Jury Process

We welcome your application to show and sell your work at the Association of Clay & Glass Artists of California’s annual Palo Alto Clay and Glass Festival. This event is a great opportunity to develop relationships with customers, send your work to new homes, and strengthen your network of fellow clay and glass artists. Joining ACGA brings you into a strong community of clay and glass artists.

ACGA members who seek festival eligibility are selected annually through online jurying. This will typically occur in October. You only have to be juried in once. If you’re accepted, you’ll be eligible for annual Clay & Glass Festivals as long as you maintain your membership in good standing. The jury consists of a panel of current festival-eligible clay and glass artists.

If you’d like advice on your application, several ACGA Festival-eligible members are available for a short Zoom conversation. Please contact Scott Jennings (Jury Coordinator) at acga.jury@gmail.com.

Criteria for Selection

The jurors use three basic criteria to evaluate your work.

1. Coherence, Originality and Personal Identity:
   Does the work have a distinct personality? Do the submitted pieces represent a body of work that communicates an idea or voice—a unique vision that makes the work identifiable as yours? Originality is essential: the work must reflect the applicant’s personal identity and creative integrity, and must not copy or closely imitate the work of other artists.
2. Aesthetics: Jurors will consider both form and surface. Is the work visually interesting? Does it have emotional impact and vitality?
3. Craftsmanship: Jurors will examine the work for technical mastery and general control of materials. While jurors are not looking for perfection, they do want to see that the artist has the experience and ability to make well-formed, consistent work.

Note to jewelry and mosaic artists: As the artist, you must transform the mosaic clay, glass tesserae, or jewelry components by fire and create work in which the clay or glass predominates. The work cannot be assembled from purchased materials.

Note to clay artists: As a clay artist, if you use molds, they should be of your own design. The work must be fired. Clay must be the featured component.

How to Apply

The next jury application window is from September 10 to October 10, 2025.

Applicants must be current ACGA members residing in California.

Fee: The jury fee is $50 for General Members and $60 for Collaborating Members. The fee is non-refundable.

You will be required to provide the following:

Artist Process Statement: Provide a general description of how your work is created. Examples include wheel-thrown, flame-worked, hand-painted, slip-cast, blown, firing temperature, etc. File format for upload must be pdf, doc or docx.

Images: Submit 10 pieces of your work, with up to 3 images per piece (minimum of 2 different views required). This applies to both functional and sculptural works.

Image Size: Images should be 72ppi, longest dimension 1800 pixels, .jpg or .jpeg only, file size no larger than 2 MB. There are many online resizing tutorials for both Macs and PCs, including this one:
https://www.callforentry.org/artist-help-cafe/helpful-digital-resources/

Image Quality: We do not require that your images be professionally shot. However, they should be in focus, well-lit, and photographed without any distracting background.

Image Titles: Your image titles should begin with your last name, followed by an underscore and the work’s title. The main image should show the whole piece. The second image can show detail, side view, interior, etc.

• Main Image Title: “Lastname_Title1.jpg” (e.g., Jackson_WinterFruit1.jpg)
• 2nd Image Title: “Lastname_Title2.jpg” (e.g., Jackson_WinterFruit2.jpg)

Optional: Artist bio, CV, or resume. File format for upload must be pdf, doc, or docx.

We look forward to hearing from you. You’ll be notified via email when we receive your application. The jury will review the applications and you’ll be notified as to their decision within a month of the deadline.  The jury’s decision is final.

Tips to help you have a successful application:

Your application for this jury is stronger if you present a collection of pieces that relate to each other but are not identical. We recommend that you do not mix functional and sculptural work in your application unless there is a strong visual connection between the two types of work. However, this does not limit you from showing a diversity of work if you are accepted to participate in the festival.

There seem to be three common themes that jurors note about artists who are not accepted in their first jury attempt:

1. The applicant presents the jury with what seems to be a series of different works in development by the artist, none of which has settled down to a coherent theme or identifiable style. In almost all cases, the jury sees interesting and promising pieces, but each seems to be exploring a different track. Aim to select pieces that show some aesthetic unity. Don’t try to share everything you can do; rather, pick one theme or style to represent your skill and artistic vision
2. The jurors have the impression that the artist has only mastered one object or form, because the work presented is not varied enough. This is the opposite of the issue described in #1. In this case, the work presented is not diverse enough in its scope. It’s a tough call for the judges if the jury can not find a well-rounded command of the craft in what is presented. Aim to show your skill through a range of forms and techniques, within a cohesive aesthetic.
3. There are always a few applicants who simply aren’t ready yet, and it is not unusual for first-time applicants not to jury in. This is not a judgment on your potential as an artist! This show is one of the best in the country and is extremely competitive. It takes time to build a cohesive body of work, and we understand that. Upon request, we will provide feedback and advice to applicants who are not selected. We want you to succeed. Keep at it, don’t give up, and try again