Call for Exhibition Proposals: 2024-25

Quad City Arts invites artists living within a 250-mile radius of Rock Island, IL (most of Iowa, Illinois, parts of Wisconsin and Missouri) to submit a proposal for a gallery exhibition. Selected artists will be paired with one or two additional artists for a 2-month long exhibition occurring between September 2024 and August 2025 in one of two unique exhibit spaces. Cohesive bodies of work are highly desired. All media will be considered. Exhibited work will also be featured in the online sales gallery at shopquadcityarts.com.

Quad City Arts' Rock Island Gallery occupies a 1908 department store space near the banks of the Mississippi River with original wood floors, a 14-foot high tin ceiling, and a wall of windows facing the river. The exhibition gallery has 1,500 square feet of space and 106 running feet of wall space. This gallery is ideal for large work (both 2D and 3D), cutting edge or experimental work, very small work requiring close-up viewing, installation work, performance art, and nudes. A free public reception for the artists is held. Art at the Airport Gallery sits next to the arrival/departure seating area in Quad Cities International Airport, Moline, IL, with 1,600 square feet of exhibition space inside 4-foot deep cases enclosed by 7-foot tall locked glass panels. It features numerous electrical outlets and controlled lighting, ideal for works incorporating neon or video. It can accommodate works up to 7 feet tall and sculptures 4 feet wide. Over 2 million visitors pass through this space annually. Due to the highly public nature of this space, no nudity or highly controversial works will be displayed. Currently, no public receptions are held.

Eligibility: Open to all artists over 18 residing within 250 miles of Rock Island, Illinois. Only original works of art not previously shown at Quad City Arts and created within the last three years can be exhibited. Entry fee: $10. Deadline: January 8, 2024. Notification: February 16, 2024. Submit 6 high-quality images of original artwork created in the last 3 years. Proposal should briefly state the overall theme, idea, or inspiration behind your work and indicate how many pieces you would realistically have ready if selected. Give the range of sizes of your pieces. Do not use your name or the names of other artists in your proposal. For group proposals (up to 6 artists), one artist fills out the application and describes how the work of proposed artists relates to each other. The purpose of the exhibition is to show your work and further your career through sales. If selected, most of the work exhibited should be for sale. 2D work must be framed for exhibition unless gallery wrapped canvas is used; some exceptions allowed.