ELECTED STATUS
Associate and Signature are the FCA’s elected designations. They are awarded by a jury of peers — they cannot be bought, and being accepted into exhibitions does not earn them.
Associate and Signature Status stand for a high level of excellence achieved by the individual artist. The core difference between the two: an Associate (AFCA) has achieved an extremely high degree of technical skill, while a Signature (SFCA) is seen to have also found their own artistic voice.
Jurying for both is done by the Selection Committee — between 20 and 30 Signature members. This is a jury by peers, by artists who themselves have decades of professional experience.
Exhibition acceptance alone is not enough.
Being accepted into FCA exhibitions is part of the road to Associate or Signature membership, but it does not by itself earn the designation. To get into an exhibition an artist must paint at the quality level of an Exhibiting member. What the Selection Committee expects of an Associate or a Signature member is considerably higher.
Applying for Elected Status
One intake a year. Jurying for Elected Status happens once per year, in the fall. No more than 60 applicants are accepted into each intake, so apply early rather than close to the deadline.
Two designations, one committee. Whether you are applying for AFCA or SFCA, the same Selection Committee of 20 to 30 Signature members reviews your work.
It runs in two stages. Applications are pre-screened first. Applicants who pass pre-screening deliver physical artwork to the gallery, and the committee judges the work in person.
2026 Selection Committee schedule
- August 15, 2026Autumn intake application deadline
- August 22 to September 5Application pre-screening
- September 12Pre-screening results issued by this date at the latest
- October 1 to 15Delivery window for artwork from successful pre-screened applicants
- October 18Selection Committee meeting (Board of Governors): jurying
- October 19Acceptance and decline notifications sent to applicants
- October 20First day of exhibition
- October 29Return shipping begins; unsuccessful applicants may pick up work
- November 1Final day of exhibition
- November 5Exhibition artwork available for pick-up and return shipping
Please plan ahead and apply early.
See the standard
These are past years’ successful applicants. Before you apply, watch a few. They are the clearest indication available of where your work needs to be before an application is worth making.
Before you apply
The benefits and responsibilities that come with Elected Status are set out in the FCA Policy Manual. Read it before you apply — it is the document the Selection Committee works from.
If you have questions about the process, the Membership Coordinator can help: [email protected] or 604-681-8534.
Not every acceptance counts
national calls with a deadline this season count toward Elected Status. The rest are worth entering, but they do not build your case.
Elected Status is argued from a record of accepted work, and each call carries a flag saying whether an acceptance there contributes to that record. Before you pay an entry fee with your application in mind, check the call: the calls index marks which ones qualify.