The Theme of This  Year’s Annual Karen Walanka Exhibition is:

KING DAVID
דוד מלך ישראל חי וקים
David, King of Israel, lives and endures

Rabbenu Bachya says that David’s kingdom, which is compared to the moon, will renew itself like the moon; and the Jews will return to their husband, God.   The Talmud (BT Rosh Hashanah 25a) tells us, that Rabbi Chiyya, wishing to spot the sliver of new moon at the right time, saw to his dismay that the waning moon was still visible on the morning of the twenty-ninth of the month.  He took a clump of earth and threw it at the moon, saying: This evening we need to sanctify you, i.e., the new moon must be visible tonight so that we may declare the thirtieth of the month as the New Moon, and you are still standing here? Go and coveryourself for now, so that the new moon will be seen only after nightfall.  The Talmud further relates that Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi once said to Rabbi Chiyya: Go to a place called Ein Tav and sanctify the New Moon there, and send me a sign that you have sanctified it.  The sign is: David, king of Israel, lives and endures.” King David!  One of the most colorful characters in Tenakh!  He was the youngest and most unlikely son of his father, who did not even belong to the Royal house, to be anointed the future king of Israel.  He played the harp for King Saul, who was depressed, but Saul threw a spear at him and he fled.  He was a rebel fighting a guerrilla war against King Saul, but also the best friend of Saul’s son Jonathan.  He illegally took the showbread of the mishkan when he was hungry.  He brought the Ark with the stone tablets of the Law back to Israel and danced in front of it despite his wife’s objections.  After he became the king he fought may wars and expanded his reign.  He had several wives and a couple of affairs.  He arranged the death of the husband of Bathsheba, whom he coveted.  His many sons fought each other.  After his death, Solomon, the son of his favorite wife Bathsheba, succeeded him and built the Temple in Jerusalem, which David himself had been forbidden to build because he had too much blood on his hands after waging all those wars.  David was hotheaded, pious, and musical.  He composed Psalms.  He had experienced love, death, betrayal, loyalty, loneliness, and victory.  His reign and kingdom will renew itself and return and last forever.

He is the subject of many pages of the books of Samuel, Kings, and Psalms, and many more midrashim, songs, and stories.

He is great food for artists!  Our art keeps renewing itself as well.

Curators: Robin Atlas and Shoshannah Brombacher

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Deadline to Submit:  Sunday, July 20, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. in your time zone.
Notification of Acceptance:  Sunday, August 31, 2025
Exhibit Opens:  Wednesday, September 10, 2025

PROSPECTUS
The Online Exhibition is open to all professional artists, including current and Chaverim members of the American Guild of Judaic Art, as well as non-members. The exhibit will run for one year online on our website.

●  As a benefit of membership, the $18 submission fee is waived for our members and Chaverim members.
●  Non-Guild members will be charged a submission fee of $18, which will be applied to your membership dues if you decide to join the AGJA by July 20, 2025, the date that the call for art ends.
●  No commission will be taken by the AGJA from any sales made during this exhibition; all proceeds will go to the artist.

Submission Guidelines
●  All professional artists at any stage in their career are invited to submit.
●  Work should be created within the last five (5) years.
●  Please use the submission form which you will find here  and on our website: www.jewishart.org. We only accept submissions using this form. Please use only one form per entry.

Please note there is a “drag and drop” box that allows you to upload everything – images and text and other info all in the same place and received by us as a single email. Please get permission from the curators first if you want to use more than one submission form.
●  Images: Artists may submit up to three (3) digital images of their work.
●  2d and 3d work (in any medium, traditional, and non-traditional) will be considered.
●  Please label your images as follows: lastname.firstname.title.
●  Image Size: Images should not exceed 10 MB per file but look nice and sharp.
●  Please send only JPEG or PNG.
●  A title list with the artist’s name, title of artwork you are submitting, creation date, medium and dimensions.
●  Your CV/Resume.
●  A short bio (no more than 160 words).
●  A paragraph (100 words max) describing how each piece you are submitting relates to the theme.
●  Your website address (if appropriate) and your email, etc., if you want people to contact you.
●  Text must be in Word, Pages, or PDF and images in PNG or JPEG format.

Submissions in other formats or in several separate PDFs or emails will not be accepted!

• A professional artist profile page (general members only – not available at the Chaverim/Circle of Friends level)
• Ability to apply for fiscal sponsorship and grant funding for your projects by partnering with the Guild and it’s fiscal sponsor JCI – (see the AGJA grant section on our website for more info.)
• Ability to apply for AGJA yearly grant funding (four awards yearly, two $1000 grants artist and artisant grant; an educators grant of $750; and an emerging artist grant of $750 – see the AGJA grant section on our website for more info.)
• Opportunity to promote your work and events in our quarterly newsletter Hiddur
• Opportunity to expand your audience through exposure on AGJA’s social media sites
• Free and exclusive listings for our teaching artists to promote your workshops and lectures on our Educational Resources Directory
• Free entry to the annual Karen Walanka Online Exhibition

JOIN TODAY

Questions? Email us at: [email protected]