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SeeMe Open Calls: Your Art Deserves A Global Stage
PASSAGES
Passages aims to explore the experience of moving through spaces and states of all kinds, whether through intimate personal narratives, structural environments, or metaphorical journeys. For this open call, we invite artists to interpret the theme both broadly and personally: to explore physical journeys and manifestations, emotional shifts, the passage of time, or transitions, including those reflected in materials or media, or the creative process itself.
Submission fee
$39
Free for SeeMe Artist Members
Exhibition
New York City
Exact dates to be announced
Attendance
Attendance not required
You do not need to be present at the exhibition location
Deadline to submit · August 2nd, 11:59pm EST
66 days · 7 hours · 30 mins · 21 secs
Apply Now
Step through a portal. Shift the dialog.
Awards and Recognition
GRAND PRIZE
Capsule Exhibition; Editorial Feature; Cross-Channel Promotion
The Capsule is a dedicated section within Passages. It includes unique interpretive signage and visibility. Editorial article, venue TBD.
SPECIAL AWARD
Emerging Artist Prize
The award recognizes early-stage talent and includes a Portfolio Review and Career Consultation as well as an Emerging Artist Editorial Feature and related promotion.
Travel stipend if not located in New York
FINALISTS
New York City Gallery Exhibition
PASSAGES will be held at The BLANC Art Space, an elegant contemporary gallery in mid-town Manhattan.
ALL WINNERS
Artsy Digital Exhibition & Collection
Grand Prize, Emerging Artist, And Finalists included in an Artsy Digital Exhibition and Collection, promoted across platforms.
Broad visibility on Times Square Digital Screen Presentation
HONORABLE MENTION
Video Presentation
Video highlighting awardees in the exhibition, on the PASSAGES webpage, and on social media.
Theme Interpretation
Crossing: Physical and Spatial Movement
The physical experience of moving through space - from one place to another, via paths, bridges, and corridors; crossing a threshold, or stepping through a doorway or portal.
Beyond: Moving Beyond the Physical
Movement beyond the familiar or physical world. Work might consider passage to an altered state, spirituality, otherworldly or metaphysical journeys - temporal or metaphorical.
Becoming: Transformation and Impact
Passage through experience; evolution in perspective, belief, or identity; transitions in message; from awareness to action.
Making: Moving from Idea to Form
Movement or progression from one form, material, or imagery. Installations involving passage through an art piece might also be considered if the ensuing PASSAGES exhibition can accommodate installation.
Cross a border. Enter another world. Change shape.
Open Call Timeline
December 6th
Submissions close
Complete your portfolio and submit by 11:59pm EST.
December 14th-20th
Jury review
The panel reviews artistic strength, relevance, and clarity of vision.
December 27th
Artists notified
Finalists and the grand-prize artist receive direct confirmation.
Mid-February
Editorial launch
Selected works publish across SeeMe and Artsy collections.
Early March
Exhibition
Sense of Place opens to collectors, artists, and the public.
Meet your judging panel
Cameron Davis
Museum programs lead
Develops public programs that make contemporary art more legible, social, and globally connected.
Kathy Battista
Curator, Educator, Writer
Kathy Battista is Director of the MA in Art Business at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in New York. She is a writer, educator, and a curator of exhibitions in museums, galleries, and non-profits.
Jonathan Neil
Art Critic, Educator, Entrepreneur
Jonathan T. D. Neil is a writer, educator, entrepreneur, and art-world leader with 25 years of experience spanning contemporary art, higher education, media, and artist services.
Angélica Pulido
Curator & Artist, Head of Marketing & Artists Community at SeeMe
Angélica Pulido is a Colombian curator, artist, and cultural manager whose work bridges curatorial practice, artistic development, and the creation of opportunities for emerging artists.
Venue
PASSAGES is SeeMe’s seventh collab with The BLANC, a five-story contemporary art space housed in a historic building in Midtown Manhattan. Founded in 2021 as a "blank slate" for interdisciplinary exchange, The BLANC fosters an inclusive and transformative ethos, hosting up to eight curated exhibitions annually, and focusing on emerging talent. The space comprises four galleries, a performance space, and an artist-in-residency program.
What are you becoming? What are you leaving behind?
Our Mission
is to offer equitable means for artists to be discovered. Exhibition opportunities are open to artists of varied backgrounds, including
those that are self-taught and those just beginning their career.
Crossing: Journeys Through Space
The physical experience of moving from one place to another.
Beyond: Passages Into the Unknown
Passage as a movement beyond the familiar or physical world. Work might consider altered states, spirituality, otherworldly or metaphysical journeys.
Becoming: Transformation and Change
The experience of moving from one state, form, or identity into another.
Personal Passage
Moving through time, chronologically, asynchronously, or metaphorically.
Vanishing Landscapes
Place under threat from climate change, environmental destruction, and political instability.
Previous exhibition
Winners & Finalists Have Shown in These Exhibitions
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Artist success stories
What it feels like to be seen
Dear SeeMe, I want to express my deep gratitude. This show was a meaningful opportunity for me, which is rare as a beginner artist. It was an honor to participate, and I will remember it for a long time.
Maria Chen
Fluid Ecologies winner
What SeeMe is doing is so incredible—bringing a community of artists together and making their artworks accessible to a global audience. That is critical and more important now than ever.
Maria Chen
Past Ecologies winner
Participating in the exhibition has been such a wonderful experience. People were genuinely interested in the art and deeply engaged. The conversations made it truly memorable.
Maria Chen
Fluid Ecologies winner
Your perspective belongs in the conversation.
Application details
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to submit with confidence. Need more help? Contact the SeeMe team.
Contact open call support
What is the fee for entering?
It is free to draft and build your portfolio profile. The submission fee is $39 when you are ready to enter; active SeeMe members may submit without an additional entry fee.
Who will be judging my work?
How important is my education, exhibition history, and prior experience?
Will I receive a certificate of participation?
What does a custom social media campaign mean?
Are exhibitions digital or physical?
Do artworks need to be shipped to an exhibition?
What if I can’t send my work to the exhibition?
Do artworks exhibited need to be available for sale?
What is the commission rate?
Do artworks require any preparation?
Who attends the SeeMe exhibition?
Ready to Show Your Art to The World?
Free to draft and build your portfolio profile. Let SeeMe showcase your perspective.
Apply Now
Closes in 66 days · 7 hours · 30 mins · 21 secs