From the Ground Up: Contemporary Landscape

SUBMIT

Deadline: December, 2025

Visionary Art Collective is partnering with Warnes Contemporary in New York City to present our annual in-person juried group exhibition, From the Ground Up, curated by Erika b Hess. 

From the Ground Up: Contemporary Landscape is an exhibition that explores how artists investigate the landscape today.  Framed as a point of departure rather than a fixed view, the landscape becomes a jumping off point. From abstracted terrains and constructed environments to fleeting moments of light in plein air, artists engage the landscape to examine perception and how it relates to culture, politics, and memory. By implementing various ways of making such as abstraction, realism, invention and experimental forms, artists turn to the landscape to contemplate and question how we see and what we deem valuable in our surroundings. 

We invite submissions across all disciplines that engage landscape—urban or rural, real or imagined, material or symbolic to submit their work for consideration. 

From the Ground Up  will be presented at Warnes Contemporary in Brooklyn on April 23, 2026 and will run for approximately six to eight weeks. This exhibition will be actively promoted across social media through Visionary Art Collective and Warnes Contemporary, with all works available on Artsy. In addition, a select number of artists will be featured in New Visionary Magazine.

Eligibility: This opportunity is open to artists who identify as parents or caregivers based in the United States. Artists of all career levels are welcome to apply.

We accept all 2D & 3D mediums, including painting, drawing, photography, digital, prints, fiber art, collage, mixed media, sculpture, ceramics, and installation art. Film and video are not accepted at this time. We don't have specific size requirements for this exhibition.

Erika b Hess is a painter, the Sydelle Sonkin and Herb Segull Artistic Director of Visual Arts at the Chautauqua Institution, and the creator of the art podcast I Like Your Work. Her paintings have been exhibited internationally, with shows in New York City, Brooklyn, Detroit, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, and London. Recent group exhibitions include MiddleRoom Gallery in Los Angeles; Bridgette Mayer Gallery in Philadelphia, PA; Fowler-Kellogg Art Center in Chautauqua, NY; Contemporary Art Matters in Columbus, OH; and Bomb Factory in London, England.

Hess has curated numerous exhibitions and served as a juror for various awards and publications, including the Cambridge Art Association (MA), Gallery 263 (MA), Riffe Gallery (OH), Piano Craft Gallery (MA), SOA Gallery at the Chautauqua Institution (NY), Friend of the Artist publication, Create! Magazine, All SHE Makes, and Women United ART, among others. She has also participated in panels at SCOPE Art Fair (Miami), the Cleveland Institute of Art, and Boston University.

In addition, Hess frequently lectures at colleges and universities such as American University, Wellesley College, Pratt Institute, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and the University of Montana, among others.

She maintains an active studio practice in both Columbus, OH, and Long Island City, NY, where she keeps a select inventory of her work. Hess is represented by Contemporary Art Matters in Columbus, OH. She earned her BFA from Wright State University and her MFA from Boston University.

Commission: 

Artwork included in this exhibition must be for sale. The artist will receive 50% of profit from sold artwork and Warnes Contemporary will receive 50%. Selected artists will sign a consignment agreement prior to the exhibition, and must  include a return shipping label upon mailing their artwork to the gallery. 

Additional info:

You may submit 1-2 images of your work for $25, 3-4 images for $30, or 5-6 images for $35.

Requirements:

  • Please be sure to include high-quality images of your work, 72 DPI, minimum 800 pixels wide

  • All 2D images must be cropped to show only the artwork

  • 3D work must be photographed against a white background

  • Bio, 300 words max

  • Artist Statement, 300 words max

  • Files no larger than 10 MB

Artists will be notified eight to ten weeks after the deadline. All communication regarding this exhibition will take place via Submittable. 

Visionary Art Collective's mission is to uplift artists through magazine features, exhibitions, podcast interviews, and our mentorship programs. Submission fees go towards funding our platform, offsetting operational costs, and compensating our team and curators. These contributions enable us to continue offering a wide range of opportunities, programs, and resources for artists worldwide. Please note that submission fees are non-refundable.