Every week we gather a variety of artist opportunities from the DC area and beyond. Find one below and apply today — good luck! Click here for recent opportunities posts, and submit your opportunity listing here.
Opportunities
Call for Entries, World Illustration Awards 2023
Deadline: February 22 Presented by the Association of Illustrators (AOI), in partnership with the USA-based Directory of Illustration, the World Illustration Awards 2024 are now open for submissions. Professional and New Talent Illustrators, commissioners, agents and tutors are invited to submit work created, commissioned or published since January 2023. This globally-recognized competition is judged by global illustration industry professionals. Click here for details.
Taubman Museum of Art’s Sidewalk Art Show — Roanoke, VA
Deadline: March 13 Calling All Emerging Artists! This year, the Taubman Museum of Art is celebrating its 66th Annual Sidewalk Art Show, taking place June 1 and 2 (the weekend following Memorial Day). This juried art show has become one of Southwest Virginia’s most anticipated events, a premier destination for fine art shopping – this annual museum fundraiser attracts thousands of art patrons to the historic district of downtown Roanoke. Mediums presented include fine craft, sculpture, original paintings, prints, watercolors, etchings, mixed media, jewelry, and photography. Click here for details.
Call for Applications, 2024 Virginia Folklife Program
Deadline: April 7 The Virginia Folklife Program invites people who are experienced in a cultural tradition to consider teaching another community member through the Folklife Apprenticeship Program. We provide funding for an individual who is considered a master of a tradition to train an apprentice of their choosing. Projects in music, dance, crafts, community storytelling, cultural reclamation, traditional healing, agriculture, foodways, and specialty trades are all welcome. Click here for details.
Call for Entries, The Coral Reef Encounter 2024 — Columbia, MD
Deadline, May 1 The Coral Reef Encounter invites artists and crafters to create Coral Critters: three dimensional, fanciful fish and/or coral inspired by the beauty of a healthy coral reef. Your piece of art will be displayed prominently underwater in the Reef on June 22 and 23, 2024 at the Jeffers Hill pool in Columbia, Maryland. Click here for details.
Re-runs: These were previously posted, but it’s not too late to enter!
Call for Entries, 16th Annual Wayne Art Center Plein Air Festival — Wayne, PA
Deadline: February 20 The Wayne Art Center Plein Air Festival, one of the longest-running and most popular outdoor painting events in the country, offers artists the unique opportunity to showcase over 300 works created during the festival in three spacious, light-filled, and state-of-the-art exhibition galleries. Click here for details.
Open Call, Capitol Hill Art League Layers Group Exhibition — D.C.
Deadline: February 24 The Capitol Hill Art League invites artists in the District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia to enter this annual open call. The theme for this exhibit is Layers. Artists are invited to interpret the concept of layers through any 2D and 3D media, including photography. Click here for details.
Montgomery College’s Visual and Performing Arts Department on the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus Open Calls for the 2024-2025 Academic Year — Takoma Park, MD
Deadline: February 25 Montgomery College Department of Visual and Performing Arts Department at Montgomery College Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus in Maryland announces two open calls for the 2024-2025 academic year. We are opening up calls for application in our King Street Gallery and our Artist-in-Residence program. Click here for details.
Studio Residency at Otis Street Arts Project — Mt. Rainer, MD
Deadline: February 25 Otis Street Arts Project is looking for an excited, inspired artist to temporarily join the O.S.A.P. community for a studio residency. This is a free residency with no fees attached. Artists are free to work on projects of their choosing and are expected to provide their own materials and tools. The residency is contingent upon working a minimum of 15 hours a week, reviewed monthly. They are looking for artists that will take full advantage of the space. Click here for details.
Call for Entries, 2024 Bethesda Painting Awards — Bethesda, MD
Deadline: February 27 The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District is excited to announce the 20th annual Bethesda Painting Awards. This competition invites local D.C./Maryland/Virginia artists to submit their work and be awarded $14,000 in prizes to four selected winners. Click here for details.
Montgomery College’s Visual and Performing Arts Department on the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus Open Calls for the 2024-2025 Academic Year
Deadline: February 29 Montgomery College Department of Visual and Performing Arts Department at Montgomery College Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus in Maryland announces two open calls for the 2024-2025 academic year. We are opening up calls for application in our King Street Gallery and our Artist-in-Residence program. Click here for details.
Call for Young Artists Art in Transit Program — D.C.
Deadline: February 29 In honor of Earth Day (Monday, April 22, 2024), Metro’s Art in Transit program is inviting K-6 students from Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia to submit 2-D artworks that highlight and celebrate the significant role of public transportation in fostering a sustainable environment and healthy communities. The selected artworks will be featured on bus wraps as part of Metro’s celebration of Earth Day. Click here for details.
Call for Entries, 11th Annual Art Speaks Juried Exhibition 2024 — Mathews, VA
Deadline: March 1, 2024 This statewide show brings the best of Virginia’s contemporary artists to our small-town gallery on the Chesapeake Bay. We showcase two- and three-dimensional artwork from all Virginia artists. Awards total $6,350, with separate 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners for 2-D and 3-D works. Click here for details.
Call to Artists, 9th Annual Artist’s Choice Art Competition
Deadline: March 1 Fusion Art invites submissions for the 9th Annual Artist’s Choice art competition for an online exhibition during the month of March 2024. For this open (no theme) competition, both 2D and 3D artists, worldwide, are invited to submit their best art and photography in any subject matter and any media. Click here for details.
Call for Entry, MNCPPC | Call for 2024 General Exhibitions — Prince Georges, MD
Deadline: March 1 This call is open to all artists in the District/Maryland/Virginia Area who are 18 years of age or older. We are seeking exhibition proposals for various M-NCPPC facilities including The Publick Playhouse, Watkins Nature Center, The Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex (SPLEX), the Southern Area Aquatic & Recreation Complex (SAARC), and Snow Hill Manor. Click here for details.
Call for Public Art Installation, Takoma Park Arts and Humanities Committee — Takoma Park, MD
Deadline: March 3 The Arts and Humanities Committee is pleased to announce this call for entries for a site-specific sculptural installation as part of the City of Takoma Park’s ongoing efforts to further the creation of public art to build community, enhance public spaces, and celebrate the arts. The City is seeking proposals that reflect a “welcome” or “crossroads” theme for a permanent sculptural installation outside the Takoma Park Recreation Center. Click here for details.
Call for Virginia-based Artists, Made in VA Biennial 2024 — Virginia Beach, VA
Deadline: March 4 Made in VA Biennial 2024, The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art’s annual, juried exhibition has become a larger Biennial. The exhibition features work in almost all media by Virginia artists. Made in VA promotes emerging artists by inviting them to display their work in a museum exhibition. Click here for details.
Call for Entries: Flourish 2024: A Juried National Exhibition of Floral and Botanical Artworks — Norfolk, VA
Deadline: March 10 Flourish is an exhibition of artworks that feature floral and botanical artworks from across the country. This exhibition is an open to all functional, non-functional, 2D, 3D, fine art, and fine art craft in ALL MEDIUMS and ALL STYLES. Click here for details.
Call for Artists, Building a Caring Community Through Art — Shady Grove, MD
Deadline: March 11 The Priddy Library at the Universities at Shady Grove invites artists to submit recent artwork reflecting on the challenges facing our community and the cultivation of support, care, and healing among one another. This exhibition will highlight the relationships that strengthen our community and is a good opportunity to enjoy the art that defines us. The Library is looking for art that is strong, creative, and that builds bonds within the community. Click here for details.
Call for Film Submissions, District Dreamers Film Festival — D.C.
Deadline: March 15 Attention filmmakers from or currently residing in the greater Washington DC area! The District Dreamers Film Festival is thrilled to announce its call for submissions for our upcoming independent festival. We invite creative minds to showcase their cinematic brilliance in narratives, documentaries, or animations that captivate and inspire. Click here for details.
Call for Entries, Montpelier Arts Center Announces Library Gallery Competition 2024 — Laurel, MD
Deadline: March 17 Montpelier Arts Center is holding a competition for exhibitions that will be held in the Library Gallery between September 2024 and July 2025. Eligible artists must be 18 years and older and reside in Maryland. Previous winners from 2019 to the present are ineligible. The juror may elect to exhibit artists who apply for solo shows or artists who apply as groups. Click here for details.
Call for Submissions, WINTER * NEW $1,800.00 Innovate Grants for Art + Photo
Deadline: March 21 Innovate Grant awards (2) $1,800.00 grants each quarter, to one Visual Artist and one Photographer. Submissions are being accepted for Winter 2024 grants. Click here for details.
Call for Photography, 2024 International Portfolio Review — N.Y.
Deadline: March 22 Soho Photo, New York City’s longest-running photography gallery, is awarding solo shows to three winning photographers.The competition is open to all photographers 18 years and older. Click here for details.
Call for Entries, Falls Church Arts | Flora and Fauna: Thriving or Threatened — Falls Church, VA
Deadline: March 24 Artists are invited to submit work that celebrates the beauty and diversity of the natural world or explores the challenges it faces. Exhibition Dates: Saturday, April 20–Sunday, June 9, 2024 . Click here for details.
Call for Submissions, Foundry Gallery: Helena Foundation Young Artist Grant — D.C.
Deadline: March 29 One of Washington’s premier contemporary galleries, Foundry’s mission is to promote the work of young emerging and accomplished regional artists. We are seeking D.C. area artists interested in gallery membership and the opportunity to learn how a co-operative gallery works. Click here for details.
Call for Entries, From My Perspective 6th Annual National Exhibition — Virginia Beach, VA
Deadline: March 30 The Virginia Beach Art Center (VB-AC) presents its 6th annual national exhibit that’s all about viewpoint. What you’re seeing, what you’re feeling and what you want to say. What will you choose? Artists from Alabama to Wyoming and all US territories are invited to show off their personal best. What will you choose? Click here for details.
Call for Entry, Wyoming Game & Fish Department Conservation Stamp Art Contest — Online
Deadline: March 31 The Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Collectible Conservation Stamp Art competition continues to lead the country in state wildlife stamp art competitions in number of entries, prize money and quality of artwork. The subject 2025 is the western tanager. Click here for details.
Call for Entries, Montpelier Arts Center Annual Studio Jury Competition 2024 — Laurel, MD
Deadline: March 31 Join a thriving community of professional artists in the Montpelier Resident Artist Program. Resident artists work in a diverse variety of media and styles, maintain studio hours for the public to visit, and participate in community events. These artists are selected by an annual jury panel and exhibit their work in the Montpelier Arts Center’s Resident Artist Gallery on a revolving basis. Interested artists are encouraged to visit the Arts Center, located on the beautiful grounds of Montpelier Mansion in Laurel, MD. Click here for details.
Call to Artists, Calloway Fine Art & Consulting Second Interiors Exhibit — D.C.
Deadline: April 1, 2024 We are seeking artwork representing or inspired by interiors. Artwork must be 2D – painting, drawing, or mixed media (no photography). For more information, click here.
Instructors Wanted at The Art League — Alexandria, VA
Deadline: Until filled The Art League is looking for skilled instructors in all visual arts disciplines. We’re particularly keen to recruit new hires for our sculpture, stained glass, and watercolor departments. Preferred applicants will have a personable and patient disposition, excellent communication skills, and the ability to teach their medium to groups of beginning, intermediate, and/or advanced level students. Class sizes range, depending on enrollment, from around 5 to 30 students. Experience teaching is helpful but not an absolute requirement. To apply, send a cover letter with statement of intent, resumé, and 6-10 tiffs or jpegs of current work to Ariane D’Souza via email at [email protected].
Ongoing: These opportunities have rolling deadlines.
Studio Sundays Submissions, Create! Magazine
Every month Create! Magazine! picks several winning images of artists’ studio spaces and features them on their website and social media along with artists’ work and story. Submit a quality image of your workspace, studio or kitchen table where you make work for a chance to be featured. For more information and to submit, click here.
Call for Artists, Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council
Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council (PGAHC) is featuring county artists at its newest art space Arts’tination at National Harbor, the premier arts and entertainment destination in our regions Located at 162 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, MD. Arts’tination is dedicated to supporting local artists and curating immersive creative experiences. PGAHC is recruiting artists to show and sell their work and/or to conduct arts related workshops for the public. Artists should submit work samples and inquires to [email protected]. For more information please visit https://www.pgahc.org/artstination.
Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grants
These monthly grants range from $500–$3,000, with the average amount being $1,700. Visual and performing artists whose work is of a contemporary, experimental nature and who have a US Tax ID Number can apply. For more information, click here.
Call for Art, Links Bridge Vineyards—Thurmont, MD
Links Bridge Vineyards, a small artisan style winery located just outside of Frederick, Maryland, is looking to feature the artwork of various artists on the walls of their tasting barn for two weeks at a time. To learn more, call Joan Cartier 301-602-5733 or email her at [email protected].
Pyramid Atlantic Workshop Proposals – Hyattsville, MD
Pyramid Atlantic offers year-round workshops in printmaking, papermaking, book arts, and hybrids thereof. We offer multi-week, daytime, evening, and weekend intensives for adults in our fully equipped studios. As part of a robust and diverse schedule of offerings, we welcome unsolicited workshop proposals, and hope that you will consider applying! Workshop proposal reviews are ongoing, but for best consideration, submit class proposals by the following dates: 1/15 for Summer Workshops; 4/1 for Fall Workshops; 7/1 for Winter Workshops; 10/1 for Spring Workshops. Questions? Email Gretchen, Artistic Director, [email protected]
Call For Stories About Women in the Arts, Maryland State Arts Council
2020 has been dedicated to the Year of the Woman in Maryland. Do you have an inspiring story about vital contributions of women-identifying people who are artists, arts administrators, or cultural workers? Perhaps an exhibition, performance or project featuring women? Share it with the Maryland State Arts Council for potential use in marketing and communications! Send your ideas to [email protected], and include “Year of the Woman” in the subject line. Satff will contact senders whose stories are selected for inclusion in future newsletters, eblasts, or social media postings. Learn more about Maryland’s year of the Woman here.
Call For Artists, Busboys and Poets
Busboys and Poets is looking for submissions from Maryland and Virginia artists as it expands to new locations in both areas. Submissions can include drawings, painting, photography, sculpture, mixed media, assemblage, fiber, quilts, etc. Art images reflecting life in the city, family, portraits, whimsy, abstraction, social uplift and life experiences within diverse cultures are encouraged for submission. For more information, click here.
Alterwork Studios Online Residency
This residency was designed to give emerging contemporary artists an online platform to create new work and explore their practice. Over the course of four weeks, artists will be encouraged to experiment and explore their concepts and move their work forward in the contemporary art world. Learn more here.
Accepting Artwork for Curatorial Review by AIWA
The Alper Initiative for Washington Art features five exhibitions per year in the newly constructed first floor space in the American University Museum. We accept submissions, on a rolling basis, from Washington artists of all ages and backgrounds, and working in diverse media. The museum’s Director and Curator, Jack Rasmussen, will select curators who will review these submissions for potential use in Alper Initiative exhibitions. For more information click here.
Call For Entry Hamilton Arts Collective Guest Artist Exhibition – Baltimore, MD
The Hamilton Arts Collective (HAC) and the Hamilton Gallery seek applications from artists for month-long Guest Artist exhibitions at Hamilton Gallery located at 5502 Harford Road, Baltimore, MD. The selected guest artists will be invited to exhibit a selection of their current work in Gallery I of the Hamilton Gallery. The Guest Artist exhibition is featured in Hamilton Gallery communications and will be promoted by the HAC and Hamilton Gallery. This is an open call to artists residing within 60 miles of Baltimore City. Baltimore residents are encouraged to apply. Click here to learn more.
Howard County Arts Council Quarterly Call For Artists – Ellicott City, MD
The Howard County Arts Council gallery program was established to enhance the public’s appreciation of the visual arts, provide a venue to exhibit the work of local, regional, and national artists in a professional space, and provide leadership in the arts by presenting a broad spectrum of arts in all media from both emerging and established artists. Artists, ages 18 and older, working in all media and styles including time-based and installation artists, are encouraged to apply either individually or as a group. Proposals from curators and arts organizations are also welcome. Click here to learn more.
Exhibit at Hotel Indigo Downtown Baltimore — Baltimore, MD
The Maryland Art Place (MAP) is working with Hotel Indigo in downtown Baltimore to offer rotating exhibitions in the hotel’s library and Poets Modern Cocktails and Eats restaurant. This opportunity is open to visual artists living or working in Maryland. ’s public art partnership projects (MAP), in partnership with Hotel Indigo, is pleased to announce an open call to artists. MAP will curate four exhibitions a year based on submissions entered through a rolling basis. Click here to learn more.
Solo or Group Shows in Athenaeum Gallery – VA
The Athenaeum Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia exhibits visual arts created solely by artists living or working in the region (DC, Maryland and Virginia) and strives to present visitors with a wide variety of excellent art and unique experiences. In addition to the shows curated by the Gallery Director, the Athenaeum Gallery invites artists and curators to submit show proposals. For more information, click here.
The Creativity Grant Program State of Maryland (MD)
Deadline: Rolling. The purpose of the Creativity Grant Program is to strengthen the vitality and sustainability of artists and small organizations to maintain a strong and stable arts infrastructure in the State of Maryland. The Creativity Grant also provides opportunities to serve the growing needs of relevant arts projects and collaborations within Maryland communities. For more information regarding eligibility and funding timelines, please review the Creativity Grants Guidelines. For more information about the program, and to apply visit the Creativity Grant Program State of Maryland website.
Artist/Writers: Cover Art for Academic Medicine
Deadline: Rolling. Submit original works of art inspired by, but not necessarily representative of, an academic medicine experience from any perspective: caregiver, researcher, teacher, learner, or patient (for example, learning how to be a physician or scientist, caring for patients, exploring research questions, making a new discovery, being a research participant, teaching, or being cared for in a teaching hospital). The journal welcomes photography, sculpture, painting, textile work, and other visual media. Images may be cropped or resized to fit into the allotted cover space. Artists must also submit a related Cover Art essay as a narrative companion to the artwork, to explain the connection between the work and the “academic medicine experience.” The related narrative should be 250 to 600 words and is subject to editing. To apply for this opportunity, and to learn more, visit the Academic Medicine website.
The Awesome Foundation Accepting Applications for Art Projects
Deadline: Open. The Awesome Foundation for the Arts and Sciences is a worldwide network of people devoted to forwarding the interest of “awesomeness in the universe.” Established in 2009, the foundation distributes $1,000 grants on a monthly basis to projects and their creators. The money is pooled from ten or more self-organizing “micro-trustees.” The chapters are autonomous and organized by the trustees around geographic areas or topics of interest. Apply on the Awesome Foundation website.
Call for Artists: Maryland Art Place Seeks Proposals for Rotating Exhibition Partnership with Baltimore’s Hotel Indigo (MD)
Deadline: rolling. Maryland Art Place (MAP), in partnership with Hotel Indigo is pleased to announce an open ‘Call to Artists’. As an extension of MAP’s annual IMPACT public art partnership projects, MAP is working with Hotel Indigo to offer rotating exhibitions in Hotel indigo’s library and Poets Modern Cocktails and Eats. This opportunity is available to visual artists living or working in Maryland. Maryland Art Place will curate four exhibitions a year based on submissions entered through a rolling basis. Guidelines and information here.
Peripheral ARTeries – Biennial Contemporary Art Publication
Deadline: Rolling. Peripheral ARTeries is looking for artists to be featured in the new special Biennial Edition of their art publication, that comes to its 10th edition. This opportunity is great for both established and early career artists who need a boost to their artist portfolio. The 10th edition will once again explore and show current trends and tendencies in Contemporary Art: Peripheral ARTeries cultivates a spirit of openness through a unique collaborative and participatory approach.Each artist may submit a maximum of three works or projects made in any technique: painting, drawing, video art, experimental cinema, fine art photography, experimental media, mixed media, installations, public art, performance. The call is open to all proposed kind of art and media capable of challenging the viewers’ traditional perspective on art itself. To submit, visit the Peripheral ARTeries website.
Exhibit at Hotel Indigo (VA)
Artists works will displayed in the hotel’s gallery (220 S Union St, Old Town Alexandria) for a six-month period. Two-dimensional, framed works only. Artists will install the work using the hotel’s mounting hardware. Labels will be provided by the hotel. All sales handled by artist, no commission. Preference for local or locally influenced selections but not required. The space measures approximately 7’10” by 8’3.″ If interested, contact Kate Ellis, General Manager, [email protected].
The New Project Studio – Ongoing Opportunity (VA)
Ongoing. Located in Studio 8, the New Project Studio is a community-focused arts incubator space that offers a short-term location to test new program ideas, spotlight underrepresented voices, and enhance community engagement. Projects rotate on a regular basis. For more information, click here.
Public Arts Grants & Opportunities (VA)
Ongoing. The City of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts provides grants for nonprofit arts organizations as well as individual artists. See all current opportunities and online applications here.
Residency: Maryland
Deadline: ongoing. Montgomery College, Rockville and Germantown Art Department is seeking proposals for its Artist-in-Residence Program, encouraging proposals that cultivate collaborative work between artists and students.
Looking for artists: Foundry Gallery (DC)
Deadline: ongoing. Foundry Gallery is seeking a few artists in the greater Washington, DC area. If interested in applying for membership please send up to five images (jpg attachments) and an email letter to: [email protected]. The oldest cooperative in Washington, the gallery holds monthly solo and members’ group shows at its beautiful space north of Shaw near the 9:30 Club.
Looking for artists: Printmakers (DC)
Deadline: ongoing. Washington Printmakers Gallery is seeking artist members specializing in printmaking, photography and book arts. An active cooperative for over 30 years, the gallery holds monthly solo and members’ group shows in its lovely space in upper Georgetown. Distant and shared memberships are available. If interested in applying for membership please email [email protected].