FUTURE TENSE 2025
SDA Juried Student Exhibition

Held in partnership with The University of Arizona's Joseph Gross Gallery, August 19 - November 21, 2025.   

EXHIBITION: Surface Design Association (SDA) invites students to submit work for the annual SDA Juried Student Exhibition, FUTURE TENSE 2025. Exhibiting artists are eligible for four awards recognizing excellence in artistic practice. Entries may be submitted online through May 16, 2025 via CaFÉ.

FUTURE TENSE 2025 will celebrate the creative work of student artists, designers, and makers working with or inspired by fiber or textile materials or techniques. FUTURE TENSE 2025 offers a glimpse into the future of contemporary fibers by presenting the very best work being made by students in the field today. All

 SDA member and non-member students working in any media are encouraged to apply.

JUROR: Ann Morton exploits traditional textile techniques as conceptual tools for aesthetic, social communication to examine a society of which we are all a part—as bystanders, participants, victims, and perpetrators. Having begun her professional career as an environmental graphic designer, she earned her MFA in 2023 from Arizona State University's Herberger Institute School of Art. She currently is a practicing artist and instructor at Mesa Community College. Her work has been featured in numerous publications, including FiberArts, 1000 Artisan Textiles, American Craft, Surface Design Journal, Creative Placemaking (from the National Endowment for the Arts), and was included in the film documentary Violet Protest: A Creative Call for National Unity (2024). Her work has been exhibited at Arizona State University in Tempe, the Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts in Grand Rapids, and the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, among other institutions. She is represented by Lisa Sette Gallery in Phoenix, Arizona.

ENTRY FEES: 

$20 SDA student members/ $25 non-member students. Join today to apply at the SDA member price and and get 10% off your membership with the code SDAEXHIBITS. Student memberships start at $60.

ENTRY PROCEDURE: 

Entries are accepted online through CaFÉ Call for Entry website. The entry deadline is May 16, 2025.

AWARDS:

First Place                  $300
Second Place             $200
Third Place                 $100
Honorable Mention     SDA Award of Excellence

IMPORTANT DATES:

• February 10, 2025: Call opens
• May 16, 2025: Entry deadline
• June 17, 2025: Artist Notification
• July 21, 2025: Work due at gallery
• August 19, 2025: Exhibition Opens
• November 21, 2025: Exhibition Closes

Surface Design Association, a 501c3 non-profit textile arts organization founded in 1977, is dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of textile-inspired art and design through publications, exhibitions and events. Visit us at www.surfacedesign.org.  For questions, contact info@surfacedesign.org.

This exhibition is held partnership with The University of Arizona's Joseph Gross Gallery.

Application Requirements

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:

1. Name, address (and shipping address if different), telephone, email.
2. Up to 3 works total may be submitted. Juror requests one overall and at least one detail of each full original artwork. Six images total may be submitted per entrant.
3. 2D & 3D: Full and detail images - Upload options for image files:
   • File format: JPEG only
   • File dimensions: must be 1200 pixels or greater on the longest side
   • File resolution: 72 ppi/dpi (standard web resolution)
   • File size: 5 MB maximum
4. Video: Not to exceed 700 MB per sample, mp4 format only, 3 minute max, either 1280x800 or 2560x800
5. Audio: Not to exceed 10MB
6. A brief description accompanying each image of work submitted.
7. A brief artist statement (100-150 words maximum, cannot exceed 1000 characters). Since this is a blind jury process, please do not include identifying information in the statement.

INSURANCE: 

Artists are responsible for insurance during transit to the gallery. Invited artists must complete The University of Arizona's Joseph Gross Gallery.Gallery Artist Agreement (deadline TBA) which includes insurance details. Work will be insured while at The University of Arizona's Joseph Gross Gallery. 

SHIPPING:  

Complete shipping instructions will be sent with the acceptance notification letter. Artists are responsible for shipping costs both to and from FUTURE TENSE 2025 (including insurance during transit) by providing a prepaid shipping label with the shipped art for return shipping. All artwork must arrive at the Joseph Gross Gallery no later than July 21, 2025. 

PHOTOGRAPHIC GUIDELINES:  

Artists are strongly encouraged to submit images for this call for entry that presents the work to its best advantage. Photographs should give a sense of how the artwork “sits” or “hangs.” Detail photographs are important to show the technical excellence of the work; they can highlight special areas that might not be obvious in the full shot of the work. Resources and tips for photographing work are available online here and here. 

Works accepted in the exhibition must be available to be photographed individually or in exhibition installation shots for advertising and publicity during the entire run of the exhibition.

Audio and video works will be included in the exhibition in their entirety. 

Eligibility Criteria

ELIGIBILITY:       

This exhibition is open to all student* artists. Up to three pieces may be submitted per artist. 2D, 3D, video and audio works are eligible. Entries must be original work completed after 1/1/2023.

*SDA defines ‘student’ as someone who is engaged in a mentor/mentee relationship with a knowledgeable instructor in their field, for the purpose of gaining instruction. This includes, but is not limited to: institutional settings including K-12; community organizations; craft institutions; visual art organizations; intergenerational learning environments, and other experiences in which an individual may learn/absorb/practice/create new skills and knowledge over a period of time.

Entries that do not meet the stated requirements will not be considered. Artists who have been included in prior SDA exhibitions are encouraged to apply, but work should show a progression or be from a different body of work. Works previously exhibited with SDA will not be considered. No substitutions for accepted work may be made. Accepted artwork that differs significantly from image in online submission may be disqualified. Accepted works must be available for the duration of the exhibition.