Description

VisArts welcomes artists ages 17–27 in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area to submit their application for NextGen 12.0. The exhibit will be presented in the Gibbs Street Gallery from May 30 - July 20, 2025.

NextGen 12.0 is a unique opportunity for aspiring artists who have little or no exhibition experience to show their work in a professional gallery and participate in related programming, including: an opening reception and artist talks, conversations with other emerging artists, critiques with local curators and arts administrators - who work with young artists, and additional professional development opportunities.

Prior NextGen participants are ineligible. NextGen applicants who weren’t selected for previous exhibitions may re-apply this year.

NextGen 12.0 juror: Alex Ebstein - artist, independent curator, and Senior Program Manager for the Robert W Deutsch Foundation.

Application Deadline: Friday, May 9, 2025

All application materials must be submitted online through our Submittable portal no later than 11:59 PM EST on Friday, May 9, 2025

Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Submission does not guarantee acceptance. Selected artists will be notified by March 19, 2025.

Questions? Email our Exhibition Programming Coordination, M Aragon @ maragon@visartscenter.org, with the subject line: “VisArts NextGen 12.0 Open Call.”

Required Application Materials
· Application form
· Hi-res images with captions for up to five works of art. Images must be in .jpg, .tiff, .png, or .gif file format with a minimum image resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.
· Film and video pieces are welcome; two minutes of video, film, sound, or performance documentation equals one work. You may submit up to 10 minutes of film or video in total. Videos must be in .mp4 or .mov file format.
· Artist statement (250 words maximum)
· Artist bio (150 words maximum)
· Resume/ CV

image courtesy: Gregory Staley