2026 TerraTerre Call for Submissions in Ceramic Sculpture

En français

April 21–27, 2026 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

1. About TerraTerre

TerraTerre is a new curated biennial exhibition dedicated to showcasing contemporary ceramic sculpture in Canada and fostering greater visibility for this art form.

Guest Curator: artist Saba Heravi will select among completed submissions after the call is closed. In her selection, she will focus on artistic merit, technical skill, and demonstrated connection to the theme of FRAGMENTS.

Our Esteemed Jury: artist Jennifer Laoun-Rubenstein and gallerist Debbie Foster will announce the first, second and third prizes at the vernissage.

Our Inaugural Theme: FRAGMENTS

Fragments are the remnants of what was once whole, pieces that have broken away, memories that return only in flashes, stories left unfinished. They can be physical shards or conceptual gestures, subtle interruptions or loud ruptures. A fragment may reveal, conceal, or distort. It may gesture toward a larger narrative, or exist entirely on its own, complete in its incompleteness.

This exhibition takes the fragment as both concept and condition. We live in a world shaped by movement, migration, and sudden breaks. Fragments are all around us: in language and landscapes, in the body, in personal and collective histories. They emerge through natural decay, forgetting, and erosion, but also through deliberate acts of cutting, breaking, withholding, and reframing. A fragment might mark what has been lost, or open the door to something new.

To work with fragments is to dwell in the unfinished. It asks us to consider what meaning can arise not from resolution, but from fracture and ambiguity. Sometimes, what is missing speaks louder than what remains.

We invite artists to explore fragments both as subject and as method. This could mean working in pieces rather than wholes, reconstructing, or radically resisting the whole altogether.

Fragments may take shape as material remnants, poetic gestures, archival traces, or fractured narratives. They might invite speculation, suggest hidden histories, or reimagine what once was.

The theme is intentionally open. Fragments may speak to intimacy or distance, to environmental collapse or urban ruin, to migration, identity, trauma, or memory. They may be delicate or forceful, abstract or literal, silent or loud.

Fragments is an invitation to linger with what remains, to find resonance in what is broken, partial, or unresolved. Through this exhibition, we hope to create a space where fragments are not merely evidence of loss, but also seeds for connection, imagination, and transformation

2. 2026 Exhibition Details

• Dates: April 22–26, 2026
• Venue: Galerie EK Voland, 4710 rue St-Ambroise, Montreal, Quebec
• Delivery of artworks: Between Sunday, April 19, and Tuesday, April 21 (see table in section 4 for details)
• Vernissage (Opening): Wednesday, April 22, 6–9 PM
• Retrieval of artworks: Between April 26-27, 2026 (see table in section 4 for details)

3. Awards

• First Prize: $1,000 CAD + a two-week display of the winning work at George Laoun Opticien (next to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts), followed by a one-month display of said work at Foster Gallery (specialised in ceramic art) in Lachine
• Second Prize: $500 CAD + a two-week display of the winning work at George Laoun Opticien, followed by a one-month display of said work at Foster Gallery in Lachine
• Third Prize: A gift certificate (value to be announced) + a two-week display of the winning work at George Laoun Opticien, followed by a one-month display of said work at Foster Gallery in Lachine

Note: Winners of the first, second and third prize will need to sign consignment agreements both with George Laoun Opticien and Foster Gallery. Winners will be responsible for retrieving any unsold works after the exhibition from Foster Gallery.

4. Important Dates

Event	Date
Call for Submissions goes out	Monday, October 6, 2025
Submissions Open	Monday, January 5, 2026, 7:00 AM (MTL time)
Submissions Close	Monday, February 16, 2026, 11:59 PM (MTL time)
Notification of Results	Tuesday, March 31, 2026
Delivery of Artworks Sunday	Sunday, April 19, 2026, 5 PM–8 PM Monday, April 20, 2026, 5 PM–8 PM Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 9 AM–12 PM
Vernissage	Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 6 PM–9 PM
Exhibition	April 21–27, 2026
Retrieval of Artworks	Sunday, April 26, 2026, 4 PM–6 PM Monday, April 27, 2026, 10 AM–2 PM

5. Eligibility and criteria

• Open to all Canadian artists, 18 years and older.
• Only original ceramic sculptures will be considered; no AI-generated works.
• All submitted artworks must be designed and made by the applicant.
• Main material must be clay (over 51% of the artwork), whether porcelain, stoneware, or earthenware, using any technique (ex: coil, slab, slipcasting, 3D printed clay, etc.), and fired at any temperature or atmosphere (ex: electric, gas, woodfire, raku, etc.).
• Works may incorporate non-ceramic materials.
• Works may be free-standing or wall-mounted.
• Maximum size: 36" x 36" x 36" / 91 cm x 91 cm x 91 cm (excluding base/plinth) for free-standing works; 36" x 36" x 8" / 91 cm x 91 cm x 20 cm for wall-mounted works. Wall-mounted works must weigh no more than 30 lbs / 14 kg.
• TerraTerre reserves the right to refuse any selected work delivered at installation that does not match what was detailed in the artist’s application.
• If, for any reason, a selected artist must withdraw from the exhibition, TerraTerre will contact the next artist on the curator’s shortlist.

6. Submission Guidelines

A. Submission Period

• Opens: Monday, January 5, 2026, 7:00 AM (Montreal time)
• Closes: Monday, February 16, 2026, 11:59 PM (Montreal time)

B. Submission Fee

• $40 CAD per submission (non-refundable).
• Each submission may include up to two proposed (2) artworks.
• Artists may submit up to two (2) separate applications.
• Unpaid submissions will not be reviewed by the curator.

C. Required Materials

Specifications:

• ALL submitted files must be named clearly, starting with by LASTNAME-FIRSTNAME (example: Smith-Alex-CV.pdf, Smith-Alex-Artwork-001.png, Smith-Alex-submission.zip, etc.).
• Image Specifications: JPEG or PNG, 3000 x 3600 pixels (10x12 inches at 300 dpi).
• Incomplete submissions, unpaid submissions, or submissions that fail to meet this call’s specifications will not be reviewed by the curator.

Please submit the following files in a single zipped folder:

• Required Materials (zipped folder):
  1. Artist CV (2 pages max, PDF/Word)
  2. Artist Statement (400 words max, PDF/Word) relating to the theme
  3. Images of proposed artwork(s): 3 photos per artwork (JPEG/PNG, 3000 x 3600 pixels)
  4. Portfolio: 5–10 images of recent sculptural works with a list of titles, dimensions, dates, and materials
• Submission Method: Send your zipped folder link via a cloud service (WeTransfer, Google Drive, etc.) to terraterreexhibit@gmail.com.
• Payment: $40 CAD via Interac transfer to terraterreexhibit@gmail.com.

D. Sales & Pricing

• All delivered works must indicate a price or be marked NFS (Not For Sale).
• TerraTerre will handle sales, taking a 40% commission.
• TerraTerre will be responsible for organising the delivery of any sold works to buyers after the show, within a 50 km radius of the venue.
• TerraTerre will be responsible for packing and transferring the winning works to Foster Gallery.
• TerraTerre will pay artists whose works have sold by Interac transfer when the show closes.

7. Artist’s Responsibilities

• Delivery & Retrieval: Selected artists are responsible for all costs and arrangements related to the delivery and retrieval of their artworks to/from the venue.
• Installation: Artworks must be delivered ready for display. If special equipment is required to hang a wall piece, such as a cleat system, it must be provided by the artist. Our 2026 venue does not provide a gallery hanging system, but plinths will be provided.
• Insurance: Insurance of artworks during transit and exhibition is the responsibility of the artist.
• Packing/Shipping: TerraTerre is not able to handle packing and returning artworks to artists.
• TerraTerre is not responsible for any works that have not been retrieved by our deadline, and have been abandoned.

8. Terms & Conditions

• By applying, artists agree to all terms outlined in this call.
• TerraTerre reserves the right to photograph artworks and reproduce submitted images for promotional purposes. Artists will retain their copyright.
• TerraTerre is not responsible for damage or loss during transit or during the exhibition.
• Winning artists must sign consignment agreements with George Laoun Opticien and with Foster Gallery if they wish to show in those two venues afterwards.

9. Contact Information

We invite you to visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.

For media inquiries, or for any question not covered by our FAQ, kindly write to terraterreexhibit@gmail.com.