As Durham’s signature fine arts festival, CenterFest showcases juried visual artists from across the country and fills multiple stages with stand-out local performers. Located in Downtown Durham's vibrant city center district, CenterFest performers, artists and visitors will enjoy a setting filled with restaurants, shops and studios: a perfect space for an event that will bring 30,000+ visitors over the weekend. This year's festival will take place on Saturday, September 19th and Sunday, September 20th.

The Durham Arts Council is looking for a diverse array of performance groups and entertainers. Their goal is to showcase community artists, with a focus on performers who may not be represented in the wider arts sector. Performance artists and groups who identify as BIPOC are encouraged to apply. Performers must submit an online application by June 1, 2026 to apply.

Visual artists are invited to apply to participate in CenterFest 2026 and must submit an online application with images and application fee by May 1, 2026.

Location
Durham, NC

Fees or awards
$40 application fee

The Arts & Science Council (ASC) is seeking qualifications from professional artists and artist teams for a new public art commission at the Sugar Creek Library. This project offers an exciting opportunity to create an integrated, wall-based artwork that reflects the identity, diversity, and aspirations of the Sugar Creek community. The proposed art site’s approximate dimensions are 9’ 8” high and 37’ 4” wide.

For the complete RFQ, please visit: https://artsandscience.org/calls-to-artists/ 

Location
Charlotte, NC

Fees or awards
Project Budget: $168,596.00 USD – to cover all artist fees, design, engineering, testing, fabrication, permitting, and installation as well as travel, public meeting presentations, administration, taxes, and insurance relating to the project.

The Regional Artist Directory is an internal resource to identify North and South Carolina artists who have the potential to create public artworks for City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and private construction projects. The directory will be used to select artists for public art projects with budgets up to $100,000. The Public Art Commission (PAC) will use this directory to match artists with opportunities commensurate with skills and experience necessary for specific project scopes.

Location
Charlotte, NC

Fees or awards
No fee; awards up to $100,000

Teaching Artists Connect is excited to offer From Artist to Teaching Artist, a free and unique learning opportunity to artists interested in learning how to teach through the arts. Open to artists of all disciplines* residing in Alamance County, NC and surrounding areas. We especially encourage artists with disabilities, BIPOC, and those from lower income brackets to attend. Digital resources will be provided at the end of the training. 

*Disciplines can include visual arts, textiles, ceramics, music, theater, writing, performance, dance, choreography, photography, etc.

Workshops will take place on Tuesday May 19th, Tuesday May 26th, and Tuesday June 2nd, 2026 from 5pm to 7pm.

Location
Zoom

On Tuesday, June 2nd at 1 p.m. EST, join SoundExchange for an exclusive webinar designed to help you maximize your royalties and make the most of your music. This introductory webinar walks creators and rights owners through the basics of registering with SoundExchange and understanding how digital performance royalties work. We’ll cover who should register, how royalties are collected and distributed, and what you need to do to make sure you’re getting paid for eligible plays of your music. Perfect for artists, labels, managers, and rights owners at any stage.

Here’s what you’ll learn: 
- How to register and start collecting royalties 
- The types of royalties you can earn 
- Tips to ensure you’re getting paid what you deserve 
- Live Q&A – ask the experts your questions in real time!

Location
Zoom

Triangle-area artists and curators are invited to apply for individual or group exhibits at Chapel Hill Public Library and Chapel Hill Town Hall. Selected artwork will be hung on venue walls for two-month periods between September 2026 and September 2027. Artwork may be for sale, and we take no commission on works sold. We seek vibrant, high-quality artwork created in a variety of media by a wide range of local artists.

Location
Chapel Hill, NC

Fees or awards
$300/exhibit

The Annual Folk Alliance International Conference is the largest gathering of folk musicians and music industry professionals in the world. An international crowd of artists, venues, labels, DJs, agents, and organizations come together for five days of professional development, networking, and music. Official Showcases highlight the best folk music in the world across a vast variety of genres. 160 jury-selected artists perform on the largest stages of our conference to an audience of venue bookers, agents, record labels, DJs, media companies, and more.

Official Showcase Artists are chosen through an application process to perform on the conference's largest stages. These jury-selected, tour-ready musicians represent diverse cultures, languages, and sound. Each Official Showcase is performed on a full production stage at the in-person conference host hotel.

The 2027 conference will be held at the Hilton Chicago, located at 720 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605.

Location
Chicago, IL

Fees or awards
Application fees: FAI Members $30 and Non-members $60

The Arts & Science Council (ASC) is accepting qualifications from US-based artists and artist teams for a public art opportunity for the City of Charlotte’s, Charlotte Fire Department, Firehouse #44. This RFQ represents an opportunity for an artist, or team of artists, to create a highly visible, wall-based artwork sited on the two-story wall adjacent to the training staircase. 

For the complete RFQ, please visit: https://artsandscience.org/calls-to-artists 

Location
Charlotte, NC

Fees or awards
Project Budget: $115,133.00 USD – to cover all artist fees, design, engineering, testing, fabrication, permitting, and installation. As well as travel, public meeting presentations, administration, taxes, and insurance relating to the project.

Craven Arts Council & Gallery is seeking submissions to our biennial signature exhibition – the Bank of the Arts National Juried Exhibition! Artists are encouraged to submit their works to be juried into this exhibition, showcasing the talents of both local and national artists to be judged for prizes up to $5,000. Interested artists can apply through CaFE (Call for Entry) after March 1st.

There are five categories for entry: Contemporary Craft, Indoor Sculpture, 2D, Photography and Outdoor Sculpture. 

Location
New Bern, NC

Fees or awards
The 2026 Bank of the Arts National Juried Exhibition offers $5,000 in awards, including the $1,500 CAC&G Permanent Collection Purchase Award. Entry fee is $30 for CAC&G members and $40 for nonmembers.

Small Works is a national juried show of artwork no more than 24” in its largest dimension (including frame). All media are eligible except jewelry and film/video. All entries are judged from digital files. One $30 nonrefundable fee entitles each artist to submit up to three entries. Purchase awards may be available for accepted work. Accepted artists may be selected for a solo show at Harper College. A color catalog will be published in conjunction with the exhibition.

Location
Palatine, IL

Fees or awards
$30 fee / Purchase awards / Accepted artists may be selected for a solo show at Harper College.