Call for Art: 35th Annual Ribbon Show Adds New Portrait Category
The Armstrong Spallumcheen Art Gallery is pleased to invite artists from the Shuswap and Okanagan regions to take part in the 35th Annual Ribbon Show, running July 2 to August 1, 2026.
The Ribbon Show has long been one of the Gallery’s most anticipated summer exhibitions. It is open to artists at many stages of experience, and it offers something not every community exhibition can: the opportunity to submit work into a judged show, receive consideration from a jury panel, and share your artwork with visitors throughout the full run of the exhibition.
This year also brings an important addition to the category list: Portrait.
Portrait is for artwork whose primary focus is the representation of the human form, whether that means a face, a figure, the body in whole or in part, or a person-centred composition in any medium. A painting, drawing, textile work, collage, mixed-media piece, or other artwork may all belong in this category if the human subject is the heart of the work.
Artists may submit one entry per category.
The 2026 categories are:
- Representational: recognizable subjects from the real world, including still life, landscapes, wildlife, people, places, and scenes.
- Semi-Representational: work that draws on recognizable forms but transforms, simplifies, or distorts them to communicate mood, idea, or feeling.
- Abstract: work that speaks through line, colour, form, texture, rhythm, and visual language without depending on recognizable subject matter.
- Portrait: new for 2026; artwork focused on the human face, figure, or body.
- 3D Art: sculpture, ceramics, assemblage, and other works with height, width, and depth.
- Photography: original still images captured by photographic means, including digital or film-based work.
- Youth, ages 14 to 18: any medium, any subject focus.
Key dates for artists:
Advise intent by: Friday, June 26
Artwork drop-off: Monday, June 29, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Exhibition dates: July 2 to August 1, 2026
Reception and awards: Thursday, July 9, 6:00 to 8:00 PM
Artwork pick-up: Saturday, August 1, 2:00 to 4:00 PM
Entry fees are $5 per entry for members and $8 per entry for non-members. Works must be suitably wired or otherwise prepared for display, and each piece must be clearly identified on the back or bottom with the artist’s information, title, medium, and price or NFS designation.
Entry forms are available in person at the Gallery or online at armstrongspallmuseumart.com/art-gallery/ribbon-show. For questions, please contact the Gallery at 250-546-8318 or asmas@telus.net.
If you have been thinking about entering a judged exhibition, this is a welcoming and meaningful place to begin. If you have entered before, we hope to see your work again. The Ribbon Show is at its best when it reflects the full range of creativity being made in our region right now.
In the early 1970’s residents of Armstrong found themselves powerless to save an historic building from being demolished. This event was the spark that led to the creation of the Armstrong Spallumcheen Historical Society, incorporated in 1974. In the beginning, the Society’s collection consisted mainly of historical photographs. Almost a decade later the City of Armstrong offered the Society space in part of a machine storage building. The Society opened a museum to the public in 1983. In 1988, with the help of a gift from Rusty Freeze, they expanded into the rest of the building and added an Art Gallery. At this time the name of the Society changed to the Armstrong Spallumcheen Museum and Arts Society. The museum and art gallery are the result of the dedication of the many volunteers from the community who continue to be active in it’s operation.
THE Armstrong Spallumcheen Museum and Art Gallery is located in historic downtown Armstrong. The first building on this site was moved from Lansdowne in 1901. Over time he expanded the building. The business was later operated by his sons and gradually changed into a machine shop. It has also served as a storage facility, automobile garage and gas station. Since becoming a museum, the facility has been upgraded many times, Our renovations in 2011 included fresh paint, new signage, a timber frame entrance and a colonnade. We now have a brand new, but still historic, look for a favourite old building.