The Dairy Arts Center is proud to announce our annual Call for Art Exhibitions in 2026!
We invite artists working in all visual art mediums to apply for consideration. Selected applicants will collaborate with Curator of Visual Arts, Stella Witcher, to develop and participate in exhibitions scheduled in 2026.
We welcome exhibition proposals and artist submissions that align with our mission to foster thought-provoking, culturally resonant, and community-driven art experiences. Our gallery is dedicated to showcasing innovative work across various mediums, providing a platform for artists whose practices engage with critical ideas, storytelling, and social dialogue.
Artists, curators, and collectives are invited to submit proposals for solo or group exhibitions that explore compelling themes, challenge perspectives, and inspire meaningful conversations. Whether your work engages with personal narratives, cultural identity, environmental concerns, or experimental techniques, we encourage you to share your vision with us.
Applicants may apply to participate in one of our programmed themed exhibitions for 2026 or submit a general exhibition inquiry. Please review the exhibition themes and schedule, indicating your preference in your application, or specify that it is a general inquiry.
2026 EXHIBITIONS
Black Futures in Art: February 19 – March 29
Black Futures in Art is a yearly exhibition dedicated to celebrating the voices of Black artists from Colorado and across the United States. Held in honor of Black History Month, it serves as a space for creative visionaries shaping new narratives and forging dynamic paths for the future of Black communities and intersectional communities of color. This exhibition will highlight the power of art to envision and construct futures where Black identity, culture, and experience are centered and uplifted.
We invite artists whose work challenges, reimagines, and celebrates the evolving story of Black life, joy, struggle, and triumph. Whether through painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media, or new media, participating artists will contribute to a forward-looking exploration of possibility, resilience, and transformation.
Set the Table: May 15 – August 2
Set the Table is an exploration of food as a cultural and artistic practice that unites us all. This exhibition will feature a series of dinner table installations and associated artworks examining the shared experience of meals and the rich stories they tell. By centering on the universal ritual of dining, Set the Table will invite Boulder’s community to connect deeply with the traditions that define us.
We invite artists to explore food’s cultural, ecological, and economic significance, using the dinner table as a symbol of home, heritage, and identity. Set the Table will weave together personal histories, ancestral knowledge, and the bonds that tie us to our communities. We also encourage artists to examine how the table reflects pressing sociocultural issues—cultures of consumption, food scarcity, environmental sustainability, and the rising cost of living.
This exhibition will highlight Colorado’s rich farming heritage and deep culinary traditions by integrating perspectives from local artists, farmers, and restaurants. Set the Table will reflect on how meals bind us together, offering powerful commentary on the ways meals shape our personal, familial, spiritual, and environmental relationships.
Off the Page: August 14 – November 1
Off the Page will explore the intersection of literature and visual art, highlighting how these two powerful mediums inspire one another and serve as vessels for storytelling and reflection. This exhibition will examine the ways poetry, fiction, and narrative shape artistic expression, while also celebrating the physicality of books, type, and paper as integral materials in contemporary art.
We invite artists to reflect on the transformative power of storytelling—how it fosters innovation, deepens cultural understanding, and strengthens community. Off the Page will be a space to consider the significance of literature in today’s society, from the joy of reading to the urgency of banned books and literary censorship.
Artists working in all mediums are encouraged to engage with the themes of language, books, and the written word—whether through direct inspiration from literature or by integrating text, book forms, and paper into their artistic practice. Off the Page will celebrate the enduring influence of stories, honoring literature’s ability to challenge, inspire, and connect us all.
General Inquiry: All Year
Have a collection of artwork or an exhibition idea that doesn’t fit within the above exhibitions? We welcome general exhibition applications from individual artists, artist collectives, or curators interested in presenting solo or group exhibitions. We invite exhibition proposals that explore compelling themes, challenge perspectives, and inspire meaningful conversations.
If submitting a general inquiry, please indicate your preferred exhibition timeline or available months for consideration.
Application Requirements
Artist Biography: A brief bio about yourself.
Artist Statement: A short statement describing your application concept and the relation of your works to the exhibition you are applying for
Work Samples: Submit at least 2 and up to 10 work samples (any media accepted, including a combination of video, audio, and images).
Exhibition preference selection: Please state which exhibition you are applying for, or general enquiry if applicable. You may only apply to ONE exhibition or general enquiry per application.
Eligibility Criteria
All mediums are welcome, and artists at all career stages are encouraged to apply.
Artists over 18 years of age are eligible to apply (younger artists may apply with parental permission, please reach out to stella@thedairy.org for more details)
Works must be original, no prints or recreations will be considered (unless conceptually grounded within exhibition)
Artists must live and be able to mail/transport artwork from within in the United States
- Application Type:
- Applications may be submitted for an individual artist or a group of artists/collective.
- If applying as a collective, submit one consolidated application
- Each artist or group may submit one application.
- Applications may include up to 10 images for consideration (any media accepted) and must submit a minimum of 2 work samples.
- Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a cohesive body of work that best represents their artistic vision.
Application Fees
$40 per application, non-refundable. We encourage artists from all socioeconomic status to apply. If the required application fee is a financial barrier for your application being submitted, please reach out for assistance to stella@thedairy.org
Exhibition Process
The Dairy’s Visual Arts Curator, Stella Witcher, and the guest jurors will select proposals and artworks based on their relationship to the exhibitions and 2026 Dairy Programming. Applications will be reviewed by a jury composed of members from The Dairy’s Visual Art Committee, a fifteen-member group of artists, curators, university faculty, art collectors, and local creatives. They will also determine the layout and installation of the works within the gallery space. Selected applicants will collaborate with Curator of Visual Arts, Stella Witcher, the jurors, and The Dairy Arts Center’s team to refine their proposal or create original works for the exhibition.
Upon selection, artists will be notified and put in direct contact with Stella Witcher, Curator of Visual Arts. Working in collaboration, The Dairy will assist in producing the proposed exhibition, including:
Exhibition Support: Exhibition title vinyl, Exhibition guide, Developed online exhibition, Online sales platform for salable works, Exhibition installation and deinstallation, Exhibition documentation
Marketing and Programming: The Dairy will provide comprehensive exhibition documentation, an opening reception, studio visits, marketing, and curatorial advising. Further details upon selection.
Sales: Works for display should be for sale but is not a requirement. The Dairy Arts Center retains a commission of 40% on artwork sold. Please consider this in your pricing.
Delivery and Shipping: Artists are responsible for shipping costs, unless otherwise arranged in specific cases. Further details will be provided if your work is accepted.
Additional Support: Multiple studio visits, Curatorial advising, Opening reception with photographer present, Additional programming opportunities
Important Dates
Deadline for Application: April 30th, 2025
Juror selection of art: May 1 – 19th
Artist notification: May 23, 2025
Exhibition dates: between January 2026 and January 2027
About the Dairy Arts Center
Dairy Arts Center was founded in 1992 to provide cooperative workspaces for local artists and venues for live performance in Boulder County. Originally owned by the Watts-Hardy Dairy, the building’s transformation from a former milk-processing facility to a thriving multi-disciplinary arts hub for Boulder and beyond is a nationally recognized example of constructive urban development and renewal. The Dairy’s founders envisioned a community arts center where artists of all genres would create and inspire each other and the greater community.
Today, this dream of shared art making is a thriving reality. The Dairy’s 42,000 square foot facility houses disciplines ranging from visual arts, theater, and film to dance and music. A professional environment complete with art galleries, performance venues, teaching studios, offices, rehearsal spaces, dance studios, and a 60-seat art-house cinema, it is Boulder’s largest multi-disciplinary arts center. The Dairy’s audience spans all ages, backgrounds and ability levels, from young student to seasoned performer and from first-time to seasoned theatergoers. Our audience is inclusive of all ages and backgrounds as well as adults and children of various cultures and levels of ability; our facility is accessible to persons with physical mobility challenges.
Mission: The Dairy Arts Center provides diverse opportunities to create, learn, and engage in high quality performing, cinematic, and visual arts experiences.
Vision: To develop a national reputation in the arts that reflects Boulder’s evolving artistic and entrepreneurial spirit.
Values: As a nonprofit multidisciplinary arts venue, the Dairy Arts Center values community, curation, cultivation, and courage. These shared beliefs guide our day to day operations, programming selections (our own and those of our presenting organizations), and our interactions with Dairy Arts Center staff and board, patrons, donors, partners, residents, volunteers, artists and all stakeholders.
The Dairy Arts Center welcomes everyone, including people of any race, ethnicity, nationality, gender identity or presentation, sexual orientation, ability, religion, and citizen status.
Contact
For additional information or queries, contact Curator of Visual Arts, Stella Witcher, stella@thedairy.org