Opportunities

General Submissions

The South Bend Museum of Art accepts submission materials from artists, art organizations, community organizations, and curators. All submissions are reviewed by the museum’s Exhibitions Committee quarterly in March, July, September, and January and are considered for all available opportunities.

You will be contacted via email if the Committee identifies an appropriate opportunity for your work. Please keep your emailed submission to 10MB or less. Feel free to contact the Curator, Krista Hoefle (hoeflek@southbendart.org), about the status of your submission.

Send all materials to Senior Curator & Grant Writer,  Krista Hoefle, hoeflek@southbendart.org.
Please keep everything under 10MB.

  • 20 images (.jpg format)
    Vimeo and YouTube  links are also acceptable.
  • Image list (.pdf format)
    Please include title, year, media and scale for each image. Also, please include a thumbnail and/or file number so we know which image the information refers to.
  • Artist and/or curatorial statement (.pdf format)
    No more than one page, please. Community art organizations should include a mission statement and history of the organization or a link to your organization’s website.
  • Curriculum vitae or resume (.pdf format)
    Please be sure to include contact information. Related support material (.pdf format)
  • Reviews, catalogs, articles, etc. Anything that might help contextualize your work and/or proposal.

You may also provide us with an online portfolio or a PDF version as long as it includes all of the above information.

There are 4 galleries at the SBMA available for changing exhibitions, each with its own focus. Please state your preference if you have one.  We’re happy to meet in person with you -or- your group, hear your ideas, and decide which space might be the most suitable:

  • Art League Gallery (approximately 1200 sq. ft.)
    Solo, two-person, and small group exhibitions. 3–4 open slots per year.
    View Art League Gallery floor plan (PDF)
    View a selection of installation images (PDF)
  • Project Room Gallery (approximately 110 sq. ft.)
    Solo or small group exhibitions of screen-based work. This small gallery space adjoins the Art League Gallery and is dedicated to new media, animations, video, etc., that can be played on a single screen. Equipment includes: Samsung 55″ 1080p flatscreen smart tv, Micca Spec G2 media player, Mac mini. 3–4 open slots per year.
  • Warner Gallery (approximately 5000 sq. ft.)
    Thematic group exhibitions. 1–2 open slots per year.
    View Warner Gallery floor plan (PDF)
    View a selection of installation images (PDF)
  • Community Gallery (approximately 600 sq. ft.)
    2 open slots per year for area community art organizations.
    View Community Gallery floor plan (PDF)
    If you are an art organization interested in having a juried exhibition at the SBMA, please see the additional group submission requirements for the Community Gallery below.

We love artists and would love to hear from you if you have any questions or comments:

Curatorial Department
South Bend Museum of Art
120 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
South Bend, IN 46601
Phone: 574.235.9102
Email: hoeflek@southbendart.org

Other Opportunities

Other opportunities at the SBMA for artists include a regular rotation of juried exhibitions, specifically:

1. The SBMA’s Midwest Regional Biennial exhibition, which occurs in odd years, (2023, 2025, etc.) and;

2. Around the Bend is a local juried exhibition that occurs in even years.  Please check the SBMA website for other calls for entry and exhibition opportunities.

Talk to us!

We love artists and would love to hear from you if you have any questions, comments and/or ideas!  

Contact Krista Hoefle, Senior Curator & Grants Writer:   hoeflek@southbendart.org

Curatorial Department
South Bend Museum of Art
120 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
South Bend, IN 46601
phone: 574.235.9102

Community Gallery Group Exhibition Proposals photo

Community Gallery Group Exhibition Proposals

All artwork coming into the South Bend Museum of Art will be chosen by a jury process or curatorial selection. Any exception to this must be approved by both the curatorial staff and the Exhibition Committee. In no case will any entrant to any exhibition be guaranteed acceptance of one or more pieces.

All juried shows will have a juror who is a non-member and non-affiliated of the exhibiting group. In the case that a local organization is part of a national affiliate, a national member may be a juror. The South Bend Museum of Art reserves the right to have final approval of the juror and must be informed of the juror before an agreement with the juror is formed.

The date for jurying should be set in accordance with installation timelines. The site of the jurying will be determined by SBMA staff and will take place within one or two days following the close of the previous show. Only the juror, a group representative assisting in the jurying process, and SBMA staff may be present during the jurying process. All handling of artwork will be the responsibility of the SBMA staff.

  • Work previously shown in the South Bend Museum of Art is not eligible for exhibition.
  • Work must have been completed within three (3) years prior to the date of the exhibition.
  • All work must be framed, wired, and ready for display. Works on paper must be covered by glass or plexiglass. All hanging hardware must be appropriate to the size and weight of the work.

The SBMA reserves the right to refuse any work that does not meet the criteria.

Some Frequently Asked Questions

No fees for general submissions.  For the regional Biennial, there is usually a nominal entry fee to cover costs of portfolio administration by Submittable.

The Exhibitions Committee reviews portfolios quarterly. We look at every submission, and will do our best to respond in a timely manner. It may take up to 6 months to receive any formal notification about your submission. Our Exhibitions Committee reviews submissions in the order they are received. You will be contacted via email about your submission; feel free to contact the Senior Curator, Krista Hoefle, regarding the status of your submission (hoeflek@southbendart.org).

Yes!  Stipend amounts are dependent upon the exhibition, the space, distance the work needs to travel, and other factors. Other assistance is provided to artists, curators, and groups on a case by case basis.

While we prefer you email your submission to Krista Hoefle (hoeflek@southbendart.org), we want to make it easy for you. You can send links to websites -or- Vimeo/YouTube, for example.  You can load your files onto a thumb drive and mail or deliver to:

Krista Hoefle, Senior Curator & Grants Writer

Artist Submissions/South Bend Museum of Art
120 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
South Bend, IN 46601

Please be sure to include a SASE if you would like your thumb drive returned. Also, please keep everything digital and loaded on the thumb drive — any printed materials will not be returned.

Viewing art