Can you believe how quickly 2019 is coming to an end?
It’s time to take chances. Finish the year off right by applying to something that could brighten the new year—and new DECADE—ahead!
Finding the perfect exhibition, residency, festival, or funding should be at the top of your list! And because we know you’re knee deep in projects this busy season, we did the dirty work and found some of the best opportunities out there for artists worldwide.
Find exactly what will take your art career to the next level in 2020 with our December art opportunity guide below (sorted by those deadlines coming up first):
Artist Grants:
Artadia Houston Award
Artadia is a national non-profit organization that supports visual artists with unrestricted, merit-based awards and fosters connections to a network of opportunities. In the past 18 years, Artadia has awarded over $3 million to more than 300 artists throughout its participating award cities of Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco.
WHO: All visual artists living and working in the current award city of Houston, TX
AMOUNT: A $10,000 award for a selected artist in Houston
DEADLINE: December 6, 2019
FINE PRINT: Awards are based on merit. The award money can be used however the artist sees fit. Awards are granted in participating cities on a rotating basis, so stay tuned for upcoming award cities. Learn more here.
The Gottlieb Foundation Individual Support Grant
Adolph Gottlieb, one of the artists known for initiating the Abstract Expressionism movement, achieved artistic and financial success far beyond his early expectations. But, he had several colleagues who, despite their artistic achievements, were not able to support themselves financially. The Gottlieb Foundation wishes to encourage artists who have dedicated their lives to developing their art, regardless of their level of commercial success.
WHO: Artists who have been working for at least 20 years in a mature phase of your work, and can demonstrate a need for financial assistance. Field: Painting, printmaking, or sculpting.
AMOUNT: $25,000 each to 12 artists
DEADLINE: December 15, 2019
FINE PRINT: Maturity is based on a high level of intellectual, technical, and creative proficiency that has been maintained over time. It is based less on an applicant’s age than on the development of and commitment to an artist’s work that has progressed over time. Detailed FAQ here.
Puffin Foundation Artist Grants
The Puffin Foundation Ltd. has sought to open the doors of artistic expression by providing grants to artists and art organizations who are often excluded from mainstream opportunities due to their race, gender, or social philosophy.
WHO: Artists working in photography, music, theater. In September of 2020, they will begin accepting proposals for the Fine Arts and Video/Film.
AMOUNT: TBD
DEADLINE: Requests for application packets must be received by December 15th. Completed or returned applications must be postmarked by December 30, 2019.
FINE PRINT: Your application must be “hard copy.” Check out the FAQs here.
2020 Spiritual Art Grant Opportunity
MOFSA, the Marianne Oberg Foundation for Spiritual Art is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire, encourage and support the creation of spiritual art. Their second grant program is for artists who see the world from a spiritual perspective and seek to express their view of the transcendent in their artwork. The recipient should already have some body of work in this direction and a desire to create more.
WHO: Open to all artists over the age of 18 residing in these southeastern U.S. states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia and Florida.
DATES: Recipient exhibition will be held September 30 - October 28, 2020
DEADLINE: December 31, 2019
FINE PRINT: The recipient will be awarded a $10,000 grant to be presented at an exhibit at the Mint Hill Arts Gallery in Mint Hill, North Carolina in October, 2020. The exhibit will feature the work of the grant recipient and additional space for the work of other artists submitting for the grant, who will share in $2,000 of additional awards. The grant recipient will create a new work to be unveiled at the exhibit. Learn more here.
Calls-for-Entry:
Cherry Creek Arts Festival
The Cherry Creek Arts Festival invites you to apply to be one of 250 exhibitors at the 2020 event, a world-class and award-winning celebration of the visual arts. CCAF enjoys an attendance of 330,000 visitors to the Cherry Creek North Shopping District in Denver, Colorado. The three-day event gives patrons the rare and special opportunity to meet and purchase art from exhibiting artists.
WHO: Artists worldwide
DATES: July 3 - 5, 2020
LOCATION: Denver, CO
DEADLINE: December 1, 2019
FINE PRINT: An Emerging Artist Program is offered in which upon acceptance emerging artists will pay a lower booth fee of $350, have a tent provided and receive mentoring through the Arts Festival. Learn more here.
5th Annual Colorful Abstractions Art Competition
Fusion Art invites submissions for the 5th Annual Colorful Abstractions art competition for an online exhibition. For this competition, both 2D and 3D artists, worldwide, are invited to submit their best nonobjective or nonrepresentational art.
WHO: All artists, regardless of location or experience, are encouraged to submit their best abstract art and photography.
DATES: December 5, 2019 - January 4, 2020
LOCATION: Online
DEADLINE: December 1, 2019
FINE PRINT: Black and white are acceptable colors for the “colorful abstraction” theme. The Best in Show winners will receive a cash prize and an invitation to Fusion Art's 4th Annual Group Show in Palm Springs in 2020. Learn more here.
11th Annual Drawing Discourse Exhibition
As part of an ongoing commitment to promote drawing practices in the visual arts, the University of North Carolina Asheville invites artists to submit entries to a Juried International Exhibition of contemporary drawing. UNC Asheville seeks to examine drawing as it is practiced and defined by today’s artists. Such an exhibition will demonstrate the continued significance of drawing through both conventional and innovative methods.
WHO: Artists worldwide
DATES: January 17 - February 21, 2020
LOCATION: Asheville, NC
DEADLINE: December 1, 2019
FINE PRINT: Media is open to any traditional or experimental drawing media welcoming both two or three-dimensional works, video and/or installation. All work must be original, completed in the past two years and cannot have been exhibited at UNC Asheville before. $2000 in cash prizes will be awarded during the exhibition opening reception. Learn more here.
Access and Opportunity, Diversity and Inclusion Exhibition
This juried exhibition will feature works that define what it means to be a good citizen in a global context, a person appreciative of all cultures and committed to fairness with respect and equality for all. By looking broadly at access and opportunity for all members of society regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, national origin, race, religious affiliation, or sexual orientation we can help everyone recognize, appreciate, and respect differences.
WHO: Artists worldwide
DATES: January 21 – March 13, 2020
LOCATION: West Long Branch, NJ
DEADLINE: December 2, 2019
FINE PRINT: Entries should include: artist statement, images/media of each piece, artist bio and entry fee of $20 for up to 3 artworks. Mediums accepted include: painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, mixed media, small constructions or installations, short films, and crafts. Learn more here.
2nd Annual Into the Wild Art Competition
Fusion Art invites submissions for its 2nd Annual Into the Wild Art Competition. For this art competition, 2D and 3D artists, worldwide, are encouraged to submit their best work depicting wildlife. The wildlife theme includes any undomesticated animal species including any wild mammal, wild fish, wild bird or wild reptile.
WHO: Artists worldwide
DATES: December 15, 2019 - March 14, 2020
LOCATION: Online
DEADLINE: December 5, 2019
FINE PRINT: A three-month group online exhibition will be featured on the Fusion Art website starting December 15, 2019. The work can range from realism to surrealism to abstraction and all artists, regardless of location or experience, are encouraged to submit their best representational or abstract wildlife art and photography. Learn more here.
Small Works Juried Exhibition
An exhibition of small works hosted by Kent State University’s School of Art Collection and Galleries. Two-dimensional works are not to exceed 144 (12”x 12”) square inches (excluding framing). Three-dimensional original works in sculpture/glass/etc. are not to exceed 8”h x 8”w x 8”d.
WHO: Artists worldwide
DATES: January 24 – February 29, 2020
LOCATION: Kent, Ohio
DEADLINE: December 5, 2019
FINE PRINT: Artist Reception: Feb 7, 2020 from 5-7pm. Once delivered, no entry may be withdrawn by the artist prior to the close of the exhibition and sale. Learn more here.
Animalz
For this call for art, Las Laguna Gallery invites artists creating artwork depicting animals (real or imagined) to apply. From the years of the zodiac to the spirits of totem poles animals and animal icons play a huge part in our everyday life. These animals awaken our creative spirit and feed our imagination.
WHO: Artists worldwide
DATES: January 2 - 31, 2020
LOCATION: Laguna Beach, CA
DEADLINE: December 7, 2019
FINE PRINT: Art Delivery Dates: December 26 to 31, 2019. All media accepted. Learn more here.
Mirrors and Reflections
As the title of this call says, the works collected on the occasion of the next LoosenArt collective will expose a theme that has always been subject to interpretations: the mirror, a means of symbolic and conceptual connotations through which the artists of the past have conveyed analytical and metaphorical meanings.
WHO: Artists worldwide
DATES: April 2020
LOCATION: Rome, Italy
DEADLINE: December 7, 2019
FINE PRINT: Free entry. Photographers and visual designers are invited to submit 1 to 3 works addressing the theme. Learn more here.
Ink: New Prints
Site:Brooklyn is seeking work for its upcoming printmaking exhibition. We are looking for a wide variety of work, in order to best represent that state of contemporary printmaking. We are accepting work in a number of mediums, including serigraphy, letterpress, calligraphy, etching, woodcut, lithography, linocut, drypoint, mezzotint, mono-print, solar plates and book-making. Digital and photographic elements may be used only as a supporting element.
WHO: Printmakers worldwide
DATES: January 31– February 29, 2020
LOCATION: Brooklyn, NY
DEADLINE: December 9, 2019
FINE PRINT: Work must be wired or have a cleat attachment and be ready for hanging. A label must be affixed to the back of the work that indicates which end is the top and includes the following: Artist Name, Title, Medium, Dimensions, and Price. This information must correspond with the Accepted image as listed on Notification form. No artwork may be substituted. Learn more here.
Environmental Crisis: Art and Science Exhibition
The call for submissions for the 2nd Art and Science exhibition at Gerald Moore Gallery is now open for pre-existing works that explore the issue of the Environmental Crisis. As a gallery with learning at its core, the gallery would like to give space to raising awareness and understanding the environmental crisis.
WHO: All artists
DATES: February - March 2020
LOCATION: London, England
DEADLINE: December 9, 2019
FINE PRINT: All media are eligible including painting, print, drawing, sculpture and video etc. They will be running a series of events alongside this exhibition: talks, debates, performances and workshops. Learn more here.
The Visual Art Open Prize Award 2020
The VAO art competition is a not for profit event open to both amateur and professional artists. All artists both UK & International are invited to apply for the Visual Art Open Prize, with a prize value of £5,000. Finalists will also be exhibited at Chester Arts Fair 2020.
WHO: Emerging artists worldwide
DATES: November 2020
LOCATION: Chester, England
DEADLINE: December 10, 2019
FINE PRINT: There are 6 categories: – Painting /Mixed Media /Printmaking – Illustration /Drawing – Sculpture – Photography/Digital Art- Young Artist (16-24 years old) – Children’s Award (15 years and under). Learn more here.
Portraits: Identity and Expression
Portraiture hinges on the question of whom deserves to be shown. Beginning with religious and royal iconography, produced under systems of patronage, portraits were meant to immortalize the divine, powerful, and wealthy. However, what it means to make a portrait — its subject, form, method, and medium — has expanded beyond those previous confines. There has been a democratization of both subject matter, and practitioners. Site:Brooklyn is calling for works, across all mediums, that engage with the increasingly complex intersection between portrait and identity.
WHO: All artists
DATES: January 31 – February 29, 2020
LOCATION: Brooklyn, NY
DEADLINE: December 10, 2019
FINE PRINT: This is a juried exhibition for artists working in drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, collage. photography, video. This exhibition is open to all artists 18 years of age or older. Learn more here.
Viewpoint: Landscape and Architecture
Black Box Gallery is excited to announce a landscape and architecture juried group photo show. What is the process and diversity of observation, interpretation and documentation of these two photographic genres? How do we look for and create compelling, significant and relevant photographic work that engages the aesthetics, craft, tradition and concepts of landscape and architectural photography?
WHO: Photographers worldwide
DATES: January 1 - 20, 2020
LOCATION: Portland, OR
DEADLINE: December 11, 2019
FINE PRINT: Black Box will provide free printing, matting and framing for all of our exhibitions. The photographers who are selected into the exhibition by the juror will provide a high resolution Tiff or JPEG file for our gallery to print. All exhibition prints will be kept in a flat file after the show for future sale and promotion for the photographer. Learn more here.
Lab.14 art contest
Lab.14 art contest, is a call for submissions open to all kinds of artists. Works allowed in the art competition are: drawings, paintings, sculptures, photographs, graphics, mix media and video. A great opportunity for the artists to win a cash prize, have the opportunity to exhibit the artworks in Venice and much more.
WHO: Artists worldwide
DATES: January 16 - 30, 2020
LOCATION: Venice, Italy
DEADLINE: December 13, 2019
FINE PRINT: The following types of works are admitted: Painting, Sculpture, Photography, Mixed media, Digital, Video, Graphics, Net art, other (all visual works that can be reproduced through a picture are allowed). Learn more here.
2020 Looking Forward
"Looking Forward" is an art exhibition centered around the limitless future and potential of humanity. Vanessa Lacy Gallery is looking for artists that have an image of the future and the ambition to execute and portray their vision. Join us for an art exhibition that celebrates all things big, hopeful, and inspiring!
WHO: All artists
DATES: January 17 - February 14, 2020
LOCATION: Kansas City, MO
DEADLINE: December 18, 2019
FINE PRINT: If an artist is shipping work, it must include a return label in the package for easy return. The gallery is not responsible for making arrangements for return shipping. Artists are responsible for insuring their work during the show and during shipping. Learn more here.
Totems - International Juried Show 2020
Since time immemorial spritiuality and symbolism has played an important role in the arts. The 2020 International Juried Show at Beacon Gallery calls artists to take this concept of the "totem", an item that represents a symbol of a quality or concept (spiritual or not), and to submit artwork on this theme.
WHO: Artists worldwide
DATES: February 7 - March 15, 2020
LOCATION: Boston, MA
DEADLINE: December 20, 2019
FINE PRINT: The artwork may be in any medium that feels appropriate. We invite artists to explain their works in short paragraphs in order that their importance or symbolic nature may be adequately appreciated by the jury. Learn more here.
9th Annual "All Women" Online Art Competition
Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery announces an art call for the gallery’s 9th Annual “All Women” Online Juried Art Competition. The gallery invites all 2D and 3D women artists only working in any media to make online submissions for possible inclusion in the Gallery’s January 2020 online group art exhibition.
WHO: Women artists worldwide
DATES: January 1 - 31, 2020
LOCATION: Online
DEADLINE: December 27, 2019
FINE PRINT: There is No Theme for this art competition. Light Space & Time encourages entries from women artists, regardless of where they reside, to enter their best representational or abstract art. Early entry and art student discounts. Learn more here.
43rd International Watermedia Exhibition
The International Watermedia Exhibition (IWE) is Houston's premier watermedia-specific event. A once a year phenomenon, the IWE showcases the finest watermedia artists from around the world to address new and edgy techniques and create a global conversation. During the month of March, participating artists receive maximum exposure at their juried, month-long exhibit and have an opportunity to win generous awards from our sponsors.
WHO: Watermedia artists worldwide
DATES: March 8 - April 2, 2020
LOCATION: Houston, TX
DEADLINE: December 30, 2019
FINE PRINT: At least 80% water media: watercolor, acrylic, gouache, egg tempera, casein, ink. NO water miscible oil. Learn more here.
Space 42 Open Call for Solo Exhibition and Grant
Space 42 is currently running an OPEN CALL and up to $5000 Grant for Main Gallery exhibition proposals, with the aim of enabling local, national, and international visual artists to experiment with new ideas and media. We encourage artists to propose site-specific projects that are engaging and risk-taking that extend your practice in concept, scale, and/or scope.
WHO: Artists worldwide working in any medium
DATES: TBD
LOCATION: Jacksonville, FL
DEADLINE: December 31, 2019
FINE PRINT: Award Info: Up to $5000 Project Budget (may include but is not limited to: production/fabrication, equipment rental, materials, professional/technical support, installation/construction labor, assistants, shipping, de-installation). Budget determined based upon dates, scope, scale, feasibility of project. Learn more here.
My True Love – Call for Artists
Each year The Old Auction House curates themed group exhibitions for those artists who wish to exhibit but may not have sufficient work to fill a whole gallery. Help them celebrate love by sharing the passions, people, or places that fill you with comfort and joy. If your subject matter or the medium you work in is your true love fill our walls with the things you hold most dear.
WHO: All artists
DATES: January 30 - February 24, 2019
LOCATION: Kyneton, VIC, Australia
DEADLINE: December 31, 2019
FINE PRINT: There is no application fee or exhibition fee for these exhibitions and a 25% + GST commission will be taken on all sales. Learn more here.
Artist Residencies:
Summer 2020 Residency Contemporary Art Project
Can Serrat functions as a community where people from different cultures, fields, and topics of research can meet under the same roof. The house organizes ongoing projects that everyone is welcome to participate in during their stay here.
WHO: All artists
DATES: July - September 2020
LOCATION: Barcelona, Spain
DEADLINE: December 1, 2019
FINE PRINT: Within the residency program Can Serrat offers individual support and resources to each resident as need be. The call is open to all themes and mediums. Learn more here.
Wassaic Project 2020 Summer Residency
The Wassaic Project accepts 1 – 6 month proposals for our Summer Residency program and Family Residency program. Housed in historic, landmark buildings, the residency program offers nine artists each month the opportunity to live and work in the heart of a rural community. The Wassaic Residency seeks artists working in a diverse range of media who want to produce, explore, challenge, and expand on their current art making practices, while participating in a grass-roots, community-based arts organization.
WHO: Artists worldwide
DATES: May 1 - October 31, 2020
LOCATION: Wassaic , NY
DEADLINE: December 4, 2019
FINE PRINT: In an effort to serve and support emerging artists, we are able to subsidize residencies for all individual artists who do not have other forms of support. Learn more here.
Navasota Artist in Residence Spring 2020
The Artists in Residence will have an opportunity to live and work in the historic Horlock Home in Navasota, Texas which includes living and studio space for each of the three participating artists as well as a retail gallery space. The term of each residency is roughly six months.
WHO: All artists
DATES: February 14 - August 10, 2019
LOCATION: Navasota, TX
DEADLINE: December 4, 2019
FINE PRINT: The City of Navasota will provide amenities including internet, cable, electricity, retail space and live/work space free of charge to selected artists with the purpose of providing artists the opportunity to create and sell their work. Each artist will also receive a one-time $600 stipend at the beginning of the residency to assist with groceries, fuel, and supply purchases. Learn more here.
Wysing Arts Centre: 2020 Artist Residencies
Wysing Arts Centre invites expressions of interest for their 2020 residency program. During 2020, they will put broadcasting at the center of their artistic program; to connect with remote audiences in a way that enables us to listen, as well as to transmit, ideas using digital and other technologies.
WHO: All artists
DATES: TBD
LOCATION: Cambridge, UK
DEADLINE: December 15, 2019
FINE PRINT: The Centre is open to when residencies take place so please tell them what would work best for you, and how much funding you will need. They expect to fund most residencies between £1,000-£5,000, to include fees, travel and production. Learn more here.
Funded Parent Residency
Thanks to the generous support of Sustainable Arts Foundation, Elsewhere Studios is excited to be able to offer another residency opportunity specifically to support parent artists during the month of July 2020!
WHO: Parent artists
DATES: 10 days during July 2020
LOCATION: Paonia, Colorado
DEADLINE: December 16, 2019
FINE PRINT: Accepted artists have the choice to bring their spouse/ partner and children or come on their own. They are provided with living and studio space, and are awarded a stipend of $1000 for a week and a half-long residency. The artist has the freedom to use the stipend for childcare, bills, travel / material costs, or for summer camp fees for children. Learn more here.
Acadia National Park Artist-in-Residence
The Artist-in-Residence program encourages accomplished, professional artists to create fresh and innovative new ways for visitors to experience Acadia through the arts.
WHO: All artists
DATES: TBD
LOCATION: Bar Harbor, ME
DEADLINE: December 31, 2019
FINE PRINT: In exchange for 14 nights in park-provided housing over a residency year, participants are asked to host a public outreach activity with park visitors, and to donate within another calendar year one finished work of art that depicts a new perspective of Acadia for visitors that's drawn from their own experience. Learn more here.
When the perfect opportunity pops up, are you ready to apply?
Art inventory software like Artwork Archive can help you get ready to apply for grants and opportunities without the hassle.
With Artwork Archive, you can manage jury-ready photos of your work and their inventory details, as well as generate professional documents like portfolio pages and inventory reports. If asked for a list of past exhibitions and competitions to validate your professional status, you can see your complete show history with the click of a button. Just think of the time you’ll save not having to remember or dig up all of this information!
You can even add application deadlines to the “My Schedule” feature and receive email reminders before it’s time to submit so you never miss out on these opportunities.
