Outdoor DownEast Sculpture Exhibition 2027-28

This is the year long outdoor component of the DownEast National Juried Sculpture Exhibition is located in Pitt County, North Carolina. This year, we celebrate 21 years of DownEast Sculptures! 

The exhibition has two components: a month-long indoor exhibition and a year-long outdoor exhibition. 

The DownEast outdoor sculpture exhibition is a joint exhibition in Pitt County with partnerships including Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge, ECU Student Galleries, City of Greenville, Pitt County Cultural Arts and Recreation, Town of Winterville, Town of Farmville, Town of Ayden, Wahl-Coates Elementary School for the Arts, Pitt-Greenville Airport, and the Greenville Museum of Art. 

What is DownEast?
The DownEast National Juried Sculpture Exhibition began as a local showcase of student sculptural work in 2006. It has grown into two components: a month-long indoor exhibition and a year-long outdoor exhibition. Sculpture is the art of making objects in three dimensions. This art type creates art in the physical space using techniques like carving, modeling, and casting with materials such as stone, metal, and wood.

The DownEast outdoor sculpture exhibition is a joint exhibition in Pitt County with partnerships including Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge, ECU Student Galleries, City of Greenville, Pitt County Cultural Arts and Recreation, Town of Winterville, Town of Farmville, Town of Ayden, Wahl-Coates Elementary School for the Arts, Pitt-Greenville Airport, and the Greenville Museum of Art. 

Entries and Fees
All entries are to be submitted digitally through https://opportunities.wearecreativewest.org/.

Please retain a copy of the information you provide on the entry form.

If you have not registered previously with CaFÉ (now Creative West), setting up your portfolio is free. Creative West requires that all images conform to a specific format. Before you begin the entry process, review their instructions and tutorials.

Each artist may submit up to 6 entries. Artists are required to submit 1 entry for a fee of $15, with the option to submit 5 additional entries at $5 each. There is a limit of 6 entries per artist. Entries may be submitted on the Creative West website beginning September 1, 2026, and must be completed by 11:59PM EST on November 15, 2026.

Each entry will receive the juror’s decision in a separate email no later than December 15, 2026. It is the artist’s responsibility to monitor his/her Creative West account where all submissions will be listed and marked either invited or not under “My Entries”.

It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to note each artwork's application number, as this identifier will be used to announce the accepted works. Please retain a copy of the information you provide on the entry form.

Outdoor Exhibition Information 
This exhibition is open to all artists ages 18 and up. All entries must be submitted digitally. Work should be large scale to fit one of the sculpture pads in various locations throughout Pitt County, NC. Sculpture pads range from 4’x4’ to 10’ round in diameter. Artists must be available to install and remove their own work. They may have some help from the entity where the sculpture is placed, but this is not guaranteed. Liability insurance may be asked for in the City of Greenville’s locations. All work must remain on exhibit from installation in February 2027 through removal in February 2028. Work must be able to be exhibited outdoors for the length of the exhibition and utilize materials that are exterior grade.

Notifications 
Work chosen and accepted for this exhibition will be notified during the month of December. Arrangements and contracts will be send from staff at Emerge Gallery & Art Center, Home of the Pitt County Arts Council. 

Drop Off and Pick Up
Installation and removal of accepted work will be coordinated by the exhibiting entities. Accepted artists will work with the entity’s personnel directly, with communication to the Arts Council. Contracts for a one-year term will be conducted with each entity and the chosen artists for one year from the installation in February 2027 until the removal in February 2028. Sculptors must submit in writing 14 days prior to their installation date a need for human assistance. Sculptors must deliver and retrieve their sculptures. Arts Council and Town representatives will not coordinate shipping to or from their location. Sculptors must bring their own tools, including generators if necessary or outside of business hours.

Sculptures must be removed by March 1, 2028. Sculptors must remove all bolts and hardware associated with their sculptures upon removal. Sculptors may take the plaque only for ceremonial purposes. The steel bracket must remain in place. If loose or damaged, please notify Sarah Lazure immediately. 

Prizes
For those sculptures chosen, there will be honorariums awarded of $1,200 each.
Additional award prizes include:
1st Place: $1,500
2nd Place: $750
3rd Place: $500

Insurance 
Work will be insured by the presenting entities. Work will be insured only for 70% of the sales price and only for the exhibition dates (does not include installation and removal). Insurance value must be a realistic value and may be questioned. Proof of similar sales will be asked for if necessary. Consent to reproduce for publicity, catalog, or educational purposes is assumed unless specifically reserved in writing. Submission of entry constitutes agreement to all conditions.

Meet the Juror

J Burger is a sculptor and public artist residing in New Bern, North Carolina. He creates gallery and large-scale commissioned works from steel, concrete, wood, and other materials. Much of his work focuses on the human form, and centers on peoples’ relationships with themselves, others, and the world around them.

He received his BFA in Studio Art (Sculpture) and Philosophy in 2012 from East Carolina University and worked as an assistant to several sculptors over the years. He has completed a number of large-scale commissions, and his work can be found up and down the East Coast and has pieces in the Underwater Museum of Art (Gulf of Mexico), the Monarch Art Trail (Santa Rosa Beach, FL), Sallie B. Howard School (Wilson, NC), and more.

Burger is also the Executive Director of Craven Arts Council & Gallery and has worked in arts administration for the past fifteen years in a variety of roles, including at Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge. His professional mission in the role has been expanding public art, arts access, and engagement with the community. He also teaches welding and other courses at Shop Class New Bern, a community maker space, where he creates many of his pieces.

Please submit a minimum of one sculpture, with materials, dimensions, and value. Please note that artworks valued more than the insurance maximum may not be selected. 

This exhibition is open to all artists ages 18 and up. All entries must be submitted digitally. Work should be large scale to fit one of the sculpture pads in various locations throughout Pitt County, NC. Sculpture pads range from 4’x4’ to 10’ round in diameter. Artists must be available to install and remove their own work. All work must remain on exhibit from February 2027 through February 2028. Work must be able to be exhibited outdoors and utilize materials that are exterior grade.