RAL Art Center Exhibits and Signature Events
2025 Exhibit Schedule
Click here to download 2025 Exhibit Guidelines.
Click here for Entry Form.
Click here for Entry Directions.
Please review our 2025 Exhibit Guidelines to ensure proper hanging equipment is used, size limitations are followed, and all other guidelines are adhered to.
January
You Be The Judge
This is a People’s Choice show. All subjects and styles are accepted. Viewers will vote for their choice for this show.
Up Close and Personal
This is a People's Choice show. Create a work designed to draw the viewer in for a closer look, focusing on detail and design.
Receiving:
Exhibit Dates:
December 30
Jan 1 - Feb 1
Reception:
January 3, 2025 at 10:00:00 PM
February
Red is the Color of...
A touch or an abundance of red, you decide. Any work incorporating the color of passion and love will be perfect for this show.
All Shades of Grey
From the darkest to lightest, employ tints and shades in your art. Think grey scale! And yes, you can use black and white.
Receiving:
Exhibit Dates:
February 3
Feb 5 - March 1
Reception:
February 7, 2025 at 10:00:00 PM
March
Whatever the Weather
Works depicting the ever-changing weather as we move from winter to spring. Any forecast will fit the theme, sunny, windy, cloudy, or rainy. It is up to you!
Step Back in Time
Memories are the subject of your art for this show. You decide how deep you want to dig for an image of the past. Take us along on your trip down memory lane. The NNK is rich in history but there is no limit to the history you choose to depict.
Receiving:
Exhibit Dates:
March 3
March 5 - March 29
Reception:
March 7, 2025 at 10:00:00 PM
April
Say it with Flowers
You can choose flowers cut from your garden or wildflowers found on the roadside. All blooms and flowers are suitable subjects for this show.
Crops & Gardens
This is your opportunity to focus on any form of cultivated plant life, from the massive Redwood forests to a terrarium. Your subject could even be a wild English Garden or the tidy rows of a corn crop. You pick the approach and let your idea grow!
Receiving:
Exhibit Dates:
March 31, 2025
April 1 - April 26
Reception:
April 4, 2025 at 9:00:00 PM
May
Art in Transit
See entry form for details. Click the link below.
Art in Transit Awards Reception: May 30, 2025 5pm-7pm
https://netorgft4527857-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/ral_ralartcenter_com/EcBxhZLjA3tBsGtti79--JgBMXVet2I6oVOUjscEmkXMjA?e=eLxFJS
Fur, Feathers, Fins, and Scales
Look to the animal kingdom for inspiration for your art. You can enter a subject from your four-legged friends or your feathered friends. Or, how about an aquatic creature or an amphibian? All of these would be perfect for the show!
Receiving:
Exhibit Dates:
April 26, 27, 28
April 29 - May31
Reception:
May 2, 2025 at 9:00:00 PM
June
Art Heist
Artwork by invitation. Works will be raffled at a special event for ticket holders.
Art Heist Event: June 28th
More info to come.
Visiting Artist James Richards
Visiting Artist James Richards
More info to come.
Receiving:
Exhibit Dates:
June 2, 2025
June 3 - June 28
Reception:
June 6, 2025 at 9:00:00 PM
July
See it your Way
Create a work that manipulates the art elements to create a work that expresses your unique vision. Be like Jackson Pollock and create a work of art that with no recognizable subject matter, just color, line, and shape. Or be like Picasso and create an abstract artwork, distorting and altering the image. You pick the approach and share your way of seeing through your art.
Small Works
The only restriction is the size of the art, which is 154” overall. For 2D works, it can’t be more than 11’ x 14” high.
Receiving:
Exhibit Dates:
June 30, 2025
July 1 - July 26
Reception:
July 4, 2025 at 9:00:00 PM
August
Waterman's World
Living in the Tidewater, we are surrounded by water, a great subject for art. Create a work that reflects the beauty of this life.
Artful Aging - Tartan Village
This show is an opportunity for Tartan Village Residents to display their artwork. Artful Aging is a RAL member led series of classes funded by a grant from Bay Aging. You will see works created in watercolor, fiber, and acrylic.
Receiving:
Exhibit Dates:
July 28, 2025
July 29 - Aug 23
Reception:
August 1, 2025 at 9:00:00 PM
September
Call to Artists! There has never been a better time to join us than in the RAL Art Center’s 64th Annual Labor Day Art Show. Artists are invited to enter original works of art in any medium. The show is limited to 200 works of art. Early entry is recommended. The show will be held from Wed., Aug. 27 through Fri., Sept. 26 at the RAL Art Center, 19 North Main Street, Kilmarnock, VA 22482, 804-436-9309. The Awards presentation for participating artists (4-5 pm) and the public reception (5-7 pm) will be held on Fri., Aug. 29 at the Art Center.
All work must be original and cannot be AI generated.
Must be a member to submit work for the LDAS. https://www.ralartcenter.com/membership
64th Labor Day Art Show Documents - click link and print
Entry Form
https://netorgft4527857-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/ral_ralartcenter_com/EdC5jegyVPlGo2nMocQWKqIBcRBrVaG7kMKIlh8jbWV-Ow?e=kiVhyH
Prospectus
https://netorgft4527857-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/ral_ralartcenter_com/ETiywpyeDKtMsqG5AobzuoEBF0VEzNE39Pv1H76IFs8BgA?e=oNWVuP
Calendar
https://netorgft4527857-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/ral_ralartcenter_com/EZLNefR_MylJhLW2s1IC-OIBL3tnNVxpq5stUatEholsBg?e=Af8qP2
Judges Bio
https://netorgft4527857-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/ral_ralartcenter_com/EcjHDDjRtHZEr0xPLka61wcB30E719g9Xt5ksOZu31GDQw?e=M5sCDB
Receiving:
Exhibit Dates:
Aug 23, 24, 25
Aug 27 - Sept 26
Reception:
August 29, 2025 at 8:00:00 PM
October
Feels Like Fall
Autumn brings a chill to the air and colorful changes to the landscape. Create a piece in response to the fall season.
Youth Art Show
Works from our youth art programs.
Receiving:
Exhibit Dates:
Sept 29, 2025
Sept 30 - Nov 1
Reception:
October 3, 2025 at 9:00:00 PM
November
Anything Goes
This show has no restrictions or limits. You can pick the subject, the style, the approach. It is all your choice.
Visiting Artist
Receiving:
Exhibit Dates:
Nov 3, 2025
Nov 4 - Nov 22
Reception:
November 7, 2025 at 10:00:00 PM
December
Holiday Shop
Photography/Digital Art
Receiving:
Exhibit Dates:
HS Nov 23, 24 - Photography Dec 1
Dec 2 - Dec 27
Reception:
December 5, 2025 at 10:00:00 PM