ByWard Market Campus Gallery and Orléans Campus Gallery
CALL FOR EXHIBITION PROPOSALS
For the 2027 - 2028 Exhibition Season
Deadline: 4:30 p.m. ET, Friday September 4, 2026.
Proposals submitted by post, hand-delivery, or email will not be accepted.
Share your work
with Ottawa's
visual arts community.
The Ottawa School of Art (OSA) invites artists and collectives to submit proposals for the 2027–2028 exhibition season. We welcome current and proposed work across all media — painting, sculpture, photography, installation, video, and beyond.
Group exhibition proposals are accepted. Successful applicants will exhibit at one campus gallery, and proposals may be submitted to one or both venues — though candidates must demonstrate a clear understanding of how their exhibition would work within either gallery's dimensions.
Artists receive an Ontario CARFAC exhibition fee. A jury of three art professionals selects exhibitions based on the quality of the work, the integrity of the proposal, and its relation to OSA's programs.
Exhibition Venues
Proposals can be submitted for consideration at either the ByWard Market campus gallery or Orléans campus gallery or both campus galleries. Successful candidates shall exhibit at one campus gallery only.
An application to both galleries must demonstrate a clear understanding of how the exhibition would work best using the dimensions of either gallery.
Submission Checklist
What to include
in your proposal
All six components are required. Incomplete proposals will be withdrawn from consideration without notification. Poorly organized proposals will not be reviewed.
Submission method: Files must be sent via WeTransfer.com to
boutique@artottawa.ca. No other formats accepted.
01
Application Cover Form
02
Exhibition Proposal
A written proposal outlining the concept and intent of the proposed or current body of work.
03
Artist Statement
One exhibition statement per proposal. Group proposals submit a single collective statement — not individual artist statements.
04
Curriculum Vitae
An up-to-date CV for the exhibiting artist. Group proposals must include a CV for each participating artist.
05
10 Visual Files
Digital images or videos of work completed within the last two years. Max of 10 visual files.
Images: An image of an artwork and a detail of the same artwork counts as 2 images. Submit jpg images only, 300dpi, no larger than 2MB each; RGB format maximum of 1240 pixels, (length or width).
Videos: Each video counts as 1 image. The total video time per proposal must not exceed 15 minutes. Submit videos in the following formats only: AVI, MOV, MP4, no larger than 500MB each.
Precede each visual file with a “0” and the title of the artwork or video. For example: 01Artwork title, 02Artwork title
06
Visual File List
A corresponding numbered list with title, year, medium, and dimensions (H × W × D) for each file. Specify inches or centimetres.
For example: 01Life Is, 2025, acrylic on canvas, 36”x48”x2” (or 91.4x121.9x5.1 cm)
Note: External image or video links will not be accepted, (i.e.: YouTube, Vimeo, etc.). Do not put any special characters, symbols, periods, quotations marks, etc., (such as #. & etc.) in any file name. Do not submit files in any type of software presentation, (i.e.: Power Point). It is your responsibility to ensure that your material is submitted in a readable format. Poorly organized proposals will not be considered.
Proposals not adhering to the above criteria shall be considered incomplete and withdrawn from the selection process without notification.
Jury Process
1
Submission Deadline
All proposals submitted via WeTransfer by 4:30 p.m. ET, September 4, 2026
2
Jury Review
A jury of three art professionals reviews all complete submissions within 5 weeks
3
Notification
All reviewed artists notified of the jury's decision within 2 weeks of the jury meeting
4
Exhibition
Selected artists exhibit in the 2027–2028 season at their assigned gallery
Jury decisions are based on the quality of the work, the overall integrity of the proposal, and its relationship to OSA's programs. Due to the volume of applications, feedback on proposals will not be provided.
Conditions of Exhibition
Selected artists are responsible for all shipping and shipping insurance to and from OSA, in both directions.
Travel and accommodation, if required, are the artist's responsibility.
All special equipment required for the display of artworks — projectors, screens, stands, etc. — must be supplied by the artist.
Galleries are safe but not monitored areas. Artists should plan accordingly for high-value works.
Artist Compensation
An Ontario CARFAC artist's exhibition fee will be paid to the exhibiting artist(s), in accordance with professional artist fee standards.
Questions?
Contact Gallery Coordinator, Cathy Brake, at:
613-241-7471 ext. 27
boutique@artottawa.ca
Ready to submit your proposal?
Send your complete proposal package via WeTransfer.com to boutique@artottawa.ca. Include all six required components. Incomplete submissions will be withdrawn without notification.
Deadline: 4:30 p.m. ET, Friday September 4, 2026
The Ottawa School of Art (OSA) is now accepting proposals of current or proposed work for the 2027 - 2028 exhibition season for both its ByWard Market campus gallery and Orléans campus gallery. Artists working in all media are invited to submit a proposal. Group exhibition proposals are also accepted.
Proposals can be submitted for consideration at either the ByWard Market campus gallery or Orléans campus gallery or both campus galleries. Successful candidates shall exhibit at one campus gallery only. An application to both galleries must demonstrate a clear understanding of how the exhibition would work best using the dimensions of either gallery.
See Gallery Floorplans:
J.W. Stellick Gallery (ByWard Market Campus)
Orleans Gallery
Proposal submissions will only be accepted via WeTransfer, a free file sharing website, www.WeTransfer.com, (please use the boutique@artottawa.ca email address to send files through WeTransfer).
Type in your e-mail address and the recipient’s e-mail address, add a message, attach the file, and send.
Note: Proposals submitted by Post, Hand-delivery or E-mail will not be accepted.
Proposal Submission Criteria
Proposals must include the following information in order to be considered:
-
A completed Application Cover Form
-
The Exhibition Proposal
-
An Exhibition Artist Statement, (group proposals: provide 1 exhibition statement, not individual artist statements)
-
An up-to-date Curriculum Vitae, (group proposals: provide a C.V. for each artist)
-
A total of 10 visual files, (digital images or videos), of work completed within the last two years. Anything over 10 visual files will be discarded.
Images: An image of an artwork and a detail of the same artwork counts as 2 images.
Submit jpg images only, 300dpi, no larger than 2MB each; RGB format maximum of 1240 pixels, (length or width).
Videos: Each video counts as 1 image. The total video time per proposal must not exceed 15 minutes. Submit videos in the following formats only: AVI, MOV, MP4, no larger than 500MB each.
-
Precede each visual file with a “0” and the title of the artwork or video. For example: 01Artwork title, 02Artwork title
-
A corresponding list of visual files with the following information:
A number preceded with “0”, (i.e.: 01), Artwork title, the year the artwork was completed. For 2D and 3D artworks, include the medium and dimensions, (height, width, and depth). Specify if dimensions are in inches or centimetres.
For example: 01Life Is, 2025, acrylic on canvas, 36”x48”x2” (or 91.4x121.9x5.1 cm)
Note: External image or video links will not be accepted, (i.e.: YouTube, Vimeo, etc.).
Do not put any special characters, symbols, periods, quotations marks, etc., (such as #. & etc.) in any file name. Do not submit files in any type of software presentation, (i.e.: Power Point). It is your responsibility to ensure that your material is submitted in a readable format. Poorly organized proposals will not be considered.
Proposals not adhering to the above criteria shall be considered incomplete and withdrawn from the selection process without notification.
Jury Process:
A jury of three art professionals will make its selection based on the quality of the work, the overall integrity of the proposal and its relation to the programs of the OSA.
The jury will meet within 5 weeks of the submission deadline.
All artists whose proposals have been reviewed by the jury will be notified of the jury’s decision within 2 weeks of the jury meeting.
Conditions of Exhibition:
Selected artists will be responsible for shipping and shipping insurance to and from OSA.
Travel and accommodations, if required, are the artist’s responsibility.
All special equipment or display materials required for artworks, (i.e.: projectors, screens,
special stands etc.), must be supplied by the artist(s).
Galleries are safe but not monitored areas.
An Ontario CARFAC artist’s exhibition fee will be paid to the artist(s).
Deadline for Submissions:
4:30 p.m. ET, Friday September 4, 2026
For more details regarding the submission, please call or e-mail Cathy Brake at the Ottawa School of Art ByWard Campus, 613-241-7471 (x 27), boutique@artottawa.ca
Note: Due to the volume of applications, feedback on proposals will not be provided.