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The Arts Center holds several annual juried exhibits: the Women’s Show in March, the Kiwanis Student Competition in April, the Lake Shore Artists Show & Sale in May (open only to members of Lake Shore Artists), the Paul & Norma Tikkanen Painting Prize in October, and Hope in Artistry: Suicide Awareness and Prevention in November. We do not display an exhibit in December. All other months are available for solo exhibits by local and regional artists.
Held every March in celebration of Women’s History Month, the annual Women’s Show is a juried exhibit open to work by both cis and trans women artists.
artist entry form Women’s Show Mar 2024
Entry Guidelines:
Held every April, this is a juried student show of 2-D and 3-D artwork, open to students in grades 7-12 in the Ashtabula Area City and Buckeye Local school district, including private and homeschooled students. All mediums are welcome. Award winners will receive scholarships for classes at the Arts Center, sponsored by the Ashtabula Kiwanis Club. Each student can submit their work either through their teacher or directly to the Arts Center. Any work produced during the current school year is eligible. Students may submit up to 3 pieces. Get the entry form: artist entry form Kiwanis Student Show
In 1974, Ashtabula Kiwanis Club member, John Neville, proposed a community service
opportunity with the Ashtabula Arts Center. Mr. Neville proposed that the Ashtabula Kiwanis Club
sponsor “The Kiwanis Art Show” at the Ashtabula Arts Center each year. The Kiwanis Club’s
president at the time, Bey Blanchard, approached the Arts Center with the idea and the Arts
Center quickly agreed to the proposal. The Kiwanis Club’s membership adopted the proposal as
an ongoing service project, meaning that Kiwanis would sponsor the Kiwanis Art Show every
year until the Arts Center and Kiwanis decide to end the program. The Kiwanis Art Show, still in operation 50 years later, is open to each high school and junior high school student in the Ashtabula, Buckeye, and St. John schools. Through their art teachers, the students enter their artwork in the Kiwanis Art Show. The Arts Center employees judge the work and determine the “best of show” awards for eight high school and 8 junior high school students. Those 16 students won a scholarship to take a class at the Arts Center.
In the past 50 years, several hundred Ashtabula area students have won a Kiwanis scholarship
to the Ashtabula Arts Center as winners of the Kiwanis Art Show.
The Kiwanis Art Show is held each year in April at the Ashtabula Arts Center, with all entries
displayed throughout the Arts Center. The 16 award winners are designated with a blue ribbon
recognizing their achievements. Entry to the Kiwanis Art Show is free of charge.
Entry Guidelines:
Each piece must be labeled on the front right top corner with the provided tags. The tag will have the student name, address, phone number, grade, school, title, and price if for sale (if not for sale, mark NFS.) Flat pieces should be matted or backed with mat board, poster board, or heavy-weight paper. Framing is not required, but framed pieces or work on canvas must be wired for hanging. There is no entry fee for this show.
artist entry form holiday ornament sale
Artists display and sell handcrafted ornaments on a Christmas tree in our gallery.
artist entry form Hope in Artistry 2023
Held every November during National Suicide Prevention Month, this juried show was created by the Ashtabula County Suicide Prevention Coalition and the Ashtabula County LOSS Team to support survivors of suicide, offering an artistic outlet for survivors and community artists to show support for survivors, raise awareness, and start conversations about suicide loss and prevention.
First-round submissions open June 1-July 14 – enter here
Two $12,000 First Place prizes
Two $5000 Second Place prizes
Four Possible $1000 Honorable Mention prizes
Open to Ohio artists in Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Summit, and Trumbull Counties.
Open to Pennsylvania artists in Crawford, Erie, Lawrence, and Mercer Counties.
Prizes will be awarded for abstract & realistic work
Categorization of individual works will be decided by the judges
Accepted mediums: Gouache, Fresco, Encaustic, Ink (Sumi-e), Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Alcohol Inks, Tempera, Mixed Media Painting
(Jurors will have final say on acceptable mediums. 85% of the painting should be a painting medium.) Originals only; no giclees, no prints, no wet paint.
Pre-wired; include a fragile piece disclaimer if needed
Completed in the last 3 years
Maximum size 4ftx4ft; max weight 25lbs
High school students not eligible
Show us your amazing magical artwork. We will be displaying talented youth art with a magical theme at the Magic on Main street fair and then they will be displayed at the Harbor Topkey Public Library for the month of September 2023.
Are you interested in having a solo exhibit? Fill out our solo show application.
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