Call Description

 Berkeley Art Center

2026 Juried Members Exhibition

June 13 - August 15, 2026

Deadline to Apply: March 27, 2026

CALLING ALL BAC ARTIST MEMBERS! 

Applications are now open for the 2026 Members' Exhibition at the Berkeley Art Center. This exhibition will be juried by Jackie Im and Aaron Harbour, Directors of Et. al.. We invite artists living and working in the San Francisco Bay Area to submit their best works. This open call will consider all artwork mediums and themes. 

Submitting work is free for current members. New and renewing members can sign up at a sliding scale on our website. Two Juror Spotlight Award winners will be selected and invited to participate in an Artist Conversation with the Jurors. Our Audience Award will be announced at the exhibition closing. Award winners will receive special consideration. See below for more information!

ABOUT THE JURORS

Jackie Im is a curator based in Oakland, CA. She is the co-founder and Director of Et al., San Francisco, alongside Aaron Harbour. She also currently serves as the Acting Director of Galleries and Public Programs at the San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) Galleries. She has organized exhibitions at the Wattis Institute of Contemporary Art, Queens Nails, The Lab, Important Projects, MacArthur B Arthur, and SFAC Galleries. Im was the co-curator of the 2024 Oregon Contemporary Artists’ Biennial at Oregon Contemporary in Portland. Her writing has appeared in Fillip Magazine, Variable West, Art Practical, San Francisco Arts Quarterly, among others. She holds a BA in Art History from Mills College and an MA in Curatorial Practice from California College of the Arts.

Aaron Harbour is a writer, curator, and DJ living in Oakland, CA, who received some education at the San Francisco Art Institute. Alongside Jackie Im, he directs the exhibition and event space Et al. in San Francisco. He has curated and exhibited shows locally and elsewhere, and produces a music podcast called 'Timber!'.

Et al. is a gallery directed by Jackie Im and Aaron Harbour. The gallery serves as a site for exhibitions and events, working with its select roster as well as other local and international artists, performers, writers, publishers, and curators. Et al. was founded in 2013 by Im, Harbour, and Facundo Argañaraz, in the basement of Union Cleaners in San Francisco's Chinatown, as a continuation of Im and Harbour’s curatorial project. In 2017, Et al. opened its second location, Et al., etc., a storefront gallery in the Mission, and worked closely with Kevin Krueger, who continues to assist now and then. In 2024, the Chinatown location closed after 11 years in operation. https://etaletc.com/

Et al. books is a new and used bookstore that operates out of Et al.’s Mission location. Open in 2021, it continues to expand its scope, with high-quality books in many genres. Et al./Et al. books host all manner of readings and events in the space.

TIMELINE: 

• Submission Deadline: March 17, 2026, by 10:59 pm PT.
• Accepted Artists Notified: Late April 2026
• Artwork Delivery Dates: Last week of May 2026 or by appointment
• Exhibition Dates: June 13 - August 15, 2026
• Artist's Reception: Saturday, June 13, 3-5 pm
• Closing Reception: Saturday, August 15, 3-5 pm
• Artwork Pick Up: Saturday, August 15, 4-5 pm, or by appointment

Application Requirements

• Individual artists can submit up to 5 recent artworks. Applications with more than 5 works will automatically be eliminated.
• Artists must fill out a submission form. No artwork will be accepted without a fully completed form.
• Artworks can be 2D and 3D in any medium. Video and sound pieces are welcome.
• Please provide a brief artist or project statement (500 words maximum).
• To accommodate and properly display all submitted work, 2D works must not exceed 30 x 30 inches, including the frames. Freestanding 3D sculpture must not exceed 48 x 24 inches in any other dimension. To ensure fairness to all exhibiting artists, BAC will not accept entries that exceed the stated size limits. BAC will provide pedestals for exhibition.
• Works must be ready-to-hang. Pieces with special hanging requirements must include hardware and a clear, typed set of instructions.
• Artists must provide all necessary equipment for sound and video works.
• Artwork must be clearly labeled on the back of the piece with the artist's name and artwork information, unless the nature of the work makes it impossible.
• Please note: Artist selection notifications will be sent directly to artists from CaFÉ. The Berkeley Art Center will not be sending individual notifications to each artist. If you have not received a notification by the end of April, please check your spam folder for an email from CaFÉ.

Eligibility Criteria

• Any artist who resides in the Bay Area may submit artwork. This includes the following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma.
• Artists working in all mediums. Works must be original to the artist.
• Artists must be current members of the Berkeley Art Center during the open call and exhibition period.
  • You can apply to be a member today here!
  • Artist Membership is sliding-scale, and benefits include:
    • Members-only newsletter with artist/community resources
    • Discounts on classes & workshops
    • Invitation to special events, artist talks, and lectures
    • Listing in BAC's Online Arist Directory
    • One entry to BAC's Juried Members' Exhibition
  • If you are not sure of your membership status, please contact info@berkeleyartcenter.org.