Show Dates: September 27-October 26, 2025
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 27, 3:00-5:00pm
Theme: Art as Memoir
“We look at the world once, in childhood. The rest is memory.” – Louise Gluck
Art based on memory can be as powerful as art drawn from direct observation if it is infused with meaning and energy, and reflects the artist’s personality.
For this show we are asking artists to submit work based on a personal memory or memories. The source of inspiration may be: a person or a group of people (family, friends, social circle, etc.), a place of residence, a place frequented or visited, an object or assortment of objects from one’s past that evoke(s) feelings, or an event that left an impression. The work does not need to be entirely created from memory (reference materials such as sketches or photos may be used, for example); it just needs to be inspired by or based on a memory or memories that hold meaning to the artist.
AWARDS: $300 First Place, $200 Second Place, $100 Third Place; two $50 Honorable Mentions, and $100 Audience Favorite.
JURORS
Ian Berry
Dayton Director of The Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery and Professor of Liberal Arts at Skidmore College. He has organized over 100 museum exhibitions for the Tang and museums across the United States. He is well known for his active publication record on many prominent artists, has chaired the Visual Arts Panel of the New York State Council on the Arts, and serves on several advisory boards for regional and national arts organizations.
Sienna Patti
Founder of the Sienna Patti Contemporary Art Gallery in Lenox, Massachusetts. Her gallery works with both emerging and established artists who use craftsmanship as an intellectual and structural vehicle through which to share ideas and bridge the world of art, craft, and contemporary design with innovative use of material and mediums. She has curated more than 200 exhibitions in and out of the gallery and presented artists and exhibitions at art and design fairs worldwide.
ELIGIBILITY
General: Original works of art must have been created within the last three years and not previously exhibited at the Academy. Submissions will be accepted from artists who are residents of Columbia County, New York, or one of the following nearby counties: Albany, Dutchess, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Ulster, and Washington in NY; Berkshire, Franklin, and Hampshire in MA; or Fairfield and Litchfield in CT.
Media: Traditional media including but not limited to: watercolor, acrylics, oil, pastels, drawings in any media, photography, collage, mixed media, printmaking, encaustics, ceramic/pottery/stoneware, fiber art, metal, wood, and other 3-dimensional media/sculpture. All styles (representational, abstract, etc.) are welcome.
Media Exclusions:
- No giclee prints or reproductions of works made in traditional media.
- No AI-created works.
If you have any questions about your media or submission, please email art@spencertownacademy.org.
Size Restrictions: For wall-hung artworks, the maximum size of an entry, including the frame, if framed traditionally, must not exceed 30 inches in any direction. Sculpture and other 3-dimensional artworks must be light enough for one person to handle, must be able to be hung on the wall, displayed on the floor, on anAcademy pedestal, or a shelf or structure provided by the artist. Please contact us to determine the best method to hang your work or for other special display requirements you may need: art@spencertownacademy.org.
Pickup / Dropoff Requirements: Artists MUST arrange to have their work dropped off AND picked up in person on the assigned dates. The Academy cannot accept shipments of artwork, does not store artwork, and cannot ship artwork back to artists (sorry, no exceptions.)
ENTRY FEE
Members – $35
Non-Members – $45. This fee covers submission of up to 3 pieces.
HOW TO ENTER
- All submissions must be made online at: https://showsubmit.com/show/saac-regional-juried-fine-art-show-2025.
- Up to three (3) works of art may be submitted by any artist.
- For questions about exhibition requirements, contact art@spencertownacademy.org.
ACCEPTANCE
- This is a juried show. Not all work submitted will be accepted.
- Notifications of whether work is Accepted or Declined for the exhibition will be made via email directly from ShowSubmit on or before the notification date.
- No substitutions of work are allowed once work is accepted. If an accepted work is sold prior to the exhibition date, you must let us know, and it will be withdrawn from the exhibition.
- The Academy may rescind the right to exhibit any work misrepresented or unsuitably presented.
- All work must remain in the gallery for the duration of the exhibition, until 5 PM on the closing date. Please do not expect to retrieve unsold work earlier.
SALES
- All work must be for sale.
- Although there are no price restrictions, experience has shown that work priced at $750 or less has the greatest chance of selling at an Academy show.
- The Academy commission is 35% of the sales price.
- If, during the show, and for a period of six months following its end, any visitor to our Gallery contacts you and subsequently purchases artwork from you, we ask that you consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Academy equal to 10% of the sale price.