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.
