Monmouth Arts Presents The 2025 Charles Sills Memorial Group Art Exhibit: Seen & Unseen

Monmouth Arts invites the creative community of Monmouth County to submit works that explore the theme of Seen & Unseen as part of our annual member exhibition, to be held at Monmouth University’s Pollak Gallery in West Long Branch, November 1 - December 11, 2025, with an opening reception on November 7th. The deadline to submit is September 30, 2025. 

Seen & Unseen is a call for artists to look more closely—not only at our surroundings but also at the inner landscapes we carry. It’s an invitation to recognize the presence and power of what is often left in the shadows.

In shedding light on what has been obscured—by history, by progress, or by the limits of perception—Seen & Unseen seeks to reclaim and reframe the narratives that shape Monmouth County’s cultural and emotional landscape. Through painting, sculpture, photography, video, and mixed media, we ask artists to consider: What do we overlook in our daily lives? What deserves to be remembered? And how do the spaces we inhabit mirror the spaces within us?

Artists may draw from archival material, oral histories, urban exploration, memories, and introspection to uncover the stories embedded in places and people. Some may examine sites long erased from public consciousness—historic homes, shuttered institutions, or neighborhoods transformed by time. Others may choose to navigate the intangible: the private worlds of resilience, grief, spirituality, or psychological space.

This multidisciplinary exhibition will showcase the artists of Monmouth Arts whose works illuminate the forgotten, the hidden, and the quietly profound. From abandoned buildings and neglected corners of the landscape to the emotional terrain of personal memory and spiritual experience, we look forward to an exhibit that reveals the richness that often goes unnoticed.

Seen & Unseen will be guest curated by Vaune Peck, Director of Monmouth University’s Center for the Arts. Pollak Gallery is located in West Long Branch in the heart of Monmouth University’s beautiful campus, adjacent to Pollak Theatre. The gallery features regional artists and collaborates with community organizations on special exhibitions. It has also hosted special exhibits from private collectors and exhibitions curated by the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. 

The Monmouth Arts annual member exhibit – now in its eighth year – is named for Dr. Charles Sills, who was a painter, sculptor, collector, and supporter of the arts. He retired from his role as the Chief of Surgery at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch in 2000. His work has been shown at many galleries in Monmouth County and he won awards from New York's Allied Artists of America as well as Knickerbocker Artists.

Those artists interested in submitting to Seen & Unseen must be current members of Monmouth Arts and agree to the exhibition guidelines. Artists who would like to become new members and submit may use the code SEEN to receive $10 off the $40 artist membership rate.

Please contact Connie Isbell, Director of Membership & Community Engagement with any questions at connie@monmoutharts.org or 732.212.1890 ext 101.

Deadline: September 30, 2025

Eligibility and Entry 

• Accepted work includes drawing, mixed media, painting, fine crafts, photography, lithographs, digital, printmaking, video and sculpture. 
• Please note that this year’s venue can accommodate large pieces; artists are encouraged to consider this factor when applying. 
• There is no submission fee, but current membership with Monmouth Arts is required. Artists who would like to become new members and submit may use the discount code SEEN to receive $10 off the $40 artist membership rate. For more information and an online membership form, please go to www.monmoutharts.org/join-us. Student memberships are free.
• Established, emerging, and student artists who are 18 and over are encouraged to submit works.
• Artwork must have been made in the last five years (after January 1, 2020) and not have been presented in past Monmouth Arts exhibitions or exhibitions at Pollak Gallery. Reproductions of original works will not be accepted.
• Drop off and pick up of accepted work to and from Pollak Gallery is the responsibility of the artist.
• All work must be available for the duration of the exhibition.
• Artwork sold through Seen & Unseen is subject to a 30% fee to support Monmouth Arts programming. Monmouth Arts will collect the purchase price for all work, retain a 30% sales commission, and issue a check for the remainder to the artist at the close of the exhibition.

Submission Guidelines

• Submissions must be entered through the online Submittable platform. After reading the guidelines, you can create an account or log in to your existing Submittable account. There is no cost to create a Submittable account.
• Final acceptance of artwork is contingent upon review at delivery.
• Submissions are limited to a maximum of three (3) entries.
• Submissions must include contact information, brief artist statement (up to 100 words), artwork information (title, media, size (H x W x D), year completed, and price (must indicate NFS if not for sale).
• Artists are strongly encouraged to submit high-quality images that best present the work. 
• Images of artwork must be JPEG format with resolution of 300 dpi/ppi. Rename each image with Last Name_EntryNumber_Title_Media_Size_Year_Price.

Presentation Guidelines

• Wall-hung items must be appropriately framed, edges adequately finished and must be properly wired as the hanging medium. No saw-tooth hangers or metal eyelets will be accepted. Frames must be free of defects and of sturdy construction. Canvas wrapped paintings are acceptable (not raw canvas edges.)
• Three-dimensional works must be stable and stand on their own or be submitted with adequate display stands. Three dimensional artwork cannot exceed 5′ h x 3′ w and not weigh more than 75 pounds.

Important Dates
Application Open: July 31, 2025
Application Deadline: September 30, 4:00pm
Notifications: Tuesday, October 10
Artwork Drop Off: October 27, 8:30-5:30
Opening Reception: Friday, November 7, 6 - 8pm
Exhibit Dates: November 1 - December 11, 2025
Artwork Pickup: December 12 (time TBA)

For assistance, accessibility requests, or questions about submitting please contact Connie Isbell, Membership & Community Engagement Director, at connie@monmoutharts.org; 732.212.1890 ext 101.

Special assistance and accommodations are available upon request. Please contact Connie Isbell, ADA Coordinator, at connie@monmoutharts.org.

Monmouth Arts offers a limited number of $500 Mini Grants for arts projects to new and emerging organizations, and organizations only requiring a small amount of funding as part of the Local Arts Grant Program through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Organizations can apply for only one Mini Grant per fiscal year and may not have received other Monmouth Arts funding for that year. These grants have a simplified application process and a short time frame from application to award. There is no deadline. Applications are reviewed every two months. There are eight (8) Mini Grants available for 2025.

APPLICATION GUIDELINES
Projects must take place during Fiscal Year 2025 (January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2025).   

Mini Grants are intended as an introduction to the ArtHelps Local Arts Grant Program; however, organizations only requiring a small amount of funding for their project may continue to apply for Mini Grants in subsequent years. After one successful Mini Grant application organizations can apply through the regular grant process for future support. A grant received in one year is no guarantee of subsequent funding.

Organizations that apply for General Operating Support or Special Project Support through Monmouth Arts or from the NJ State Council on the Arts may not apply for a Mini Grant. Organizations can apply for one Mini Grant per fiscal year.

Grant recipients must submit a Final Report consisting of a narrative and final financial accounting of the project at the end of the grant period.  The Mini Grant will be paid in full when the application is approved.

Applicants can preview a full copy of the form before applying by clicking here and going to the Guidelines and Application section of the grants page on our website.