*Exhibition Dates: November 6th-December 20th, 2026*
*Deadline To Apply: October 4th, 2026
WomensWork.Art is pleased to announce a collaboration with emerging local curator, Crystal Serino for THE DREAD THAT CONSUMES US at our gallery space, located in Downtown Poughkeepsie, NY.
The Dread That Consumes Us is opening a call for artists whose work examines the human body as the site where generational crisis becomes visible and materially felt. Working from a Gen Z perspective, Serino is bringing together artists whose practices confront how ecological collapse, pandemic isolation, digital alienation, and systemic instability imprint themselves onto flesh, onto form, and onto personal perception.
The exhibition is calling for artists who approach imagery of the body through distorted figuration, visceral material processes, and psychologically charged imagery. This exhibition will create space for works that feel infected, unraveling, terminally tender, or viscerally alive - reflecting on what it means to inherit a damaged world. Serino is building an exhibition that reframes anxiety and dread as structurally produced conditions rather than personal failure.
For The Dread That Consumes Us, Women’sWork.Art brings in new curatorial perspectives to a gallery dedicated to providing opportunities and community space for feminist art and socially engaged practices. Under the guidance of independent curator Jaime Ransome, guest curator Crystal Serino will jury all submissions and make final selections for this raw experience and its associated exhibition events (to be announced). Artists of all gender identities are welcome to submit for this exhibition.
In order to give the best opportunity to explore this exhibition’s themes, Women'sWork.Art and the Curator will provide two information sessions about the exhibition and the submission system in August, one in person and on virtual.
About the Curator:
Crystal Serino (she/they) is an emerging curator, eco-artist, and craft artist living and working in the Hudson Valley. Their predominant curatorial and artistic philosophy is simple: Any human art over AI art. For this curator it is important for art to be the practice of keeping the human soul alive. After training as a curator and art handler in the Trolley Barn Gallery Youth Curator program, Serino develops exhibitions that merge reality and imagination, fear and care, and allow space for both vulnerability and cathartic performance.
Prospectus:
This Call for Entries is open to women, femme-identifying or non-binary people. We are accepting submissions from artists who are living in the United States.
Acceptance Fee: Applying for this Call For Art is FREE. If selected for this exhibition, there will be an Acceptance Fee of $35 will be paid via invoice after all selections have been notified. You may submit up to three (3) pieces of artwork for curatorial consideration. Need-based financial assistance is available on a case by case basis.
All submissions must be made through this Call For Arts Application. We will not be receiving unsolicited submissions through email or in person. No late submissions will be received after the deadline date.
Artwork Dimensions: Maximum size for all submitted artwork is 36 inches on the longest side, or 2 feet diameter for all 3-Dimensional artworks
All visual art files have to be formatted as a .jpg or .png (max file size 20 mb, or 2,000 pixels on the shortest side). All audio visual and music files have to be formatted as an .mp3 or .mp4.
This exhibition will be featured as an in person exhibition as well as online, via the Gallery's website (www.womenswork.art).
Sales: All artists will be keeping 70% of their total art sales through this exhibition to help support independent artists during these economically stressed times. Payments will be made out to the artists either by check or electronic payment (PayPal).
Sales/Shipping: Womenswork.Art will be handling the sales transactions and paying Sales Taxes for all artwork sold in the exhibition. All commissions for sold artwork will be paid either electronically (PayPal) or by check.
Shipping artwork will be the sole responsibility of the Participating Artists, and will have to handle shipping costs and arrangements via Mail Carriers (USPS, FedEx, UPS, etc.) Womenswork.Art will not be held responsible for shipped artwork(s) that are delayed or lost en route to the gallery's provided address.
Womenswork.Art will not be accepting submissions from International Artists for this show. Please make sure to allow selected artworks ample time to get to the gallery's provided address in order to be installed in a timely manner. Artwork(s) that arrive late to the gallery will not be considered for installation within the exhibition.
Artist Statement: All artists have to submit an Artist Statement to accompany their work(s) submitted, reflecting on how the artwork fits into the theme and the background/inspiration behind the artwork. Artist Statements will be included in the online exhibition along with the Artists' info.
Marketing/Online Promotion: Womenswork.Art will market the exhibition heavily through public relations and social media. Artist contacts are welcome and encouraged. The Gallery will provide you digital tools and material to self-promote. Artists are encouraged to contribute to bring traffic to the gallery and potential sales with Artists' Talks, workshops, etc.