As Contour steps into its 11th edition, it enters a phase of transformation. A new organizational structure marks not just a shift in approach but also an opportunity to rethink the essence of what a biennale can be. Sustainability, in every sense, takes center stage: how do we develop formats that endure without stagnation, that challenge conventions while remaining porous and responsive? What does it mean to gather, and can we question the temporalities of exhibition-making? How do international and local dimensions converge and connect with a diverse audience?

  
This next phase for Contour is a call to reflect on the urgency of building a sustainable platform for audiovisual arts, with a commitment to site-specificity. Contour 11 does not arrive with a fixed blueprint but with the open question: How can we sustain critical art practices and how can a biennale not only reflect the world but also contribute to positive change? This edition will adopt a small-scale approach in an effort to rethink the future of Contour and relaunch the biennale.

  
**Contour 11 will take place from late August until November 2026**. To navigate the delicate balance between sharp, uncompromising artistic choices and the need to reach a broad audience we are seeking to create an act of balance, resistance, and generosity. At its core, **Contour is committed to inclusivity, fair practice, and ecological awareness**, anchoring itself in both local and global contexts.

The curator of Contour Biennale 11 will shape its concept, content, and form and steer the biennale into new territories of engagement. We are looking for a curator with a strong affinity for moving images who will develop a concept that will strengthen the biennale from a place of care, based on a sustained dialogue with the group that re-established the biennale in 2024\. This process of exploration and collaboration will happen in conversation with the biennale’s general and artistic director.

  
In the first phase the curator will develop a concept, artists list and location selection, due on August 15, which will serve as the base for further fundraising in close collaboration with the biennale team. The next phase will entail the production of new works, the planning of the installation and writing of texts to conclude in a final phase with overseeing the opening and public programming of the biennale. This will include talks, events and an international visitor’s programme.

For this small-scale edition of the biennale the available curator fee is €15.000\. The fee will be increased accordingly if funds allow for a larger biennale. Travel and accommodation are covered separately by Contour.

OPEN CALL FOR CURATOR OF CONTOUR BIENNALE 11

In celebration of Print Center New York’s 25 year history of platforming guest curators, we invite emerging and early-career curators to submit letters of interest for exhibition opportunities beginning in 2028\. Through this curatorial open call—the first in our organization’s history—we aim to identify promising voices and areas of research that are pushing our field forward, and to accelerate professional opportunities for curators who are building the print exhibition and scholarship of tomorrow.

Print Center New York’s curatorial program aims to generate new knowledge and understanding of printmaking’s potential by: 

* locating print within broader artistic, historical, and cultural contexts
* re-examining and expanding established histories and narratives
* fostering cross-disciplinary conversation
* making print visible and accessible to non-specialist audiences
* imagining possible futures and developing new theoretical frameworks

  

Guest curators working with Print Center New York have their exhibition on view in our main exhibition space, the Jordan Schnitzer Gallery, on the ground floor of 24th Street in Chelsea. 

  
Our exhibitions are on view for approximately 12 weeks and are accompanied by a roster of public programming and, typically, a modest publication (approximately 100 pages, 5x7.5” softcover, designed in-house; contains full color images, a curatorial essay of approximately 3,000 words, and additional text and elements, as appropriate). We publish a more substantial hardcover book in partnership with art book publishers approximately once every other year. 

  
Guest curators receive an unrestricted curatorial fee, plus, if needed, an additional travel budget that can be used for curatorial research and related exhibition travel. The amounts of these fees and budgets vary, depending on the scale and scope of the project (contributing factors include, for example: whether a project will include a substantial publication; whether the curator wants to lead the development of associated public programming; or how much original research is needed to realize the project). Current curatorial fees begin at $5,000 and scale upward. 

  
Print Center New York covers all exhibition, publication, and public programming costs.

Call for Curatorial Proposals 

The City of Calgary Public Art Program invites members of the Tsuut’ina First Nation to apply to this paid mentorship opportunity. Individual artists who have an interest in curation are encouraged to apply. Prior curatorial experience is not required. This opportunity is open to Tsuut’ina Nation members.

The selected individual will work closely with the Indigenous curator, public art conservator, public art liaison, and collections specialist to curate a Tsuut’ina-specific, loanable exhibit that will be available for communities and schools to host. The mentorship will include all aspects of working on a public art exhibit, including (but not limited to) budgeting, artist visits, exhibit design, and curatorial writing. The curator will work with artists from the community to reflect their voices through the exhibit. The curator’s own artwork will not be eligible for the exhibit.

The curated exhibit must be created within a set budget and will include between 4–12 artworks or art objects. The curatorial mentee will work under the guidance of the Indigenous curator to create a theme and select artworks to be purchased for the exhibit. They will also work with the public art team to create a portable exhibit and ensure the artworks are protected during moves and travel.

Exhibition in City of Calgary

.The curatorial mentee receives an all-inclusive, maximum budget of $7,000.00 + GST (if applicable) inclusive of travel and expenses. This does NOT include an artwork purchase budget.

The total budget includes, but is not limited to supplies and materials, consultation, time for public engagement, travel, insurance and design fees.

The mentee will be responsible for their project budget and will be paid based on deliverables as per their Scope and Fee contract

 Tsuut’ina Curatorial Mentorship in public art

The Curatorial Fellowship is a 10-month program created to give an emerging craft curator a platform to explore and test new ideas about craft.

The Curatorial Fellowship is a 10-month program awarding an emerging curator $5,000 with the goal of advancing and supporting their practice. This fellowship provides a platform for exploring new curatorial approaches to craft. The Curatorial Fellow will fully develop and mount their proposed exhibition in the Center for Craft’s Bresler Family Gallery, located in Asheville, North Carolina. The Fellow will work closely with the Center for Craft program staff and mentors to produce an exhibition and develop didactic materials and programming as part of a Center for Craft program. This initiative supports curatorial research and helps to develop professional networks, promoting experimentation, collaboration, and engagement across the field.

  
**For the 2026 Curatorial Fellowship, proposals that explore themes of Craft and Community Vitality are welcome:**

In the wake of Hurricane Helene and the fires in California we witnessed firsthand how interconnected craft is with the well-being of our communities and the importance of craft as we rebuild toward a resilient future. We are seeking curatorial proposals that explore craft's role in community vitality.

* How does making, experiencing, and learning about craft build personal, social, economic, and community well-being?
* What role could craft play in solving some of the most pressing issues of our time - from climate change to natural disasters, immigration to the loneliness epidemic?
* Proposals that address historical, contemporary, and/or futurist perspectives are welcome.

Fellowship Period: 10 months

* Fellowship Begins: June 2025
* Exhibition Opening:February 2026
* Fellowship Ends: March 2026
* Exhibition Close: Summer 2026

2026 Curatorial Fellowship

The City of Calgary Public Art Program invites members of the Blackfoot Confederacy to apply for this curatorial opportunity. Individuals with curatorial experience are encouraged to apply.

This opportunity is open to Blackfoot/Blackfeet curators. Individual artists, artist teams, and collectives are eligible to apply.

The selected curator or curatorial team will work closely with the Indigenous curator, public art conservator, public art liaison, and collections specialist to curate a Blackfoot-specific, loanable exhibit that will be available for communities and schools to host.

The curatorial opportunity will include all aspects of working on a public art exhibit, including (but not limited to) budgeting, artist visits, exhibit design, and curatorial writing. The curator will collaborate with artists from the community to reflect their voices through the exhibit. The curator’s own artwork will **not** be eligible for inclusion.

The curated exhibit must be created within a set budget and will include between 4–12 artworks or art objects. The curator will work with the Indigenous curator to develop a theme and select artworks for purchase. They will also collaborate with the public art team to ensure the exhibit is portable and that the artworks are protected during transport.

Public art exhibition in Calgary.

  
The curator receives an all-inclusive maximum budget of $12,000.00 + GST (if applicable), which covers travel and expenses. This does **not** include an artwork purchase budget.

The total budget includes, but is not limited to, supplies and materials, consultation, public engagement, travel, insurance, and design fees.

The curator is responsible for managing their project budget and will be paid based on deliverables as outlined in their Scope and Fee contract.

Blackfoot Curator: Indigenous public art

**Art Jameel launches a Curatorial Open Call for exhibition proposals, to be developed for Hayy Arts’s first floor gallery at Hayy Jameel in Jeddah for May 2026.**

  
Art Jameel is interested in exhibition proposals that engage with themes pertaining to the Red Sea – including but not limited to its connected geographies, histories, ecologies, or the movement of people and ideas.

  
The awarded curator will work alongside the Art Jameel team who will provide guidance on the exhibition’s development, exhibition production and design, logistics, and installation.

  
**Deliverables:**

* An exhibition \[group or solo\] to be delivered in the first-floor gallery of Hayy Arts for May 2026.
* Full exhibition concept including checklist of loan-able works.
* One curatorial essay \[between 3,000-5,000 words\].
* captions and interpretive texts.
* A proposal for 2-3 public programmers related to the exhibition concept.
* The selected curator must act as the main point of contact for liaising with artists and the institution and be available for interviews virtually/ in-person in Jeddah during the exhibition run.

**Award Details:**

* Curatorial fee of 37,500 SAR.
* Curator travel and accommodation fees to be covered by Art Jameel.
* Artists fees, travel and accommodation will be covered by Art Jameel.
* All related exhibition costs to do with producing, installing and promoting the exhibition to be covered by Art Jameel.

Curatorial Call for Exhibition Proposals

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) announces a search for candidates for the Wallis Annenberg Curatorial Fellowship. This two-year fellowship in the museum’s Latin American Art department will provide general curatorial training, support scholarly research on the permanent collection, and engage the Fellow in the organization of an international traveling exhibition on the connection of Asia and Latin America in the early modern period. 

Reporting to the Curator and Department Head of Latin American Art, the Wallis Annenberg Curatorial Fellow will have particular areas of focus in Spanish American/viceregal art and early modern art (with knowledge of Asian art and assets but not required). Striving to combine the strengths of academic art history and the art museum, this Fellowship is designed to attract exceptional emerging scholars to the curatorial field. The Annenberg Curatorial Fellowship supports the highest level of professional development, with opportunities to be fully integrated into all aspects of curatorial work, gain experience in research and cataloguing, exhibition organization, education and publications, acquisitions, conservation, public speaking, and fundraising. The ultimate goal of the Fellowship is to engage the Fellow on all aspects associated with organizing a major international exhibition and achieve a deep understanding of the variety of skills needed to succeed as a curator in an encyclopedic museum; to hone those skills through the mentorship of the department and cross-departmental collaborators; and finally, to be able to confidently apply those skills to a future career as a museum professional.

LACMA’s exhibitions and acquisitions programs are a key part of its mission to serve the public through the collection, conservation, exhibition and interpretation of significant works of art from a broad range of cultures and historical periods. Committed to showcasing a multitude of art histories, the museum exhibits and interprets works of art from new and unexpected points of view that are informed by the region’s rich cultural heritage and diverse population. A spirit of experimentation is reflected in our work with artists, technologists, and thought leaders as well as in our many regional, national, and global partnerships to share collections and programs, create pioneering initiatives, and engage new audiences. LACMA’s staff is committed to the museum’s mission of inclusive access, collaboration, and dialogue, and to working closely with colleagues across the museum and our many communities beyond, fostering creativity, connection, and diverse thinking.

  
**Responsibilities**

  
* Assists in the planning and research of an upcoming international exhibition focused on Spanish American/viceregal art, performing advanced scholarly research of a high order; supporting checklist development; interface with public and private collections (national and international).
* Participate in meetings and collaborate with the Latin American team on the department’s various programs.
* Conduct in-depth research on selected Latin American works from the permanent collection.

  
The position starts September 1, 2025.

  

**Benefits**

* The hourly pay rate for this role is $26.45 - $27.65, which includes full benefits, and a travel allowance.
* LACMA is committed to providing its employees with valuable and competitive benefits as a core part of a strong overall employee experience.

  

Wallis Annenberg Curatorial Fellowship

Descanso Gardens invites curators, artists, collectives, cultural producers, and thinkers of all kinds to submit preliminary proposals for exhibitions and programs. Descanso Gardens is committed to giving emerging, mid-career, and established curators and artists the opportunity to expand their portfolios. Curatorial proposals will be considered for Descanso’s Sturt Haaga Gallery, the Boddy House, and for satellite locations throughout the botanical gardens.

  
**Curatorial Proposal Guidelines**

Descanso Gardens seeks curatorial proposals for the 2026-2028 calendar that will address the following requirements and selection criteria:

* **Theme:** Water. Water is the lifeblood of Descanso Gardens. It is impacted by policy, history, culture, and science and is reflected in our future planning, wellness practices, and storytelling. Locally and around the world, water is a symbol of wellness and abundance, but also scarcity and disruption. Descanso is looking for exhibitions and cultural programs that are inspired by careful study of water history, policy, culture, science, and art. What is the past, present, and future of water? How can we celebrate water? What can we learn from other cultures, both indigenous and around the world? How does it connect us and protect us, and how do we shape and protect it? What hidden stories can be revealed about water?
* **Curatorial Concept:** The exhibition/ program concept must closely align with the mission of Descanso Gardens to connect people with nature and one another, reflect the latest knowledge on the subject matter, foster innovation, as well as inspire discoveries and creative contributions that respond to Descanso Gardens’ botanic collections. As an organization located in Los Angeles County, Descanso Gardens prioritizes the inclusion of diverse viewpoints, backgrounds, experiences, and community connections.
* **Interdisciplinary Approach**: Descanso Gardens seeks proposals that utilize a creative blending of disciplines, media, and diverse points of view.
* **Media:** The proposal may use any media type (visual art, digital art, outdoor installations, performances, music, projections, virtual reality, text, etc.). The exhibitions and programs must be appropriate in scale material, form, and content for the cultural and physical environment in which they are to be presented. The proposed works, displays, and programs don’t need to be new and may have been presented before. New commissions are encouraged provided that their cost is within the exhibition’s budget.
* **Scope:** The exhibition may utilize one or all of the spaces below:
1. The Sturt Haaga Gallery (1750 sq ft in 3 rooms plus the front window area),
2. The Boddy House (A historic building with 2220 sq. ft. of exhibition space ranging from a single room at 330 sq ft to 2220 sq ft for all 5 rooms). In 2026-2028, the following spaces are available for exhibition: Foyer, Solarium, Library, Camellia Room. Please note that Living Room and Dining Room are likely to be used to private event rentals.
3. Outdoor spaces throughout the botanical gardens. Please note that the Lake Area and the Auxiliary Parking lot will be under construction in 2025-2027, while other
4. locations need advance approval due to potential overlap with Descanso’s _Carved_, _Enchanted,_ and other outdoor events in the Gardens.
* **Collaborative partnerships**: Proposals that establish partnerships with other cultural organizations, educational and botanical institutions, community members, and Descanso Gardens visitors are preferred.
* **Audience**: Descanso’s visitorship has been growing over the past few years and the Gardens attract an audience that is more diverse in race or ethnicity than many other museums and gardens. Many attendees may be first-time visitors to the Sturt Haaga Gallery or the Boddy House, and exhibitions and programs in these spaces should consider ways to engage “first-time visitors” as well as people who are already familiar with the Garden’s gallery spaces and exhibitions.
* **Accessibility and Engagement:** Descanso Gardens strives to expand access, engagement, and education opportunities for a broader public. Preference will be given to proposals that prioritize opportunities for visitor participation, hands-on activity or response, as well as engaging diverse programming that reaches out to traditionally underserved groups. At Descanso, there is an opportunity and need to attract more visitors who identify as Hispanic or Latino/Latina/Latinx, Asian or Asian American, African American, other minority groups, so that visitorship reflects more closely the diversity of surrounding areas and Los Angeles County.
* **Group Applications**: Curators are discouraged from submitting or including their own artwork; artistic collectives may be included within curatorial proposals but should not submit their work without a specific curator.
  
  

**Exhibitiona** at Descanso Gardens.

  
**Budget:** Descanso Gardens rely on a range of budgets typically within $40,000-$60,000\. Budgets must include curator fees, artist/ collaborator stipends, collateral design and copy writing, installation and de-installation, framing if needed, equipment rental, shipping, travel, reproduction rights, etc. Please note that insurance, installation, collateral design, and photography services are provided by Descanso Gardens. Curator fees should not exceed 20% of the total exhibition budget. Proposals exceeding $40,000-$60,000 budget range must be discussed in advance. Fundraising for exhibitions is by Descanso’s development team, however, applicants may suggest potential funding sources, such as grants or sponsorships.

Call for Curatorial Proposals

AHL–Chun Family Foundation Curatorial Open Call offers a $5,000 stipend to curators of Korean heritage. This initiative aligns with the AHL Foundation’s mission to encourage curatorial research in contemporary Korean art and promote diversity within the curatorial field. The curator selected through this open call will present their exhibition at the AHL Foundation Gallery in April 2026\. The grant will be used to cover all aspects of the exhibition, from the initial planning stages through to its conclusion.

  

Awards

* Exhibition at AHL Foundation in 2026
* $5,000 stipend
* PR support from AHL Foundation (press, social media, and newsletter promotion)

AHL–Chun Family Foundation Curatorial Open Call

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Find your next curatorial opportunity from trusted art and cultural organizations around the world. Keep up with current calls & apply on ArtConnect.

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