Call for Submissions: MCC’s 2026 Group Show I’ve got something to tell you… curated by Tricia Wasney
INFORMATION AND DATES
– Submission deadline: July 27th, 2025, 11:59pm
– Results will be sent out by August 8th, 2025
– Successful artists must be able to provide catalogue info by October 29th, 2025 (image of work, artist bio, and wall label information)
– All works must be complete and at the C2 Centre for Craft with installation instructions by December 13th, 2025
– Show opens on January 9th, 2026
– All submissions must be submitted through google forms. Please contact us (see below) if submitting via Google forms is an access issue for you.
ABOUT THE SHOW
The jewellery we wear tells stories! It communicates who we are, reflecting our desires, our histories, who we love, and what or where we call home. Although many see jewellery as decoration – and it can, quite joyously, be that, too – it is an art form that can transcend adornment. Like other contemporary artists, jewellery artists explore ideas, issues and narratives through their work. They investigate politics, the environment, history, death, the body, gender, and our personal and collective place in the world.
Jewellery artist Jack Cunningham once described jewellery as “objects that have the potential to speak of large issues, make bold statements and question accepted values. Like a piece of poetry, this is the art of condensing, of distilling thoughts and ideas into a reduced visual representation.” Curator Ralph Turner agrees: “Traditionally, jewelers have frequently attempted to pacify society, pandering to our needs with pretty, decorative designs. Jewelers no longer have to do this. They can produce stronger, more relevant work which might address the dilemmas in society and by doing so, oppose them.”
Tell us your stories and give us your visual poetry that contains big ideas or small ones, funny or sad, profane or profound, expressed through jewellery. Works using traditional methods and materials will be considered alongside those that explore new approaches and media. For the purposes of this exhibition, we are defining jewellery as art or craft work that is worn on, connects to, and interacts with the body.
RESOURCES
Tricia Wasney article in MAWA newsletter (starts page 14):
https://mawa.ca/files/MAWA_Newletter_Winter_22_WEB.pdf
https://www.inflowexpo.com/home/personal-narrative-spaces/
https://www.themagazineantiques.com/article/narrative-jewelry-stories-you-can-wear/
ELIGIBILITY
– Must be a Manitoba Craft Council member with a professional membership (Not yet a member? Join at c2centreforcraft.ca/about-mcc/mcc-membership/) Applications of non-members at the time of selection will not be accepted.
– Must be a resident of Manitoba (or northwestern Ontario) to apply
– Artworks/objects must be jewellery. Jewellery is worn on, connects to and interacts with the body.
– Works will be selected based on artistic merit, skill, design, and innovation.
– Original jewellery work in any craft-based media is welcome. Craft based media include: ceramic, fibre, metal, paper, recycled material, stone, glass and wood.
– Eligible works must have been completed in the past three years and may not have been exhibited in previous Manitoba Craft Council exhibitions.
– Artwork must be completed prior to the submission deadline. Images of work in progress will not be considered.
– Emerging, mid-career and senior artists are encouraged to apply.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Writing:
– Tell us about your background, training, and education as a maker (max 150 words)
– What has influenced your work? What experiences, mentors, artists, research etc have informed, inspired or progressed your creative work? (Max 150 words)
– What techniques and materials do you typically use? What compels you to use these materials and techniques? (max 150 words)
– How does your creative practice or submission engage or connect with the idea of storytelling through jewellery? (max 250 words)
Attachments:
– A maximum of 6 images can be submitted. Please see image guidelines below
– Image List (Image file name, Artwork title, medium, date, approximate dimensions, and any other relevant information)
Image and Attachment Guidelines:
– Additional images and writing beyond word count and image limits will not be reviewed
– A maximum of 3 artworks can be submitted for review per person, with up to 2 images of each artwork. This is a total of 6 images.
– Please rename image files in this format: Number/firstinitial/lastname (example: 01JDoe, 02JDoe)
– Ensure your slide list includes image file names
SUBMIT THROUGH THE GOOGLE FORM HERE
ENSURING WE RECEIVE YOUR SUBMISSION
– Google forms will send you a copy of your submission to the entered email once you have submitted.
– Please note: It can take a couple of minutes for a submission to go through via Google forms if your uploads are quite large. Wait for the page to change to a message “Your response has been recorded.” If you do not receive an email confirmation from Google docs, please email [email protected] to confirm your submission.
MEET THE CURATOR: TRICIA WASNEY
Tricia Wasney created the public art policy for the City of Winnipeg through the Winnipeg Arts Council in 2002. She managed the public art program, working with artists on a wide range of projects, from major international commissions to intimate community collaborations, until she left in 2018 to pursue her jewellery-based art practice full time. Her work celebrates the every-day, exploring landscape, notions of home and forgotten histories using mostly reclaimed materials. She has participated in several artist residencies and received numerous grants from the Winnipeg Arts Council, the Manitoba Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts. A solo exhibition of her work opens at the Comox Valley Art Gallery in June 2026. Her work can be viewed at triciawasney.ca.
ABOUT MCC EXHIBITIONS
MCC exhibitions investigate, expand or challenge the boundaries of contemporary and traditional craft. They position craft artists as leaders in exploring how craft media, techniques, culture and history intersect.
The MCC is committed to upholding professional standards including the payment of artist and curatorial fees in accordance with CARFAC guidelines. Professionally designed written materials will be prepared to accompany all exhibitions. All exhibitions will be promoted through MCC media and social media networks. Ancillary programming will be developed to encourage audience engagement in all MCC exhibitions.
Get a sense of MCC by visiting our website, c2centreforcraft.ca and social media platforms. To see a floor plan of the Shirley Richardson Craft Gallery visit: https://c2centreforcraft.ca/shirley-richardson-gallery-floor-plan
ASSISTANCE
For assistance in preparing an application, please contact the Manitoba Craft Council at [email protected] a minimum of 2 weeks prior to the deadline. If applying through google docs is a barrier, please follow the same instructions.
References:
Turner, Ralph. Jewelry in Europe and America: New Times, New Thinking. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1996: 88.
Cunningham, Jack. (https://www.jackcunningham.co.uk/ph-d/chapter-1/).
