Kinhouse Open Door: 2027 Exhibition & Residency Open Call

Kinhouse opens its door each year to emerging and mid-career artists and curators through Open Door, our annual call for solo, two-person, and three-person exhibitions. We welcome proposals for collaborations, artist collectives, performances, installations, and site-specific work — as well as proposals from curators looking to organize a show in our space.

Selected exhibitions will be part of our 2027 programming year and come paired with a fully funded residency week for participating artists, timed to coincide with your opening reception. Consider it an invitation to step through the door and into the Kinhouse community — to slow down, make work, and be supported while you do it.

We're looking for proposals with a clear vision, a strong statement, and compelling visuals, and thoughtful attention to diversity and inclusion. While submissions don't need to fall within our curatorial scope, Open Door especially welcomes work that engages with themes of community, care, belonging, the domestic, parenting, craft, and lineage — the same values that shape everything we do at Kinhouse.

Selected artists/curators will receive:

• Communication and support leading up to the exhibition

• Installation support for the exhibition

• A fully funded 6-night residency at Kinhouse Residency in Fort Wayne (a 3-minute drive from our gallery)

• Promotion and marketing of your artwork and exhibition across our platforms

• Professional documentation of the exhibition (Kinhouse retains rights to use these images for promotional purposes)

We welcome submissions from artists of all genders and backgrounds. Work samples may be submitted as works-in-progress and do not need to be finished. Access the full application here.

Submission Fee: $34 for 1 show proposal

For the purposes of this process a “proposal” may include completed works, work in progress, or art ideas waiting to be developed. Fees are non-refundable. All art mediums are accepted for consideration. Video/screen based submissions may require extra support.

3-4 show proposals will be selected by Kinhouse Director Kaylan Buteyn for exhibition during the 2027 calendar year (see firm residency and exhibition dates below). Please review our exhibition page here to understand our curatorial scope and preferences.

Call Ends: October 11th, 2026, 11:59pm ET

Artist’s Notified by: October 21st, 2026

Exhibition and residency dates will be determined at the time of proposal selection. Residencies are for 6 nights, check in Monday and check out Sunday. The exhibition reception will be on the Friday evening of the residency week (coordinating dates below).

Artists will choose from 4 options:
March 1st - 7th, 2026 (exhibition opening March 5th)
May 31st - June 6th, 2026 (exhibition opening June 4th)
August 2nd - 8th, 2026 (exhibition opening August 6th)
November 1st - 7th, 2026 (exhibition opening November 5th)

The exhibition will be up in our gallery space for the duration of the month following the “First Friday” reception opening.

Installation and deinstallation support will be provided, however each proposal may have different needs. For proposals that require detailed artist oversight, the artist(s) should be available for installation and/or deinstallation in person at our exhibition space in Fort Wayne, IN. If the artist(s) cannot be present for deinstallation, Kinhouse staff will deinstall and arrange pick up. If the work needs to be shipped back to the artist(s), artists must provide shipping materials and pay for return shipping.

To get a better idea of our space: please view our instagram: @kinhouseart or check our FLOOR PLAN here.

Email us with any questions at kinhouseart@gmail.com

Promotion and Social media:
Selected artists/curators will have their work exhibited in our contemporary brick and mortar gallery Fort Wayne, IN. The exhibition will also be promoted through our instagram @kinhouseart , newsletter, and will be a part of the Broadway Arts District, First Friday programming.

Sale of the artwork:
It is preferred but not required that the artwork you submit for this show be for sale. Selected artists will be presented with an exhibition contract which includes a 20% commission retained by the gallery on work sold. Artists keep 80% of the sale after fees. You will receive a payment within 2 weeks of the show closing on any works sold.

Agreement to Participate:
This is a physical exhibition where artists are responsible for shipping or delivery of work both to and from the gallery (unless work is sold). Your submission to this show indicates that you agree with the expectations and conditions of this exhibition as outlined.

Residency details:
If your exhibition proposal is selected, you will receive a fully residency! The artist residency home! is just a few minutes drive from the gallery. Our residency is a 3 bedroom home with detached studio. Please see more pictures and info here.

Global opportunity:
Not from the United States or anywhere near Indiana? We are open to this opportunity benefitting you! Please understand that we are not able to accommodate your travel or shipping expenses for this opportunity. Your application implies that you will resume the responsibility of those costs in association with this exhibition and residency if you are selected.