18th Annual International Drawing Discourse Exhibition

EXHIBITION: As part of an ongoing commitment to promote drawing practices in the visual arts, the University of North Carolina Asheville invites artists to submit entries to a Juried International Exhibition of contemporary drawing. UNC Asheville seeks to examine drawing as it is practiced and defined by today’s artists. Such an exhibition will demonstrate the continued significance of drawing through both conventional and innovative methods. 

JUROR’S LECTURE: Michael Grimaldi will open with a lecture on January 15, 2027, from 5:00-6:00 p.m. An opening reception will immediately follow. 

CATALOGUE: A full-color catalogue will be printed. Each exhibited artist will receive one complimentary copy; additional copies will be available for purchase. 

AWARDS: $2000 in cash prizes, as chosen by the Juror, will be awarded. A pur...

EXHIBITION: As part of an ongoing commitment to promote drawing practices in the visual arts, the University of North Carolina Asheville (UNC Asheville) invites artists to submit entries to a Juried International Exhibition of contemporary drawing. UNC Asheville seeks to examine drawing as it is practiced and defined by today’s artists. Such an exhibition will demonstrate the continued significance of drawing through both conventional and innovative methods. Accepted work will be exhibited in UNC Asheville’s S. Tucker Cooke Gallery from January 15, 2027 through February 12, 2027. 

JUROR’S LECTURE: Esteemed juror, Michael Grimaldi, will open the exhibition with a lecture on January 15, 2027, from 5:00-6:00 p.m. An opening reception for the Drawing Discourse exhibition will immediately follow the lecture in the newly renovated and expanded S. Tucker Cooke Gallery located in Owen Hall on the campus of UNC Asheville.

CATALOGUE: A full-color catalogue of the exhibition will be printed. Each exhibited artist will receive one complimentary copy; additional copies will be available for purchase. Previous catalogues may be viewed on our website at https://aah.unca.edu/exhibitions

AWARDS: $2000 in cash prizes, as chosen by the Juror, will be awarded. A purchase prize award will also be available for the permanent collection of the UNC Asheville Department of Art and Art History. Both cash and purchase prize awards are made possible due to the generous contributions from UNC Asheville Professor Emeritus, S. Tucker Cooke. International awardees are subject to a 30% federal withholding.

PROGRAMMING: Additional virtual studio visit events with accepted artists in association with the exhibition are still to be announced.

JUROR: Michael Grimaldi studied painting and drawing at the New York Studio School, the National Academy, and the Art Students League of New York. He also pursued independent studies in anatomy and dissection at the Facultad de Medicina in Buenos Aires and Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. Currently the Director of Drawing and Anatomy at the New York Academy of Art, Grimaldi is a two-time recipient of grants from the Elizabeth Greenshield Foundation. He was also awarded the Alma Schapiro Prize/Affiliated Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome. Grimaldi’s work has been exhibited at numerous notable institutions and galleries, including the Brooklyn Museum in New York, Beijing Art Museum, Museo Europeo d’Art Moderno in Barcelona, Mori Arts Center in Tokyo, and Hirschl & Adler Modern in New York, among an extensive list of many others.

ELIGIBILITY: Open to all artists who are 18 years of age or older. All work must be original and cannot have been exhibited at The University of North Carolina Asheville before. It is at the Juror’s discretion to choose single or multiple works from each artist’s submission.

MEDIA: In an effort to support the breadth in contemporary drawing, media is open to any
traditional or experimental drawing media, welcoming both two- and three-dimensional works, video, and/or installation as long as it can fit through a doorway opening that measures 67” width x 117” height.

ONLINE IMAGE SUBMISSIONS: Submissions are accepted only via CaFÉ (Call for Entry) at http://www.callforentry.org/. All entries must be uploaded using this online system. Please do not upload digital images that contain borders or text info that is not part of the original work
Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. November 29, 2026 (Mountain Time Zone)

ENTRY FEE: Each artist may submit one entry for a non-refundable fee of $30. Each additional entry, including detail images, is an additional non-refundable fee of $5 each, limit 6 entries total (for example, the fee for 3 entries is $40, fee for 6 entries is $55). Credit cards are accepted forms of payment via CaFÉ online submission.

AGREEMENT: Submission of an entry to UNC Asheville constitutes an agreement on the part of the entrant to all the conditions set forth in this prospectus. UNC Asheville reserves the right to reproduce accepted entries for publicity and exhibition purposes including but not limited to: catalogues, social media, and/or press releases.

NOTIFICATION: All entries will receive a CaFÉ email notification of jurors’ results no later than December 14, 2026. Please check your spam folder if you do not receive an email or check status on the CaFÉ website under My CaFÉ Entries.
 

ACCEPTED WORKS: Accepted works must arrive ready to install between January 4-6, 2027.  Works received outside of this time frame may not be exhibited. Work should not exceed 120 lbs and should be able to fit through a standard loading dock door that measures 67” width x 117” height. The University reserves the right to exclude any work that is not professionally presented. Please note: this does not imply that works have to be framed and under glass (especially larger works). All works must remain on display for the entire exhibition. Shipped works should be packed in reusable containers with a prepaid return shipping label. Artwork may be hand-delivered between January 4-6, 2027 during operating hours; Monday-Friday 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.

SALES: Sales will be encouraged and a 30% commission will be retained by UNC Asheville from the retail price listed on entry form. All work will be available for purchase unless indicated NFS on the entry form. Purchase awards will be granted 70% of the retail price. 

CALENDAR:
November 29, 2026 Submission deadline via CaFÉ
December 14, 2026 Notification emailed to artists
January 4-6, 2027 Delivery of accepted artwork
January 15, 2027 Juror’s lecture 5:00-6:00 p.m. Opening reception 6:00-8:00 p.m.
February 12, 2027 Exhibition closes
February 15-19, 2027 Return of artwork

QUESTIONS: May be sent to Tamie Beldue; Professor & Coordinator of Drawing Discourse Exhibitions at tbeldue@unca.edu

ONLINE IMAGE SUBMISSIONS: Submissions are accepted only via CaFÉ (Call for Entry) at http://www.callforentry.org/ All entries must be uploaded using this online system. Please do not upload digital images that contain borders or text info that is not part of the original work
Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. November 29, 2026 (Mountain Time Zone)

ENTRY FEE: Each artist may submit one entry for a non-refundable fee of $30. Each additional entry, including detail images, is an additional non-refundable fee of $5 each, limit 6 entries total (for example, the fee for 3 entries is $40, fee for 6 entries is $55). Credit cards are accepted forms of payment via CaFÉ online submission.

NOTIFICATION: All entries will receive a CaFÉ email notification of Jurors’ results no later than December 14, 2026. Please check your spam folder if you do not receive an email or check status on the CaFÉ website under My CaFÉ Entries.
 

ELIGIBILITY: Open to all artists who are 18 years of age or older. All work must be original and cannot have been exhibited at The University of North Carolina Asheville before. It is at the Juror’s discretion to choose single or multiple works from each artist’s submission.

MEDIA: In an effort to support the breadth in contemporary drawing, media is open to any traditional or experimental drawing media, welcoming both two- and three-dimensional works, video, and/or installation as long as it can fit through a doorway opening that measures 67” width x 117” height.