Why We Charge Submission Fees for Open Calls
Hera Gallery is a nonprofit, artist-run space with a modest operating budget. Our mission is to provide a platform for uncensored, experimental, and community-centered art, and to keep participation accessible for both members and the public. In order to do this, we rely on a very modest budget, an extremely small staff, and volunteers to keep our exhibitions up and running. With this support, we are able to make space for challenging exhibitions led by artists, for artists, without commercial gallery restraints.
The Bottom Line Is: Open call submission fees are not profit-generating.
They directly support:
keeping our physical gallery open and maintained
paying essential staffing hours for our single paid employee
keeping membership dues low to be accessible to all artists
offering free community outreach exhibitions, artist talks, and other public programming
Providing 100% commission TO THE ARTISTS for sold work in juried exhibitions.
And sustaining a space where critical, socially engaged, and non-commercial work can thrive
We recognize the broader conversation about unpaid artistic labor, and we share concerns about exploitative practices in the arts. At the same time, for many small artist-run nonprofits, submission fees are a crucial part of keeping spaces like ours alive. Additionally, we do offer sliding scale submission fees on the honor system for those needing it (please see below). The last thing we want is a barrier to entry to share art. We are always willing to work with an artist on this issue. Without community support through open calls, we simply could not offer the opportunities, visibility, and resources that artists rely on.
Our commitment is to remain transparent about how fees are used and to continue supporting artists with integrity, respect, and accountability.
Hera Coupon Codes
Please use these codes as needed to support your submission fees.
HERA10: 10$ off submission fee
HERA20: 20$ off submission fee
HERA30: 30$ off submission fee