Call Description

Worcester Center for Crafts’ Hot Night in the City Gallery Exhibition - Curated by:
Interdisciplinary Artist and Worcester State Professor of Visual Art Brad Chapman Bleau

The city after dark hits different.

“Hot Night in the City” is an open call for artists bringing their freshest, newest, and most exciting work. We’re looking for pieces that haven't quite cooled off yet - work that pushes boundaries, experiments, compels, and demands attention.

We invite artists to present their newest works (or work made recently and rarely shown) at one of the city’s hottest nights.

Hot Night in the City is both a platform and a moment - an invitation to unveil what is burning, and to place it into dialogue with the city, the night, and a discerning audience.

DATES:
Results Announced by: June 13 + 14
Artwork Drop Offs: July 9, 10, 11
Opening: Hot Night in the City, July 17, 4-9pm
On View: July 17 - August 8, 2026

ABOUT BRAD:
Brad Chapman Bleau’s work is situated in visual and material culture, exploring themes of surrealism, memento mori, and tattoo iconography. He is a painter and sculptor who constructs knowledge by engaging in deep, meaningful dialogue with process and material. Growing up in the outskirts of Worcester, Brad Chapman Bleau moved to Boston in 2010, receiving his BFA in Illustration from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. He then moved back to Worcester in 2017, and began his graduate studies in a low residency program at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont. After receiving his MFA in Interdisciplinary Art in 2022, and began as an adjunct professor of art at Worcester State University, as well as curator of the Mary Cosgrove Dolphin Art Gallery. Brad now holds the position of full-time visiting Instructor at Worcester State, teaching classes from drawing and painting, to illustration and tattoo design. His work has been shown in numerous galleries and museums across Massachusetts, and has won several awards including ArtsWorcester’s Material Needs grant in 2022, 3rd place in Fitchburg Art Museum’s 88th Annual Regional Exhibition of Art and Craft, and the Sara Parker painting prize during their 85th exhibition.

@bradtheartist
www.bradchapmanbleau.weebly.com

ABOUT HOT NIGHT IN THE CITY:
Celebrating the “hot” processes and traditions of craft creation, the Worcester Center for Crafts’ Hot Night in the City practically combusts each summer with music, food, drinks, the opening of an exhibit, and fun around the flames. All are welcome as we explore the hot processes of craft in and outside of the Center.

The dusk darkness dissipates as Craft Center artists demonstrate their profession in our studios. There is a lot of hands-on fun for the fearless and demonstrations for the appreciator. We hold Hot Night in the City rain or shine on July 17, 2026.

Outdoor Activities will Include:
Live music
Food trucks
Artisan vendors

Indoor Activities will Include:
"Hot Night Gallery Exhibition"  in our Krikorian Gallery curated by Brad Chapman Bleau
Mary Aroian Community Gallery showcasing artwork 
Live demonstrations in clay, metals, glass, in the Open House Art Studios
Live music in the lobby
Full access to the Handcrafted Shop, which represents over 300 artists from around the country

Application Requirements

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Eligibility Criteria

• Artwork must be new and not exhibited
• All artwork must be wall and display ready
• Artwork must be for sale