Light Dreams

Light Dreams invites artists working with alternative/historical photography processes to explore light not only as a physical phenomenon, but as an internal, psychological, and symbolic presence. The pairing of light and dreams suggests a space where conscious perception and subconscious experience overlap—where memory, imagination, and emotion shape how light is seen, felt, and interpreted.

Exhibition Dates: July 4th – September 6th, 2026

Deadline to Submit: May 19th, midnight MST

Light Dreams invites artists to explore light not only as a physical phenomenon, but as an internal, psychological, and symbolic presence. The pairing of light and dreams suggests a space where conscious perception and subconscious experience overlap—where memory, imagination, and emotion shape how light is seen, felt, and interpreted.

In dreams, light often behaves differently than it does in waking life. It may glow without a visible source, shift color unexpectedly, or illuminate only fragments of a scene while leaving others in darkness. This opens space for photographic approaches that emphasize ambiguity, softness, distortion, or selective visibility. Dreams often reshape reality through exaggeration, compression, or symbolism. Translating this into photographic practice could mean using light to bend time, alter scale, or collapse narrative. Long exposures, alternative or historical processes, or unconventional lighting techniques can reinforce a sense of temporal dislocation—images that feel as though they exist outside linear time.  In this context, light is not simply descriptive; it becomes a narrative force, shaping meaning rather than documenting fact. Light can become unstable, fleeting, or uncanny—mirroring the way dreams resist logical structure and clear resolution. 

This call is open to all forms of alternative or historical processes. All submitted works must be created and printed by the hand of the artist, including- but not limited to: silver gelatin; platinum/palladium; albumen; cyanotype; gum bichromate; wet-plate collodion; photo gravure; carbon; vandyke brown; traditional printmaking; instant transfers and lifts,  hand-manipulated (altered surface) digital prints, and other alternative and historic printing processes. Combinations of these processes are welcome.  

The use of digital negatives in creating these processes is acceptable, although straight inkjet (digital) prints and AI-derived works are not eligible. All entries must be hand-made prints made by the artist and created in the last 4 years.  

Light Art Space invites LBGTQ, Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and self-identifying artists of color - historically under-represented artists working in the visual arts – to submit.
 
Work needs to arrive at the gallery ready to hang but framing is not required. Magnets, clips, and other methods can be used. Artists must include instructions for alternative presentations. 

Juror: Jill Endfield

Juror Bio:

I am a fine art photographer, educator, and author. My concentration is historical techniques and alternative processes, with annual workshops and lectures internationally. My 3 books on the subject are used in schools and have won awards since the first one was published in 2002.

My last series on immigration, was first shown on Ellis Island in 2017 and has since traveled around the country. The work consisted of portraits as well as The Glasshouse of Immigrants comprising of portraits as well as images taken on Ellis Island.

My new series is called “The Way Home” and consists of landscapes along the Hudson River.

The New American series were originally photographed using the wet plate collodion process to make ambrotypes and The Hudson River series were first photographed using an Iphone, transformed into wet plate ambrotypes and then made into palladium prints.
 

Important Dates:

Exhibition Dates: July 4th – September 6th
Deadline to Submit: May 19th, midnight MST
Jurying Dates: May 20 - 23
Notification Dates: May 24th
Work Due at Gallery: June 23
Exhibition opens: July 4th 
Public reception: July 5, 5 – 7 pm 
Final day of the exhibition: September 6th 

Entry fee: $35 for 3 images

$10 for each additional image up to 10 images total
Full-time Student Discount: $20 use coupon: Student

Sales:
Sales are encouraged but artwork need not be for sale. Light Art Space will retain a 50% commission on any artwork sold. The sale price on the entry form must include commission. All artwork will remain in the exhibition through September 6th, 2026 unless sold.

All entries must be hand-made prints made with alternative photographic processes and created in the last 5 years.  All prints must be hand printed by the artist.  

Acceptable processes include, but are not limited to, Cyanotype, Gum Bichromate, Van Dyke, Palladium/Platinum, Photopolymer Gravure, Copper Plate Gravure, Salt, Tintype, Silver Gelatin, Chemigrams, Phytograms, Lumens, Chromogenic prints, Hand applied emulsions, Photo-encaustic, Carbon, Gumoil, Instant transfers and lifts, and Hand-manipulated (altered surface) digital prints. Combinations of these processes are welcome.  Digital photographic images can be used in combination with other processes, but straight digital prints will not be accepted.  3D and experimental work is encouraged. The use of digital negatives in creating these processes is acceptable, as are surface-manipulated digital prints. Straight digital prints and AI-derived works are not eligible. Images previously shown at Light Art Space are not eligible. 

Artists 18 years of age and older are eligible.