Above: Art on the Trails organizers are asking artists to start thinking about what they will contribute to install near the trails for the 10th annual summerlong exhibition at Beals Preserve. (images cropped from announcement 2017 flyer, and 2023 photo by Beth Melo)*
If like me, you’re getting a bit sick of the never-ending snow, you may want to take this chance to visualize the lush green Beals Preserve in summertime.
Organizers for the 2026 Art on the Trails exhibit have already opened up the submission window for their “Call for Art”.
It’s the 10th annual event, at Southborough Open Land Foundation’s Beals Preserve. And the milestone seems to have organizers reflecting on time.
This year’s theme is “Time in the Landscape”.
As explained on the Art on the Trails website, organizers are asking applicants:
to consider the land as an active witness to change and memory. Artists are encouraged to respond to questions such as:
- How does the land remember?
- What histories are embedded in soil, stone, trees, and water?
- How do seasons, climate, and natural cycles shape place over time?
- What traces do people leave behind as they move through the landscape?
The juror for this year’s exhibition is Lisa Barthelson — a multidisciplinary artist and three-time exhibitor in the show. You can learn more about her here (and see her contribution to last summer’s exhibit, #10 in the photo gallery “Frenzied Returns”, here.)
For the 6th year, accepted artists will receive a $100 stipend. (They can also use the exhibit to sell their installations, with 25% of the fees to be donated to SOLF.)
As always, submissions must adhere to their “Leave No Trace” policy. The art on the SOLF preserve must leave no permanent trace to the environment and be installed without harm to surrounding trees or vegetation.
The window for submissions is open through midnight on April 15th (with no extensions). Selections will be announced on May 5th. Works will be installed by artists on June 13th to be on display through September 13th. (The trails are generally open to the public from dawn to dusk.)
Those interested in potentially applying can request a guided tour of the site.
If you’re feeling inspired, or think you know someone who might be, you can check out the website here and the full submission guidelines here. (You can also look at past coverage and photos on the blog here.)
Each year, the exhibit is also used to inspire poetry for a chapbook. Stay tuned for news on a Call for Poetry later this summer.
Once again, the outdoor exhibit is made possible through support from the Southborough Community Fund, SOLF, the Southborough Cultural Arts Council, and the Mass Cultural Council, along with local business sponsors.
Updated (3/4/26 8:13 am): When I posted yesterday Facebook was down. Today, it’s back up, and I realized the credit for the original photo linked to a Facebook post that appears to no longer be available. So, I replaced the images.
