New/Now: Pondering Change

New/Now: Pondering Change
September 26 through November 7, 2026
Application Deadline: Monday, August 31 , 2026
South Haven Center for the Arts in South Haven, Michigan

Change is a fundamental fact of human experience. It is inevitable, be it predictable or completely random.  Change can be joyous: losing our first tooth, the birth of a grandchild. Change can be tragic: natural disaster, financial collapse, death of a loved one. Change can be sudden like an accident. It can be gradual: the progression of the seasons, the graying of my hair. Artists know change: in our style, our audience, our medium. While we may not seek change, we know that very soon it will find us.  

If change is the one constant, as everyone says, then it seems the variable in the equation is our own reaction to that change.   Change is the constant; it is we who are somehow New.  It is we who are now altered, inspired, shaken, or evolved. How will we react? How will we sit with this New/Now?

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National Juried Exhibition

New/Now: Pondering Change

September 26 through November 7, 2026
Application Deadline: Monday, August 31, 2026

600 Phoenix St, South Haven, MI 49090 
Phone: (269) 637-1041 

Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 11AM – 4:00PM 
Thursday: 11AM – 6:00PM (ET)

www.southhavenarts.org | info@southhavenarts.org 

Change is a fundamental fact of human experience. It is inevitable, be it predictable or completely random.  Change can be joyous: losing our first tooth, the birth of a grandchild. Change can be tragic: natural disaster, financial collapse, death of a loved one. Change can be sudden like an accident. It can be gradual: the progression of the seasons, the graying of my hair. Artists know change: in our style, our audience, our medium. While we may not seek change, we know that very soon it will find us.  

If change is the one constant, as everyone says, then it seems the variable in the equation is our own reaction to that change.   Change is the constant; it is we who are somehow New.  It is we who are now altered, inspired, shaken, or evolved. How will we react? How will we sit with this New/Now?

All art is in some sense autobiographical. Muse upon some deviation in your life, your work, your world. Create a piece that reflects your reaction to a change you have experienced, a change you anticipate, or one you have initiated.

Briefly describe how a change informed this work.

 About David Baker: David Baker is a visual artist who specializes in poetic landscape painting, much of it done en plein air. His studio pieces are often reinterpretations of paintings done outdoors. His principal media are watercolor, oil, and charcoal.
His subjects are magical discoveries made while walking the landscape near Lake Michigan and, in particular, the campus of Ox-Bow. Frequently these paintings will suggest an ongoing series of pictures. David is a lifelong artist/teacher. He recently retired as art professor Emeritus from Southwestern Michigan College. He still teaches a bit at Ox-Bow School of Art and at the South Haven Center for the Arts.

Entry requirements 

Entries for New/Now: Pondering Change are open to artists residing in the United States and the Tribal Nations that share these geographies. A maximum of two works can be submitted. Accepted art work(s) must remain on display for the duration of the exhibition. Close ups or a video to show a piece of visual art that is 3D, moves, etc. maybe submitted for the juror to view.

 All work must be the original work of the artist and completed in the last five years. We reserve the right to decline any work that is substantially different from the submitted images, does not meet size limitations, or is not professionally presented.

Size limits:     2D - 72” high x 55” wide maximum

3D- must fit through standard doorway, max. 50lbs.

No installations or ceiling hung work

We ask artist to submit an artist statement, up to 1000 characters stating how the work coincides with the exhibition’s theme.

Schedule of Events: 

Entry deadline: Monday, August 31, 2026 at 11:59 pm (ET) at www.callforentries.org 

Notifications emailed: by Friday, September 4, 2026

Delivery of accepted work: September 8 through September 19, 2026 during normal business hours. (or contact Jenna Myny or Kerry Hagy for other arrangements) 
Shipped work: to arrive by Friday, September 18, 2026

Opening Reception: Friday, September 25, 2026

Exhibition dates:

Pick-up artwork: November 10 through November 14 during normal business hours. (or contact the Center for other arrangements). Art work can also be picked up on the closing day, Saturday, November 7 from 4-5pm.

Entry Fees:

$25.00 entry fee for up to two pieces of artwork entered.

$10 reduced entry fee for student artists and artists economically challenged by unforeseen events. These artists will select the Reduced Fee at checkout.

Prospective entrants to the exhibition are required to submit images of each of their desired entries in a jpeg format. In addition, each work requires a title, and artist should include a brief description of how change informed this work.  

Payments by credit card at time of entry through Cafe (https://www.callforentry.org/) or check or money order payable to South Haven Center for the Arts.

Awards:
$500 First Place, $250 Second Place

Framing & Presentation: All work must be framed and/or exhibition ready:  wired (NO sawtooth hangers); no clip frames with exposed glass edges. Work must be labeled with artist’s contact information, title of the work, medium, and price.

Installation: Only works appropriately prepared for installation will be accepted. 3D works must be stable and pose no physical threat to visitors. No work can be hung from the ceiling. 2D work must be “ready to hang”. No saw tooth hangers allowed. If any special hardware is needed for hanging, it must be included with work when dropped off, along with hanging instructions. 

Deliver/Pick-up work: Deliver and pick up work at the SHCA during the times listed above or by appointment. Any work not picked up after 30 days of the exhibition’s closing may become property of the South Haven Center for the Arts. No work will be released before the close of the exhibit.

Shipped Work: Work must be delivered by Friday, September 18. It must be shipped in a sturdy, reusable container with all packing materials labeled and reusable. No Peanuts, please and package in a clean box, labeled “handle with care”. A return shipping label must be included for return shipping. If you have questions about including a return shipping label, please discuss with us before sending. Any special instructions for packing should be included. 

Hand Delivery: Works can be hand-delivered during specified delivery and pick-up times. Unsold pieces of art that are not to be return-shipped must be picked up during posted gallery hours on the dates above. If the unsold pieces are not retrieved within two weeks of the exhibition close, and pick-up arrangements have not been agreed upon, the items will become the property of the South Haven Center for the Arts. Packaging for artwork may be stored at the SHCA. A name label must be put on every piece of packaging to be stored at the Center for the Arts. Instructions for any special handling or re-packing needs must be included.

Removing artwork: No artwork may be removed by the artist prior to the conclusion of the exhibition. SHCA reserves the right to temporarily remove any piece of work for reasons the organization deems necessary.

Insurance: SHCA staff and volunteers will handle your work with care. South Haven Center for the Arts carries art insurance for work on display in the gallery. We are not responsible for insuring artwork when it is traveling to and from the gallery.

Sales: Exhibited work may be sold at the price specified on the entry form. A commission of 35% is received by the SHCA for works sold during the exhibition. If work is not for sale, please include an estimated value on the entry form provided, for insurance purposes. Accepted work may not be substituted or withdrawn before the close of the show. The SHCA reserves the right to photographically reproduce accepted entries for publicity purposes.

Size limits:     2D - 72” high x 55” wide maximum

3D- must fit through standard doorway, max. 50lbs.

No installations or ceiling hung work

We ask artist to submit an artist statement, up to 1000 characters stating how the work coincides with the exhibition’s theme.

Entries for New/Now: Pondering Change are open to artists residing in the United States and the Tribal Nations that share these geographies. A maximum of two works can be submitted. Accepted art work(s) must remain on display for the duration of the exhibition. Close ups or a video to show a piece of visual art that is 3D, moves, etc. maybe submitted for the juror to view.

All work must be the original work of the artist and completed in the last five years. We reserve the right to decline any work that is substantially different from the submitted images, does not meet size limitations, or is not professionally presented.