👄 Open Calls

Delectable opportunities for artists, writers, and job seekers

I keep thinking about something artist Cheryl Edwards said when I spoke with her for 730DC: “Now is the time to do your work, because the work that you make now is going to be very significant and important in the future.”

She asked us to consider: “Am I making the work from my interior? Am I being authentic? Am I documenting who I am and how I see the world around me?”

I’m spending time with those questions and how to answer them through action. As you dig through the links below, I hope those questions linger with you, too.

Studio Dispatch

Also on my mind is a way to make space here for artists to share their work from their own perspectives. So, in addition to the open calls below, consider filling out this form for a new series I’m tentatively calling: Studio Dispatch. The form will stay open until the end of February.

ICYMI

Journeying through No Dead Ends: A look at the darlingdance performance at The Kreeger Museum

“When I am a body and you’re a body and one of us is the performer and one of us is the audience, there is limited distance. The reality is unavoidable,” said Cutler. “I think that dance can offer audiences this comfort about the body and this comfort around choice with the body and fearlessness with the body and taking up space with the body.”

Three Takes on collaborate / kəˈlabəˌrāt at Gallery Y: Vivian Bauer, Emma Akpan, and Shelby Hubbard share some of their faves

Nestled in the lobby of the YMCA Anthony Bowen is Gallery Y. Curated by Beth Ferraro, the space consistently hosts dynamic exhibitions. The current show collaborate / kəˈlabəˌrāt is no different. It features 48 artists with artworks made using collaborative processes, materials, and exchanges that reflect “how creativity flourishes through connection and openness.” The show description assures, “By supporting one another, we expand what’s possible — both within practices and our communities.”

Finding cranes in shattered glass: How Miriam Julianna invites us to build a better world – for eons

“I think if I didn’t do this project, there would always be something in the back of me trying to make sense of the injustice of it all, but by doing this, by trying to seed empathy wherever I can, it’s like I’m not waiting for someone else to make sense of it. I’m trying to make sure it never happens again.”

Calls Near Here

• Black Creatives RVA | Stories We Carry Open Call | Due 01/23

• Touchstone | 50 for 50 $25 | Due 1/25

• City of Fairfax Department of Parks and Recreation/Cultural Arts Department and Fairfax City Economic Development | Mini Art Vending Machine Open Call | Due 1/29

• Washington Improv Theater | Fighting Improv Smackdown Tournament | Due 1/29

• Virginia Quilt Museum | No Boundaries $45 | Due 2/02

• Lilac Peril | Call for Submission [for trans writers] | Due 2/7

• Studio Theatre | Fellows in Residence | Due 2/09

• Vika Visual Arts | Open Call: Mind Your Art Business 2026 + Info | Due 2/10

• SHE:DC | Open Call | Due 2/10

• East City Art | Capital Art Book Fair $375 if accepted | Due 2/10

• Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council | Community Grants Program | Due 2/13

• DC Movie Club | Short Film Submission | Due 2/15

• DC Dance Network x Liminal | Submit Dance Film | Due 1/21-2/14

• Sitar Arts Center | Set in DC Film Festival Submissions for Youth filmmakers in the DMV between the ages of 10-24 years old | Due 2/31

• Glass Class DC | Community Build Open Call | Ongoing

• DC Zine Fest | Digital Zine Library | Rolling

• VisArts

  • Emerging Curator Program | Due 1/30

  • Frame + Frequency | Due 1/30

• Maryland State Arts Council

  • Creativity Grant for Projects | Due 1/30

  • Professional Development (PD) Opportunity Grant | Due 1/30

• MidAtlantic Art Opportunities

  • Central Appalachia Living Traditions (CALT) Experiences grants

  • Folk and Traditional Arts Community Projects Grants

  • And more!

• Virginia Humanities | Info

  • Public Humanities Fellowships

  • Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program

  • Virginia Humanities K-12 Educator Fellowship

  • HBCU Scholars Fellowship

Calls Not Near Here

• Tiger Strikes Asteroid (NY) | Solo Show $35 | Due 1/26

• Super Secret Projects (NY) | In Relation Open Call $25 | Due 1/28

• Field Projects (NY/VT) | Solo Show & Residency Fellowship $45 | Due 2/02

• MacDowell | Fellowship $30 | Due 2/10

• Powerhouse Arts (NY) | National MGC Community Print Studio Exhibition $35 | Due 2/10

• Long Meadow Art Residency (MA) | Residency $35 | Due 2/18

• Rabbit Island (Lake Superior) | Residency $20 | Due 2/22

• Monument Lab (PA) | 2026 Student Internship Program | Due 2/23

• Ely Center of Contemporary Art (CT) | Open Call | Due 3/08

• Sweetwater Center for the Arts (PA) | Crafted in the Valley: Contemporary Voices in Appalachia $5 | Due 3/08

• ​​MediaArtXploration (NY) | Laboratory for New Works [performance artists + more] | Due 3/21

Careers

• Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority | Arts Program Manager | Info (Due 1/21)

• WYPR | Host of Midday| Info

• Downtown Frederick Partnership | Director of Communications & Brand Strategy + Placemaking & Events Manager | Info

• CERF+ | Manager, Field Education & Programs | Info (Due 2/12)

• Maryland Center for History and Culture | Museum Learning Manager | Info

• Tephra ICA | Programs Director | Info

• United Food and Commercial Workers International Union | Creative Lead | Info

• Art Enables | Arts Marketing Intern (PT, Paid) | Info

• VA Commission for the Arts | Communications Coordinator and Office Specialist | Info

Where to find calls

• ArtsFairfax

• Call for Entry

• The Art League

• Transformer

• Entry Thingy

• ArtsFairfax

• East City Art

• Fractured Atlas

• Words of Mouth

• Artist Communities Alliance

• Art Connect

• Our Weekly Rise

• Burnaway

• New York Foundation for the Arts

• Booooooom

• The Art Guide

• Women’s Caucus for Art DMV Chapter

• Maryland Federation of Art

Where do you find opportunities?