Hancock County Arts
Exhibition artwork

Hancock County Arts

2026 Annual Will Vawter Juried Art Exhibition & Sale

Twenty North Gallery, Greenfield, IN

June 13 – July 25, 2026

Deadline is May 25th. 8 weeks left to enter.
Find Open Calls

Location

Hancock County Arts, Twenty North Gallery
20 N. State Street, Greenfield, in

Gallery Hours
Thursday & Friday, 11am-2pm
Saturday, 11am-5pm
Free Admission

Entrants are required to read the full prospectus before submitting.

Eligibility

Open to artists 18yrs+ who currently reside in the state of Indiana

Artwork Requirements

  • Two-dimensional works in oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, pastel, drawing media, fiber, and mixed media. No wet paintings are allowed.
  • No photography, computer-generated imagery, or posthumous artwork. No sculpture.
  • Works must have been completed in the last three years and never exhibited in the Vawter exhibition. If a submitted work has been discovered to have been previously exhibited, it will be removed prior to judging. No refunds. No substitutes.
  • Entries must be of original work and not copied or created under the guidance of an instructor.
Size Limitations and Presentation:
  • Hanging works must measure less than 40” in the longest direction, including frame
  • Artwork must be presented in a professional manner, either framed or fully painted gallery wrap, and delivered wired to hang. If an accepted entry is delivered in a format that is not ready to hang, it will not be exhibited.
  • Please place D-rings no more than ¼ of the distance from the top of the frame and keep the wire reasonably tight to allow the work to hang tightly against the wall as HCA uses a gallery cable/wire hanging system.
  • HCA will not be responsible for works damaged by faulty wiring or framing. Use flat strap D-rings only (no saw-tooth or clip frame hangers). Works on paper must be framed under glass/Plexiglas.

Submissions

  • Entries accepted and juried through ShowSubmit
  • The exhibit and award winners will be selected from the artwork submitted and delivered to the gallery at the judge's discretion.
  • Submit an artist statement / biography for the gallery’s “Artist Notebook”.

Entry Fees

  • Non-Member: $45 per artist
  • Member of Hancock County Arts: $35 per artist
  • No more than two submission entries per artist will be accepted.
  • You can become a member at hancockcountyarts.org
  • No cash payments or refunds.

Labeling of Artwork

All artworks should have a label attached to the upper left corner on the back of the framed work. Label should include the artist's name, title of work, medium, sale price.

Hand Delivery

Accepted artwork may be hand delivered or shipped (see below). Hand deliveries will be accepted at the Hancock County Arts gallery, 20-A N. State St., Greenfield, IN on Saturday, June 6, 2026, from noon to 5Pm.

Shipping and Insurance

  • Shipped artwork should be timed to arrive between May 30 and June 4, 2026.
  • We are working with the FedEx Office Print & Ship Center, Greenfield, IN, (317) 467-0859 to hold shipped artwork for pickup.
Mail to:
Hancock County Arts
1621 N. State Street
Greenfield, IN 46140
  • Shipping should be with FedEx. Artist is responsible for shipping costs to the venue and return.
  • A prepaid return FedEx label must be included in the box.
  • We suggest 2D artworks to be shipped in an Airfloat, Masterpak, or equivalent shipping container, which FedEx offers. NO Styrofoam peanuts or similar packaging.
  • Artists are responsible for insurance in transit.
  • Shipping Returns: July 27-31. Artwork will be returned using the original packing material.

Liability

Hancock County Arts and the Will Vawter Art Committee will do everything within ordinary care to protect the artwork submitted. However, they assume no responsibility for loss or damage to the artwork.

Awards and

Over $5000 in awards supported through our sponsors. The “Will Vawter Art Competition 2026 Awards” will be presented at the discretion of the juror.

Sales

All the artworks must be for sale. Artists will receive 65% for each artwork sold during the exhibition, with a 35% commission retained by the HCA. Sales will be encouraged. Accepted/sold works may not be withdrawn prior to the closing of the exhibition.

Return of Work

  • Upon closing of the exhibition, all artworks must be picked up on Saturday, July 25, 2026, from 5 to 7 p.m.
  • It is the artist’s responsibility to pick up work on the day required. If you need to send someone else to make the pick-up for you, send an email notification at least five business days prior to [email protected]
  • Artwork not picked up by Tuesday, September 1, 2026, will become the sole property of Hancock County Arts.
See note above regarding return of shipped artworks.

Questions

Please contact [email protected]
317.967.2461 for questions about the Prospectus, HCA, eligibility, artwork requirements, drop-off, pick-up, sales, etc.

Agreement

Submission of entry to the “Will Vawter Juried Art Exhibition and Sale 2026” constitutes an agreement on the part of the entrant to all the conditions set forth in this call for entries and for publicity purposes.

Meet our Juror

Ray Hassard, rayhassard.com

Plein air painting is, for me, the best way to do landscape work, and essential for understanding the appearance of nature. In the manmade world around me nothing is off limits. Grocery stores, amusement parks, restaurants and bars, construction sites and beaches—these are some of the places I love to paint. People going about their daily lives, painted with dignity and compassion, are as valid and vital as any other subject. But of course, the light must be right...

Ray is a Signature member of the Cincinnati Art Club, National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society (NOAPS), and the Pastel Society of America. He is a charter member of the Ohio Plein Air Society. In 2019 he was named Eminent Pastelist by the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS). He has participated in many plein air competitions around the country and won top awards. Ray’s work is found in many private collections as well as the Richmond Indiana Art Museum, McCullogh-Hyde Hospital, Bethesda North Hospital, and Christ Church Cathedral, Cincinnati.

About Will Vawter

The Will Vawter Juried Exhibition and Sale in named in honor of Indiana artist, Will Vawter. He was born on April 13, 1871. He moved with his family to Greenfield, Indiana, at age six. Young Will loved to draw and frequently filled the pages of his schoolbooks with sketches. Basically, a self-taught artist, Vawter started doing illustrations for the Indianapolis Sentinel in 1891. Soon his work appeared in other newspapers and magazines. Around the same time, another Greenfield native was also making a name for himself as a poet. James Whitcomb Riley, known as the “Hoosier Poet,” was a famous Indiana artist. Despite moving to Brown County, Vawter maintained his Greenfield ties. Will Vawter died in 1941 and was laid to rest in Greenfield’s Park Cemetery.

About Hancock County Arts

Hancock County Arts is a non-profit 501c3 organization. Our vision is for a vibrant community where arts and culture flourish and are widely embraced. HCA envisions regular pop-up art events, a thriving performing arts community, prominent public art, high-quality gallery shows, and a community culture that appreciates these opportunities and supports local artists. HCA serves the following areas: visual, performing, and literary arts.

Thank you to our Sponsors! NineStar Connect, GBC Bank, Hancock Health, City of Greenfield, Hancock County Public Library, Tri-Kappa, Indiana Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts

Additional Notification Information

Notifications will be emailed and posted in your ShowSubmit account by the end of the day on May 29, 2026.

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.

Image and Filename Specifications

  • File Format: Submit original, high-quality JPEG image files. Other formats (e.g., PNG, TIFF) are not accepted.
  • Crop Your Image: Ensure only the artwork itself is visible in the image. Do not show any visible matting, frames, or background distractions.
  • Orientation: Make sure your image is oriented correctly (right side up) so that the artwork appears in its intended viewing direction.
  • Image Size: You do not need to resize your image files before uploading. The system will automatically resize them. Smaller images cannot be enlarged to meet the requirements, so ensure your images are high resolution before uploading.
  • File Names: You do not need to rename your files before uploading them. The system will handle any file naming requirements.
  • File Size: There is a 30mb maximum file size limit. Larger image files will take longer to upload and process.

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 (May 25, 2026.)
  • 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

Questions about this exhibition?
Contact ([email protected]) for questions about the Prospectus, HCA, eligibility, artwork requirements, drop-off, pick-up, sales, etc.

Need help with ShowSubmit?
Visit our Help Center or Entry Guide for guidance on image uploads, payments, and managing your entry. If you still need help, email ShowSubmit Support ([email protected]). We respond Monday–Friday, 9am–6pm Eastern.