Spencertown Academy
Spencertown Academy

Regional Juried Fine Art Show

September 27 – October 26, 2025 Spencertown Academy Arts Center
Deadline is July 16th. 13 weeks left to enter. Open to Members and Non-Members.
Open Calls

or to submit.

Deadline for entry: July 16, 2025

Theme: Art as Memoir

“We look at the world once, in childhood. The rest is memory.” Louise Gluck

Art based on memory can be as powerful as art drawn from direct observation if it is infused with meaning and energy, and reflects the artist’s personality.

For this show we are asking artists to submit work based on a personal memory or memories. The source of inspiration may be: a person or a group of people (family, friends, social circle, etc.), a place of residence, a place frequented or visited, an object or assortment of objects from one’s past that evoke(s) feelings, or an event that left an impression. The work does not need to be entirely created from memory (reference materials such as sketches or photos may be used, for example); it just needs to be inspired by or based on a memory or memories that hold meaning to the artist.

Awards

$300 First Place, $200 Second Place, $100 Third Place; two $50 Honorable Mentions, and $100 Audience Favorite.

Jurors

Ian Berry is Dayton Director of The Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery and Professor of Liberal Arts at Skidmore College. He has organized over 100 museum exhibitions for the Tang and museums across the United States. He is well known for his active publication record on many prominent artists, has chaired the Visual Arts Panel of the New York State Council on the Arts, and serves on several advisory boards for regional and national arts organizations.

Sienna Patti is the founder of the Sienna Patti Contemporary Art Gallery in Lenox, Massachusetts. Her gallery works with both emerging and established artists who use craftsmanship as an intellectual and structural vehicle through which to share ideas and bridge the world of art, craft, and contemporary design with innovative use of material and mediums. She has curated more than 200 exhibitions in and out of the gallery and presented artists and exhibitions at art and design fairs worldwide.

Venue

The Gallery at Spencertown Academy Arts Center
790 Route 203
Spencertown, NY 12165

Housed in a historic landmark 1847 Greek Revival schoolhouse, Spencertown Academy Arts Center presents a variety of arts and cultural programming to an audience of local residents, second homeowners, and tourists from the Hudson Valley and Berkshire regions.
The Academy, including the Gallery, is a not-for-profit institution supported by membership, public and private donations, and grant funding. A volunteer committee comprised of professional artists and curators administers the Gallery. The Gallery comprises two exhibition spaces: the larger space is approximately 38’ X 15’, and the smaller is 16’ X 15’. Both rooms have abundant natural light as well as track lighting and 9.5’ ceilings.

Eligibility

General: Original works of art must have been created within the last three years and not previously exhibited at the Academy. Submissions will be accepted from artists who are residents of Columbia County, New York, or one of the following nearby counties: Albany, Dutchess, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Ulster, and Washington in NY; Berkshire, Franklin, and Hampshire in MA; or Fairfield and Litchfield in CT.

Media: Traditional media including but not limited to: watercolor, acrylics, oil, pastels, drawings in any media, photography, collage, mixed media, printmaking, encaustics, ceramic/pottery/stoneware, fiber art, metal, wood, and other 3-dimensional media/sculpture. All styles (representational, abstract, etc.) are welcome.

Exclusions:
  • No giclee prints or reproductions of works made in traditional media.
  • No AI-created works.
If you have any questions about your media or submission, please email [email protected]

Size Restrictions:
  • For wall-hung artworks, the maximum size of an entry, including frame, if framed traditionally, must not exceed 30 inches in any direction.
  • Sculpture and other 3-dimensional artworks must be light enough for one person to handle, must be able to be hung on the wall, displayed on the floor, on an Academy pedestal, or a shelf or structure provided by the artist.
Please contact us to determine the best method to hang your work or for other special display requirements you may need: [email protected]

Pickup / Dropoff Requirements: Artists MUST arrange to have their work dropped off AND picked up in person on the assigned dates. The Academy cannot accept shipments of artwork, does not store artwork, and cannot ship artwork back to artists (sorry, no exceptions.)

Exhibition Requirements

  • Framed works should be ready to hang using securely attached picture wire. No saw tooth hangers.
  • Please contact the curator if your work has special hanging or installation requirements, such as unframed works on paper or metal.
  • All artworks MUST be delivered and picked up in in-person on the specified dates. If you are unavailable on these dates, please arrange for a friend or fellow artist to handle the drop-off or pickup for you.
  • All artworks must remain for the duration of the exhibit.

Submission of Artwork

  • Submission platform: ShowSubmit.com
  • You will need an artist account on ShowSubmit to enter the show. Be sure to include your contact information, including a mailing address, so we know where to send a check for work that sells.
  • For each artwork you enter, please be sure to include: A good quality photo, artwork title, year of creation, media, dimensions, and sales price. See “Image and Filename Specifications” (below) for details on the photo.
  • Your Artist Bio/Statement: Please submit a short bio or artist statement, to be included in the “About the Artists” book on display during the exhibit
  • You may submit up to three (3) artworks. You will receive an email from ShowSubmit on the notification date as to the status of your submission and which of your works have been accepted.

Entry Fees

  • Current Members: $35
  • Non-members: $45
This fee covers submission of up to 3 pieces.

Become a member by clicking here: Membership Info

Acceptance

  • This is a juried show. Not all work submitted will be accepted.
  • Notifications of whether work is Accepted or Declined for the exhibition will be made via email directly from ShowSubmit on or before the notification date.
  • No substitutions of work are allowed once work is accepted. If an accepted work is sold prior to the exhibition date, you must let us know, and it will be withdrawn from the exhibition.
  • The Academy may rescind the right to exhibit any work misrepresented or unsuitably presented.
  • All work must remain in the gallery for the duration of the exhibition, until 5 PM on the closing date. Please do not expect to retrieve unsold work earlier.

Sales

  • All work must be for sale.
  • Although there are no price restrictions, experience has shown that work priced at $750 or less has the greatest chance of selling at an Academy show.
  • The Academy commission is 35% of the sales price.
  • If, during the show, and for a period of six months following its end, any visitor to our Gallery contacts you and subsequently purchases artwork from you, we ask that you consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Academy equal to 10% of the sale price.

Liability and Agreement

Insurance
The Academy has an insurance policy on artwork displayed in the Gallery during the exhibition period. The Academy insures work up to a maximum value of $5,000 per item while on its premises. If the insurance value of any individual piece exceeds $5,000, the Lender should arrange for a special insurance rider to cover the excess. Insurance for work during transport to and from the Academy is the responsibility of the Lender.

Publicity
Images of accepted artwork may be used by The Academy for publicity, advertising, or other purposes. Photos of the reception and exhibition, including photos of artists and installed art, may be used by The Academy for publicity unless the artist requests otherwise.

Agreement
Submitting a work of art to this exhibition implies an agreement by the artist to the terms and conditions set forth above.

Questions

Questions about exhibition requirements:
[email protected]

Questions about your membership:
(518) 392-3693

Additional Notification Information

Notifications will be emailed and posted in your ShowSubmit account by the end of the day on August 6, 2025.

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.

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 (July 16, 2025.)
  • 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 SAAC or this Prospectus, please contact ([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.