Info & Guidelines for Submission to
2027 Celebration of Women Juried Exhibit
Theme: Collaborations II: The Mentorship Exchange
Last year, our exhibition Collaborations explored what happens when artists create together — when shared vision and dialogue stretch individual practice beyond what one person might do alone. We saw how partnership deepens process and how creativity grows stronger when it is shared.
This year, we ask a new question:
What happens when that same spirit of collaboration extends beyond the art community?
We invite artists to open their studios and practices to individuals who may not have considered themselves artists at all — teachers, nurses, students, entrepreneurs, parents, community leaders, and others. People whose creativity may have lived quietly beneath the surface can step into a space of mentorship and exchange.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Submission deadline: Sunday, February 7
Notification of acceptance: by Sunday, February 21
Artwork drop-off dates and location to be announced. Estimated to be around Sunday February 28 or Monday, March 1.
Exhibition dates: March 13, 2027, to June 7
Opening reception: Saturday, March 13 from 2-4pm
AWARDS
The quality of the final artwork will be considered, but artistic technique alone will not determine the awards. The jury will evaluate the strength of the relationship, the exchange of knowledge and ideas, the level of shared authorship, the creative process, and the transformation that occurs through mentorship.
A team may receive only one of the awards below.
Best of Show: $600 monetary award
Second Place: $350 monetary award
Third Place: $250 monetary award
GUIDELINES
1. Core Concept
The work must result from a meaningful exchange between an artist and someone who does not primarily identify as a visual artist.
The emphasis is on:
Sharing knowledge and skills
Learning from one another
Exchanging stories and perspectives
Developing trust and creative confidence
Creating something together
2. Who Can Participate
Artists:
Individual artists
Artist teams or collectives
Professional and emerging artists
Artists working in any visual medium
Mentees:
Mentees may include teachers, students, healthcare workers, entrepreneurs, parents, seniors, nonprofit professionals, tradespeople, veterans, community leaders, or other individuals or groups outside the visual arts community.
3. Mentorship Structure
Artists may choose the structure that best fits their project:
One Artist + One Mentee
One Artist + Multiple Mentees
Multiple Artists + One Mentee
Multiple Artists + Multiple Mentees
Rotating Mentorship, where participants work with several artists
Community Cohort, where artists mentor a larger group
Collective Project, where individual contributions become one larger work
4. Mutual Exchange
The artist's role extends beyond teaching a technique for the mentee to reproduce. The mentee brings something of their own to the exchange: a story, profession, cultural experience, skill, perspective, object, memory, or idea.
The final work reflects the contributions of both the mentor(s) and mentee(s).
5. The Finished Artwork
The final artwork must be co-created.
It is more than:
“An artist teaches someone how to paint, and the mentee makes a painting.”
Instead, the resulting work demonstrates:
“We learned from one another and made this together.”
Both the artist and mentee are acknowledged as contributors.
6. Process Is Part of the Exhibition
Because mentorship is central to the concept, we strongly encourage documentation such as:
Sketches
Preliminary studies
Notes
Photographs
Short videos
Written reflections
Conversations or quotations
Materials showing the evolution of the work
This gives us and viewers an opportunity to understand the relationship behind the artwork and connect to the journey, not just the finished object.
7. Storytelling Component
Provide a brief reflection addressing questions such as:
What did you teach each other?
What surprised you?
What did you learn?
How did the collaboration change your perspective?
What part of the final work belongs particularly to your shared experience?
These reflections will become part of the wall labels.
8. Artistic Freedom
There is no requirement that the final piece look like the artist's established style.
In fact, we encourage artists to allow the collaboration to influence the outcome.
The goal is not to create a “masterpiece” by the artist. The goal is to create something neither person would have created alone.
ELIGIBILITY
Open to art lovers and artists of all disciplines and backgrounds.
Applicants must reside in Escambia or Santa Rosa Counties in Florida or within 5 miles from the counties.
Each submission must involve at least two collaborators working together.
All media are welcome, including painting, wall-mounted sculpture, installation, mix media, digital/new media, performance documentation, etc.
Videos can NOT have sound due to venue limitations. Videos cannot be installed with other mediums such as painting, sculpture, etc. Videos will either be shown on a screen, or the gallery may create a small descriptive board with a QR code link to the video.
SUBMISSION FEE & ENTRY LIMIT
A $30 submission fee covers one artwork by one collaboration team. The same team may enter up to two additional artworks, for a maximum of three submissions. Each additional artwork requires its own submission form and separate $30 submission fee.
Submissions beyond the three-entry maximum will not be accepted or considered for exhibition.
Submissions does not guarantee acceptance and submission fees are non-refundable.
Each submission must include:
Artwork images or documentation (up to 3 views for 3D, or a 3-minute, 100 MB MAXIMUM excerpt for time-based work or video).
Artist statement (250–400 words) explaining the collaborative process, the role of each contributor, and how the final work reflects the theme of Collaborations II: A Mentorship Exchange. #7 Storytelling Component can be incorporated here.
List of all collaborators, with equal credit given (for organizations, please name both the organization and its representative participant(s)).
Agreement on shared ownership. One designated person will submit the work for everyone in the team.
PRICING
Each artwork price and value must not exceed $2000. Video entries will not be for sale, but artists will give the gallery permission to share in the website, social media, and other promotional efforts.
ORIGINALITY & PRINTS
All entries must be original work completed within the last three years and not previously shown in any Luna Fine Art Gallery show. Reproductions of original works of art, whether embellished or not, are not eligible for submission. However, prints such as photographs, lithographs, woodcuts, engravings, etching, screen prints, and digital works are acceptable if they are labeled as such, and numbered as an edition.
Diptych, Triptych, etc. is considered as one submission of artwork and must be submitted, labeled, and priced as such. The overall maximum size of the diptych, triptych, etc. should not exceed 36” x 48” (horizontal or vertical)
SIZE:
Maximum size for artwork is 36” x 48” (horizontal or vertical)
Diptychs, triptychs, etc. must not exceed 36” x 48”
Any entry weighing over 60 lbs. must be handled by the artist and prior arrangements for its placement made with the Gallery Director.
TWO DIMENSIONAL ART & FRAMING
All works on paper, including photographs, must be framed with glass or plexiglas that is clean (inside and out), unscratched and intact. Works on canvas must be framed or have finished edges. Gallery wrapped canvas is acceptable, provided that no staples are showing, and the edges are clean and free of smudges and smears that are not in intentional of the artwork.
Frames must be in good condition (no scratches or loose corners).
Mats must be clean and smoothly cut.
Screw eyes and hanging wire MUST accompany and be attached to the back of the artwork in a paper or plastic seal. If an alternative method of hanging is required for the piece, it must be cleared with the Gallery Director in advance of its submission to the show. The Gallery director must also be notified if any unconventional method of presentation or hanging is required. Artist agrees to the Gallery using necessary hardware (eye screws, etc.) to provide security in installing the artwork.
Artwork must be completely dry.
THREE-DIMENSIONAL ART & DISPLAY
The gallery cannot place art on pedestals. Sculptural artwork must be able to hang on the wall. If the sculpture has fragile components, it will be placed under plexiglass and cannot protrude more than 4 inches 6 inches. The gallery will provide the plexiglass for display.
VIDEOS:
Videos must not be exceeding 3 minutes and 100 MB.
Videos can NOT have sound due to venue limitations.
Videos cannot be installed with other mediums such as painting, sculpture, etc.
Videos will either be shown on a screen, or the gallery may create a small descriptive board with a QR code link to the video.
WITHDRAWAL
Work accepted for an exhibition may not be substituted, nor will any be permitted to be withdrawn during an exhibition, except in extenuating circumstances, and then only with the approval of the Exhibition Curator.
SALES
All work on exhibit except for videos must be for sale. No POR (Price on Request) or NFS (Not for Sale) is permitted in a juried show. Artists will be subject to the Gallery’s standard contract agreement. The Gallery will collect Florida sales tax plus a 40% commission on all work sold. Artists receive payment of 60% of original price. A W-9 form must be filled out and returned before an artist can receive payment.
DISCLAIMER
Any exhibiting artist consents to the use of his/her name and the artist’s image(s) for purposes of promotion and advertisement by the Gallery. The artist waives any claim, including any claim for invasion of the right of privacy or copyright, against Luna Fine Art Gallery, its directors, officers, employees, and agents.