Call for Entries
Call for Entries
The International Museum of Dinnerware Design’s Sixth Biennial Juried Exhibition
Picnic
Think of all the ways we come together to dine. We have wedding receptions and wedding dinners. We meet at the diner for breakfast. We have birthday parties with cake and candles. We celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends stuffing ourselves with turkey and Tofurkey and side dishes. We meet at the corner bar to have a drink after work. We welcome the New Year with hors d’oeuvres and raise a cocktail glass at midnight.
Only one dining experience may be universally remembered and loved by all. That is when intentionally we leave the home or the office, pack some sandwiches or cold chicken, plates and napkins, and head outdoors to a park, riverside, beach or cemetery for a PICNIC.
If you are overwhelmed by your workload, then grab the picnic basket and your favorite person and head for the shore. Plan an elaborate picnic with chilled wine (don’t forget the corkscrew!) and a baguette with fresh strawberries, and escape to a secluded woods for an hour or two of respite from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
While you are in this exhilarating mind frame and landscape, the artsy you may conjure up a creation in any media that references the picnic experience shared by so many. We invite you to submit that artwork to the International Museum of Dinnerware Design’s 6th Biennial Invitational and Juried Exhibition with the theme Picnic. Please carefully read the “Call for Entries.” There is an entry fee. There are rules and deadlines. Please use ants in moderation.
Exhibition dates: September 6, 2025 – January 17, 2026
Opening reception: Saturday, September 6, 2025, 1 – 4 p.m.
Location: The International Museum of Dinnerware Design, 524 Broadway, Kingston, NY 12401
Entry Deadline: May 31, 2025
Entry Fee: $35 for up to 3 entries (with a maximum of 3 images per entry*) payable by check or PayPal
The intention of this juried exhibition is to showcase the best in contemporary dinnerware as it relates to the theme Picnic through the creation of specialized dinnerware or 2D and 3D work relating to the topic, as created by artists and designers in all media from the United States. Dinnerware and 3D would should be no larger that 18″ in any dimension. Design drawings, paintings and photographs should be no larger than 18” x 24” and mounted or framed to be ready for installation. The International Museum of Dinnerware Design is the only museum in the world devoted to the subject of dinnerware, international in scope, no material limitations, including functional ware, ancient to futuristic, and fine art referencing dining.
*if the work is functional, at least one of the images should show the appropriate picnic cuisine in use on the dinnerware.
Eligibility and Rules:
No media restrictions. Open to artists and designers over 18 years of age and residing in the United States. Each entry must demonstrate the artist’s/designer’s personal interpretation of the theme Picnic whether that be in the form of a functional piece or sculpture or design concept model or drawing, painting or photograph. Work should be no larger than 18” in all directions (except in the case of design drawings, paintings and photographs which may be 18″ x 24″). Entries will be juried on creativity/innovation and artistic merit/aesthetics. If an entry is a functional piece, then it is strongly suggested that one of the images include picnic cuisine. No wall pieces will be accepted except in the case of accepted design drawings, paintings and photographs, which must arrive appropriately mounted and framed to be ready for installation. All work must have been completed in the last two years. Work submitted may not include perishable materials. Please include the dimensions of the work, as well as materials, along with a brief biography and artist’s/designer’s statement about this particular work. The work must be for sale. The International Museum of Dinnerware Design will retain a 30% commission on any work sold during exhibition.
Juror: Bryan Czibesz
About the Juror: Bryan Czibesz, is an artist and educator who is interested in the relations between materials, technology, and object histories over time. He earned his MFA from San Diego State University and BA from Humboldt State University. He has exhibited his work in solo and group exhibitions, lectured, and taught workshops throughout the United States and internationally, including Fondation Bernardaud in Limoges, France, the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, the Demarest Pottery Exhibition, the Nelson Atkins Museum, Greenwich House Pottery, Peters Valley School of Craft, and the Honolulu Museum of Art. He is a founding member of the Hudson Valley Pottery Tour and has been Artist-in-Residence at The International Ceramics Studio in Kecskemét, Hungary, C.R.E.T.A. Rome, The Clay Studio, Northern Clay Center, and Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts. He teaches at SUNY New Paltz.
Application deadline and fees:
Application forms (which include information such as artist/designer name, contact information, description of the work, materials, dimensions, and whether it’s for sale) can be submitted via mail or scanned into an email.
Submit with (a) high resolution digital image(s) (via email) and include information about each image. Also include an artist’s/designer’s statement and brief biography. Deadline for submission 12 a.m. EST, May 31, 2025. Artists/designers will be notified of acceptance of work by June 15, 2025. Accepted work must be received between July 17 and July 31.
Juried from digital image(s) (email director@dinnerwaremuseum.org) Images must be high resolution.
Entry fee: $35 for up to three entries
Artists/designers must maintain their own insurance. Artists/designers are responsible for insurance on in-bound and out-bound shipping as well as while on the exhibition site. Every reasonable precaution will be taken during the receiving, installation, exhibition, and return of work. The International Museum of Dinnerware Design will assume no responsibility for any loss or damage.
Receipt and return of art work:
Shipping Address:
The International Museum of Dinnerware Design
524 Broadway
Kingston, NY 12401
Artwork must be shipped (at the artist’s/designer’s expense) via UPS, FedEx, or USPS in a sturdy reusable container. No COD shipments will be accepted. No loose Styrofoam packing peanuts will be allowed in packaging. All accepted work shipped and hand delivered must be received between July 17 and July 31, 2025. Hand delivered work must be delivered to Kingston by prior appointment during office hours Monday – Friday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Accepted artists/designers shipping their work must include prepaid charges for return shipping.
Prizes:
Prizes TBA
Online catalogue:
An online catalogue will be created from images and label copy submitted by the artist/designer and will be available at the International Museum of Dinnerware Design’s website at www.dinnerwaremuseum.org
Rules:
- All work must remain for the duration of the exhibition September 6, 2025 – January 17, 2026.
- The museum reserves the right to photograph works for publicity and other purposes.
- Payment of the entry fee signifies the artist’s understanding and acceptance of the rules and conditions of the competition.
- All entrants must include their name, address, city, state, zip code, country, phone, email, title of work, date of work, materials and techniques, dimensions, and price.
Calendar:
May 31, 2025 – Deadline for entries
June 15, 2025 – Notification of accepted work
July 17 to July 31, 2025 – Receipt of accepted art work
September 6, 2025 to January 17, 2026 – Exhibition dates
February 1, 2026 – Return of all work will begin
Contact:
Dr. Margaret Carney, Director
The International Museum of Dinnerware Design
524 Broadway
P.O. Box 1996
Kingston, NY 12401
845-383-1333
director@dinnerwaremuseum.org
www.dinnerwaremuseum.org
Please email or phone if your questions aren’t answered here.