Cowgirl Artists of America Signature Membership 2026

Signature Membership is Cowgirl Artists of America's highest juried tier, reserved for artists working at a consistently professional level with a strong body of work and a history of exhibitions and engagement in the Western art field. Signature Members demonstrate excellence in their artwork, presentation, professionalism, and commitment to their careers, serving as representatives of CGA's values and standards.

The call opens April 1 (12 AM Central) and closes April 30 (11:55 PM Central). The application fee is $50 (non-refundable). Artists must submit 5 pieces of work created within the last 2 years in a single discipline. Images must be submitted in JPG format with a minimum of 1920 px and a maximum of 4800 px, with file sizes not exceeding 10 MB. Work must not have been created under instruction or during a class workshop. Artists must also submit documentation showing their professional and exhibit history, along with an artist statement. Websites and social media accounts will be reviewed before finalizing acceptance.

Only artists working in the Western genre are accepted into juried tiers. The Western genre is expansive and includes contemporary and traditional work, as well as Indigenous cultural art and art by Indigenous artists documenting the American West. Applications are reviewed by a jury of board members and jury committee members, evaluating artwork on first impression, composition, style, technique, craftsmanship, and cohesiveness as a body of work. Jurors also consider professionalism of documentation, the artist's website, presentation of work, and adherence to submission instructions. All applicants will receive notice of their application status by June 15th. Individualized feedback may be provided to artists who are not accepted. Artists may reapply in future years.