The Department of Art and Art History at UNC Asheville hosts approximately 15 - 20 exhibitions per year, with the majority of our calendar dedicated to student exhibitions. In addition to student exhibitions, we host visiting artists, juried exhibitions, invitational group exhibitions, installation work, and traveling exhibitions. We seek to incorporate programming that will enhance the curriculum for our students and engage groups across the university and the greater Asheville community. Preference is given to artists/groups willing to conduct artist talks, demonstrations, and similar programming with their exhibition.

The S. Tucker Cooke Gallery in Owen Hall can accommodate group and solo exhibitions, and a committee of faculty meets twice per year to plan programming. Though we typically try to plan exhibitions a year ahead, sometimes this is not always possible.  If you are interested in being available for an exhibition with limited notice, please indicate this on the Exhibition Proposal Application.

Selection Process

Members of the Gallery Planning Committee use criteria such as conceptual strength; aesthetic and technical achievement; originality; and the potential for collaborative opportunities across campus and the greater community to appraise and assess all exhibition proposals. 

All proposals must accurately reflect the intended exhibit, and changes to this original proposal must be reviewed and approved by the committee well in advance of the installation date. Each exhibition proposal is considered as an integral component of the entire upcoming exhibition calendar so that a balanced array of programming may be confirmed.

Upon submission, you will receive confirmation that your application has been received. If the Gallery Planning Committee is interested in hosting your exhibition, we will be in touch.

The Exhibition

Artists are responsible for the delivery of their artwork to UNC Asheville by the date agreed upon with the Gallery Director. Artists are responsible for installing their exhibition under supervision of the Gallery Director and Gallery Committee in a time period agreed upon with the Gallery Director.

Any unusual installation requests must be approved in advance by the Gallery Director. Artists will be responsible for any repairs resulting from unique installation requests.

Exhibitions are expected to utlize the entirety of the gallery. Linked above and here is a floorplan of our gallery to help artists plan accordingly.

At the close of their exhibition, artists are responsible for dismantling their exhibition, packing their artwork, and transporting it back to their home or studio. Artwork must be removed from the premises by the artist or their representative at the pre-agreed time, and UNC Asheville is not responsible for work left on the premises after that time.

Artists are responsible for shipping costs to and from UNC Asheville as well as travel, accommodations, and meal expenses. We do our best to provide honorariums for visiting artists, but as a non-profit organization with limited funding, this is not always possible. 

Reception

An artist reception will be arranged for exhibitions in the S. Tucker Cooke Gallery space only when the artist can be present. Our receptions take place on either Thursday or Friday evenings from 6:00 - 8:00 pm either at the opening or close of the exhibition.

Artist Lecture, Studio Demonstrations, Student Critiques, Etc.

These will be coordinated between the artist(s) and Gallery Director and take place either at the beginning or close of the exhibition.

Publicity

The Gallery Director will coordinate the all marketing and advertising for exhibitions including press releases and exhibition web pages. In the event that the artist would like to design their own materials, the Gallery Director and UNC Asheville Marketing and Communications Office reserve the right to approve designs and content.

Required Applicant Materials:

Please note that your Exhibition Proposal must accurately reflect your intended exhibition and acknowledge your understanding and agreement of the policies above.


Completed applications should be submitted electronically to Carrie Tomberlin, Gallery Director: ctomberl@unca.edu


Thank you for your interest in exhibiting at UNC Asheville!