Westmoreland Art Nationals Juried Art & Photography Exhibit

Downloadable 2024 Entry Form & Prospectus

The DEADLINE is MARCH 8, 2024

Every year, the Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival holds the Westmoreland Art Nationals, a juried art and photography exhibition, featuring art from all around the country. Artists are permitted to enter as many pieces as they’d like to be considered in both of our exhibits. Two exhibitions, one entry form, one entry fee!

The first exhibit will be held in the Health & Culinary Center at Westmoreland County Community College in Youngwood, PA. The exhibit will run from Saturday, May 18 through Wednesday, June 5, with the Opening Reception on May 18 from 6-8 PM. Awards will be Announced at 7:00 PM on May 18 and posted on our Facebook page. The second exhibit will be held at the 50th Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival at Twin Lakes Park in Greensburg, PA on Thursday, July 4 through Sunday, July 7 with the Opening Reception set for Saturday, June 29 from 6-8 PM. Awards will be Announced at 7:00 PM on June 29 and posted on our Facebook page. Both shows are free and open to the public to attend.

Along with two physical on-site exhibits, we will have your artwork posted on our Facebook page for people to view, vote, and purchase.

Dates, locations, exhibitions, and venues are subject to change without notice. Changes will be posted on our Facebook page; https://www.facebook.com/artsandheritage.

The People’s Choice Award will be decided by the number of votes received on-site through paper ballots as well as votes taken from our Facebook Page using the number of “Likes” on an image. Any accepted piece of artwork may be voted on to win the People’s Choice Award. Voters are permitted to cast one ballot per artist per day.

Want to Save Even More? Become a Festival Member.

Festival Platinum Members pay no entry fee for life for the Westmoreland Art Nationals and receive a 25% discount on artwork purchased. Additional benefits from free merchandise to discounts on the Poetry & Short Story Contest, also save $25 on their application fee for Artist Market Vendors. For more information, visit our Membership page: https://artsandheritage.com/membership/.

A total of $4,800 in prize money will be awarded in the following categories:

  • Best of Show
  • Painting
  • Graphics
  • Craft
  • Sculpture
  • Photography
  • Mixed Media
  • Digital Media/Digital Art
  • New Entrant
  • People’s Choice

Winners are selected for each exhibit and are not announced until the night of the Opening Receptions. Both shows provide excellent exposure and serve as wonderful networking opportunities to meet other distinguished artists.

Meet Our 2023 Curator

Sarah Hunter (Greensburg, Pennsylvania)

Sarah Hunter is a working artist who graduated from Saint Vincent College in 2012 with a BA in Studio Art and minors in Art History and Psychology. During her studies she received the 2011 Palumbo Grant to study Modern Art in Dublin Ireland and upon graduation received the Departmental Award in Studio Arts. Her work includes expressions of humanity, elements of nature, and pure abstractions and have received various awards throughout the region.

Her work can be found throughout Alleghany, Cambria, and Westmoreland County, including Main Exhibit Gallery, The Manos Gallery, Green Beacon Gallery, downtown Greensburg’s Art in the Alley, and Bottle Works River Art Walk. She has curated and assisted in curating many shows including at The Greensburg Art Center, Greensburg Garden Civic Center, Feather’s Artist Market and Gifts, First Presbyterian Church in Greensburg, and Borelli Cellars Galleria of Mt. Lebanon.

Sarah is a dedicated member in the art community as a teacher and volunteer and was a 2022 recipient of the Boy Scouts of America Trailblazer Award. She serves on the Executive Board and Gallery Committee at Greensburg Art Center, gives private art lessons, and is an active member of Pittsburgh Society of Artists.

Serving on the Gallery Committee at Greensburg Art Center since 2016 she has had the privilege of chairing and curating many shows at the center as well as working with Latrobe Art Center in the creation of the annual Art Neighbors Show. It was through these experiences that her love of curation was born. She states that “As an artist I know personally how important the curation of a show is, it is my great honor to facilitate a show that showcases each piece in the strongest way possible.”

 

Meet Our 2023 Jurors

Blair Martin Cahill (Ojai, California)

There are layers in all we see, do and present in our lives. These are the elements which we want to show, conceal, or perhaps only hint at. What is revealed is equally important to what is not, and both are needed to capture an entire vision.

This is why Blair Martin Cahill processes visuals in layers. Working with an array of different materials, her work involves tiers that either reveal or correspond graphically to one another.

Blair was traditionally trained, but is passionate about the new array of tools that are being presented and made available to artists. By combining traditional methods of foundry casting and textile production with modern technology, she can find endless inspiration. Her new work encapsulates the traditional while juxtaposing modern and dissimilar materials, such as steel and silk.

Blair Martin Cahill obtained her BFA from California Institute of the Arts, and then attended the University of Arts London, Chelsea earning her MA in Fine Art. This further established her individual style of combining elements of color and texture. In addition to studying at Art Center College of Design, she was awarded the Digital Fabrication Residency, which facilitated exploration of the boundaries of sculpture, tradition and technology. Blair has also had the honor of lecturing at the International Sculpture convention and the Collage Artists of America.

Jessica Roscio (Boston, MA)

Director and Curator, Danforth Art Museum at Framingham State University, Framingham, Massachusetts

Jessica Roscio joined the Danforth Art Museum in 2011, was appointed Curator in 2015, and became the Director in 2020.  She has overseen curatorial and administrative operations since the Museum became a part of Framingham State University. Prior to the Danforth, Roscio held positions at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C., and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She is a regular contributor to Aspect Initiative, an online gallery focusing on contemporary photography. She has juried numerous exhibitions across media both regionally and nationally. Roscio has an MA in Art History from the University at Buffalo and a Ph.D. in American Studies, with a focus on the History of Photography, from Boston University.