CALL FOR ART

MOTHERS

A Group Exhibition at Canvas Coffee + Art House
May 1–17, 2026

Canvas Coffee + Art House invites local Greenville and Upstate artists to apply for MOTHERS, a community juried group exhibition exploring motherhood, being mothered, and mothering as an act of making.

This exhibition will be on view during Greenville’s Artisphere festival and Mother’s Day weekend, with an Opening Night on May 1 as part of First Fridays with the Metropolitan Arts Council.

CONCEPT

Mothers is intentionally open in its interpretation.

This exhibition invites artists to explore:

  • Motherhood in its many forms — biological, adoptive, spiritual, chosen

  • Being mothered, or longing to be

  • Loss, tension, joy, care, and transformation

  • Feminine lineage and generational connection

  • The act of making itself as mothering — nurturing an idea, tending a process, bringing something into being

Both abstract and representational approaches are encouraged.

ELIGIBILITY

  • Open to local Greenville & Upstate artists

  • 2-D work only (painting, drawing, collage, mixed media, photography, etc.)

  • Artists must be 18+

  • No AI-generated work

SUBMISSION DETAILS

  • Artists may submit 2-4 images below

  • A maximum of 2 works per artist may be shown, if your work is selected.

  • Work may be existing or newly created, as long as the correlation to the theme is present.

  • All submitted work must be available for the duration of the exhibition. Any work that is purchased will be released to the collector after the show has completed.

  • A brief Artist’s statement must be submitted below expressing your interpretation of the theme and it’s correlation with the work being submitted.

  • Please submit the Application Fee of $20
    (This fee helps cover the labor of organizing, deliberation, promotion, installation, and communication with the community and collectors when the artist is not present.)

  • A application is not considered complete unless it has: properly formatted image submissions, an artist’s statement, and the application fee submitted. Only completed applications will be considered for the show.

SALES & COMMISSION

  • Work that is for sale will have a 60/40 split (60% artist / 40% Canvas)

  • Purchases will be available in person at CANVAS coffee and Art House on 109 W Stone Ave. and through the Canvas website.

  • Artists will receive payment within a clearly communicated timeframe after the exhibition closes.

  • Art must remain on the wall for the duration of the show (May 1-17), after which it will be released to the collector and/or the artist at the artist’s discretion.

COMMUNITY VOTING & AWARDS

Canvas will host community voting from May 1–7. Voting will be kicked off at the Opening Reception on May 1. Artists are encouraged to invite friends and family to attend and vote for their favorite works.

  • Each artist will receive a unique QR code linking to their work on the Canvas website

  • Artists are encouraged to share their link with their community and collectors

  • Voting will be open to the public, and Individuals may vote once a day while voting window is open.

Awards:

  • 🥇 First Place - $250 cash prize, A voucher for a Canvas workshop, A swag bag of Canvas Coffee and merch, and free drinks for a year (one per day).

  • 🥈 Second Place - Voucher for a Canvas workshop, A swag bag of Canvas Coffee and merch, and a canvas gift card.

  • 🥉 Third Place - A swag bag of Canvas Coffee and merch, and a canvas gift card.

IMPORTANT DATES

  • Open Call: Feb 23-March 23

  • Artist Notifications: April 6

  • Artist Acceptance must be received by April 17th

  • Art drop off & installation: Thursday April 30 4pm-6pm

  • Exhibition Dates: May 1–17

  • Opening Night / First Friday: May 1

  • Community Voting: May 1–7

  • Winners announced, labeled, and promoted: Friday May 8

  • Show closing: Art must be picked up Sunday May 17th between 2:00-6:00pm.