“Dangerfield Island Marina" by Victoria Barnes

DEL RAY ARTISANS - CALL FOR ENTRY
MEMBERS ONLY

For the Love of Virginia at VCA Alexandria Animal Hospital
a Del Ray Artisans Gallery Without Walls exhibit

September 14, 2026 - September 4, 2027

 Entry Deadline: Monday, August 24, 2026 by Midnight

Curators: Liz Martinez (GWW@DelRayArtisans.org) and
Candace Flanagan (Candace.flanagan@VCA.com)

Del Ray Artisans (DRA) is pleased to partner with VCA Alexandria Animal Hospital (VCA Alexandria) for a new Gallery Without Walls exhibit. 

The Virginia motto is Virginia is for Lovers. We want to see what you love about Virginia. From the Blue Ridge mountains to the beaches of the Eastern Shore; from its rural areas or its cities. It could be a cardinal in a dogwood or a Chincoteague pony or even a Virginia big-eared bat. Let’s see the beauty of Virginia through your artistic vision. FYI, VCA Alexandria Animal Hospital has a policy not allowing realistic artwork depicting dogs, cats, or birds, because they can stress out the animals in the waiting room.

For the Love of Virginia is a Del Ray Artisans members-only exhibit at VCA Alexandria. If you are not a member, you may join Del Ray Artisans now to enter. As a GWW exhibit, there is no fee to submit your artwork and there are no additional volunteer requirements. Artwork previously shown in the DRA gallery is welcome.

Artists should be mindful of the stress free environment within the center and choose artwork that is family-friendly and helps to lighten or lift the viewer; please avoid submitting pieces that include nudity or explore death and/or violent themes. Artwork selected for this exhibit will be displayed for up to 12 months, or until the artwork is sold. Space is limited, and as artwork is sold, the opportunity for replacements may arise per the discretion of the curator. The 2-dimensional artwork will be displayed on the walls of the VCA Alexandria Animal Hospital, 2660 Duke St., Alexandria, 22314. (We are unable to accommodate 3-D work.)

This GWW exhibit will occur at the same time as, and independent of, other GWW exhibits at VCA Old Town and Alexandria Myotherapy, Inc. As with our prior collaborative shows, commissions from sales (20%) of artwork will support Del Ray Artisans.

Entry to this exhibit is by online submission. Art must be two-dimensional, and can be in any medium. No strict size limits, but please be considerate of other artists and the physical limits of VCA Alexandria before entering oversized pieces. Oversized pieces of merit will be accepted if space permits. Art should be ready to hang or display with wire and screw eyes, framed, matted, or with edges finished.  We cannot show work that is not ready for exhibition. Example of a professionally framed artwork with flat screw eyes and wire:

If your artwork hanging system varies greatly from this example, contact the curators. See DelRayArtisans.org/exhibits/art-guidelines for additional details.

Entry Details

• Open to Del Ray Artisans members only.
• Artists may submit up to three (3) pieces of 2-dimensional artwork ready to hang. (3-D and free-standing artwork will not be accepted.)
• There is no entry fee for this show.
• Deadline for online submission of your art is Monday, August 24, 2026 by midnight.
  
• You must provide one photo for each entry. Acceptable file types are: pdf, jpg, jpeg, png, and gif; up to 5MB in file size. Smart phone photos are acceptable. You may also choose to provide one additional photograph per entry (not required). You must name your files as follows: "YourLastName-FirstName-ArtworkTitle". If you provide a second photo for an entry, add a "-2" to the end - e.g. "YourLastName-FirstName-ArtworkTitle-2".
• All artwork must be original work and not a digital reproduction print. Photography, digital art, and hand-printed fine art prints (block prints, woodcuts, relief prints, mono prints, lithographs, intaglios, etchings, engravings, etc) are welcome for entry. Contact the curators for more information.
• All artwork must be for sale.
• Work previously shown at Del Ray Artisans gallery is eligible.
• Artwork acceptance is at the curators' discretion. Final acceptance into the exhibit will happen when the curators view the artwork in person.

Accepted Artist Requirements

• All taxes, including sales taxes upon sale of artwork, are the responsibility of the artist.
• When art sells, each artist is asked to make a 20% tax-deductible commission to Del Ray Artisans.
• All artwork will be sold in a "cash and carry" arrangement.
  
• Del Ray Artisans, VCA Alexandria Animal Hospital and the City of Alexandria cannot be held liable for any loss or damage to artwork at any time. Insurance for artwork is the sole responsibility of the artist.
• Permission to photograph any artwork for Del Ray Artisans publicity and archival purposes is automatically granted by the artist as a requisite for entering the exhibit.
• There are no volunteer requirements for this show.
• Unsold artwork pickup will be by appointment on September 6-10, 2027 between 8am-4pm. No early pickup.
• Del Ray Artisans cannot be held responsible for any artwork left after the pickup deadline. Artwork not picked up will be moved to Del Ray Artisans gallery and placed in the craft closet. The gallery has limited space and artwork could get lost, misplaced, or damaged. Any art left over 30 days after the close of the show will become the property of Del Ray Artisans.

Important Dates

• Deadline for Digital Submissions is Monday, August 24, 2026 by midnight.
• Artists will be notified of artwork acceptance by Wednesday, September 2, 2026.
• Artwork Receiving for accepted artwork will be by appointment on September 8-11, 2026 between 8am-4pm at the VCA Alexandria Animal Hospital, 2660 Duke St, Alexandria, VA 22314. (The curators will contact you to schedule your appointment.)
• The exhibit runs September 14, 2026 - September 4, 2027.
• Unsold artwork pickup will be by appointment on September 6-10, 2027 between 8am-4pm.

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Entry Form

TIP: Your membership expiration date is shown on the mailing label of Del Ray Artisans exhibit postcards. If your membership has expired, please renew now.

Artwork Entries

You may provide up to three (3) entries. 

Please provide one photo for each entry.  Acceptable file types are:  pdf, jpg, jpeg, png,and gif; up to 5MB in file size.  Smart phone photos are acceptable.  You may also provide an additional photograph per entry if you wish (not required). 

Please name your files as follows:  "YourLastName-FirstName-ArtworkTitle". If you provide a second photo for an entry, add a "-2" to the end - e.g. "YourLastName-FirstName-ArtworkTitle-2". If you need help with photo files, please email the Curating Director at Curating@DelRayArtisans.org 

Any questions or concerns about this application, please contact the curator: Liz Martinez (GWW@DelRayArtisans.org).

Entry 1

Entry 2

Entry 3

Terms and Conditions

Carefully review all the terms and conditions in this Call for Entry; especially note the Accepted Artist Requirements section and Important Dates section. You must also check the following acknowledgements:

Special thanks to the City of Alexandria, Alexandria Commission for the Arts, and Virginia Commission for the Arts for their continued support of Del Ray Artisans, a 501(c)(3) organization.