Open Calls for Artists: How to Apply and What to Do About Rejection

An open call is an open invitation to apply: a gallery, museum, residency or festival publicly announces that it is looking for artists for an exhibition, programme or project, and any artist can send in an application. Selection is based on the application, not on who you know — which makes it the most accessible way into the art world for an artist without connections.

An open call is not only a chance to get into an exhibition; it is also a test of professionalism. Being able to read the terms, put the documents together and deal calmly with the outcome is a skill without which a career in contemporary art simply does not move.

This is often exactly where everything gets stuck. Some artists never send an application for fear that it is “too early”. Some get lost in the terms and apply to the wrong place. Some rely on luck and, after the first rejection, decide that art is not for them. All of this can be solved once you understand the rules of the game.

Below we look at what goes into an application, which restrictions are real and which are imagined, whether you can show older work, how rejections work and what plan to follow for your first open call.

Contents

• Documents: what goes into an application
• Age and education: myths and reality
• Older work and repeat submissions: what you can show
• Rejections: how to read them
• The plan: how to apply to your first open call

Documents: what goes into an application

The main thing to understand: the decision is made on your files alone. You will not get a chance to phone the curator and explain what you meant.

The basic set is standard: a biography — where you come from and what shaped your outlook; a CV — exhibitions, projects, residencies, awards; an artist statement — a short text on what your art is about; and a portfolio — 10–15 works with good-quality images and captions.

A well-prepared package takes care of most of the problems: applications go out faster, with fewer mistakes and less anxiety. How to put each of these documents together is something we cover in a separate piece on the artist’s package of documents.

The practical consequence: the package is prepared in advance, not the night before the deadline. Then an interesting open call that closes in three days stops being a problem.

Age and education: myths and reality

On age. Limits such as “under 35” do exist, and they cause more resentment than anything else. But this is not discrimination; it is a choice made by a particular venue: to support artists who are only just shaping their path. And most open calls have no age limit at all.

You can be a beginner at any age. Louise Bourgeois gained real recognition late in life — and that is not an exception but a fairly ordinary trajectory in art.

On education. A degree in art is required almost nowhere. What interests the selection committee is not the certificate but the quality and coherence of your practice: whether it is clear what you do, and whether it holds together.

What is really worth checking in the terms: the medium and format of the works, dimensions, deadlines, file requirements, any geographic limits on who can take part, and whether there is a fee to take part.

Older work and repeat submissions: what you can show

You can submit the same series to different places — if the terms allow it. The exceptions are competitions that call for unique projects and grants that explicitly require new work made for the programme.

Work from five years ago is trickier, and here it is strategy that decides. If the project reflects what you are doing now and you are happy to be associated with it, show it. If it has long since fallen away from the language you work in today, it is better to go with something new, even if the older work is more striking.

The logic is simple: an open call is a space of visibility, and you decide for yourself what you want to be visible for. The work that gets selected will then find its way into texts, publications and conversations about you.

Rejections: how to read them

A rejection almost never means “your art is bad”. Far more often the reason lies elsewhere: the work did not fit the venue’s theme for the season, the curators were looking for a particular direction, the budget ran out, or they chose an artist whose medium was a better fit.

You control exactly two factors: the quality of the art itself and the quality of its presentation in the application. Everything else is outside your area of responsibility, and there is no point in worrying about it.

What is useful to do after a rejection: reread the terms and check honestly whether you covered everything; look at who was selected and work out the venue’s logic; and, if you have the opportunity, ask for feedback — some programmes do give it.

And one statistic: for actively working artists, only a small share of applications get through. This is the normal background of the profession, not a sign of failure.

The plan: how to apply to your first open call

1. Put together the basic package — bio, CV, statement, portfolio.
2. Choose an open call that suits your medium and your stage. Not “any” open call, but one where you belong.
3. Check the terms point by point: age, format, dimensions, deadlines, file requirements.
4. Send several applications, not just one — that way you do not depend on a single decision.
5. Keep a spreadsheet: where you applied, when, what you sent and what the result was. In six months it will show you the patterns better than any advice.

On money. Some open calls are free and some charge a fee. Fairs usually involve paying to take part, but they bring sales and contacts with collectors. Residencies and grants, on the other hand, often cover materials, accommodation and travel. Weigh up not the fee as such but what you expect in return: sales, experience, visibility or institutional recognition.

A good open call passes a three-point check: strategy — it leads where you are heading; art — your works match the level of the programme; context — you understand what kind of venue this is. When all three line up, applying stops being a lottery.

Open the next open call that interests you and check: which of the requirements can you meet today, and what will you have to prepare?