Clara Hart, Brian Joseph, Citlalli Mendoza, Avery Connett, Amanda Mclnearney.

People’s Gallery 2026 – 2028 Call for Artwork

Application closes on Sunday, May 31st, 2026

The deadline to apply for the exhibit is 11:59 P.M., Sunday, May 31st, 2026. No submission fees, always free to apply.

 

SUMMARY

The City of Austin Arts, Culture, Music, and Entertainment (ACME) Department is accepting artwork submissions for the People’s Gallery exhibition at Austin City Hall from April 1st to May 31st, 2026. 

 

Located on the first three floors of City Hall, the People’s Gallery is part of an ongoing Group Exhibition Series that showcases local and regional artistic endeavors and encourages public dialogue, understanding, and enjoyment of visual art. The exhibition is designed to reflect the creative excellence and cultural diversity of Austin and to promote the City’s cultural and economic initiatives. A high-visibility venue, City Hall hosts over 200,000 visitors each year.

 

ACME seeks 2- and 3-dimensional artworks in any medium by Austin-area visual artists or from Austin galleries or visual art organizations. All two-dimensional artwork selected must be framed or mounted and ready to hang on the gallery rail system. No saw tooth hangers and more installation instructions to come after selection is made. All three-dimensional artwork selected must be self-supporting or include a pedestal or stand. The gallery may provide pedestals as needed, but the People’s Gallery Program Manager must approve any artist-provided stands before delivering to City Hall. 

 

Selected artists may offer their artwork for sale; the City of Austin does not receive a commission or compensation from the sale of artwork exhibited at Austin City Hall. The artist or the representing gallery must conduct all sales.

 

TIMELINE (Subject to change)

Sunday, May 31st, 2026, at 11:59 P.M., Application deadline. No late entries will be accepted.

Selection Announcement: July 2026

Exhibition Dates: October 2, 2026 – May 31, 2028.

Reception Date: Friday, October 2, 2026, 6 - 9 P.M. at City Hall (301 W 2nd St)

 

ELIGIBILITY 

• The artist must be at least 18 years of age.
• The artist must live in or have a studio in one of the following TX counties: Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, or Williamson. 
• Visual arts organizations in any of the counties listed.  

*City of ACME staff members are ineligible to apply. Other City staff members are eligible to apply, but may not sell their work.

 

SELECTION PROCESS

All applications will be reviewed by a selection panel appointed by the ACME Program Manager. All applicants will be notified by e-mail of acceptance, modification, or rejection of their applications. Please add Jieun.kim@austintexas.gov to your list of “safe senders" so that you receive these notifications. Do not contact staff about the status of your application once the submission period has closed. 

 

Selection criteria may include, but are not limited to: 

• Quality or merit of the artwork 
• Cultural diversity of artwork 
• Local or national reputation of the artist 
• Inclusion in the permanent collection of an Austin-based Museum 

 

HOW TO APPLY 

• A representative may apply on behalf of another artist; however, the artist under consideration must meet all exhibition guidelines and eligibility requirements—one application per artist.
• Applicants must submit up to three artworks available for loan during the exhibition period. 
• Artwork replacement is available once per exhibition season.
• For each artwork entry, one image file (.jpg or .pdf) is accepted. Please format each file as follows.
• EXAMPLES: 

1. First submission: 01-LastName_FirstName_Title.jpg 
2. Second submission: 02-LastName_FirstName_Title.jpg 
3. Third submission: 03-LastName_FirstName_Title.jpg 

• A brief artist statement (up to 50 words).
• A short artist bio (up to 40 words).
• Artwork information: Title of artwork, medium, year of completion, dimensions (plus, weight for 3D art), and whether it is for indoor or outdoor display.

 

* If proposals of artwork are submitted for consideration, final acceptance for inclusion in the exhibition will be subject to review and approval of the completed work of art.

Only online applications are accepted through this site. No applications are accepted by e-mail or by postal mail. 

 

EXHIBITION SPACE

Completed in 2005, Austin’s City Hall is a four-story, 118,000-square-foot building designed by New Mexico architect Antoine Predock. Harmonizing unique structural forms with natural materials sourced from Central Texas, the design highlights regional beauty and incorporates distinctive green building features, earning LEED Gold certification.

All two-dimensional artworks displayed on the second and third floors will be displayed using the gallery rail system. Once selected, more information will be provided to prepare the hanging method. 

 

FIRST FLOOR:

• Atrium lobby and limited locations in adjoining public rooms. 
• Self-supporting sculptures must be on a pedestal at least 4.75” high, to be provided by the artist. 
• Weight may not exceed 200 lbs. per 18” x 18” floor tile. 
• Pedestal must not exceed a 6’ x 6’ footprint. 

 

SECOND FLOOR:

• Second floor lobby and surrounding conference rooms, east and west hallway corridors. 

 

THIRD FLOOR:

• Third floor lobby and surrounding conference rooms, excluding the City Manager’s conference room. 
• Self-supporting sculpture must be on a pedestal at least 4.75” high, provided by the artist, and to be painted with a washable paint for ease of maintenance. 
• Pedestal footprint may not exceed 42” in depth. 

 

No artwork will be displayed on the fourth floor or in the administrative offices located on the first, second, and third floors. 

*Due to new City Hall policies, artwork installed on the 2nd floor, east and west hallways, as well as the 3rd floor, will be accessible to the public only via scheduled tours. Tours will be scheduled quarterly by City staff or volunteers. 

 

People's Choice Award Purchasing

To select an artwork for purchase as the “People’s Choice,” the City will initiate a public process for the selection, to include: 

• Public announcement of the City’s intent to purchase a piece valued at no more than $5,000. 
• Invitation to City employees and the public to view the works and vote. 
• Voting to take place during the period of the exhibition. 
• Paper ballots to be available at City Hall and/or by another accessible means as approved by the Program Manager. 
• Announcement of the winner and purchase of the piece as part of the next exhibit opening.

 

Jurors

This season's exhibition applications will be juried by Coka Treviño, Nina Quỳnh-Anh Hồ, and Moyo Okediji. 

 

Coka Treviño is a curator and cultural advisor with over 20 years of experience evaluating, commissioning, and presenting contemporary art across public and private contexts. Her independent practice centers on curatorial rigor, artist advocacy, and long-term cultural value, bringing informed discernment to jurying processes, collections, and civic art initiatives.

 

Nina Quỳnh-Anh Hồ is a writer, artist, designer, and educator. She’s been involved with Austin's cultural arts and creative ecosystem since 2016, focused on equity-based work, including founding several arts collectives, serving as a Board Member for Big Medium, and advocating for organizations like Almost Real Things, _OFCOLOR, and DAWA.

 

Moyo Okediji is a professor of art history at the University of Texas, Austin. He was a curator at the Denver Art Museum. His books include The Shattered Gourd, and Western Frontiers of African Art. An artist and gallerist, he has shown his work at the New Museum of Modern Art, among other venues.

 

CONTACT

If you have questions regarding this call for artworks, please call 512-974-7817 or email Jieun.kim@austintexas.gov. Add this email address to your "safe senders" list so that you will receive our notifications.

 

FAQ: 

Image upload specs: 

• Acceptable file types: .pdf, .jpg, .jpeg.
• Max file upload size of 5MB. 

 

Can I email my proposal to you? 

• No emailed proposals will be accepted. Please contact jieun.kim@austintexas.gov for accessibility requests.

 

Will my application be accepted if it is late due to technical issues? 

• Late applications will not be accepted. 

 

Does Submittable save drafts of your application? 

• Yes, Submittable allows you to save work and return to it later to finish.

 

Who do I contact if I have questions?

• Please email jieun.kim@austintexas.gov with any questions, and a staff member will get back to you.