2025 Biennial Juried Exhibition

Description

2025 Biennial Juried Exhibition

Online submissions: February 18 – April 11, 2025

ABOUT

Ohio’s professional artists are invited to showcase their artistic talents in the Ohio Arts Council’s (OAC) Riffe Gallery 2025 Biennial Juried Exhibition.

Exhibition dates: October 25, 2025 – January 9, 2026. Selected works will be on display in the OAC Riffe Gallery, located in the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts in downtown Columbus.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

You must be a:

A professional artistProfessional artists are individuals who devote a major portion of their time to creating, practicing, performing, or teaching their chosen artform and receive some type of monetary support from this endeavor. 
Living in Ohio
Over 18 years of age
Not currently (or at the time of the exhibition) enrolled in a degree program

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

You must:

Submit between one (1) and three (3) artworks per artist.Submit between one (1) and three (3) images per artwork.

Notes on submission:
Include detail images and varying points of view if you choose to submit more than one image for an artwork.
Video submissions are also accepted.
Digital images must be saved as JPEG files.
Make sure the images are clear and well-lit.
If you need help resizing your image(s), review the video tutorial on the next page.

Additional parameters:Artwork must have been created in the last three (3) years.Artwork using any media will be accepted.Artwork cannot be taller than 10 feet.If your artwork is selected for the exhibition, it must be framed and/or equipped with hardware to display properly.You must provide all audiovisual equipment if your artwork requires it.Artwork must be original artwork—nothing borrowed or copied.This is a blind jury—all artwork images, descriptions, and artist statements should exclude personally identifiable information.Artistic excellence and artistic merit are the criteria by which artwork will be considered, taking into account suitability for a public space open to all ages and backgrounds with respect for the diverse beliefs and values of the people of Ohio.

TERMS & CONDITIONS:

Accepted artwork must be dropped off in the OAC Riffe Gallery on Saturday, October 11, 2025, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. If you are unable to drop off your artwork on the above date, shipping or installation arrangements must be made with OAC Riffe Gallery Director Cat Sheridan at cat.sheridan@oac.ohio.gov. Shipping costs are the responsibility of the artist.

All artwork will be insured by the OAC Riffe Gallery from drop-off to pick-up. You will be asked to list each artwork’s insurance value on the submission form. The OAC Riffe Gallery is not responsible for artwork during shipping.

The OAC Riffe Gallery will only accept artwork that is selected by the jurors. No substitutions may be made.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Call for entries open: Tuesday, February 18, 2025, 6 a.m.
Call for entries deadline: Friday April 11, 2025, 5 p.m.
Notice of acceptance to the exhibition: the week of May 12, 2025
Artwork drop-off: Saturday, October 11, 2025, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

JURORS:

WENDY EARLE: Wendy Earle is a curator at the Akron Art Museum, organizing temporary exhibitions and adding acquisitions to the permanent collection. She has previously held curatorial positions at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem, NC, and Museum of the Southwest in Midland, TX. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, she was interested in the study of art and culture from a very young age. She received her BA in art history from the University of Michigan and her MA in art history from the University of Texas at Austin, and interned at the Dallas Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Art and the Museo Larco in Lima, Peru. Her interests include the ancient Americas, contemporary Indigenous artists, self-taught and ‘outsider’ artists, craft and materiality, and the intersection of art, science and technology. 

CHARLOTTE GORDON: Charlotte Gordon is the Artistic Director of the Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center in Portsmouth, Ohio. The Museum is currently undergoing a multi-million-dollar expansion and renovation to house the 25,000-object collection and five annual rotating temporary exhibitions. Prior to the Southern Ohio Museum, Charlotte served as Museum Curator at the Springfield Museum of Art. Charlotte holds a BFA from Tulane University and a Masters in Museum Studies from Southern University of New Orleans, focusing on Collections Management and Creative Community Building. Through the decades, Charlotte has curated many regional exhibitions and traveling exhibitions, including, “Associated American Artists: Art By Subscription, “Creative Sprit Self Taught Art”, “Form, Figure, Function, Ohio Ceramics”, “In Touch With the Spirit, Selections from the Southern University of New Orleans Collection of African Art”, and “From River to Lake: A Century of Ohio Watercolor”.

DEIDRE HAMLAR: Director of the Aminah Robinson Legacy Project, Deidre Hamlar is passionate about spreading the important legacy of Columbus born artist Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson. Hamlar has worked with the Columbus Museum of Art (CMA) since 2018 to sort and archive the vast trove of art, books, and writings Robinson entrusted to CMA at her passing in 2015. In 2019, Hamlar co-curated with Carole Genshaft the blockbuster exhibition, Raggin' On: The Art of Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson’s House and Journals, November 2020-October 2021, and contributed to the award-winning catalogue of the same name. Hamlar assisted with the preservation of Robinson’s home studio and helped to develop and currently directs a residency and fellowship program for African American artists and writers to live and work in Robinson’s renovated home. Since 2020, the Aminah Robinson home studio has hosted five local fellows and seven national residents. In 2024, CMA partnered with Fort Gansevoort Gallery in New York to host its first gallery exhibition, Character Studies, the proceeds of which benefit the Aminah Robinson Legacy Project. With support from Art Bridges Foundation, CMA will present Aminah Robinson: Journeys Home, a Visual Memoir on a five-museum national tour 2025–2028, curated by Hamlar. 

Here is a quick video tutorial to help you with the submission process: