Call for Entry:
Diverse depictions of Jesus and His invitation to “Let the children come”, with an emphasis on historical accuracy and/or cultural expression. Jurors will not accept white depictions of Christ for this show. The show’s theme comes from the scripture Mark 10:14. “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.”
The goal of this show is to
broaden the vision of how Christ invites all of us to come to Him
show the diverse ways that Christ and those who come unto him can be represented in artwork
spotlight the religious artworks of people of color
We invite children ages 8-18 years old to submit their artwork to the Junior Division of this show.
TBD
Soon to be announced
Pieces must be new (created no earlier than 2021), original pieces of art. Mediums that will be accepted are painting, printmaking, drawing, mixed media work, photography, digital illustration, or small sculptures, installations, and assemblages. Installation and assemblage pieces will be considered on a case by case basis. Contact Esther at esther@thecompassgallery.com with questions. Performance art, large sculpture, new media, and audio or video pieces will not be accepted due to exhibit objectives and space constraints. Two dimensional work should preferably be a maximum of 36 inches wide. Pieces larger than 36” will be considered on a case by case basis due to space constraints. Sculptures can be no more than 18 inches wide or deep and 20 inches tall.
Work, and images used to create work, must be free of any copyright infringement and must be created by or properly licensed by the artist.
Images created using stills from film productions such as The Bible videos or The Chosen series, even if licensed, will not be accepted.
Image Files must be titled “Lastname_Title.jpg”, for example “Sanchez_TheLamb.jpg”
Artists must submit entry information and hi-res images of each work using the submission button below.
Artists may submit a maximum of 3 original works.
We would like to encourage artists to make new work, or submit previously unexhibited work for this show. If a piece has been shown previously please note the dates and location on the form.
All work that is shown must be for sale. Industry standard commission rates will apply to all sales. More details TBD. International entries welcome. Scholarships or financial aid up to $300 per artist will be available for international shipping to and from the show. A need based scholarship of $100 dollars for domestic shipping is also available. Selection of work is at the discretion of the jury and The Compass Gallery. We reserve the right to reject any pieces submitted for this show.
Prizes to be announced soon!
Pieces shown elsewhere: We would like to encourage artists to make new work, or submit previously unexhibited work for this show. If a piece has been shown previously please note the dates and location here.
Call for submissions open:
January 1, 2025 – November 2, 2025
Artists will be notified: no later than December 15, 2025 if pieces have been accepted
Accepted pieces must be received by: January 17, 2026. Artwork received after this date will not be included in the show.
Artwork must be ready to hang including d-rings and wire. Gallery staff will contact artists directly to make arrangements for 3-D work.
Gallery show: January & February 2026
Artist round tables and other educational events hosted at the gallery in conjunction with the exhibit will be announced as they are scheduled.
Sponsored by Meetinghouse Mosaic
For questions about the purpose and mission of this exhibit contact: meetinghousemosaic@gmail.com
For questions about delivery, display, installation, sales, and pick up of work, contact: esther@thecompassgallery.com
The Compass Gallery
250 W Center Street
Provo, UT 84601
801-200-3981
If you are depicting someone from a culture other than your own:
Do your best to not include any stereotypes or implicit biases in your art.
Interact with and learn from those communities you are wanting to add to your art.
Google is everyone’s best friend! It’s a great way to learn from the culture/community you are wanting to portray. Put in the work to understand how a race/culture has been marginalized and what you can do to value this race/culture.
Everyone gets it wrong at some point. If you are called out or called in, take it as an opportunity to learn, grow, and improve yourself.
Too often, we feel we can take advantage of marginalized communities. We should make every effort to support, lift, and serve as much as we can.
It’s not enough to just add different skin tones and call it good. Respectfully study facial features, clothing and hairstyles, artifacts, etc. from the culture (try to learn directly from the culture/community!)
(Ideas gathered from this article: https://www.history.com/news/
and computer programmers created an image based on an Israeli skull dating to the first century A.D. Scholars consider the most accurate depictions to have darker skin, dark eyes, shorter, curlier hair, and stand about five feet tall.
“used archaeological remains, historical texts and ancient Egyptian funerary art to conclude that, like most people in Judea and Egypt around the time, Jesus most likely had brown eyes, dark brown to black hair and olive-brown skin. He may have stood about 5-ft.-5-in. (166 cm) tall, the average man’s height at the time.”
that people at that time had blue eyes and blond hair.
largely because of anti-semetism, artists began to remove Jewish features from Mary and Christ and gave them more European, Anglo-Saxon features. Those types of depictions have largely continued until now. When painting a historically accurate image of Christ, it is not sufficient to paint the features of a northern European man and simply put darker skin color on him.