Organizer Information
Manifest Gallery, formerly Manifest Creative Research Gallery and Drawing Center, is a nonprofit contemporary art organization headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in May 2004 by Cincinnati-area professors and students, Manifest is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization headquartered in the East Walnut Hills neighborhood of Cincinnati. Its programming is divided into four quadrants — Gallery (exhibitions), Press (publications), Artist Residency (support), and Drawing Center (education) — with the first three housed on Woodburn Avenue and the Drawing Center studio at a separate location. The organization's operations are funded through a mix of artist-supported revenue, state funding from the Ohio Arts Council, regional funding from ArtsWave, grants from local and national foundations, a supporting annual membership, and public donations. Manifest Press documents the organization's exhibitions and programs through carefully designed publications, aiming to make its projects accessible beyond Cincinnati, and the Manifest Artist Residency provides working artists with studio space and a platform for public engagement. As the source states, Manifest has produced 74 full-color catalogs documenting its exhibitions through its first nine seasons, before shifting in its tenth season (2013) to one larger hardcover annual publication per season — a format that has since won a Silver Medal IPPY Award and a Bronze IPPY along with an American Graphic Design Award.
Title & Description
COUNTERFORM — Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio
COUNTERFORM is an open call for works in any medium that engage with the theme of reactions — the responses, adaptations, and aftershocks that follow an initial event or action. The source describes the concept through the lens of a "counterform": a shape defined by what surrounds it, existing only because something else acted first. The call invites work addressing the range of human response, from impulsive reactions to sustained collective resistance, and from first attempts refined through failure to responses so consistent they become the foundation for larger plans.
Accepted work will be exhibited at Manifest Gallery in Cincinnati from November 6 through December 4, 2026, with a ticketed special preview event on November 5 and a public opening reception on November 6.
Theme
COUNTERFORM — a call for works about reactions: the shape, size, and proportion of our responses to culture, form, action, an extended hand, conversation, or intentions in the aftermath of change.
Categories
- Visual Arts
- Multiple Disciplines
- All Discipline
- Interdisciplinary Arts
- Painting
- Sculpture
- Drawing
- Photography
- Video/Film
- Mixed Media
- New Media
- Installation
- Performance
- Craft
Eligibility
- Open internationally to everyone
- The only limitation stated is that entries must be original works addressing the exhibit's broad theme
- Open to all traditional and non-traditional genres and media
- No size restriction other than what can fit through Manifest's door and within its gallery spaces (artists with larger work are invited to contact the gallery to inquire about specific limits)
- No date restriction on when submitted works must have been created
Program Benefits & Awards
- $50 cash honorarium awarded to every exhibiting artist, with no strings attached beyond full participation in the exhibit
- $1,000 Grand Jury Award given to one work during this exhibition period, drawn via re-jury from the pool of top-scoring works across all Season 23 exhibits (September 25, 2026 through August 2027)
- If a work is offered for sale and sold, the artist receives 70% of the sale price (Manifest retains a 30% commission)
- Works are insured while on gallery premises, covering theft, vandalism, and damage caused by gallery patrons or staff
- Option to purchase one copy of the season's Manifest Exhibition Annual (MEA) at half price
- Option to pre-order the season's MEA at 40% off at the time of entry
- Supporting donors to Manifest's Annual Fund at the eligible level receive a free MEA for the season underway at the time of donation; all solo exhibitors receive a copy of the MEA for free
Application Fee
$45 for up to three entries submitted; $5 per each additional entry. Fees are non-refundable. Payment accepted by U.S. check or money order payable to Manifest, or by credit card via PayPal (using the PayPal link provided after online entry form submission).
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 23 August 2026
- Notifications Sent: 28 September 2026
- Hi-Res Images Due (for season annual and PR): 5 October 2026
- Artwork Due at Manifest: 31 October 2026
- Special Preview Event (ticketed, 7–9 pm): 5 November 2026
- Opening Reception (6–9 pm): 6 November 2026
- Final Day of Exhibition: 4 December 2026
- Hand-Delivered Work Pickup Window: December 5–12, 2026
- Shipped Artwork Pickup Scheduling: December 9, 2026
Location
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Additional Details
- The selection process is two-part: an anonymous, several-member panel of professional and academic advisors juries all entries, then passes recommendations to the exhibit curator, who makes final selections from the jury-approved pool
- Manifest retains submitted images of accepted work for potential use in publications and gallery publicity; beyond this, artists retain full copyright of exhibited work
- Submitting the entry form constitutes agreement to the exhibit's terms, including that the artist will pay the entry fee and make the work available for shipment/delivery to the gallery if selected — artists are asked not to double-book, commit work to conflicting exhibitions, or sell work after submission if doing so would compromise its availability
- Accepted work must arrive ready to install; work that is not gallery-ready, differs significantly from entry images, or shows poor craftsmanship may be omitted or disqualified from the exhibit
- Artists are responsible for all shipping costs to and from the gallery; shipped works must include prepaid return shipping in reusable packaging
- Insurance does not cover damage occurring during shipping, damage from artist-provided mounting/presentation systems, or degradation due to the work's own materials or craftsmanship
- Work not claimed within 30 days of the exhibition's end becomes the property of Manifest
- Honorarium payment is transferred by check or electronically, at Manifest's discretion, within 30 days of the close of the exhibition
- All awards are supported by the Manifest Annual Fund and are subject to revision based on funding circumstances beyond the organization's control