Open call for artwork:
DE250: Our Sun Is Rising — Our Sun Is Setting (exhibition dates, 8/7/26 - 1/3/27)

Submissions due: July 5, 2026

The Delaware Contemporary is participating in Delaware’s 250th anniversary with a group exhibition of Delaware-based artists. Our Sun Is Rising — Our Sun Is Setting is a balanced look at our place in a very complex Union. We are taught a story in which, shortly after signing the new Constitution in 1787, Benjamin Franklin asks George Washington if the carved half sun on his wooden chair was rising, or setting. For the new republic, if we could keep it, it was still uncertain. This exhibition is a sibling to the Native Creatives exhibition as part of the DE250 commemoration.

We ask artists living and working in Delaware, the first state, to submit their work that does one, or more, of the following:

• Addresses hope for our nation in times of uncertainty

• Addresses concern for our nation’s contemporary issues

• Looks to a storied, though complex past

• Looks toward a brighter future, even when hard-faught

Your work does not have to be political to be relevant to our country’s story. In fact, the more personal your story is, the better, as it highlights the threads that weaves together our tapestry.

Eligibility:

• You must be 18 years of age or older

• You muse permanently reside in, or have a studio in, the state of Delaware

• You must create an ArtSource account to submit to the call (see below for fee waivers)

• All media is accepted

Application:

1. Fill out this submission form, this is to gather your contact information.

2. Create a single PDF or document containing the following:

   1. Your name and bio

   2. Your artist statement

   3. Images of artwork you would like to submit

   4. A list of image titles, dates, media, and dimensions

3. Send the PDF to Morgan Joseph Hamilton, mhamilton@decontemporary.org, include "Open Call" in the subject line.

4. Alternatively, if you are an ArtSource member, you can submit artwork through the “curated shows” tab in your account.

*ArtSource charges an annual fee of $35 that helps us pay for the web developers who designed and maintain the site. We believe our fees should provide a service that extends beyond the open call that brought you here. You will have a full year of access to ArtSource where curators at TDC and elsewhere seek out talents like you.

Fee Waiver:

We are able to waive the fee for any artist who finds it a barrier to submission. Please email mhamilton@decontemporary.org if you need the fee waived prior to signing up for ArtSource. This was made possible by generous funding from the DE250 commission.

If you have questions or issues with any step of this process, please contact Dr. Morgan Hamilton, mhamilton@decontemporary.org