Spectrum is a juried exhibition of original, contemporary artwork by local and regional artists, and invites submissions in all media. All entries must have been created within the past two years and not previously exhibited at the Carriage Barn.
The theme of the 2025 exhibition is SPRING FEVER and the juror Susan Eley, founder and director of Susan Eley Fine Art, will review original works in all media that celebrate and embody the vitality and energy of the spring season.
Submissions may evoke the lushness of spring through imagery, composition, color and movement, or through symbolic themes such as renewal, transformation, possibility and the cycle of life. Selected works across a range of media will showcase artistic expression and inspiration – whether personal, emotional or environmental.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Deadline: Thursday, March 27, 2025
Notification (by email, and selections listed on our website): April 1, 2025
Drop off: Sunday, April 6 between 1-3pm & Monday, April 7 between 10am-1pm
Opening Reception: Sunday, April 13 from 3-5pm
Reception with Juror Susan Eley: Sunday, May 18 from 1-3pm
Exhibition Closes: Friday, May 23, 2025
Pickup: Friday, May 23, 3-5pm & Tuesday, May 27, 10am-1pm
About The Juror:
SUSAN EISNER ELEY is the owner and director of Susan Eley Fine Art, founded in 2006 as a salon-style gallery, SEFA NYC was initially situated in an Upper West Side townhouse in Manhattan. Currently, SEFA operates its main gallery in Hudson, NY and hosts a dynamic roster of American and international artists. The program focuses on contemporary art by emerging and mid-career artists, who work in a range of media—encompassing painting, printmaking, sculpture and photography.
Before establishing the Gallery, Eley was an editor and writer for national publications featuring articles on fine art, dance and travel. Eley worked in public relations and education at the Morgan Library & Museum, NY, the Mayor’s Art Commission of the City of New York and interned at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy. She is also a former professional dancer with the Feld Ballet, NY. Eley has a BA in Art History from Brown University and an MA in Visual Arts Administration from NYU.
ENTRY FEES
Members and Students (age 25 & under): $30 for up to 3 and $5 per additional entry (up to 6 total)
Non-members: $45 for up to 3 and $5 per additional entry (up to 6 total)
Entry fees help support our non-profit educational arts organization, free public programs and continued free gallery access to all. Become a member today for reduced entry fees and other benefits.
PREPARE IMAGES TO ENTER ONLINE: Resize your images to 72 dpi sized no smaller than 1000 pixels in any direction (about 13”). This should result in most image files ranging from 700kb to 2mb in file size. Files bigger than 3mb will not be accepted. For non-visual art submissions including audio, video, or writing, submit the appropriate files (.mov for video, .avi for sound, and .doc/.docx/.pdf for writing and other proposals) in place of images.
IMPORTANT! Label each image as “lastname_firstname_01title” (example: Smith_Mary_01untitled.jpg)
SPECIFICATIONS:
– Work delivered to the gallery must be installation-ready. All two-dimensional works and wall sculptures must be wired or cleated with a beveled edge on the cleat for hanging. We use the Walker hanging system (nails and screws are not drilled into the walls). Saw tooth hangers and small wire loops on the back of inexpensive frames are not acceptable along with scratched glass or plexi-glass. We reserve the right to reject any work whose presentation is sub-standard.
– Work must remain on exhibit for the entire show. Following the pickup dates after the close of the show, there will be storage charge of $10/day for any work left at the gallery.
– Sculpture must be delivered fully assembled and presented in a permanent, non-fragile medium. The gallery has a limited number of pedestals. Artists might need to provide pedestals.
SALES:
We encourage exhibitors to enter works that are for sale. For any works sold, artists receive 65% of the sale price before tax. The Carriage Barn Arts Center and New Canaan Society for the Arts retains the remaining 35% as a transaction fee.
COPYRIGHT POLICY:
Each artist retains all copyrights to their submitted images.
IMAGE USE RIGHTS:
Artist’s recognition is provided with any use. By submission for jurying, artists whose submissions are chosen for the exhibition grant The Carriage Barn Arts Center the right to use their images for the purpose of promoting the artist, promoting the Center’s programs, promoting exhibitions and subsequent display on the Center’s website of current and past exhibitions. Promotions and images may also be placed on social networks with artist credit. Selected arwork will be exhibited in the Carriage Barn, in an online exhibit on the Carriage Barn Arts Center website.
LIABILITY AND INSURANCE:
While all care will be taken while art is being exhibited in any NCSA sponsored exhibition, NCSA assumes no responsibility for any damage to the artwork during delivery, installation, and de-installation including, by way of example but not limitation, normal wear and tear, such as minor nicks to frames or scratches to Plexiglas. NCSA will not be liable for work not claimed after specified pick-up dates and times.
As a condition for exhibiting work in any NCSA exhibition, the exhibiting artist acknowledges by executing this agreement that NCSA assumes no responsibility for theft or other catastrophic loss beyond the applicable limits of NCSA’s insurance coverage. Except to the extent set forth in a separate written agreement signed by both the Exhibitor and NCSA, and subject to applicable deductions, insurance coverage cannot exceed 50% of the market value of any particular item, with the understanding that the exhibitor’s requested price may not be determinative with regard to market value for insurance purposes.
ABOUT THE SPECTRUM EXHIBITION
Spectrum is one of the Carriage Barn Arts Center’s major annual, juried exhibitions. Established in 1990, the exhibition highlights newer work by both member and non-member artists that relates to a specific theme. The Carriage Barn invites a juror (or jurors) to contribute their objective expertise by reviewing all the submissions and selecting between 80-100 works in a variety of mediums to be included. Spring Fever marks the 36th annual presentation of the Spectrum exhibition at the Carriage Barn Arts Center.
Recent themes and exhibition jurors:
2023 Passages (Heather Gaudio/Rachel Placios)