Organizer Information
Manifest is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit founded on Woodburn Avenue in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2004 by professors and students from area universities seeking to make a positive community impact, and continues to be operated by professors, students, and working artists to this day. Its programming is divided into four quadrants: Gallery (exhibitions), Press (publications), Artist Residency (support), and Drawing Center (education). The organization is 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. Its galleries are free and open to the public at least five hours a day, five days a week, presenting work by students and professionals from around the world. Manifest has built a long-running international reputation for its themed open-call exhibitions, accompanied by cash honoraria and its Grand Jury Award, alongside its Manifest Press publications documenting each exhibition season.
Title & Description
VISAGE — An International Call for Works of Portraiture
VISAGE is an international open call from Manifest Gallery in Cincinnati, Ohio, inviting artists to submit works addressing the portrait, in any medium and any interpretive approach — traditional or non-traditional, self-portraits or portraits of others, singular figures or groups. Manifest frames the theme around how technology has intensified a cultural preoccupation with the face and visual identity, from social media selfies to facial recognition and video calls, while inviting artists to explore the portrait's long-standing role in capturing not just likeness but character and spirit. Selected works will be exhibited at Manifest Gallery from November 6 to December 4, 2026.
Theme
Portraiture, broadly interpreted. The exhibit explores the accelerating cultural fixation on the face and visual identity in the technological age — from social media and selfies to facial recognition tools and video calls — while remaining open to any medium, style, or conceptual approach to the portrait, with no expectation of a particular type or style.
Categories
- Painting
- Drawing
- Photography
- Sculpture
- Printmaking
- Digital
- Video/Film
- Mixed Media
- Multimedia
Eligibility
- Open to everyone internationally
- Entries must represent original works addressing the broad theme of portraiture
- Open to all traditional and non-traditional genres and media
- No size restrictions beyond what can fit in Manifest's gallery spaces, walls, and door (artists with larger works are invited to inquire)
- No restrictions on when submitted work was made, though most submitted work tends to have been made within roughly the past five years
Program Benefits & Awards
- Every exhibiting artist receives a $50 cash honorarium
- If a work is offered for sale, the artist receives 70% of the sale price (Manifest retains a 30% commission)
- $9,000 total in Grand Jury Awards across Manifest's 23rd season (September 2026 – August 2027); for each of the season's nine exhibition periods, including this one, $1,000 is awarded to one work via a re-jury process drawing from the pool of all top-scoring works across that season's shows
- Exhibiting artists may purchase a copy of that season's Manifest Exhibits Annual (MEA) publication at half price; solo exhibitors receive a copy for free
- Option to pre-order the season's MEA at 40% off at the time of entry
- Works insured while on Manifest's premises (does not cover shipping damage)
Application Fee
$45 for up to three entries; $5 for each additional entry (unlimited number of entries allowed). Fees are non-refundable, payable by U.S. check/money order to Manifest, or by credit card via PayPal.
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 2 August 2026
- Notifications sent by email: 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): 5 November 2026
- Opening Reception: 6 November 2026
- Exhibition Dates: 6 November – 4 December 2026
- Pick-up of hand-delivered work: 5–12 December 2026
- Shipped artwork pickup scheduled by: 9 December 2026
Location
Manifest Gallery, East Walnut Hills, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Additional Details
- Selection is a two-part process: an anonymous multi-member jury of professional and academic advisors reviews submissions and passes recommendations to the exhibit curator, who makes final selections from the jury-approved pool
- The gallery retains submitted images of accepted work for use in publications and gallery publicity; artists retain full copyright of exhibited work
- Submitting the entry form constitutes agreement to the exhibition terms, including a commitment to make the work available and deliver/ship it to the gallery if selected