Application Fee: No Entry Fee Free for MSA Professional and Student Members/$40 for non-members.

Overview

Mid-South Sculpture Alliance (MSA), and the Department of Art & Design at The University of Central Arkansas (UCA), Conway is inviting artists to submit work to be installed in an outdoor exhibition on the UCA campus in Art Alley. The exhibition reception will be held during MSA’s Confab, October 2-3, 2026.

The 2026 MSA Confab call for entries welcomes submissions from locally, regionally, and nationally exhibiting artists. The sculptures selected for 2026 will be exhibited in the Art Alley between the Windgate Center for the Fine & Performing Arts and the 3D Windgate Building along the pedestrian walkway. The five selected sculptures will be on display in the Art Alley from September 1, 2026, to August 31, 2027.

About Mid-South Sculpture Alliance and Confab

The Mid-South Sculpture Alliance is dedicated to advancing the creation and awareness of sculpture in its many forms. We promote a supportive environment for sculptors and seek to foster dialogue between artists, art professionals, and the wider community.

MSA Confab 2026 is a mini conference designed to initiate intimate conversations, networking, knowledge building, professional development, etc. for sculptors in a supportive informal environment.

About the Department of Art & Design at the University of Central Arkansas

The Department of Art & Design views educational achievement as both an individual and collective responsibility. We offer outstanding faculty, facilities and resources, working in partnership with students to develop and enable intellectual flexibility, visionary thinking, and creative responsiveness across disciplines. We graduate leaders prepared to engage in art and design, inspire innovative growth in their community, and participate in their chosen creative discipline.

About Art Alley

The Art Alley is an outdoor exhibition space located between the two Windgate buildings on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas, in Conway. The Alley has five raised concrete bases (48”x48”x 14”) that are lit at night and have power available on site for other lighting or power needs of exhibited sculptures

Selection Process

Up to five sculptures will be selected by The University of Central Arkansas Public Art Committee, members include: The selection committee is composed of representatives from The University of Central Arkansas Public Art Committee, members include: administrators, diverse faculty, student government association, the gallery director, and a community representative. This committee will make exhibition selections from the submitted digital entries. The committee will also select the location for installation of each sculpture. Notifications of selected works will be emailed to all entrants by June 19, 2026.

Eligibility

The public call is open to artists aged 18 and older.

Honorarium

Each artist whose work is selected and installed for the duration of the contract will receive a stipend of $2000 per sculpture to defer any travel and transportation costs for delivery and removal of the sculpture. $1000 will be given upon the successful delivery and installation of the sculpture to the selected site. $1000 will be given to the artist upon the successful removal of the sculpture from the site on the agreed upon and scheduled date. Artists are responsible for any removal and storage fees incurred after August 31, 2027. All travel; lodging and transportation arrangements are the responsibility of the artist.

Exhibition Guidelines

The MSA Confab submission process is open to artists 18 years of age or older who are legal residents of the United States. All applications must be received by the application deadline. Late or incomplete entries will not be considered. Sculptors may enter up to three existing works. Three views of each work will be accepted. All works entered must have been created within the last five years or may be subject to omission from the selection process.

Approximately five works will be chosen for installation for a two-year period and will be exhibited at the discretion of the selection committee of The University of Central Arkansas Public Art Committee. The selected works must be able to be exhibited and remain on loan from the artist from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2027. All selected works must be able to be on display for the duration of the exhibition.

All accepted work must be suitable for outdoor installation and durable enough to withstand adverse weather conditions including high winds, extreme temperatures as well as rain, snow, and ice storms.

All works must be professionally constructed of durable materials with no easily damaged elements and be suitable enough for exterior public display with no maintenance required during the exhibition period.

The UCA Art Alley site has moderate to heavy pedestrian traffic areas. Works submitted must consider the safety of this pedestrian traffic. All works must be securely attached to a durable steel mounting plate or other suitable method for the piece to be bolted to a concrete base within the 48” x 48” concrete surface.

MSA, and UCA can provide equipment and personnel for assistance in securing the works on each site. Specific installation dates will need to be arranged if a crane or lifting device is needed for installation. Please note weather or not you will need a crane in the application process for each piece.

Mid-South Sculpture Alliance and the Department of Art & Design of the University of Central Arkansas Public Art Committee reserve the right to document all work submitted for educational and publicity purposes without additional compensation.

Shipping and Delivery

The Windgate Center for the Fine & Performing Arts Art Alley exhibition will open to the public on September 1, 2026. Each artist is responsible for all shipping and delivery arrangements to and from the designated installation site within the scheduled installation dates August 1-31, 2026, and de-installation dates of September 1-2027-October 1, 2027. A scheduled appointment with delivery and pick-up windows is required for all installation and de-installation works. Artists who are unable to meet the scheduled installation and removal requirements will not be considered. The artist is responsible for all additional costs incurred outside the MSA and the Department of Art & Design at the University of Central Arkansas installation or removal dates. Artists who are unable to install or remove their work within the scheduled dates are subject to omission from the exhibition or loss of the second installment of their honorarium.

All accepted artwork will be subject to inspection upon arrival for durability and safety for the proposed installation site. Artwork that has been misrepresented in the application process, or is deemed unsafe for the public, or reviewed as structurally unreliable will be withheld from the exhibition at the discretion of MSA, and the Department of Art & Design at the University of Central Arkansas. MSA nor the Department of Art and Design at the University of Central Arkansas will not be required to provide compensation if artworks are reviewed and then omitted from the exhibition at the time of arrival.

Sales and Commission

Exhibited works may be for sale during the exhibition period, but the work must remain on site for the duration of the exhibition. Mid-South Sculpture Alliance will receive a 15% commission on any sales managed through MSA. The artist will receive the remaining 85%.

Insurance

Neither MSA nor the Department of Art & Design at the University of Central Arkansas maintain liability insurance for the public. The artist will accept all responsibility of their artwork for loss, vandalism or damages incurred from weather, natural conditions, and acts of god. The artist may choose to provide their own insurance. Please provide certificate of insurance to the Department of Art & Design at the University of Central Arkansas at the time of installation.

Commitment

Submission of a completed application to the MSA Confab 2026 Outdoor Exhibition establishes an agreement by the artist with all conditions outlined in the 2026 MSA Confab prospectus and contract. Substitutions for entries sold or committed prior to acceptance are not permitted.

Schedule

May 29, 2026 – Application Submission Deadline (Free for professional and student MSA Members; $40 non-members)

June19, 2026 – MSA notice of acceptance to artists by email

June 26, 2026 – Artist’s deadline for acceptance of MSA invitation by email

August 1 – August 31, 2026 – Installation of works contracted for 2026-2027 (by appointment only)

August 1 – August 14, 2026 – Tentative crane installation window. (by appointment only)

September 1, 2026 – August 31, 2027 – Exhibition Dates

October 2, 2026 – Art Alley Outdoor Exhibition reception.

September 1 – October 1, 2027 – Removal of works contracted for 2026-2027 (by appointment only)

Entry Procedure

Artists may submit up to three completed outdoor sculptures per application with a total of three views per piece and a corresponding image list. All applications must be completed and received by midnight on the deadline date listed in the schedule. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. All images must be 300 DPI in resolution with the largest pixel number being 1024 for either length or width. All images must be saved as JPEGs.

Application Materials:

Images of work

• Jpeg. 300DPI, 1024 largest pixel dimension
• Up to 3 completed works (no proposals will be accepted)
• Up to 3 images of each piece
• One image showing mounting diagram/schematic/ visual of how it can be attached to a concrete base using concrete anchors

Image List

List of all images submitted with corresponding image numbers. For each work submitted include Title, year completed, medium, size, weight, installation equipment required.

Artist Statement

Short 250-500 statement of work

Naming Guidelines:

Images

LAST NAME_FIRST NAME _ ENTRY NUMBER _TITLE.jpg

Image List

LAST NAME_FIRST NAME_IMAGE LIST.pdf

Artist Statement

LAST NAME_FIRST NAME_ARTIST STATEMENT.pdf

Entries that do not follow the image and naming guidelines are subject to omission from consideration for the exhibition.

Questions

Any general questions regarding The UCA Windgate Center for the Fine & Performing Arts Art Alley about installation and removal procedures should contact Dr. Bryan W. Massey, Sr., the Chair of the Department of Art & Design at the University of Central Arkansas (501) 450-5791 or email him at bryanm@uca.edu Additional questions regarding the MSA Confab Sculpture Exhibition application process should contact Chelsea Moulder at chelseajeannemoulder@gmail.com

Apply Here