Madera Competitions / Calls for Entry
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Central Valley Community Foundation 60th Anniversary Commissioning
About Central Valley Community Foundation
For 60 years, the Central Valley Community Foundation (CVCF) has served California’s Central San Joaquin Valley, because this place and the people who live here matter. CVCF is a steady presence in this region, weaving together the vision of community members, the dedication of nonprofits and the generosity of local donors to support big and lasting change. In honor of our 60th Anniversary, we are celebrating a year-long tribute honoring this place we call home. Our celebration includes reflecting on our shared history by highlighting the people, places, and accomplishments that make our region exceptional.
Awards
Approximately eight (8) proposals will be awarded $1,500 plus materials to complete a new work of art that reflects the theme of this Call for Proposals.
Submission Guidelines
The Call for Proposals is open to artists nationwide; however, all subject matter must be related to historic moments of the last 60 years (since 1966) in California’s Central San Joaquin Valley (Merced, Mariposa, Madera, Fresno, Tulare, and Kings Counties) OR national and/or international events that directly impacted the region. The Call for Proposals is open to visual artists and artisans working in all physical media including but not limited to oil & acrylic painting, watercolor & gouache, pastel, mixed media, printmaking, photography, drawing & sketching, fiber art, glass, ceramics, and woodworking. Work must be original and not have been produced prior to Proposal Selection. Proposals from any artist are welcome, including those from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. Please submit your application in English. Selected artists will be communicated with in English, with interpretation available upon request.
Ownership
Central Valley Community Foundation is sole owner and rights-holder to all works created and funded by this Project.
Entry Procedures
Each artist is limited to one Proposal Submission. Entry is through SmarterEntry.com only. No other types of submission will be accepted.
Text Document Requirements
Proposal Submission should include an Artist Statement, and Artist Biography. These documents must be submitted BEFORE your images can be uploaded.
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Your Artist Statement should be a thorough description of what you propose to produce if your Proposal is selected. It should include your subject, medium, budget with materials list, why you chose the subject and its relevance to the theme.
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Your Artist Biography should include more general information about your career as an artist, including education, philosophy, history, and other highlights you consider important.
Image Requirements
Artists must submit one digital file of an existing piece of work in the same medium that you are proposing to create. This allows our Proposal Selection Committee to evaluate your technical expertise in executing your medium. Digital files must be in a .jpg format. Each image must be less than 8 megabytes in size. We recommend dimensions of at least 1280 pixels on the long side. Higher resolution is OK as long as the file size does not exceed 8 megabytes. Do not submit images smaller than 800 pixels on the long side.
File Names
Please use your last name, followed by an underscore, followed by your first name as your filename. Do not use numbers or special characters; letters and underscore only. For example: Smith_Mary.jpg
Proposal Selection Committee
Proposal submissions will be reviewed by a Proposal Selection Committee composed of one representative from the Central Valley Community Foundation and six County Arts Council representatives, one from each of the CACs within CVCF’s service area (Merced, Mariposa, Madera, Fresno, Tulare, and Kings).
Selection and Awards Procedures
The Proposal Selection Committee will evaluate all Proposals and select up to twenty finalists. Finalists will be interviewed in June 2026. Award recipients will be notified by July 6, 2026, and the award will be issued shortly thereafter.
Specifications and Requirements
Maximum size: 5’ x 5’
Receiving
The final product of your commission must be delivered September 21st - 28th, 2026 to Central Valley Community Foundation offices in Fresno, located at 1260 Fulton Street, Suite 200.
Important Dates:
April 3, 2026 –Request for Proposals Opens
May 29, 2026 –Requests for Proposals Closes
June 2026 – Proposal Selection Committee Meetings with Finalists
July 6, 2026 – Notification to Selected Recipients
July 6, 2026 - September 27th – Creation Period
September 21-28, 2026 - Receiving
Participation Agreement
Submission of a Proposal constitutes an agreement by the artist to the terms and conditions in this Prospectus.
2026 Celebrate Agriculture with the Arts Competition and Exhibition
The Celebrate Agriculture with the Arts Competition and Exhibition continues its long-standing tradition of highlighting the vital role of agriculture while showcasing the creativity and talent of California artists. This unique event invites artists to explore agriculture not only as an industry, but also as a way of life, expressing its beauty, challenges, and significance through their work.
The exhibition was first launched in 1994 with support from the California Arts Council, when the Madera County Arts Council introduced the agricultural-themed show as part of the statewide California Countryside Festival. Following its success, the Council established the competition as an annual event in 1995, and by 1997 participation had expanded to artists from across California.
Now entering its 33rd year in 2026, the exhibition continues to be a meaningful celebration of the connection between art, agriculture, and community. Each year it brings together artists, patrons, and residents to reflect on the enduring importance of agriculture in our region and throughout the state.
Held in Common: Art That Reflects Shared Human Experience
We invite artists to participate in a community exhibition exploring how culture, religion, and belief shape the ways people live alongside one another. This exhibition brings together work that reflects personal tradition, inherited practice, daily ritual, and the spaces where differences meet.
Rather than offering a single definition, the exhibition creates room for many perspectives—acknowledging that belief systems can be sources of meaning, tension, continuity, care, and connection. The goal is not consensus, but presence: work that asks viewers to slow down, notice, and consider experiences beyond their own.
Areas of Exploration
Artists may respond to one or more of the following ideas:
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Cultural or religious traditions passed through generations
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Rituals, symbols, or practices that shape everyday life
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Shared motifs across belief systems (light, water, hands, meals, circles, textiles)
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Intersections of faith, culture, and place
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Migration, memory, and belonging
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Repair, resilience, and living with difference
Held In Common 2026 Program Rules and Guidelines
ELIGIBILITY- Open to all artists eighteen years or older who reside in the STATE OF CALIFORNIA.
MEDIA– ART MEDIA, including PAINT, DRAWING, SCULPTURE, FIBER ART, PHOTOGRAPHY & JEWELRY may be entered in any and all categories. If your piece is DIGITAL or manipulated, we ask that it please be noted.
ENTRY FEE– $15.00 EACH for the first work entered; $5.00 for each additional work entered. Example: 1 work = $15.00; 2 works = $20.00, 3 works = $25.00.
NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE-Entrants will be notified of acceptance between February 23-25, 2026 by an MCAC representative via email.
RULES– The total number of entries per artist is unlimited. Entries must be original work, recent (within 3 years) cannot be a copy, classroom work, nor have been accepted in this exhibition previously.
Artwork must be submitted dry, securely framed, wired, and ready to hang. Unframed paintings must have sides painted. Please keep framing simple. Please no sawtooth hangers. Madera County Arts Council staff reserves the right to reject or require correction of framing issue of any artwork that has been accepted which, upon delivery, does not meet the above guidelines.
A limited number of large framed artwork and/or large free-standing sculptures can be accepted due to space limitations.
We ask that no accepted entry be removed before the end of the show.
Work must be available for sale. There will be a 30% commission on all sales paid to MCAC.
Please note: By submitting artwork into this exhibition, the artist agrees to the MCAC Release of Liability and Artwork
Photo Release outlined below.
Artwork Photo Release and Release of Liability
By submitting artwork into this competition, the artist grants permission to Madera County Arts Council (MCAC) and its employees to photograph and reproduce all accepted artworks for publicity purposes. The artist waives their right to inspect or approve the finished images, printed materials and digital materials that may be created. The artist releases MCAC and its affiliates to publish and/or distribute publicity materials obtaining images of their artwork(s), free from any claims, damages, or liability which may occur in connection with the creation and distribution of said materials. Images of artworks may be used in any media or form deemed necessary, including but not limited to, use on the MCAC website, social media accounts, press releases, newsletters, posters, programs, publications, presentations, digital presentations, promotions, broadcasts, advertisements, and in any other form of advertising, publicity, and promotion. When deemed appropriate, but not mandatory, the artist’s name will be credited. MCAC will not alter photographs other than cropping and adjusting for clarity in full color or single-color usage.
Artists retain the copyrights to their artworks.
All artwork accepted into this exhibition may be photographed by MCAC, their partners, associates, and visitors.
The artist grants permission for the original artwork to be displayed for brief periods of time away from the exhibition for promotional purposes of the exhibition.
The artist agrees to hold harmless MCAC, their employees and Board of Directors should any damage occur to the artwork.
TO PREPARE IMAGES FOR ONLINE ENTRY PLEASE USE THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:
File size can be no larger than 2MB; JPG format only
File name (not the artwork title) cannot include special characters:’ “ ; : {} \ / ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( )
• In your web browser enter the link: https://client.smarterentry.com/madera
• Under FIRST TIME USER click “Start Here” to create your own personal artist account.
• Record and save your login and password for future use.
• RETURNING USERS log in using the original email and password you set up when you last used Smarter Entry. If you have forgotten your password, you will see a prompt button on the login page to retrieve it.
• Pay your MCAC ENTRY FEE (noted in Rules and Guidelines above) for the images you plan to upload. You may pay the fee and return later to upload the images. Your information is saved under your account.
• Smarter Entry provides a secure credit card transmission. For the Smarter Entry Policy click on “CREDIT CARD POLICY” when registering.
• Follow the directions to upload your images and the identifying information.
• Purchase and upload additional submissions any time before the ENTRY DEADLINE OF FEBRUARY 22, 2206 using the artist profile you have just created.