Exhibition guidelines:

  • Artists must be 18 or over.

  • Work must not exceed 36 inches in any direction.

  • Value must not exceed $10,000.

  • All artwork must be ready to hang. No grid work will be considered.

  • The gallery has the authority to turn away any work that is not ready to hang, differs from the original accepted work, or is not suitable for gallery installation.

  • Accepted works must be delivered to and picked up from the gallery. Work cannot be shipped to BAU Gallery. BAU Gallery will not ship work back. No exceptions.

  • BAU Gallery will retain a commission of 40% on all sales. The artist will receive 60% of the sale price.

  • Fee: $40 for 3 works.

Prizes:

  • First prize—One artist will be awarded a one-month solo show in BAU Gallery 1 during the 2026 show calendar.*

  • Honorable mention—Two artists will be awarded a joint two-person, one-month show in Gallery 2 at BAU during the 2026 show calendar.*

Key dates:

  • Exhibition—August 9 to September 7, 2025.

  • Opening reception—Saturday, August 9. 6–8 p.m.

  • Entry deadline—Midnight. July 1, 2025.

  • Notification of acceptance—July 7 to July 13, 2025.

  • Deliver work—Sunday, August 3, 6–8 p.m.; Monday, August 4, 12–6 p.m.; Tuesday, August 5, 6–8 p.m.

  • Pick up work—Sunday, September 7, 6–8 p.m.; Monday, September 8, 3–8 p.m.


Jess Wilcox is an independent curator based in New York City and the Hudson Valley, focusing on sculpture, ecocritical, and public art. She also collaborates with the River Valley Arts Collective.

From 2016 to 2022, she was Curator and Director of Exhibitions at Socrates Sculpture Park. There she curated several group and solo exhibitions. Prior to that, she worked at the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum, where she organized public programs and projects. There she also co-curated Agitprop!, a group exhibition with over sixty artists that evolved over time and invited artists as co-curators.

She has also held positions at the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Performa, Abrons Art Center, and SculptureCenter. She has a BA from Barnard College and a Master’s degree from Bard’s Center for Curatorial Studies.

BAU Gallery invites artists to apply to our Annual Juried Show with work that relates to visual interpretations of grit.

The word “grit” embodies two powerful concepts: the unwavering perseverance required to manifest an artistic vision and the raw, tangible texture of a substance itself.

In the imagination, an idea lives in perfection, but making your concept a reality requires true grit. The journey from conception to creation demands resilience, determination, and grit.

Applications are now open for Grit, our annual open-call exhibition, juried by Jess Wilcox

Meet the juror: Jess Wilcox