Curiously Gorey

TITLE: "Curiously Gorey"

The Cultural Center of Cape Cod, a non-profit arts organization located on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, invites artists worldwide to submit artwork to this exhibition. Showing at the Cultural Center's Bass River Arts Campus: March 3–28, 2026.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

"Curiously Gorey" is an exhibition inspired by the eccentric charm and dark whimsy of Edward Gorey.

In Curiously Gorey, we invite artists of all media to honor the peculiar brilliance of Edward Gorey—his meticulous draftsmanship, mordant wit, and gift for transforming the ordinary into the delightfully unsettling. This exhibition calls for interpretation rather than imitation and asks artists to explore Gorey’s elegant melancholy and dry theatricality.

Artists may draw inspiration from his precision of line, his stage-like compositions, or his unsettling narratives that linger between humor and discomfort. Mysterious or absurd, irreverent or inexplicable, submissions should embody the same exquisite tension that makes Gorey’s world so curiously irresistible. This exhibit is in generous collaboration with the Edward Gorey House.

IMPORTANT DATES

• Show runs from March 3–28, 2026
• JPEGs due by Thursday, February 19, 2026
• Notification of acceptance by Friday February 20, 2026
• Local drop-off of work on Monday, March 2, 2026, between 9am - noon
• Work being shipped must arrive by Friday, February 27, 2026
• Opening reception Friday, March 6, 5–7pm, 2026
• Pick up unsold work, Monday, March 30, 2026, between 9am - noon.
• Work being shipped will be sent the week of March 30, 2026

ENTRY FEE

$25 for first entry and $5 for each additional entry, you may enter up to 20 total. Payment is non-refundable and does not guarantee acceptance.

 ELIGIBILITY

This call is open to artists worldwide, both amateur and professional. 

RULES

Work that is copied or done under the guidance of an instructor is not eligible. Please submit only work that will be available at the time of the exhibit and will remain for its entirety. If the work does not fully reflect what is represented on the jpeg the Cultural Center reserves the right to eliminate it from the exhibition.

 ARTWORK DELIVERY

Airfloat Systems' are recommended and a handling fee of $25 will be charged to the artist if a proper art box is not used for shipping.

The artist is responsible for shipping costs to and from the gallery. 

Please send work to:
The Cultural Center of Cape Cod
Attn: Ian Kabat
307 Old Main Street
South Yarmouth, MA 02664

Artists must issue pre-paid return labels for their works through UPS, FedEx, or USPS.

Works should be shipped in reusable containers for return. PLEASE MAKE YOUR RETURN LABEL EASY TO FIND UPON UNPACKING. Clearly indicate any packing directions for return of works. Works that do not include a return label, and/or works that are not picked up within one month of the end of the exhibition become property of the Center.

NO PACKING PEANUTS. 

NOTIFICATION

Notification will be done by email. If for any reason you do not receive your notification by the notification date, please check the filters in your email account.

FORMATTING

All images must be in JPEG or JPG format using CaFÉ guidelines. The image size must be 1,200 pixels or greater on the longest side. Maximum file size is 5 mb.  

SALES

The Center lists exhibiting work for sale using the price of the work listed on the artist’s CaFe account. It is the artist’s responsibility to ensure that their sale price is correct in their CaFe account. All works should be for sale. Members of the Cultural Center are charged a 30% commission on all sales, non-members a 40% commission.

REGULATIONS

By submitting images, you agree that the images are your own work, you own all rights to the images, and you take full responsibility for the content of all images, including the likeness of recognizable individuals. The actual artwork will remain the property of the artist. The artists will grant copyright to the Cultural Center for display and promotional use. By entering our calls for art through Cafe you are agreeing to be added to the Cultural Center of Cape Cod's email list for forthcoming artist opportunities.

LIABILITY

The gallery staff will take great care handling artworks for exhibition. However, Center and its staff are not responsible for any damage that may occur. We strongly recommend artists insure the works themselves, and also purchase insurance from the shipping company used. Shipping your work means you agree to this.

**Disclaimer: The Center’s insurance does not cover damage to art during shipping and transit to or from The Center. Artists should insure all work to and from The Center.

The Center would like to know the stories behind this work. Please make sure that your artist statement on CaFe is 1000 characters (including spaces and punctuation) or less. Please also make sure that your statement is free of grammatical errors. 

Submissions: All entries and payments must be submitted via Call for Entries (Cafe). Please follow the directions on Cafe. If you have exhibition questions, please contact AmandaL@cultural-center.org; questions related to submitting through the Cafe platform should be directed to Cafe. 

All images must be in JPEG or JPG format using CaFÉ guidelines. The image size must be 1,200 pixels or greater on the longest side. Maximum file size is 5 mb.  

This call is open to artists worldwide, both amateur and professional. Work needs to have been produced within the last five years. All styles and aesthetics are considered. The Cultural Center is a public non-profit art center open to everyone; as such, the content of submissions should be appropriate for all viewers.