Exposure: Identity and the Evolving Image

The Global Village Museum of Arts and Cultures invites photographers from around the world to submit work for Exposure: Identity and the Evolving Image, an exhibition exploring the self as subject, and photography as the act of defining it.

How do you see yourself? And what does it mean to be seen?

The Global Village Museum of Arts and Cultures invites photographers from around the world to submit work for Exposure: Identity and the Evolving Image, an exhibition exploring the self as subject, and photography as the act of defining it.

How do you see yourself? And what does it mean to be seen?

We welcome work in all photographic media: self-portraiture, symbolic representation, abstract interpretation, experimental imagery, and beyond. There are no wrong answers. 

Across cultures and throughout history, the act of capturing a likeness has carried different meanings, different weight, different risk. This exhibition asks artists to bring their own relationship to that act, and to themselves, into focus.

Selected works will be exhibited alongside vintage cameras and camera obscura, tracing the technical history of photography and its evolving role in shaping personal and communal identity around the world. From the global reach of Kodak, whose legacy has local roots here in Northern Colorado, to contemporary photographic practice, Exposure explores how the tools we use to see ourselves have always reflected something larger than the frame.

Selected works will be printed by the museum at 16×20 (or 20x16) inches and exhibited from October 2, 2026 through January 22, 2027.

After the exhibition closes, you have three options:

Return shipping (additional fee) — Select this option at the time of submission and, if selected, you will pay an additional shipping fee. Your printed work will be carefully packaged and returned to you after the exhibition closes.

Donate to GVM (no additional fee) — Waive the return shipping fee and your artwork will be donated to the museum's permanent collection, where it may continue to be exhibited and shared with future visitors.

Recycle Your Work (no additional fee) — Waive the return shipping fee and your artwork will be recycled by museum staff after the exhibition closes.

Important Dates:

Submission deadline: August 28, 2026 11:59 p.m. MDT

Artist notification: September 11, 2026

Members & artists opening: October 1, 2026

Public opening: October 2, 2026

Exhibition closes: January 22, 2027

About the museum:

At the Global Village Museum of Arts and Cultures, we bring the world's traditions, stories, and artistic expressions to life. Since our founding in 2006, GVM has been a gateway to the world's rich tapestry of cultures, traditions, art, and history right here in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Accepted media: All photographic media (images & video)

Image size: 16 × 20 inches or 20 × 16 inches, 300 ppi

Images: Up to 5 per entry

Video files: Up to 5 per entry

Total samples: 1–5 across all media

Eligibility: International 

Ages 18+

Work dates: Created 2016–2026