Call Description

EXHIBITION DATES: January 30, 2026 – March 29, 2026

JUROR: Donna Gustafson 

AWARDS:
Special Exhibitions Committee Award: Up to three artists will be selected for a solo exhibition at The Center for Contemporary Art in 2027.
First Prize: $500
Second Prize: $250
Third Prize: $100

DATES & DEADLINES:
Submission Deadline: Thursday, November 13, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. MT
Artist Notification:Wednesday, December 10, 2025 (by email)
In Person Delivery and Receipt of Shipped Work: Monday, January 12 – Sunday, January 18, 2026 – note that the facility will be closed prior to January 5, 2026!
Exhibition Opening Reception: Friday, January 30, 2026
Pre-paid Artwork Return and In-Person Pick-Up: March 30 - April 5, 2026 during office hours

ABOUT THE JUROR: Donna Gustafson is a free-lance curator, critic, and writer based in New Jersey.  Previously she served as Chief Curator at the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University, Director of Exhibitions at the Hunterdon Art Museum, and Chief Curator at the American Federation of Arts in New York.  She has a PhD in Art History. Her curatorial resume includes major projects with publications such as George Segal: Themes and Variations; Angela Davis: Seize the Time; Subjective Objective: A Century of Social Photography; Striking Resemblance: The Changing Art of Portraiture; Guerrilla (and other) Girls: Art/Activism/Attitude; at/around/beyond: Fluxus at Rutgers;  and Images of the World Between: The Circus in Twentieth- Century American Art. She has also organized one-person exhibitions with Alonzo Adams, Diane Burko, Lalla Essaydi, Jesse Krimes, Jim Toia, Rachel Perry Welty, and group shows that featured the work of contemporary artists Yana Bystrova, LaToya Frazier, Coco Fusco, Steffani Jemison, Bonnie Lucas, Sheila Pepe, Juan Sanchéz, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Joan Snyder, Bently Spang, and Renée Stout, among others. Her exhibitions and research have been funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Andy Warhol Foundation, Luce Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Recently she was an invited critic-in-residence at the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts in New York.

ENTRY FEE:
$40 for up to three entries
$30 for Members of The Center for Contemporary Art & Art Educators

Entry fees are non-refundable

Your entry fee goes to cover the exhibition expenses and to help sustain the galleries at The Center, a non-profit organization serving artists for more than 50 years. In addition to the International Juried Exhibition, The Center's galleries exhibit emerging artists, artists from underrepresented communities, and artists from the regional area.

SPECIFICATIONS:
The exhibition will consist of two- and three-dimensional work in all media. Wall pieces must be wired for hanging and no larger than 36″ X 36″ (Dimensions include framing and mounting). Free-standing pieces may not exceed 32″ X 32″ X 48″ or weigh more than 75 lbs. Work across a variety of media and display solutions is encouraged. Accepted work cannot be substituted and must be available for the duration of the exhibit. Please contact The Center with questions about shipping concerns before you apply.

If your entry does not meet the specifications above it will not be considered by the juror for inclusion in this exhibition.

SUBMISSION:
Submit up to three JPG digital images. 
Upload options for image files:
File format: JPEG or JPG only
File dimensions: 1200 pixels or greater on the longest side
File size: 5 MB maximum
Information on how to resize your file can be found here.

VIDEO
File Type: MOV, MP4, WMV, 3GP, AVI, ASF, MPG, M2T, MKV, M2TS.
File Size: Under 100 MB.
Currently, linked media from YouTube, Vimeo, etc. is not accepted.

SHIPPING/DELIVERY OF ARTWORK:
The artist is responsible for the cost of shipping or mailing artwork to and from The Center for Contemporary Art using UPS, Fed-X or USPS. A return shipping label and return postage must be included with the artwork. Artwork may also be hand-delivered to and picked up from The Center for Contemporary Art on the appropriate dates during the scheduled times.

INSURANCE AND SALE OF ARTWORK:
All artwork is insured for its declared value from the time it is received through April 5, 2026 while it is on the premises. Artists are responsible for insuring artwork during transit. The Center for Contemporary Art receives a 40% commission on all exhibition sales.

MEDIA/PUBLIC RELATIONS: The Center for Contemporary Art reserves the right to use digital images of exhibited artwork for media, website, PR and advertising.

Application Requirements

Please provide an artist statement, CV/BIO.

Eligibility Criteria

The exhibition is open to artists age 18 and older