2027-2028 Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Confluence Gallery

The Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, in partnership with Artistry, invites Minnesota artists to apply for exhibition in the Confluence Gallery. Located in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge’s Education and Visitor Center in Bloomington, MN, the gallery is currently accepting exhibit proposals for their 2027 and 2028 exhibition program years. Emerging and established artists residing in Minnesota, who are 18 years or older, and whose artwork has a focus on nature, natural elements, ecology, conservation, and/or the beauty of the Minnesota River Valley are invited to submit a proposal. All visual art mediums are eligible. Proposals must be received by December 1, 2026 to be considered.  Applicants will be notified by December 18, 2026 of the curatorial review panel's decision. 

Confluence Gallery, located in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge’s Education and Visitor Center in Bloomington, MN is currently accepting exhibit proposals for their 2027 and 2028 exhibition program years. Deadline to submit your proposal is December 1, 2026.

About the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge and The Confluence Gallery

Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) is a thriving urban refuge where nature connects people, communities, and wildlife. Where diverse communities are welcomed through meaningful connections, educational opportunities, and recreational experiences, while conserving wildlife habitat in the Minnesota River Valley. With over 14,000 acres spanning more than 70 miles along the Minnesota River, land spans across both rural and urban communities, across seven counties, eight school districts, and 10 municipalities. This landscape provides a diversity of habitats that facilitates numerous access points for visitor use and connects people, communities, and wildlife. 

The Refuge’s Confluence Gallery, located in the Bloomington Education and Visitor Center, is a venue for emerging and established Minnesota-based artists who reflect the community and who excel at creating artwork with a focus on nature and natural elements, ecology, conservation, and/or the beauty of the Minnesota River Valley. The Refuge sees the Confluence Gallery as a conduit between the natural world and the local community; it exists to inspire, educate, and connect refuge visitors to the natural world. In addition to  exhibiting in the Confluence Gallery each artist selected will present a workshop, artist talk, or other engagement opportunity. Artistry and  Refuge staff will work with the artist on logistics and assist with developing a relevant and exciting activity. 

All proposals must include:

o   An artist statement or proposal description of 1000 characters or less (including spaces) which indicates how the exhibiting artwork will align with the gallery’s mission.

o   10 digital artwork samples saved as standard JPEGs (file dimensions should be 1200 pixels or more on the longest side; file resolution of 72 ppi/dpi (standard web resolution); file size under 5 MB. 

o   Information about each work sample (image) including title, medium, size, and date of completion. This information will be requested when you download your images to your portfolio on CaFE™. 

o   Optional resume or biographical summary (two-page maximum).

Proposals will be reviewed by a Curatorial Review Panel who will select proposals based upon the following criteria:

• Relevance to the Confluence Gallery’s mission and theme (nature based subject matter)
• Quality of the artwork/artistic excellence
• Creativity and originality
• Technical skills
• Overall exhibition proposal

Proposals must be received by December 1, 2026 via CaFE™ to be considered. Applicants will be notified by December 18, 2026 of the curatorial panel's decision.

While solo exhibitions are likely, selected artists may be combined (by Artistry/Refuge) to create a two-person show that adds to a dynamic and exciting exhibition program for the given year(s) that showcases a variety of visual art mediums, nature-based subjects, and techniques by a wide range of creative voices (i.e. a variety of ethnic and gender representation) while always expressing a high standard of artistic excellence. In addition to proposals selected through this jury panel process, Artistry/Refuge may also invite artists directly to exhibit.

Each artist exhibition at the Confluence Gallery will receive a $300 stipend.