Call for NC Sculptors: Sculpture in the Garden 2026

The North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill is seeking sculptors from across the state to put work forward for the next edition of Sculpture in the Garden, its long-running annual outdoor show that places three-dimensional work by local artists among the trails, gardens and natural landscapes of the grounds.

The garden is looking for a wide range of proposals, both abstract and figurative, in many materials and formats. Selected pieces are juried and then sited outdoors, where visitors encounter sculptures of different sizes and styles as they walk the grounds, creating a dialogue between human creativity and the natural environment. One stated aim of the program is to invite the public to reflect on the relationship between art and nature, with work that is accessible to people of all ages and levels of art experience.

The opportunity is open to North Carolina sculptors aged 18 and older who want to present original work outdoors. Because each artist is responsible for delivering, installing and later removing their work, the organizers especially encourage local North Carolina artists to take part. Artists may put forward up to two individual pieces, each juried independently; work does not have to be new but cannot have appeared in a previous Sculpture in the Garden show. The show itself runs from September 13 through December 6 and is free to the public during normal garden hours. The deadline to submit proposals is June 30.