ARTIST Resources

2026 Juried Exhibition | Call to Artists

This year's juror is Jamie Franklin, Curator, Bennington Museum. The esteemed juror will select the exhibiting artists as well as choose four Juror Award Winners who will receive a cash stipend and a solo exhibition in 2027. Jamie Franklin received his MFA in Art History from the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art. He has been curator at the Bennington Museum since 2005, and the Museum's Director of Collections and Exhibitions since 2020. His scholarship has focused on American art of the early to mid-20th century, with a particular emphasis on the intersection of modernism and self-taught art. Thank you for your submission!

Converse with the Crossroads of the Wind

Summary:

Poet and painter Alice Paalen Rahon (1904–1987) wrote, “I’ve been living in a map on the wall. I think I am at the crossroads of the wind. I converse with it. Converse with the Crossroads of the Wind will bring together a small cohort of artists selected through a competitive open call. How does change (good, bad, or ugly) influence new directions within our studio practice and process?

The exhibition concept supports artists whose practices thrive within ambiguity, inquiry, and material exploration. Thematically, Converse with the Crossroads of the Wind centers on ideas that engages liminal states of being through uncertainty, motion, and environmental or political thresholds. Artists are encouraged to present works that engage with change, approached from various angles of discovery—be it personal perspective, socio-political opinion, cultural memory, or bold and experimental narrative techniques.

The exhibition’s title is drawn from poet Alice Paalen Rahon, whose writing evokes movement, flux, and states of becoming. Rahon’s work—shaped by Surrealism, exile, and cross-cultural exchange, and historically connected to figures such as Pablo Picasso—serves as a conceptual touchstone rather than a literal reference, framing the exhibition as a space for openness, transformation, and poetic interpretation.

Makerspace

Coworking

In 20206 we're trying something new at AVA, which is to expand our creative community by using the Johnson Sisters Library as a coworking space during normal business hours. All AVA memberships — Friend/Family, Artist/Patron, or Maker/Mentor — grant daily access to the Library as a workplace, lounge and resource room. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday, 10AM to 5PM.

Key features include:

• Comfortable reading chair to settle into
• Fast and reliable wifi to get work done
• A conference table that seats up to ten
• Screen and camera setup for Google Meets
• Access to over 500 art books

Young Artists

AVA's Young Artists Meetup is a monthly gathering for emerging and early-career artists in the Upper Valley. We meet at AVA and at each other's studios to share work, swap practical knowledge, and help each other navigate the real questions: how to price your work, where to show it, how to find studio space, when to apply for that grant, and what to do when none of it makes sense.

This isn't a class or a critique group (though those can happen too!). It's a peer network — artists looking out for artists. We share opportunities, resources, and honest guidance because nobody figures this out alone.

The group coordinates through a Google Group and meets face to face once a month. If you're an early-career artist in the region and you've been looking for your people, this is a great place to start.