Tioga Arts Council (TAC), in partnership with Cloud Croft Studios (CCS), is excited to announce its ninth juried regional art exhibition, Everyday Life, Every Day Art. The Opening Night & Awards Ceremony will be on Friday, August 21, 2026. After the opening, the exhibition will run from August 22 to September 26, 2026. It will feature work from artists within a 100-mile radius of Owego, encompassing 25 counties in New York and Pennsylvania. For every artwork sold in the exhibition, 80% of proceeds will go to the artist and 20% of the commission will go towards TAC’s Beyond the Gallery services, such as Art a la Carte—a unique arts education program and partnership between TAC and the Tioga County Food for Families.
About
The objective of Everyday Life, Every Day Art is to demonstrate that when the arts thrive, the community thrives. Our model aims to promote exceptional art in a unique and inviting venue, while supporting Tioga Arts Council’s (TAC) service-based programming known as “Beyond the Gallery.”
2026 Award Categories
Best in Show: ($1,000)
Painting: ($200)
Photography: ($200)
Sculpture: ($200)
Fiber: ($200)
Ceramics: ($200)
Mixed Media: ($200)
Drawing & Illustration: ($200)
Printmaking: ($200)
Folk Art ($200)
Traditional Fine Craft: ($200)
Honorable Mention 1: ($50)
Honorable Mention 2: ($50)
The Betty Bryden & Tom Canouse Award: ($150)
Submissions
It is $15 per submission, with a maximum of three submissions per artist. Entry fees can be paid online, by cash, or a check to Tioga Arts Council prior to or at Artwork Drop-Off. All submission fees are non-refundable. The online submission form is available at: http://weblink.donorperfect.com/eleda_registration_2026
Important Dates
July 31 (The online application is to gauge intent to submit, and it will close on Friday, July 31, at 12:00 p.m. If you miss it, that is okay. Paper forms will be available at drop off. This expedites the process and data management.)
August 1, 2, 3 (Artwork Drop Off, in-person at Cloud Croft Studios - Barn from 12 - 4 p.m.)
August 5 (Live adjudication)
August 8, 9, 10 (Unselected Artwork Pick-Up, in-person at Cloud Croft Studios from 12 - 4 p.m.)
August 21 (Invitation-Only Opening Night & Awards Ceremony from 5 - 8 p.m.)
August 22 - September 26 (Exhibition open to the public, Th. - Sun. from 12 - 4 p.m.)
September 26 (Last Day of the Exhibition)
September 27, 28 (Unsold/Sold Artwork P/U from 12 - 4 p.m.)
Artwork Sales
All artwork must be for sale, and a 20% commission will be taken on all sales. The commission will support TAC’s Beyond the Gallery programs, such as Art a la Carte, which brings arts-enrichment activities to children and families who are food insecure and utilize summer meal sites in Tioga County.
This Year – Artist Emeritus
In recognition of being selected as Best in Show two years in a row and to celebrate his important art contributions to ELEDA, Brian Keeler will be honored with our 2026 Artist Emeritus Award. In addition to this recognition, Brian will receive a free entry into ELEDA and an honorarium. His work will be exempt from the adjudication and award process.
Cover Art
Natalie Montefinese’s picture of Tim Jackson’s Perennial Balance will be the featured artwork for 2026 Everyday Life, Every Day Art. Thank you, Natalie, for supporting this event and allowing us to feature your work.
Note: A paper form is available HERE. However, digital form submissions are encouraged.
Jurors
Mark Anthony Brown Jr. (b. 1991) is a journeyman. An itinerant approach to living has influenced how he has chosen to navigate the current social landscape and indelibly his art practice. He currently lives and works between Cincinnati, Durham, Atlanta and now, Ithaca, New York. His practice is research driven and interdisciplinary; with a photographic sensibility at its foundation, it spans sculpture, drawing and printmaking with interests in vernacular aesthetic practices & sensibilities, critical engagements with the vernacular landscape and the manifestation of Afrikan cultural retentions in the diaspora.. In conjunction with his art practice, Mark is also an archivist and an educator, currently serving as a Visiting Faculty at Cornell University as a Strauch Early Career Fellow in Art.
Greg Chianis was born in 1961 to a university professor father and elementary school teacher mother, Greg A. Chianis, AIA has been designing and building projects of all shapes and sizes for people since he was fifteen years old. Upon graduation in 1986 from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Engineering, Chianis was well prepared for his return to New York and the beginning of his new career. In 2001, Mr. Chianis co-founded Chianis + Anderson Architects, an eighteen-person firm, with offices in Binghamton, New York. His professional career has focused on the design and creation of meaningful Healthcare facilities and welcoming places for healing. He is licensed in four US states.
His intense passion for photography began shortly after a painful three-year long treatment process for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma cancer, which concluded in 2010. The battle with this life-threatening disease changed his life forever, and he soon realized that every minute mattered. In a strange, yet uniquely positive way, his illness had heightened his awareness of the surrounding environment. Photography not only became a passion, but a daily way of life. From his home in Newark Valley, New York, Mr. Chianis has travelled extensively to many parts of Europe and throughout the United States to capture the natural landscape and unique and intriguing manmade objects.
Having no formal training or photographic education, Mr. Chianis is self-taught from trial and error. In addition to his work with digital media, Mr. Chianis has developed a deep curiosity and interest in analog film photography that includes the use of the pinhole, 35mm, medium format, and large format cameras and equipment. He has custom designed and self-constructed a professional quality darkroom laboratory to serve as a venue for his experimentation with the film medium. He is honored to have had his work selected for display in many of the buildings that he has designed under his professional role as project architect as well as the recipient of many photographic awards. His imagery can also be found in a variety of commercial environments and individual, private collections. In addition to these permanent installations, he has held several solo exhibitions that have focused on various themes and special interest projects. Mr. Chianis resides in Newark Valley, New York with his wife Luciana.
Roger Hanson is an artist and interior designer based in Owego, New York, known for his intuitive, expressive approach to both disciplines. A self-taught artist who began working in pastels before transitioning to acrylics, he views art as a pathway to the subconscious and a means of deep personal connection. He regularly teaches The Art of Connection in Japan, guiding students to release control and create from a place of allowance where unexpected, transformative work can emerge. Locally, he has contributed to notable projects including the Kilmer Mansion in Binghamton and The Estates on Main in Owego, and is the founder and executive director of The Story Waters Foundation for Conscious Transformation, supporting the literary arts through workshops, residencies, and retreats.