Winter Exhibition - Call for Artists

To: Seacoast Area Artists*
From: The City of Portsmouth Public Art Review Committee (PARC)
Call to Art: Winter Exhibition of Textile Art
Exhibit Dates: February 1- April 27, 2027
Theme: Ice and Fire

*This call is open to artists who live or work in the New Hampshire Seacoast area, as defined by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. The area includes Portsmouth, coastal and adjacent communities, and communities surrounding Great Bay and its estuaries. Artists from Kittery, Kittery Point and Eliot, Maine are also invited to apply.

About Textile Art

Textile Art is created by using fibers, fabrics, threads, and other materials. Artists may use stitching, weaving, quilting, dyeing, embroidery, fabric collage, appliqué, knotting and other techniques. Unlike functional household fabrics, textile artworks are created primarily for artistic expression. 

Examples of textile art include art quilts, tapestry, fabric collage, felting, embroidery, woven art, batik or hand dyed art, or mixed media combined with fabric.

Textile art emphasizes texture, color, pattern, dimension, and more. It transforms materials into an abstract or realistic design to evoke an emotion, manifest a memory, tell a story, challenge the viewer to think or wander into a wonderland.

Artist Submission Information

Seacoast Area Artists are invited to submit three samples of their textile art in JPEG form to calltoartparc@portsmouthnh.gov. Please include your name, email, cell phone and website, or social media account for your artwork. Note that all work must be prewired to hang on the walls. No pedestal pieces are possible at this time. Please review the PARC criteria to understand public art standards and requirements.

A jury composed of PARC members will select a diverse sampling of fabric art to be displayed for three months in the Portsmouth Room at City Hall. There is no fee to enter. Your CV, contact information, and an inventory with titles and prices (if the work is for sale) will be posted in the exhibit. The City does not handle any sales. All work must remain up for the duration of the exhibit. 

Location: The Portsmouth Room at City Hall, 1 Junkins Avenue, Portsmouth, NH 03801 
Exhibition Dates: February 1 – April 27, 2027.
Submit samples of work by November 30, 2026, via email to calltoartparc@portsmouthnh.gov
Artists will be notified by December 10 and a contract will follow.
Drop off date: January 27, 10 am to 12 pm 
Reception: Monday, February 1, 6 to 7 pm 
Pickup: April 28, 10 am to 12 pm