Undergraduate Student Exhibition: Call for artists and writers
About USE 2026
Deadline to submit: July 13th, 11:59 pm
A tradition at Concordia for over thirty years, the Undergraduate Student Exhibition (USE) showcases a selection of the strongest work produced at the undergraduate level. Collaborative at its core, this interdisciplinary initiative culminates in an exhibition, publication, and dance performances. Combining the efforts of many students, staff, and faculty members, the goal is to foster cross-disciplinary engagement within current contemporary art practices.
This exhibition will open in January 2026. The commissioned essays will be published in Spring 2026.
Each selected artist and writer will receive a $200 honorarium for their participation.
Please contact María Escalona at exhibition.coordinator@concordia.ca if you have any questions about the application process or need any specific accommodations to help you succeed in applying.
Call for artists
We accept submissions in various forms by individual artists or collectives. Possible categories include individual visual art pieces, written and visual research, film and video art, digital art, sound art, installations, and performances. The VAV Gallery and FOFA are seeking varied proposals to constitute an exhibition representative of the diversity of current art practices at Concordia. We are happy to review and discuss new ideas.
Eligibility
Concordia undergraduate Fine Arts students enrolled in at least one Fine Arts course during the 2024-2025 academic year, including the 2025 summer terms.
Guidelines
- Only proposals submitted via SlideRoom will be considered.
- Before submitting, please read the VAV's Anti-Oppression Statement (Updated: June 12, 2025).
- Please note that each student or collective may submit only one application for consideration. This one work may take the form of a series or an installation involving more than one element.
- Applicants are encouraged to consider the physical spaces of the FOFA Gallery and indicate which indoor or outdoor areas of the gallery would be most suitable for their needs. Applicants are invited to visit the FOFA Gallery during opening hours (Monday-Friday 11am-6pm) and consult the FOFA floor plans.
- Submissions will be accepted in either French or English.
How to submit an artwork
Applicants must complete the SlideRoom Form, which will ask for the following elements:
- General contact information
- A short general description of the concept behind the work being submitted (250 words max.)
- Short bio (100 words max.)
- Documentation (up to 10 files to show/describe the work that you would like to exhibit)
- (Optional) Supplementary materials are optional but encouraged. These could include other works from your portfolio, sample writing, reviews, etc.
Selection Process
The applications will be juried by VAV Coordinators, undergraduate students, and members of the FOFA staff. Each application will be judged on artistic merit, feasibility, clarity, and affinity, for more information on how our Jury functions, see https://www.vavgallery.ca/jury-process.
Decisions will be communicated by August 15th, 2025.
Technical Considerations
The FOFA Gallery offers hands-on technical and curatorial support with installation, and we can provide basic tools, display furniture, painting supplies, and some media equipment. If you need specialized equipment, technicians, or assistance to present your project, please indicate this in your proposal and check with us in advance to see what is feasible.
We provide professional documentation of each exhibition, promotional material, and presence on our website and social media platforms.
Call for writers
The FOFA Gallery and CUJAH are seeking four undergraduate students to write for the 2026 edition of Concordia University’s annual Undergraduate Student Exhibition (USE) catalogue.
If selected, you will get to write and publish a short catalogue essay (900-1000 words) on three artworks from the USE 2026 exhibition, collaborating with the artists and the FOFA team to craft your text. The essay can be written in English or French and the first draft will be due in September 2025.
We accept different styles of art writing that engage with contemporary art making, research, and curation. We are happy to review and discuss new ideas.
Eligibility
Concordia undergraduate students enrolled in at least one Fine Arts course during the 2024-2025 academic year, including the 2025 summer terms.
Guidelines
- Only proposals submitted via the Google Form will be considered. Before submitting, please read the VAV's Anti-Oppression Statement (Updated: June 12, 2025).
- Please note that each student may submit only one application for consideration.
- Submissions will be accepted in either French or English.
How to submit a writing sample
Applicants must complete the Google Form, which will ask for the following elements:
- General contact information
- A writing sample (500 words max.) Preferably related to art or art history.
- Short bio (100 words max.)
- (Optional) Supplementary materials are optional but encouraged. These could include other works from your portfolio, sample writing, reviews, etc.
You can consult past editions of the USE catalogue essays here:
Selection Process
The applications will be juried by CUJAH staff, undergraduate students, and members of the FOFA staff. Each application will be evaluated on the basis of the overall quality and coherence of the written material submitted, tone and style of writing, clarity of subject treatment, originality, and syntax and grammar.
Decisions will be communicated by August 15th, 2025.
Considerations
The FOFA Gallery offers hands-on editorial and curatorial support with the written pieces. If you need specialized assistance to present your project, please indicate this in your proposal and check with us in advance to see what is feasible.
We provide promotional material, and presence on our website and social media platforms for the final texts.
Equity
The VAV and the FOFA values the contributions that individuals who identify as members of marginalised communities bring to our organisation. We encourage, among others, Indigenous people, people of colour, disabled people, people identifying as LGBTQI, women, formerly incarcerated or institutionalised people, immigrants, and people from working-class backgrounds to apply. We also understand that applicants may experience several of these identities simultaneously in ways that reinforce and nuance their experience. We are committed to creating an organisation as diverse as the communities we serve. If you wish to be considered for exhibition equity, you can let us know when filling out your submission form. Please note that while it is not required that candidates explain why they would like to be considered for exhibition equity, please feel free to speak to any relevant lived experiences in your responses.
BIPOC
Black, Indigenous, and People of Color are disproportionately excluded from arts spaces. We aim to uplift and prioritize applicants who choose to be considered for BIPOC Equity. BIPOC applications will be given special priority over self-identified general Equity applicants. Candidates can be eligible for both, but we would like to acknowledge that our Equity process in the past has failed to sufficiently distinguish between BIPOC artists and White artists who might qualify for some of the eligibility factors. While the VAV and the FOFA are committed to uplifting all marginalized identities, whiteness carries immense privileges which have historically shielded white artists from the exceptional marginalization that BIPOC artists have faced from arts institutions.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact the VAV at vavgallery.outreach@concordia.ca
About the VAV
The VAV (Visual Arts Visuels) Gallery is a student-run exhibition space, supported by a Concordia Fine Arts Undergraduate student fee levy. Concordia students of all identities and levels of experience are encouraged to participate. Learn more about the VAV Gallery here.
About the FOFA Gallery
The FOFA Gallery is the primary venue dedicated to showcasing the current artistic and research practices of the Faculty of Fine Arts. Through exhibitions, publications, and events, the gallery makes public the work of Concordia alumni, faculty and staff. The Gallery also supports work from the student community, relating to the research and pedagogical aims of the Faculty. A space dedicated to innovation, FOFA Gallery fosters and facilitates pedagogical inquiries, curatorial experiments, cutting-edge artistic practices and training opportunities.
About the Concordia Undergraduate Journal of Art History (CUJAH)
The Concordia Undergraduate Journal of Art History (CUJAH) is a student-run association that aims to showcase the talents of Concordia University’s undergraduate Art History and Fine Arts students by means of an annual journal publication and conference event.
CUJAH strives to provide students with academic and professional opportunities through workshops, events, and online resources. CUJAH is composed of an executive team, an editorial team, and a design team and is assisted by faculty members in the Department of Art History.
Territorial acknowledgement
The FOFA, the VAV, and CUJAH recognize that our activities unfold on unceded Indigenous lands. The Kanien’keha:ka Nation is recognized as the custodians of these lands and waters. Tiohtià:ke/Montreal is historically known as a gathering place for many First Nations. Today, it is home to a diverse population of Indigenous and other peoples. We respect the continued connections with the past, present, and future in our ongoing relationships with Indigenous and other peoples within the Montreal community.
