Open Call: Submit Artwork for The People's Gallery

Theme - The People’s Gallery

This can be interpreted however you want for artwork submissions, the theme is to focus on our local creative community and celebrate all the art that has been produced, wherever they are in their creative journey. Our primary aim is to collate over 60 artworks as well as offering creative activities and workshops that will be showcased at Rosehill this Summer.

The exhibition will be held at Rosehill Theatre, Whitehaven CA28 6SE. It is a local arts charity just outside Whitehaven . It has various spaces across two floor that will be set up for the people’s gallery with a maker space Art Lab on the top floor.

This will be open to the public Wednesdays , Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays where there will be refreshments available, toilet facilities and the whole space is fully accessible access across the exhibition space.

We welcome all artists who live in Cumbria to submit artwork and are open to submissions of art in various mediums.

We aim to make the exhibition as accessible as possible from the submission form to the exhibition. Please contact us about any questions or queries, or ways that would support you in participating. ​

We aim to showcase as many artists as possible without overcrowding the space. All decisions are final, unfortunately. If artwork arrives damaged, incorrectly framed or art work has significant discrepancies from the submission details, we hold the right to deny entry. This is because we curate our space assuming measurements are correct and the art reflects photos in the submission.

Accepted artwork:

• Visual Art
  We are able to accept paintings, drawings, canvas, mixed media, hung textiles, original poetry, photography prints and more. Original artworks are preferred however digital artwork will be considered. If you want to sell prints, or digital art prints, zines etc, this will be possible, if selected to exhibit.
  
  There are no maximum size for submissions however please include specific size in CM of artwork including frame size.

• Sculpture
  We have some, but limited space for 3d sculpture work, your sculpture work should not exceed 50cm in any direction.

• Video and audio
  We have screens with headphones for digital display, audio or video equipment.

• Performance
  Having a stage and various spaces allows us to facilitate performance art, please give details to what your performance will include, themes and timings.

• Something else
  If you have any other art pieces not covered here or creative ideas as to how you want to use your space, please get in contact with us.

Not accepted:
Unfortunately this exhibition can not accept installations that alter the structural space at Rosehill. We will not accept any work that would infringe copyright or trademarks or artwork that is not your own.

Your art does not have to be for sale to be part of this exhibition. If you wish to sell your art we can facilitate in person sales - artists will be notified upon purchase of artwork. Rosehill will arrange payments of art purchases with a 25% commission fee. The buyer can collect the purchased artwork when the exhibition is deinstalled in September. The 25% commission is diverted back to Rosehill to continue supporting artists, our community work and continuing to offer opportunities for West Cumbria.

Artwork that is framed or on a canvas to ensure safe and secure hanging must be hung using D-rings. If your artwork is heavy or bigger than A3, you must use straphangers on the back of your frame, to ensure you artwork is secure.

We know that some artwork will not be framed or on a canvas, please contact us if you have any questions. When you are selected, we aim to let you know how best to present your artwork to ensure safe hanging. Artwork that is not presented correctly or is not secure may be denied entry or a fee will be charged for us to ensure your artwork is safe.

If you do not feel confident or find difficulty correctly framing your artwork, we can arrange this for you. Please note that this may involve screwing nails into the back of your frame/canvas, which will leave a hole if removed. All materials are provided in the price.
Artwork on A4 card and paper – FREE
Artwork up to A3 - £5
Bigger artwork - £10

When you submit your artwork you are agreeing to your artwork being shared on our social media platforms and other marketing materials. Your image will only be used in relation to this exhibition and not other events.​

Take care to correctly value your work and provide a ‘like for like’ replacement value when submitting your work for consideration. This value will be communicated to our insurers in order to insure the work from the date of delivery to the date of collection. Please note, we cannot insure artwork that is delivered early or collected late.

Artists will be able to drop their artwork off in-person on the 13th – 14th July 2026.

Artists will be able to collect their artwork on 29th - 30th September 2026.

If you are interested in running a workshop related to your creative practice during the exhibition, please get in contact. We would be pleased to discuss models where you take the lead as a paid facilitator, or alternative approaches where we support you with facilitation.

Any participating artists can sell any prints, cards, zines or merchandise. Please let us know if you plan to sell any of these. When we contact you regarding your acceptance into the exhibition, we will ask for further details, to ensure we have the space and resources. Depending on demand, we may not have space for all interested artists to be able to sell prints. Please note, a 25% commission on these items will apply, however there is no cost for displaying them at the exhibition.