HOME: Open Call for Art
Home can be described as a fundamental basic need, a physical place, a conceptual space,where our stories start, and wherever the heart is. Home is a personal and social feeling, and for most people, the meaning of home shifts throughout their lifetime. What are your associations with Home, and in what ways has it appeared in your artwork? Are you reminiscing about a previous home or envisioning futuristic structures that house all of us, even on another planet? Or is your association with Home something entirely different?
We are looking for pieces that, in the widest sense, speak about home, shelter, belonging, family, gatherings, just as much as isolation, housing insecurity or lack of a home, the safety of a home, and the threats that can loom behind closed doors. We are interested in your voice as part of an expansive creative exchange about Home.
About The Juror: Heather Hakimzadeh Senior Curator at Virginia MoCA
Application Requirements
Application Deadline: March 14th, 2026
Exhibition Dates: May 16th - June 20th 2026
Notification of Acceptance: Hera Gallery will contact artists by April 16th, 2026 regarding their inclusion in HOME.
Delivery Due Date: Artwork must be at the Gallery between Monday May 4th and Saturday May 9th.
Artwork Delivery: Local delivery instructions will be sent to all accepted artists.
Return Shipping: The artist is responsible for all shipping costs and shipping containers. The artist must include a prepaid return shipping label.
Sales Commission: As an artist-run nonprofit, Hera takes no commission in our national juried exhibitions, 100% of sales go directly to the artist.
Insurance: Although the utmost care will be taken in handling your work, Hera Gallery assumes no responsibility for damage, loss, or theft. Artists are responsible for their own insurance.
Photography/Publicity: Hera Gallery reserves the right to photograph work for publicity. By entering this exhibition, you agree to the use of your name, likeness, certain personal information, and artwork in any publicity material or documentation developed for the exhibition.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligibility: Hera Gallery seeks work in all media, 2D, 3D, and video for this timely, critical exhibition. 3D is limited to 100 lbs and must fit through a 5’10” x 6’8” door. 2D must also fit through said door.
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