Bay Area Open applications due Sept 21st
Opportunities for Artists
Call for Entries
2026 Bay Area Open
EXHIBITION DATES
November 5 - December 19, 2026
APPLICATION DUE DATE
Monday, September 21, 2026 by 10:59 PST
ANNOUNCEMENT DATE
Monday, September 28, 2026
GearBox Gallery is pleased to announce the 2026 Bay Area Open. This is an open call to Bay Area artists for a two-person featured exhibition in our Main Gallery. The juried show is an opportunity for artists living in the Greater Bay Area’s nine county region to potentially show a substantial body of work. We will be selecting two artists to exhibit together in our 2026 line up on November 5 - December 19th. Opening Reception, Saturday, November 7th.
Artists must submit 8-12 images of artwork created in the last 5 years that would be ready and available for exhibition. All entries must be submitted on CaFÉ/Creative West.. Our curatorial team will choose from the submitted images to create a unique two person show. We are looking for a strong body of work accompanied by an artist statement that together is cohesive. There are no size or media requirements. All will be considered.
Artists who live in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma Counties in California are invited to apply.
It is GearBox Gallery’s mission to highlight artists in our Greater Bay Area region. As an Artist Run Gallery we take pride in programming GearBox Gallery as an asset to our community. This Call for Artists demonstrates that mission.
Membership
GearBox members work together to run the gallery, exhibiting their own work regularly in the gallery and periodically showing their work in featured two-person exhibitions while providing exhibition opportunities for others.
GearBox is currently accepting new member applications!
Events
Artists are always welcome to attend GearBox Gallery events including Receptions and Artist’s Talks. Joining in the lively conversations and meeting other artists and art fans is a great way to find inspiration and expand your connections in a supportive art-serious environment.
Events are free and open to the public. Please join us!
Annual Juried Show Program
Our 12th Annual Juried Show is:
MOMENTUM, Juror Demetri Broxton
August 20 - September 19, 2026
Every year Gearbox Gallery hosts a juried show open to Northern Californian Artists (Fresno and North) over the age of 21, focusing on work produced within the last four years..
This year’s exhibition, Momentum, was juried by Demetri Broxton, executive director of Root Division in San Francisco, independent curator and artist.
A GearBox Gallery juried show is more than just a group exhibition. Two artists are awarded future exhibition opportunities; one as a featured artist in a two-person show in our Main Gallery, the other, a solo exhibition/installation in our smaller Inner Room Gallery. Artists in our juried shows are also added to our roster of regional artists and may be selected as guest artists for future exhibitions, aiding the artist's trajectory.
Sign up to our mailing list or follow our social media for alerts about our next juried show, summer 2027. In the meantime check out the 2026 show, Momentum:
Call for Entries for
the Inner Room
The winner for 2026 is Stan Chan
Our next call for the Inner Room will be in 2027
The Inner Room is an intimate project space within GearBox Gallery, perfect for special installations and small solo exhibitions.
Each year we call for proposals for the Inner Room, open to Northern California Artists (Fresno and North) over the age of 21. The winning installation or exhibition is selected from the submitted proposals by the Gearbox Inner Room Selection Committee. Our 2026 winner was Stan Chan, whose work showed May 28th - July 3, 2026 and was reviewed by Square Cylinder.
Guest Artists
GearBox Gallery routinely invites regional artists to show in its regular exhibition program, most often in a two-person featured exhibition, however on occasion a guest artist may have a solo show. A list of past guest artists can be found on our About Page.
Guest Curator Program
Periodically GearBox Gallery invites a guest curator to put together an exhibition of the artists of their choice. Past guest curators include:
Demetri Broxton
Karen Seneferu
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