Happy Accidents Art Show Prospectus

LOCATION: Fort Myers Beach Art Association Gallery, 13451 McGregor Blvd., Ste #1, Fort Myers, Florida 33919

SHOW RUN DATES: October 28, 2026 through December 7, 2026

ENTRY DEADLINE: On-Line Entry Only – www.fortmyersbeachart.com,

Entry Deadline midnight 10/25/26

RECEIVING: Tuesday, October 27, 2026 from 9:00 am to Noon 

AWARDS RECEPTION: Friday, October 30, 2026 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm (FMBAA gallery) 

REMOVAL: Tuesday, December 8, 2026 from 9:00 am to Noon. 

FEES: FMBAA members $35 for one or two entries. An entry is defined by what hangs on 1 hook.

ELIGIBILITY: Open to All current FMBAA members in good standing.  Membership dues must be current. 

NUMBER OF ENTRIES: up to 2 entries per artist

JUDGE:  Neil Walling

AWARDS: Lee Ackert Memorial Best of Show: $300, 1st place: $250; 2nd: $200; 3rd place $150; Maya Bryant Plein Air: $100, Merit (3): $50 each; Honorable Mentions (3): $35 each.

HANGING SPACE: The gallery has room for about 60-70 paintings, depending on size.  This is a juried show, if your painting is not accepted you will be notified after judging.

MEDIA: This is an open-theme exhibition. Two-dimensional paintings including drawings, watercolor, oils, acrylic, pastel, collage, hand pulled prints, serigraphs, woodcuts and batik are acceptable. Diptychs or triptychs will be treated as individual pieces and may or may not be hung together. No sculpture, photography, computer art, laser, reprints, giclée or iris prints.

WALL LABELS: We will preprint the wall labels.  All artwork must have a title.  TBD is not a title.  Only the items you enter in this form will be accepted. 

BACK LABELS: All pieces must have a back label with at least the artist’s name and title. 

FRAMING REQUIREMENTS: (All Art must meet framing requirements and be properly prepared for installation prior to arrival.)  All paints must be thoroughly dried before entering. 

• Artwork should not exceed 50” in any direction, including framing.

• Artwork should not exceed 30 pounds in weight.

• Frames that are accompanied by mats: both frames and mats must be clean and in optimal condition. 

• Frames must be robust and securely fastened, ensuring no loose glazing. 

• Watercolor – half sheet size and larger: pieces with glazing – must be glazed with acrylic/plexiglass instead of glass. 

• Paintings on canvas: Paintings must continue over the edges to the back or have sides painted/finished.  No staples are to be visible; Depth under 1.5” must be framed; Depth 1.5” or greater – frame is not required but must have finished edges. 

• Wire on the back is required.  All pieces must have a hanging wire attached.  Picture wire is required on all pieces and the ends must be taped. No D-rings, gallery clips or saw-tooth hangers accepted.

• When hung, the center of wire must hang at least 3” from the top of the frame and the ends taped.  

• Please make sure your artwork is labeled on the back with at least your name and the name of the piece. We will provide all wall display labels.

• All artwork must be clean 

• All paints and varnishes must be completely dry. 

• Please make sure your mats are clean.

ELIGIBLE ENTRIES:  

• All paintings must have been completed within the 3-year rule (on or after October 28, 2023).  

• Work must be original and cannot have been previously exhibited at the FMBAA. 

• All paintings must be conceived by the artist, painted without the help or assistance of another artist, and not painted in a class or workshop.

• Paintings may be shown only once a season (October-April) at any FMBAA juried show.  

• Any paintings that have won an award in any juried and/or judged show except for Honorable Mention and Merit award are ineligible for entry into any juried and/or judged shows at FMBAA.

• FMBAA reserves the right to exclude any painting with a subject matter deemed inappropriate.

EXHIBITION:  

• Buyers may remove paintings at the time of sale.  All remaining pieces must be picked up on the set day of removal.  We do not have storage space at the gallery to store your artwork.  If you cannot pick up your artwork on the designated “pick up” day, please make arrangements to have someone do it for you. 

• It is the artist’s responsibility to read and to comply with the rules and regulations as presented in this Prospectus for the show named above.  

• Noncompliance will lead to retraction of award.  

• Completing the Entry Form is equivalent to “signing this agreement” and states that you do comply and give permission for pictures to be taken of your artwork for use for publicity purposes.

• The placement of all work is at the discretion of the hanging Committee.

JURIED OUT PIECES must be picked up before the awards reception. You will receive a phone call after judging with detailed instructions. The judge determines how many pieces will be juried out.

COMMISSION: 20% Commission will be paid to the FMBAA.  Your sales price should include the commission. NFS (Not for Sale) is not acceptable.  All pieces you enter must be available for sale. 

PAYOUTS: Artist Payouts will be sent after the show ends.