Analog: An Antidote to AI Art

Analog: An Antidote to AI Art celebrates the uniquely human qualities of making, including imagination, intuition, touch, experimentation, imperfection, memory, and lived experience. Rather than rejecting technology, Analog asks: What makes art unmistakably human? Artists working in all media are invited to submit work that demonstrates personal vision, meaningful engagement with materials, and the imperfect, unpredictable nature of the creative process. Please note: AI-generated artwork in any form will not be accepted.

In an era shaped by artificial intelligence, Analog: An Antidote to AI Art celebrates the enduring power of human imagination, intuition, and authentic artistic expression. This exhibition invites artists whose work reflects the distinctly human experience of making, embracing experimentation, imperfection, memory, materiality, and lived experience. Rather than rejecting technology, Analog asks a timely question: What makes art unmistakably human? We welcome original work in all visual art media and genres, including painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, textiles, fiber, photography, installation, mixed media, assemblage, drawing, book arts, jewelry, sound art, olfactive art, biophilic practices, and other forms that demonstrate personal vision and meaningful engagement with materials and process.

As AI-generated imagery becomes ubiquitous, Analog turns our attention to what algorithms cannot replicate: intuition, vulnerability, touch, chance, personal history, and the countless decisions embedded in the creative process. The exhibition celebrates originality as an expression of curiosity, resilience, and the uniquely human impulse to make meaning from the world around us. We seek work that reveals touch, struggle, experimentation, art that reflects the imperfect, unpredictable, and deeply personal nature of human creation.

ABOUT THE JUROR: 

Roddy Schrock is a sound artist and institution-builder who has spent his career on a single question: what does it actually take to build the conditions under which transformative work can exist, and endure? Trained at Mills College (MFA in Electronic Music and Recording Media) and the Institute of Sonology in The Hague, he has performed across Japan, Europe, South America, and the United States, with commissions from Meet the Composer and Ostrava New Music Days and essays published by MIT Press and Hyperallergic. For a decade he directed Eyebeam, New York's center for art and technology, where he grew direct support to artists more than 500%, made it the first residency certified by W.A.G.E. for fair pay, and supported the launch of the Eyebeam Center for the Future of Journalism, whose commissions garnered a Pulitzer Prize–winning investigation. He has taught in SVA's Curatorial Practice MA program and at STEIM Amsterdam, CCA, and NYU's ITP, and created Informer, a podcast of conversations with artists and thinkers. Now Executive Director of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, he also runs Ultradilute, a practice tending the whole health of artists and creative leaders, and advises OPEN and the Netherlands-America Foundation's Cultural Committee. He lives and works between New York and Providence, Rhode Island.

IMPORTANT INFO:

Submission Period: August 13 - September 24, 2026 

Jury Period: September 25 - October 5, 2026 

Notification Date: October 6, 7, 8, 2026

Exhibition Dates: December 10, 2026  - March 21, 2027

In Person Drop off Period for accepted work: 

November 12, 13, 14      OR   November  19, 20, 21

Work not delivered by NOVEMBER 21 is subject to disqualification. Contact aborges@newbedfordart.org to schedule a drop off if you are unable to make one of these dates.                                                    

Shipping period for accepted work: October 19 - November 21, 2026 Work not delivered by NOVEMBER 21 is subject to disqualification.

Cash prizes: $1000 first place, $500 second place

 Entry fee: $40 for 5 images 

 Additional $5 per image after your fifth image. (max 20 images)

Submission Requirements:

• All work must be original, designed, and created by the artist applicant
• All media welcome
• Works created wholly or partially  through generative AI are not eligible for this exhibition.
• Submit your images and other materials online via CaFÉ. Only digital images uploaded to CaFÉ will be accepted and reviewed. Physical submissions delivered to the Art Museum will not be reviewed.
• Work needs to arrive at the gallery ready to hang but framing is not required. Magnets, clips, and other methods can be used.
• Large-scale work is welcome; however, due to the limited size of our gallery spaces, the selection of larger works may impact the number of works that can be included in the exhibition. Jurors will consider scale and available space when making selections, with the goal of creating a balanced and cohesive presentation of the exhibition as a whole.
• The artist must provide return prepaid postage or pre-paid return shipping label for work and packaging or arrange for drop off and pick-up
• Submitted work must be available for the duration of the exhibition
• Submitted images must be the same as the works intended for the exhibition. Unfinished or “like” work will not be considered. Work that has been modified from the original image submitted will not be accepted. Do not include borders or backgrounds in images as this only reduces the size of your artwork for viewing by jurors.

All artists are encouraged to apply. New Bedford Art Museum values the arts as a universal language and recognizes it is crucial to be an organization that integrates equity, diversity, inclusion, and access into everything we do.

All media are welcome, with the exception of works created wholly or partially using artificial intelligence (AI). Generative AI works are not eligible for this exhibition