Kinhouse Open Door: 2027 Exhibition & Residency Open Call

Overview

Open Door is Kinhouse's annual exhibition and residency call for emerging and mid-career artists and curators. We welcome proposals for solo, two-person, and three-person exhibitions, collaborations, artist collectives, installations, and site-specific work. Selected exhibitions will be part of our 2027 programming and come with a fully funded residency week timed to coincide with your opening reception.

What artists receive

• Communication and support leading up to the exhibition
• Installation support for the exhibition
• Fully funded 6-night residency at Kinhouse Residency in Fort Wayne (3-minute drive from gallery)
• Promotion and marketing of your artwork and exhibition across our platforms
• Professional documentation of the exhibition (Kinhouse retains rights to use images for promotional purposes)

Curatorial interests

While submissions don't need to fall within our curatorial scope, Open Door especially welcomes work that engages with themes of community, care, belonging, the domestic, parenting, craft, and lineage.

Key dates

• Submission deadline: October 18th, 2026, 11:59pm ET
• Artists notified: October 21st, 2026
• Residency options: March 1-7, 2026 (opening March 5); May 31-June 6, 2026 (opening June 4); June 28-July 4, 2026 (opening July 2); August 2-8, 2026 (opening August 6)
• Exhibition runs for one month following the Friday evening reception opening

Eligibility

Open to emerging and mid-career artists and curators internationally. We welcome submissions from artists of all genders and backgrounds. Work samples may be submitted as works-in-progress and do not need to be finished.

Media & submission requirements

All art mediums are accepted for consideration. Video/screen-based submissions may require extra support. Submit 1-20 total assets (images, audio, or video): minimum 1 image, maximum 20 images; 0-3 audio files; 0-3 video files.

Application fee

$34 for 1 show proposal. Fees are non-refundable.

Installation & logistics

Installation and deinstallation support will be provided, however each proposal may have different needs. For proposals requiring detailed artist oversight, artist(s) should be available for installation and/or deinstallation in person at Kinhouse in Fort Wayne, IN. If the artist(s) cannot be present for deinstallation, Kinhouse staff will deinstall and arrange pickup. If work needs to be shipped back, artists must provide shipping materials and pay for return shipping.