Adrienne Brown-David
30th Annual NO DEAD ARTISTS
International Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Art
REQUEST FOR ARTIST SUBMISSIONS
FERRARA SHOWMAN GALLERY proudly hosts the 30th iteration of our annual call for artists: NO DEAD ARTISTS International Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Art. The call is open through 15 JUNE 2026 and the exhibition participants are selected by an ever-changing group of three prestigious arts professionals. The exhibition is installed in the gallery 16 September and remains on view through 17 October, with an opening reception in conjunction with the Arts District New Orleans' First Saturday Gallery Openings on 3 October 2026 from 5-8 pm.
The NO DEAD ARTISTS exhibition was founded by Jonathan Ferrara in 1995 to give a voice to emerging artists. The exhibition’s name is derived from the old adage that artists never achieve success until they are dead. NO DEAD ARTISTS turns that notion on its head and often gives emerging artists their first break in the art world. In the 90’s, the exhibition was open to New Orleans-based artists and subsequently grew to include artists of Louisiana, then becoming a national juried exhibition in 2010. In 2014, Matthew Weldon Showman opened the call internationally, expanding the opportunity to artists everywhere and producing an even more diverse and compelling survey of Contemporary Art. Now in its monumental 30th iteration, the exhibition has been a springboard for numerous artists; leading to national press coverage, recognition, gallery representation, art fair exhibition, and acquisitions by museums and other prominent collections. Each year the gallery invites a panel of renowned arts professionals and collectors to select the newest creative talents from around the world.
The exhibition has been a springboard for numerous artists leading to national press coverage, recognition, gallery representation and acquisitions by museums and other prominent collections. Each year the gallery invites a panel of renowned arts professionals and collectors to select the newest creative talents.
As the GRAND PRIZE, one jury-winning artist is awarded a solo exhibition at FERRARA SHOWMAN GALLERY to take place the following year.
ENTRY INFORMATION AND TERMS
- You may begin your application by clicking here to be taken directly to the open call website. Create a profile with your biography, artist statement, CV, and images of up to 10 artworks/images which you would like to submit for the show.
- The entry fee is $40 is paid per submission at the completion of your application.
- Each entrant is allotted up to ten image/video submissions, including detail views, installation shots, or contextual images - (10 images/videos total). All images must be in .jpg format and videos in .mov format around a suggested 1MB in file size.
- All works must be available for sale and all works selected for the exhibition will be subject to a standard 50% gallery sales commission - in the event that it is sold.
- The artist is responsible for ALL shipping costs including return shipping of all unsold work and import/export duties and taxes.
2026 IMPORTANT DATES
15 JUNE ::: SUBMISSION DEADLINE EXTENSION
22 JULY ::: JURY RESULTS DUE
28 JULY ::: FINALISTS ANNOUNCEMENT
12 SEPTEMBER ::: DEADLINE TO RECEIVE ARTWORKS AT GALLERY
16 SEPTEMBER ::: EXHIBITION OPENS TO PUBLIC
3 OCTOBER ::: EXHIBITION OPENING RECEPTION
17 OCTOBER ::: EXHIBITION CLOSES
NO DEAD ARTISTS JURY PANEL
For the 30th Anniversary of this important exhibition, the gallery will diverge from the usual three-person jury panel of arts professionals worldwide, and will instead – for the first time ever – invite our staff to lend their eyes and interests to the selection of NDA 2026.
MATTHEW SHOWMAN director – JONATHAN FERRARA founder – TOMAS MORENO registrar – SARAH BISHOP marketing coordinator
Each year the gallery invites a panel of renowned arts professionals and collectors to select the newest creative talents from around the world. Past jurors have included: Prospect.1 Founder and Curator - DanCameron, Museum Director - Billie Milam Weisman, Collector and Philanthropist - Beth Rudin DeWoody, MacArthur Fellow -John Scott, Whitney Trustee and Ballroom Marfa Co-founder - Fairfax Dorn, New Orleans Museum of Art Director - Susan Taylor, Former Director of the Andy Warhol Museum - Eric Shinerm Director of the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas and Founder/Artistic Director of the VOLTA Fair - Amanda Coulson, ArtBridge Curator - Jordana Zeldin, Collector and MoMA Board Member - Lawrence Benenson, Contemporary Arts Mueum Houston Director - Bill Arning, Collector and Brooklyn Museum Board Member - Stephanie Ingrassia, Collector and Prospect New Orleans Biennial board member - Nick Mayor and Susan Brennan, Director/Owner of Art Market Productions - Max Fishko, Associate Curator at the Contemporary Jewish Museum San Francisco - Anastasia James, Director of Perez Art Museum Miami and Artistic Director of Prospect.3 Biennial New Orleans - Franklin Sirmans, collector Lester Marks, McNay Art Museum Curator - René Paul Barilleaux, actress and collector - CCH Pounder; curator and the Sueyun and Gene Locks Artistic Director at Philadelphia Contemporary - Nato Thompson, Managing Director of The Helis Foundation - Jessie Schott Haynes, Executive Director of the Fairfield University Art Museum and President of the Connecticut Art Trail - Carey Mack Weber, CEO of Phaidon Books Keith Fox, Senior Curator of MoCA Jacksonville - Ylva Rouse, co-founder of 21c Museum Hotels - Laura Lee Brown, acclaimed art consultants - Kate Chertavian and Caroline Scott Low, Joan Mitchell Center Director Toccarra Thomas, Director of Art Market Productions art fairs - Kelly Freeman, Burnaway Magazine editor-at-large - Kristina Kay Robinson, and gallery artists: Kristin Moore, REWA, and Trenity Thomas.
