Artist Opportunities & Open Calls to Apply Now
- Art Dealer Street
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 21 hours ago
Not every opportunity should cost you money to apply.
This week’s selection focuses only on programs that invest in artists, not the other way around — exhibitions with production budgets, honorariums, grants, and high-visibility platforms that remove financial barriers instead of adding them.
From a funded solo exhibition program at a major New York institution, to performance art grants of up to $10,000, a large-scale juried art fair with direct collector access, and a museum exhibition rethinking the mythology of the American West, these calls offer something tangible: funding, institutional credibility, or meaningful public reach.
If you’re planning your year strategically, these are the kinds of opportunities worth your time..
Take a look and find the one that fits your direction right now.
Read through and find the opportunity that aligns with your vision, scale, and current direction.
1. In Practice 2027 – SculptureCenter Location: New York City, USA Application Deadline: February 26, 2026
SculptureCenter’s long-running In Practice program is one of the strongest institutional opportunities available to emerging artists working today.
Up to seven artists are selected for solo exhibitions or commissioned projects inside SculptureCenter’s galleries, with the freedom to propose installations, performances, publishing initiatives, or off-site works. Selected artists receive a production budget of up to $6,000 plus a $1,000 honorarium — real support to create new work, not just show what already exists.
Designed specifically for artists who have not yet had an institutional solo exhibition in New York City, this program prioritizes experimentation, risk-taking, and ambitious ideas.
For artists ready for their first serious institutional presentation, this is a major step forward.
2. Franklin Furnace FUND for Performance Art - Franklin Furnace Archive
Location: New York City, USA (projects presented here)
Application Deadline: April 1, 2026
Since 1985, Franklin Furnace has funded experimental performance practices that don’t easily fit into traditional institutions.
Each year, early-career artists receive grants between $2,000 and $10,000 to produce new performance-based work in New York City. There’s no curator and no aesthetic agenda — proposals are reviewed by a rotating peer panel, keeping the process artist-driven and open.
Performance, interdisciplinary, and time-based artists are all welcome. If your work lives between categories — somewhere between sculpture, theater, video, action, and research — this fund was built with you in mind.
A rare opportunity where funding comes first and expectations come second..
3. Bellevue Arts Fair 2026 - Bellevue Arts Museum
Location: Bellevue, Washington, USA
Application Deadline: March 1, 2026
If you’re looking for direct sales and real foot traffic, this one delivers.
Hosted by Bellevue Arts Museum, this three-day juried fair draws more than 150,000 visitors and features over 250 artists working across craft, design, and fine art. It’s energetic, public-facing, and built for connection between artists and buyers.
Award winners receive priority booth placement, added promotion, and waived fees for the following year, making it a strong option for artists focused on growing their market and building a collector base.
Ideal for makers and object-based artists who want momentum, visibility, and revenue — not just exposure.
4. Contemporary Visions of the West - Daum Museum of Contemporary Art
Location: Missouri, USA
Application Deadline: June 29, 2026
The Daum Museum of Contemporary Art invites artists to reconsider one of the most loaded ideas in American culture: the West.
Rather than nostalgia or frontier myth, this juried exhibition seeks contemporary responses to place, labor, environment, migration, power, and belonging. Artists are encouraged to rethink Western identity through personal narratives, regional histories, or experimental interpretations.
All media are welcome — from painting and photography to installation, video, and interdisciplinary work — and there is no entry fee. Selected works will be presented in a museum setting for a multi-month exhibition, with monetary awards available.
A compelling opportunity for artists interested in landscape, history, politics, or cultural storytelling through a contemporary lens.
The best opportunities don’t ask artists to pay for the privilege of being considered. They provide space, funding, and real support so the work can happen at its fullest scale.
Whether it’s a funded solo exhibition in New York, a performance grant, a high-traffic fair, or a museum survey show, each of these platforms offers something practical and sustainable. Choose the context that aligns with your goals, prepare carefully, and invest your energy where the return is meaningful.
Good opportunities don’t just display your work — they help build your practice.
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