The Kittery Art Association is proud to offer a Spotlight Artist Program alongside our typical exhibition schedule in our gallery at 2 Walker Street in Kittery Foreside. During select exhibits, an artist is chosen to present a body of work on the back wall of our East Gallery (The Spotlight Wall). Exhibiting Members must apply for the Spotlight Wall at the end of the prior calendar year. Accepted artists are then assigned an exhibit, where they will display their work. The Spotlight Artist’s work is featured as the cover image for the assigned show in the online Exhibition Schedule, this image also appears on the show postcard, and on the homepage of the KAA website during that exhibition period. The KAA shares an image and information about the incoming Spotlight Artist on social media and in the organization’s email newsletter. A brief bio/artist statement will be sent to local papers in a press release for the exhibit.

Eligibility:
Exhibiting Members of the Kittery Art Association may apply. Pairs or small groups of Exhibiting Members may also apply for a Spotlight Wall together. There will be an open application session for the Spotlight Wall, with 2026 applications and instructions going live on this page at noon on November 3, 2025. The deadline to submit your 2026 Spotlight Artist application is November 17, 2025 by 11:59pm. Read more about how to apply at the bottom of this page.

Spotlight Artist applications are reviewed by the Exhibits Committee using the following criteria:

1.  Only complete applications are accepted.
2.  All applications must have photos included.
3.  Chosen applicants have not been featured as a spotlight artist in the last 3 years.
4.  The artist chosen is the best match for the show theme for that year.
5.  First application submitted,  first application considered.  
6.  Open to all members except for members on the selection committee.  

Requirements for Spotlight Artists:
All artists who are selected for the Spotlight Wall are responsible for the following:

Upon receiving their acceptance email:
1. Spotlight Artists must send a high resolution image of a piece of artwork. This image must be at least 300dpi and will be used on the KAA website, social media, show postcards, and for early show promotion. Please send this image file via email to the Gallery Manager within ten days of your acceptance email. If you have been selected for a Spotlight Wall for an exhibit between January and March, this image should be one of the pieces that you plan to exhibit and have available for sale.
2. Spotlight Artists must send an Artist Bio and/or Artist Statement. (Also sent via email to the Gallery Manager within ten days of receiving your acceptance email).
3. Upon acceptance, Spotlight Artists must complete their $200 Exhibit Fee payment via cash or check. This payment must be made within ten days of receiving your acceptance email.
- A Cash or Check payment may be made in person at the gallery, or checks may be mailed to:
The Kittery Art Association c/o Gallery Manager, 2 Walker Street, Kittery, ME 03904.
Checks must be made out to “The Kittery Art Association”
- This Exhibit Fee Payment is non-refundable and reserves your place for your Spotlight Feature. Failure to complete an on-time payment will result in
- This Exhibit Fee payment reserves your place for your Spotlight Feature. Artists who fail to pay their exhibit fee on time Failure to pay the Exhibit Fee
5. Spotlight Artists must complete and return a copy of The Spotlight Artist Contract / Permission to Display and Sell Work (handed in with the list of works to be exhibited) along with a complete list of works to be exhibited to the Gallery Manager. This list must include the title of each piece with the corresponding medium and price, and it is due exactly one month before Art Intake for the exhibit that they will be featured alongside. Once this information has been submitted, no changes can be made.
6. Spotlight Artists are responsible for independently selecting, preparing, and installing the body of work that they will display during the show period that they have been chosen for. The KAA operates within tight show changeover deadlines, and the Spotlight Artist must be available to install their own work on the Tuesday morning before the exhibit is set to open. Spotlight Artists are encouraged to bring a friend / assistant to help with installation if need be.
7. Spotlight Artists must be present at the Opening Reception where their work is being exhibited, and are expected to give an Artist Talk.
8. At least 75% of the pieces exhibited must be available for sale.
9. Each Spotlight Artist is provided with 25 show postcards that they may distribute as they see fit. (Please note: The back side of the postcard is imprinted with the KAA Nonprofit Mailing Code. In order to mail these postcards, a stamp is needed.) The KAA will contact the artist when the postcards are available for pick-up at the gallery.