Open Call - Toni Morrison Exhibition (fall 2026)

General Information

Zygote Press invites applications for an upcoming group exhibition that will form part of the cultural programming for Ohio Celebrates Toni Morrison, a yearlong celebration organized by Ohio Humanities and Literary Cleveland.

We aim to exhibit the work of artists across Ohio who are engaging with the enduring motifs found in Morrison’s literary corpus. These include but are not necessarily limited to themes such as history, memory, race, racism, exclusion, trauma, violence, flight or fugitivity, motherhood, home, lineage, beauty, and love. As an organization dedicated to historic and contemporary forms of printmaking, we hope to explore how the materials, processes, and techniques of printmaking enrich the meanings found in Morrison’s writing. While visual artists from all media are welcome to apply, preference will be given to those working in printed media. This includes artist’s books, aquatints, collages, engravings, etchings, lithographs, monotypes, serigraphs, and woodcuts.

Eligibility Guidelines

25 years or older by the application deadline
Resident of Ohio
Not currently enrolled in a degree program
Applicants cannot be current employees of Zygote Press, a member of the board of trustees of the organization, or immediate family of any of the aforementioned.

Selection Process

Submissions will be reviewed by a jury comprised of Cleveland-based professionals drawn from the fields of the visual and literary arts. Jurors will select five artists for the group exhibition based on artistic merit and connections to Morrison’s writing. Applicants will be notified by the end of July. Chosen artists will receive a stipend of $750 along with opportunities for the promotion of their work through interviews, photography, and social media campaigns throughout the exhibition.

Summary of Timeline

Application deadline: Tuesday, July 7, 2026 by 11:59 PM (EDT)

Review process: mid-July
Notification of acceptance: late July
Exhibition: September 10–October 30, 2026

Please direct inquiries to ahuffman@zygotepress.org.

Full Name

First NameLast Name

Preferred Name & Personal Pronouns (e.g. she/they or him/his)

Age

Address

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code

Phone Number

Please include area codeFormat: (000) 000-0000.

Email Address

Artist Statement (250 words or less)

In the space above, please provide a concise statement that gives an overview of your artistic practice. This statement should give a brief introduction to ideas, themes, and methods in your practice (i.e. how you make what you make, and/or why you make what you make). This statement should also specifically reflect the ideas and inspiration relevant to your submitted work samples. Use this statement to highlight your role in creating/executing the work, as well as describing the key technical aspects of the work.0/250

Cultural Statement (250 words or less) - Optional

In the space above, you are invited to provide a statement that describes how your work is related to and/or rooted in a specific cultural practice, tradition, or community. This statement can also offer an opportunity to describe how your artistic work relates to or stems from your culturally specific lived experience.0/250

Website

Please provide a link to your artist website, if applicable.

Social Media

Please provide a link to any other platforms where you display your work.

Artist CV

Work Samples

IMPORTANT: Upload up to 5 works for consideration in JPEG format, 300 dpi. Please label your image files according to this convention: Work-Sample-1_Last-Name_Work-Title_Year.

Captions for Work Samples

IMPORTANT: In the space above, please include a numbered list of captions that corresponds to the work samples. For each caption, please follow this formatting: Work Sample #, last name, title of artwork, year. Medium, dimensions. Also, you should include 1-2 sentences that contextualize each work sample (e.g. is this part of a larger series? What is the concept behind the work? How do you see a connection between your work and the themes of the open call?). See the example listed in the text box.

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Open Call - Toni Morrison Exhibition (fall 2026)

Application Materials