Upcoming Exhibits

Scheduled Exhibits
  • New Birth…New Growth…New Beginnings – April 21 to May 29, 2021
    a juried exhibition celebrating the renewal of spring.
  • David Farmer: Kentucky Hues – June 3 to July 3, 2021
    a solo exhibition of artwork by artist-in-residence David Ray Farmer
  • Sarah Wiltsee: Your World in Color – July 6 to August 4, 2021
    a solo exhibition by abstract artist Sarah Wiltsee.
  • En Plein Air – August 7 to September 11, 2021
    new artwork by the Plein Air Artists of Central Kentucky
  • Gathering Artists: Unmasked – August 7 to September 11, 2021
    new art celebrating a farewell to isolation
  • The Object Seen – September 15 to October 30, 2021
    a juried exhibition of contemporary still life. See entry details below.
  • Holiday Market 2021 – November 4 to December 23
    a curated holiday shopping experience

Call to Artists

The Art Center is currently accepting applications for our fall contemporary still life exhibition: The Object Seen.

EXHIBITION DESCRIPTION: The Object Seen – Contemporary Still Life is a celebration of one of art history’s oldest traditions – the study and practice of the still life as subject matter.  This exhibition honors both traditional realism as well as more experimental contemporary techniques and welcomes a variety of media.

JURY CRITERIA: The juror will be asked to select work (both two and three dimensional) that reflects and expresses the theme of Contemporary Still Life while demonstrating creativity, strength of execution, and overall artistic excellence with the goal of selecting a well-rounded exhibit that showcases a broad range of artistic styles and interpretation.  

ABOUT THE JUROR: Sheldon Tapley is the Stodghill Professor of Art at Centre College, where he has taught painting and drawing throughout his career. His works have been exhibited and collected at public institutions across the country. “Tapley masterfully blends the discipline of a hard-earned classical technique with a vision that is thoroughly modern and personal,” wrote Bill Creevy in American Artist. Kentucky Educational Television featured the artist in the documentary series Looking at Painting and an episode of Kentucky Life. The New Yorker introduced Tapley’s art to a national audience in a review of his first solo exhibition of still life paintings at the Tatistcheff Gallery.

CALENDAR:
August 15                                            Online entry deadline
By August 27                                       Notifications emailed
September 11                                     Delivery of accepted works, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
September 15-October 30                  Exhibition dates
September 24 (5:30-7:00 p.m.)          Opening Reception (CDC guidelines will determine format)

ELIGIBILTY AND MEDIA:  All media will be considered with the exception of live or performance art.  All work must have been completed since January of 2017 and not previously shown in any other Art Center of the Bluegrass exhibitions.

AWARDS: Awards for this exhibit are generously sponsored by DecoArt.
1st Place:            $500
2nd Place:            $250
3rd Place:            $100

SALES:  ALL WORK MUST BE FOR SALE. The Art Center of the Bluegrass retains a 30% commission on the sale price of all works sold in the gallery. The sale price is the price you list on the registration form. Artists will be notified if/when art is sold and must complete and return a W9 form in order to be paid for the sale. 

You can download the full prospectus for this exhibit by clicking here. To enter your work, click here to access our online entry portal. A non-refundable entry fee of $25 for 1 to 3 entries and $35 for 4 to 6 entries allows the artist to enter up to six art works.