Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Colloquia Futures
Supporting the Next Generation
Colloquia Futures is an annual exhibition program dedicated to artists at the earliest stage of their professional lives. Presented each August, the program brings together two to three artists, typically between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, whose work demonstrates seriousness of intent, emerging clarity, and a commitment to sustained artistic practice.
Futures is designed neither as a competition nor as a survey of trends. It is a focused platform that offers early affirmation alongside real responsibility. Selected artists are given a fully realized exhibition within a professional gallery context, supported by curatorial dialogue, installation guidance, and thoughtful presentation. The program does not aim to direct or resolve an artist’s practice, but to create the conditions in which it can be articulated clearly and encountered seriously.
The transition from student or self-directed work to public exhibition is often under-supported. Colloquia Futures addresses this gap by treating young artists as peers rather than novices, while recognizing that this stage of development benefits from structure, feedback, and care. Artists are encouraged to present cohesive bodies of work, consider scale and sequencing, and think deliberately about how their work inhabits space and meets an audience.
Futures reflects Colloquia’s broader commitment to conversation as a form of cultural labor. The exhibition period will include opportunities for public discussion, informal artist conversations, and written reflection. The program is intended to mark a moment of arrival rather than emergence: an early but deliberate step into sustained artistic practice.
Artists selected for Colloquia Futures will receive the following:
A Professional Exhibition: A dedicated group exhibition at Colloquia, with curatorial oversight, installation support, and professional presentation standards.
Marketing and Visibility: Inclusion in all exhibition-related marketing, including digital promotion, press outreach where appropriate, and documentation suitable for portfolios and future applications.
Coaching and Mentorship: Individual and group conversations focused on professional development, including preparing work for exhibition, articulating intent, navigating early career decisions, and understanding gallery relationships.
Public Engagement Opportunities: Participation in artist talks, conversations, or informal discussions during the exhibition period, tailored to the artists’ comfort and experience levels.
No Commission on Sales: Colloquia will take no commission on works sold as part of the Futures exhibition. Artists retain full proceeds from any sales.
No Participation Fees: There is no fee to apply to or participate in Colloquia Futures.
Selection Criteria
Artists are evaluated holistically, with particular attention to:
Clarity of Intent: A discernible line of inquiry or concern, even if the work remains exploratory.
Cohesion of Work: Evidence that submitted works form a considered body rather than unrelated experiments.
Commitment to Practice: Sustained engagement with making and reflection over time.
Readiness for Public Exhibition: Work that is sufficiently resolved for a professional gallery context.
Openness to Dialogue: Willingness to engage in curatorial conversation and public-facing discussion.
Early-Career Alignment: Typically between eighteen and twenty-five years old, with limited public exhibition history.
Exclusion Criteria
Applicants will generally be excluded if they have:
- A substantial record of solo exhibitions in commercial galleries or established gallery representation.
- Portfolios consisting primarily of coursework or faculty-directed projects without independent development.
- Work lacking cohesion or a discernible line of inquiry.
- Work that is unresolved or not exhibition-ready.
- Inability to participate meaningfully in installation or exhibition-period engagement.
- Clear misalignment with the age range, career stage, or scope of the program.
Application Process
Artists apply directly to info@colloquia.art . Applications are reviewed by Colloquia on the basis of artistic clarity, cohesion of work, and readiness for public exhibition. While the Futures show is annually scheduled for August, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Awardees will be announced publicly at the end of May.
Applicants are asked to submit:
- A short artist statement outlining current concerns and direction
- A small portfolio of recent work
- A brief biography or résumé
Selected artists will be notified directly and invited into a short curatorial conversation prior to final confirmation. This conversation is intended to clarify expectations, exhibition logistics, and alignment with the goals of the Futures program.
