Artist Choice

Description

Artist Choice Open Show

CALL FOR ENTRIES

Show Dates: July 24, 2026 - Sept 18, 2026

Presented by the Louisa Arts Center, 212 Fredericksburg Ave, PO Box 2119, Louisa, VA  23093

Ready and Able by Julia Merkel

CALENDAR

April 19, 2026: - July 16, 2026 @ 5:00 p.m.: Online entry period. See Entry Process below. Also, in-person entry at the Louisa Arts Center on July 18 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m..
July 18, 2026: 9:00 -11:00 a.m.. In-person delivery of your art to the Louisa Arts Center*.

July 20, 2026: Artists notified of selected/unselected art.

July 21 - 24, 2026: 11:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.. Unselected Art Pick-Up at the Louisa Arts Center.
August 7, 2026:  6:00 - 8:00 p.m.–  Opening Reception

Sept 18, 2026: Show closes. 
Sept 19, 2026: 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.– Pick up unsold artwork.

* We cannot accept or return ship any shipped artwork. In-person submissions only.

ENTRY PROCESS

Register at our Artcall website: https://artistchoice2026openshow.artcall.org. There is a non-refundable $5.00 fee per art piece. Three pieces of art per artist. If two or more canvases are to be hung together, they count as separate pieces. If two or more canvases are within one frame they count as one piece. Fees are waived for students under 18. Call our box office (540-967-5200) for coupon code. If you experience difficulties, please contact us at: gallery@louisaarts.org.

Take a digital photo of each of your pieces of art. Once you have created your account at https://artistchoice2026openshow.a... upload the JPEG or PNG files (5 MB maximum size per file). If framing behind glass, take photos of your work before final framing. If work is 3D, take photos with a simple white background.

For tips on taking photos of your art, follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

After uploading your photos, print the two identification tags. One tag is to be attached to the back/bottom of the art and the other one is your receipt.

Judging is not done virtually therefore all artwork must be physically submitted for judging on the day and time indicated.

If you need assistance with the entry process, there is a video tutorial at the bottom of this page.

POLICIES FOR ACCEPTANCE INTO LAC OPEN SHOWS

This exhibition is open to all local artists.

Artist must have an account at https://artistchoice2026openshow.a...
where you can upload your photos.

Artwork is required to be for sale and if sold, the Center will retain a 30% commission of the price listed by the artist. Set the price of the artworks taking the commission into consideration. The artist shall contact the Arts Center and remit 15% of the sale price of any item, which is purchased by an Arts Center client or referral from opening night to 30 days later.

All artworks must be original in any media (no printed reproductions of paintings, drawings, or pastels). Any copied photos used in creating the artwork must have been taken by the artist or credit given to the photographer. All artwork must not have appeared in a previous show at the Louisa Arts Center.

Artwork wholly generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs (i.e, DALL-E, Midjourney, or similar programs) will not be accepted for display. Artwork derived or transformed or modified by AI-programs are acceptable so long as the greater part of the artwork process and outcome is the tangible, intellectual, and creative labor of the artist(s). AI-assisted artworks must be acknowledged to the Gallery and potential customers.

All 2-D (to include drawing, painting, collage, photography, low relief, etc.) artwork must be framed in a professional manner and ready to hang from picture molding (i.e. screw eyes, hanging rings, brackets, wire, etc. on both sides of back of the work to facilitate hanging). NO saw tooth hangers. Gallery provides pedestals for 3-D work.

CHECK LIST FOR ALL ARTISTS

Upload your photos to Artcall website (https://artistchoice2026openshow.a...)   
All art (excluding sculptures and stand-alone art pieces) must be wired for hanging. NO SAWTOOTH hangers.
Attach a tag (printable tags are available to print at the Artcall website) to the back of EACH artwork with the following information:

Name of Artist
Title of Art
Price
Dimensions

Check spelling and capitalization because the web gallery and wall tags will match what you type.
No corrections can be made to the Web gallery, the printed show program, or the gallery wall tags after the Wednesday before the opening reception.

LIABILITY AND AGREEMENT

By submitting artwork for entry and upon acceptance, the artist agrees to allow work to be shown and reproduced for publicity purposes.

The Louisa Arts Center takes every precaution to protect entries from damage and loss; however the artwork is NOT insured by the Center.

Participating Artists agree to hold the Louisa Arts Center harmless and to indemnify the Louisa Arts Center against all claims resulting from losses.

Thank you for your submission(s).
We appreciate your creative time and effort and hope you will consider future submissions.

GUEST CURATOR:  Julia Merkel

After earning a BFA in Sculpture and Art History from the University of Notre Dame (graduating cum laude, and awarded the Emil T. Jacques Silver Medal of Fine Art), Merkel worked at Watermark Farm in Pennsylvania and volunteered at a L'Arche Community in Spokane, Washington before returning home to Virginia. She was awarded a full teaching fellowship from James Madison University and completed an MFA in Painting in 1992.
Julia has worn many hats over the years: Curator of the JMU Fine Art Collection, adjunct professor (at JMU, Virginia Military Institute, and the University of North Texas.)  Currently, she runs the Preservation Office for JMU Libraries and has the privilege of conserving and building custom housings for Rare Books & Manuscripts in Special Collections in addition to planning and installing exhibits highlighting materials from the archives. Julia and her family live in a passive solar home on the edge of the George Washington National Forest.  Her work is held in many public and private collections.

User Entry Process Tutorial