THE MINI MASTERS SHOW
OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS
Exhibition Dates: December 4, 2026 – January 30, 2027
We invite submissions for The Mini Masters Show: a juried group exhibition celebrating the power, intimacy, and innovation of small-scale works.
ABOUT THE SHOW
The Arts Center in Orange, VA, invites submissions for The Mini Masters Show, a juried group exhibition celebrating the power, intimacy, and innovation of small-scale works. The exhibition will feature 8” x 8” paintings by regional and national artists working across a wide range of media and styles.
Exhibition Dates: December 4, 2026 – January 30, 2027
Artists are invited to submit three original artworks of any medium that are each 8” x 8”, not including a frame. All work must be submitted framed, except canvas works, which may remain unframed if edges are clean, finished, and professionally wrapped. Please keep the mat and frame to a minimal dimension, as it adds to the 8” x 8” size. All submissions must arrive ready to hang and are the responsibility of the artist for delivery and pickup. We welcome emerging and established artists alike whose work demonstrates originality, craftsmanship, and a compelling visual voice.
Artwork needs to be dropped off on Saturday, November 28th, 2026, and picked up if not sold on Saturday, January 30, 2027.
To create an accessible and collector-friendly exhibition, all accepted works will be offered for sale at a fixed price of $100 each. Sales will be split 50/50 between the artist and The Arts Center in Orange.
ACCEPTED MEDIA
Artists are invited to submit three original 8” x 8” works. Any medium that can be framed and exhibited on a wall is welcome. All work must be submitted framed, except canvas works, which may remain unframed if edges are clean, finished, and professionally wrapped. All submissions must arrive ready to hang and are the responsibility of the artist for delivery and pickup.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
5–10 images or time-based samples of recent work. You do not need to send images of your final submission if it is not yet completed.
Artist statement (300–500 words)
CV
Short biography highlighting continued practice
Optional reflection on the role of scale, intimacy, or time in your work
NO SUBMISSION FEE!
Email submissions to submissions@artscenterinorange.com
Please include “Mini Masters” in the subject line
Deadline for submissions: November 11, 2026
EXHIBITION VISION
The Mini Masters Show explores the unique visual and emotional impact of small works. In a cultural moment dominated by spectacle, scale, and speed, this exhibition asks viewers to slow down and engage more intimately with art. Small mixed media artworks invite close looking, reward attention to detail, and create a personal encounter between artist and viewer.
Historically, small-format works have served as studies, meditations, keepsakes, and experiments in abstraction and observation. Yet these works are often among the most immediate and powerful forms of artistic expression. Scale does not diminish ambition; limitation can sharpen intention.
WHAT WE SEEK
This exhibition seeks artists who understand the poetic and conceptual possibilities of restraint. Whether minimal or layered, narrative or abstract, delicate or bold, the selected works will demonstrate how intimacy can carry equal weight to monumentality.
By unifying all works within the same 8” x 8” format, Mini Masters Show creates a visual conversation across mixed media and perspectives, emphasizing composition, precision, and presence.
The fixed-price structure encourages new collectors, makes original artwork more accessible, and creates an energetic atmosphere centered on connection, discovery, and the joy of living with original art.
We welcome emerging and established artists alike whose work demonstrates originality, craftsmanship, and a compelling visual voice.