--- title: 'Contrive: A National Exhibition of Manipulated & Reimagined Photography' description: >- National juried exhibition of manipulated and reimagined photography in The Vault at d'Art Center, Norfolk, with a $300 Best in Show award. url: 'https://www.artsume.com/programs/82203fd5-3826-42d6-85c4-66130262a2b2' type: program status: closed createdAt: '2026-09-04' updatedAt: '2026-09-21' programType: Exhibition organization: d'Art Center organizationUrl: 'https://www.artsume.com/o/dart-center' deadline: '2026-09-20' entryFee: 30 USD location: 'The Vault, d''Art Center, Norfolk, VA, United States' isOnline: false compensationRange: Best in Show award of $300; sales at 60/40 split (60% artist) disciplines: - photography - mixed media - digital art --- # Contrive: A National Exhibition of Manipulated & Reimagined Photography **Hosted by:** d'Art Center **Type:** Exhibition | **Location:** The Vault, d'Art Center, Norfolk, VA, United States | **Deadline:** September 20, 2026 | **Entry fee:** $30 ## About This Program > "Photography manipulated, reimagined and transformed by physical or digital methods — long or double exposures, compositing, hand embellishing, professional editing software; no AI rendered images or components" ### Opportunity Summary **Contrive** is a national exhibit of photography that has been manipulated, reimagined, and transformed using physical or digital methods such as long or double exposures, compositing, hand embellishing, and professional editing softwares (NO AI RENDERED IMAGES OR COMPONENTS PERMITTED). This exhibition will take place in our smaller exhibition space, The Vault, to create a more intimate and close up experience for our patrons. This will be a competitive call as this intimate space will only be able to accommodate about 25 works. Hang/pedestal ready art (including the frame if applicable) can not be longer/larger than 36 inches in its longest dimension. **Depending on artist involvement with installation, these stipulations may be waived by contacting the Gallery Director.** ### General Information Throughout history, photographers have created their own worlds using darkroom tricks and optical illusions. Today we can create our own peculiar worlds using real-life objects/settings, editing programs, or both. This exhibition will take place in our smaller exhibition space, The Vault, to create a more intimate and close up experience for our patrons. The Vault is a historical bank vault within The Center, and gives artists an opportunity to exhibit their work in a unique space in the heart of Norfolk’s Arts District (The NEON District). This will be a competitive call as this intimate space will only be able to accommodate about 25 works. Hang/pedestal ready art (including the frame if applicable) can not be longer/larger than 36 inches in its longest dimension. **Depending on artist involvement with installation, these stipulations may be waived by contacting the Gallery Director.** Wall hanging art must have a wire. This is an in person exhibition but this exhibition will also be featured digitally on d’Art Center’s archive site. This is a juried exhibition, and it will be curated by d’Art’s Gallery Director, Amanda Bradley. Award winners will be selected by a panel of d’Art Center’s professional artists and staff members. ## Eligibility & Requirements - **Geographic Eligibility:** National - **Disciplines:** photography, mixed media, digital art - **Age Requirements:** 18+ years old - **Note:** This exhibition is open to all artists, 18 or older, residing in the United States. All work must be original and created without the aid of an instructor or kit. Work needs to have been produced within the last eight years. All styles and aesthetics are considered. The d'Art Center is a public non-profit art center open to everyone; as such, the content of submissions should be appropriate for all viewers. Work must be hang or pedestal ready. We reserve the right to reject work for the exhibition that differs significantly from the submitted images and/or for craft issues. No AI rendered images or components permitted. Submission Limit: 1. ### Additional Requirements 3-10 images submitted via CaFÉ (one image per artwork submission). The $30 entry fee covers 3 entries; each additional submission over 3 is an additional $5, up to 10 works. Artists may submit the same image or detail images to meet the 3-image minimum. For 3D work, create a tile image so other sides can be seen, or use other image slots for detail images and label them as such. Artist statement on CaFÉ must be 555 characters or less (including spaces and punctuation) and free of grammatical errors. ## Compensation & Benefits Best in Show award of $300; sales at 60/40 split (60% artist) **Includes:** Prize Best in Show - $300. If you win an award or sell a piece, payments are settled at the end of the month that the exhibition ends. Expect your check in the mail a few weeks after the final date of the month that the exhibition ends. Award winners will be selected by a panel of d'Art Center's professional artists and staff members. ## Timeline - **Opens:** August 21, 2026 - **Deadline:** September 20, 2026 - **Program Start:** October 31, 2026 - **Program End:** December 5, 2026 ## Contact **Contact:** Amanda Bradley **Email:** abradley@d-artcenter.org ## How to Apply Apply at: https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=18035