This call for entry has closed and the information below is for reference only.

Looking for open calls for entry? View open calls

Looking for the CMPS 2023 Marks of Distinction National Exhibition gallery? View the online art gallery

Central Mass Pastel Society
Central Mass Pastel Society

2023 Marks of Distinction National Exhibition

August 29 – September 30, 2023 Fivesparks, Harvard, MA
Deadline was July 10th. Open to Members and Non-Members.
Slippery As Glass, Loriann Signori
Slippery As Glass, Loriann Signori

Deadline for entry has passed.
View open calls for entry

Deadline for entry was July 10, 2023

Awards

1st Place: $1200
2nd Place: $750
3rd Place: $500

$6000 in awards including additional cash, materials, and Honorable Mentions

Judge of Awards

Mim Brooks Fawcett, Executive Director and Chief Curator, Attleboro Arts Museum. Mim Brooks Fawcett has been director and curator of the Attleboro Arts Museum for 17 years. She came to the museum after many years in practice as a graphic artist, university instructor in graphic design, and corporate Art Director. She holds a BFA from SUNY Binghamton in graphics and studio art, and an MFA from Boston University.

Selection Jurors

Both jurors will offer an artist talk or demo in association with the show.

Loriann Signori. Loriann Signori is an award-winning Maryland artist and instructor who works in oil and pastel. She “paints luminosity,” and is known for dreamlike landscapes that reside in a place between abstraction and recognizable form. A Master Circle member of International Pastel Society of America and Signature member of Pastel Society of America, Loriann’s work can be seen in national and solo shows, and is represented in several galleries and corporate collections.

Javad Soleimanpour. Javad Soleimanpour is a self-taught artist, born in Iran, who lives, works, and teaches in Turkey. A versatile painter of portraits, florals, and landscapes, he became known in the US when he won 1st place in the Pastel Journal’s Landscape and Interiors category after his work was submitted by one of his students. His reputation around the world as Turkey’s premier pastel artist is reflected in his 71,000 Instagram followers.

Who Can Submit

Open to all artists over the age of 18 working in soft pastel.

Submission Process and Fee

  • Members:
    $25 for 1; $35 for 2-3 pieces, plus $10 for each additional piece up to 5
  • Non-Members:
    $35 for 1; $45 for 2-3 pieces, plus $10 for each additional piece up to 5
  • 1 or a maximum of 2 pieces per artist may be accepted to the show.
  • Submit your original image file. You do not need to resize it or rename it.

Submission Requirements

  • Work must be at least 80% soft pastel, with soft pastel as the final layer..
  • Work must be less than 3 years old.
  • Work cannot exceed 48” in any direction, including frame. There is no minimum size..
  • Work must be based exclusively on the artist’s own photo reference, life set-up or plein air experience, concept, and composition.
  • Work must be directly and individually drawn or painted by the artist, not traced or otherwise created over a base photo.
  • Work must be exclusively the product of the artist. Work done in a class or workshop, online venue, or otherwise under the guidance or advice of an instructor, is not permitted.
  • Work that has previously been in a CMPS national show, or that has received a top award (Best, 1,2,3) in any national/international show by the submission deadline, is not permitted.
  • Work that duplicates or is a near-copy of work that has been awarded in or sold from another national/international show is not permitted.
For additional criteria, please download the prospectus.

Delivery and Shipping of Accepted Work

Artists accepted into the exhibition will receive detailed instructions with their acceptance notification for either hand-delivering or shipping work to the venue according to the dates in the above calendar. CMPS will send an email list to accepted artists for coordinating hand delivery as desired. The address for both hand delivery and shipping is: Fivesparks, 7 Fairbank St, Harvard, MA 01451.

There will be no handling fee for work shipped in an Airfloat Strong Box or Uline Deluxe Art Shipper box. Work shipped in other packaging will carry a $50 handling fee payable at the time of shipping; no crates or packages with loose packing material will be accepted. Work must be shipped by commercial carrier (UPS, FedEx, DHL). Shipped work will be returned promptly after show close.

All work must be clean, securely framed, and wired for hanging in a non-metal frame. We recommend the use of a framer’s grade plexiglass for shipping large paintings to minimize shipping cost and risk.

Pricing and Sales

Work must be for sale; NFS is not allowed.

  • All work must be for sale exclusively through CMPS for the duration of the show. Prices should reflect market value for similar work by the artist. Work must remain hung until the show closes.
  • CMPS and Fivesparks will process sales at the show venue during gallery hours, and CMPS will process sales through the online version of the show. CMPS will receive a 35% commission on all sold work, which will be split 25% to CMPS and 10% to the venue. Artist proceeds will be remitted within 30 days of show close.
  • Unless a buyer is authorized to pick up purchased work on show closing, artists are responsible for delivery or shipping sold work to buyers.

Questions

For questions about this prospectus: [email protected]

Show Staff

Co-chairs: Shuk Susan Lee, Jane Robbins
Awards: Anne Vosikas
MOD on the Web: Alexia Rosoff Wilber
Hanging and Graphics: Keith Demanche

Additional Notification Information

Notifications will be emailed and posted in your ShowSubmit account by the end of the day on July 21, 2023.

You may view the notification in your ShowSubmit account by logging in and tapping the Notifications at the top right of the screen, or in your Entry History (Accepted works will be notated by a green check.)

If you do not receive your email, login and view the notification in your account. We cannot respond to inquiries regarding the status of notifications.

Note: Entries made prior to 2023 may not display the View Notification link.

Image and Filename Specifications

  • Submit your original JPEG image files.
  • Crop out all parts of the photo that are not the actual work; do not show mat, frame, etc, only the work itself.
  • Image must be displayed right side up.
  • You do not need to resize your image files.
  • You do not need to rename your image files.

Additional Entry Information

  • You will pay for your entry by credit or debit card using our secure checkout system.
  • After your entry is submitted and paid for, you may log back in to review your entry, edit artist and image information, and add or substitute images up until the entry deadline (July 10, 2023.)
  • Entry fees are not refundable and must be submitted and paid by the entry deadline.
  • Entries cannot be accepted or changed after the deadline. Incomplete entries will be disqualified.

Support

For questions about the entry process or this website please contact ShowSubmit Support at [email protected]. We will get back to you between 9am and 6pm Eastern Time, Monday to Friday. You can also view the Support Center, Entry Guide, or our FAQ.