Calls for Artists
In the Shaira Ali Gallery
Members Show: Exploring Identity
In celebration of Arlington250
Arlington Center for the Arts invites our members to submit work to our annual Members Show: Exploring Identity. This exhibition will investigate concepts of community and identity in Arlington today. What does it mean to be an artist, parent, child, friend, neighbor, resident or even guest in Arlington? How are we engaging with the community around us? What makes this place unique? What gives us a sense of belonging? We ask creatives to share work that explores an aspect of their identity as it relates to one of the communities they belong to. Age, gender identity/expression, neighborhood, career, shared interests are just a few of the many communities we find and create throughout our lives.
Members Show: Exploring Identity is an opportunity to apply a critical lens to our community’s artistic practice and how this practice informs our sense of identity. Artists must be members of ACA to apply. Do you want to participate but you are not a member yet? Now is the perfect time! Explore our membership packages and join ACA as a member today!
You are welcome to submit up to three pieces of art for this exhibition. Work previously exhibited at ACA will not be accepted.
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If you have questions or concerns, please contact Delia Tharnish, Education and Programs Director at delia@acarts.org or at 781-648-6220.
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This exhibition is made possible in part by support from the Grants Committee of the Arlington Commission for Arts and Culture. Members Show: Exploring Identity is presented as part of the Arlington250: Untold Stories of Menotomy Celebration happening through 2026 throughout Arlington, MA.
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Featured Artwork: In Each Others' Arms by Nancy Preston
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Important Dates
Deadline for Submission: Wednesday November 12, 2025
Selected Artwork Announced: Wednesday November 19, 2025
Artwork Drop Off: Wednesday December 3, 2025
Exhibition Opening, Member Reception + Annual Meeting: Wednesday, December 10, 2025, 6-8pm
Exhibition Closes: Wednesday, March 4, 2026
Artwork Pick Up: Thursday March 5, 2026
Submission Guidelines
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All active ACA members are eligible to submit up to three (3) pieces of art to this exhibition. If you are unsure of your membership status or would like to join/renew, you may do so here.
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Creatives must be ages 16 and up.
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All media accepted
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A written artist statement must be submitted
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Work must be ready to hang, installed, or displayed. 2D works must be on canvas or framed with a wire in the back for hanging or it will not be accepted. Specific display needs must be specified and provided by the artist.
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Site-specific proposals are welcome, but there is no guarantee we can accommodate. Please reach out to delia@acarts.org if you have any questions.
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There are no size restrictions beyond the height of the gallery, which is 6 feet tall. There are limited opportunities for anything taller than 6 feet (see site-specific proposals).
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Artwork shown at ACA in the past year will not be accepted.
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In the Hallway Gallery
In Our Own Backyard
Arlington Center for the Arts (ACA) and the Save Massachusetts Wildlife Education Fund are collaborating again, on a series of events focused on art and wildlife conservation in 2025. ACA's Hallway Gallery will feature In Our Own Backyard, an exhibition of work that explores all the wonders of the Mystic River watershed.
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Join us to celebrate our watershed and its wild inhabitants and ponder the ways they are at risk. Art pieces can also explore potential solutions to help preserve the beauty and biodiversity of the watershed for the enjoyment of future generations.
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Eagles, ospreys, owls, kingfishers, herons, muskrats and many more animals live in and around the watershed either year-round or seasonally, blessing the area with an impressive and beneficial biodiversity. However, the watershed's wildlife face a multitude of threats, including rat poisons, plastic waste and discarded fishing line, climate change, and habitat loss.
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This a is a unique call for artwork as we are asking for all of the proceeds from work sold from the show to be donated to our partner organization, Save Massachusetts Wildlife Education Fund.
Impact of In Our Own Backyard on Save Massachusetts Wildlife:
​2025 has been a busy year for Save Arlington Wildlife and its affiliated nonprofit, Save Massachusetts Wildlife! Check out the work that was able to happen as a result of the money raised last fall:
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BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN SUCCESS! Save Mass Wildlife launched its first billboard campaign April. One of these billboards was in Quincy Center and another one was placed on Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge near Porter Square. The billboards raised a lot of awareness.
The Vice Mayor of Cambridge also announced this week the city will be banning SGARs on its public properties! The billboard campaign was made possible through a very generous donation from Newhouse Wildlife Rescue and by our arts fundraiser last fall in partnership with the Arlington Center for the Arts. We hope to launch another billboard campaign this fall. If you'd like to be part of the effort, please consider a tax deductible donation.
The goal of this project is to raise funds to help establish an education campaign focused on raising awareness on the harm of rodenticides on wildlife and pets throughout Massachusetts, with a concentration on the Boston metro area. In particular, proceeds will be used to help subsidize billboards and YouTube videos that illustrate the adverse effects of rat poison on our environment and public health. Volunteers for this work are always needed and you can contact Laura Kiesel at lakiesel@gmail.com if you are interested in helping.
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Submission Requirements + Important Dates
Please be prepared to submit:
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Images (good quality images of up to 3 pieces)
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Written statement about your work, what inspired you to create it.
Submission Requirements:
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Artists must be ages 16 and up.
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2D and 3D visual art are eligible for submission.
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Printed work must be ready to hang, installed, or displayed. 2D works must be on canvas or framed with a wire in the back for hanging or it will not be accepted. Specific display needs must be specified and provided by the artist.
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Submission Deadline: Friday, September 12, 2025 by 5pm
Selected Art Announced: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 by 5pm
Artwork Drop Off: Wednesday, September 17, 2025, 12-7pm
Dates of Exhibit: September 26 – December 13, 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 9, 2025 from 6-7:30 PM
Artwork Pick Up (for any unsold works): Wednesday, December 13, 2025, 11-7pm​
Questions about submitting to this exhibition or the gallery space can be sent to Pam Shanley, ACA's Operations Director at pam@acarts.org or call 781-648-6220.
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Offsite Exhibit Program
Interested in exhibiting your work at local businesses and venues around Arlington, MA? The Arlington Center for the Arts has well-established relationships with many local business owners and cultural partners who are looking to display locally-made artwork in their public spaces. The ACA Offsite Exhibit Program is an artist bank that the ACA manages and presents to our local partners annually, and arranges exhibitions of selected artists work in these spaces for 3-6 months at a time.
How It Works
Our exhibits team reviews the submissions on a rolling basis as requests are made from the community for local art.
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Artists who are selected from this bank will be contacted by our Operations Manager, Pam Shanley who will review the opportunity for exhibition, and if accepted by the artist, will coordinate the artwork selection, installation, publicity, and reception for each artist.
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Submitting to the Offsite Exhibit Program does not guarantee an exhibition opportunity.
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Once an artist submits their work to the form, they are added permanently to the bank, but they are invited to reach out to ACA staff after a period of one (1) year if they have updates to their portfolio and have not yet been selected.
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Opportunities for exhibition range from a few pieces of art by one artist, to a large-scale exhibition featuring multiple artists.
How to Submit
Please complete the form below and be prepared to provide between 5-10 images of your work.
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Preference will be given to local artists.
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Exhibit opportunities are available for a range of large (10’ and under) medium (48” and under) and small (12” and under) sizes, and price points. All types of 2-D work is acceptable (painting, printmaking, photography, drawings, etc) as well as 3-D work that can be installed on a wall (fiber art, ceramics, etc).
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Unfortunately we cannot accommodate free-standing 3-D work at this time.
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All exhibited work will need to be ready-to-hang (wired, no saw hooks) prior to installation.
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The ACA takes a 30% commission and Artists will receive a 70% commission on all artwork sold during their placement.
Visit our Offsite Exhibits Page for more information. Any questions should be sent via email to ACA's Operations Director, Pam Shanley, at pam@acarts.org.
