Quilt National ’27 explores the expanded field of quilting, showcasing textile-based contemporary art and fiber as a medium for material inquiry. The exhibition features works that interrogate surface, structure, labor, gender, and politics. These quilts merge craft, design, and fine art, repositioning quiltmaking within contemporary art discourse.

JURORS
Shin-hee Chin
Brandy Maslowski
Beverly Y. Smith

EXHIBITION PERIOD:
May 28-September 7, 2027

ELIGIBILITY 

• Works completed after August 30, 2024
• Entry Fee: $50 for 1-3 works

WideOpen reflects both the enduring legacy and the evolving possibilities of lens-based photographic practice today. This year’s theme, Light + Time, foregrounds the essential elements that define the medium—light as material and time as both subject and structure.

JURORS
To be announced

OPENING RECEPTION
October 2, 2026 from 5-7pm

EXHIBITION PERIOD:
October 3- November 29, 2026

ELIGIBILITY 

• Works completed after  June 15, 2017
• all subject matter and photographic processes are eligible for consideration
• Entry Fee: $45 for 1-3 works

Seen + Heard is a regional exhibition that brings together women and people with diverse experiences of femininity to share their stories through visual art and traditional craft. Representing a wide range of backgrounds, ages, cultures, identities, and life experiences, participating artists challenge stereotypes, confront marginalization, and celebrate the richness and complexity of women’s lives, feminine identities, and gendered experiences in Appalachia. Through collective artistic expression, Seen + Heard creates a space where the power of the feminine is recognized through a depth of experiences, creativity, and humanity.

JURORS
To be announced

OPENING RECEPTION
January 22, 2027, 5pm-7pm

EXHIBITION PERIOD:
January 23 – March 21, 2027

ELIGIBILITY 

• Works completed after January 1, 2024
• Open to artists and makers whose work explores the power and complexity of womanhood, femininity, and gendered experience in Appalachia.
• Entry Fee: sliding scale from $15 – $65 for 1-3 works

The Dairy Barn Arts Center invites proposals for three solo exhibitions to be presented in the Chaddock + Morrow Gallery during 2027. This intimate gallery space (approximately 400 square feet) hosts exhibitions that complement and extend the themes of the Arts Center’s main gallery programming. Artists working in visual art, contemporary craft, and traditional craft practices are encouraged to apply. Applicants should propose a cohesive body of work that demonstrates a clear artistic vision and is suitable for a solo exhibition in the space.

Works may be listed as “Not For Sale”. If works are listed for sale, the artist will be paid 65% of the retail price listed, and The Dairy Barn will retain a 35% commission on work sold during the exhibition.

EXHIBITION PERIODS:
January 23 – March 21, 2027
May 29 – September 6, 2027
October 2 – November 28, 2027

ELIGIBILITY 

• Works completed after January 1, 2024
• Open to artists and makers living in the counties of Athens, Meigs, Vinton, Hocking, Perry, Morgan, Washington, Wood (WV).
• Entry Fee: sliding scale from $10 – $50