This is an open call to invite professional artists to submit artwork for exhibition consideration at the Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art located within Congregation Rodeph Shalom from March 16 to July 30, 2026.

Open Call to Artists on The Theme of Democracy

The Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art (“PMJA”) located in Center City on North Broad Street has a long tradition of art exhibitions. With the reopening of our exhibition programming in 2024, we began with an open call exhibition, which turned out to be an overwhelming success, bringing a new vision for community, artists and attendance to our vibrant urban gallery. Our intention with this open call is to build on this momentum and to invite artists to reflect upon and give expression to the theme of  “Democracy: United We Stand” as part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of our country.   Maintaining democracy requires work by all citizens. We invite artists to submit works that visually reflect this concept.  

Jurors

A PMJA exhibition committee will be jurying the submissions and will select artworks that respond best to the theme and also work in dialogue as an exhibition.   We are pleased to announce that Ruth Fine will again serve as lead curator.

Fine was curator for the National Gallery of Art for four decades. She has organized dozens of exhibitions and written catalogue essays about several printmaking workshops as well as artists including Romare Bearden, Mel Bochner, Wendy Edwards, Helen Frankenthaler, Sam Gilliam, Jasper Johns, Norman Lewis, Roy Lichtenstein, Martin Puryear and Frank Stewart. Fine was awarded the College Art Association Alfred H. Barr Award for Museum Scholarship for the Norman Lewis Catalogue and The Archives of American Art’s Lawrence A. Fleishman Award for Scholarly Excellence in the Field of American Art History, amongst other honors. Fine chairs the board of the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation.

For Artists

The arts invite us to a much-valued place to gain new insights and form new understandings with one another, which is consistent with PMJA’s mission of illuminating Jewish values that embrace openness and inclusivity and establish strong community outreach.  In offering a range of interpretations from artists of diverse backgrounds on this timely theme, we intend for the exhibition to become a place for conversation and connections.  

Eligibility Criteria:

• Work must be completed within the last five years.
• Work must be two-dimensional, and ready to hang on the wall with appropriate hardware.
• Works on paper and photographs should be framed.
• Size may not exceed 48” in either direction, nor protrude more than 3” from the wall.

Application Requirements:

• Up to three (3) images in JPG or PNG format, 72 dpi
• Submissions must include your name and address, your email address,  title of each submitted piece, year of execution, dimensions, medium, and sale price, with an artist statement (limited to 350 words) and your biography (limited to 350 words).
• There is a non-refundable $25 fee to submit your work.

Rules and Terms:

• Accepted work must be either physically delivered to the museum on Monday, March 9 or Tuesday, March 10, 2026 or shipped for arrival between Monday, March 9 - Wednesday, March 11.  
• Any work that is delivered after March 11 will not be included in the exhibition.
• Artists will be expected to complete forms for loan and insurance purposes and provide return shipping labels for any work not physically picked up at the end of the show. The show will end in July to accommodate expected visitors to the city this summer.
• Works must be for sale and artists retain 60% of the selling price of all pieces.
• Reception on Thursday, May 7 at 6pm, accepted artists are strongly encouraged to attend.