Juried Art Exhibition Call for Artists
Juried Art Exhibition 2026 Call for Artists
Submissions are now open for the 2026 Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition at Griffin Museum of Science and Industry. This annual show presents works of art from professional and emerging Black artists from across the United States, as well as works by Black teen artists from the Chicagoland area, all as part of the Museum’s 56th annual Black Creativity Program.
We welcome you to submit your work!
Entry Guidelines
General Category Black artists 18 years of age or older. Teen Category Black teen artists in the Chicagoland area (within 100 miles of the Museum) currently enrolled in secondary education, grades 9-12 or equivalent.
Contemporary works created in any visual medium.
Important Information
Additional information will be shared with accepted artists. Click each section for a general overview of participation expectations.
Accepted artists will be notified via email through the CaFE system.
1.) Up to four (4) works, completed in the past three years (2023 or later), per artist.
2.) Work must be submitted anonymously by the artist.
— Remove watermarks, video credits, etc. prior to submission.
— Artist statements are accepted but not required at time of submission. Artist’s name should not be included.
— Artists must submit for themselves with technical/additional support as needed. Teens may receive assistance from teachers/caregivers as needed.
— Collaborations may not include more than two artists. (For either General or Teen Category)
Work must be the artist’s original creation (no AI generated work), unsold and not have been selected for any previous Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibitions.
Object specs:
— 2D works may not exceed 84” in any direction.
— GENERAL CATEGORY: 3D, oversized/heavy and/or installation works will be reviewed per work, based on the Museum’s gallery, safety and physical installation capabilities. The Museum is not able to install works which hang from the ceiling. TEEN CATEGORY: 3D works may not exceed 30” in any direction. Installations will be reviewed per work as above.
— Work may not exceed 70 lbs.
— Monitors are provided for video work. The Museum is not able to install projected works. Videos must be ADA compliant (additional details, upon request).
Additional specifications for artwork are noted on the CaFE application.
Jurying will be from digital assets only, with submissions only accepted via CaFE (How to Apply Help)
The Museum reserves the right to decline submissions which are incomplete, do not meet specifications detailed in this call, or are of poor image quality. When possible, the Museum will work with artists to ensure their submissions are complete and will be juried.
Each entry will be judged as an artwork’s entirety; works which are 3D, diptych, tryptic or a series should be presented in one submission image and identified as such in the title and dimensions. If a multi-piece work is submitted separately only the artwork in the submitted photo will be eligible for display.
Values should represent the sale price, or, if not for sale, the insurance value; $0 is not an acceptable value. Dimensions should represent the full and complete dimensions of the work, including frame.
Media files used for the application must comply with CaFE specifications:
- Image: JPEG or JPG. 1200 pixels or greater on the longest side. The file size may not exceed 5MB.
- Video: MOV, MP4, WMV, 3GP, AVI, ASF, MPG, M2T, MKV, M2TS. File size under 100MB with a min resolution of 640 x 480/max 1920 x 1080; min 12 fps/recommended 30 fps or YouTube or Vimeo URL. Linked videos must be public.
Submissions close: October 12, 2025 (11:59 PM CST)
Note: neither the Museum staff nor CaFE Technical Support are available on weekends, including the closing date.
Notice of acceptance: by October 31, 2025, via email through CaFE system.
Loan agreement due: November 28, 2025
Workshop for accepted Teen Category artists (optional): November 2025, date TBD
Shipping window: December 1–December 12, 2025
Local drop-off dates: December 12–13, 2025, exact times TBD
Exhibition opens: January 19, 2026
Artist’s reception: TBD, expected late January or early February
Exhibition closes: April 19, 2026
Local pick-up dates: April 24-25, 2026
Return shipping window: On/after April 27, 2026
More information
For technical support with the online submission application, visit the CaFE Help For Artists page. For all other questions, contact the Griffin MSI Juried Art team.