Call for Artists

For more than 50 years, the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry has hosted the nation’s premier exhibition of African American art. This annual show presents more than 100 works of art from professional and emerging Black artists from around the country.

Entry Guidelines

Eligibility

General Category
Black artists 18 years of age or older.

Teen Category 
Black teen artists in the Chicagoland area (within 100 miles of the Museum) currently enrolled in secondary education, grades 9-12 or equivalent.

Medium

Contemporary works created in any visual medium.

Jurors

  • Amina Dickerson: President, Dickerson Global Advisors
  • Thomas Lucas: Founder, Hummingbird Press Editions; Chair, Department of Art and Design, and Curator, University Galleries, Chicago State University
  • Asha Iman Veal: Associate Curator, Museum of Contemporary Photography; Associate Professor, School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Fee

General Category (over 18): $10 (nonrefundable)
Teen Category (under 18): free

Awards

General Category*
Best in Show: $4,000
Second Place: $2,750
Third Place: $1,500

Teen Category
Best in Show: $600
Second Place: $375
Third Place: $250

*General Category award winners will also receive two complimentary tickets to the 2025 Black Creativity Gala at Griffin MSI.

Applications Closed

Applications for 2025 are now closed. (See full exhibition timeline below.)

Important Information for Applicants

Additional information will be shared with accepted artists. Click each section below for a general overview of participation expectations.

  • Specifications

    • Work must have been completed in the past three years (2022 or later).
    • Work must be submitted anonymously by the artist.
      • Artists must submit for themselves with technical/additional support as needed. Teens may receive assistance from teachers/caregivers as needed.
      • Collaborations should include no more than two artists. (For either General or Teen Category)
      • Remove watermarks, video credits, etc. prior to submission.
      • Artist statements are accepted but not required at time of submission. Artist’s name should not be included.
    • Work must be original, unsold and not have been selected for any previous Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition.
    • Object specs:
      • 2D hard-sided works (stretched canvas/framed) may not exceed 96" in any direction.
      • 2D soft works (unframed textile) may not exceed 104" in any direction.
      • 3D, oversized/heavy, and/or installation works will be reviewed per work, based on the Museum’s gallery, safety, and physical installation capabilities. The Museum is not able to install works which hang from the ceiling.
      • Artwork may not exceed 70 lbs.
      • Monitors are provided for video works. The Museum is not able to install projected works. Videos must be ADA-compliant (additional details, upon request).

    Additional specifications for artwork are noted on the CaFE application.

  • How to Apply

    Jurying will be from digital assets only, with submissions only accepted via CaFE (How to Apply Help)

    The Museum reserves the right to decline submissions which are incomplete, do not meet specifications detailed in this call, or are of poor image quality. When possible, the Museum will work with artists to ensure their submissions are complete and will be juried.

    Each entry will be judged as an artwork’s entirety; works which are 3D, diptych, tryptic or a series should be presented in one submission image and identified as such in the title and dimensions.

    Note: Values should represent the sale price, or if not for sale, the insurance value; $0 is not an acceptable value. Dimensions should represent the full and complete dimensions of the work including frame.

    Media files used for the application must comply with CaFE specifications:


    • Image: JPEG or JPG. 1200 pixels or greater on the longest side. File size may not exceed 5MB.

    • Video: MOV, MP4, WMV, 3GP, AVI, ASF, MPG, M2T, MKV or M2TS under 100MB with a minimum resolution of 640 x 480 and a maximum of 1920 x 1080, and minimum 12 fps but recommended 30 fps; or YouTube or Vimeo URL. Linked videos must be public.
  • Exhibition Timeline

    • Application deadline: October 13, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. CST
      Note: neither Museum staff nor CaFE Technical Support are available on weekends, including the closing date.
    • Notice of acceptance: By November 1, 2024, via email through CaFE system.
    • Loan agreement due: November 29, 2024
    • Shipping window: December 2–13, 2024
    • Local drop-off dates: December 13–14, 2024 (times TBD)
    • Exhibition opens: January 20, 2025
    • Artist's reception: Thursday, January 30, 2025
    • Exhibition closes: April 27, 2025
    • Local pickup dates: May 2-3, 2025 (times TBD)
    • Return shipping window: On/after May 5, 2025

More Information

For more information, contact juriedart@msichicago.org. 

The 2025 Black Creativity Program is sponsored by The Allstate Insurance Company and Ardmore Roderick.