Stove Works and a panel of outside Jurors select two Guest Curators to curate shows in the main gallery space for their 2026 season. The Guest Curators will be provided a Curator’s Fee, an exhibition budget, and support from Stove Works staff.

Additionally, Guest Curators are invited to participate in the Stove Works Residency program for 1-3 months leading up to and during the exhibition. If they choose to participate in the residency, their stay must occur in the month of the exhibition opening at the very least.

Application Questions are listed at the bottom of this page.

BUDGET BREAKDOWN
$2,500 Curators Fee

$12,500 Exhibition budget (including artist fees, shipping, etc)

$2,000 Programming budget

WHAT IS EXPECTED (THE BASICS):
Follow all schedules provided by Stove Works within the Exhibition Timeline.

Provide Stove Works with a fully developed curatorial statement/Exhibition narrative.

Follow W.A.G.E Floor fees.

Available to attend opening reception event, speak with the press, and participate in regular Exhibition planning meetings—by phone, Zoom, or in person.

The curator is responsible for providing additional application questions and reviewing all applications for open-call submissions.

Select no more than (15) Artists for the Exhibition unless otherwise agreed upon with Stove Works.

Make every attempt to ensure equitable representation of Artists across demographics and geographies, specifically including one artist within the Thrive Regional Partnership’s covered counties.

Available to work with Stove Works staff to design exhibition layout, limited to an additional 40 feet of wall space, as required and indicated in the Exhibition Timeline.

Provide content for any Stove Works-approved artwork labels and the exhibition booklet.

Agree to participate in at least one public program, such as an Exhibition walk-through or Artist panel, in coordination with Stove Works’ Programs Director.

Initiate conversation between participating Artists and Stove Works staff about shipping/transportation of artwork with each Artist.

The above list is not comprehensive and is subject to change.

NOTE: A strong applicant is one who is clear about their intentions for their proposal, who writes a thoughtful and clear response to the “listening” question, and whose proposal can realistically be accomplished within the 12.5 K project budget and Stove Works' capacity as an organization. Keeping in mind that Stove Works has a small staff, and unless you budget for additional temporary labor, we will do everything in-house, soup-to-nuts, and definitely appreciate a Curator who can roll up their sleeves and get dirty with us (although not a requirement).