Revised March 25, 2021

Ink & Clay 45 Sapphire Anniversary

Call for Entry

Established in 1971, Ink & Clay is an annual juried competition of printmaking, ink drawing, ceramic ware, clay sculpture, mixed media and installation, utilizing any variety of "ink" or "clay", or combination, as material. The competition results in its highly-regarded exhibition sponsored by the W. Keith & Janet Kellogg University Art Gallery of Cal Poly University, Pomona and underwritten by the generosity and support of the late Col. James Jones, Mr. Bruce Jewett, and Office of the University President, Soraya Coley.

The Ink & Clay annual competition is opened to artists working throughout the US, making it a nationwide competition. The exhibition is documented through an on-line printable catalog. Unique among juried exhibitions, Ink & Clay is annually celebrated and recognized by artists and collectors for its quality and diversity.

This year, 2021-22, Cal Poly Pomona and the Kellogg University Art Gallery are proud to celebrate the 45th Sapphire Anniversary of Ink & Clay. In honor of this milestone, this year's competitive event will be celebrated with a special theme: Ink & Clay 45: The Art of Type. This means that ALL submissions must have been made using the same required material elements of "ink" or "clay" in the creative process in some way, or in combination, with the added requirement of including type, text, words, phrases, writings, script, words, letters, letterforms and/or symbols in some way, shape or form. So, in effect the work can be of any subject matter, but must also have the inclusion anything you might find in written language, in handwriting, or on a keyboard, including any international letters, words in foreign languages, special characters, visual communication symbols, emojis, graphic symbols, icons and logos.

Due to the on-going changes in exhibition programming because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and continued limitations with on-campus access expected for the 2021 Summer and Fall, this year's (2021) annual jury reviewed exhibition will be a “virtual exhibition” with its prospective physical iteration/exhibition moved from the previously planned Fall 2020, to Fall 2022. Please note: dates and events, submission terms and procedures may be subject to change, or postponement, based on current California State and/or University directives. If this occurs, there will be additional notifications sent through our mailing list and informational postings on our websites. Go to our websites for most up-to-date information.

Starting in 2018, Ink & Clay launched its "on-line only" submission format through the Western States Arts Federation's (WESTAF) Call for Entry (CaFE) platform. All submissions are entered, and juried, on-line through the CaFE site: www.callforentry.org.