calls for art
Extra Crispy serves up a playful exhibition celebrating art with a little more heat, texture, color, attitude, and crunch. Artists are invited to bring their boldest, brightest, quirkiest, or most unexpected work to the table. From sizzling colors and dynamic compositions to work that pushes boundaries, sparks conversation, or simply makes you smile, Extra Crispy is a feast for the eyes with something for every artistic appetite.
Show runs the month of January at Pizza Luce, St Paul
Applications close November 20, 2026
extra crispy
Midwest Mythologies is a collaborative exhibition presented by the Minnesota Artists Guild and Paramount Center for the Arts, exploring the stories, legends, folklore, and modern myths that shape the cultural identity of the American Midwest. From Indigenous traditions and frontier folklore to Paul Bunyan, cryptids, haunted landscapes, immigrant storytelling, agricultural lore, Great Lakes mysteries, roadside attractions, and tales passed between generations, the exhibition invites artists to examine the region’s layered histories and evolving narratives. The exhibition also explores contemporary Midwestern mythology—from nostalgia for small-town America and the “heartland” to abandoned places, internet folklore, regional superstitions, true crime, labor identity, and the mythologizing of Midwestern resilience. Together, these works consider the stories we inherit, the stories we create, and the ways mythology shapes our understanding of place, memory, identity, and belonging.
The exhibition runs during the month of March, 2027 at the Paramount Center for the Arts in St Cloud, MN. There will be a drop-off site arranged for Twin Cities area artists in the metro area, to be announced.
Applications close January 20, 2027
midwest mythologies
The Minnesota Artists Guild in partnership with Phipps Center for the Arts presents North Facing: Portraits from the Upper Midwest. From striking realism to expressive abstraction, North Facing explores the many ways artists interpret identity, emotion, and connection. These works offer an intimate look at the human spirit through the eyes of the region’s finest portrait artists. Whether depicting familiar faces or imagined souls, each piece invites viewers to pause, reflect, and engage with the depth of artistic vision.
This is an expansive exhibition encompassing three state-of-the-art galleries. We are accepting submissions for both 2D and 3D work from artists across the Upper Midwest.
Venue: Phipps Center for the Arts, 109 Locust St, Hudson, WI 54016
Important Dates:
Applications due Feb 1, 2027
Notifications by Feb 20, 2027
Art received by May 18, 2027
Opening reception May 21, 2027, 6:30-8:30
Closing July 11, 2027
Eligibility:
Artists living or practicing in the Upper Midwest states including
Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin
Media: All 2D, 3D, digital and installation art will be considered.
Artwork requirements: Must be professionally finished and ready to hang or display. No work over 50 lbs. No AI generated art.
Application Fees:
No application fee for Minnesota Artists Guild Members
Non-members require a sliding scale fee of $5-$20. Please visit the Pay Here section after completing your application.
Gallery Commission
The Phipps Center for the Arts retains a 40% commission on all art sales.
North Facing
Walking the rainbow
We are excited to share an advance sneak peek for Pride Season 2027! The Minnesota Artists Guild will be hosting a special Rainbow Show at Creative Flow running June 12 through July 10, 2027.
This exhibition will celebrate Pride and connection by transforming the gallery space into a vibrant, walkable rainbow installation. Each submitted artwork will represent a specific color of the rainbow, creating a seamless gradient experience as visitors walk through the gallery space.
Full details and the official Call for Art application will be coming soon, so start dreaming up your colorful submissions now!
Past Calls For Art
The Sprawl is the new hub of the St Cloud Art Crawl! We’re making it a destination for artists and enthusiasts alike, offering 20 tabling spaces, trivia games and scavenger hunts with prizes, and artist studio tours.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Date and Time: Friday, Oct 9 from 4:00 - 8:00 pm
Location: The (new) Wirth Center, 11 7th Ave N, St. Cloud
CLOSED
Fees:
This is a free opportunity for artists but we ask for an art donation worth $10-$20 to be given as prizes for our trivia and scavenger games.
Space:
You will receive an 8’ wide by 6’ deep space and a chair. You’re responsible for bringing your own table, linens, and displays. More space may be available. See application.
St Cloud art crawl
The Minnesota Artists Guild along with Paramount Center For the Arts presents Nocturne.
Nocturne explores the quiet transformation that arrives with autumn—the gradual retreat of daylight, the lengthening of shadows, and the shift from the brightness of summer toward the mystery of longer nights. As the landscape changes and the familiar world takes on a different character, darkness can become both a physical presence and a space for reflection, imagination, solitude, and discovery. This atmospheric exhibition invites artists to interpret the night, the changing season, fading light, shadow, stillness, and the many ways we experience the world as it moves from light toward darkness.
DETAILS
Free to apply. Gallery retains 40% of sales
Exhibit runs the month of October at the Paramount Center For the Arts Gallery in St Cloud
Artwork drop-off by Sep 29 in Robbinsdale (possible St Cloud drop off could be arranged)
2D art must be framed and wired and not exceed 30” on any side.
3D is welcome
TO APPLY
Email heather.mnartistsguild@gmail.com jpg or png of up to three pieces titled as follows:
last name, title, size (Example: smith,shadows,24x24)
Subject of email should read Nocturne Submission – Last Name
Last day to apply is September 22
NOCTURNE
The Minnesota Artists Guild is proud to once again sponsor the Golden Valley Arts & Music Festival. With so many great bands, artists, activities, food trucks, beer, wine and more, it's the can't-miss fall festival for everyone in Golden Valley and beyond.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Date and Time: Saturday, September 19 from 10:00am – 6:00 pm
Location: Under the water tower in Golden Valley, MN
Important dates for artists: The art festival will take place on September 19, 2026 from 10:00am – 6:00pm.
Application deadline is July 10, 2026.
Fees:
Application fee: $15 (waived for MN Artists Guild Members)
Booth Fee: $135 ($115 for Minnesota Artist Guild Members)
Golden Valley Festival
Members can now apply to be a part of some of the cities' best festivals... for free! This is a juried opportunity for member artists of all levels to have up to ten of their pieces in the MAG Members Festival Tent.
Deadline to apply: May 28
Festival Dates:
Stone Arch: 6/20-6/21
Loring Park: 7/25-7/26
Golden Valley: 9/19
You must be present for part of each festival you are accepted to.
The Member tent
Are you looking to build your resume? We have some amazing opportunities that look great on one!
CURATOR - FILLED
Help to design, judge, and install a gallery exhibit in Minneapolis this spring.
ART FESTIVAL JUDGE - FILLED
We are taking applications for judges for both the Stone Arch Bridge Festival and Loring Park Art Festival.
FACILITATOR - FILLED
We are looking for a qualified individual to facilitate the St Cloud Connection Salons and Networking Happy Hours. Free membership, small stipend, and other perks in exchange for roughly 5 hours of your time each month.
Resume builders
Calling all MN artists! The Minnesota Artists Guild is searching for two-dimensional art to be included in our Micro Art Collection. Accepted artists will have a limited number of miniature, framed canvas prints available for purchase by our patrons.
Here's how it works…
1: Accepted artists grant the Minnesota Artists Guild permission to produce and sell a limited number of miniature prints and will provide a quality .jpg of their work.
2: The Guild will make giclée canvas prints, frame them, attach a signature field on the back of each piece, and distribute a calling card with each sale. Calling cards include artists info, name, medium, size, and price of original work (if available), and links to artists’ website and/or social media. Artists earn $8 per sale. The remainder of the profit goes to the Guild to build programing for artists, musicians, and writers across the state.
3: The Micro Art Collection will be featured on the Minnesota Artists Guild website and at events throughout the year. Any stock remaining after a time determined by the Minnesota Artists Guild may be discounted or discontinued.
4: Collectors of Micro Art will receive your calling card along with their framed prints. In addition, they will be encouraged to seek out the creators of their pieces at publicized events to complete them with a signature.
Free to apply and to participate. If selected, we will print, frame, and sell your pieces for you. All applicants will receive a discount code for our MAGnify Live events, taking place in Minneapolis this summer.
This is a great opportunity to get your work in front of collectors, peers, and industry leaders and to support the Minnesota Artists Guild.
Deadline: May 15
micro art
We invite artists to submit work for Subdued, an exhibition to be held Ambiente Gallery and Clinic. This show embraces quiet elegance through muted colors, soft lines, or minimalist themes. Artwork should evoke calm, balance, and subtle beauty—pieces that harmonize with a healing environment while offering viewers a moment of reflection.
All mediums are welcome, provided the work can be wall-mounted and is suitable for a professional healthcare space.
Show Dates:
June 1 - September 1, 2026
Deadline to Apply:
May 1, 2026
Jury Fee:
$0 MAG Members
$10 non-members
Subdued
MAG now has a merch store! We are looking for designs by Minnesota artists to print as LIMITED EDITION merchandise. Items could include tees, totes, journals, mugs, and beyond. We will take into consideration your design before choosing the merch it will grace.
Here’s how it works:
1) Submit up to three samples of high-quality JPGs for consideration. It’s free to apply but you MUST be a MN artist.
2) If we choose your piece, we will submit a mock-up of the item"(s) we intend to print it on for your approval.
3) You give MAG permission to produce and sell the approved items for a limited time.
4) You earn 30% of the profit on each sale.
Disclaimer: These are print-on-demand items so the profit margin isn’t huge.
Application Fee: 0
Application Deadline: October 25
Acceptance Notification by October 31
merch design contest
Grounded: Forest and Fieldwork brings together artists who explore the deep relationship between us and the landscapes we inhabit, from quiet woodland interiors to expansive fields under shifting skies. The exhibition reflects on forests as places of mystery and renewal, fields as both working landscapes and sites of memory, and the textures, rhythms, and histories embedded in the land itself. Through these varied perspectives, the show invites us to pause and see the environments that sustain us not as mere scenery, but as living, breathing presences intertwined with our own stories.
This is a virtual art show curated by the Minnesota Artists Guild for the online exhibition space, Gallery Glitch. Open to artwork in all 2D mediums. All works accepted for the exhibition must be original, completed, ready to hang/display, and of professional quality. All art submitted for consideration must be for sale. Sales will be handled through the gallery and the gallery will retain a 20% commission. Delivery of sold artwork is the responsibility of the artist. Buyers will be made aware that there may be a delivery or shipping fee.
Application Fee for MAG Members: 0
Application Fee for non-MAG Members: $10
Application Deadline: October 10
Acceptance Notification by October 25
Show opens November 10
grounded:
forest and fieldwork
The Minnesota Artists Guild and Rogue Buddha Gallery invite you to submit your art for consideration in Gilded Wither.
The works of Gilded Wither evoke a sense of beautiful decay, focusing on the once-glimmering and opulent, now in the process of withering away. Themes of corrosion, corruption, and neglect tap ideas of faded glamour, unattainable perfection, and the vanity of human aspirations. The exhibition encourages introspection on the transient nature of glory and beauty, as well as the dark side of excess and luxury.
Location: Rogue Buddha Gallery, 357 13th Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413
Dates:
Call for Art Closes: Oct 10
Notification of Acceptance by Oct 30
Artwork Drop-Off: During Gallery hours Friday Nov 21st or Saturday Nov 22nd
Opening Reception: Dec 5, 6:00-11:00pm
Closing: Jan 24th
Artist Pickup: During Gallery hours Sat Jan 31st
Jury Fee:
$0 MAG Members
$20 non-members
gilded wither
We’re back! For 16 years GVCF's Golden Valley Arts & Music Festival was the premier event of the year. After a brief hiatus, we’re reinstating Golden Valley’s finest art festival! This year, we are excited to be sponsored and juried by the Minnesota Artists Guild. With so many great bands, artists, activities, food trucks, beer, wine and more it's the can't-miss fall festival for everyone in Golden Valley and beyond.
FESTIVAL PAGE
www.gvcfoundation.org
GENERAL INFORMATION
Important dates for artists:
The art festival will take place on September 13, 2025 from 10:00am – 6:00pm. Application deadline is August 20, 2025. You will be notified within two weeks of your submission if you have been invited or if we have added you to the waitlist. Waitlisted artists will be alerted of acceptance no later than August 15. Acceptance and purchase of booth space will be required within two weeks of invitation.
Fees:
Application fee: $0
Booth fee:
$115 for Minnesota Artists Guild Members
$135 for all others
Golden Valley Festival
MAG MEMBERES ONLY
Proposal for the Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program at MIA
The Minnesota Artists Guild is putting together an exhibition proposal for the MAEP at the MIA called Serenity Scene and Unseen. Members are encouraged to submit works in line with the theme including 2D, 3D, music, digital, film, and literature. Think big!
What does serenity look like? In Serenity Scene and Unseen, Minnesota artists share their personal visions of peace—not only in the expected hush of nature, with landscapes bathed in golden light or delicate florals in bloom, but also in the overlooked and unexpected. A quiet moment in a bustling city, the comfort of a well-worn object, the fleeting stillness between movement—this exhibition invites viewers to expand their perception of tranquility.
Through painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media, artists uncover where serenity resides, revealing the deeply personal and often surprising ways it manifests in our daily lives. Whether found in the grand or the humble, the seen or unseen, this collection reminds us that peace is not only where we look for it but also where we least expect to find it.
Dates
Call for art closes on May 20
Notifications of proposal inclusion by June 1
No application fees. This is a MAG Members-only opportunity.
Serenity Scene and unseen
Driven to abstraction
Step into a world untethered from representation—Driven to Abstraction is a dynamic exhibition celebrating the expressive power of abstraction across two and three dimensions. Featuring a diverse range of artists, the show will explore color, form, texture, and movement as pure visual language, challenging perception and inviting emotional resonance.
From bold, gestural paintings to intricate sculptural forms, each piece pushes the boundaries of interpretation, encouraging viewers to engage beyond the literal. Whether through the rhythmic energy of mark-making, the interplay of light and shadow, or the tactile allure of unconventional materials, Driven to Abstraction is a journey into the essence of artistic expression—where meaning is fluid, and imagination reigns supreme.
This is a virtual art show curated by the Minnesota Artists Guild for the online exhibition space, Gallery Glitch. Open to artwork in all mediums, both 2D and 3D. All works accepted for the exhibition must be original, completed, ready to hang/display, and of professional quality. All art submitted for consideration must be for sale. Sales will be handled through the gallery. Delivery of sold artwork is the responsibility of the artist. Buyers will be made aware that there may be a delivery or shipping fee, which you can designate on your application.
Jury Fees
MAG Members - $0
Non-MAG Members - $10
Commissions
MAG Members - 0%
Non-MAG Members - 20%
Dates
Call for art closes on May 1
Notifications by May 10
Show runs Jun 1- Aug 1
The Minnesota Artists Guild is seeking submissions for POPtimal, a high-impact exhibition showcasing the best in bold art and graphic design. This semi-permanent installation will be hosted at a newly renovated NE Minneapolis bar and restaurant as part of our MNscapes program.
We are looking for work that embraces bold hues, dynamic compositions, and contemporary visual storytelling—whether through digital art, prints, paintings, or mixed media. Think street art meets studio, neon meets nostalgia, and pop culture reimagined.
Eligibility & Guidelines:
Open to artists living in Minnesota
Work must fit within the themes of pop-art, graphic design, and bold contemporary aesthetics
All mediums welcome, but work must be ready to hang or display
Artists may submit up to three pieces for consideration
Key Dates:
Submission Deadline: April 28
Notification of Acceptance: May 1
Installation: May 12 (tentative)
Opening Reception: May 16 (tentative)
Jury Fee
MAG Members: $0
Non-Members: $10
Commissions:
MAG Members: 80% to artist, 20% to MAG
Non-Members: 60% to artist, 40% to MAG
