2026 MoAD Emerging Artists Program — Applications due Oct. 31, 2025

Call for Artists: 2026 Emerging Artists Program (EAP)

Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD)

San Francisco, CA

The Emerging Artists Program (EAP) reflects the Museum of the African Diaspora’s commitment to supporting, exhibiting, and amplifying the work of Black artists living and working in the Bay Area. As a leading contemporary art museum focused on the global African Diaspora, MoAD is proud to incubate innovative practices and foster long-term artistic growth.

We are now accepting applications for the 2026 cycle. Four artists will be selected to present solo exhibitions in MoAD’s Salon space and will each receive a $10,000 award along with comprehensive institutional support.

Program Overview

Incubation

Selected artists will receive:

Direct mentorship and guidance from MoAD’s curatorial and exhibitions team

Writing and design support for wall text, labels, and marketing materials

Access to career-sustaining professional development workshops led by artists, curators, scholars, gallerists, and financial experts

Exhibition

Each artist will present a two-month solo exhibition in MoAD’s Salon, a multipurpose space used to showcase stellar artwork as well as for deep engagement through public programs, workshops, and community events

Artists will be given up to three days each for installation and deinstallation

All artists will work with the same set of institutional tools and resources provided by MoAD

Public Programming + Publicity

MoAD will organize and support at least one public program (e.g. artist talk, conversation, or workshop) for each exhibition

Artists will receive dedicated marketing and press support from MoAD’s communications team

Additional Award Opportunity

One of the four exhibiting artists will receive the EAP Excellence Award, a $25,000 grant awarded in recognition of outstanding work

Application + Selection Timeline

Application Deadline: October 31, 2025 Final Selections Made: December 15, 2025 Finalists Announced: January 5, 2026 First Exhibition Opens: March 20, 2026

Apply via SlideRoom: https://moadsf.slideroom.com/#/permalink/program/84758

Terms & Conditions

Applications must be submitted through the official SlideRoom portal.

Submission does not guarantee selection.

MoAD will insure exhibited artworks up to a maximum of $15,000, from delivery through deinstallation.

Artists are responsible for shipping, delivery, and retrieval of artworks.

All non-installation-based works must arrive ready to hang.

Artists must be on-site for both installation and deinstallation, which may take up to three days each.

Artworks left at MoAD more than 30 days after exhibition close will be considered abandoned.

Artists release MoAD from liability for damage or injury during transportation.

Visitors may photograph artworks for non-commercial use. Artists grant MoAD permission to photograph and use images for marketing, publicity, and educational purposes.

Please note: The Salon is a multi-use space. Food and drink may be served, and the space may be rented for private events during or after museum hours.

For questions or additional information, please contact: exhibitions@moadsf.org

We look forward to reviewing your proposal and continuing to build a vibrant future for Black art in the Bay Area.

Apply Now

This program contains:

  • Forms (1)
  • Media (up to 10)

Preview Full Application

Webinar: “Hidden Histories: Rediscovering the Federal Art Project at the Saint Louis Art Museum”

Greetings,  

I’m writing to announce the free Living New Deal webinar “Hidden Histories: Rediscovering the Federal Art Project at the Saint Louis Art Museum” at 5 PM Pacific Standard Time on Tuesday, February 4, 2025.

To register, click on the link below

We invite you to join us for a webinar with John Ott, Professor of Art History at James Madison University, and Amy Torbert, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Associate Curator of American Art at the Saint Louis Art Museum and co-curator of the current exhibition The Work of Art: The Federal Art Project, 1935–1943. Their conversation will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the planning process for this show, relate forgotten and untold stories from our nation’s artistic past, and illuminate neglected contributions from women, immigrant, and minority artists.

Co-curated with Clare Kobasa, SLAM’s associate curator of prints, drawings, and photographs, The Work of Art presents a remarkable collection of artworks created amidst the hardship of the Great Depression. In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt launched a series of national initiatives for the visual arts as part of the New Deal. The largest and most ambitious program, the Federal Art Project (FAP) (1935–43), put more than 10,000 artists on the federal rolls. The resulting artworks decorated municipal spaces, toured the nation in travelling shows, and eventually found homes in institutions across the country.

When the FAP ended in 1943, the Saint Louis Art Museum received a trove of 256 prints, drawings, watercolors, and paintings. This exhibition draws from this rich collection to explore how this federal program expanded opportunities to create and encounter art in many different communities, some of which had historically lacked the necessary infrastructure and support for the arts. By displaying work made by African American, Asian American, female-identifying, and immigrant artists, The Work of Art testifies to and keeps alive the New Deal’s ambition to nourish individuals and communities of every kind through the arts. Organized by geography, this showcase also reveals the complexities of the nation’s creative landscapes and art’s capacity to bridge communities near and far.