Innovations 2026 - 35th Annual International Juried Exhibit

The International Society of Experimental Artists will co-host INNOVATIONS 2026, its 35th annual international open juried exhibition, partnering with the Tubac Center of the Arts, Tubac, Arizona.The exhibition will run from November 6 to January 3, 2027. ISEA offers over US $14,000 in awards for outstanding submitted works! ISEA produces a beautiful full color catalog of each INNOVATIONS exhibition. All ISEA members and all non-member artists accepted into the exhibition will receive a copy of the catalog.

ISEA invites all artists and collaborative groups of artists, 18 years of age and older, to submit ONE work of art created in the past three years to this call. The submission deadline is July 5, 2026. All media are welcome. ISEA focuses on experimentation and exploration in the visual arts. All artists are asked to submit a short (1000 characters or less) statement of how the submitted work was experimental in the context of their artistic practice.

ISEA

Here are the key dates:                              

• Intake:  June 1 through July 5, 2026
• Jurying:  July 6 through July 12, 2026
• "Invitations to Participate" sent:  July 15 - 30, 2026
• "Accept Invitation" and pay Handling fee: by July 31 in your Profile on the Café website
• Work shipped to the venue to be received by: November 2, 2026
• Digital artworks created in real-time by computerized or electronic components must arrive at the gallery by November 2, 2026
• Hand deliveries accepted at venue: November 2, 2026  10:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Exhibition awards determined:  November 6 - 13, 2026
• Symposium dates: December 2 - 5, 2026
• Public reception and Awards presented:  December 4, 2026
• Welcome Dinner: December 2, 2026 at the symposium
• Exhibition duration: November 6 through January 3, 2027
• Hand delivery pick-up:  January 4, 2027, 10:30 am to 3:30 pm

ISEA distributes over $14,000 in awards in both cash and material goods.

There are two places to see the rules for entry:

• Please read and accept the ISEA “Terms and Conditions”. 
• Rules for uploading artwork to your profile on Café’: https://www.callforentry.org/artist-help-cafe/uploading-media/

Venue:  Tubac Center of the Arts, Tubac, Arizona:  https://www.tubacarts.org

Juror

Ash Dahlke

Ash Dahlke is a mixed media artist and educator based in Bisbee, Arizona. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of Arizona and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. Her work has been exhibited at the University of Arizona Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson, and the Tubac Center of the Arts. Dahlke's work is included in the permanent collections of Special Collections at the University of Colorado Boulder and the Artist Printmaker/Photographer Research Collection at the Museum of Texas Tech University. She has participated in artist residencies at The Land With No Name Sanctuary in Tucson and the Subspace Artist Residency, also in Tucson. Dahlke currently serves as the 2D Art Instructor at Cochise College and as a Commissioner for the Arizona Commission on the Arts. Commissioner, Arizona Commission on the Arts, Douglas Campus Curator, Union Gallery, Cochise College.

For more information about Ash Dahlke: https://www.ashleydahlke.com/

All artists agree to the following

“Venue-based exhibitions

• ISEA charges a handling fee of $25.00 for all accepted artists.
• ISEA requires that a Return Label be sent along with each accepted piece that is to be shipped back to the artists.  No Return Shipping Label, your piece will not be included in hanging in the exhibit or jurying for awards.
• If artwork comes in too damaged, late, or improperly prepared to hang the artist will be contacted and the artwork will be returned to the artist.
• All entered artwork must be for sale.
• 2026 there is a 40% commission taken on the sale of your art. (This changes every year)
• Please price your piece in USD.  That amount may not be changed once the jurying is completed.

Special requirements for ISEA exhibitions

• A written statement about the experimental aspects of the work is required. These statements are used to further ISEA aims of educating the public about the nature of experimental art, and enhancing how experimental artists are valued in their communities (in 1000 characters or less).
• ISEA asks our jurors to review this information. It is to be used as reference, not the guiding principle for selection of entries or awards. Statements are posted along with all accepted images on our social media and our exhibition site.

Checking Out - your Member Discount Coupon 

• As a member you will receive a $25 USD discount off the $55 USD entry fee when you checkout. A code will be sent to paid ISEA members via email. The code needs to be used when the artist enters on Café.  No refunds can be given once the entry is completed on Café.

An ISEA annual membership is only $45 (USD):

ISEA Membership page @ www.iseaartexhibit.org

Image Formatting Help

• For image sizing, photographing, entry and uploading check out our   
  •  Click here for:  Helpful Hints for Entry 
• Questions, please contact:
• Steven Purtee, Intake Chair:  iseaentry@iseaartexhibit.org
  • or by phone:  1-914-419-6344

REQUIREMENTS FOR ISEA EXHIBITIONS

• Size restrictions for 2D and 3D pieces change each year, set by the venue.  This year they are as follows:
• 2D 
  • No larger than 40”H x 40”W  not to exceed 35 lbs. (this changes every year for shipped works)
  • 2D pieces must be in a frame or on a canvas or panel that is wired for proper hanging on a hanging system.  ISEA is not allowed to pin or Velcro pieces to the venue’s walls.
• 3D
  • Maximum crated weight (for shipped works) is 100 lbs. Maximum weight of the artwork itself is 100 lbs.
  • Crates/boxes for 3D entries must be no larger than 100” inches
  • For plinth-installed artworks, the maximum width and depth are 24” and the maximum height is 48”, weight not to exceed 100 lbs.
  • For floor-installed artworks, the maximum width and depth are 48” and the maximum height is 96” weight not to exceed 300 lbs.
• Video
  • Size and format rules are set by Café.  Please follow their rules: https://www.callforentry.org/artist-help-cafe/uploading-media/
  • The submission must be an exact copy of the actual full Film/Video, NOT a short portion of the Film/Video
  • All Film/Video artwork should be supplied ready to execute, including all hardware, software, and screen.
  • Video works may not be longer than 10 minutes.
  • Entries are open to all languages. If an understanding of the language is important to interpretation of the work, a mechanism must be provided to translate the language to the local language at the exhibition venue.
  • Hardware components that will come into direct contact with viewers (i.e. virtual reality headsets) may not be suitable, depending on health and safety guidelines at the time of the exhibition. For example, the venue may be able to consider earphones/headsets that are vinyl or plastic, but foam may not allow for suitable cleaning between viewers
  • Media submissions only. Linked media cannot be accepted (ex: YouTube, Vimeo based submissions). Embedding audio or video links in code is not supported by our submission system.

• Only ONE solo submission is permitted per artist. Only ONE collaborative submission is permitted per distinct group of artists. Each artist may be included in a total of two submissions: one solo submission and one collaborative submission.
• All media, except audio only media, are acceptable.
• Shipped artwork must be the actual artwork or video that was submitted during the intake process.  No substitutions can be accepted.
• NO dangerous materials are acceptable.
  • No sharp elements protruding from the artwork or framing, including but not limited to glass, sheet metal edges, frayed wire ends
• Date the work was created should not be more than 3 years old.
• Commercial reproductions of original artwork are not acceptable.
• If you can reproduce your artwork it needs to be entered as a numbered “limited edition print” series and indicated on the front of the image (eg. 1/100)
• Enter the artwork image only, DO NOT INCLUDE MAT OR FRAME.
• Naming:
  • Name your image file with your last name, example:  VanGogh.jpg
• Sizing:
  • For physical works (2d or 3d) for venue-based exhibits enter the size in inches, specifying:  height x width x depth, including the matte or frame.
  • For digital works for venue-based exhibits, size is in pixels, if artwork will be shown on a screen or size in inches if printed on paper, canvas, or other substrate, specifying height x width

Prices are generally in US dollars, but review the prospectus carefully for this information

• Artwork may not have been accepted in any prior ISEA exhibit.
  • Submissions are to be appropriate for all ages. ISEA and the venue has a right to refuse inappropriate submissions.

ISEA continues to monitor the ethical and international copyright implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) -generated artwork; however, until we are satisfied with the unresolved issues regarding its creation, ISEA will not accept AI-generated artwork.

• Artwork completed in a workshop are not eligible for entry in any ISEA exhibition.