National Juried Exhibition Entry

20th National Juried Exhibition
Entries must be received by midnight on Sunday, December 14, 2025
On display February 6 – 28, 2026 at the Emporium Center, Knoxville, TN
Please find the entry form at the bottom of the page.

Statement of Purpose
The Arts & Culture Alliance developed its National Juried Exhibition to provide a forum for artists to compete on a national scale and display their work. Approximately 40-50 fine art works encompassing all styles and genres from both emerging and established artists will be selected by the juror for exhibition in the main lower gallery of the beautifully renovated Emporium Center at 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville’s downtown arts anchor location. The Emporium is free and open to the public Monday-Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Saturday 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM, and additional hours for special events.

Juror
Based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Christina Renfer Vogel holds an MFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and a BFA from Tyler School of Art, Temple University. Rooted firmly in perceptual painting, her work reflects direct encounters and everyday exchanges in her environment. Recent still life paintings explore intersections between work, life, and the studio. She has been featured in solo exhibitions at Spalding Nix Fine Art (Atlanta, GA) and the David Lusk Gallery (Nashville, TN), and her work was included in the 2021 Atlanta Biennial at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center (Atlanta, GA). Vogel’s work has been shown at the Asheville Art Museum (Asheville, NC), LABspace (Hillsdale, NY), and The Painting Center (New York, NY). She has participated in artist residencies including the Vermont Studio Center (Johnson, VT), the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (Amherst, VA), and JSS in Civita (Civita Castellana, Italy). Her work has been featured in New American Paintings, and she is a recipient of an Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation grant and a Lighton International Artists Exchange Program grant, among other awards. She is currently a member of Zeuxis, an association of still life painters. Vogel serves as a professor of painting and drawing at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. www.christinarenfervogel.com and Instagram @christinarenfervogel

Awards
More than $1,800 in cash awards will be presented at the exhibition’s Opening Reception on February 6, 2026 at the Emporium at 5:30 PM (opening lasts from 5:00-9:00 PM). Awards include: $1,000 Best in Show, $500 Second Place, $250 Third Place, and a $50 cash award for Best Work by an Alliance member. Awards are as designated by the juror, whose decision is final.

New this year! The juror will offer a few lines of feedback to artists who opt-in for an additional $7.50.

Eligibility and Size Requirements

I. Artwork may not have previously exhibited in any exhibition at the Emporium Center.

II. Entries must be original and completed within the last two years (2024-2025) in 2-D and 3-D (such as painting, watercolor, pastel, drawing, sculpture in any medium, jewelry, collage, printmaking, photography and digital media). Artwork created in whole or in part using any artificial intelligence system is not eligible.

III. The maximum allowed size is 120” x 120” in any direction including frame or stand (must fit through a 60” x 120” doorway). Weight is not to exceed 60 lbs. unless special arrangements are made.

IV. Artwork must be suitably framed/mounted and wired for installation.

The juror reserves the right to disqualify any work not suitably presented or that varies from the submitted image.

Entry Procedure
The nonrefundable entry fee is $40 for up to three works ($25 for Arts & Culture Alliance members and students). Up to three additional entries may be submitted for $7/each ($5 for members/students). Diptychs and triptychs are considered one work. Works are juried by digital image only. A “pay what you can afford” fee structure also exists and allows for three entries only.

Each 2-D work should be represented by one digital image with an additional detail image if appropriate (texture, surface embellishment, mixed media, etc.); each 3-D work may be represented by up to three separate digital images. Send digital images as JPG files, identifying image with entry form number (A-F) and title of work (example: A.Title.jpg). Image size is ideally 1600 pixels on the longest side. For video works, please upload a still image in the application and email the Alliance with a link to the video on YouTube or Vimeo to view the entry.

Uploaded images must be JPEG, JPG, or PNG files and may not exceed 5 MB in size per image.

Application may be filled out online using the form below.
Images may be uploaded with online application.
Entry fee may be paid by check or credit card.
Application, images and entry fee must be received by midnight on Sunday, December 14, 2025.
All artists will receive a confirmation of their received entry when it has been processed.

Sales & Commission
Work must be for sale. Every effort is made to promote sales. All sales are handled by the Arts & Culture Alliance, who retains a 25% commission (20% for cash and check sales). To operate in accordance with the Tennessee Department of Revenue guidelines, the Alliance will add sales tax to the price of each work that sells from the Emporium and for which it collects payment. Sold works are to remain in the exhibition until its official closing date and time, unless an alternate arrangement can be reached that is mutually agreeable to the Alliance, the Artist, and the purchaser of the artwork.

Shipment and Delivery
Shipping artwork to and from the exhibit is the responsibility of the artist. All shipped work must be prepaid. A check for return shipping must be received in an amount based on the stated insurance value of the piece. (Please consider that shipping costs increase over time and the return shipping may be more expensive after the duration of the exhibition than the initial shipping cost). Artist may use his/her own shipping company preference and is responsible for scheduling delivery and pick up of work. Works must be shipped in very sturdy cardboard boxes or crates. Up to $50 will be charged for replacement crates and boxes not safe enough to return works. Please be sure to include detailed packing instructions along with shipped pieces. Works must be labeled with title and artist’s name. Late or damaged work is not accepted.

Ship/deliver artwork to:
Arts & Culture Alliance, 100 S Gay Street, Suite 201, Knoxville, TN 37902
Attn: NATIONAL JURIED EXHIBITION
(865) 523-7543

Schedule
Entry forms, images, and fees received in Arts & Culture Alliance office by: midnight on Sunday, December 14, 2025
Artwork notifications e-mailed: Wednesday, January 7, 2026
Hand delivery dates to Emporium Center: Monday, February 2, 2026, between 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (EST)
**Shipped works must arrive by 5:00 PM on Monday, February 2.
Exhibit opens to the public with reception and Awards Ceremony: Friday, February 6, 2026, 5:00-9:00 PM
Last public day of exhibition: Saturday, February 28, 2026
Pick-up work (no work is released before end of show): Monday, March 2, between 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Shipped works will be crated and ready for pick up by March 16, 2026.

No work is released before the end of the exhibition. Any artwork left beyond 45 days after the last day of the exhibition may become property of the Alliance.

Handling, Theft, Damage or Loss
The Alliance agrees to handle all artwork with proper care so that artwork will not be damaged, excepting ordinary wear and tear. The Alliance shall not be liable for damage or loss caused by war, confiscation, order of any government or public authority, or by any and all causes beyond the control of the Alliance. The Alliance agrees to notify an artist within 36 hours by telephone, e-mail, and/or by written notification upon the event of any theft, damage or loss that occurs while artwork is in the possession of the Alliance. In the event of loss or damage to artwork at fault of the Alliance, the Alliance agrees to compensate up to reasonable market value on each artwork as agreed upon by Artist and the Alliance’s Executive Director.

Insurance/Artwork Inventory
Unless otherwise specified, ACA will insure up to $25,000 on all artwork in the Emporium throughout the exhibition. If necessary, Artist will insure work above that amount. Unclaimed hand-delivered work is not insured after the posted pick-up date. It is the artist’s responsibility to provide all insurance and shipping costs on works during shipment.

Liability
Receipt of the completed form constitutes Artist’s agreement with all conditions established in the prospectus. The Alliance reserves the right to use artist information and images for publicizing the event and/or on the website at www.knoxalliance.com. Consent to reproduce works photographically is assumed to be granted unless stated otherwise.

About the Arts & Culture Alliance
The Arts & Culture Alliance serves and supports a diverse community of artists, arts organizations, and cultural institutions. The Alliance receives financial support from the Tennessee Arts Commission. http://tnartscommission.org

HOW TO ENTER – 2 EASY STEPS

These two steps must be done separately – please make the payment, THEN fill out the form, OR VICE VERSA. Thank you!

1) Please make a secure card payment via Stripe at https://buy.stripe.com, or scan the QR code below. If you prefer to pay by check, please mail payment to: Arts & Culture Alliance, PO Box 2506, Knoxville, TN 37901.

The entry fees are below; please remember to add $7.50 if you’d like to receive a few lines of feedback from the juror. Feedback will likely represent an artist’s entire set of entries as a WHOLE.

$25 for members of the Arts & Culture Alliance (or students) – 3 entries
$30 for members/students – 4 entries
$35 for members/students – 5 entries
$40 for members/students – 6 entries
$40 for non-members – 3 entries
$47 for non-members – 4 entries
$54 for non-members – 5 entries
$61 for non-members – 6 entries
Pay-what-you-can – 3 entries only – $7.50 still applies

Accepted payment types include debit and credit cards.

2) Return to this page to complete the entry form below and upload your images. Be sure to click the submit button at the end of the form.

Uploaded images must be JPEG, JPG, or PNG files and may not exceed 5 MB in size per image. After you successfully upload an image, the file name will appear on the form. If you need to replace the image, click on the “Delete” link next to the file name.

Upon successful submission of the form, you will receive a copy to the e-mail address you provided (and this page will refresh).