Alachua County quilters and fiber artists can apply until Dec. 1 to show work at the County Administration Building. The exhibition runs Jan. 1 to April 30, 2027.

Alachua County is looking for local quilts, weaving and embroidery for its first fiber arts exhibition. Applications are due Tuesday, Dec. 1.

The Quilts and Fiber Arts Exhibition will hang at the Alachua County Administration Building in downtown Gainesville from Jan. 1 through April 30, 2027. The county announced the call in a Nov. 2 release.

Selected work will go in the building’s exhibition cabinets and in the Jack Durrance Auditorium, where the County Commission meets.

What you can enter

The county will take:

  • traditional and contemporary quilts
  • embroidery and needlework
  • weaving
  • textile art
  • mixed-media fiber works

Work can be on any subject. It must be suitable for display in a government building, the county said.

Who can apply and how

  • Who: Alachua County residents 18 and older.
  • Deadline: Dec. 1. The submission period opened Nov. 1.
  • What to send: your contact details, the title, medium and size of each piece, and digital images of it. A short description of each piece is optional.
  • Paperwork: every artist also completes the county’s art loan and display agreement.

The application form is linked from the county’s release.

Size and delivery rules

  • Pieces for the exhibition cabinets can be no larger than 12 inches by 12 inches.
  • Wall pieces must be professionally presented and ready to hang, with secure hanging hardware.
  • Artists deliver and pick up their own work in set drop-off and pickup windows.
  • Shipped or mailed work will not be accepted.
  • The county encourages artists to carry insurance on their work.

The Alachua County Arts Council reviews the entries and picks the work. An opening reception for the chosen artists will follow, with a date to be announced after selection.

“This inaugural exhibition is an opportunity to celebrate the remarkable creativity of Alachua County’s quilting and fiber arts community,” said Christian Duran, vice chair of the Arts Council.

The show is part of the Arts in the County Administration Building Program, which the County Commission set up to show local artists’ work in county buildings.

What it means for you

  • If you quilt, weave or stitch: you have until Dec. 1 to apply. Measure cabinet pieces first: 12 by 12 inches is the limit.
  • If you just want to see it: the County Administration Building is at 12 SE First St. in Gainesville. The show runs from New Year’s Day to the end of April.
  • Questions: Arts Council board liaison Tami Herchel, 352-451-5918.

More arts and events are on our things to do page.