“Study 18” by Dale Spivey

DEL RAY ARTISANS - CALL FOR ENTRY
OPEN TO DEL RAY ARTISANS MEMBERS ONLY

$125 and Under
at Del Ray Artisans Gallery

November 6 - 29, 2026

Entry Deadline: Saturday, October 10, 2026 by Midnight

Curators: Dale Spivey (vadesigner@me.com)
and Liz Martinez (catniphaze@gmail.com)

Del Ray Artisans (DRA) is bringing back this popular exhibit and inviting members to submit their best work priced at $125 or less. All media and all themes are welcome. Art that has not previously been shown at DRA in the last 6 months is welcome in this exhibit. The art will be sold on an art-to-go basis, with buyers taking art home when purchased. 

For this exhibit, artists may submit up to 3 artworks. The curator will accept and display as much art as space permits. 

Questions? Contact curators Dale Spivey (vadesigner@me.com) and Liz Martinez (catniphaze@gmail.com).

$125 and Under is a Del Ray Artisans members-only exhibit. If you are not a member, you may join Del Ray Artisans now.

Entry to this exhibit is by online submission. Art may be two- or three-dimensional, and in any medium. No strict size limits, but please be considerate of other artists and the physical limits of the gallery before entering oversized pieces. Oversized pieces of merit will be accepted if space permits. If submitting a multi-piece 2D artwork (such as a diptych or triptych), all parts must be framed together into one piece unless cleared in advance with the curator. Art should be ready to hang or display with wire and screw eyes, mounting and/or display stand, 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 artwork.
• There is no entry fee for this show.
• Deadline for online submission of your art is Saturday, October 10, 2026 by midnight.
• You must provide one photo for each entry. Acceptable file types are: jpg, jpeg, pdf, and png; up to 5MB in file size. Smart phone photos are acceptable. You must name your files as follows: "YourLastName-FirstName-ArtworkTitle". You may also choose to provide one additional photograph per entry (not required). 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. Giclée prints are not allowed. Art that relies on generated AI (artificial intelligence) content is discouraged, and may not be accepted. Photography, digital art, and hand-printed fine art prints (block prints, woodcuts, relief prints, monoprints, lithographs, intaglios, etchings, engravings, etc.) are welcome for entry. Contact the curator for more information.
• All artwork must be for sale.
• Art that has not previously been shown at DRA in the last 6 months is welcome in this exhibit.
• Artwork acceptance is at the curator’s discretion. Final acceptance into the exhibit will happen when the curator views the artwork in person. Artwork, once accepted into the exhibit at the drop-off time, must not be removed from the gallery or be altered in appearance or in price.

Accepted Artist Requirements

• All taxes, including sales tax, are the responsibility of the artist. Factor your tax burden into the price of your artwork. Del Ray Artisans does not collect taxes separately.
• When art sells, Del Ray Artisans retains a 10% commission. (Note: This is half the normal commission.)
• Even if the artist's work has sold, artists are not allowed to bring in new entries after Artwork Receiving.
• The information collected in the Entry Form will be used to create the wall tags and added to the sales system. No changes may be made to this data after the Artwork Receiving date.
• Del Ray Artisans 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. The photos you provide in the entry form below may also be used to post this exhibit online. Anyone not agreeing must contact the Curating Director at Curating@DelRayArtisans.org.
• All artists participating in this exhibit are required to volunteer a minimum of 3 hours towards managing the show. Those hours can be filled by gallery hosting during the month of exhibit, assisting with show hanging or take down, and volunteering to help with other show-specific activities as needed by the curators. Any hours in excess of 3 hours will count towards the membership requirement. DRA members are reminded to report their volunteer hours monthly.
• Unsold artwork pickup is on Sunday, November 29, 2026 from 6-8pm and Monday, November 30, 2026 from 12-4pm by appointment. No early pickup. All art must remain for the entire length of the exhibit unless sold or arrangements have been made in advance with the curator.
• Del Ray Artisans cannot be held responsible for any artwork left after the pickup deadline. 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 to the exhibit is midnight on Saturday, October 10, 2026.
• Artists will be notified of artwork acceptance by Saturday, October 17, 2026.
• Artwork Receiving for accepted exhibit entries will be on Sunday, November 1 from 3-6pm by appointment at Del Ray Artisans gallery, 2704 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22301. (The curator will contact you to schedule your appointment.)
• The Opening Reception is Friday, November 6, 2026 from 7-9pm.
• The exhibit runs November 6-29, 2026. Gallery hours are Thursday 12-6pm, Friday 12-9pm, Saturday & Sunday 12-6pm. Bonus gallery hours on Wednesday, November 25, 12-6pm. (Closed on Thanksgiving Day, November 26.)
• Unsold artwork pickup is on Sunday, November 29, 2026 from 6-8pm and Monday, November 30, 2026 from 12-4pm by appointment.

 

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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.

REMINDER: Please record your volunteers hours in the online form (found on Volunteer page by selecting "Enter Volunteer Hours Now"). If you have not yet completed your annual volunteer time, please review the current volunteer needs.

The above information is for Del Ray Artisans use only.

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). 

Name your files as follows: YourLastName-FirstName-ArtworkTitle. If you provide a second photo for the entry, add a “-2” to the end, e.g. YourLastName-FirstName-ArtworkTitle-2.

Any questions or concerns about this application, contact the curators: Dale Spivey (vadesigner@me.com) and Liz Martinez (catniphaze@gmail.com).

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:

After clicking "Submit Entry Form" below you will be taken directly to the payment page for your entry(s). Your submission is NOT complete until payment is remitted.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the City of Alexandria through the FY2027 Annual Arts Program. Special thanks to the City of Alexandria and Virginia Commission for the Arts for their continued support of Del Ray Artisans, a 501(c)(3) organization.