Exhibition Detail
American Women Artists is pleased to announce its twelfth museum exhibition Anna's Garden: A New Generation of Women Artists as part of the 25 in 25 campaign, an initiative to have 25 museum shows for its members over 25 years, thereby better recognizing the work of women artists and increasing the historically low representation of women artists in museums and permanent collections. This exhibition at Brookgreen Gardens, May 8 – July 25, 2027, in Murrells Inlet, SC, is open to all American Women Artists members. Call for Entries: October 10, 2026, through December 10, 2026. Selected artists will be notified on December 17, 2026.
Founded in 1931 by Archer Huntington and noted sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington, Brookgreen Gardens is the first public sculpture garden in the United States. Brookgreen Gardens features multiple indoor gallery spaces in addition to world-renowned outdoor exhibitions and botanical gardens.
Anna's Garden: A New Generation of Women Artists will include approximately 50 - 65 2-D and 3-D works by members of American Women Artists, representing the top women artists in the field throughout the United States and Canada. The exhibition title and logo honor the legacy of Brookgreen Gardens founder Anna Hyatt Huntington, a noted sculptor.
American Women Artists and Brookgreen Gardens will host an opening reception and awards ceremony on May 7, 2027. The Annual Symposium of Women in the Arts will be held on May 6, 2027. The AWA annual retreat, entitled In the Company of Women, will take place from May 5 through May 8, 2027.
AWA will award a $10,000 Grand Prize Cash Award in addition to approximately $20,000 in other cash and merchandise awards. Final works selected will appear in the 3-month museum exhibition, on AWA's website, be featured in AWA's monthly e-newsletters, and promoted through AWA's advertising and social media channels.
The Jurors
The selection jurors for the 2027 AWA National Juried Museum Exhibition are:
- Rebecca Martin Nagy — directed the University of Florida's Harn Museum of Art from 2002–2018; previously 17 years at the North Carolina Museum of Art as curator and associate director of education.
- Robin R. Salmon — Brookgreen Gardens Vice President of Art and Historical Collections and Curator of Sculpture.
- Andrea Zieher — Co-Founder and Co-Director of ZIEHER SMITH, a contemporary art gallery; former President of the Board of the New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA).
Eligibility
Open to women at least 18 years of age, who are working in the fine arts and residents of either the United States or Canada. To submit and show works, applicants and finalists must be a current member of American Women Artists.
American Women Artists seeks to present an exhibition of fine art demonstrating excellence in terms of composition, technique, mastery of medium and quality of design. Artwork of any style is encouraged, but material choice and originality of every aspect of the work is required.
Entry Rules
- The 2027 AWA Annual Juried Museum Exhibition is open to all AWA Members in good standing.
- Applications may be submitted from October 10, 2026 – December 10, 2026 EST, and finalists will be announced on December 17, 2026.
- All subjects and styles are eligible, from traditional to contemporary, in drawing, painting, printmaking, mixed media, and sculpture.
- Works must be original. 2D works must have been completed within the last two years and 3D works must have been completed in the last five years.
- Works do not have to be for sale. Sold works may be submitted (enter NFS). Artists will receive 55% of the sales price for 2D works and 60% for 3D works. The Museum will receive 35% for 2D and 35% for 3D; AWA will receive 10% for 2D and 5% for 3D.
- Maximum size for 2D works: up to 30" on the longest side unframed. Maximum size for sculpture: height 6 ft including base or pedestal and weight 200 lbs.
- Works must not have been accepted for a previous AWA national juried museum competition or online juried show.
- Acceptable materials are traditional fine art materials: cast metal, fabricated metal, stone, glass, wood, fired permanent media for sculpture; oil, acrylic, water media, pastel, egg tempera, encaustic, mixed media for painting; conte crayon, colored pencil, graphite, pen & ink, scratchboard, charcoal for drawing; hand-pulled prints for printmaking.
- Nonacceptable materials include jewelry, fiber, fabric, photography, video, or any work containing digital, AI, or machine-generated elements.
- Works must be created by the artist without supervision, not as part of a class or workshop, and not using AI to assist.
- Maximum entries: six (6). Maximum of one (1) entry per accepted artist will be juried into the exhibition.
- By submitting images, you give American Women Artists and the Museum permission to use the image in advertising and non-commercial promotion.
- Artists acknowledge they own full copyright to the submitted work.
- All membership and entry fees are non-refundable.
- All artists accepted into the exhibition must contribute $100 towards production of the exhibition catalogue and will receive 3 print copies.
Application
The entry form must be filled out in its entirety. Submitted images must not include matting or frame, must be right-side-up, and must be 1920 pixels or larger on the longest side, in JPEG format with RGB color space. ShowSubmit will handle renaming and resizing images.
Entry Fees
All AWA Member Levels: $60.00 for up to TWO (2) entries. Each additional entry $10.00 up to a maximum of six (6) entries. Payment must be made through ShowSubmit via credit card at time of application. Entry fees are non-refundable.
Awards
There will be cash and merchandise awards totaling at least $30,000.
Jurying Notification
All jury status notifications will be sent by and posted on ShowSubmit; accepted works will be posted at americanwomenartists.org on December 17, 2026.
Shipping
Accepted paintings and drawings must be framed and wired for hanging; sculpture must be ready to place. Artists are responsible for delivery to Coastal Transfer and Storage (CTS) in Georgetown, SC for arrival between April 16–23, 2027, and pickup between August 3–13, 2027. Shipping expenses are the responsibility of AWA members.