ARTIST RESOURCES

Resources & Opportunities for artists from throughout the contemporary art field.

Transformer is committed to connecting artists with information on resources and opportunities to support them.

On a rolling basis, we share helpful artist listings and links from colleagues throughout the contemporary art field. Please check back on our website & Instagram regularly for these updates.

List Updated: October 19, 2026


SUBMISSIONS

FLATFILE

Along with specific exhibition proposals, artists may submit samples of their work to be considered for inclusion in our FlatFile program - a growing collection of works on paper in a variety of two-dimensional mediums including photography, painting, drawing, and printmaking, approximately 16" x 20" in size and smaller, & priced under $500. 

To submit to the FlatFile, please email your artist bio, website, and a small selection of images and corresponding artwork details to submissions@transformerdc.org. Artwork details to include for each piece: title, year made, medium, dimensions, price. Please format artwork file names as follows: LastName_ArtworkTitle.

 

EXHIBITIONS

With a unique store-front exhibition space at 1404 P Street, NW, Transformer’s Exhibition Series, consisting of six to seven exhibitions per season, encourages artists to be site-responsive, often producing a deeper and more thoughtful exploration of ideas and solutions to the presentation of their work. Exhibitions run five to six weeks and are organized by Transformer staff in conjunction with participating artists, guest curators, and advisors.

Artists are never charged fees for participating in Transformer’s exhibition series nor to have their work considered. We are not a commercial gallery, we do not offer artist representation, and only offer ONE solo exhibition per year - for which we do not accept applications.

To submit an exhibition proposal: please email a copy of your artist bio, CV, and proposal to submissions@transformerdc.org for consideration.

Include photos (proposed or representative pieces), an artist statement, and as much detail as possible in the proposal; What do you hope people will take away from your exhibition? Why is Transformer a good fit to exhibit your artwork?

If we have an opportunity for you, you will be contacted in 1-2 weeks. In the meantime, check out our artist resources page for additional local and national opportunities, and our upcoming events calendar for free and public Transformer programs.

Artist Resources

BRIDGE: Clay on the Wall | Lorton, VA

  • This is an open call for wall mounted ceramic artwork. All levels of creators are welcome and encouraged to apply. Bridge: Clay on the Wall is intended to celebrate the artwork that stretches the boundaries of tile and three dimensional concepts. While clay takes presence in many dimensions, functional, sculptural and decorative, it primarily gets represented in the artwork on pedestal or table. Decorative tile has its healthy representation as well. Bridge will embrace the artworks which explore the edge of three-dimensionality, relief and or decoration. Those artworks that challenge conformity and commonly accepted imagery. Artworks which cross the bridge from pedestal to wall.

    Deadline: October 31, 2026

Call for Artists: 2026 Holiday Art Competition | Frederick, MD

  • Join us for the 2026 Holiday Art Competition to celebrate the holidays! The theme for the competition is a secular celebration of “The Holidays in Historic Frederick.” The artwork should be a way for people unfamiliar with Frederick to have an idea of the winter wonderland that awaits locals and tourists during the winter months. Application Fee: $20

    Deadline: November 1, 2026

2027-28 Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship | Richmond, VA

  • The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship Program is a vital source of funding for the visual arts and art history in Virginia. VMFA is committed to supporting professional artists as well as art and art history students who demonstrate exceptional creative ability in their chosen discipline and, as such, has awarded more than $6.5 million in Fellowships to Virginians.

    Deadline: November 6, 2026 

Call to Artists, “Fusion” at Strathmore | North Bethesda, MD 

  • “Fusion” mixes materials, genres, and ideas through artistic vision to spark creativity. Strathmore invites artists to explore the idea of fusion, using their own style to create original multi-medium work for this juried show. This call welcomes any combination of multiple mediums for both abstract and representational art. This can include but is not limited to: drawing, painting, mixed media, assemblage, sculpture, and everything in between to accomplish a work.

    Deadline: November 9, 2026 

VisArts Call for Solo Exhibitions 2027 | Washington, DC

  • VisArts invites artists working in all media to apply for solo exhibitions in 2027. Selected artists will present work in one of three exhibition spaces at VisArts: the Gibbs Street Gallery, Common Ground Gallery, or Concourse Gallery. VisArts’ exhibition program presents emerging and mid-career artists working across a broad range of contemporary practices, materials, and approaches. We welcome proposals that are ambitious, experimental, interdisciplinary, and responsive to the possibilities of each gallery space. Artists working locally, nationally, and internationally are encouraged to apply.

    Deadline: November 13, 2026

Tomorrow, Imagined: 17th Annual Patricia Sitar Juried Exhibition | Washington, DC

  • Sitar Arts Center invites artists to submit original artwork for the 17th Annual Patricia Sitar Juried Exhibition: “Tomorrow, Imagined.” This exhibition asks artists to explore what’s ahead: the hopes, questions, and possibilities that shape where we’re headed as a community and a world. This isn’t about predicting what will happen. It’s about asking: What future are we imagining—and what future are we helping to create? Artists are encouraged to interpret the theme broadly. All mediums and perspectives are welcome. Application Fee: $15 — $25

    Deadline: November 15, 2026

Call for Artists: AS MUCH TRUTH AS ONE CAN BEAR| Orange, VA

  • The Arts Center in Orange, VA, is accepting submissions from African American artists for its upcoming Juried Exhibition centered on James Baldwin’s essay and proposition about Truth, “As Much Truth as One Can Bear”. This call is open to emerging and established artists of African American heritage, including students. Must be 18 to enter. There will be a 1st Place prize of $1500, a 2nd Place prize of $1,000, and a 3rd Place prize of $500. Application Fee: $20

    Deadline: November 30, 2026

VISARTS: Emerging Curator Program | Rockville, MD

  • VisArts’ Emerging Curator Program offers a unique opportunity for an Emerging Curator to work with an experienced Mentoring Curator to develop and present an exhibition and assist in the presentation of the mentor’s exhibition. VisArts provides the Emerging Curator with an exhibition budget of $10,000. Additional funding and staff support for printing, promotions, and execution of exhibition programming is available.

    Deadline: December 18, 2026

Call for Teaching Artists| Orange, VA

  • The Arts Center in Orange is looking to create a pool of pre-qualified Teaching Artists to facilitate classes and workshops in our facility and throughout the region with our community partners. Artists across all visual and performing arts mediums are welcome!

    Deadline: Rolling

Call For Artists, Busboys and Poets | Washington, DC

  • 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. 

    Deadline: Rolling

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 linksbridgevineyards@gmail.com.

    Deadline: Rolling

Money for Women

  • Money for Women especially encourages applications from writers and artists in the early and middle stages of their artistic development. To be successful, your application must be complete and follow the guidelines here.

    Deadline: Rolling

LA NAVE / OPEN CALL 2026 | Buenos Aires

  • In partnership with Gachi Prieto gallery in Buenos Aires, LA NAVE is launching its call for artistic production, research, and exploration residences for the period of April to December 2026. LA NAVE is the art studio of the argentinean artist Andrés Waissman. A space where a variety of art forms, intellectual and creative activities, artistic research and aesthetic experimentation are promoted and celebrated.

    Deadline: Rolling

The Studios at MASS MoCA Residencies | NORTH ADAMS, MA

  • The Studios at MASS MoCA runs year-round, hosts up to 10 artists at a time for stays of 2 or 4 weeks, and primarily seeks applications from visual artists and writers in all literary disciplines. Artists from around the world are encouraged to apply. Financial aid and fully-funded fellowships are available for two or four-week residencies. Residency Fees apply, full-ride fellowship and/or need-based financial aid available.

    Deadline: Rolling

Creativity Grants for Projects – Maryland State Arts Council

  • The Creativity Grant for Projects is available to independent artists and arts organizations. There are two options to choose from: the Planning & Development grant is intended to support the early stages of research and development for a proposed project; the Implementation grant is intended to support the execution of a specific arts projects/event/program.

    Deadline: Rolling

ECRAC Essential Artist Award

  • The East Central Regional Arts Council (ECRAC) Essential Artist Award program is designed with McKnight Foundation funding to recognize, reward, and encourage outstanding professional artists and culture bearers. The Council will fund artists at various stages in their professional careers.

    Deadline: Rolling

Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grants

  • Emergency Grants is the only active, multidisciplinary program that offers immediate, project-based assistance of this kind to artists living and working anywhere in the United States, for projects occurring in the U.S. and abroad. Grants range from $500 to $3,000, and the average grant is $2,300.

    Deadline: Rolling

Sarasvati Creative Space Residency | HOHENWALD, TN

  • Venture to the rural rolling hills of Appalachia in the Western Highland Rim—one of the best light-pollution-free zones in the region. Explore the flora and fauna of the biodiverse region of midsouth Tennessee. You'll have access to seventeen acres with a variety of habitat, furnished housing, space to work, and interactions with the camp donkeys, chickens and roosters, camp cats, two farm dogs, and a peafowl couple.

    Deadline: Rolling

Belgrade Art Studio Residency

  • Belgrade Art Studio Residency is a nonprofit international art program designed to bring artists, creative practitioners, researchers, and writers from around the world to experience a unique cultural environment dedicated to art. Selected artists are invited to live and work in a specially designed studio for a period of up to six months. By bringing artists into a unique setting, the program aims to situate art at the very heart of historical Belgrade.

    Deadline: Rolling

ECRAC Resiliency Grant for Individuals

  • ECRAC Resiliency Grant - Supporting Artists Through Change The East Central Regional Arts Council (ECRAC) offers the Resiliency Grant to help artists, culture bearers, and arts organizations respond to unexpected challenges or seize sudden opportunities.

    Deadline: Rolling

Art Omi: Artists Residencies | Ghent, NY

  • Art Omi supports a wide variety of artistic disciplines through five distinct residency programs. Their residencies include: visual/studio art (via Art Omi: Artists), architecture (via Art Omi: Architecture), dance / choreography (via Art Omi: Dance), music and composition (via Art Omi: Music), and writing & translation (via Art Omi: Writers).

    Deadline: Rolling

CERF+ Emergency Relief Grants

  • Emergency financial assistance for U.S. craft artists following a recent, career-threatening emergency or disaster.

    Deadline: Rolling

My First Arquetopia Residency | Puebla, Mexico

  • Arquetopia’s My First Arquetopia Residency supports emerging artists ages 20–25 in defining or reframing their creative foundations through contextual immersion and guided observation. Held in Puebla, Mexico between March and July, participants engage closely with local museum collections, deepen critical reflection through weekly meetings, and take part in field visits that situate artistic practice within wider social, historical, and material contexts.

    Deadline: Rolling

Anderson Ranch Arts Center Residency | Snowmass Village, CO

  • Anderson Ranch’s Artists-in-Residence Program fosters creative, intellectual and professional growth for emerging and established visual artists. Residents have access to world-class facilities and studio time, free from everyday pressures. Residents can pursue interdisciplinary projects among a community of working artists, and gain feedback from prominent Visiting Artists and Critics. $30 application fee applies.

    Deadline: Rolling

Pollock-Krasner Foundation grants

  • The Foundation welcomes applications from visual artists who are painters, sculptors, and artists who work on paper, including printmakers. Grants are intended for a one-year period of time. The Foundation will review expenditures relating to an artist’s professional work and personal expenses, and amounts range up to $50,000. Artists must be actively exhibiting their current work in professional artistic venues, such as gallery and museum spaces.

    Deadline: Rolling

Indigo Arts Alliance mentorship residency | Portland, ME

  • Indigo Arts Alliance fosters mentorship by pairing two artists together during a residency period of 1-2 months to cultivate rich conversation, collaboration, and exchange experiences, knowledge, art industry information and technical skills. Housing, stipend, and 24-hour access to community studio provided. For Black and Brown artists.

    Deadline: Rolling

Alterwork Residency | Long Island City, NY

  • This residency allows emerging contemporary artists time and space to create new work exploring their practice. The residency culminates in a solo closing reception that is promoted across an extensive network. Proposals should have a contemporary art focus showing experimentation and career reach for the artist. The program is especially interested in projects that involve conceptual art, practice or theory, or involve the public in their creative process.

    Deadline: Rolling

ART14 Residency | Patton, Pennsylvania

  • During their stay, artists’ objectives are self-prescribed. The program welcomes all types of artists, writers, musicians, etc. of all skill levels, welcomes creators to explore new media and techniques, and encourages collaboration but does not require it. Residents are encouraged to explore and engage with the local community. 

    Deadline: Rolling

DC Arts Center Call for Curators | Washington DC

  • Apply to curate and exhibition at the DC Arts Center, send your resume and cover letter/artist statement to info@dcartscenter.org

  • Deadline: Rolling

DC Arts Center Open Call For Artists | Washington DC

  • The DC Arts Center accepts applications to exhibit in their Main and Nano Galleries on a rolling basis.

  • Deadline: Rolling

Adolph & Esther Gottlieb Emergency Grant

  • The Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Emergency Grant program provides interim financial assistance to qualified painters, printmakers, and sculptors whose needs are the result of an unforeseen, catastrophic incident. The maximum amount of this grant is $15,000; an award of $5,000 is typical.

  • Deadline: Rolling

Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grants

  • Emergency Grants is the only active, multi-disciplinary program that offers immediate, project-based assistance of this kind to artists living and working anywhere in the United States, for projects occurring in the U.S. and abroad. Grants range in amount from $500 to $3,000, and the average grant is $1,900.

    Deadline: Rolling

The Awesome Foundation

  • The Awesome Foundation is a global community advancing the interest of awesome in the universe, $1000 at a time. Each fully autonomous chapter supports projects through micro-grants, usually given out monthly. Projects include initiatives in a wide range of areas including arts, technology, community development, and more. Many awesome projects are novel or experimental, and evoke surprise and delight.

    Deadline: Rolling

Adobe Creative Residency Community Fund

  • The Adobe Creative Residency Community Fund provides support to creators during times of extraordinary hardship. Current Fund efforts are focused on supporting creators who have been directly impacted by the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. If selected, you will receive $10,000 from the Adobe Creative Residency Community Fund. 

    Deadline: Rolling

Awesome Foundation on the Water Grant

  • This grant awards $1,000 per month to a water-focused project that brings creativity, culture, and inclusion to the water or provides a new way of thinking about the water. Applicants can be based anywhere in the world.

    Deadline: Rolling

Creative Capital Artist Lab

  • Creative Capital Artist Lab is a new online professional development curriculum designed to help artists build thriving practices at any career stage and in any discipline. Free for individual use, courses are created by art professionals, industry experts, and fellow artists who share vital concepts, skills, and tools to help grow artists’ careers—including courses on crafting artist statements, grant proposals, managing multiple income streams, and more.

    Deadline: Rolling

Artist Communities Alliance Job Postings

  • ACA is hiring for a wide variety of positions. Apply ASAP!

    Deadline: Rolling