.

Members’ Gift Gallery

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.

Exhibitions

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
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.
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.

Entry Fees

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

Selection and Awards Process for all Shows

The Columbia Art League hosts seven shows in its main exhibition space, annually. Five of these shows are open to members and non-members; two of these shows are open to members only.

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.

The five shows open to anyone will have a theme and a jury process. 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. 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. A staff member will notify you of acceptance into shows within 3 days of submission, after which you are responsible for picking up any work not accepted into the show. You will only be contacted by a staff member if your work was not accepted and needs to be picked up. If you do not receive an email, that means your work has been accepted into the show.

The two shows open to members only will not have a theme or a jury 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. Members may only submit one piece to the show. CAL will hire an awards judge to select winners and honorable mentions for this show.

Awards judges and jurors will always be unaffiliated with the Art League in an effort 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 which they believe to be the strongest technically, and speak most effectively to the theme.

Sales Policies

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.