2026 Cuesta College Student Annual Art Exhibition

Description

Artist and Artwork Registration 

Welcome, Cuesta College Students! The Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery is excited to host the 2026 Cuesta Student Annual Art Exhibition. We are looking forward to seeing all of your artwork.

2026 Cuesta College Student Annual Art Exhibition
April 16 – May 22, 2026 | Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery | Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo Campus
The Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery and Cuesta College are thrilled to announce the 2026 Cuesta College Student Annual Art Exhibition. This juried exhibition celebrates the creativity, skill, and dedication of currently enrolled Cuesta College students by showcasing outstanding works in ceramics, drawing, graphic design, digital art, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture. The Student Annual provides students a valuable opportunity to present their artistic vision in a professional gallery environment, while offering the wider community a chance to experience the exceptional talent emerging from Cuesta's art programs.
The 2026 Student Annual is juried by artists Christina McPhee and Katie Herzog.

Important Dates
Artwork Registration: March 2 – April 3, 2026
Artwork Drop-Off: April 1 – 3, 2026, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Artist Notification: By Tuesday morning, April 8, 2026
Exhibition Opens: Thursday, April 16, 2026
Opening Reception: April 16, 4:30 – 7:00 p.m., Awards Presentation at 5:15 p.m.
Exhibition Closes: May 22, 2026

How to Submit
Currently enrolled students are invited to submit their strongest recent work for consideration. Register your artwork through this portal between March 2 and April 3, 2026. Students may submit up to three artworks created during the 2025–2026 academic year. Full submission guidelines and deadlines are available on this portal.
Once registered, bring your physical artwork to the Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery (Room 7170, San Luis Obispo Campus) during the drop-off window of April 1 – 3, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. All submitted works will be juried by Christina McPhee and Katie Herzog. Artists will be notified of jury decisions by Tuesday morning, April 8, 2026.
Awards are made possible in part by the Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust and the Helen Novy Awards for Excellence in the Classroom. The opening reception and awards presentation are free and open to the public.

About the Jurors
Christina McPhee is a painter, video artist, and media artist whose transdisciplinary practice is rooted in drawing as a form of embodied knowledge. Working across painting, animation, and multichannel video, her work traces the tensions between spirituality and place, handwriting and mark-making, indeterminacy and the finite. Collage and literary transcription give rise to what she calls "seismic memory" — a visual feedback loop between geological processes and human experience. McPhee received her BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute and her MFA in painting from Boston University School of Visual Arts, where she studied under Philip Guston. Her work is held in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, the International Center of Photography, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, among others. Solo museum exhibitions include the KinoSaito Art Center, the American University Museum / Katzen Art Center in Washington, D.C., and Bildmuseet in Umeå, Sweden. She has participated in major international exhibitions including Documenta 12, the Bucharest Biennial, and shows at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, and the Berkeley Art Museum. Her work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Ucross Foundation Fellowship, and has been written about in publications including BOMB, Artspace Magazine, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Los Angeles Times. Christina McPhee lives and works on unceded Northern Chumash lands on the Central Coast of California.https://www.christina-mcphee.c...
Katie Herzog is an interdisciplinary artist living and working on Reverie Ranch in Parkfield, California. Her practice spans painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, and new media, often organized around conceptual projects that examine the intersection of embodiment, language, and power. Herzog received her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2001 and her MFA from UC San Diego in 2005, and attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 2007. Her work is held in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center at the University of Connecticut, and the Tom of Finland Foundation, among others. She has exhibited widely, with solo and group exhibitions at venues including Klowden Mann and Night Gallery in Los Angeles, the Monterey Museum of Art, and the Palo Alto Research Center. Her work has been covered in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Artforum, and Hyperallergic, and she received an Individual Artist Grant from the Arts Council for Monterey County.https://www.katieherzog.net/
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - Cuesta College Student Annual Art Exhibition 2026

Who is eligible to register artwork?

Any student enrolled at Cuesta College during the 2025 – 2026 school year is eligible to register and submit artwork.

What types of artworks are accepted?

The exhibition will feature artwork from seven (7) different categories: Ceramics, Drawing, Graphic Design / Digital Art, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, and Sculpture.

How many pieces can I register?

Each student can register and submit up to three pieces for consideration.

Is there a registration fee?

No, there is no registration fee for the Cuesta College Student Annual Art Exhibition.

What are the registration deadlines?

The registration deadline is April 3, 2026, at 4:50 pm. Late registrations will not be considered.

What are the submission deadlines?

Registered artwork should be dropped off and submitted at The Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery April 1 - April 3, 2026, from 9 am - 4 pm. Artwork that is not dropped off and submitted will not be considered.

How do I register my artwork?

Register your artwork through Artcall.org. Ensure that you follow the guidelines outlined for registration and submission.

How do I submit my work?

Registered artwork should be dropped off and submitted at The Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery April 1 - April 43 2026, from 9 am - 4 pm. Artwork that is not dropped off and submitted will not be considered.

Is there a specific theme for the exhibition?

There is no specific theme for the exhibition. We encourage students to register artwork representing their unique perspectives and creative voices.

Are group projects allowed?

No. Only artworks created by individual artists will be considered for this exhibition.

How will the artwork be judged?

Artwork will be judged based on creativity, originality, technical skill, and artistic expression. Juried exhibitions and awards are subjective and should not be considered a judgment of the quality or importance of any artwork submitted.

Will artists be notified if their work is selected for the exhibition?

Yes, all participating artists will be notified via email regarding the selection status of their registered artwork by April 7 at 9:05 am.

When and where will the exhibition take place?

The exhibition will open with a Celebration and Award Ceremony on April 16, 2026, at 4:30 pm – 7 pm. Awards will be presented at 5:15 pm at The Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery. The exhibition will be on display April 16, 2026 - May 22, 2026. More details are available Here.

Is there an opening reception and award ceremony?

Yes, there will be an opening reception and award ceremony where artists can meet and interact with attendees.

Are there any awards or prizes for selected artworks?

Yes, there will be awards and prizes for outstanding artwork within each category. There will also be an award and prize for the artwork selected as “Best in Show.” Awards and prizes will be announced at the exhibition opening reception.

Can I sell my artwork during the exhibition?

Yes, artists have the option to sell their artwork during the exhibition. The Gallery offers a 90/10 commission split for all sold artwork. Where 90% of the sale price goes directly to the artist and 10% of the sale goes directly to supporting Cuesta College students through our Arts Scholarship awards. Information about how to price artwork Here.

When can I pick up my artwork? If your artwork was selected for the Student Annual, you can pick it up following the completion of the exhibition on May 22, 28, and 29, 2026, from 9am to 4pm. If your artwork was not selected for the Student Annual, please pick up your artwork from the Miossi Gallery on April 7, 8, and 9, 2026, 9am - 4pm. How can I contact the organizers if I have more questions?

For additional inquiries, please get in touch with Timothy_Stark@Cuesta.edu or visit our website
for updates.

We look forward to receiving your registrations and celebrating the creativity of Cuesta College students at the 2026 Annual Art Exhibition!Tips for Artist and Artwork Registration from Artcall.org: