Frequently Asked Questions
- Why are you organising this event?
- What is TerraTerre?
- When and where will the exhibition take place?
- Are awards offered at the exhibition?
- Who can submit?
- What are the size and material requirements?
- How do I submit my work?
- Can I sell my artwork at the exhibition?
- Why charge a fee for submissions and take a commission on sales?
- My piece is not finished yet. Can I send you pictures of the work in progress?
- Are plinths provided?
- I'd like to know more about George Laoun Opticien and Foster Gallery.
- Who are the organisers of TerraTerre?
- Tell me more about the photo you're using
A. Why are you organising this event?
The goal of the Biennial TerraTerre Exhibition is to celebrate contemporary ceramic sculpture by Canadian artists, by giving established and emerging ceramicists a platform to gain recognition, and boost Canada’s reputation on the ceramic art scene.
TerraTerre organisers aim to support the arts community by connecting an ever-increasing number of artists, collectors, curators and galleries with each other. In this way, we hope to foster greater creativity, challenge perceptions, inspire new directions, and increase visibility in the field of ceramic arts.
In short: we are ceramic artists ourselves, and we see that there aren’t many opportunities to showcase ceramic sculpture in Canada. We have decided to remedy that by creating something for other artists in the field.
B. What is TerraTerre?
TerraTerre is a new curated biennial exhibition dedicated to showcasing contemporary ceramic sculpture in Canada and fostering greater visibility for this art form. The 2026 inaugural theme is Fragments, exploring ideas of rupture, memory, reconstruction, and transformation through sculpture.
C. When and where will the exhibition take place?
- Dates: April 22–26, 2026
- Venue: Galerie EK Voland, 4710 rue St-Ambroise, Montréal, Québec
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 |
D. Are awards offered at the exhibition?
Yes. The jury will judge the selected works and announce the following prizes at the vernissage:
- 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 (specialized 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
- 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
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 at Foster Gallery.
E. Who can submit?
- This Call for Submissions is open to all Canadian artists, 18 years and older.
- Only original ceramic sculptures will be considered.
- Works must be designed and made by the applicant, using clay as the main material (over 51%).
- Works cannot have been created with assistance from AI of any sort, as the goal of TerraTerre is to showcase human creativity, talent and skill in ceramics.
F. What are the size and material requirements?
- Free-standing works: Max 36" x 36" x 36" / 91 cm x 91 cm x 91 cm (excluding base/plinth)
- Wall-mounted works: Max 36" x 36" x 8" / 91 cm x 91 cm x 20 cm, max weight 30 lbs / 14 kg
- Materials: Clay (porcelain, stoneware, earthenware) must be the main material; other materials may be incorporated.
- Techniques: Any (coil, slab, slipcasting, 3D printed clay, etc.), fired at any temperature or atmosphere.
G. How do I submit my work?
- Submission Period: January 5, 2026 – February 16, 2026
- Submission Fee: $40 CAD per submission (up to 2 artworks per submission; max 2 submissions per artist)
- Required Materials (zipped folder):
- Artist CV (2 pages max, PDF/Word)
- Artist Statement (400 words max, PDF/Word) relating to the theme
- Images of proposed artwork(s): 3 photos per artwork (JPEG/PNG, 3000 x 3600 pixels)
- 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. 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.).
- Payment: $40 CAD via Interac transfer to terraterreexhibit@gmail.com.
H. Can I sell my artwork at the exhibition?
- Yes, all works will have an indicated price or be marked NFS (Not For Sale).
- TerraTerre will handle sales, taking a 40% commission.
- TerraTerre will organize delivery of sold works to buyers (within a 50 km radius of the venue)
- TerraTerre will pay artists whose works have sold by Interac transfer when the show closes.
I. Why charge a fee for submissions and take a commission on sales?
The submission fees and sales commissions are used to pay for venue booking, marketing and advertising materials, as well as to purchase licenses, and to provide catering at the vernissage.
Any unused funds will be used to kickstart the 2028 edition of this biennial exhibition.
The exhibition organisers are all unpaid volunteers.
The cash prizes are offered by donors who wish to remain anonymous, and to whom the organising committee is very grateful.
J. I’ve begun work on my piece, but it’s not finished yet. Can I send you pictures of the work in progress?
Yes, if you cannot send photos of the finished work before the call closes, detailed photos of a work in progress will give the curator a better understanding of your proposed work. If your proposal is accepted, please ensure the work is ready by the delivery date.
K. Are plinths provided?
TerraTerre will provide plinths, but wall-mounted works that require a special hanging system must be delivered with all hardware included.
L. I'd like to know more about the venues (George Laoun Opticien and Foster Gallery) where winners will have their works displayed?
George Laoun Opticien is a Montreal optician service that actively supports the arts. They regularly hold art shows in their retail locations. TerraTerre winners will have their works displayed for two weeks at their beautiful 1396 Sherbrooke St. West location, right next to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
www.instagram.com/georgeslaounopticien
georgeslaoun.com
Foster Gallery is a new ceramic-focused art gallery, established in 2024. Founded by Debbie Foster, it has already hosted several month-long thematic group shows and solo shows, while also representing over 30 Quebec ceramicists. It is located at 500 Provost, in Lachine (about 20 minutes from downtown Montreal). Winners will have their works exhibited at the Gallery for a month.
instagram.com/poterie_foster
poteriefoster.square.site
M. Who are the organisers of the TerraTerre exhibition?
Visit our Committee page to meet the nice people behind the TerraTerre initiative.
N. Tell me more about the photo you are using?
The photo we selected to represent our 2026 theme, FRAGMENTS, was made by Bruno Pires and is available for use on Pexels.com. We picked it because it expresses fragmentation without using anything that looks like ceramics. It focuses on a human hand whose gesture can be interpreted in many ways, and that has a manifold relationship with the fragments on the ground that mirror the blue sky.