The Umbrella Arts Center
The Umbrella Arts Center

Ceramics Biennial 2026

Earthworks: Evolution April 29 – June 28, 2026 The Umbrella Arts Center, Concord, MA
Deadline is January 16th. 16 weeks left to enter. Open to New England artists.
Artwork by Lisa Orr
Artwork by Lisa Orr
Open Calls

or to submit.

Deadline for entry: January 16, 2026

About

The Umbrella Arts Center of Concord, MA presents its second Ceramics Biennial Exhibition, “Earthworks: Evolution”, a regional show celebrating the depth of history, tradition, and cultural expression in contemporary ceramics, and the ways in which artists continue to expand the field through innovation and reinterpretation. As part of The Umbrella Arts Center's continued commitment to the ceramic medium, we intend for this show to highlight emerging and established artists working in clay. This show invites artists currently residing in New England to honor the skill, knowledge, and diversity of our regional ceramics community.

Eligibility

This exhibition is open to all works which use clay as the primary medium, both functional and sculptural. Open to artists currently residing or working in New England.

Awards

$1000 grand prize and up to five (5) $100 honorable mentions to be awarded by the juror.

Juror

Lisa Orr has been a studio potter for over 40 years. After completing an MFA at the NYSCC Alfred in 1992, she received a Fulbright, an MAAA/NEA and other grants to research ceramics and create films. Her work has been placed in numerous public and private collections. Currently refining an accessible smokeless wood kiln, she also teaches, lectures, and shows nationally and internationally.

Orr’s ceramics lushly blend historical, functional roots with organic, fluid forms that embrace gentle asymmetry. Inspired by nature and intuition, her richly textured and colorfully glazed slip-cast surfaces evoke birds on the wing, coral reefs, and blooming flowers, resulting in work that’s vibrant, emotional, and assured.

More Information

Entry Fee

A flat fee of $35.00 includes up to three (3) submissions.
  • Artists will need to submit their works through ShowSubmit.com. Payment will also go through ShowSubmit.
  • Submissions may be edited until the application deadline.
  • A late submission fee of $45 will be applied to any application submitted between January 10–January 16.

Deadline

Friday, January 9, 2026. Application through ShowSubmit must be submitted by 11:59pm on this date. Late submissions will be accepted until Friday, January 16, 2026.

Conditions

UAC reserves the right to reject entries that do not meet these requirements or are deemed unsuitable for our gallery space.
  • All entries must be original, must use clay as the primary material, and must be completed within the last three (3) years.
  • Shipped work that differs from submitted images will not be accepted.
  • Work damaged in shipping will regretfully not be presented.
  • All accepted work must have proper identification.
  • No accepted work may be picked up before the closing of the exhibition.
  • Work may be available for sale or must be identified as NFS. The retail price or insurance value provided on the entry form will be used; no changes may be made after the work is shipped.

Shipping

  • Shipping costs are the responsibility of the artist (UPS or FEDEX preferred).
  • Please check with your carrier on recommended packing procedures; detailed packing, unpacking, and/or handling instructions must accompany all shipped or hand delivered works. Please label all exterior and interior boxes and crates with the artist name and title of work.
  • A check for return shipping, including the cost of insurance, must accompany delivered work, payable to The Umbrella Arts. Any work that does not have a prepaid return label will not be shipped back.

Hand Delivery (preferred)

  • Hand-delivered work is the responsibility of the artist. No personnel will be available to assist with delivery into the gallery.
  • Please contact the Center to make an appointment to arrange for artist-coordinated delivery/pickup at [email protected], with subject line: “2026 Biennial Delivery”

Receiving Deadline

April 1, 2026. All work must be received no later than these dates.

Sales/insurance

  • A 30% commission on all sales will be retained by The Umbrella. Artists must indicate sale price and insurance value or, if NFS, just insurance value.
  • Submission of work to this exhibit is done so at the artist’s risk and implies an agreement on the part of the artist to all the conditions of this Call for Submission.
  • The Umbrella will not be responsible for loss or damage to work in transit, however, work will be insured while in The Umbrella Arts Center facility.

Publicity

  • The Umbrella reserves the right to photograph entries for the purposes of documentation, education, and publicity.
  • Accepted artists are encouraged to send to The Umbrella a resume, artist statement, brochures, and additional photographic materials of the accepted work for publicity purposes.

Additional Notification Information

Notifications will be emailed and posted in your ShowSubmit account by the end of the day on February 20, 2026.

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 (January 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 UAC or this Prospectus, please contact Julia ([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.