Naturalist Gallery of Contemporary Art is conducting a curatorial review for the Small Works Collection. Selected works will be presented online as part of a structured collection examining how scale, constraint, and material economy function within contemporary artistic practice. Accepted works will be listed for sale within the collection for a minimum duration of sixty (60) days.
OPEN CALL FOR COLLECTION: Naturalist Gallery Small Works Collection
“I do small things. I try to do good things every day.” – Jackie Chan
Small works have historically occupied a complex position within artistic production, often serving as sites of experimentation, intimacy, and concentrated decision-making. Rather than functioning as preliminary studies or secondary objects, small-scale works frequently demand heightened precision, economy of gesture, and conceptual clarity.
The Small Works Collection invites artists to submit pieces 12 inches or smaller in any dimension. The collection considers how limitation, whether physical, material, or compositional, reshapes formal resolution, conceptual emphasis, and viewer encounter.
Submissions are reviewed with attention to conceptual coherence, formal decision-making, and the effective use of scale. Works are evaluated in relation to the collection's curatorial framework and to broader contemporary discourse, rather than technical complexity or monumentality.
This call is open internationally to artists working in all visual media, excluding video.
Exhibition Inclusion
Artists whose works are selected through curatorial review will be included in the Small Works Collection. Exhibition inclusion constitutes the primary curatorial outcome of this call.
Selected works will:
- be documented and archived as part of the Small Works Collection
- be presented within the exhibition's public presentation for a minimum of sixty (60) days
- be made available for sale under Naturalist Gallery's net pricing model
Optional Institutional Placements
In addition to exhibition inclusion, selected artists may be considered for optional institutional placements within Naturalist Gallery's broader curatorial framework. These placements are discretionary and not guaranteed.
Available placements may include:
- Featured Collection Placement – Selected works may be presented within the NGCA Featured Collection on the gallery's homepage for a limited duration. Additional fee applies.
- New Arrivals Curated Placement – Selected works may be included in the New Arrivals collection documenting recently reviewed artists. Additional fee applies.
- Institutional Publication Inclusion – Selected artists may be considered for inclusion in a formally authored editorial publication. Additional fee applies.
Review Process
All submissions are reviewed by a panel consisting of members of Naturalist Gallery's curatorial team. All submissions are reviewed; not all are advanced to public presentation.
Application Fee
Artists submitting work for review are required to pay a one-time application fee of $30.