The Jury Process

All ACGA Exhibiting members have been accepted in by a jury of their peers. ACGA Juries for new Exhibiting Members are held two times each year, March (digital only) and in October (in-person only). We will typically jury 20 to 25 applicants at a time. The Jury consists of 5 current Exhibiting Members (jurors) with either clay or glass experience. There is no minimum or maximum number of selected new members. Over the last 5 years, roughly 25% of the applicants have been accepted as Exhibiting Members. The decisions of the Jury are final. Applicants not accepted may reapply for a future jury.

Criteria of Selection

The jurors use three distinct criteria as the basis for evaluation. An accepted applicant must show strength in every category:

Aesthetics: Consideration is given to both the form and surface treatment. Is the work integrated? Does it have emotional impact and vitality
Craftsmanship: Consideration of the technical mastery and general control of the materials is examined.
Personal Identity: Is the artist’s personality and integrity communicated? Has the applicant explored the medium enough to have developed a personal means of expression? How interesting or strong is the overall quality?

Note to glass and mosaic artists: artist must transform the mosaic clay or glass tesserae by fire and create work in which the clay & glass tesserae predominate. The artists must fire their own tiles and/or the glass jewelry components. They cannot be assembled from existing materials.

Categories of Exhibiting Membership

Exhibiting Member is an individual whose work has been accepted by an ACGA jury as upholding and enriching the professional and artistic quality of the Association.

Collaborative Exhibiting Member is a team of two artists that produce one line of work that meets the same criteria as an Exhibiting Member. The team juries, exhibits and sells work together.

How to Apply

To be eligible for Jury, prospective applicants must reside in California and be a current Associate Member.
The next digital jury deadline – March 1, 2020 . Prospective members will have their work evaluated from digital images.

The next in-person jury will be held on Saturday, November 9, 2020, Palo Alto Art Center, Studio A, 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm

The jury fee: There is a $50 non-refundable jury fee for single exhibiting members,
$60 for Collaborating Members.

All prospective exhibiting members must complete the jury application form. Click here to complete the Jury Application form. In this form you will submit your basic information, and pay your jury fee and membership dues. Current members in good standing will not pay membership dues again. Once you have completed this form, you will submit your materials digitally to our Jury Coordinator as outlined below.

Digital Jury

Please note: Digital jury deadline – March 1, 2020. The jury often fills up months ahead of time, sign up early to insure your spot.

Submit your materials: Mail a CD, readable on Mac computer, or submit all files digitally via DropBox (OneDrive) to the Jury Coordinator:

Email attachments will not be accepted.
Please note that the quality of your images will factor into the jury’s decision, and non-professional images will not be evaluated.

CV or resume
Brief description of the process
Artist statement
Artist bio
Image list list with corresponding titles, dimensions, medium, process description. Your image names must correspond to the image list you provide as a .pdf file. For example: #1. Blue Cup, 5 x 3 x 3 in (HxWxD), stoneware, thrown and hand-altered, unglazed, wood-fired.

Image specifications:

Make a separate folder named “Images” with images of your work.
For sculptural work: total of 30 images for 10 pieces. Each artwork submitted must have up to 3 views, including one overall, alternate view(s) or detail photos.
For glass and pottery: 10 pieces, 2-3 images per artwork.

Images must be separate .jpg files – no exceptions;

Images must be sized at a resolution of 72dpi.
Image size should be at least 900 pixels wide or tall but not to exceed 1700 pixels wide or tall.
Name your image files with Your Last Name_Image #.jpg
(For example: Smith_01.jpg, Smith_01_detail_01.jpg, Smith_01_detail_02.jpg)

Upon receipt of the application package, the applicant will be notified by email. If the upcoming jury is full, you will be placed on a waiting list to secure the spot for the next jury.

The Jury will review, discuss and jury the submitted artwork. Applicants will be notified about the results by the end of March.

In-Person Jury

Please note: the in-person jury will be held on Saturday, November 9, 2020, 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Palo Alto Art Center,
1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94303
Room A, (Painting Room)

The In-Person Jury: You will bring your work and your work will be evaluated in person by members of the jury. Your presence is not required during the actual jurying process that will be between 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm.

Artists must bring a printed copy that includes the following:
CV or resume.
Artist statement.
Artist bio
Brief description of the process

Applicant artists set up their work between 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm the evening of the Jury. Come at 5 pm (not earlier) to ensure enough time to set up.

Artists may use one of the 6-foot by 30-inch tables provided to display their work. Typically 8 to 12 pieces can be displayed, depending on the scale of the work. Applicants are welcome to bring table coverings, risers and other items to enhance their display. Applicants may bring modest lighting that does not interfere with other exhibits. Setup must be complete by 7pm. The Jury will view and discuss the exhibits from 7:00 to 9:00pm. The applicants must collect their work at 9:00pm.

The Jury will review, discuss and jury the submitted artwork. Applicants will be notified about the results by the end of November.

Jury Coordinator

Riddle - Ceramic - Association of Clay and Glass Artists of California