Nothing Is Something: Abstraction Today

Artlink is excited to invite artists working with abstraction in any medium for our upcoming juried call-for-entry exhibition: Nothing Is Something: Abstraction Today. We encourage submissions of “pure” abstraction as well as works that incorporate abstraction part of a broader artistic equation. Juried by Artlink's Interim Executive Director, Tim Parsley and open nationally to US artists 18+ years of age.

Artlink is excited to invite artists working with abstraction in any medium for our upcoming juried call-for-entry exhibition: Nothing Is Something: Abstraction Today. We encourage submissions of “pure” abstraction as well as works that incorporate abstraction part of a broader artistic equation.

Perhaps the most significant contribution to the evolution of western art in the 20th century was the introduction of abstraction as an art form in and of itself. While at the time perceived by the rigid theories of critic Clement Greenburg as a purified culmination of “art for art’s sake”, like all preceding forms, abstraction has since evolved as both a category of its own as well as a strategy to be integrated with other material and representational approaches. Abstraction confounds a quick-read and easy interpretation, asking viewers to look longer at works that eschew the immediately recognizable. Art historian Kirk Varnedoe’s 2006, Pictures of Nothing:

Abstract Art Since Pollock champions the importance of abstraction and addresses the skeptical confusion it often creates. However, the title misses the mark since most artists working in abstraction would argue that what may be perceived as “nothing” is still something… in fact, something so important that it transcends most forms of communication.

“Abstract pictures are fictive models, because they make visible a reality that we can neither see nor describe, but whose existence we can postulate.” – Gerhard Richter

“Abstraction allows man to see with his mind what he cannot physically see with his eyes… Abstract art enables the artist to perceive beyond the tangible, to extract the infinite out of the finite. It is the emancipation of the mind. It is an explosion into unknown areas.” – Arshile Gorky

About the Juror:
Tim Parsley is Program Director for Studio Art and Associate Professor of Studio Art (Painting and Drawing) at the University of Saint Francis, Division of Creative Arts in Fort Wayne, IN. Tim earned his BFA from the University of Cincinnati and his MFA from Miami University (Oxford, OH). He also works as a public artist and public art educator, creating numerous, large-scale, publicly-supported mural projects throughout the Midwest, New York, and Nairobi, Kenya. Tim previously served as Assistant Director of Manifest Creative Research Gallery in Cincinnati, OH and currently serves as Interim Executive Director for Artlink Contemporary Gallery. 

Submission Requirements
Entry fee: $12 per entry
Size limit: 72"
Eligibility: United States

Important Dates
Entry deadline: Feb 9, 2026 at 11:59pm 
Jury notifications: After February 16, 2026
Artwork drop-off/delivery deadline: March 15, 2026
Exhibition timeframe: March 26 - April 26, 2026

IF ACCEPTED:

Presentation
All works must be ready for installation upon delivery and professionally presented. Any works not presented professionally may not be accepted for exhibition (ex: damaged frame, cracked glass, damaged artwork). Traditional framed artwork must be ready to hang with wire. No saw-tooth hangers. If your work requires special installation instructions, please contact ellen@artlinkfw.org prior to the submission deadline. Identification labels with artist name and title should be attached to the back of the work.

Sales
All artwork sales are subject to a 35% sales fee. Artists will be mailed a check for sold work following the close of the exhibition. 

Liability
Artwork will be insured during exhibition at Artlink. Artlink is not liable for damage or loss in transit to the gallery. Any damage caused by improper preparations by the artist will not be covered by Artlink. 

Hand-Delivery
Hand-delivered artwork is accepted during gallery hours, Thursday 10am - 8pm, Friday/Saturday 10am - 6pm, and Sunday 12 - 5pm.

Shipping
Artwork that is shipped must be sent through UPS, FedEx or USPS and must include a return shipping label. Artwork must arrive at Artlink by March 15, 2026. Shipped work must be framed with plexiglass, no glass permitted. Any damages that occur during shipping must be covered by the artist. In such an occurrence, the Gallery Coordinator will contact the artist for a credit card number to facilitate repairs. Please, no crates or Styrofoam peanuts. Ship your work in reusable packaging to: Artlink Contemporary Gallery, 300 E Main Street, Fort Wayne, IN 46802

$12 per entry

Any artist 18+ years of age residing in the US is eligible.