About the Show

The Will's Creek Competition & Exhibition of Fine Art is one of the signature events of the Allegany Arts Council, celebrating contemporary art in a variety of mediums. Now more than 20 years since its inception, the show continues to stretch the boundaries of contemporary art, and seeks artists who push the limits, and seek innovation in their artistry. Through the years, the competition has taken place with and without a theme - in 2021, no theme has been identified.

The exhibition will run in the Saville Gallery from September 4-October 2, 2021, and will also be featured in this digital gallery. A Public Opening and Awards Presentation with our 2021 juror, Laura Roulet, will be held Saturday, September 11, 2021, from 6-8PM, and is free and open to the public.

The Call

Submissions are now being accepted into the 22nd annual competition. To view the call, eligibility requirements and helpful information, click below. The deadline to enter is July 15, 2021.

Enter Now!

Prizes

More than $4000 in prize money is awarded to the winning artists each year. In 2021, prizes will be awarded in the following categories:

Best of Show $1500
First Place $1000
Second Place $750
Third Place $500
Honorable Mention $250

Meet the Juror

Laura Roulet
Independent Curator and Writer

Laura Roulet is an independent curator and writer, specializing in contemporary and Latin American art. She was one of five international curators chosen for the citywide public art project, 5 x 5, a major initiative sponsored by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities in 2012. She has organized exhibitions in Mexico, Puerto Rico and the U.S. including at the OAS Art Museum of the Americas, American University Museum, Mexican Cultural Institute, Hillyer Art Space, WPA, Arlington Arts Center, and the DC Art Center. Recent exhibits and programming include Mothering in a World Turned Upside Down (Brentwood Arts Exchange), Landscape in an Eroded Field (American University Museum), Ian Jehle: Dynamical Systems (American University Museum), Brian Reed: In the Crosscurrent (Huntington Museum of Art, WV), A Dark and Scandalous Rockfall (Mexican Cultural Institute), Foon Sham: Escape (AU Museum), Come Back to Rockville! a participatory, public art project for VisArts (Rockville, MD), the National Drawing Invitational (Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, AR), and Medios y ambientes in Mexico City. She was a mentoring curator for DCAC and the first mentoring curator for VisArts in Rockville, MD in 2015.

Roulet is a frequent contributor to Sculpture magazine. Her other publications include many catalogue essays, encyclopedia entries, articles in American Art, Art Journal, Art Nexus, and the book Contemporary Puerto Rican Installation Art, the Guagua Aerea, the Trojan Horse and the Termite. She worked on the Ana Mendieta retrospective, organized by the Hirshhorn Museum in 2004, and contributed to that catalogue.

Our Team

Each year, the Wills Creek Committee champions this competition by selecting an accomplished and notable juror, soliciting sponsorship funds, and giving time, talent and commitment to the exhibition. The following are part of the team – thank you for all you do to support us.