Organizer Information
ARC Gallery and Educational Foundation is a long-standing cooperative gallery located in the heart of Chicago's West Town arts district. Through the generous support of the Athena Foundation, ARC is offering a rare opportunity for artists to present their work in a professional setting with financial barriers removed.
Title & Description
Athena Fund Solo Exhibition Award.
This call is for three fully-funded solo exhibitions to run concurrently in September 2026. The award is specifically designed to make solo show opportunities accessible to a broader, more diverse audience. Selected artists will each occupy approximately 310 sq. ft. of gallery space.
Categories
Visual Arts (All Disciplines), including Painting, Sculpture, Video, Sound, and Installation.
Eligibility
- Experience: Open to professional artists, students, and self-taught creators.
- Location: Open to artists of all geographic locations (though no travel stipends are provided).
- Work Status: All submitted work must have been completed within the last 5 years and must be ready for display at the time of submission.
- Exclusions: This call is for individual artists only (no curatorial or collective projects).
Program Benefits and Awards
- Fully Funded Space: No cost to the artist for the gallery space.
- Zero Commission: The artist retains 100% of all sales (minus minor credit card processing fees if applicable).
- Professional Exposure: Featured as a solo artist in a high-traffic Chicago arts district with an opening reception on September 3, 2026.
- Future Opportunities: Finalists not selected for the solo show may be added to a curated roster for future gallery programming.
Fees
- Application Fee: $40 (Hardship waivers available via email).
Application Requirements
- Images: 10 high-quality JPEGs of the actual work to be exhibited.
- Artist Statement: Max 125 words.
- Exhibition Proposal: 200-word description of the envisioned show and layout.
- CV: Demonstrating at least 4 years of serious artistic pursuit (Max 2 pages).
- Impact Statement: 200-word explanation of what this opportunity means to your career.
- References: Names and contact info for two professional references.
How to Apply?
Upload images to the specified Dropbox folder and complete the online application and payment on the ARC Gallery website. Apply to ARC Gallery here.
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: Saturday, June 20, 2026, at 10:00 PM CST.
- Finalist Notification: July 12, 2026.
- Solo Show Notification: July 31, 2026.
- Exhibition Dates: September 3 – September 27, 2026.
Location
United States, Chicago, IL (1463 West Chicago Ave).
Additional Details
Artists are responsible for their own shipping and travel costs. Selected artists must be present for installation (August 30), the opening reception (September 3), and deinstallation (September 27). The gallery infrastructure supports ceiling-hung work (weight dependent) but does not allow painting of walls or use of live animals/harmful materials.