CALL FOR ENTRY

 

Ecotones: Water & Thresholds of Change​

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Water shapes landscapes, carries stories, and defines the spaces in between. It can be gentle or powerful, sustaining or scarce, visible or invisible—flowing through every ecotone, the transitional zones where one ecosystem meets another. This exhibit explores the marginal spaces where water and transformation meet.

Ecotones are permeable boundaries rich with diversity, tension, and transformation, hosting species, forms, and processes from both systems. Metaphorically, they reflect threshold moments—times of transition, uncertainty, and becoming—where ideas, systems, and environments intersect, overlap, and evolve.

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We invite artists working in all media to engage with water as both subject and metaphor. The shimmering edges of environments offer fertile ground for reflection, tension, and interconnectedness. We welcome work that evokes the power, fragility, and movement of water, as well as its capacity to sustain life even in the face of scarcity, human pressures, and change.

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Artists are encouraged to explore threshold moments: points at which currents shift, systems pivot, and the familiar gives way to the unknown. These are times of rupture and revelation. Water rises, flows, and transforms everything it touches—emotion,  environment, society, and humanity.

In an era of unprecedented political and social change, threshold moments are collective and urgent, inviting reflection, response, and renewed attention to the forces shaping our shared world. We welcome work that treats water as a mirror, a memory, a pulse, a keeper of stories, or a force of change. 

Artists are encouraged to explore ecological, cultural, and metaphorical possibilities—especially in the spaces where one realm meets another, and where the edge becomes a threshold.

 

Artwork Specifications

2-D Work

• Maximum dimensions: 96” H × 48” W

• Must be ready to hang

• Multiple-piece sets must include a setup diagram

• Required hardware: D-rings with wire, sized appropriately for the work. French cleats are acceptable for heavy or large wall art. NO sawtooth hangers

• Artwork not meeting hanging requirements will not be exhibited

3-D Work

• Maximum dimensions: 36” H × 18” W × 18” 

• Must be ready for display

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 Timeline 

• Submission Deadline: March 15, 2026

• Artist Notification: April 3, 2026

• Shipped Work Due: April 24, 2026

• Drop-off Work: April 24, 2026, time TBD

• Exhibition: April 30 – June 6, 2026

• Opening Reception: April 30, 2026

• Artwork pickup: June 8, time TBD

 

Shipping information will be provided upon acceptance. Artists shipping art will provide a pre-paid return label. 

 

Awards
Best of Show: $250 - Three Honorable Mentions: $50 each - Winners announced at Opening Reception

Scholarship: The Women’s Caucus for Art strives to create an inclusive community and recognizes that the cost to enter can be a barrier for emerging artists. Two scholarships covering the CaFE entry fee are available. Emerging artists wishing to be considered should email wcaco.ecotones@gmail.com by January 15, 2026. Recipients will receive a code to submit their CaFE entry at no cost.

 

Jurors

Jennifer Perlow
Founding Principal of PS Art Consulting, Jennifer brings over 20 years of experience in the arts, working with galleries, consultants, and private clients to commission, acquire, and curate meaningful collections. With a background in psychology, she excels at building relationships and creating thoughtfully curated environments.

 

Chris Stevens
Director of Exhibitions for the Center for the Arts Evergreen, Chris holds degrees in Speech Communication and Art History and has over 20 years of experience developing visual arts exhibits and public art projects. He has held leadership roles in Columbia, Missouri; Denver International Airport; and Greenwood Village. He has served on numerous juries, including the Cherry Creek Art Festival and the Missouri Arts Council Grant Review Panel.

Together, Jennifer and Chris combine extensive curatorial, advisory, and administrative expertise to provide thoughtful, experienced guidance in evaluating and selecting artwork. In their free time, they enjoy exploring art galleries and hiking in the woods. 

 

Application Requirements

Artists may submit up to 3 artworks. Optimum image requirements are recommended as follows:

• Dimensions: At least 1200 pixels on the longest side

• File size: Under 5MB

• File Format: JPG or JPEG

• Resolution: 300 DPI is ideal

• Audio/video submit MP4 files

Artist Statement (required)

Maximum 250 words
Statement must be specific to this exhibition and describe how your work engages the theme

May include: creative process, conceptual approach, visual interpretation, or the ways your work connects to ecotones, water, and thresholds of change

Should provide insight into artistic intentions and how the work communicates or explores the theme

 

Apply at Call for Entry. 

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Contact Email: wcaco.ecotones@gmail.com