Coat Check
On View: Thu 21 January through Sun 21 March 2027
Opening Party: Sat 23 January 2027, 3 – 6 PM
How Many LAYERS Are You?
Coat Check is about layering, wrapping and covering: everything we put on, peel off and leave at the door.
Every surface has a history. Some work is built up: glaze laid over glaze until the color seems to glow from underneath, paper pasted over paper, paint thick enough to cast its own shadow, wax poured over newsprint until the words drift just below the skin. Some is found by taking away: sanded, scraped, cut, peeled, torn back to the poster beneath, erased until only a ghost of the first mark remains. What sits in front isn’t always what holds the picture together. Sometimes the layer you can barely see is doing all the work.
A layer can be smooth or rough, sheer or solid. It can expose or conceal. It can be stitched, wired, wrapped, bound, poured, or pieced together from old work clothes. It can be a landscape under fallen leaves, under snow, under the first green of spring, or an abstraction glimpsed through a screen. It can be laid down on purpose, like a blanket tucked around something we want to keep safe. Or it can settle without asking, like dust on a shelf, rust on a gate, ivy on a wall, or every color an old door has ever worn.
Layers live in language, too: the thing said and the thing meant, a word crossed out and still readable, a title that turns the whole image on its head, a joke with a second punchline underneath.
So show us your layers, and what you leave for us to find. What do you put on? What do you check at the door? What do you come back to claim?
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Submissions due: 11:59 PM · Thu 10 December 2026
On View: Thu 21 January through Sun 21 March 2027
Opening Party: Sat 23 January 2027, 3 – 6 PM
Entry fee: $30.00 for up to 3 works
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IMPORTANT DATES
Thu 10 December 2026
Submissions due — 11:59 PMSun 13 December 2026
Decision emails sent — all submissions will receive a decision by 11:59 PMSun 20 December 2026
Participation confirmations due — accepted artists must confirm no later than 12:00 PM.Beginning Thu 07 January 2027
Consignment Agreements sent to participating artists.Wed 13 January through Fri 15 January 2027
Artwork delivery appointments. We also accept artwork by shipment during this period.Thu 21 January 2027
Exhibition opens — show runs through Sunday 21 March 2027.Sat 23 January 2027
Opening Party from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM.Sun 21 March through Sun 04 April 2027
Unsold work pick-up appointments (closed Fri 26 through Sun 28 March).
WHAT TO KNOW WHEN SUBMITTING…
CHOOSING WORK TO SUBMIT
We recommend submitting three works when possible. Submitting multiple pieces gives us greater flexibility in building a cohesive, dynamic show across a wide range of artists, materials, and styles.
There is no limitation on the age of the work — a piece from 1986 is as welcome as one from 2026. What matters is its connection to the theme.
We are a small-ish space, and we prioritize showing as many different styles, mediums, genres and artists as possible. So we prioritize work 45" or smaller on any side, including the frame, and consider larger work case by case. Maximum weight: 50 lbs. Any price.
YOUR STATEMENT ON THE THEME
Coat Check is about layering, wrapping and covering. How do layers live in your work? Tell us in about 350 words, in the first person, and then in a line or two for each piece.
BEFORE YOU START
Click on a link to open its PDF: that way you can read it, save it or print it.
Coat Check — Printable Question List: every question the form asks, so you can gather your answers, measurements and prices first.
How to Fill Out the Form: the form, section by section.
How to Save and Finish Later: you do not have to finish in one sitting.
Measurements, Images, Materials and a Statement: putting together your submission packet.
Show-Ready: Finishing Your Piece: what a finished, ready-to-hang piece looks like.
First Time with Us?: quick answers for artists new to Powell Lane Arts.
OUR POLICIES
Policies for Work Shown at Powell Lane Arts: editions, protective covering and sale.
Protecting Your Data: how we handle privacy, messaging and your images.
IF YOUR WORK IS SELECTED
Important Dates: every date, from your selection email to your last pick-up day.
How You Get Paid: your share, when it arrives, and the one setup step.
Consigning Editions: signing and numbering, and what your edition number is worth.
FORM NOT WORKING?
If the online form is down, use the Coat Check Backup Submission Form. Fill it in, then email it with your image files to both Art4Everyone@PowellLaneArts.com and PowellLaneSubmissions@gmail.com. Otherwise, please submit through the online form.