Call for Art: In This Together

At a Glance

Deadline: July 1, 2026 (11:59 PM)

Honorarium: $1000 per selected artwork

Eligibility: Utah-based artists, all media

Submissions: Existing work or proposals

The Opportunity

In This Together is a regional exhibition exploring belonging, connection, and community through contemporary art.

The exhibition brings together artistic practice and research on social connection to create a public experience that is thoughtful, accessible, and resonant.

We are seeking work that engages these ideas in ways that feel authentic, creative, and grounded in a clear point of view.

Research + Response

This exhibition is informed by research on social connection—its relationship to belonging, loneliness, health, and community wellbeing.

This is not an academic exercise.

You are not being asked to illustrate research or translate data directly. Instead, we invite you to engage with these ideas in a way that feels true to your practice and perspective.

We’re interested in interpretation rather than explanation.

You might consider:

• What helps people feel connected or understood?

• Where does belonging come from—and where does it break down?

• What spaces or relationships create connection?

• How do people experience connection across distance or difference?

• What does disconnection feel like, and how does it shape us?

We welcome a wide range of responses—subtle or bold, personal or collective—grounded in a clear point of view.

Recommended source materials include Social Connection in America 2025 Report, Nivea Connect Report 2025, Surgeon General’s Advisory: The Healing Effects of Social Connection, Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults, Social Media and Adolescent Health, and WHO Commission on Social Connection.

Eligibility

Utah-based artists

All media welcome

Individual artists or collaborations

Existing artworks or proposals for new work

Submission Requirements

Artist Information

• Artist bio and personal statement

• Link to website or portfolio

• Short CV or resume

Existing Work

• Images (up to 4), title, medium, dimensions

• Artist statement

• Brief explanation of how the work engages the theme and research

Proposed Work

• Concept, medium, approximate size

• Sketches or mockups

• Timeline for completion

• Brief explanation of how the work engages the theme and research
  
  

Selection Criteria

• Artistic excellence and originality

• Alignment with the goals of the exhibition

• Thoughtful engagement with ideas of social connection

• Feasibility (for proposed work)
  
  

Important Dates

• Open Call for Artists & Artworks: May 1–July 1, 2026

• Deadline for Art Submission: July 1, 2026, 11:59 PM

• Artists Notified: August 5, 2026

• Artwork Due: October 28–30, 2026

• Exhibition on View: November 18, 2026–July 3, 2027
  
  

Artist Information + Terms

Each selected artist will receive a $1000 honorarium.

Selected works will be on loan to the Springville Museum of Art for the duration of the exhibition. Artists retain ownership and copyright of their work while granting the Museum permission to use images for promotional and educational purposes and in an online database of social connection artwork.

Additional details will be provided upon selection.

Rights + Terms

The Springville Museum of Art retains first right of refusal to acquire any exhibited artwork available for sale for its Permanent Collection. For proposed works, the Museum reserves the right to decline any final artwork that differs materially from the approved proposal. Selected artists creating new work will be asked to provide periodic progress updates to SMA staff during the creation process.

SMA will insure borrowed artworks at current fair market value against physical loss or damage during transit, exhibition, and storage, subject to standard exclusions. Artists retain full ownership and copyright of their artwork while granting SMA a non-exclusive license to reproduce images of the work for educational, promotional, and informational purposes related to the exhibition and Museum programs. Selected artworks will also be included in an online database supporting social connection research, with artist and artwork credit, along with affiliation with In This Together: Art, Belonging, and the Urgency of Social Connection.

Transportation

Artists are responsible for coordinating delivery or shipping of artwork to SMA by October 30, 2026. Depending on size and scope, SMA staff may assist with transportation after selection on a case-by-case basis.