We Are the Ones: Call for entries for DMV artists

Description

Open Call for Visual Artists in Washington DC Area
Willow Street Gallery and DC Arts Studios in Washington, DC, are excited to share this open call for entries for artists in the DMV area. This juried exhibition will explore what it means to be in community and how we build a better world, together.
Theme: We Are the OnesOur world entices us toward isolation and ease, but true resilience is rooted in community. In giving of ourselves and receiving the care of others, even when it is difficult or calls us to step away from what is comfortable. Healing is a communal endeavor. 
Inspired by the final line of June Jordan’s Poem for South African Women, this exhibition explores what it means to hold and wield the power to build something different, together. We are the ones we have been waiting for.
Artists are encouraged to embrace this theme as an interpretative starting point and not a restrictive or literal mandate.
Important details
Open to artists 18+ living and working in the greater Washington, DC, region (DC, Maryland and Virginia)Artists are welcome to submit 2D art of any physical medium (e.g., painting, photography, drawing, mixed media, textile art). We cannot accommodate video and other digital media at this timeEntry fee is $25 for up to two entries per artistSubmissions open on July 9, 2026Submissions due by August 16, 11:59pm ETBest in show and runner up prizesExhibition dates: September 12-October 2, 2026
Please read the full prospectus here before applying.
    

FAQ
Who are you? Willow Street Gallery is a long-running nonprofit gallery in the Takoma neighborhood of Washington, DC. We are part of DC Arts Studios, an arts organization that supports emerging and established artists in the DMV area.
Why an entry fee? Willow Street Gallery is a project of DC Arts Studios, a nonprofit arts organization serving the DMV since 1979. We are keeping our entry fee low in order to make this exhibition as accessible as possible, while still paying the overhead costs of managing the gallery, compensating our juror(s), and using a call for entry tool. Your fee also enables us to keep our gallery commission fee low (20% compared to the industry standard 50/50 split).
Are there awards? Yes, two cash prizes will be awarded, one for best in show ($200) and one runner up prize ($100).
When is the show happening? The exhibition runs from September 12-October 2. The opening reception will be on September 12 from 6-8pm. Read the full prospectus for additional dates and details.
  

How to register and apply
New to ArtCall.org? This video will walk you through how to register and apply.