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National Artist Call-2

Reconstruction 2.0: Allegories of a Better World

Submission Opens: March 28, 2026

Submission Deadline: May 15, 2026

Artists Notified By: May 22, 2026

Public Exhibition Date: June 28, 2026 (noon – 4:00pm)

Exhibition Venue: Minneapolis Institute of Art

About the Exhibition

OMG Studios is proud to announce a call to artists for a juried art exhibition, Reconstruction 2.0: Allegories

of a Better World, curated by Artist Alana Enfinity.

Important Venue Notice: This exhibition is organized and produced solely by OMG Studios. The Minneapolis Institute of Art serves strictly as the host venue for this event and is not a sponsor, organizer, or partner in the curation, administration, or logistics of the exhibition.

The exhibition is held in conjunction with the premiere of the film The Making of America, in partnership with Minnesota Humanities Center. We are seeking works from artists nationwide that examine themes of virtue, moral courage, and the reconstruction of our collective imagination.

WHAT: Allegories of a Better World Art Exhibition

WHEN: June 28, Noon – 4:00pm

WHERE: Minneapolis Institute of Art (Pillsbury Theater) 2400 3rd Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55404 (Venue host only; not an Mia-sponsored program)

Artists are invited to submit original works which reflect the world they want to see, examining themes such as:

  • Virtue and moral courage
  • Nobility beyond class or status
  • Truth, justice, and liberation
  • Reconstruction and unlearning
  • Memory, history, and inherited systems
  • Cultural healing and collective imagination
  • Confronting ignorance, silence, and erasure
  • Envisioning a more equitable future

Works should center visual storytelling and historical reflection. See Juan de Pareja, Diego Velazquez (1650); The Calling of Saint Matthew, Juan de Pareja (1661); Allegory of the Planets and Continents, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1752); and Standing Rock, Jim Denomie (2016).

This exhibition is happening in conjunction with the release of film, “The Making of America,” a humanities documentary from OMG Studios and Minnesota Humanities Center, that examines how Enlightenment-era systems of knowledge—art, science, architecture, and cartography—produced enduring frameworks for racial slavery, territorial extraction, and Indigenous dispossession in what became the United States. The film advances the argument that these outcomes were deliberate consequences of its visual and systemic commitments to order, hierarchy and control. Exhibited works may be featured in the film.

Eligibility

  • Media accepted: painting, mixed media
  • Must reside in the United States
  • Emerging, mid-career, and established artists encouraged to apply

Guidelines

  • Work must be created on up to a 24 x 36 inch gallery canvas (no larger than 24×36)
  • Artwork must be original
  • Work must align with the exhibition theme (as outlined above)
  • Artists may submit up to 2 work(s)
  • Submitted work must be exhibition-ready
  • Work must not infringe upon the copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other rights of any person or entity
  • Artists must have full authority to submit the work
  • Work that includes plagiarism, unauthorized copyrighted material, or misleading authorship will be disqualified
  • Submission does not guarantee selection
  • Artists are responsible for providing accurate information and high-quality digital files
  • Artists must meet all deadlines for submission, confirmation, and delivery
  • If selected, artists agree to provide final materials and any requested supporting information by the stated deadlines
  • OMG Studios reserves the right to reject work that does not match submission images, thematic intent, or presentation standards
  • OMG Studios reserves the right to reject work deemed offensive, defamatory, unlawful, or inconsistent with the exhibition theme

Juried Exhibition Rules

Juried Selection Process

All submissions will be reviewed by a panel assembled by OMG Studios and its program partners. Artists will be notified of selection by May 22, 2026. Jury decisions are final.

Note: As the host venue, the Minneapolis Institute of Art is not involved in the jury or selection process.

Submission Required Fields 

  1. Artist name
  2. Contact name (if different from artist name)
  3. Email address
  4. Phone number
  5. City and state
  6. Artist bio
  7. Artist statement
  8. Title of artwork
  9. Medium: Mixed-Media, Visual Art, Sculpture, Digital
  • Year Completed
  • High-resolution image of submitted artwork
  • Brief written response to the intake questions
  • Website social media

Video submission (recommended/optional)

Artists are invited to submit a short video (suggested length: 1–3 minutes). The video may be recorded on a phone. Artists may speak directly to the camera, narrate over images, or combine both. The video may include: 

  • An introduction to you as an artist
  • Your thoughts on the exhibition theme
  • Insight into your creative process
  • Your reflections on history, reconstruction, and the world you want to see now

Submit a video link to YouTube or Vimeo URL in the indicated form field.

Note: This material may be used in the “Making of America” film and in media surrounding the exhibition and its broader public engagement.

Artist Rights & Legal Information

  • Ownership: The artist retains ownership and copyright of their artwork at all times.
  • Liability: OMG Studios and the Minneapolis Institute of Art are not responsible for damage or loss occurring during transit, handling, or the duration of the one-night exhibition. Artists are encouraged to carry their own insurance.
  • Permissions: By submitting, the artist grants OMG Studios and its program partners (excluding the venue) non-exclusive, royalty-free permission to use images and video for jury review, promotion, and inclusion in the Making of America film.
  • Agreement: Submission to this call constitutes agreement with these terms.
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