Artist Opportunities
CALL FOR TEACHING ARTISTS
Vision Kids Call for Proposals
Due Date: Monday, June 15, 2026
Description
Vision Gallery is seeking proposals for our 2026-27 Vision Kids season. You are invited to submit one or more proposals for individual, one-session classes you would like to teach.
Vision Kids has been central to Vision Gallery’s programming since 1997. These visual arts classes for kids age 6 to 16 are free to anyone who would like to participate, providing important access to arts education that our community’s youth may not be getting in school. We believe that all kids deserve an outlet to be creative.
Program Details
- The deadline to submit a proposal is Monday, June 15th, 2026.
- Classes are 2 hours each and are held in two separate sessions on Saturdays (10am – 12pm and 1pm – 3pm) with an hour break in between. Instructors will teach the same class twice on the same day.
- Class projects must be completed in the 2-hour session.
- Vision Gallery will purchase all supplies, with a budget of around $50 per class
- Teaching artists are paid a stipend of $125/teaching hour. Payment is made following completion of the class, up to a total of $500.
- We will be hosting 24 in-person classes and 2 virtual classes.
- Currently we are programming for August 2026 – June 2027.
Important Considerations
- We are planning to host two virtual classes. For these proposals, please utilize materials commonly found at home – for example, “something to color with” rather than “Prismacolor watercolor pencils”. We are able to provide some supply kits, but we are not able to give away supplies that are normally reusable in our studio to every family (ex. needle-nose pliers). If you have questions about this, please contact us – we are happy to discuss in more detail before you submit your proposal.
- We are planning to host two classes led in Spanish and are seeking proposals from bilingual instructors.
- Our Vision Kids students come from diverse ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. It is important to us that our roster of teaching artists is just as diverse. Individuals across the spectrum of race, gender identity or expression, and sexual orientation are encouraged to apply.
Need Help?
Interested, but need more information? Please see our presentation online with answers to frequently asked questions. Program Coordinator Samantha Groff is also happy to answer any questions you have, go over your proposal ideas with you, and provide feedback before you apply. You are welcome to reach out by emailing [email protected]. You can also take a look at some of our recent classes here to get a sense of what we are looking for.
CALL TO ARTISTS
Community Art Engagement Pre-Qualified List
Due Date: Monday, June 22, 2026
The Chandler Arts Commission is looking for Arizona-based artists to add to a pre-qualified Community Arts Engagement list. Artists on this list may be commissioned to create participatory community art engagements for City of Chandler events and festivals.
What are community art engagements? Here’s how we define them:
– Interactive: community members participate by making something
– Collaborative: participants are working together on a collective effort rather than an individual masterpiece
– Connective: the activity encourages participants to engage beyond a surface-level interaction – ex. socially, emotionally, intellectually, artistically
While we do not have a limit for how many artists will be added to the Pre-Qualified list, we have several events that we are planning to hire for in 2026-2027, each with a $1,000 – $3,000 budget. This budget will cover all aspects of the project including, but not limited to, design, project management, materials, creation / installation, and time spent leading the activity on the day of the event (most events are a single day, lasting 4-8 hours).
Artists working in all media are welcome to apply, including visual artists, dancers, musicians, theatermakers, and more.
This is a request for qualifications, not a request for proposals. We are only requiring examples of past work. Selected finalists will be given additional information and be paid a stipend for their designs.
Artists who applied and were selected for the pre-qualified Community Arts Engagement list in 2025 do not need to apply again.
CALL TO ARTISTS
RFQ | City of Chandler Pre-Qualified Artist List
Due Date: Monday, July 6, 10pm Mountain Standard Time
Description
The Chandler Arts Commission is looking for Arizona-based artists to add to a Pre-Qualified Artist List. Artists on this list can work in a variety of mediums from murals and sculptures to photography and digital artwork. This standing list serves as a resource to connect professional creatives with individuals, businesses, and organizations who are looking for artists to create permanent or temporary site-specific artwork for their Chandler-based projects.
The Pre-Qualified Artist List is an alternative artist selection process used to expedite projects that need quick turnarounds. Not all projects will utilize the list. We do not have a limit to how many artists will be added to the Pre-Qualified Artist list.
This list will be used by the City of Chandler for city-funded projects. Additionally, the list will be publicly available and shared as a resource to external partners looking for an artist for private and grant-funded projects in Chandler.
Public artists working in all media are welcome to apply. Artists must be 18 or older to apply.
Qualification submissions are due by 10pm on Monday, July 6 and can be submitted digitally via the webform found here: https://forms.gle/zjwyHFWpE1dV5Byn8
- Artists can select what sort of projects they are most qualified for:
- Free-standing sculpture
- Permanent integrated artwork
- Temporary
- Mural
- Digital
- Interactive
Submission Criteria – All entries must include:
- Current contact information, including email and phone number
- Artist statement summarizing your past art experience and approach to public art. Please note, no previous public art experience is required to participate in this opportunity.
- Digital Images: Up to 10 images can be submitted per artist or team of past completed projects. All images should be 1500 – 2000 pixels in the longest direction
- An image list including the following information:
- Artwork title
- Year completed
- Budget
- Dimensions
- Materials
- Description up to 200 words
- Commissioning organization, if applicable
- Up to 3 professional references
This is a request for qualifications, not a request for proposals. For this application we are only requiring examples of past work.
Selection Process and Schedule
All artist submissions will be reviewed by the City of Chandler Arts Commission. All entries must be submitted by Monday, July 6. The timeline for this RFQ is as follows:
July 6 Submission deadline
September All Applicants Notified of status
Submission Delivery Details
Submissions must be received by 10pm on Monday, July 6. Submissions must be sent digitally via the webform found here. https://forms.gle/zjwyHFWpE1dV5Byn8
Contact: Vision Gallery staff, at 480-782-2695 or [email protected]
Interested, but need more information? Does this sound daunting? Visual Arts Staff Peter and Hanley are happy to answer any questions you have, go over your submission info with you, and provide feedback. Please do not hesitate to reach out.
CALL TO ARTISTS
Art Quilts 31: Constructed Softly
Due Date: Monday, September 14 by midnight MST
Juror: Shelley Rothgeb
DESCRIPTION
This exhibition considers how textiles build meaning through softness, layers, mark making, and time—honoring processes often coded as feminine while welcoming all makers and interpretations—honoring voices often hidden and silenced through the open expression of ideas. Through layering, construction, and stitch, these soft materials may be transformed to challenge hierarchies, elevate overlooked labor, and assert the quiet force of making as an act of presence and power.
“This theme resonates with me on a personal level. Having a background in architecture and construction management, I struggle with the conflict between the perceived masculine world of architecture and my artwork. My career in architecture was very industrial focused. While my artwork inherently focuses on nature and organic forms. These two ideas feel worlds apart, but collide in my consciousness. My latest works have been a reflection on the collision of these two worlds.”- Juror, Shelley Ann Rothgeb
How will you interpret “Constructed Softly”? You are invited to interpret this theme from your own perspective. Challenge stereotypes, find your own voice and explore the power in your work. Artists are encouraged to think broadly about layered and stitched fiber works that explore construction through softness, fiber technique and accumulated labor.
About the Juror
Shelley was the sixth generation raised on her family farm in Northern Indiana where she inherited a tradition of making. She was the second in her family to graduate from college after her grandmother completed a degree in Commercial Art at the Fort Wayne Art School in the 1930’s. Following in her Grandmother’s footsteps, Shelley attended one year at the Otis College of Art and Design studying fine art. Then, completed a degree in Architecture at the College of DAAP at the University of Cincinnati.
She continued to pursue artistic endeavors while working and raising a family, but finally rediscovered her passion for fiber art in 2019. Since then, she has been awarded entry into multiple juried local, national and international exhibits. She currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors for Fiber Arts Center AZ.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
For a $20 fee, artists may submit up to 3 works for consideration. Please follow these instructions:
- Complete artist submission form
- Please complete the online submission form with all of the information relevant to your submission including contact and title card information. You will need the following: title, medium, year created, and sales price for all three artworks, images, and an artist statement with any information you think will be relevant to the juror. When pricing your work, please keep in mind the gallery’s 50% sales commission.
- Access the form here: https://forms.gle/hJ4PDkoZYPhNCfvV7
- Payment: the $20 submission fee can be paid either online or by calling 480-782-2695. Submissions are considered incomplete until the submission fee has been paid.
Pay online here: https://square.link/u/vdMRek3R
SHIPPING/DELIVERY
All delivery and shipping costs are the responsibility of the artist. To ensure your shipping and insurance needs are met when we ship your artwork(s) back to you, we ask you to include a completed return label when you send work for installation. This helps us efficiently process shipping at the end of the show. Art must be received by Saturday, November 7.
EXHIBITION TIMELINE
Entries due: Monday, September 14 by midnight
Notification to artists: Late September
Work drop-off in person: November 3-7
Work shipped to gallery must arrive no later than Saturday, November 7
Opening reception: Saturday, November 14, 4-6 pm
Show closes: Saturday, January 9, 2027
Work pick-up: Monday, January 11, 2027
ELIGIBILITY
All quilt artists are invited to enter. Collaborative work by two or more artists is also permitted. The works must not have been previously displayed at the Chandler Center for the Arts or Vision Gallery. Works should have been completed within the last three years. Both two and three-dimensional textile combinations will be accepted.
INSURANCE
Works are insured while on display at Vision Gallery for 50% of the retail price for the duration of the exhibition. All paperwork must designate whether an artwork is available for sale or is listed as NFS (not for sale), along with the insurance value.
QUESTIONS?
Contact staff at [email protected], or call us at 480-782-2695. Jillian or Hanley will be happy to help you!
Please read full PDF before submitting
Unsolicited Exhibition Proposals
Installation view of the exhibition Concerned, but Powerless, by artist Safwat Saleem
Are you interested in showing your work at Vision Gallery or the Chandler Center for the Arts? We always accept exhibition proposals for both spaces and jury them on a rolling basis during the months of January and June. Please click the button below to access our submission form.
Interested artists are encouraged to contact gallery staff prior to submission with any questions they may have. Gallery staff can be reached at [email protected] and 480-782-2695.
Tips
- Incomplete and improperly formatted applications may not receive a response
- Small group exhibitions including 2-4 artists in different media organized around a common theme are more likely to be accepted than solo exhibitions. This benefits both the gallery and the artists as it attracts a wider variety of viewers, but still allows the artists to display a cohesive body of work, as opposed to individual objects.
- Solo artists may still apply, but will be considered for both group and solo exhibitions.
- The quality of your images matters. Make sure your photographs are in focus, well lit, and with a plain background. It is possible to take good photographs with your phone, but if you have a better option – use it! Here is a good tutorial for taking quality pictures of your artwork with a smartphone.
- We do not have a budget for shipping artwork. If you live outside of Arizona, it may be quite costly to get your artwork to and from the gallery.
- Take a look at our past exhibitions to get a feel for the kinds of shows we host.
- If your primary goal is selling artwork, we might not be the right gallery for you. Although we are thrilled when artwork sells, our focus is on hosting engaging, thought-provoking exhibitions for our community to enjoy and not commercial sales.
