DownEast Indoor Sculpture Exhibition 2027

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.

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.

Entries and Fees
All entries are to be submitted digitally at 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. It requires that all images conform to a specific format. Before you begin the entry process, review instructions and tutorials.

Each artist may submit up to 6 entries. Artists are required to submit 3 entries for a fee of $20, with the option to submit 3 additional entries at $5 each. There is a limit of 6 entries per artist. Entries may be submitted on the Creative West website beginning November 20, 2026, and must be completed by 11:59PM EST on January 15, 2027.

Each entry will receive the juror’s decision in a separate email no later than January 31, 2027. It is the artist’s responsibility to monitor his/her 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.

Indoor Exhibition Eligibility
This exhibition is open to all artists ages 18 and up. Sculpture is the three-dimensional artwork which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. Any three-dimensional media or material is eligible to participate. Indoor submissions must fit through a standard sized door (36”x80”). Work must be ready for display. All entries must be submitted digitally. Work submitted that is above our insurance value may not be accepted into the exhibition. All work must be able to be exhibited for the length of the exhibition, March 5-27, 2027.

Drop-Off and Pickup
Accepted indoor work must be hand delivered or received by Friday, February 26, 2027, between 10:00am – 4:00pm to Emerge Gallery, located at 404 Evans Street, Greenville, NC 27858. Accepted indoor work must be picked up at the conclusion of the exhibition on Sunday, March 28 or Tuesday, March 30, during open hours. Work left after the exhibition will become the property of Emerge Gallery.

All work must be shipped in sturdy, reusable packaging. A prepaid return USPS, UPS or FedEx return shipping label must be enclosed with accepted artwork. Emerge Gallery & Art Center is not responsible for damage to artwork that occurs in shipping to or from the exhibition. All reasonable care will be taken in the handling of entries. If shipped, the work must be received by Thursday, February 25, 2027. Work that is shipped will be sent back starting April 1, 2027.

Indoor Sculpture Prizes
1st Place: $500, 2nd Place: $250, 3rd Place: $100 

Insurance for Accepted Indoor Entries
Emerge Gallery will provide insurance for accepted indoor work from the drop-off dates through the last day of the exhibition. Work will not be insured after March 30, 2027. Work will be insured only for 70% of the sales price, with a maximum of $5,000. Insurance value must be a realistic value and may be questioned. Proof of similar sales will be requested, 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.

Each artist may submit up to 6 entries. Artists are required to submit 3 entries for a fee of $20, with the option to submit 3 additional entries at $5 each. There is a limit of 6 entries per artist. All entries must be submitted digitally via café and received by January 15, 2027. 

Images of work must be submitted as jpgs. Emerge Gallery will retain a 30% commission. If work is not for sale, an insurance value must be given and NFS stated or work will not be insured.

This exhibition is open to all artists ages 18 and up. Any three-dimensional media is eligible. Indoor submissions must fit through a standard sized door (36”x80”). Work must be ready for display. All entries must be submitted digitally. Work submitted that is above our insurance value may not be accepted into the exhibition. All work must be able to be exhibited for the length of the exhibition, March 5-27, 2027.