Artist Resources

ARTIST RESOURCES Resources & Opportunities for artists from throughout the contemporary art field. Transformer is committed to connecting artists with information on resources and opportunities to support them. On a rolling basis, we share helpful artist listings and links from colleagues throughout the contemporary art field. Please check back on our website & Instagram regularly for these updates.List Updated: October 13, 2026 SUBMISSIONSFLATFILE Along with specific exhibition proposals, artists may submit samples of their work to be considered for inclusion in our FlatFile program - a growing collection of works on paper in a variety of two-dimensional mediums including photography, painting, drawing, and printmaking, approximately 16" x 20" in size and smaller, & priced under $500. To submit to the FlatFile, please email your artist bio, website, and a small selection of images and corresponding artwork details to [email protected]. Artwork details to include for each piece: title, year made, medium, dimensions, price. Please format artwork file names as follows: LastName_ArtworkTitle. EXHIBITIONSWith a unique store-front exhibition space at 1404 P Street, NW, Transformer’s Exhibition Series, consisting of six to seven exhibitions per season, encourages artists to be site-responsive, often producing a deeper and more thoughtful exploration of ideas and solutions to the presentation of their work. Exhibitions run five to six weeks and are organized by Transformer staff in conjunction with participating artists, guest curators, and advisors.Artists are never charged fees for participating in Transformer’s exhibition series nor to have their work considered. We are not a commercial gallery, we do not offer artist representation, and only offer ONE solo exhibition per year - for which we do not accept applications.To submit an exhibition proposal: please email a copy of your artist bio, CV, and proposal to [email protected] for consideration. Include photos (proposed or representative pieces), an artist statement, and as much detail as possible in the proposal; What do you hope people will take away from your exhibition? Why is Transformer a good fit to exhibit your artwork?If we have an opportunity for you, you will be contacted in 1-2 weeks. In the meantime, check out our artist resources page for additional local and national opportunities, and our upcoming events calendar for free and public Transformer programs. Artist ResourcesFellowship at the Smithsonian American Art Museum | Washington, DCThe Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery offer one of the oldest and largest fellowship programs in American art, inviting scholars from any discipline whose research engages American art, craft, or visual culture. Fellowships are residential, supporting full-time research within the museum's extensive collections, archives, and library resources in Washington, D.C. Fellows benefit from regular workshops, seminars, and lectures fostering scholarly exchange and professional growth. The program encourages applicants from all backgrounds and disciplinary perspectives, including those introducing new methodologies or materials to the field of American art history.Deadline: October 15, 2026BRIDGE: Clay on the Wall | Lorton, VAThis is an open call for wall mounted ceramic artwork. All levels of creators are welcome and encouraged to apply. Bridge: Clay on the Wall is intended to celebrate the artwork that stretches the boundaries of tile and three dimensional concepts. While clay takes presence in many dimensions, functional, sculptural and decorative, it primarily gets represented in the artwork on pedestal or table. Decorative tile has its healthy representation as well. Bridge will embrace the artworks which explore the edge of three-dimensionality, relief and or decoration. Those artworks that challenge conformity and commonly accepted imagery. Artworks which cross the bridge from pedestal to wall.Deadline: October 31, 2026Call for Artists: 2026 Holiday Art Competition | Frederick, MDJoin us for the 2026 Holiday Art Competition to celebrate the holidays! The theme for the competition is a secular celebration of “The Holidays in Historic Frederick.” The artwork should be a way for people unfamiliar with Frederick to have an idea of the winter wonderland that awaits locals and tourists during the winter months. Application Fee: $20Deadline: November 1, 20262027-28 Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship | Richmond, VAThe Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship Program is a vital source of funding for the visual arts and art history in Virginia. VMFA is committed to supporting professional artists as well as art and art history students who demonstrate exceptional creative ability in their chosen discipline and, as such, has awarded more than $6.5 million in Fellowships to Virginians.Deadline: November 6, 2026 Call to Artists, “Fusion” at Strathmore | North Bethesda, MD “Fusion” mixes materials, genres, and ideas through artistic vision to spark creativity. Strathmore invites artists to explore the idea of fusion, using their own style to create original multi-medium work for this juried show. This call welcomes any combination of multiple mediums for both abstract and representational art. This can include but is not limited to: drawing, painting, mixed media, assemblage, sculpture, and everything in between to accomplish a work.Deadline: November 9, 2026 VisArts Call for Solo Exhibitions 2027 | Washington, DCVisArts invites artists working in all media to apply for solo exhibitions in 2027. Selected artists will present work in one of three exhibition spaces at VisArts: the Gibbs Street Gallery, Common Ground Gallery, or Concourse Gallery. VisArts’ exhibition program presents emerging and mid-career artists working across a broad range of contemporary practices, materials, and approaches. We welcome proposals that are ambitious, experimental, interdiscipl