Bordering on the Sacred

The Festival of the Sacred Arts is pleased to offer Scottish visual artists an opportunity to enter their work for inclusion in a week-long exhibition in the Undercroft of St Vincent’s Chapel, Stockbridge. The exhibition will form part of the 2026 Edinburgh Festival for the Sacred Arts which takes place between the 16th and 22nd August.

The theme of the exhibition is ‘Bordering on the Sacred’ and has been chosen to elicit (or stimulate) visual art that uses some of the boundaries of traditional Christian artefacts as a frame of reference within which to present freshly resonating figurative or abstract images. These frames of reference might be churchyard walls, church doorways, altarpiece frames, cloisters, printed borders in prayerbooks and missals, or similar recognizably Christian motifs.

Rules and Submission Instructions
A cluttered artist's workspace with paintbrushes, tools, and supplies on a wooden table, with a colorful abstract painting in the background.

The Undercroft

The Undercroft of St Vincent’s Chapel makes a fine exhibition space (see pictures below) and has regularly been used as such. Please note, however, that the entrance is at the foot of a stone stair and that there is no disabled access.

  • The submitted pieces, up to 150cm square in size, can be paintings, drawings, etchings, fabric, embroidery, or collages. Sculptures and installations are also eligible, subject to space available.

    A limited number of works for inclusion in the exhibition will be chosen by a panel, including Edinburgh artists David Grossart and Carol Marples, some of whose work will also be exhibited.

  • Submission will open on 1st March 2026 and close on May 1st 2026. The list of works selected for exhibition will be decided by June 1st.

  • Submission is free. Initial submissions should take the form of jpeg images sent as attachments to exhibition@edinburghsacredartsfestival.org . Up to three works may be submitted, with up to three images of each work. The images should include information on title, medium and size.

  • All submissions will be assessed anonymously and accordingly images should not include any indication of the identity of the artist. All personal details -- name, address, phone number, email, website, etc. -- must be confined to the accompanying email, which should also include the title.

  • Successful submissions may be offered for sale, subject to a commission of 15%. Once the final choice has been made, exhibitors will be sent detailed instructions about mounting and dismantling the exhibition.

Rules & Submission Instructions
Various open paint buckets in different colors on a concrete surface, with a person's hand stirring in a brown paint bucket.

Selection Panel

A woman with long hair and glasses smiling in front of a textured wall, wearing a sweater and a bold statement necklace.

Carol Marples

Bio Coming Soon

Black and white photo of a man in glasses wearing a blazer, holding a booklet or magazine.

Photo Coming Soon

David Grossart

Bio Coming Soon