Calls For Art 3/16/25

Author

Brittany Taylor
March 16, 2025

Hi everyone,

A huge thank you to everyone who shared feedback last week on the idea of a premium version of SoCal Art Opportunities. I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be moving forward with it! To give you a sneak peek, I’ve included the first edition of the upgraded newsletter for free below the calls for art, so you can see exactly what you’ll be getting.

Here’s a quick recap of what you’ll receive every week with the $5/month premium upgrade:

5 Exclusive Grant/Funding Opportunities
Access funding specifically for artists to help support your projects.

5 Additional Calls for Art Beyond SoCal
Expand your exposure with calls for in-person exhibitions outside our region.

Marketing Rundown
This isn’t going to be a “sell 10k worth of your art in a month” kind of thing. This is more of a topics/tools you may not be aware of if you don’t have a background in marketing and how you can implement them. Many of you have also expressed wanting to learn about pricing your art and more industry specific topics like that. I will not pretend to be an expert in those areas but what I will do is bring on people who actually are and interview them!

Bonus Resources
Get access to paid creative gigs, artist residencies, and publishing opportunities that can help take your career further.

10 Hours of Your Time Back Per Week!
Let me do the research for you. That’s 10 hours of work saved every week for just $1.25 per newsletter.

Ready to Upgrade?
Check out the sample issue below the latest calls for art, and click the upgrade button to start receiving this info every week at the bottom of your Sunday email. You can easily unsubscribe at any time if it’s not for you—no questions asked.

If you have any questions or feedback, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m excited to continue supporting your creative journey!

Best,
Brittany
SoCal Art Opportunities

Here’s the latest SoCal Art Open Calls

  • Summary: The Brooks Theater Gallery is located in the lobby of the historic Sunshine Brooks Theater in the heart of Oceanside’s Cultural District. With year-round exhibits curated to relate to the themes of Oceanside Theatre Company’s main stage and youth productions, the gallery is seen by artist lovers, theater goers, music lovers, tourists, and the Oceanside community. For this exhibition, Brooks Theater Gallery is looking for submissions of abstract art.

  • Deadline: 3/24/25

  • Location: Brooks Theater Gallery, Oceanside

  • Exhibition Dates: 4/4/25 – 5/4/25

  • Mediums: All

  • Entry Fee: $15 if accepted

  • Summary: “In celebration of Older Americans Month, the City of Buena Park invites adults ages 50 and up to participate in the Older Americans Month Art Exhibition.”

  • Deadline: 4/17/25

  • Location: Buena Park City Council Chamber

  • Exhibition Dates: 5/2/25 - 5/29/25

  • Mediums: All artwork on paper must be mounted on mat board or poster board. Work that is on canvas or framed must have wiring on the back and be ready to hang. Work that is not matted, mounted, or wired will not be accepted.

  • Entry Fee: No fee

  • Summary: The Cypress Art League is accepting submissions for their juried Spring Art Show hosted at Cypress Community Center.

  • Deadline: 4/25/25

  • Location: Cypress Community Center

  • Exhibition Date: 4/27/25

  • Mediums: Oil, acrylic, watercolor, other media (including mixed media, pastels, pencil, ink, etching, etc.), 3-Dimensional, photography, digital art

  • Entry Fee: Non-members: $15, Members: $9

  • Summary: “What happens when the sacred meets the silly? When joy becomes ritual? Sacred Play is a celebration of art that embraces the light-hearted, the whimsical, and the mischievously profound. Juried by Los Angeles artist Steven Morrell, this exhibition invites artists to submit work that embodies fun, playfulness, and a sense of wonder—whether through humor, vibrant colors, unexpected materials, or simply an irresistible spirit of joy. We’re looking for art that makes us smile, sparks curiosity, and reminds us that play itself can be sacred.”

  • Deadline: 4/27/25

  • Location: Covet Art Gallery, Oceanside

  • Exhibition Dates: 5/17/25 - 6/7/25

  • Mediums: All

  • Entry Fee: $25

  • Summary: “Sculpture has always been a means of representing the human experience, from the representation of gods and leaders to the exploration of human form and identity. It allows for an intimate interaction with the viewer as it occupies physical space, inviting engagement from multiple angles and perspectives. Its role as both functional and symbolic—as seen in architectural reliefs or sacred figures—further enhances its significance across cultures and epochs. The diversity and history of sculpture continue to inspire and challenge artists and viewers alike today.”

  • Deadline: 4/29/25

  • Location: Fallbrook Art Center

  • Exhibition Dates: 6/10/25 - 7/12/25

  • Mediums: Sculpture

  • Entry Fee: $65

To view previously listed calls that are still open head to socal-art.com/callsforart

Below is a sneak peak of the new SoCal Art Opportunities Premium newsletter. Make sure to upgrade to premium to receive more of this content each week!

Grants For Artists

Creative Capital Award & State of the Art Prize
The Creative Capital Award provides unrestricted project grants of up to $50,000 to individual artists to create new work. The new State of the Art Prize provides unrestricted artist grants of $10,000.
Deadline: 4/3/25
Learn More

Culver City Arts Artist Resiliency Fund
Artists can apply for grants ranging from $500- $2500. In response to the economic hardships many artists in our community are facing as a result of the recent fires, Culver City Arts Foundation has allocated funding to its Artist Resiliency Fund, a fund originally created during the pandemic, intended to support artists by assisting with basic expenses as they struggle to stay afloat. Artist Resiliency funding is not tied to a specific program or activity, but is given to offset general expenses, such as rent, health care, transportation, utilities, groceries, equipment.
Deadline: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until funds run out.
Learn More

The Alpine Fellowship Visual Arts Prize 2025
Awarded for the best visual arts response on the theme of Fear. This organization is based in London but this grant is open to all nationalities. The winner and runner ups will receive financial support in the following amounts:
First place: £3,000
Second Place:£1,000
Third Place:£1,000
Deadline: 4/1/25
Learn More

The Loveliest Review Fellowship
The Loveliest Review Offers a Bi-Annual Fellowship, starting in 2025, in the amount of $1,000 and digital publication. The Loveliest Fellowship 2025 Theme: Justice. Submit 5-25 examples of your photography or art. In 1-3 pages, describe how your work sample correlates with the present theme, your intentions and goals as an artist, and how you and your work may benefit from this fellowship.
Deadline: 4/1/25
Learn More

The Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Grant
The Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Grant is awarded annually to under-recognized American painters over the age of 45 who demonstrate financial need. Recipients are selected by a diverse group of jurors—artists, curators, professors, writers—based on the strength of the materials submitted in this application as well as the perceived adherence to the spirit of the grant: to assist under recognized artists. Awards include a cash grant, ranging from $5,000 to $36,000 and an exhibition at PAAM.
Deadline: 4/1/25
Learn More

Exhibition Opportunities

Mood & Emotion: A Photography Show
Photographs capturing moods or emotions, such as happiness, pride, anger, or sadness. This can be a portrait, landscape, street scene or an animal.
Deadline: 3/20

The Belonging Project, A Sense of Place
Sebastopol Center for the Arts and Piazza Hospitality invites artists to submit work for an upcoming public art exhibition exploring the theme of Belonging. This exhibit will delve into the intricate connections between people and places, the bonds that tie individuals to a community, and the universal search for a sense of connectedness.
Deadline: 3/28

Beyond Color: The Language of Black and White
This juried exhibition featuring local, national, and international artists explores the complex simplicity and expressive power of artwork rendered exclusively in black and white. Featuring a diverse range of work, this show highlights the remarkable ways artists harness the stark contrasts and subtle gradations of achromatic media to convey profound emotion, intricate detail, and striking composition.
Deadline: 4/3/25

Saddle, Brush AND ART: A Cowboy’s Poetic Canvas
Immerse yourself in the vibrant traditions and enduring spirit of the California West with Saddle, Brush, and Art: A Cowboy's Poetic Canvas. This evocative art exhibit, presented in collaboration with the Livermore Rotarian Foundation and the Stockman's Association, celebrates the artistry, resilience, and legacy of modern-day cowboys and cowgirls.
Deadline: 4/18/25

The Art of Theatre
Arts Benicia, a non-profit art gallery in Benicia, CA, invites artists, musicians, thespians, and theatre enthusiasts to submit artwork, created music, or multimedia, related to the theatre experience, for a juried and curated exhibition. This exhibition aims to showcase artists’ interpretations of the various visual arts components within the theatre world.
Deadline: 5/1/25

Marketing Topic of the Week:
“What is a Customer Persona?”

Have you ever felt like you're shouting into the void with your marketing efforts? You post regularly, maybe even run Meta ads or boost posts, but it feels like your messaging never lands. The problem could be that you're casting too wide a net, trying to appeal to too many people at once. To make your marketing more effective, you need to narrow your focus. How? By using customer personas. Think of customer personas as …

Bonus Resources

The Pasadena Photography Arts Photo Award 2025
“Pasadena Photography Arts is pleased to announce an open call for our PPA Photo Award 2025: Excellence in Contemporary Photography (Open Theme). This is an annual award for both emerging and professional photographers with residence in the United States. The winning photographer will receive a $2,000 cash prize, a published interview on our website, a feature on Lenscratch.com, and a virtual hosted artist talk.”
Deadline 4/7/25

La Jolla Art & Wine Artist Application
“The 2025 La Jolla Art & Wine Festival (LJAWF) returns to La Jolla on October 11th - 12th in the heart of the village, between Prospect St. and Torrey Pines Rd., on lower Girard Ave. This two-day juried art show and fundraiser has quickly garnered a reputation as one of the most prestigious art & wine festivals on the west coast, expecting to draw in the largest crowd to date.”
Deadline 5/12/25

Want more of this content every week? Make sure to upgrade to premium for just $5/month. That’s just $1.25 per newsletter!

Upcoming SoCal Art Events

South Gate Art Association’s Family Art Night
3/21/25 | 4:00PM - 8:00PM | Henry C. Gonzalez Auditorium at South Gate Park

Ontario Art Book Fair
3/29/25 | 11:00AM - 5:00PM | Ontario Museum of History & Art

More opportunities heading your way next week! In the meantime, feel free to forward this to another busy artist who needs to get their work out there. You can also head to socal-art.com for additional resources. Don’t forget, subscribers are entitled to a feature on the Artist Spotlight page so if you want to take advantage of that please email me!

-Brittany