100 Views of Neighborhood Cats

January 15 - March 26, 2027

Deadline for Submissions - November 1, 2026 by 5:00 pm

About the Exhibition

For seasoned museumgoers and casual visitors alike, it rarely takes long to encounter a cat tucked into the margins of art history. Even before crossing the threshold of the Art Institute of Chicago, one is greeted by the institution’s most recognizable sentinels - two bronze lions standing with a composure that is equal parts proud and threatening, after all they have served as guardians for over 100 years now. Inside, the feline presence only multiplies as lions and tigers stalk the edges of canvases, cast as adversaries to saints, gladiators, and kings, or else elevated to symbolic emissaries in ancient and mythic worlds. As far back as Neolithic Cyprus, some nine thousand years ago, artists have returned, again and again, to the image of the cat; alert, inscrutable, and persistently nearby.

100 Views of Neighborhood Cats continues this long-standing fascination, though with a distinctly modern inflection. The exhibition gathers a lively and eclectic group of local and established artists, each attuned to the peculiar charisma of their feline counterparts. Across painting, printmaking, and mixed media, cats appear in states of watchful stillness, comic suspicion, and domestic ease. The cat is a profoundly personal motif for each of the artists - an intimate companion since childhood, and a silent witness to the many stages of life. The ineffable emotions stirred through this bond form the very foundation of both this exhibition and these artists creative expression.

The title borrows from the serial logic of Japanese woodblock prints of the Edo period - most famously Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji and The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō - in which repetition becomes a form of meditation. Cats, not incidentally, populate many of these prints, slipping between scenes with the same self-possession they bring to contemporary life.

Here, the neighborhood cat assumes that legacy with little resistance. It is at once subject and accomplice, muse and mild antagonist. By turns affectionate and wry, the exhibition invites viewers to reconsider the familiar—to notice, perhaps, the way a cat holds a gaze, occupies a threshold, or vanishes just as it is observed.

Submission Guidelines

ENTRY SPECIFICATIONS

All entries must be the original work and executed solely by the artist submitting.
Accepted work must be labeled as specified and be ready to be displayed or hang upon delivery.
Selected work must remain during the entire exhibition, and may not be removed prior to the end of the exhibition, August 30, 2026.

2-D Media:
Work must be appropriately framed, wired to hang, or have D-rings installed. No sawtooth hangers. Works that have non-traditional or unique hanging requirements must make prior arrangements with the exhibitions manager to ensure proper hanging/installation.

All paper, print, or photography work must be appropriately framed and ready to hang.
Unframed stretched canvas is allowed
2-D Media (items that hang flat against the wall, framed work) include, but are not limited to the following subcategories:
Drawing, Mixed Media, Painting, Paper/Fiber, Pastel, Photography, Printmaking, other Media

3-D Media:
All sculptural media is expected to be ready to be displayed

For any accepted artwork that requires special installation, it is expected that the artists will either be present to install the artwork, or to provide the exhibits manager with a comprehensive installation plan
2-D sculptural media will be designated under the 3-D media.
Ceramic Arts (CA) include the following subcategories:
Ceramic, Wood, Stone, Fiber, Mixed Media, Installation, Other Media

Notification:
Selection notification emails sent by Moday, November 16, 2026. 

Sales:
For art sales, South Shore Arts receives a 35% commission. A payment check will be issued within 30 days of the exhibition closing. Art not picked up within 60 days becomes property of the South Shore Arts unless prior special arrangements are made.

Photography Waiver: 
By submitting your entry you give South Shore Arts permission to use images of you or your artwork for the purposes of promotion in connection with South Shore Arts 

DELIVERY OF ACCEPTED WORK

Selected works are to be hand delivered or shipped to:
South Shore Arts, 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, IN, 46321

Hand-delivered work will be accepted at South Shore Arts on the following dates:
Sunday, January 3, from 12am – 4pm
Monday, January 4, from 10am – 5pm
Tuesday, January 5, from 10pm – 5pm
Shipped work must arrive no later than 5:00pm on January 5, 2027

Carefully package artwork in sturdy, reusable packaging to prevent damage. We encourage using Plexiglass for shipped work. No packing peanuts please. Artists are encouraged to and responsible for insuring their work during transit, as South Shore Arts is not liable for damages or theft during transit. Damaged work will not be exhibited.

Artists are responsible for all shipping costs of accepted work using FedEx, UPS or USPS. Include a paid return shipping label in the package (do not include stamps). Confirm that your shipping provider will refund the return shipping label in the event your work is sold.
All delivered work MUST reflect entry submissions. Any work not matching the submission will be disqualified and will not be exhibited (no refunds)