Colors of Expression

Colors of Expression
Seattle is an epicenter of glass and queerness. And still, glass as a field remains predominantly white, male, and institutionally gatekept.

Colors of Expression aims to shift that landscape.

For March, The Fishbowl is curating a group exhibition celebrating queer, trans, and BIPOC glass artists working in the region. Drawing from glass terminology—where “coefficient of expansion” governs compatibility and change—this exhibition considers how expression expands, shifts, and resists containment when artists are given room to work on their own terms.

Glass is often framed as transparent, neutral, or universal. In practice, it is shaped by access, labor, heat, and control. This exhibition centers artists whose work challenges dominant narratives within glass and expands what the field can look like, feel like, and hold.

We welcome work that engages glass in any form or relationship, including but not limited to:

• Blown, cast, kiln-formed, or cold-worked glass
• Installation, sculpture, or architectural approaches
• Wearable, functional, or body-based work
• Upcycled, reclaimed, or experimental uses of glass
• Mixed-media work where glass is central to the concept or process

We are especially excited by work that:

• Challenges traditional hierarchies and expectations within glass
• Uses color, opacity, layering, or surface as expressive tools
• Engages queerness, identity, lineage, labor, or access
• Expands definitions of glass beyond institutional norms

Eligibility
This call is open to queer, trans, and BIPOC artists working with glass who are based in or connected to the region.

Exhibition Details
Exhibition Month: March
Location: The Fishbowl, Seattle
Submission Deadline: February 14th, 11:59 PM PST
Submission Guidelines

Please submit:

Images and/or documentation of proposed work
A short description or artist statement
Notes on scale, materials, and installation needs (if applicable)
Installation, wearable, and non-traditional proposals are strongly encouraged.

Colors of Expression is about visibility, compatibility, and expansion—about recognizing that when conditions change, expression does too.

Let’s widen the field.

Important Dates 

• Saturday, February 14 11:59PM - Proposal Deadline

• Saturday, February 28 - Art Drop Off (last day) 12-4p

• Friday March 6 - Opening Reception/Vendor Market 5-8p

• Friday March 27 - Closing Reception 6-8p

Terms Agreement:

The Fishbowl keeps 40% of all art sales; the remaining 60% goes to the artist.
All art must be dropped off to this Fishbowl within 2 weeks of the show opening, any works not presented within the required timeframe is subject to not be displayed. Exceptions may be made for extenuating circumstances, along with clear and consistent communication with the Fishbowl team.

Art that arrives with little to no protective packaging runs the risk of potential damage. For best results in ensuring art remains intact, please take the time to wrap your art, and we will endeavor to make sure it is returned the way it arrived at the gallery.

After the close of the show, ALL art must be retrieved by the artist. Art that has not been picked up by the artist after 30 days of closing reception will be subject to be relinquished over to the property of the Fishbowl. Please indicate that you understand and accept this arrangement. 

Our Limited Liability Policy:

The Fishbowl will not be responsible for any loss or damage to a vendor/artist’s property, injury to, or bodily harm of the vendor/artist (or its employees, representatives, and contractors), or vendor/artist sales. By participating in any Fishbowl Event, vendor/artist expressly assumes all risks of loss, damage, liability, injury, or destruction resulting from any cause whatsoever, including but not limited to acts or omissions by Vendor, Artist, The Fishbowl, or acts of nature, and hereby releases and waives any claims against The Fishbowl(and its employees, representatives, and contractors) related to such loss, damage, liability, injury, and/or destruction.

 

By clicking Submit below I acknowledge and agree to the above terms