Exhibition Proposals 2027

Description

Call for 2027 Exhibition Proposals Submissions Open: April 21 - June 29, 2026  Bountiful Davis Art Center, 90 N Main Street, Bountiful, UT 84010Bountiful Davis Art Center (BDAC) invites artists and curators to submit exhibition proposals that will take place from 2027 through early 2028, as well as individual works or collections that align with our curated exhibitions. We seek innovative, diverse, and engaging work that reflect contemporary ideas and/or traditional talent that will foster connection with our community. Artists and curators from all media and career stages are encouraged to apply. We especially welcome those in the early to mid-stages of their professional journey.Proposals are welcome in all media, including painting, sculpture, photography, installation, digital art, performance, fiber, and mixed media. Artists may apply for a solo exhibition or submit a curatorial proposal for a large-scale group show. *We welcome out-of-state submissions.Artists not proposing a solo show are encouraged to submit individual works or a small group of pieces that align with the curated exhibition themes listed below. These works will be considered for inclusion in group exhibitions shaped around those themes. Indicate in the Description Field what you are interested in applying for: Solo Exhibitions, Group Show Food: Nourishment and Cultural Memory, or Group Show Textile as a Cultural Too: Identity and Community. Add as many as you'd like to be consider for.Proposals from guest curators—especially those interested in interdisciplinary or community-focused work—are also encouraged. 2027 Curated Exhibition ThemesArtists not proposing a solo show are encouraged to submit individual works or a small group of pieces that align with the curated exhibition themes listed below. These works will be considered for inclusion in group exhibitions shaped around those themes.1. Food, Nourishment, and Cultural Memory This curated exhibition invites artists to explore the many dimensions of food—its role as sustenance, symbol, ritual, and connector across cultures and communities. From traditional recipes and ancestral knowledge to everyday meals and shared gatherings, food carries stories of identity, survival, care, and transformation.We welcome works that examine the cultural and social significance of food, whether rooted in ritual, domestic life, or communal experience. Artists are encouraged to consider how food shapes relationships—personal, political, spiritual, or ecological—and how it reflects broader systems, from local traditions to globalized consumption.

This theme embraces a wide range of artistic approaches. From the historical lineage of bodegón painting to contemporary conceptual, performance-based, abstract, or mixed-media practices, submissions may engage with food through photography, sculpture, installation, video, fiber, digital media, and beyond.
Artists might respond to the physicality of food—its textures, forms, and transformations—or to its deeper meanings: nourishment and labor, celebration and scarcity, memory and migration, or resistance within industrial food systems. Whether grounded in observation or driven by imagination, all interpretations are welcome.This curated group exhibition will take place mid 2027.
2. Textile as a Cultural Tool: Identity and CommunityThis curated exhibition explores textile as both material and method—an enduring cultural tool that shapes identity, memory, and collective experience. Rooted in tradition yet constantly evolving, textile practices carry histories of labor, care, resistance, and belonging across generations and geographies.
We invite artists, artisans, and designers to submit work that engages textile in both functional and speculative ways. From inherited techniques to experimental processes, this exhibition highlights how textiles operate as systems of knowledge and expression within contemporary life.
Submissions may include, but are not limited to: weaving and loom-based practices, embroidery and stitch, quilting and patchwork, dyeing and surface design, fiber and soft sculpture, felting, knitting, crochet and knotting, appliqué and textile collage, installation-based work, and digital or experimental textile approaches. Cross-disciplinary and collaborative projects are especially encouraged.
Artists are invited to consider how textile mediates relationships—between body and garment, individual and community, past and present. Work might explore themes such as gender and labor, cultural and ancestral knowledge, family traditions, migration, storytelling, or the role of textile in everyday life and fashion. Through these varied approaches, the exhibition seeks to foreground textile as a powerful language through which identities are constructed, preserved, and reimagined.This curated group exhibition will take place early 2028.
HOW TO APPLYPrepare and submit the following information in ONE attached Exhibition Proposal Document. Please title the document with your name and proposed exhibition title. (Example of file name: Last_Name_Title_of_Exhibition_) Information to Include in your Exhibition Proposal Document:Title of Proposed ExhibitionArtist NameArtist Bio: 1-3 paragraphsArtist Statement: A brief artist statement describing your background, artistic practice, and the themes or concepts explored in your work. 1-3 paragraphs.Exhibition Information: This portion may include things like a summary of the proposed show, your target audience, why your show matters, a suggested layout, and costs to the BDAC, if any. Number of Works in Proposed ExhibitApproximate Dimensions of WorksSpecial hanging/display requirements Exhibition Date Preferences: (optional) BDAC Gallery Preferences: (optional) Please see www.bdac.org/ for individual gallery dimensions.Images: In your document you may include images of your work that are representative of the pieces you intend to create (or have created) as part of your document. Alternatively, you may attach them as individual files on Art Call. Please label all files with the title and artist name.Submission Fee: A $20 non-refundable submission fee is required with this application. This fee supports exhibition materials and tools, preparation and installation processes, and curatorial research for BDAC’s exhibition program.Please note the following important dates:Applications open: Tuesday April 21, 2026Applications close: Monday June 29, 2026 11:59 pm Jury selection process: Tuesday June 30 - July 21, 2026Artists are notified: Friday July 24, 2026 via emailArtists interested in BDAC Artist-In-Residence Program:Please visit our call to submit your proposal and find details about it here. Detailed Instructions on How to Create an ArtCall.org Profile (Required for submitting artwork.)Bountiful Davis Art Center is a nonprofit exhibition space committed to empowering artists at every stage of their careers. With four professional gallery spaces—including the Front and Annex Galleries for solo exhibitions, the Main Gallery for large-scale curated shows, and the Underground Gallery dedicated to community arts partnerships—BDAC offers meaningful opportunities for artists to exhibit their work, build their resumes, and connect with the community.BDAC.org