--- title: Earth Matters description: >- Annual juried open call for earth-made and earth-focused art, juried by Judith Kruger, exhibiting Feb-Mar 2027 at Atlantic Gallery, NYC. url: 'https://www.artsume.com/programs/d94652f0-31b8-4454-9349-533ba8646161' type: program status: open createdAt: '2026-10-06' updatedAt: '2026-10-11' programType: Exhibition organization: Atlantic Gallery organizationUrl: 'https://www.artsume.com/o/atlantic-gallery' deadline: '2026-12-15' entryFee: 35 USD location: 'Atlantic Gallery, New York, NY, United States' isOnline: false disciplines: - oils - acrylics - watercolors - natural materials --- # Earth Matters **Hosted by:** Atlantic Gallery **Type:** Exhibition | **Location:** Atlantic Gallery, New York, NY, United States | **Deadline:** December 15, 2026 | **Entry fee:** $35 ## About This Program ### About Earth Matters is our annual juried open call to artists who keenly revel in, draw from, manipulate, or respond to the profound materiality of the earth. We invite artists whose work is earth-made as well as those whose practices are earth-focused, exploring our relationship to land and water, geology and ecology, and the interconnected environments that sustain all life. Earth-made and earth-focused work generates powerful conversations that can reside in the sublime, spiritual, geological, topographical, ecological, biophilic, scientific, cultural, social, and sustainable realms. Whether non-objective or revealing a deeper message held within, materially driven or conceptually based, these works expose nature's raw tactility through thoughtful and well-crafted process. Artists employing earth-derived materials and those exploring earth matter through image, process, research, environmental inquiry, or metaphor are equally encouraged to apply. Each artwork invites viewers to intimately witness our planet's materials and environments in all their abundance, fragility, and irreplaceable value, fostering deeper reflection on our interconnectedness with the natural world. Juror/Curator: Judith Kruger Judith Kruger is a multidisciplinary, American visual artist whose work explores Human-Environment connectivity and their shared strengths and vulnerabilities. She is recognized internationally for her advocacy and employ of historic, natural pigments and ecological processes. Kruger's work has been exhibited in galleries, museums, universities, corporations and cultural centers throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. She has created public commissions for Phipps Conservatory's Center for Sustainable Landscape's BETA Project (Pittsburgh, PA) and University of St Joseph's Embracing our Environment Program (West Hartford, CT). Her work is represented in several private and public collections including Jefferson Hospital (Philadelphia, PA), Hammond Museum (North Salem, NY), Mattatuck Museum (Waterbury, CT), Wofford College (Spartanburg, SC) and Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah, GA). She is a recipient of fellowships from Mass MoCA's Assets for Artists and Connecticut Office of the Arts and grants from Chicago Dept of Cultural Affairs, The Artists Foundation (NYC), Seeds Arts and Education (CA) and Target Corporation (MN). Kruger has served as Artist-Scholar in Residence at Wofford College-Environmental Science Department (SC) and Anneliese School (CA). She has presented her pigment research projects at academic conferences including SECAC (SCAD) and the Association for Environmental Science (UC San Diego). Kruger has served as a member of the Inaugural Dean's Advisory Board of Syracuse University's College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Syracuse University Chicago Arts Council Board, and Chicago's Ravenswood ArtWalk Board. She is currently on the Curatorial and Program Advisory Committee of the Ely Center for Contemporary Art in New Haven, CT. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Syracuse University and a Master of Fine Arts Degree from Savannah College of Art and Design. Judith Kruger Studio is in the former Erector toy factory in New Haven, CT, 75 miles Northeast of midtown Manhattan. ### Important Dates - Submission Deadline: December 15, 2026 - Jury Decision: January 09, 2027 - Exhibition Opens: February 16, 2027 - Exhibition Closes: March 06, 2027 ### Submission Guidelines - Number of pieces: 1 - 8 - Only one entry per artist - Maximum file size: 50MB per image - Accepted file types: GIF, JPG, PNG ### Eligibility and Entry Instructions Open to all International and US artists 18 years or older. - Online Entry July 1st thru December 15 2026, via entrythingy.com - Entry fees must be paid via PayPal through Entrythingy.com - A non-refundable fee of $35.00 for up to 3 entries and $10.00 for up to 5 more entries. Multiple entries from the same artist must be submitted at the same time to take advantage of the lowered additional entry fee - The maximum size for all work is 36 inches wide and 40 inches high, including sculpture - All work must have been made within the last five years to be considered - No saw tooth hangers - ALL WORK MUST BE READY TO HANG - For 3-D work that is suspended, artists will have to provide detailed instructions for hanging (with photo) as well as hanging hardware - Suspended work may not exceed 15 lbs - ALL PEDESTAL WORK MUST FIT ON A 19" SQUARE PEDESTAL OR ARTIST MUST PROVIDE THEIR OWN APPROPRIATE STAND. We also have two lower pedestals of 21"x18" and 20"x 24" that can be used if needed - All work must be for sale AWARDS: Award winners will be selected for inclusion in our Group Show, at a future date in our Chelsea Gallery in New York City. Artwork must be delivered to the gallery in person or by proxy during regular gallery hours. SALES: 40% commission ### Media oils, acrylics, watercolors, natural materials ### Terms All works must be for sale. Accepted work may be refused if it does not conform to the entered image. Absolutely NO substitutions of accepted works will be allowed. All accepted work must remain in the gallery for the duration of the exhibition. Submission to this juried exhibition constitutes an agreement on the part of the entrant to the conditions set forth in this prospectus. Atlantic Gallery reserves the right to final curatorial, educational, installation and marketing decisions. Entry fees are non-refundable. Great care will be taken with all work, but artists are responsible for insuring their own pieces if they wish. Atlantic Gallery will not be responsible for any loss or damage to work while on the premises or in transit to or from the gallery. The payment of the entry fee will serve as your acceptance of the terms and conditions stated in this prospectus. Acceptance of a work of art to this exhibition shall be understood to constitute an agreement on the part of the artist to the terms and conditions stated in this prospectus. ## Eligibility & Requirements - **Geographic Eligibility:** International - **Disciplines:** oils, acrylics, watercolors, natural materials - **Age Requirements:** 18+ years old - **Note:** Open to all International and US artists 18 years or older. All work must have been made within the last five years to be considered. All work must be for sale. ### Additional Requirements - Number of pieces: 1 - 8 - Only one entry per artist - Maximum file size: 50MB per image - Accepted file types: GIF, JPG, PNG - Maximum work size: 36 inches wide x 40 inches high, including sculpture - All work must have been made within the last five years - No saw tooth hangers - All work must be ready to hang - Suspended 3-D work requires hanging instructions, photo, and hardware; may not exceed 15 lbs - Pedestal work must fit a 19" square pedestal or artist must provide own stand - All work must be for sale ## Timeline - **Opens:** October 6, 2026 - **Deadline:** December 15, 2026 - **Program Start:** February 16, 2027 - **Program End:** March 6, 2027 ## How to Apply Apply at: https://app.entrythingy.com/atlanticgallery/earth-matters