Quilt Visions 2026 > Register & Apply

Quilt Visions 2026
Call for Entries
   

Visions Museum of Textile Art (VMOTA) is proud to announce the call for entries for Quilt Visions 2026, the museum’s 27th international juried exhibition.  Exhibition jurors will select work exemplifying art quilting at the highest level of quality, innovation, surface design techniques, excellence in composition, and craftsmanship. Selected works will be featured in a full-color exhibition catalog. Cash prizes will be awarded.

Exhibition jurors will select innovative textile art that explores form and technique of 2D art quilts. Selected works will be featured in a full-color exhibition catalog. Cash prizes will be awarded.

Quilt Visions 2026 will be on display at VMOTA in San Diego, from October 23, 2026 to January 16, 2027. Selected artists will receive further information regarding participation during Quilt Visions 2026 Festival Days. Festival Days will include workshops, lectures, artist meet and greets, receptions and other gatherings. Participation by selected artists is highly encouraged but not required.

 
KEY DATES

Jan 1, 2026 Call for Entry Opens (Online Only)
Feb 9, 2026 Call for Entry Closes (12 midnight PST)
April 8, 2026 Artists notified of jurors’ selections
Apr 22, 2026 Public announcement of accepted artists
Sep 23, 2026 Deadline for artwork to arrive at VMOTA
Oct 23-24, 2026 Quilt Visions Festival Days
Oct 23, 2026 Opening Reception
Jan 16, 2027 Exhibition Closes
Jan 17-24, 2027 Artwork pick up deadline
Jan 17-24, 2027 Artwork shipping deadline

 

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND ELIGIBILITY

  • Entry is open to the general public. Museum membership is not required.
  • Artists may submit up to three (3) entries. Only one (1) entry by each artist may be selected.
  • The non-refundable fee for entering up to three (3) works is $40 for all VMOTA members and $50 for non-members. To become a member click here vmota.org/join/.
  • Artwork submitted for consideration must have been completed on or after January 1, 2024 and not having been exhibited at a venue within a 100 mile radius of San Diego.
  • Artwork must be original and produced by the individual or a collaboration of a maximum of two (2) artists. Works created in a workshop or class are not eligible for submission.
  • Artworks for sale are strongly encouraged; however, NFS (Not for Sale) works may be entered.

 

ARTWORK SPECIFICATIONS

  • An entry is considered to be a quilt if it is composed of at least two layers that are stitched or fastened together.
  • Each entry may be no larger than 72" by 72". There is no minimum size requirement.
  • Quilts must have a 3 inch sleeve securely attached to the back of the quilt. Quilts 50" or wider must have a center opening to allow for the hanging system VMOTA uses. A second sleeve at the bottom of the work is recommended.
  • Artwork must be clearly labeled with the artist's name and the title of the artwork.

 

PHOTOGRAPHY REQUIREMENTS

  • All submissions for consideration must be accompanied by photographs that meet the following requirements:
    • One (1) overall digital image and one (1) detail digital image for each piece of artwork.
    • Digital images must be saved as a high-quality JPEG file (no TIFF files).
    • Finished images should be 2500 pixels or more on the longer side.
    • There is a 4 MB maximum on any image that is uploaded. 
    • Image file name must contain the artist surname, first initial and title of work, e.g. for Andrea Bacal’s Tulips filename would be bacalatulips. Do not use special characters, e.g., apostrophes, in your image file name. There is a security setting on the webserver that does not allow these characters to be uploaded.
  • If the images submitted do not meet our requirements, VMOTA staff will contact you.


For information or questions about Quilt Visions 2026, please contact us at info@vmota.org with the subject line QUILT VISIONS 2026.


SELECTION

  • The decision of the jurors is final.
  • VMOTA reserves the right to refuse to exhibit or to remove from the exhibition any art quilt which, upon receipt, is deemed unsuitable, including
    • poor quality
    • presence of hazardous materials
    • misrepresentation in the entry form or digital images. Selected art quilts will be compared with the images sent to jurors before the final selection is completed.
  • Selected artwork must be available from September 23, 2026 through January 16, 2027.

 

NOTIFICATION

      Artists will be notified of jurors’ selection via email by April 8, 2026.

      A public announcement will be made on April 22, 2026.

SHIPPING AND INSURANCE

  • Artwork must be delivered by September 23, 2026 for the installation of the exhibition.
  • Selected artists are responsible for packing, shipping and insurance in transit both ways. A prepaid FedEx, DHL, USPS or UPS shipping label or account number is required for return shipping.
  • Selected artwork by non-US residents may be subject to additional customs duty.
  • VMOTA does not assume responsibility for customs or brokerage charges. Artists will reimburse VMOTA for any such charges incurred.
  • All artwork will be handled with extreme care and, when possible, returned in their original packing materials.
  • VMOTA insures accepted work while in its possession at 60% of the retail price or the declared insurance value of not for sale (NFS) works. Artists may be asked to justify the insurance value if required.

COPYRIGHT

The artist retains the copyright of the work at all times. Images of selected artworks will be retained by VMOTA for promotional and educational purposes. Acknowledgment of the artist will be made in all such uses.

 
DECLARATION

If an accepted artwork is withdrawn from the exhibition by the artist, that artist will be ineligible to submit to any VMOTA juried exhibition for the subsequent two juried exhibitions.

 
JUROR INFORMATION

CAROLYN DUCEY

Carolyn Ducey recently retired as the Ardis B. James Curator of Collections at the International Quilt Museum (IQM) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She now oversees special projects. Ducey curated numerous exhibitions and contributed to An Evolving Vision: The James Collection, 1997-2022, (2022) and American Quilts in the Industrial Age: 1760-1870 (2018). She earned a master’s degree from Indiana University and a doctorate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 

JUSTIN MING YONG

Justin Ming Yong (b. 1989) is a visual artist who lives and works in Toronto, Canada. Yong explores modern abstractions of quilt-making and improvised textile compositions that destabilize the fictional boundaries between traditional craft and contemporary art. He contemplates the functions of mixed fibers, found materials, irregular patterns, and structure to create pieces that disrupt conventional expectations. Influenced by legacy and lineage grounded in a family tradition of quilting, Yong reflects on his ancestral continuum through themes of forgotten landscapes, cherished traditions, and exploited histories. In his most recent exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Toronto (2025), Yong transformed their elevators into an immersive, site-specific installation that recontextualized craft and quilting within the public realm. Other notable shows include a solo exhibition at The National Quilt Museum, Paducah, USA (2023) and group shows at Daniel Faria Gallery, Toronto; The Zülfü Livaneli Cultural Center, Ankara, Turkey; Cambridge Art Galleries, Ontario, Canada; Art Gallery of Guelph, Ontario; and The Plumb, Toronto. 

DAVID VAN BUSKIRK

For over three decades David van Buskirk worked as a design director for major U.S. textile manufacturers, and in 1997 formed his own independent textile design firm in NYC. His designs have been included in the collections of Knoll and Design Tex and featured in publications such as Interior Design and Elle Décor.  

Van Buskirk's handwoven fiber artworks have been presented in numerous exhibitions including Handweavers Guild of Boulder, Colorado (Juror’s Choice Award 2019); the Rocky Mountain Biennial (Honorable Mention 2020); Colorado’s Art of the State Triennial 2022 and Complexity 2022: Innovations in Weaving” in 2023 Fantastic Fibers International Juried Exhibition, the American Tapestry Alliance’s Biennale 14, and Men Running with Scissors; in 2024 By Hand, “Craft Forms 2024 29th International Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Fine Craft. My first solo exhibition VÄFT (Woven) was on display from March 3-May 5, 2025, in the Gallery of Handarbetes Vänners, in Stockholm, Sweden.  

David completed a Bachelor of Arts degree with advanced studies at the Swedish Textile Institute and at Handarbetets Vänners Vävskola (Stockholm). 


FOR MORE INFORMATION OR QUESTIONS

For information or questions about Quilt Visions 2026, please contact us at info@vmota.org.

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