The 2025 Art on the Trails outdoor exhibition will be installed in the Beals Preserve, Southborough, Massachusetts on Saturday, June 14. It will remain in the Preserve until September 14, 2025. The juror is sculptor Madeleine Lord.
2025 Theme: Number 9
This year’s theme is Number 9. We invite artists to explore the many symbolic meanings of this powerful number. In numerology, 9 represents completion, wisdom, and transformation, marking the end of a cycle and the beginning of something new. It is a number of universality and humanitarianism, embodying creativity, enlightenment, and reflection—perfectly aligning with the spirit of art in nature. As this exhibition reaches its ninth year, it celebrates the journey so far while embracing the possibilities that lie ahead. Whether interpreted through the lens of nature’s cycles, personal growth, or artistic evolution, “Number 9″ encourages contemplation of endings, transitions, and the infinite potential that follows.
The call for art opens on February 15. The deadline for submissions is midnight, Tuesday, April 15. (No extensions will be given.)
Guidelines for Submissions
Please consider the following guidelines before submitting a proposal:
- Artists may submit existing work or a proposal for site-specific work.
- There are no buildings or electrical outlets in the Preserve. All work must be installed in the natural environment.
- Multiple entries are welcome and encouraged.
- You may identify a location for your work if you choose. The final siting of the work is at the discretion of the juror. View a map of Beals Preserve.
- Tours of the Preserve are available upon request.
- Please indicate if the work requires support or suspension in the landscape and your proposed method for achieving this. You may bring in structures or use trees as supports for your installation, as long as it does not harm them in any way. For instance, strapping around trunks or ropes around branches is acceptable. Nails into trees are not acceptable.
- All work will be considered based on the quality of the proposal and ability to implement the proposed work. Experience with outdoor installations is helpful, though not required. All experience levels are welcome.
- The artwork delivered and installed must be as proposed in this submission. The Program Director reserves the right to decline any work that does not resemble the proposal.
- Installation day is Saturday, June 14th. The artist is expected to be present or have a representative present on Installation day to install their work. Artists can choose an installation time.
- This is a Leave No Trace exhibit; from installation to dismantling, nature must be left intact and all materials brought to the site must be removed at the end of the show. No exceptions.
- We actively promote works for sale if applicable. Should your work be sold as a result of exhibition in this show, the artist agrees to donate 25% to Southborough Open Land Foundation, which supports the running of this program. We rely on artists to be forthcoming should they be contacted directly by a collector.
- By submitting a proposal, artists acknowledge Southborough Open Land Foundation assumes no liability for artwork on the property during the exhibition.
- The selected artists will be notified by May 1, 2025 via email. Acceptance in the show is provisional and contingent on agreeing to terms listed above at time of notification.
- 15 works will be accepted.
- All accepted artists will receive a $100 stipend for participating.
- Please contact Catherine Weber, cweber@catherinemweber.com if you have questions.
