Surf Art at Oceanside Museum of Art and California Surf Museum

This is a call to Southern California-based artists who surf or are surf industry professionals to submit entries for Surf Art, a joint exhibition to take place at California Surf Museum (CSM) and Oceanside Museum of Art (OMA) in August, 2025.

This is a call to Southern California-based artists who surf or are surf industry professionals to submit entries for Surf Art, a joint exhibition to take place at California Surf Museum (CSM) and Oceanside Museum of Art (OMA).

This exhibition will explore art that has emerged from the surf-culture lifestyle and surfing’s influence on artists. Everyone who has experienced the feeling of riding a wave understands just how hard it is to describe that incredible sensation, referred to as “stoke”. It seems that only through creative self-expression can surfer-artists capture the essence of stoke and the inspiration that can be found between the surfer and the wave. Artists who surf may take this creative energy in many directions and may explore subjects outside of surfing and surf culture. This joint exhibition will feature a variety of media, from traditional art making methods to works in resin, murals, surfboards, graphic art, sculpture, or fabric, all with the goal to convey the creative power that all artists experience, on or off the wave.

Artists may be selected to show work at OMA and/or CSM. The jurors will determine the location where selected works are presented. 

The jurors will select work that they feel creates the strongest show when considering all works in context with the other works selected. The jurors’ selections are subjective. It is not always possible to include every excellent and worthy artwork submitted. Works from a single artist may be selected for either or both organizations.

Juried by Jim Kempton (CSM Executive Director), Maria Mingalone (OMA Executive Director), Katie Dolgov (OMA Director of Exhibitions and Collections), Phil Roberts, and Wade Koniakoski.

Contact katie@oma-online.org with questions about this submission opportunity after carefully reading the prospectus in full.

ENTRY FEE: $25 to submit up to 20 artworks

Scholarships are available, please contact katie@oma-online.org if you would like to be considered for a scholarship.

Thank you for your interest in this call. Your submission fees (less CAfÉ listing fees) and membership dues go toward supporting the museum’s exhibitions and educational programming.

--

TIMELINE:

• Deadline to submit: Monday, June 9, 2025, 10:59PM Pacific Standard Time (PST) 
• Notifications of selected artworks: On or before Friday, July 11, 2025
• Art Drop Off/Delivery to OMA (regardless of which venue will display the artwork): August 8-11, 2025 12:00–3:00pm
  • Artwork may be shipped to the museum or transported by the artist. Further details will be provided when selections are announced.
• Open to the public at OMA: August 23, 2025–February 1, 2026
• Open to the public at CSM: September 13, 2025–February 1, 2026
• Public reception at OMA: Saturday, August 23, 2025, 5:00–7:00pm 
• Public reception at CSM: Friday, October 3, 2025, 5:00–8:00pm
• Artwork return: within two weeks of the close of the exhibition

--

All technical submission issues will be handled by CaFÉ technical support. Contact them here. 

Find answers to most common technical questions on the Help page. 

CaFÉ is an all-in-one artist submission platform designed for the arts field that is not owned by or affiliated with Oceanside Museum of Art.

Contact katie@oma-online.org with questions about this artwork submission opportunity after carefully reading the prospectus in full.

Media

• Artwork is not required to directly depict surfing, the ocean, or surf culture.
• No photography
• No giclees or reproductions of original work. All submissions must be original works of art.
• No videos or projections
• Artwork may be in any style or media not listed above
• Tasteful nudity is acceptable

Size and frames

• Two- or three-dimensional work, maximum 120” in any direction and 100 lbs
• Works on paper must be framed
• Edges of unframed two-dimensional artwork must be finished or gallery wrapped

Installation

• Works may be wall mounted, ceiling mounted, free standing, or pedestal standing
• D Rings preferred with wires removed for wall mounted works. D rings must be installed on the back at precisely equal distances from the top of all wall mounted work.
• Cleats and other hanging methods are acceptable

Artists must be Southern California or Baja California-based, defined by Tijuana to the south and Santa Barbara to the north, including all inland counties.

Artists must demonstrate a connection to surfing or the surf industry in their artist statement and/or CV.

Keep in mind, the quality of artwork photography may affect whether your artwork will be selected. Ensure your artwork is photographed in good lighting with a steady camera. Direct sunlight on a clear day is ideal if studio lighting is not available. Include the artwork image only without frame, unless the frame is an artistically defining part of the submission.