“Christine breaks down the art world comprehensively for students. She presents tools that let artists distinguish themselves and track their growth in the industry. Christine and [ShowUp’s] professional development workshops are student favorites.”
— Sarah ‘Val’ Valente, Artist and Educator
Art Education & Programming
ShowUp has a variety of educational and programming programs.
Our flagship program is our ShowUp Cultural Infrastructure Program (SCIP), formerly known as ShowUp Curatorial Incubator Program. More information and signups for courses coming soon!
Our events seek to bring together artists and art appreciators for talks and roundtable discussions. For programming, please go to our events page for listings of our upcoming social and educational opportunities. If you would be interested in attending, please join our email list. You can also check out recordings of some of our previous events on our YouTube page.
Furthermore, if you are part of an art-related group and need an event space, please feel free to get in touch via email.
Apply to Exhibit at ShowUp
The exhibitions committee meets four times per year, around two weeks after the close of each quarter. The committee will review anything that comes in before midnight on the deadline listed below.
March 31st
June 30th
September 31st
December 31st
While we accept any format of proposal, we have created a template to help support you if it’s your first time writing such a submission.
Template
Please make a copy of the linked template and adjust it to fit your exhibition needs. Once you’ve finished your curatorial proposal, export it as a PDF and send it to lu@showupinc.org.
Submitting Your Own Work
This is a very natural desire. We get it! However, if you haven’t been featured in two artist or three artist shows already, likely it’s not quite time to submit yourself for a solo exhibition. Our solo exhibitions are usually solicited proposals. Instead, consider finding an aspiring or accomplished curator to work with you on a proposal for a group show.
What We’re Looking For
Exhibitions that clearly jive with our mission tend to showcase underrepresented artists, artforms, and/or artists who use their work for activism. We want to see exciting, engaging work that starts conversations. We want to show art with a message, especially if it’s saying something that isn’t being talked about enough.
Additional Opportunities at ShowUp
Apply to be featured on ShowUp’s #studiovisitsunday on Instagram
Get to know galleries better: reach out to be a volunteer.
Here’s a list of places where additional opportunities & resources for artists might be found:
New York Foundation for the Arts
New England Foundation for the Arts
Res Artis (Residency listings around the world - paywall)
Artadia (one of the few unrestricted grants available)
Transartists (Residencies)
More Art (opportunity list)
Estate and Legacy Planning for Artists (from the Arts and Business Council)
Articles + Videos
ShowUp partners with Madrid’s Very Private Gallery for professional practice resources online. ShowUp founder Christine O’Donnell contributes to their site.
How to get your art into a gallery by Christine O’Donnell
Full list of articles on Very Private Gallery’s blog
Questions? Send us an inquiry.
“ShowUp is a warm and inviting community art space.”
— Cheryl Miller, Photographer