Call Description

Clatsop Community College announces our sixteenth annual international juried exhibition, Au Naturel: the Nude in the 21st Century, to be held January 22 - March 12, 2026 in the Royal Nebeker Art Gallery, with a reception in February with the specific date TBA.  Au Naturel is an international juried competition open to all artists working in any drawing, painting, and printmaking media with a focus on the nude human figure as subject matter in any form ranging from representational to abstract, and in which the handmade mark is employed as the primary means of image-making. This year, a limited number of three-dimensional works may also be considered. Please see size/weight limitations indicated below.  Due to the special focus of this exhibit, photography is not eligible. Entrants must be 18 years or older. Submitted artwork must have been executed in the last five years and must be available for the duration of the exhibit. Any artwork reproduced by photomechanical processes (including giclée prints) will not be accepted. Please visit www.aunaturelart.com to view artwork of previous Au Naturel exhibitions and for further information about the exhibit.

EXHIBITION AWARDS

• $1000 in cash prizes
• Up to $2000 in purchase awards
• One or more artists may be chosen to be featured in a group or solo exhibit in the Royal Nebeker Gallery.  

• A select number of Visiting Artist Workshop awards may also be granted.

Juror: Originally from Philadelphia, Martha Lee received a B.A. in Art History from the University of Oregon and has been working in the fine arts community for over 35 years. Her gallery career began as an art consultant and then director at the Gango Gallery in Portland. She joined the Laura Russo Gallery in 1996, working with Laura Russo for 14 years until Russo’s death in 2010, at which time Lee purchased the gallery. In 2016, Lee made the decision to change the gallery name to the Russo Lee Gallery—a name chosen to honor and acknowledge the foundation of Russo’s vision and to point to the future evolution of the gallery under Lee’s leadership.

The Russo Lee Gallery remains firmly rooted in a deep commitment to the Pacific Northwest art community, providing a venue that brings the richness of the visual arts in our region together with an ever-expanding audience. The gallery has built a strong reputation for showing the finest in Contemporary Northwest Art and for providing meaningful representation for the artists with whom we work.

Lee has served on a variety of juries and art committees, including the Sitka Art Invitational, the PNCA Annual BFA Juried Exhibition, the Cascade Aids Project Art Auction, Portland Open Studios, the Arlene Schnitzer Visual Art Prize from Portland State University as well as a panelist for the Oregon Women’s Caucus for Art. She has been a long-time Board member of the Portland Art Dealers Association as well as serving as President of the Association from 2012 to 2014.

Application Requirements

Submissions accepted via the CaFE System only. 

FEES: There is a non-refundable $45 entry fee for the submission of one to three images (if you would like to submit only one or two pieces for consideration, please upload either duplicate or blank images), and $5.00 for each additional image beyond the third. The maximum number of images that may be submitted is 15. Payment may be made online through CaFÉ with a credit card. Alternatively, you may also pay by check:

Please make check or money order payable to Clatsop Community College
Mail to:  Clatsop Community College, Au Naturel International Juried Exhibition , Royal Nebeker Art Gallery,1651 Lexington Avenue, Astoria, OR 97103.

Eligibility Criteria

Artists must be 18 years or older.

Artwork must represent the nude human figure and must have been created using the handmade mark.  The focus is on two dimensional work primarily, but a select number of 3D pieces may be accepted. 

Due to the special focus and scope of the show, photography is not eligible. 

Submitted work must have been created within the past five years. 

SIZE/WEIGHT LIMITATIONS:

Maximum dimensions for 2D work: 6 feet x 10 feet (183 cm x 305 cm) and must not weigh more than 35 lbs. (16 kg) uncrated.  All accepted artwork must be framed or otherwise professionally presented with wires or hanging devices (no saw-tooth hangers). The maximum footprint of three dimensional art is  36 x 36 inches (91 x 91 cm) and must not weigh over 50 lbs (23 kg) uncrated. 

Artists must be 18 years or older.

Artwork must represent the nude human figure and must have been created using the handmade mark.  The focus is on two dimensional work primarily, but a select number of 3D pieces may be accepted. 

Due to the special focus and scope of the show, photography is not eligible. 

Submitted work must have been created within the past five years. 

Submitted work must be available for the duration of the exhibit.

Rules and Terms to Apply

• Notification of acceptance/invitation will be sent via email by December 17, 2025.

•The gallery will retain a 35% percent commission on all sales. Sales price is determined by the artist.  The Gallery prefers artwork to be for sale; however, the artist may choose to designate artwork as NFS (not for sale).

NOTE: Artists are responsible for ALL shipping arrangements and shipping costs. The gallery will not assume responsibility for work that is improperly framed or inadequately packed for shipping. Art damaged in transit is solely the responsibility of the artist and shipper.

Artists are encouraged to research and confirm shipping costs in advance to ensure this expense is manageable for your personal budget before submitting to the competition. We want participation to be a positive experience for all!

• All artwork will be insured for the duration of the exhibit.
• Artwork must be available for the duration of the show (January 22 – March 12).
• The gallery reserves the right not to exhibit any artwork that differs significantly from the submitted image, is deemed too fragile or unreasonably difficult to install. and/or is not properly prepared for installation (artwork framed with glass is only acceptable for hand-delivered work; if glazing is necessary for framed work that will be shipped, do not use glass— use plexiglass).

• Artwork MUST be dry, ready to install and should have the appropriate hardware affixed to the piece that will allow for installation by the gallery staff. PLEASE NOTE— ARTWORK MUST HAVE HARDWARE PROVIDED WITH THE ARTWORK FOR INSTALLATION. Saw-tooth hangers, magnets or thumbtacks are not appropriate for this particular exhibit.  
• Work that does not comply with the terms of the prospectus will not be included in the exhibition and will be returned at the artist’s expense.
• Pick-up date of hand-delivered work: Friday, March 13, 2026 from 9:00 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Shipped work will be returned ASAP using the return shipping label provided by the artist. Artists must arrange and pay for a pre-paid return shipping label (please note: the United States Post Office does not issue pre-paid return labels or provide pick-up service, so please use another courier such as FedEx, UPS, or DHL). Be sure to include artist’s name, return address, weight of loaded crate and dimensions clearly written on each box.

• Unless special arrangements have been made with the Gallery, any artwork remaining after the pickup date of March 13 without a return shipping label and reusable crate will no longer be insured and may become the property of the Royal Nebeker Gallery.

• Submitting to this exhibition does not guarantees acceptance. All application fees are non-refundable. Please carefully read the application and eligibility requirements, rules, and terms since submission fees cannot be refunded.