56th National Juried Artists Exhibition: The Summer Show

The St. Tammany Art Association (STAA) announces a call for entries to its 56th Annual National Juried Artists Exhibition: The Summer Show. One of the most diverse exhibitions of contemporary art in the Southeast, the juried competition of invites contemporary artists, ages 18 and up, from across the United States to submit to this year’s open call for submissions.

The St. Tammany Art Association is proud to present the return of the 56th Annual National Juried Exhibition, The Summer Show, to the Miriam Barranger Gallery. 

A minimum of $3,500 in cash prizes including a $2,000 prize for Best of Show will be awarded. Other cash and merit awards will be presented at the discretion of the Juror.

Up to three artworks may be submitted per artist. The fee to enter is $35 for one, two or three artworks.

• DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: Online entry and payment will be accepted until 11:59 PM in Mountain Time on Saturday, May 16, 2026. Submissions will be accepted only through CaFE.org.
• NOTIFICATION TO APPLICANTS: Results of the selection process will be announced on or before Wednesday June 3, 2026.
• EXHIBITION: The exhibition will be on display July 11 - September 12, 2026, in the Miriam Barranger Gallery of the St. Tammany Art Association in historic downtown Covington. Regular gallery hours are Wednesday to Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM and Saturdays from 11 AM to 4 PM. The exhibition is free and open to the public.
• ARTISTS RECEPTION: Saturday, July 11, 2026, 6-9pm with presentation of awards at 7pm.
• CLOSING RECEPTION: Saturday, September 12, 2026, at 6-9pm
• All events are free and open to the public.

About the Juror: MaPó Kinnord (b. 1960, Cleveland, Ohio) is a New Orleans-based artist and educator whose work explores ancestral memory, architecture, and the meditative potential of clay. After early training at Cleveland’s School on Magnolia and apprenticeships with production potters, she earned her BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art (1984) and her MFA from The Ohio State University (1994), relocating to New Orleans in 1995, where she now serves as Department Head and Associate Professor of Art at Xavier University of Louisiana. Drawing inspiration from the architectural traditions of Ghana, Kinnord’s ceramic sculptures reflect her extensive research in West Africa and blend structure with improvisation, often likened to jazz. A respected educator, she has taught internationally and at institutions including the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and Penland School of Craft, and her work has been widely exhibited, including her 2021 solo exhibition Outside In, Improvisations of: The Ceramic Work of MaPó Kinnord at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art.

Details for Accepted Artists: 

• DELIVERY OF ART TO GALLERY: All shipments and hand-delivered pieces must be received at the gallery between: July 1 – July 3, 2026 during gallery hours. No later than: July 3, 2026.
• PICK UP OF HAND-DELIVERED WORK: September 16 – 19, 2026, during gallery hours.
• RETURN OF SHIPPED WORK: No later than, Saturday, September 19, 2026
• INSURANCE: Artists are encouraged to provide insurance on their work. STAA is not providing insurance at this time.
• SHIPPING: All accepted work must be shipped via FEDEX to STAA in reusable crates with shipping PRE-PAID for return. Artists may create a personal shipping account at www.fedex.com/us to pay shipping and print labels for return. Artwork not delivered via FEDEX or which does not include a pre-paid label for return will not be accepted. Your piece will be returned and will not be admitted to the exhibition.

• Open to contemporary artists ages 18 and up from across the United States.
• Accepted artwork is original visual art completed within the past two years and not previously exhibited at STAA.
• There are no size restrictions; however, space limitations do not allow STAA to accommodate film, video or large installations.
• Reproductions of artwork are also not admitted.
• More details will be provided to artists if selected for the exhibition.

Open to all artists in the United States, 18 years of age or older.