UPCOMING CALLS FOR ENTRies

STRONGER TOGETHER

OPENING RECEPTION | SEPTEMBER 4, 2026 | 5 PM TO 8 PM
Digital artwork submissions due - 08/14/2026
Selected Artists notified of works juried in - 08/21/2026
Physical artwork delivery due - 08/26/2026, 08/27/2026, 08/28/2026 - 10am - 4pm

Cottonwood Center for the Arts (CCA) in partnership with the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region (COPPR) is thrilled to present a call for entries for an exhibition opening September, 2026 in celebration of the 20th anniversary of COPPR, underwritten by Herman Tiemens.

This project is designed to foster a deeper connection between local creative organizations and local creatives, to benefit our community at large. As inspiration for this call, COPPR and Herman Tiemens selected a diverse spectrum of creative brands from our community as subject matter. We are asking artists to create artworks honoring the ethos and unique character of their chosen organization(s), highlighting their vital role in our region’s cultural identity. Artists can submit one artwork per chosen organization.

Please review our show entry guidelines before you begin your submission. All mediums and styles will be considered, previously exhibited works will not be accepted.

PLEASE CAREFULLY REVIEW REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS BEFORE BEGINNING YOUR SUBMISSION.

TENEBRISM

OPENING RECEPTIONS | NOVEMBER 5, 2026 | 5 PM TO 8 PM
$30 total intake fee for up to 3 pieces
submissions due: 10/20, 10/21, 10/22 | 12 PM TO 4:30 PM

TENEBRISM - A celebration of light and shadow.

Cottonwood Center for the Arts is pleased to present an open call for entries to the public for the month of November: TENEBRISM. 

Tenebrism is a term used to define a rich and even shocking contrast of bold lighting against heavy saturated shadows, with many compositions being dominated by the negative space of darkness surrounding the subject matter. 

For this call we are asking artists to challenge themselves by illuminating their subject with a single candle, either metaphorically or literally. How much of your image can you swallow in shadow to express the import of what remains?

We are accepting all mediums for this call - previously exhibited works will not be accepted.

Please review our show entry guidelines before you begin your submission. All mediums and styles will be considered, previously exhibited works will not be accepted.

CAM+P

NOW ACCEPTING LITERARY AND VISUAL ART SUBMISSIONS FOR COTTONWOOD ART MAGAZINE + PRESS
NO INTAKE FEE
SELECTED WRITERS/ARTISTS WILL RECEIVE A PHYSICAL EDITION OF THIS INAUGURAL PUBLICATION.
SUBMISSIONS DUE 8/31

FANTASTIC MR. ANDERSON

OPENING RECEPTIONS | DECEMBER 4, 2026 | 5 PM TO 8 PM AND ALSO JANUARY 1, 2027 | 5 PM TO 8 PM
$30 total intake fee for up to 3 pieces
submissions due: 11/11, 11/12, 11/13 | 12 PM TO 4:30 PM

If you know the films directed by Wes Anderson, then chances are good that you’ve had the pleasingly haunted experience of noticing a ‘Wes Anderson-esque’ scene in real life. His aesthetic is unmistakable…there is a color palette, a mood, a narrative that reminds us of those brief moments when we recognize something remarkable, magical, and perhaps fleeting as special places yield to gentrification, homogenization, and fading history. In December, we invite artists to document a Wes Anderson moment, either by depicting an apt image of a place/portrait/object/feeling and/or by creating fan art relating to Anderson’s filmography. This is an adventure. 

To reminisce about props and costumes from Anderson’s films, check out this New York Times article about an exhibit at Cinémathèque Française. For a primer on Anderson’s attention to detail, take a deep dive into his employment of fonts.

Please review our show entry guidelines before you begin your submission. All mediums and styles will be considered, previously exhibited works will not be accepted.

SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT: THE 90’S SHOW

OPENING RECEPTION | APRIL 2, 2027 | 5 PM TO 8 PM
$30 total intake fee for up to 3 pieces
submissions due: 03/17, 03/18, 03/19 | 12 PM TO 4:30 PM

For this call for entries, Cottonwood is asking you to wayback machine your right-brain to the era of low tech, no tech - Kurt Cobain, Brittany Spears, Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G, the Backstreet Boys - Lisa Frank, JNCO, disposable cameras, Microsoft paint, arcades - the 90's baby! 

Create mindful and intentional celebration of what 90's nostalgia means to you - the colors, forms, sounds and beyond. We are seeking abstract and representational works. 

Please review our show entry guidelines before you begin your submission. All mediums and styles will be considered, previously exhibited works will not be accepted.

IF YOUR WORK IS NOT ACCEPTED (or even if it is):
Please consider visiting our quarterly critique, Artist Test Kitchen.