REBUILDING: Art as Renewal, Possibility, and Purpose

REBUILDING invites artists to consider how art can restore what has been fractured - of making whole what has been broken, empowering what has been silenced, and reclaiming what connects us. This exhibition's theme is not about loss, but about what we build next—how art can reassemble meaning, mend relationships, and model balance in a world seeking repair. Through acts of making, artists can help restore connection even as the ground beneath our communities shifts.

Call for Submissions:
REBUILDING invites artists to consider how art can restore what has been fractured - of making whole what has been broken, empowering what has been silenced, and reclaiming what connects us. This exhibition's theme is not about loss, but about what we build next—how art can reassemble meaning, mend relationships, and model balance in a world seeking repair. Through acts of making, artists can help restore connection even as the ground beneath our communities shifts.

Location: 
Art League RI Gallery and Tiernan Hallway Gallery
80 Fountain Street, Suite 107A, Pawtucket, RI 02860

Jurors:
Kerry Phillips
Kerry Phillips is a Miami-based installation artist whose work blends sculpture, social practice, performance, and storytelling. Working with found objects and site-responsive materials, she creates participatory experiences that explore memory, exchange, play, and the meanings we
attach to everyday things. Phillips has exhibited widely, including at the Bass, Orlando Museum of Art, Pérez Art Museum Miami, Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, and Bridge Red Projects. She earned her MFA from the University of Arizona and has completed exhibitions and
residencies throughout the United States and internationally. Phillips is represented by LnS Gallery in Miami.

Meaghan Kent
Meaghan Kent is a senior arts leader, independent curator, educator, and writer with more than twenty-five years of experience advancing museums, nonprofit organizations, and artist-centered initiatives. She most recently served as Deputy Director at the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, contributing to strategic planning, facilities development, and institutional growth, and currently works as a consultant in capital projects and institutional operations while teaching as an Adjunct Professor at Florida Atlantic University and Broward College. Kent is the founder of Site95, a nonprofit arts organization with projects in New York, Miami, and Washington, DC, and co-founded Páramo in Guadalajara, Mexico, directing off-site projects in Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Oaxaca. She previously served as Curator of Exhibitions at the Art and Culture Center/Hollywood and worked in New York at Casey Kaplan, Andrea Rosen Gallery, and I-20 Gallery, managing the careers of internationally recognized artists and coordinating exhibitions worldwide. Her curatorial and research interests center on underrecognized artists, ecological practice, and the histories embedded in archives and collections, and her writing has appeared in the South Florida Cultural Consortium catalogue, Site95 Journal, ArtHaps, and Art in America. Kent holds an M.A. in Art History from George Washington University and a B.A. from the College of Santa Fe.

Important Dates:
Exhibition Runs: December 5 - January 17, 2027
Opening Reception: Saturday, December 5, 2026, 5 -7 pm
Closing Reception: Sunday, January 17, 2027, 5 -7 pm
Open Call Closes: October 11, 2026, 11:59 pm (EST)
Jurying Cycle: October 11 - October 28, 2026 
Notification of Acceptance: On or before November 4, 2026
Drop-Off Dates: 
In-Person: November 4 - 15, 2026, by appointment; 
Via Mail: by November 16, 2026
Installation Dates: November 17 - December 1, 2026
Pick-Up Dates:
In-Person: January 22 - February 5, 2027 by appointment
VIA Mail: Returned by February 12, 2027

Awards:
First Place: $500
Second Place: $300
Third Place: $150
Honorable Mention (2)
People’s Choice (1)

Work Sample Requirements:
Images | Minimum: 1, Maximum: 5
Video | Minimum: 0, Maximum: 1
Total Samples | Minimum: 1, Maximum: 5

As part of your submission, please provide a short bio and a brief artist statement and reply to the question below.

Bio: (100 words)

Artist Statement: (200 words)

Describe how your work engages with the exhibition’s themes: (150 words)
 

In-Person Drop-Off of Artwork:
All in-person deliveries must be made by appointment between Wednesday, November 4 and Sunday, November 15, 2026, from 1 - 5 pm

Contact shardesty@artleagueri.org to schedule an appointment. Late works will not be accepted without prior approval. The Art League RI Gallery is located at 80 Fountain Street, Suite 107A, Pawtucket, RI. Please park in the lot on the Middle Street side of the building and enter through the door on the loading dock. An ALRI sign and doorbell will be on the entry door. Anyone delivering artwork in person must remove all packing materials from the Gallery. The Gallery has limited storage space and will not store any packing materials.

Shipment of Artwork:
Shipped artwork must be received no later than Monday, November 16, 2026. 

The address for the shipped artwork is:
Art League Rhode Island
Attn: Sarah Hardesty
80 Fountain Street, Suite 107A, Pawtucket, RI 02860.

When shipping your work, we suggest air float style boxes, or similar packaging for ease of unwrapping and rewrapping. Please do not use loose packing peanuts in shipping. If artwork cannot be repacked in original materials, the artist must supply additional packaging. If you have any questions about packaging your artwork, please contact
shardesty@artleagueri.org.

IMPORTANT: Please include a pre-paid return shipping label with your artwork. If a return shipping label is not included, your work may be excluded from the show. If no arrangements are made for the return of the work, a PayPal invoice will be sent to cover the return shipping. Once payment has been made by the artist, the artwork will be shipped.

Packaging:

If Art League RI, UPS, or any other carrier determines that the packaging is not adequate to safely ship the art back to the artist, Art League RI will contact the artist. The artist must notify Art League RI in writing of any
changes in their contact information, or their intended place or time of return of their art, before the end of the exhibition. The artist is solely responsible for any time, materials, storage, shipment, or other charges that may arise from inadequate packaging, delayed or redirected
shipments, nonresponse of the artist, or any other artist requests. All additional charges must be paid before the return of the work.

Installation:

All artworks will be handled and installed by the Gallery Manager and the Gallery Staff. If there are any specifications for the installation of a work/body of work, a detailed description must be provided to the Gallery
Manager and approved ahead of time. Otherwise, the Gallery will take creative liberty regarding the display of the show.

Liability - Legal Agreement & Participant’s Waiver: Submission of work automatically waives any claim for damage or loss against Art League Rhode Island, including the officers, members, and employees. Art League Rhode Island will exercise all reasonable care in handling all artwork but will not assume any liability for loss or damage while in Art League’s possession. Work should be independently insured by the artist. The artist retains all copyright interests or claims that they have in their art.

Usage Rights:

The artist retains all copyright interests or claims that they have in their art. By submitting images, you give Art League Rhode Island the right to use and reproduce the images to market and document the exhibition, and to enable the image to be part of an online exhibition. Artist’s recognition is provided with any use. Art League Rhode Island reserves the right to adjust any deadline(s) as a result of causes beyond its immediate control. Payment of the submission fee indicates acknowledgment of all terms and conditions.

Eligibility:

Any artist who is at least 18 years old may participate to the extent that their participation is allowed by law.

Artwork: All 2D and 3D media are eligible. Artwork previously exhibited with ALRI is not permitted. All work must be original. Work found to be copied from copyrighted work will not be hung. All submitted work must reflect the artist's original creative authorship and direct involvement in the artistic process. Works conceived or created through generative artificial intelligence (AI) are not eligible for submission. 

All work must be exhibition-ready to install with the appropriate hardware. No saw-tooth hangers or clips. Work that does not adhere to the guidelines or is deemed not to be a faithful representation of the image submitted will not be exhibited. Artwork must be appropriate for viewers of all ages.