Organizer Information
Hal Bromm Gallery is a longstanding contemporary art gallery in New York City and was founded by Hal Bromm in 1975 as Tribeca’s first contemporary art gallery. Over five decades, the gallery has supported emerging and established artists and has presented historically significant exhibitions featuring artists including Keith Haring, David Wojnarowicz, Rosemarie Castoro, Kiki Smith, Jeff Wall, and others. The gallery continues to focus on contemporary art, emerging artists, collectors, and collaborations with museums and cultural institutions.
Title & Description
The Gift of Art 2026 Open Call for Artists:
The Gift of Art 2026 is Hal Bromm Gallery’s annual holiday exhibition, inviting artists to submit handmade, saleable artworks in two categories: artist-made ornaments and prints. The tradition began in the 1980s, with artists creating unconventional ornaments for the gallery’s holiday tree. The exhibition encourages artists to approach the idea of holiday decoration creatively, including works with political, conceptual, or challenging themes rather than conventional seasonal imagery.
For 2026, the gallery is expanding the exhibition to include prints, allowing visitors to purchase artist-made works that can be enjoyed throughout the year. More than 100 handmade ornaments by over 60 artists from around the world were presented in the previous edition. Accepted works will be exhibited and offered for sale at Hal Bromm Gallery during December. Thirty percent of proceeds will benefit Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA), a nonprofit arts organization supporting incarcerated people through theater, dance, music, creative writing, and visual arts programs.
Categories
- Visual Art
- Printmaking
- Craft
- Sculpture / 3D Art
- Mixed Media
- Handmade Art
- Photography / Editioned Prints
Print categories: woodblock, linocut, etching, lithography, silkscreen, editioned darkroom prints, editioned digital prints, and monoprints.
Eligibility
The call is open to artists internationally. The previous edition included artists from around the globe. Applicants may submit to one or both categories. Each artist may submit up to 3 ornaments and 2 prints.
Program Benefits & Awards
Selected artists will have their work exhibited at Hal Bromm Gallery in New York during the December holiday exhibition and have the opportunity to sell their work to gallery visitors and collectors. Thirty percent of proceeds from the exhibition will support Rehabilitation Through the Arts. There is no cash prize or residency component specified.
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
- Ornaments Application Form
- Prints Application Form
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 1 October 2026
- Acceptance Notification: No later than October 10, 2026
- Artwork Delivery Deadline: November 1, 2026
- Exhibition: December 1–19, 2026
- Submissions: Reviewed on a rolling basis.
Location
New York, NY, United States
Additional Details
For the ornament category, works must be handmade or designed by the submitting artist, suitable for hanging on a Christmas tree, no larger than 10 inches in any direction, and include a hanging loop or accommodate a standard wire ornament hook. Ornaments should generally be priced below $500, with the gallery recommending a $50–$300 range.
For the print category, works must be original, handmade, saleable, and either unique or limited-edition. Prints must not exceed 16 × 20 inches, must be signed and numbered, and fragile paper works should be framed. There is no specified price cap, although accessible pricing is encouraged.
Generative-AI-created or AI-assisted works will not be considered. Accepted works must be delivered to the gallery by November 1.