Art in Motion: Four New Opportunities to Move Your Practice Forward
- Art Dealer Street
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Opportunities don’t always look dramatic—sometimes they arrive as an open call link, a deadline date, and a quiet question: “Will you apply?” This week’s Art Dealer Street roundup brings you four chances to move your practice forward in very real ways.
From Crete to Wisconsin, Louisiana to an international grant program based in New York, these calls support different stages of an artist’s journey. The G. & A. Mamidakis Foundation Art Prize invites a landmark outdoor work in dialogue with nature. RAM’s Fellowships and Emerging Artist Award focus on local artists and solo exhibitions. The Masur Museum’s Juried Competition offers national exposure and cash prizes, while the Gottlieb Individual Support Grant backs long-term, mature practices in financial need.
Read through and find the opportunity that aligns with your vision, scale, and current direction.
1. G. & A. Mamidakis Foundation Art Prize 2026 Location: Agios Nikolaos, Crete, Greece
Application Deadline: December 29, 2025
The G. & A. Mamidakis Foundation Art Prize celebrates innovation and excellence in contemporary art, offering artists the chance to create a permanent, site-specific outdoor installation in Crete. Since its founding in 2019, the prize has supported artistic practices that engage directly with nature and community. The 2026 edition invites proposals for large-scale sculptural works that combine creative vision, sustainability, and originality. The winning artwork becomes part of the Foundation’s permanent collection and remains on public view in Agios Nikolaos. Eligible disciplines include sculpture, installation, sound, land, and ecological art.
2. RAM Artist Fellowships & Emerging Artist Awards 2026–27
Location: Racine Art Museum, Wisconsin, USA
Application Deadline: January 23, 2026 (4:00 PM)
The Racine Art Museum (RAM) offers four $3,000 Artist Fellowships and one $1,500 Emerging Artist Award to support artists residing in Racine and Kenosha counties. Open to all media—from painting and printmaking to ceramics, film, fibers, and woodwork—the program highlights the diversity and vitality of the region’s creative community. Recipients will gain professional visibility through solo exhibitions at RAM’s Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts and inclusion in a full-color catalogue. The awards encourage career advancement, offering financial flexibility for studio expenses, materials, or research.
3. Masur Museum of Art – 63rd Annual Juried Competition
Location: Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, Louisiana, USA
Application Deadline: December 15, 2025 – 11:59 p.m. (MST)
The Masur Museum of Art’s 63rd Annual Juried Competition is a national call open to artists living in the United States. The exhibition runs from February 26 to May 2, 2026, with a total of USD 3,200 in awards, including a USD 1,000 Best in Show. A unique “Best Packed” award also recognizes the artist who ships their work most professionally, highlighting the importance of good presentation and care in handling.
The competition accepts a wide range of media—painting, sculpture, photography, drawing, film/video/new media, mixed media, craft, and more—so long as the work was completed on or after December 31, 2023. Submissions are made online with 2–5 work samples (images, audio, or video). There is a base entry fee plus an additional fee per extra artwork. The museum does not take commission on sales; interested buyers are put directly in touch with artists. This is a strong opportunity if you’re looking for museum-level exposure, national peers, and a chance to have your work considered for a collection with a long-running juried history.
4. Adolph & Esther Gottlieb Foundation – 2026 Individual Support Grant
Location: International (administered from New York, USA)
Application Deadline: January 15, 2026 – by midnight (Eastern Time)
The Adolph & Esther Gottlieb Foundation’s Individual Support Grant is aimed at painters, sculptors, and printmakers who have been working in a mature phase of their practice for at least 20 years and who are currently in financial need. Each year, the Foundation awards grants of USD 25,000 to around 20 artists worldwide, regardless of their level of commercial success. “ Maturity ” here is defined not by age but by sustained, committed work over time. Applicants must demonstrate this through a substantial image portfolio that covers at least two decades, including recent works from the last 12 months. The grant is not project- or exhibition-based; artists are free to use the funds in whatever way best supports their practice, from living expenses to studio costs. Applications are submitted online, and applicants must provide full documentation of household income, with tax returns or accepted alternatives. This grant is especially meaningful for mid-career and senior artists whose work is developed and rigorous, but whose financial situation makes continuing their practice challenging.
Taken together, these four programs show how support can look very different: a permanent sculpture on a Cretan hillside, a regional fellowship with a solo show, a national museum competition, or a grant that simply lets you keep making work.
You don’t need to chase everything. Instead, ask what you most need right now: visibility, money, time, or recognition for years of practice. Then choose the opportunities that genuinely match your situation and your work.
Tidy your images, tighten your statement, read the guidelines twice, and respect the deadlines. Even if the answer is “no” this time, applying helps you understand and articulate your own practice more clearly. And if the answer is “yes,” it might just change your next few years.
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