Call Description

When life’s rhythms are interrupted and off kilter, we feel the earth shifting, our life routines interrupted. Whether a personal loss, familial upheaval, societal conflict, shifting economics, new technology, human-made or natural disasters, our lives become flooded with images, volcanic upheaval – a tsunami of emotions that uproot and shift our perceptions and visions.

Each generation considers their challenges as unique, that this has never been seen before, but history tells a different story. Upheaval and change have many faces. The Pax Romana, a 200-year period of dominance by the Roman Empire appeared relatively orderly and stable (27BCE-180BCE). Yet at the same time was religious upheaval that altered the world as “they” knew it. The new Christian movement set the stage for the monoletheistic belief inherited from the Jews and opened the way for Islam, the crusades. Later the same passion transformed political trends: Tsarism, Communism, Democracy.

Within any life or time, the challenge of order and change, comfort and alienation, has challenged artists such as Diego Rivera, Anselm Keifer, Frida Kahlo, Edvard Munch, Andres Serrano, Bruce Davidson, Tracy Emin, Alexis Rockman, Andy Wahol, Michaelangelo, Dorothea Lange, Tim Rollins, El Greco, David Hockney, Danny Lyon, Banksy and others, to present works that reflect what troubles us or touches us, makes us feel the in-security of balancing on a high wire or within the comfort of a blanket.

We are calling on artists to use their creativity and art to examine who we are today as individuals and groups, in society and in private. We seek artists to look with a critical eye on the past, the present, and the future and transpose their thought into a work of art that resonates with feeling and opens the road to interpretation.

RECOGNITION: 
Viewer's Choice from an in-person visit will recognize the top three works. An Artist’s Membership will be awarded to them.

Application Requirements

Name, address, website, e-mail, mobile

$50.00 per HVMOCA Artist Member application
$75 per non-member application
Link to membership: https://www.hudsonvalleymoca.org/membership

Artist statement (1000 words or less)

Up to 5 images

Applications through CaFE only. NO mail-in applications

DATES:

Submission Deadline: Dec. 6, 2025

Notification to artists: January 6 (both accepted and declined)

Opening Reception: February 7, 2026, 3-5pm

Exhibition Dates:  February 7 - April 30, 2026.

GUIDELINES FOR ARTWORK:

All two-dimensional work must be framed and/or ready for installation with hanging hardware, wire, or d-rings already installed on work, and the entire work must not exceed 84 inches in any dimension. The work cannot exceed 75 pounds. Pieces without hanging hardware will not be included in the exhibition.
Three-dimensional work cannot exceed 84 inches in any dimension and should be accompanied by a pedestal/or be ready for display as a freestanding or self-containing work. Work cannot exceed 100 lbs.

All work requiring assembly or any work with a complex installation procedure must be accompanied by a detailed set of installation instructions with reference photos from previous installations. Verbal instructions will not suffice.

Hudson Valley MOCA prohibits glitter, wet paint, sharp objects, open flames, balloons, spray (perfumes, hairsprays, etc), dangerous chemicals, weapons, pressurized containers, plants or animals (alive or dead), hazardous materials (explosive, flammable, or perishable), decaying materials (visible mold or insect infestation), or anything deemed harmful to the Museum’s collection. Anything of question should be cleared by contacting: joann.brody@hudsonvalleymoca.org.

SELECTED WORKS: Artworks considered unsuitable for hanging/presentation will be refused. Curatorial staff reserves the right to refuse an artwork that is misrepresented through documentation or is not the piece selected by the juror.

SHIPPED ARTWORK:  The deadline for receipt of shipped artwork is between Jan. 13 - 24, 2026. If work is not at Hudson Valley MOCA by January 24, 2026, we reserve the right to not include it in the exhibition. Any artwork being shipped must include return postage/shipping fee received before the end of the exhibition (April 30, 2026). In the case of inadequate or nonexistent return postage and non-communication from the artist, works will be considered abandoned property and disposed of as Hudson Valley MOCA sees fit. All artwork should be packaged in a manner that will allow for the materials to be re-used for return shipping. Otherwise please include materials for return packaging. Please do not ship artwork with packing peanuts. Works should be shipped via FEDEX (mark hold for pickup) and ship to Jo-Ann Brody, Hudson Valley MOCA care of Walgreens, 1201 Main Street, Peekskill NY 10566; UPS (mark hold for pickup) and ship to Jo-Ann Brody,  HVMOCA care of Staples, 3333 Crompond Rd, Yorktown Heights NY 10598. Please include the phone number on your label: 914-788-0100. USPS PO Box 209, Peekskill NY 10566. Please email the tracking number to joann.brody@hudsonvalleymoca.org.

Hudson Valley MOCA is open Thursday and Saturday 11-5pm (only).

HAND DELIVERED ARTWORK: Hudson Valley MOCA will accept hand deliveries of accepted works on Jan. 15, 17, 22, and 24, or by appointment. Work can be delivered to Hudson Valley MOCA, 1701 Main St, Peekskill, NY between 11:00 am - 4:00 pm. Hand delivered works can be picked up from Hudson Valley MOCA on May 2, 7, 9, and 10 and by appointment thereafter.

SALES: We encourage the sale of artwork and take 50% commission on sales; however work does not have to be for sale if selected for the exhibition. Hudson Valley MOCA will create a price list for those who ask for it. 

INSURANCE: Hudson Valley MOCA provides insurance onsite for the duration of installation, the exhibition, and de-installation, but is not responsible for the artwork during transit to or from the museum. Artists may choose to buy their own insurance. Please note that insurance company valuations are usually based on a history of sales as well as auction records, not on perceived value by the artist. Insurance claims are all referred directly to our insurance company.  HVMOCA is not personally liable for loss or damage outside of insurance adjusters settlements.

Eligibility Criteria

Artists from across the United States, 18 years or older. Original works only, executed during the past three years that have never been exhibited at Hudson Valley MOCA.