Open call for the 2026 Season is CLOSED!

Deadline: June 15, 11:59 PM EST

Stove Works and a panel of outside Jurors select two Guest Curators to curate shows in the main gallery space for their 2026 season. The Guest Curators will be provided a Curator’s Fee, an exhibition budget, and support from Stove Works staff.

Additionally, Guest Curators are invited to participate in the Stove Works Residency program for 1-3 months leading up to and during the exhibition. If they choose to participate in the residency, their stay must occur in the month of the exhibition opening at the very least.

Application Questions and links are listed at the bottom of this page.

please review all information before submitting your application.

Budget Breakdown

• $2,500 Curators Fee

• $12,500 Exhibition budget (including artist fees, shipping, etc)

• $2,000 Programming budget

What is Expected (the Basics):

• Follow all schedules provided by Stove Works within the Exhibition Timeline.   

• Provide Stove Works with a fully developed curatorial statement/Exhibition narrative. 

• Follow W.A.G.E Floor fees.

• Available to attend opening reception event, speak with the press, and participate in regular Exhibition planning meetings—by phone, Zoom, or in person.

• The curator is responsible for providing additional application questions and reviewing all applications for open-call submissions.  

• Select no more than (15) Artists for the Exhibition unless otherwise agreed upon with Stove Works.   

• Make every attempt to ensure equitable representation of Artists across demographics and geographies, specifically including one artist within the Thrive Regional Partnership’s covered counties.  

• Available to work with Stove Works staff to design exhibition layout, limited to an additional 40 feet of wall space, as required and indicated in the Exhibition Timeline.  

• Provide content for any Stove Works-approved artwork labels and the exhibition booklet.  

• Agree to participate in at least one public program, such as an Exhibition walk-through or Artist panel, in coordination with Stove Works’ Programs Director.

• Initiate conversation between participating Artists and Stove Works staff about shipping/transportation of artwork with each Artist.

• Maintain, at a minimum, monthly correspondence/check-in with Exhibition Staff

• The above list is not comprehensive and is subject to change. 

Additional resources

• Map of Main Gallery (Outlined in Purple-ish Pink)

• Example Exhibition Timeline

• Thrive Regional Partnership Map

• W.A.G.E Floor Fees

NOTE: A strong applicant is one who is clear about their intentions for their proposal, who writes a thoughtful and clear response to the “listening” question, and whose proposal can realistically be accomplished within the 12.5 K project budget and Stove Works' capacity as an organization. Keeping in mind that Stove Works has a small staff, and unless you budget for additional temporary labor, we will do everything in-house, soup-to-nuts, and definitely appreciate a Curator who can roll up their sleeves and get dirty with us (although not a requirement).

APPLICATION

Applications will be open to the public from May 15 until June 15 at 11:59 PM EST. Once available, a link to our application will be posted here.

Pay close attention to our tiered application fee:

$10 - May 15 - May 31, 11:59 PM EST (First two weeks)
$20 - June 1 - June 7th, 11:59 PM EST (Third week)
$30 - June 8 - June 15, 11:59 PM (Last week)

Make a note of your transaction number, you will need it for the application.

**Applications must be submitted within the corresponding timeframe of the fee you paid. Otherwise, you may forfeit your application.**

And this is important: sign up for our mailing list or follow us on social media for updates. Because we will select ONE RANDOM DAY during the application period as a “FREE DAY.” We’ll announce it randomly and provide a discount code that will be usable for 24 hours and may only be applied to applications submitted within the specified timeframe.

PLEASE REVIEW THE APPLICATION QUESTIONS BELOW BEFORE APPLYING

Application Questions

• Basic Information and Demographics

• Proposed Exhibition Abstract/Brief (500 words)

• List of potential Artists for inclusion

• Exhibition Block Selection (all that apply)

  • Block 1: February - June 2026

  • Block 2: July - November 2026

• Prompt about our Organizational Philosophy: “How does listening currently exist within your practice, and how might you imagine its role in the scope of your proposed exhibition?”

• Residency Options

• Your Practice in One Word

• CV / Bio

• Website / Social Media

• Some Fun Stuff