OPEN CALL:For Artists and Curators at CUE Art Foundation

CUE is currently seeking Solo Exhibition and Curatorial Project proposals for the 2022 exhibition season. The Open Calls provide emerging and under-recognized artists and curators the necessary resources to realize an exhibition at CUE’s storefront gallery in 2022. Each year, a panel of established artists and curators select two to three solo exhibitions and one curatorial project to be realized at CUE. Finalists are paired with a member of the selection panel, who works with them as a mentor throughout the process of planning and mounting the exhibition. CUE provides generous honoraria—$5,000 for artists presenting solo exhibitions and $2,500 for curators organizing curatorial projects—in addition to mentorship, institutional guidance, a shipping budget, and an exhibition catalogue with a critical essay by a participant in CUE’s Art Critic Mentoring Program.

The Solo Exhibition Open Call

The Solo Exhibition Open Call provides emerging and under-recognized artists the necessary resources to present an exhibition at CUE in 2022. The selected artists will receive valuable mentor support from an established artist or curator on the selection panel, including a studio visit and installation guidance in preparation for the exhibition. In addition, exhibiting artists each receive a $5,000 honorarium and an accompanying exhibition catalogue with an essay written by a participant in CUE’s Art Critic Mentoring Program.

CUE’s Solo Exhibition Open Call is for artists who:

Have not had a solo show in a commercial NYC gallery within the last five years
Do not have current, consistent commercial gallery representation in the United States
Are not currently enrolled in a degree program
Have a demonstrated, consistent studio practice outside an academic setting for three or more years
1. Please note that advanced degrees or degrees of any sort are not required for this exhibition opportunity
Must currently live and work in the United States

GUIDELINES

The exhibition program is open to artists working in all disciplines.
Extra consideration will be given to artists who present ideas or topics that are not well-represented in the commercial sector.
CUE strongly encourages applications that contribute to our ongoing commitment to diversity.

WHAT FINALISTS RECEIVE

Five-week solo exhibition at CUE Art Foundation in 2022
Curatorial support/mentoring from an established artist or curator on the selection panel
Opportunities to develop related public programming
32-page full color catalogue with essay produced through the Art Critic Mentoring Program and a statement by the curator
$5,000 unrestricted honorarium
1. This year, we will not be requiring solo exhibition applicants to include a budget with their application materials. Please note that any exhibition expenses beyond those covered by CUE will need to be deducted from the artist’s honorarium. For more information about expenses, a comprehensive breakdown can be downloaded
An art shipping and art handling budget
Opening reception
Press materials and PR support

THE SELECTION PROCESS

The Open Call is judged in two stages. After applications are screened for eligibility, an initial jury reviews applications online to select a shortlist of applicants to proceed to the next stage. The initial jury remains anonymous and includes representatives from CUE’s network of alumni and advisors.

The finalists are decided by a separate jury comprised of four established curators and artists that will convene in New York City in late spring 2021. Each panelist then selects a finalist to work with as a Curator-Mentor throughout the planning stages of the exhibition.

The final jury panelists change each year and remain confidential until finalists are announced. Recent panelists include artist, Guadalupe Maravilla; curator, Sohrab Mohebbi; artist, Ronny Quevedo; curator, Legacy Russell; curator, Marcela Guerrero; artist, David Humphrey; curator, Daniel J Sander; curator, Michelle Yun; artist, Ali Banisadr; art historian, Andrianna Campbell; and artist, Steffani Jemison, amongst others.

Application fee: $15/free for members

Deadline: Friday, March 12, 2021, 11:59pm (ET)

THE CURATORIAL PROJECT OPEN CALL

With the aim of encouraging curatorial research in tandem with exhibition planning, the Curatorial Project Open Call provides one deserving curator or curatorial team the necessary resources to realize an innovative project in CUE’s space in 2022. CUE provides institutional guidance and resources to the curator, who produces a group exhibition with related public programming and an accompanying exhibition catalogue.

The selected curator will receive valuable mentor support from an established artist or curator on the selection panel, including installation guidance in preparation for the exhibition. In addition, the curator will be awarded a $2,500 honorarium; a budget of $2,500 to divide amongst participating artists and program speakers; and a production budget of $2,000.

Proposals are evaluated on merit of project, singularity of concept, and adherence to the application guidelines. All applications submitted will be considered final and treated as such. Applicants will not be permitted to add or edit an application once it has been submitted. All incomplete or duplicate applications will be disqualified.

GUIDELINES

Proposals must be conceptually rigorous and focus on artists, projects, and themes that are innovative, challenging, and engaging.
Extra consideration will be given to proposals that demonstrate a creative approach to curatorial research methods and the exhibition plan, as well as those that present ideas or topics that are not well-represented in the commercial sector.
The proposal must include four or more artists, half of whom must qualify as under-recognized (no gallery representation and no solo exhibitions in a major venue within the past five years).
Curators may not include their own work in the exhibition.
The curator and all proposed artists must live and work in the United States.
Extra consideration will be given to those in the beginning stages of their curatorial careers.
CUE strongly encourages applications that contribute to our ongoing commitment to diversity.
The strongest proposals are those that are flexible and have room for growth—as such, a proposed exhibition that has already been shown elsewhere will not be considered as strong an exhibition as one in which the curator is seeking to build upon previous work.

WHAT THE OPPORTUNITY INCLUDES

Five-week exhibition at CUE Art Foundation in 2022
Curatorial support/mentoring from an established artist or curator on the selection panel
Opportunities to develop related public programming
Full color catalogue with essay produced through the Art Critic Mentoring Program
$2,500 unrestricted honorarium
$2,500 to divide amongst the participating artists and program speakers
$2,000 production budget
An art shipping and art handling budget
Opening reception
Press materials and PR support

THE SELECTION PROCESS

One finalist will be selected by a separate jury comprised of four established curators and artists that will convene in late spring 2021. One of the panelists will go on to work with the Curatorial Project finalist as a mentor throughout the planning stages of the exhibition.

Application fee: $15/free for members

Deadline: Friday, March 12, 2021, 11:59pm (ET)