Open Call accepts applications from artists who are:

• Early-career artists and art collectives
  
• 18+ years old
  
• Currently living or working in New York City
  
• Able to provide a W9 for payment
  
• With or without a traditional arts degree and/or training
  
• Working in a range of artistic disciplines, including the visual arts, theater, dance, music, performance, spoken word, literary arts, film, fashion, art and technology, new media, social practice, and public art and architecture, as well as across multiple and new disciplines

For The Shed, an early-career artist is one who has not yet received major support to create new work. We define major support as a range of opportunities, from the receipt of substantial institutional funding to presenting and/or producing opportunities at large-scale cultural organizations. There is no age limitation.

If you do not live in one of the five boroughs of New York City, but you work predominantly in New York City, your application will be considered. You will be asked to provide a New York City working address in your application.

Yes. In the Submittable application, you will be able to indicate if you are applying as an individual artist or a collective.

Both individual artists and collectives can list up to three collaborators in their application. The Shed defines collaborators as those who are key to the early development of the work. For performance proposals, artists do not need to list all performers as collaborators. We understand that artists will refine their creative teams throughout the development process.

Nonprofit or incorporated collectives are not eligible to apply, only physical people. For collectives, there will be one signatory per award.

For Open Call, we only accept one proposal per applicant (individual or collective). However, you can be listed as a collaborator in another lead artist’s proposal submission.

In line with The Shed’s mission, the Open Call program values inventive and bold proposals that explore and question the urgent issues of our time. We look for submissions that are both idea-driven and poetic, and that can be feasibly realized. We encourage artists to be inclusive and equitable as they engage their ideas and communities with intellectual and aesthetic rigor. We aim to support New York City’s diversity of emerging talent in its many forms—including artistic medium, race, ethnicity, age, identity, disability, and other experiences.

Curatorial proposals, such as an individual or a collective of curators proposing a group exhibition, will not be accepted.

All eligible applications are reviewed by Open Call’s reviewers. Applications with the highest scores will then be reviewed during a panel discussion, resulting in the selection of a semifinalist pool. Semifinalists will be interviewed before award decisions are made. Through this review process, Open Call offers artists the opportunity to have their work and ideas considered and discussed by a range of experts across different artistic fields including members of The Shed’s programming staff.

We use five criteria to select the projects:

Bold and inventive

• The work is original and presents a unique vision or perspective.
  
• It is innovative, idea driven, and thought-provoking.
  
• It embraces risk-taking and experimentation.
  

Artistically rigorous

• The proposal is coherent, thoughtful, and reflects a deep sense of inquiry.
  
• It demonstrates a professional approach to process and presentation.
  
• The work samples demonstrate artistic excellence, mastery of skills and techniques.
  

Relevant and resonant

• The proposal is timely, interesting, and thrilling.
  
• It provides multiple entry points and strives for openness, avoiding a narrow and jargony approach.
  
• The work is able to hold sustained impact and value for diverse audiences and viewers.
  

Feasible

• The work demonstrates a scope and scale likely to be executed as proposed with the allocated resources.
  
• The proposal budget is thoughtful, clear, and reasonable.
  

Demonstrates integrity

• The work and artists seem responsible with ideas, concepts, and references, and avoid appropriation.
  
• Artists demonstrate a just point of view, and a strong ethical approach to their work.

Applications are at first reviewed to ensure they are complete (we might reach out if there is missing information). They are then assigned to at least three online reviewers each, of which at least two are discipline-specific. A diversity of perspectives is essential during this stage. We ensure that all proposals are also reviewed by at least one Shed staff member.

From that early online review, the top 150 proposals are selected to be discussed in a single multidisciplinary panel. This panel takes place live or online in a synchronous manner. All proposals are sent to panelists in advance for individual review and are then reviewed and discussed by panelists live.

At the end of the panel, a semifinalist list is determined. It is then up to The Shed’s staff to interview semifinalists, check their references, and do a feasibility study, as well as space assignment. All of this helps determine the final awardees.

Unfortunately, due to the amount of applications we expect to receive, we’re not able to provide application feedback.

Application closes: Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at 11:59 pm ET
Online review: March – April 2026
Panel review & feasibility studies: Summer 2026
Notification of acceptance: Fall 2026
Open Call awardees announcement: Early 2027
Presentations: As dictated by the festival format, either summer 2027 or summer 2028

All work will be presented at The Shed. The images in the slideshow above show a variety of presentation configurations in our building’s spaces.

As part of the application process, you will be prompted to suggest the space your project is designed for. However, The Shed’s team will be responsible for final space assignments once all projects are selected.

Visual artworks will be presented in a group exhibition in one of The Shed’s spaces, with works varying in scale and medium. Though we do not have specific size limitations for each work, nor restrictions on how they might be installed (works can be free-standing, hanging, wall-mounted, etc.), we encourage artists to be ambitious in their proposals while remaining mindful that other artworks will also inhabit the space. Footprints of sculptural works in the past have ranged in scale, falling mostly within a 20-by-20-foot area. Wall-mounted works have also varied in scale, occupying an area up to 20 feet wide on the wall. The group exhibition will be curated and developed by The Shed’s Civic Programs team. To learn more about past Open Call exhibitions, please visit the 2025 exhibition page.

The Shed’s Plaza, an iconic public space, is formed when the building’s movable outer shell is nested to create a 17,000-square-foot outdoor plaza for large-scale public art installations. The Shed’s Plaza, an iconic public space, is formed when the building’s movable outer shell is nested to create a 17,000-square-foot outdoor plaza for large-scale public art installations. For an example of a past work on the Plaza, see the photos of Victor “Marka27” Quiñonez’s installation in the slideshow above.

The Griffin Theater on Level 6 is a flexible black box theater with resilient (not sprung) wood floors, reconfigurable risers, professional lighting, projections, and a professional sound package. The stage is roughly 30 – 40 feet wide by 25 feet deep with the possibility of wings on each side, depending on the configuration.

Various seating configurations have been utilized in The Griffin Theater including proscenium, thrust, in the round setups, and open-plan seating for immersive participatory pieces, with audiences of about 200 – 400 attendees. One festival floorplan will be designed with all selected works in mind, so the final layout will be determined collaboratively with the Open Call team.

Please note: pieces in The Griffin Theater have historically run for three consecutive performances.

To learn more about past Open Call works presented in The Griffin Theater, please visit the main Open Call page.

Pieces/artists usually get assigned to one space. There have been cases of artists showing work throughout spaces, or performing arts activations in the gallery. This will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Offsite social practice projects will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The Shed aims to reduce disparities in New York’s cultural ecology through equity, inclusion, and access. Artists with disabilities are encouraged to apply to Open Call.

The Open Call Submittable form is accessible to screen readers. The Open Call information sessions will include captioning and ASL interpretation.

All of The Shed’s spaces are wheelchair accessible. ASL interpretation, assistive listening devices, captioning, and audio descriptions will be considered during the development of work and during Open Call presentations for designated performances, exhibition pieces as needed, and special gallery tours.

Please email our Open Call team at opencall@theshed.org with further questions, comments, or any specific requests. Read more about accessibility at The Shed.

An itemized budget template is provided as part of the application and must be completed with every type of expense you expect the project to include. There’s space for additional funding and additional costs; please include everything you may need to realistically and feasibly advance your project.

Some items to include are already noted, such as artist, performer and collaborator fees, designers, production support, stage managers, art supplies, fabrication costs, rehearsal and/or studio space as needed, color/audio correction as needed, set and costumes, administration costs, specific production materials and equipment.

Because every project is different and we don’t know what you’ll require, please feel free to add any line items as needed; however, the Shed will be providing key production personnel that will be determined based on each project.

Please note: The Shed is a union space, with collective bargaining agreements with IATSE Local 1, 764, 798, Actors Equity Association.

VR/AR headsets, or even noise canceling headsets, are not included in The Shed’s inventory and will need to be provided by the artist.

Artists may need to conduct independent research to include actual costs. Suggested lead artist fees range from $1,500 – 2,000 depending on the project. The W.A.G.E. website offers a good resource for suggested creative/production fees broken down by category.

Two-way trucking at the time of the performance/installation/deinstallation will be covered by The Shed, from and to one location in the five boroughs of New York City. Parking in the area for meetings or during the performance is not covered by The Shed.

We do not suggest you plan on self-raising more than 15 percent over the $15,000. If you do have some support that exceeds that number, you’re able to include it.

No. The Shed will provide general liability insurance.

The Shed will support Open Call projects with a commissioning fee of up to $15,000 per artist or collective, paid in installments linked to project milestones.

This commissioning fee is intended to support the development and realization of the work, which includes artist and collaborator fees, fabrication costs, art supplies, rehearsal and/or studio space as needed, administration costs, costumes and other production materials, and any extra equipment specific to the piece that is not part of The Shed’s inventory (to be shared at a later date). Suggested lead artist fees range from $1,500 – 2,000 depending on the project. Lead awarded artists will contract and pay collaborators themselves.

Additionally, The Shed will provide in-kind presenting support for implementation and installation of the work on-site, including crew labor, design coordinator fees, and specific rentals among other considerations.

No other revenue will be assigned to the artists. Tickets are offered to the public for free.

The Shed cannot actively help with garnering extra financial support, although we can sometimes act as a fiscal agent and can also write letters of recommendation/intention as needed.

Examples of future work samples may include select drawings, sketches, rehearsal or work-in-progress presentations, audio and/or video documentation, and renderings, etc. that best represent your idea. For performing arts proposals, we suggest audio and/or moving images. For visual arts proposals, still images work well.

Audio and video files should be no longer than one minute. Written samples have a limit of three pages. Text documents uploaded that include links to files will not be considered.

If your proposed work is a theatrical work (i.e. it will have a full script), please provide a full outline along with your written sample. If you are selected as a semifinalist, we will reach out for more materials (ideally a full draft of a script, character breakdown, etc.). Our goal is to learn as much about your work as possible.

Unfortunately, our application requires a direct upload of artist work samples. However, there is an opportunity to link to your website, if you have one.

Visual descriptions provide information about the visual appearance of spaces, objects, people, and more to reviewers and panelists who are blind or have low vision. They are plain text descriptions of images, gifs, videos, and other media.

When writing visual descriptions, consider adding features such as colors, medium, placement of objects, names of people, clothes, animals, emotions, and environments. If your media has text in it, consider writing out the image text verbatim and be sure to use proper spelling, capitalization, spacing, and grammar.

Any requests for revisions to applications should be sent to opencall@theshed.org. We will review these on a case-by-case basis.

Some projects may have been shown in the past, for example in school, a work-in-progress showing, or included in a public program like a reading or workshop. In the Submittable application, you will be prompted to explain how your project would transform in The Shed’s presentation and how your proposed work or any its components have been shared in the past in any form.

We are looking for new work but understand that each artist has different development processes, with moments of public showing and feedback as part of them.

Yes. In the case of using existing content, you need to ensure that such use does not infringe on the rights of any third party and shall be responsible for securing any third party rights to material that is not original to you or not in the public domain.

As this is a commissioning program, we ask that artists agree to premiere their commissioned work at The Shed.

As for exclusivity clauses, we have tended to avoid them. Though, we do request that you don’t present similar work in New York City two weeks before your Shed presentation, mostly with the intention of ensuring you’ll have an audience for your presentation as part of Open Call.

Copyright of the work will always belong to the artist. The Shed only keeps the right to present it and share it in perpetuity on its website, social media, etc.

This depends on each medium and project, but some collaborators to consider include directors, producers, stage managers, designers (lighting, space, audio, graphic, print), editors, dramaturgs, musicians, carpenters, playwrights, cast members, composers, choreographers, vocal coaches, song writers, and videographers. You don’t have to have a full team at the time of the application, but ideally you’ll consider them when building your project budget. As a team we can help you define which roles will be helpful and even recommend names as needed.

Collaborators do not need to be NYC-based, but you will need to secure any transportation and lodging costs for your team.

References will only be contacted in the case your proposal is chosen as a semi-finalist project, right before the final selection.

You should include someone you’ve worked with, collaborated with, trained with, etc. in the past, who knows you and your work and can speak about it. Ideally, they should have an institutional role or some recognition in the field.

Over the course of the Open Call program, each commission will be developed, designed, and produced in collaboration with The Shed’s team. You should expect your project to change and evolve in collaboration with the institution. We expect you to dream big (yet feasibly), and then it will be up to our collaborative efforts to adapt your vision to the space, time, and resources available for each work.

Our curatorial, producing, and production teams will work closely with each artist or collective throughout critical moments of the project’s development, creating a customized plan that integrates accessibility into each piece.

We have incorporated mandatory work-in-progress showings throughout the development of the pieces, as well as specific fabrication milestones, customized to each individual piece and process.

We provide professional photography and simple one-camera video documentation of all works. Part of our support to artists is to provide these assets for non-commercial use, with the inclusion of the photographer/videographer’s credit line and a courtesy line for The Shed/Open Call.

For general questions about Open Call or application materials, please email opencall@theshed.org. For questions about using Submittable, please contact the Submittable help desk.