For Artists!
Your one stop page for questions about gallery policies, processes, and recomendations.
Calls for Submission
Cabinet of Curiosities
Tiny artworks of objects you might find in a Victorian Cabinet of Curiosities such as skulls, trinkets, shells, potion bottles, and more.
Submissions close September 15, 2026
Of All Living
Reimagining the Garden of Eden. Curated by Esther H. Candari.
Submissions close November 8, 2026
RootsTech 2027
Diasporic musings and cultural celebrations.
Greatest Act of Love/PowHerful 2027
This year we are combining our annual Women's History Month and Easter shows to create a show celebrating the women in Christ's Life
Call opens December 2026 Details TBA
LORE: The Power of Story 2027
Artwork celebrating the power of folklore, fantasy, myth, more.
Summer 2027 Details TBA
AI Policy: As a gallery our goal is to connect humans with each other and we will always prioritize human made work. We also recognize that professional tools are evolving and that AI is often integrated into elements of traditional and digital artwork. Artists must disclose how and where Artificial intelligence tools were used in creating submitted work. Gallery will decline to exhibit work that is directly AI-generated or where AI produced the majority of the final image. Misrepresenting AI use may affect eligibility for future submissions and makes the artist liable for any resulting copyright issues.
If you have questions about what kind of AI use is acceptable please contact esther@thecompassgallery.com
Apply to Exhibit
If you are interested in consigning art, or proposing an art show at The Compass Gallery, please email staff@thecompassgallery.com . Include your name, the title(s), size, medium, and retail price of your piece(s) or proposed show title, and a concise description of your piece(s) or vision for the show.
Frames and Prints
Trying to find somewhere local to frame your piece for the show? Wanting to bring prints to the gallery to sell during the show? Here are links to places and products we like to use!
Frames
All art must arrive ready to hang with hardware already attached.
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Smaller than 8×10 in. — sawtooth hook
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8×10 in. or larger — multi-strand steel hanging wire
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20 lbs. or more (any size) — contact the gallery before delivery to arrange logistics
Art arriving without proper hardware may be excluded from exhibition.
Budget Ready Made Framing
Hobby Lobby/Michael's
Pros of Budget Ready Mades
An affordable option for basic frames and last minute needs. To maximize savings check for sales.
Amazon has good ready made options if you search "Solid wood picture frame"
Cons of Budget Ready Mades
Ready mades do not always have the correct hanging hardware and can look cheap and minimize your piece if not selected carefully.
Glazed Framing
(Behind Glass)
When ordering online allow for 3-4 week delivery.
We do not reccomend box store (Hobby Lobby/Michaels) custom glazed framing.
Closed Corner Frames
When ordering online allow for 3-4 week delivery
DickBlick
Jerry's Artarama
Tobias Made Frames
Custom/Higher Price Point
Allow for 4-6 weeks for custom frames
Havenlight
American Fork
Traditional
Prints
We would love for you to bring in prints for the shows you are participating in. We require the following to stock prints of your work.
We recommend standard sizes like 5×7, 8×10, and 11×14 (or similar).
1) Individually packaged. 2) Labeled with your name. 3) Individually Priced
Our audience does not usually care if their prints are giclee (archival) or not and are more sensitive to overall price point, so we generally recomend producing digital prints especially for the 5x7" and 8x10" size range.
Typical prices for paper prints (digital or giclee) in the gallery are
5x7"- $5-15 8x10" - $15-40 11x14" - $25-50
Giclee
Digital
Copytec
Specialty Printing
Kubo
Orem, UT
kuboprinting.com
Metal Prints & Playmats
FAQS
This FAQ summarizes, in plain language, some of the most common questions about how selling through The Compass Gallery works. It's meant as a quick reference, not a replacement for your signed agreement — where anything here and your contract disagree, your contract controls. "Exhibition Agreement" refers to the Artist Exhibition & Consignment Agreement; "General Consignment Agreement" refers to the General Consignment Agreement covering work brought in outside a specific show.
Getting Ready for Your Show
My work was accepted for an upcoming show — what do I do next?
You'll receive a confirmation email with a link to your Exhibition Agreement and the key dates for your show. Gallery will send reminders as deadlines approach.
When do I drop off my work for a show?
Your confirmation email will include the official drop-off deadline, which is typically one to two weeks before the show opens. Drop-offs take place during regular gallery hours: Thursday–Saturday, 12–8 PM.
If my piece is confirmed for an upcoming show but hasn't been delivered/installed yet, and a collector wants to buy it — who handles that sale?
The Gallery does. Your commitment to sell exhibition-related work exclusively through Gallery begins the day you sign your contract — not the day your work physically arrives for installation. That commitment specifically covers presales made before installation, so any sale of a piece headed to your show goes through Gallery at your standard commission rate, even if it hasn't been hung yet.
A collector contacts me about a piece that was on display at Compass after the show closes. Who handles that sale?
If your work is still with Gallery — on extended consignment, or not picked up yet — that sale goes through Gallery, same commission rate. Once you've got your work back, you're generally free to sell it yourself, except if the collector found it through Gallery's marketing (physical display, our website, social media, an email) within the past 6 months — that one still goes through Gallery too. Unsure which applies? Loop us in — it's better to communicate proactively to avoid breach of contract and resulting consequences.
Who's responsible for shipping and transport costs?
You are, in both directions, unless you and Gallery agree otherwise in writing. That covers getting your work to Gallery initially, and getting it back to you afterward. Please don't ship work directly to the gallery space, we cannot receive mail some days of the week — you should have received an email with shipping information, if you did not reach out to confirm the shipping address. If you can't personally pick up your work when a show closes or your consignment ends, Gallery will pack and ship it back for you — but the cost of that packing and shipping is billed to you, not absorbed by Gallery.
How will I know if my work has sold, and what happens to it afterward?
Payment is your confirmation — Gallery pays out within 60 days of the buyer's payment clearing (not your show's closing date). Before your show closes, Gallery will also reach out about what happens to any unsold work. No payment after 60 days? Contact Gallery Director Esther Candari at esther@thecompassgallery.com.
Selling & Commission
What percentage does Gallery take?
Commission is calculated on the full sale price of each piece: you receive 60% on work priced at $3,999 or less, and 55% on work priced at $4,000 or more, with Gallery's commission making up the difference.
What if Gallery wants to discount my work?
Gallery can offer standard promotional discounts (up to 10% off originals, up to 30% off prints/reproductions, including staff and supporter discounts) without checking with you first — but Gallery absorbs that discount and still pays you as if the piece sold at full price. Any deeper or non-promotional discount a buyer requests needs your written consent first, and Gallery will document the adjusted price and commission with you before the sale happens.
Can I sell my own work directly during a show or while it's consigned?
Not through outside channels, for work covered by your agreement — see "who handles that sale" above. You're always free to create and sell other, unrelated work through any channel you like; the exclusivity commitment only applies to the specific pieces tied to your show or consignment.
Shipping, Care & Insurance
Is my work insured while it's at Gallery?
Yes, from the moment a Gallery staff member receives it until you pick it up or it is delivered to you — subject to the policy's coverage limits and deductible. It is not covered while in transit to the Gallery, or for damage caused by your own framing, mounting, or hanging choices; you're responsible for insuring your work during transit.
After a Show / Ending a Consignment
What happens to unsold work after a show closes?
Before your show closes, Gallery's curatorial team will talk with you about whether any unsold work stays on extended consignment. Anything not selected for extended consignment must be picked up within 3 business days of closing — or, if you notify Gallery in writing by the closing date, Gallery will pack, ship, and bill you for returning it.
How does general (non-exhibition) consignment end?
Either you or Gallery can end it at any time with 30 days' written notice. Your commission rate and exclusivity commitment keep applying until that notice period runs out. After that, you have 14 days to pick up work not staying on extended listing, or Gallery will ship it back and bill you for the cost.
What if I never pick up my work?
Gallery will send written notice giving you 30 days to arrange pick-up or shipping. If your work is still unclaimed 6 months after that notice, Gallery may treat it as abandoned and dispose of it — including by sale, donation, or destruction — without further payment to you.
Marketing & Images
Does Gallery use my images for marketing? Can I say no later?
By submitting images, you let Gallery use them for marketing — website, social, press, calls for submissions. That's locked in for 2 years, then continues until you revoke it in writing. Revoke anytime after that; Gallery pulls images from digital channels within 3 weeks (printed materials already made or ordered will stay in circulation).
Will Gallery credit me when using my images?
Yes — Gallery will make reasonable efforts to credit you by name, and won't imply you endorse a specific exhibition or program beyond identifying you as the work's creator.
Payment & Taxes
How do I get paid?
You choose: a PayPal Business account (fastest) or a check mailed to your address on file. If you provide a personal or "friends and family" PayPal account instead of a business one, Gallery may decline to use it and pay you by check.
Will I get a 1099?
If you're paid by check or cash and meet IRS reporting thresholds, Gallery issues a 1099-NEC. If you're paid through a business PayPal payment, that reporting responsibility generally shifts to PayPal itself, which may issue you a 1099-K if your totals across all payers meet its threshold. Either way, all income you receive is taxable whether or not a form arrives.