New Jersey Arts Annual 2026: Common Ground: NJ Artists Think Monumental

The Morris Museum invites submissions for the New Jersey Arts Annual 2026, Common Ground: NJ Artists Think Monumental, a juried outdoor exhibition of monumental sculpture, installations, and murals. This exhibition will transform the Museum's 8.4-acre campus into a dynamic landscape of contemporary art. Submitted works should respond to scale, terrain, materiality, and public space—works that provoke curiosity, invite movement, and reimagine how art lives in shared environments. Whether abstract or figurative, playful or contemplative, temporary or durable, submissions should embody a sense of place, community, or collective experience on a large scale. The exhibition seeks sculptures and installations that engage thoughtfully with the outdoors—works that respond to light, weather, and the natural environment, or that reimagine our relationship to landscape and community. Artists are encouraged to submit pieces that demonstrate technical excellence, conceptual depth, and a strong sense of spatial dialogue.

Eligibility: All artists over the age of 18 who either work or live in the state of New Jersey are eligible to apply. There is no entry fee. Artists may submit work samples representing up to three (3) total sculptural works in any media. Total work samples may be up to sixteen (16) images, audio files, and videos combined. Submissions must include a current résumé, brief artist biography (no more than 500 words), and an artist's statement (no more than 150 words). Complete and accurate dimensions (in inches) of no more than three (3) completed works must be provided, including height x width x depth and approximate weight.

Work samples must be submitted via the CaFÉ application portal at www.callforentry.org. Images must be in JPEG or JPG format, 1,200 pixels or greater on the longest side, and under 5 MB. Video must be in MOV, MP4, WMV, 3GP, AVI, ASF, MPG, M2T, MKV, or M2TS format, under 100 MB. Audio must be in AIFF, WAV, XMF, or MP3 format, under 10 MB. Artwork must be ready to install and include all necessary installation hardware. Electrical requirements must be stated (US/North America standard: 115/120V, 60hz; no more than 15 amp). Audio, video, and media works must be accompanied by all necessary AV equipment and must function without active WiFi. Exhibition dates: May 28 - August 23, 2026. Opening reception: May 28, 2026, 5:30 – 7:30 pm. Juried by Johannah Hutchinson, Executive Director of the International Sculpture Center.