Gallery Membership & Jury - Fall 2026

Desert Art Center invites artists living in the Coachella Valley to apply for gallery membership through a two-stage jury process: digital submissions followed by an in-person finalists show. Applications are invited in any medium. Successful gallery members may exhibit and sell work in regular shows at the permanent Palm Springs gallery and must contribute to the cooperative's operation. The finalists show runs November 16–21, 2026.

Eligibility: Open to artists living in the Coachella Valley. Artists must live near enough to Desert Art Center to contribute to its cooperative operation. Gallery membership requires DAC membership; nonmembers may join through www.desertartcenter.org. Jurors consider artistic excellence, whether the work adds something new to the gallery and will sell, and the applicant's willingness, skills and experience for involvement in the organization.

Stage 1: Apply through OnlineJuriedShows October 5–November 1, 2026. Create an account or log in and select Enter This Show. The non-refundable jury application fee is $25. Submit in only one category, with 6–10 digital images. Each photo title must contain the work's title, medium, and height x width, plus depth for 3D work. Images must be JPG, under 4 MB, in sRGB colorspace. At least 1920 pixels on the longest side at 72 dpi is recommended for best results. Existing gallery members may apply for a new section, subject to gallery display rules.

Stage 2: Shortlisted artists must bring two representative, display-ready works for the finalists show and follow gallery display rules. Artwork intake is November 16; the finalists show is November 16–21; finalists collect artwork November 23. First regular-show intake for new members is November 30, 2026. Successful applicants receive jury decisions by email and must pay the Gallery Members' fee to become gallery members; its amount is not stated.

Membership commitments: Pay annual gallery dues, submit artwork for at least two shows each year or risk invalidation of gallery membership, and host the gallery six hours per month. Members are invited to undertake other volunteer activities. A hosting exemption for health reasons requires specific agreement. Artists must be separately juried into each subcategory before displaying that work. Showing two subcategories in the same show requires an additional gallery membership and hosting participation; alternatively, artists may alternate accepted subcategories between shows. Multiple accepted media may be exhibited together if space permits. All exhibiting artists must sign a binding Gallery Agreement, effective until membership ends or lapses, subject to future revision.

Regular-exhibition display rules: The three major categories are 2-Dimensional, 3-Dimensional and Fine Craft. Wall work has a 30 lb limit. Paintings and drawings, including oil, watercolor, acrylic, pastel, drawing and printmaking, may comprise three pieces up to 24 inches, two up to 36 inches, or one up to 72 inches, measured on the longest side including frame. Photography follows the same quantity and size limits and must be framed or presented on metal, acrylic, or 1.5-inch canvas finished on all sides; Gatorboard is acceptable only in bins. Wall pieces must be dry and ready to hang with wire; D-rings are preferred, and hooks, clasps or metal teeth brackets are unacceptable. Unframed work must be on gallery canvas at least 1.5 inches deep with finished edges. Glass-framed work is limited to 16 x 20 inches or 320 square inches of glass; Plexiglas is essential above that size. Pastel and photography that react badly with acrylic may receive a glass exception by arrangement with the gallery coordinator, still subject to the 30 lb limit. Frames and backs must be clean, undamaged and presentable for sale.

3D work must be unique and original, except that small items such as coasters or mugs may be sets. Assemblage using found objects: maximum six items, with quantity dependent on longest dimension. Sculpture in clay, wood, metal, stone, glass, paper, bronze and other materials: maximum eight pieces, of which three may be wall items. Sculptural work by artists juried in assemblage, ceramics/clay, or fused/stained glass counts within that accepted subcategory's allowance. Ceramics/clay: up to eight individual pieces; one mug tree holding up to six mugs counts as one item. Spare mugs and coasters may be kept behind the counter. Coaster groups sold for one price count as one item and use the same control number with Multi appended. Fused/stained glass: up to eight individual pieces; small-item and coaster groups sold at one price count as one item with a shared control number and Multi appended. Restocking items may be kept behind the counter. Large hanging glass may be restricted by the gallery coordinator for weight reasons.

Fine Craft: 3D mosaics are limited to three freestanding or hanging pieces, each no more than 30 lb. Jewelers receive a glass case for a reasonable, uncrowded display monitored by the Jewelry Coordinator. Fiber/textile work is limited to eight pieces depending on size. Carving, including wood, gourds, and other carved or woven materials, is limited to eight pieces. Artists with innovative work outside the categories or rules are invited to discuss display possibilities with Gallery Coordinators.

Bins: Available only to artists juried for 2D work and limited to the accepted subcategory. Eligible items include unframed prints, giclees, photographic prints/photos, sketches and small original paintings. Flat pieces must be no larger than 24 inches high and 20 inches wide and displayed horizontally without obscuring name labels. Works must be matted or mounted on foam core or white board and neatly wrapped in clear wrap; kitchen stretch film and packing cardboard are unacceptable. Artists must keep bins and work neat. Maximum eight flat pieces or three pieces on stretcher bars no thicker than 0.5 inch. Small paintings may be mounted on clean foam core. Each artist juried for 2D work may display up to 15 art cards in the designated rack and must keep them tidy and restocked. Recommended card prices are at least $4 each or $5 per package.

General exhibition obligations: Gallery Coordinators have final approval of regular-show work. The artist or appointed representative must deliver work on the scheduled intake day, not in advance; late delivery requires prior agreement. All work must be original, created within the last five years, clean and undamaged. Copies of other artists' work are unacceptable; printed reproductions of work originally made in another medium are allowed only in bins. 2D work may ordinarily be shown only once per October–May season. Each individual artwork has a $5,000 price limit per artist per show; prices and titles cannot change during a show. Work left at DAC more than 30 days after a show's end is subject to forfeiture and sale or disposal.

Sales and removal: On sale, the artist may supply a similarly sized replacement and record it in the Inventory Report. Only Gallery Coordinators or their designees may move or hang artwork. Artists must not remove work during an exhibition except with Gallery Coordinator approval under the stated DAC display/label conditions; the source specifies a 35% commission to DAC on sales. Artists are responsible for their own artwork insurance; DAC is not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged property.