SPARK 2026 — COMMUNITY EXHIBITION

Public Works Art Center invites the community (you!) to submit a piece of artwork in the Seventh-Annual SPARK Exhibition! Read below to know what to expect for this year. PLEASE NOTE: Online entries aren’t open quite yet but stay tuned! We will begin accepting entries starting August 1 until August 31, 2026. Drop-offs for submissions starts August 22, 2025 until September 5, 2025. Early and late submissions or artwork drop offs will not be accepted, so please hold onto your artwork until then! When dropping off work don’t forget to: check your work in with the Welcome Desk, clearly labeled the back of your work with your contact information (name, working phone number or email you check), and either a price or “NFS” (Not For Sale). Everyone is welcome to participate, please don’t let the cost deter you! Email us at linda@publicworksartcenter.org for a special promo code. This year, any artwork label changes requested after you drop off your work will be $5 for per edit, so make sure your label is exactly what you want when you complete the online form. There will be an opportunity to double check your label info at Welcome Desk when you drop off your work. – ABOUT SPARK: This annual exhibition exists to “ignite the spark” of creativity in participants and viewers, and all are welcome to join in the fun. This year’s theme is “Wonder,” and we are thrilled to see the work that comes from this theme! SPARK is a themed exhibition comprising three parts: an invitational exhibit in our West Gallery space (the largest one), an open-to-all community portion in the East Gallery and a youth section in our South Gallery (the downstairs gallery). While all invitational artists have been selected, the Community and Youth portions of the show are open to all artists who would like to submit work no matter their age or level of experience level. We love to see work from beginners to professionals in this show! For the Community Exhibits, there is no “judging” or “jurying” in a piece. ALL submissions are accepted (2D and 3D work, one work of art per person, must fit below criteria, regardless of age or background). You may submit your entry on our website from August 1 until August 31, 2026. Submission fees are $20 for adults and $5 for youth (under 18). Don’t let the cost deter you! If money is tight, email us at linda@publicworksartcenter.org for a promo code. SPARK will be on view from September 12 – November 14. The reception will be September 12 from 10 am – 1 pm on the day of our annual Block Party. We strongly encourage you to come out to the Block Party to celebrate your work along with all of the other artists and just enjoy the Block Party (which is free for everyone to enjoy!) HOW TO ENTER: STEP 1: Read the criteria below and complete the online entry form from August 1 until August 31, 2026. Submitting this application gives us the information we need to make artwork labels to be displayed with your piece and it means you’re committing to dropping off your work in the allotted time frame. Please don’t forget to read ALL of the criteria below before considering submission! STEP 2: Drop off your art during the drop off window. Work must be dropped off to Public Works Art Center between August 22, 2025 until September 5, 2025 during our regular operating hours (10 am – 5pm Tuesday – Saturday), ending at 5pm September 6th. Early and late submissions or artwork drop offs will not be accepted. When dropping your artwork off: Sign in at the Welcome Desk Don’t forget to double check that the label info you submitted online is exactly what you want on the wall with your work at the time of drop-off – we will have a sheet to double check. This year any changes to artwork labels after the show is up will be $5 per edit. Please legibly label the back of your artwork with the artist’s name, contact information (working phone number or email), and either a price or “NFS” (Not For Sale) Any packing material left behind will be disposed of or donated so be sure to take that with you if you want it back. Make sure your artwork is ready to be hanged on a wall or displayed, we will put out some info on what we like to see soon! STEP 3: Let’s party! Join us for the annual Block Party on September 12 from 10 am – 1 pm to celebrate your hard work. Bring your friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, acquaintances, people you just met. Everyone’s invited! Bring everyone out to see your work in the exhibit while it’s up until November 7, 2026. STEP 4: When it’s time to wrap things up, we’ll reach out to your email address provided in this form so make sure it’s one you check often. If your work has sold, we will reach out ASAP with the great news and info on what happens next. Work not sold may be picked up November 14th – November 28nd. Please note that we are not responsible for any work left after the designated pickup dates. We will only hold payment for work sold for 6 months after the show ends, after that it’s considered a generous donation to Public Works Art Center. SUBMISSION CRITERIA: Submitting this application gives us the information we need to make labels to display with your work, and means you’re committing to dropping off your piece in the allotted time frame. Please read ALL of the criteria below before considering submission! Every artist must complete this form online before dropping off any work. Early or late entries or submissions will not be accepted. Artists must own all rights to the works they submit, we strongly encourage artistry of authentic human expression and creation. All artwork must be clearly labeled on the back with the artist’s name, contact information (a phone number you answer or email you regularly check so we can communicate with you), and either a price ($10 minimum*) or “NFS” (Not For Sale) at time of drop off. Each artist is allowed to submit one piece of artwork in any medium, 2D or 3D work is accepted. 2D sizing restrictions: work may be no larger than 18″ x 24″ (or 22″ x 28″ framed) 3D sizing restrictions: 18″ L x 18″ W x 24″ H. Please note: for all 3D work, please contact us at linda@publicworksartcenter.org to ensure that we have space for your work. Any packing material left behind will be disposed of or considered a donation to Public Works Art Center. Any artwork label changes after the show has started are $5 per edit. All artwork must be ready to hang (meaning framed with a wire on the back) or ready to display. We will be creating some info that will be found here on what we like to see! We reserve the right to refuse: unlabeled artwork; artwork outside of the sizing parameters; artwork unsuitable or not ready to hang or display; artwork unsuitable for an all-ages-friendly space or objectively offensive imagery. Please email linda@publicworksartcenter.org with any questions or concerns on your work. If you’d like to sell your artwork: You are more than welcome to sell your artwork! *Work must be priced $10 or greater for all artists. If work is priced less than $10, we reserve the right to raise the price to meet the minimum sales price. All adult artists are required to fill out an accurate and completed W-9** in order to receive payment from work sold. **Please note, minors under 17 do not need to complete a W-9 Public Works Art Center takes a 30% commission on all gallery sales. All sold works will be collected at the end of the show and purchasers will be contacted. Artists whose work sold during the course of the show will be contacted at the end of the exhibition and payment will be issued within a month of the show ending. If an artist does not claim or deposit payment for their gallery sale within six (6) months of the payment issue date, the payment will be considered a charitable donation to Public Works Art Center. Artwork pickup is November 14th – November 28th. Please note: we are not responsible for any work left after the designated pickup dates. After 12/30/25 artwork not claimed will be considered a charitable donation to Public Works Art Center. Artists must collect their artwork within the designated pickup period. We reserve the right to sell, display, auction or otherwise use the artwork at its discretion to benefit the nonprofit. We are not responsible for unclaimed work or for any damage incurred to the work not claimed within the pickup window. But we really want you to have your art back so please come get it! If these steps above not completed, work may not be accepted or displayed at Public Works Art Center. By submitting artwork to the SPARK Exhibition, the artist acknowledges and agrees to these terms and conditions and consents to signing up to the Public Works Art Center weekly e-mailing list. You may remove yourself from the list at any time but we recommend waiting until after the SPARK Exhibit has ended so you don’t miss any important announcements and reminders. To submit the form, please scroll to the bottom of this page to the Tickets section, select the number of tickets you would like by using the + symbol then select Get Tickets to checkout. Thank you so much for submitting your work to the Community SPARK Exhibition and please, tell your friends!