Desert Art Center
Gallery Membership and Jury 2024-2025
The Desert Art Center is the longest running art center in the Coachella Valley. We provide art education to adults and children in a range of mediums. Our refurbished gallery, on Palm Canyon Drive, is a historic building and was the city’s first school. In normal years we aim for 4 or 5 major shows each year which are open daily. Gallery members can exhibit and sell their art to the public. We are a non-profit organization and use all our profits for the educational work of our organization.
Gallery membership is both a privilege and a commitment. As a gallery member you are allowed to exhibit in our main gallery shows and to sell your art. We also expect you to become involved in the co-operative nature of our volunteer organization. When the jurors judge your work, they are looking for not just artistic excellence but assessing whether your work will add something new and different to our gallery, and will it sell. They will also discuss your willingness to become involved in our organization and what skills and experience you can bring.
If you are not a member of the DAC you can join at www.desertartcenter.org While on our website, check the GALLERY DISPLAY RULES and choose your gallery category. This is a two-stage application process, initially digital and secondly personal presentation of art. The initial application process is handled by www.onlinejuriedshows.com. There is a non-refundable $25 jury application fee payable to onlinejuriedshows.
Stage 1 Entry – For the first stage, applicants must submit their work digitally. Go to www.onlinejuriedshows.com, create a new account or login. Find the Desert Art Center under Current Shows and follow the instructions. You may submit in only one category. (Existing Gallery members may submit in a new section but please read the gallery display rules for requirements.) You will be asked to submit between 6-10 digital images of your artwork. The title of each photo should contain the Title of the work, the medium, and width x height (x depth if 3D). Applications are invited in any medium except jewelry. Images must be jpg and under 4 mb, and is sRGB colorspace. For best results, images should be at least 1920 pixels on the longest side @ 72 dpi.
Stage 2 – Shortlist entry - From the initial applicants, the jurors will select a shortlist of artists, who will be asked to bring in two representative pieces of work on Sunday November 10. Do check the GALLERY DISPLAY RULES before presenting your work. Your work should be ready for display. It is essential that you live near enough to the Desert Art Center so that you can contribute to its co-operative nature.
Help – For help with the digital application, contact onlinejuriedshows@gmail.com or 888-666-1351. Any other questions to info@desertartcenter.org
Successful New Gallery Members will be notified by e-mail with the jury's decisions. If your work is accepted, you will be eligible to become a Gallery Member, after paying the Gallery Members’ fee. You will be expected to submit art for at least two shows each year. If you do not, your gallery membership may be invalidated.
Schedule of Jury Dates
Initial Applications through Onlinejuriedshows.com October 9 – 27, 2024
Inspection of Artwork of shortlisted artists at DAC November 10
First Show Intake for new members December 2
Commitment - Once you are a Gallery Member and pay your annual Gallery Member's dues you may show your work in our gallery. You are expected to exhibit work for the regular shows. In turn you are required to host the gallery six hours each month. You will be asked to attend an orientation, dates to be announced later and also invited to participate in other volunteer activities.
Liability - By submitting artwork, artists acknowledge insurance is the responsibility of each individual artist. The Desert Art Center will not be held responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged property owned by you.
Desert Art Center,
Palm Springs, California
Jury for Gallery Membership, which allows for successful members to exhibit in our regular shows at our permanent gallery.
Jury opens Monday October 9 for digital applications
Jury closes Friday October 27
Intake for Successful applicants first show Monday December 2
GALLERY DISPLAY RULES
(updated Summer 2023)
Space is limited in the DAC Gallery, so the following guidelines apply when submitting work for REGULAR gallery exhibitions. Although the rules may appear restrictive, the overall aim is to give all artists a fair opportunity to display their work.
GALLERY DISPLAY CATEGORIES
There are 3 major categories: 2-Dimensional, 3-Dimensional and Fine Craft. Each of these has subcategories. Members must be juried in separately for each sub-category. For example, if you are presently juried in oil, you may also display watercolor, acrylic etc., but not photography
2-DIMENSIONAL ART
Work in this category is displayed on walls or an easel. 30lb weight limit for all wall work.
• Paintings and Drawings: Oil, Watercolor, Acrylic, Pastel, Drawing, Printmaking, etc.
3 Pieces up to 24” or
2 Pieces up to 36” or
1 Piece up to 72”
Measured on longest side including frame.
• Photography: Framed, or on metal, acrylic or 1.5” canvas finished on all sides. Gatorboard acceptable in bins only. Same as above for sizes and quantity.
2-Dimensional Art General Requirements
• All wall pieces must be dry and ready for hanging with wire. D-rings are preferred. Hooks, clasps or metal teeth brackets are not acceptable.
• Unframed work must be executed on gallery canvas no less than 11⁄2” deep with all edges painted.
• Due to weight considerations, framed wall pieces with GLASS will only be accepted up to 16” x 20” (or 320 square inches of glass). Plexiglas is preferred and essential above this size.
• Frames must be clean and free of scratches, chips or dents. The reverse of the frames must be presentable for sale.
3-DIMENSIONAL ART
Work in this category is displayed on tabletops, sculpture stands, shelves or walls. Items submitted here should be unique and original except for items such as coasters, small items or mugs which may be in sets.
• Assemblage: 3-D art using found objects. Number of pieces is dependent on size by longest dimension. Maximum 6 items.
• Sculpture: Clay, Wood, Metal, Stone, Glass, Paper, Bronze etc. Maximum 8 pieces. As a variety of materials lend themselves to this subcategory, please be informed that if you are juried in Assemblage, Ceramics/Clay, or Glass Fused or Stained, any item that can be called sculpture is to be treated as the subcategory that you are juried in and items count towards that allowed number in your subcategory quantity.
Number of pieces is dependent on size by longest dimension. Maximum 8 items.
• Ceramics/Clay: Functional and non-functional. Up to 8 individual pieces. Mugs on display trees and/or stands to be counted as ONE item. Each artist may have ONE tree with up to SIX mugs. Spare mugs and Coasters for restocking may be kept behind the counter. Coasters sold in groups with one price count as one item and are to have the same control number with Multi following the number.
• Glass - Fused or Stained – functional and non-functional pieces. Up to 8 individual pieces. Small items and coasters sold in groups with one price count as ONE item and are to have the same control number with Multi following the number. Small items and Coasters for restocking may be kept behind the counter. Note: Large Hanging pieces may be restricted due to weight considerations, at the discretion of the Gallery Coordinator.
FINE CRAFT
Artwork in this category is displayed in windows, jewelry cases, shelves, garment racks, or walls.
• 3-D Mosaics – Maximum 3 pieces each up to 30 lb. in weight. Free standing or hanging.
• Fiber and Textile Arts
Up to 8 pieces depending on size.
• Carving to include, wood carvings, gourds or other carved or woven materials
Up to 8 pieces.
BINS
These are available for artists juried in for 2-Dimensional work and are limited to the sub-category accepted.
• Bins are for unframed prints, Giclee’s, photo prints and photos, unframed sketches and small unframed original paintings.
• Pieces should be flat, no larger than 24” in height and 20” wide. Pieces should be displayed horizontally so they do not cover up the artist name labels.
• All pieces must be matted or mounted on foam core or white board and be neatly wrapped in clear wrap (not the home stretch film). Cardboard backing is not accepted.
• Works will generally be kept in alphabetical order by the artist’s last name. Occasionally, the Gallery Co-ordinating Committee will rotate works so everyone has a chance to be in the front of the bin.
• Artists are responsible for keeping their bins and artwork neat and clean.
• The number of works should not to exceed 8 flat pieces OR 3 pieces on maximum 1⁄2” stretcherbars.
• It is acceptable to mount small pieces on a larger foam core backing to present them nearer the viewer.
ART CARDS
Each artist juried for 2-Dimensional work may display up to 15 art cards in a rack designated for their use. Artists are responsible for keeping their art cards tidy and replacing those that are sold. It is recommended that cards be priced at a minimum of $4 each or be packaged with a price not less than $5 per package.
The DAC wishes to encourage creativity and any artist who produces work that does not fit The rules or categories is invited to discuss this with the Gallery Coordinators who will try to display innovative work if appropriate.
GALLERY GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
• Artwork that is submitted for a regular exhibition is subject to review by the Gallery Coordinators, who have the final say in what is best for each exhibition.
• Art should be brought in personally by the artist or by his or her appointed representative on intake day. Art must not be left at the gallery in advance of intake. Art will not be displayed if brought in after the scheduled intake, unless previously agreed by the Gallery Coordinator.
• All artwork must be original and created within the last five years. Copies of other artists are unacceptable. Art that is a printed reproduction of an artwork originally done in another medium is not acceptable, except in the bins.
• All art must be in excellent condition, clean, free from damage and will be rejected if it doesn't meet these criteria.
• Any 2D artwork may only be shown once per season; i.e. October through May. Any other exceptions are at the discretion of the Gallery Coordinator.
• Pricing limit on each individual piece of artwork is $5000 per artist per show. Prices and names of works may not be changed during the run of the show.
• Any artwork not removed from the gallery at the end of a show and remaining at the Desert Art Center for longer than 30 days, is subject to forfeit and sold or disposed of by the Desert Art Center as it sees fit.
• Artists must be juried in on each subcategory before work in that subcategory can be shown in the gallery. Those wishing to show art in more than one of their accepted media in one show may do so if space allows.
• Those artists wishing to exhibit art in two subcategories in the same show must pay an additional gallery membership and expect to host the gallery and take part in the Rota. Alternatively, artists may opt to show work from one of their juried subcategory in different shows.
• Upon purchase of a piece of art, the gallery hosts will notify the artist and the artist may bring in a piece of similar size for replacement, recording the entry in the INVENTORY REPORT at the front desk. Only Gallery Coordinators or their designate may move or hang any artwork in the gallery.
• An artist must not remove his or her artwork from the gallery during any DAC exhibition. The exception would be that the artwork will be displayed under the name of the Desert Art Center and is listed with a DAC label, prices, titles and artists' names with the 35% commission paid to the DAC for any sales. The Gallery Coordinators must give approval before the works are removed.
• Instructors who are not gallery members are encouraged to participate in shows and are entitled to submit one piece of art for each show.
• Artists should carry their own insurance on art that is displayed at DAC. DAC is not responsible for loss or damage to artwork.
• All exhibiting artists will be required to sign a GALLERY AGREEMENT form that remains in effect until such time as the Artist either is no longer a member or has let their membership lapse. This contract is binding and will stay in effect until a future revision is made.
• The Board of Directors who have work on display in the gallery, are exempt from the hosting requirement noted in the DAC By-Laws, but have the option to host the gallery.