The Upper Room 2026 Art Exhibition

Exhibition Dates: Opening reception Saturday May 23rd, Pentecost Vigil. Runs through June 24th, the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist with closing reception.

Catholic artists of all disciplines (visual artist, performance artist, writers) are invited to submit original artwork for this group exhibition.

The unifying concept is a spiritual pilgrimage through the Way of the Cross to the glory of the Resurrection. Artwork does not have to be explicitly religious in content but must be loosely connected to the theme of a spiritual pilgrimage.

Work which includes blasphemous or explicit content or is otherwise deemed offensive to faithful Catholics will not be considered. Similarly AI-generated or altered work will not be considered.

Work will be selected by the curators Sarah Crow (sarahcrowart.com) and Damian Chlanda (amdgfilms.com), the founders of Chicago Catholic Artists.

The selection of art will be based on the quality of craftsmanship, consistency with the theme of a spiritual pilgrimage, and the fittingness of works for group exhibition.

To Participate Artists Submit:

1) a short (250 word maximum) description of the work
2) samples of artwork in this genre
Visual Artists: 1-5 images
Performance artists *only if available to perform in Chicago during opening or closing reception*: short video
Writers: short form writing (final work must be short enough for public reading or presentation)
3) Waiver for reproduction of work for publicity and insurance/shipping of artwork

Logistics:

Artwork from the project will be selected for exhibition in conversation with the curator.
Work will need to be completed by May 1st and shipped to the Chicago gallery by May 16th.
Return shipping and re-usable shipping box must be provided and paid for by the artist.