Spirited Aiken

This NAWA exhibit is only for current NAWA SC members. You must be a member in good standing during the entire date range of the exhibit. If you are a NAWA national member and would like to participate, you can join the NAWA SC Chapter today. Contact Membership Chair: Deidre Hayes at: [email protected].

Please read this Prospectus thoroughly!

Spirited Aiken: Renowned as an equestrian town, Aiken is also celebrated for its lively and artsy downtown and myriad other recreational, cultural, environmental, and historical attributes. Artists are requested to submit artwork featuring Aiken's 'Spirited Life'. Inspirational ideas for artwork were sent to NAWA SC members, along with this prospectus. An internet search, on any of the topics that inspire your creativity, will provide you with more information. All forms of art will be considered for this exhibit.

Sunday, March 15, 2026–Thursday, April 16, 2026

Submissions of art and artist statements are handled through ShowSubmit. Entry automatically closes at midnight on Thursday, April 16, 2026.

As long as art meets the Spirited Aiken theme, work exhibited in any previous NAWA SC Exhibit may be submitted as an opportunity for sale, but is not eligible for awards. This is a juried exhibit. Acceptance is at the discretion of NAWA peer jurors (not from the SC Chapter).

Please don't include a bio with the artist statement. An artist statement provides context to an artwork by explaining what the art is about, why it was created, artist inspiration and creative process. The artist statement expands the meaning of an art piece to those viewing the art. Artist statements are limited to 100 words (or less). ShowSubmit has a place to enter an artist statement with each artwork submission. Your artist statement(s) will be attached to the gallery wall next to your artwork(s) and taken into account by the judge when viewing art for awards.

Members will be notified of acceptance by email on Thursday, April 30, 2026 and acceptance will also be posted on the NAWA SC facebook page. Your work cannot be substituted and must be available for the duration of the exhibit.

Two artwork labels must be attached to each submitted artwork. Labels can be found on the NAWA SC Chapter website at: nawasc.org. Please complete 2 labels for each artwork and attach one to the front and one to the back of each artwork.

Artwork must be checked in between the hours of 10 AM–4 pm, from Monday, June 8, 2026 through Friday, June 12, 2026. If you agreed to have your contact details listed in the SC Chapter member roster, you will receive a copy and can arrange with members close to you to share hand-delivery and pick-up of artwork. Check to ensure your safely wrapped art will fit any transport offered. 2D and 3D shipped art is to arrive at the ACA from 10 AM–4 pm between June 8 and June 12, 2026: Mark the title of the exhibit on the outside of your shipping box. The ACA requires a $25 handling fee for artwork shipped to the ACA; one fee per shipped box. Tape fee and return shipping label to back of artwork. Shipping address: Aiken Center for the Arts, 122 Laurens Street, SW, Aiken, SC 29801. All shipped artwork must have prepaid barcoded UPS or FedEx return shipping label included in shipped work. Shipping box must be sturdy enough to handle return shipping. (No counter labels or US Postal Service labels or stamps). No packing peanuts; please advise shipper of this or work will be returned. Please use sturdy, reusable cartons with adequate packing materials to withstand return shipping. Please use bubble wrap as opposed to airbags, which tend to deflate before the end of the exhibition. Please do not use oversized packaging.

Installation artwork is to arrive at the ACA 10 AM–4 pm on June 4, 2026. The earlier date is to allow time for gallery executive director to arrange floor space. Include enough installation photos to show proper set-up. Mark the title of the exhibit on the outside of your shipping box. The ACA requires a $25 handling fee for artwork shipped to the ACA; one fee per shipped box. Tape fee and return shipping label to back of artwork. Shipping address: Aiken Center for the Arts, 122 Laurens Street, SW, Aiken, SC 29801. All shipped artwork must have prepaid barcoded UPS or FedEx return shipping label included in shipped work. Shipping box must be sturdy enough to handle return shipping. (No counter labels or US Postal Service labels or stamps). No packing peanuts; please advise shipper of this or work will be returned. Please use sturdy, reusable cartons with adequate packing materials to withstand return shipping. Please use bubble wrap as opposed to airbags, which tend to deflate before the end of the exhibition. Please do not use oversized packaging.

NAWA SC Chapter annual meeting and lunch will be held at noon on June 18, 2026 at The Willcox Hotel, 100 Colleton Ave. SW, Aiken, SC. Menu details with RSVP requests will be sent to members on May 1, 2026. Guests are welcome to attend the meeting and lunch. If you wish to stay overnight in Aiken, special rates are being arranged and more information will be sent to members on April 1, 2026.

The ACA will host a wine reception from 6–8 pm on June 18, 2026. Awards will be announced during the reception. The exhibited work will be judged by a non-NAWA member (judge name to be announced later). First place $200 2D; First Place $200 3D; Second Place $100 2D; Second Place $100 3D; Third Place $75 2D; Third Place $75 3D; and two Honorable Mention awards will be presented. Sponsorships will be sought and additional monetary awards will be awarded based on sponsorships received.

Members that arranged free art transport to Aiken: Artists will work with each other to arrange pick-up of art between 10 AM–4 pm on Friday, July 24, 2026.

Shipped artwork will be returned ASAP with your shipping label.

Aiken Center for the Arts will collect a 35% commission; NAWA SC will collect 5% commission; artists will received 60% of artwork sales.

Exhibit Chair Flavia Lovatelli or committee member, Melinda Welker, with any questions at [email protected]. Put Spirited Aiken in the subject line.

A binder of Artists' Bios will be available to gallery visitors who may desire more information on artists. If you wish your bio to be included in the binder, please email your one page bio to: [email protected]. The binder will be available at the gallery during the reception and for the remainder of the exhibit. If you wish, you may bring your business cards or rack cards to add to the binder at anytime during the exhibit or include them with your art shipment.

My entry into the NAWA SC Exhibit titled: Spirited Aiken, to be held at Aiken Center for the Arts (ACA) and entered through ShowSubmit, binds me to the agreement as stated below.

The ACA gallery maintains complete control over the location, manner, coordination of the display, and necessary changes in display for artwork security. Artwork will be available at the ACA until the end of the exhibit on July 23, 2026.

I hereby declare I am the owner and creator of the original artwork being submitted by me, both as the artwork's physical manifestation and the copyright of the artwork. No AI artwork is allowed. The artist must obtain written permission of any people featured in the artwork or their parents/guardians if children under 18 are featured. Artist is fully responsible to obtain all model or property releases.

The ACA gallery has property insurance intended to cover artwork on exhibition in the event of any negligent acts or omissions on the part of the Gallery, its agents and employees. Before delivery, the artist will assign the value of the artwork. The artist agrees to hold the gallery harmless to any and all loss of property from: flood, hurricane, earthquake, terrorism, acts of war, and nuclear hazard. The artist is encouraged to maintain her own property damage coverage, and in the event that alternate coverage is available, the Gallery's insurance coverage will be secondary. I accept full responsibility for any and all damages, loss, theft, and/or any other casualty of any kind in shipping artwork to the gallery, and to a buyer, if the work sells. I hereby waive any and all claims against the ACA and the National Association of Women Artists, SC Chapter as well as their officers, directors, and committee personnel.

I agree to allow an image of my artwork being exhibited to be used without charge for advertising and/or promotion in the furtherance of the Exhibition and for any purposes including without limitation traditional media, social media, website as well as public relations, prior to and/or after the Exhibition.

My work is available for sale at the price hereinbefore agreed. I agree that if my work is sold during the exhibition, the ACA will retain 35% commission, NAWA SC Chapter will retain 5% percent, and the artist will receive 60% of the selling price. Sales will be handled by the ACA. The ACA will forward NAWA SC commission at the time payment is made to artists. Artists do not have to send commission to NAWA SC.

Point of release clause: the work in the exhibition is considered part of the exhibition from the point of opening of the exhibit on June 18, 2026, through the end of the exhibit on July 23, 2026.

I understand that my work may not be included if it fails to meet professional presentation standards (as determined by the exhibitions jurors), including but not limited to blurry photography entry, inclusion of watermark or name on the image, or by the gallery Executive Director, if artwork has improper hanging apparatus, or unprofessional framing. Please advise the shipper to not use packing peanuts; items packed this way will be returned after calling the artist. NAWA SC retains the right of discretion to decide if artworks do or do not meet the requirements of our show standards, or contain any inflammatory or offensive materials.

I understand that I MUST be a member in good standing during the entire date range of the exhibit, June 18–July 23, 2026.

In the event of a dispute with regard to this Waiver Agreement, we agree that all disputes must be adjudicated in a State Court in the County, City, and State of South Carolina, under the Laws of the State of South Carolina, without regard to choice of Law rules.

NAWASC Board of Directors: [email protected]

Additional Notification Information

Notifications will be emailed and posted in your ShowSubmit account by the end of the day on April 30, 2026.

You may view the notification in your ShowSubmit account by logging in and clicking tapping the Notifications at the top right of the screen, or in your Entry History.

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

• 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 (April 16, 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

For questions about NAWA SC or this Prospectus, please contact Flavia Lovatelli ([email protected]).

For technical support or entry questions, first check our Help Center or Entry Guide. If you still need help, email ShowSubmit Support ([email protected]). We’ll respond between 9am and 6pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.