Quilt National '27

Quilt National '27 is the twenty-fourth international juried exhibition hosted by The Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens, Ohio, under the theme 'Quilts in the Expanded Field'. The exhibition celebrates textile-based contemporary art and fibre as a medium for material inquiry — showcasing works that interrogate surface, structure, labour, gender, and politics, and that reposition quiltmaking within contemporary art discourse.

What qualifies as a quilt?

Work must be predominantly fibre or fabric-like material, composed of at least two layers (a face layer and a backing), held together by stitches or other elements distributed throughout the surface. The face layer may be pieced, appliquéd, whole cloth, or stitched/fused to a foundation.

Eligibility

• Must meet the structural definition of a quilt above
• Must not have appeared in any local, regional, national, or international exhibition prior to 28 May 2027
• Must not have appeared in a nationally/internationally distributed print publication prior to 30 September 2026 (social media is permitted)
• Must have been completed after 30 August 2024
• Must be an original, independently created design — not a copy or variation of another artist's work
• Must be a finished work, not a work in progress
• No size limitations, but maximum height for hanging is 115". If your work exceeds this, include an image showing an alternative display option.

Open to all media — traditional and non-traditional genres and materials are welcome. The jury changes for each iteration of Quilt National and has no predisposition toward any particular style.

Judging criteria include originality, design, concept, technique, and craftsmanship. The process is a blind jury — jurors will not have access to any identifying information about artists. Approximately 80 artworks will be selected. Preliminary acceptance is based on digital image submissions; final acceptance follows physical inspection of the delivered artwork.

Entry fee

• $50 USD per artist (covers up to three works, each with one full-view image and up to three detail images)
• $35 USD for Dairy Barn Members
• Fee waived for first-time Quilt National applicants

Submission requirements

• Artist name and contact information
• Title, completion date, dimensions (height × width × depth in inches), materials, and techniques
• Artist statement of 100 words or less
• Digital images: JPG format, 170 dpi, no larger than 1800 pixels on the longest side, maximum 5 MB, RGB colour mode
• Images must show the full quilt edge-to-edge with neutral background, well lit and in focus

AI policy: AI may be used to complement creative process but must not replace individual creativity or compromise artistic integrity.

Key dates:

• Submissions open: 1 May 2026
• Submission deadline: 30 August 2026
• Notification of accepted work: 9 October 2026
• Exhibition agreement due: 16 October 2026
• Artwork delivery: 23 October 2026
• Exhibition on view: 28 May – 5 September 2027
• Opening reception: 28 May 2027, 5–8pm
• Touring: September 2027 – October 2029
• Artwork returned by: November 2029

Awards will be announced in mid-2026. Submission grants The Dairy Barn Arts Center rights to reproduce images for exhibition promotion; artists retain all copyright.

To submit time-based media, contact exhibitions@dairybarn.org.