Apply to Exhibit at ARC

ARC Gallery and Educational Foundation is a non-profit, artist-run cooperative gallery dedicated to providing alternative exhibition opportunities for innovative artists outside the commercial gallery system. Since 1973 ARC has given exposure and support to artists, providing an atmosphere for the continued development of artistic potential and experimentation. ARC Gallery’s Exhibitions Committee reviews all media including video, film, installation and performance. We prefer to see the specific body of work you wish to show, or a detailed proposal with past examples that clearly shows your vision of an exhibition at our gallery.

Please note: The ARC exhibition committee reviews solo show applications only twice a year on February 15th and on August 15th to plan our yearly calendar. If you miss a deadline for the cycle you wish your application to be reviewed in, even by only a short time, your work will be reviewed in the next batch of applicants. Please do not email to check on the application process. Due to the large volume of applications to be reviewed we will be unable to assist you in your query.

We encourage submissions and proposals for solo, two person and performance exhibitions.

ARC is run entirely by its artist members as a non-profit exhibition space. Artist members do not make a salary from their work at ARC. ARC receives limited support from outside funding sources, but not enough to cover our full operating cost. With our level of funding, at this time, we are able to subsidize half of the cost of each exhibition space. If accepted to show at ARC, the artist portion of the cost is $850.00 for approximately 60 running feet of wall space. Gallery A, the front space of the gallery with large windows opening out to Chicago Avenue, is $950.00. See our floor plan here. It is also possible to divide Gallery C in half and have 2 shows in that space for a divided cost of $425.00.

Note: Going forward, we hope to procure enough sponsorship to make artist costs less and less. For now, once accepted, we can direct you to specific grants and fellowships you may apply to to help defer your cost.

A subsidized exhibition fee includes:

1. Sale of Work: ARC does not take commission for work sold; 100% of the sale price goes to the artist.

2. Installation: Professional installation and de-installation of your show by ARC Gallery members according to industry standards. (exception: site-specific installation).

3. Documentation: Shows are documented on ARC Gallery’s website with the image, title and statement sent by the artist along with their website link. Exhibitions chosen to show at ARC will remain in our gallery archives in perpetuity. Additionally, all of ARC Gallery’s physical and digital archives are maintained in the Ryerson Library of the Art Institute of Chicago for future scholarly research.

4. Gallery Hours and Opening Reception: The ARC members themselves staff the gallery Thursday and Friday 2 to 6pm — Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 pm. A cash-donations bar is set up and maintained by ARC members for each artists’ reception.

5. Advertising: Monthly listings, press releases and e-announcements are sent to our mailing list of approximately 3,000 names which is updated regularly and includes the following sources: private individuals, gallery owners, critics, collectors, colleges, newspapers, museums, radio and television stations.

Accepted applicants will be responsible for:

1. Artists Fee, Security Deposit and Returned, Signed Contract: A security deposit of $100 is required, which will be returned when all contract requirements have been successfully met.

2. Delivery of Work: All materials regarding the exhibition, including approved artwork must be delivered to ARC by hand-delivery, FedEx, UPS or DHL at the artist’s expense on the date and time specified in the contract.

3. Pick Up of Work: Artwork must be picked up by the artist on the date and time specified in the contract, or shipping arrangements will be pre-planned and prepaid by the artist. ARC is not responsible for the return of artwork if unclaimed, or when no arrangements have been made. Artwork will become property of ARC after 30 days from show date.

4. Artwork that’s Available: Work must be up for the entire time of the exhibition; it may not be substituted, arrive later, or leave earlier than the contracted exhibition dates without exception.

5. Announcement Media: Show cards or flyers are optional and left to the discretion of the artist. ARC has a template that includes its logo, address, hours and sponsorship that the artist may utilize, as well as a media mailing list.

Apply for a Show

1. Submit your application below. First upload your images. Second, complete your application form. You’ll receive an email confirmation after each step.

2. Images submitted must be jpgs, no other format will be accepted.

3. Upload a folder containing all your images OR upload a .Zip all your images into a single file. You may also create a PDF containing all your images in a single file.

4. Name Your Images with these 4 elements in the file name. Do Not Include Your Name or Identifying information in your file names: (a) item number (b) title of the work (c) dimension of the work, height x width x depth (d) year the work was produced. 

• Separate each element with a dash in this format “NUMBER-TITLE-HEIGHT-WIDTH-DEPTH-YEAR.jpg”. 

• Example, “1-JARGON-5x10x20inches-2023”

5. In a separate document file (.DOCX or PDF), identify your name, address, phone number and email address. In the same document, provide an itemized list of (a) item number; (b) titles, (c) dimensions including height x width x depth, (d) mediums / materials, (e) date produced, (f) short description of each image, and (g) price of each work. Make sure you itemize your list to correlate to your image numbers above.