Annual Call for Submissions
Cultivate Art Commons welcomes emerging and mid-career local, national, and international artists from diverse cultural communities, working in all media, to submit to our Annual Call for Submissions. Selected exhibition proposals will be presented in 2027 and early 2028.
About the Annual Call
Cultivate Art Commons is a non-profit organization in Katarokwi/Kingston dedicated to supporting contemporary artists through equity-rooted, community-engaged artistic practice. Our exhibitions engage with a wide range of approaches to contemporary aesthetics and address a broad scope of conceptual, formal, socio-political, and cultural questions. We welcome proposals for solo and group exhibitions, as well as performances, curatorial projects, and collaborations.
We are updating our selection process to better reflect our commitment to being a member-led organization. Moving forward, members will have access to a dedicated submission stream within our Annual Call, with one exhibition per cycle (Fall, Winter, and Spring/Summer) selected from this pool. We encourage artists to consider becoming members to take part in this opportunity, while continuing to warmly welcome applications from non-members.
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Incorporated in 1977, Cultivate Art Commons is a non-profit artist-run centre that supports the presentation, interpretation, and production of contemporary visual, time-based, and interdisciplinary arts. For over forty years, Cultivate Art Commons has provided a platform for emerging and mid-career artists—locally, nationally, and internationally—to develop and share work that pushes boundaries and challenges conventional forms. Operating within Katarokwi/Kingston, the Commons remains committed to being a space for experimentation, dialogue, and mentorship, especially for artists from underrepresented and equity-deserving communities.
Cultivate Art Commons is not a commercial gallery, and works presented in exhibitions are not offered for sale. Any interested buyers will be put in direct contact with the artist. Cultivate Art Commons does not charge a commission on artwork sales.
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Cultivate Art Commons has three exhibition spaces: the Main Gallery, State of Flux Gallery, and the Window Gallery. The Window Gallery remains open 24/7, as it faces the corridor of the Tett Centre for Creativity & Learning. All three spaces are paid in accordance with the CARFAC Recommended Fee Schedule.
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Applications are assessed by a jury of staff, board directors, and community members. Jury members will remain anonymous. Please note that applications for exhibitions (both solo and group) may be considered for inclusion in group exhibitions curated by the Executive Director and Programming Committee. Additionally, the exhibition space you apply for may not be the space you receive if the jury feels your proposal is better suited to another gallery space.
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All application information is confidential and will only be accessed by the selection committee. Applicants may use their chosen name if it differs from their legal name. Cultivate Art Commons values diversity among its participants and community and encourages applications from all qualified individuals. Recognizing that identity is plural, multidimensional, and evolving, we strongly encourage applications from artists who are Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit), Black, POC, racialized (including recent immigrants), 2SLGBTQQIPAA+, neurodivergent, disabled, or living with chronic illness and/or chronic pain. Cultivate Art Commons is strongly committed to supporting a wide range of cultural identities and lived experiences and encourages applicants to self-identify in their application if they feel comfortable doing so.
The Annual Call Submissions are now closed.
The deadline for submissions for annual programming was May 15th, 2026.