Open Call – VISUAL 2027
25 March 2026
Deadline: May 22, 2026
VISUAL and Carlow Arts Office are pleased to announce a new open call for exhibition proposals, which will result in a new project at VISUAL in 2027.
This major collaboration between VISUAL and Carlow Arts Office continues our essential partnership, and marks 40 years of county arts officers supporting artists across Ireland.
The winning application will be given time and resources to realise an ambitious exhibition in September 2027, and will benefit from curatorial, production, technical and marketing support, as well as a significant production budget. The successful application will receive an artist’s fee, and shortlisted proposals will receive a fee to expand proposals for further consideration where necessary.
This call is open to artists of all career stages, working in any media locally, in Ireland, or internationally.
How to Apply
Submissions are now open, and will close on Friday 22 May 2026 at 5pm GMT. Submissions can be made in writing, video, or audio format. All submissions should include the following:
Examples of work.
These can be up to 10 images, texts, audio or moving image samples. They can be submitted in a PDF or as individual attachments, or via a reliable filesharing service such as WeTransfer or hosting service such as Dropbox. Please ensure all download links remain valid for a minimum of 3 days after submitting and that hosting links remain valid through June 2026.
An outline of your proposal.
This can be written or recorded as audio/video. For initial submissions these should not exceed 500 words or 3 minutes. Up to 10 sketches, renderings or other supplementary material should be included as images.
Artist information
CV and/or artist biography, and/or link to your website. Please ensure up to date contact details are included in your submission.
All submissions must be sent to opencall@visualcarlow.ie
If you require any access support in making an application, please contact opencall@visualcarlow.ie
Timeline
Submission deadline: Friday 22 May 2026, 5pm GMT
Submissions will be reviewed and shortlisted applicants informed by the end of June 2026.
Shortlist applicants will have the opportunity to submit expanded proposals by the end of August 2026. Individual feedback for the shortlist will be available at this point, to facilitate further work on proposals.
A winning proposal will be selected and announced in September 2026.
The project will be realised in September 2027.
Budget and fees
There is no submission fee to apply.
Shortlisted artists may be paid a fee where applicable to expand their proposal.
The successful application will receive a generous artist fee and production budget. The allocation of this budget will be agreed between all parties prior to work beginning.