The ODU Art Department is issuing an open call for submissions for its 2026-2027 Scholarship Competition.

The Scholarship Competition is open to all Art Department majors with at least one semester of coursework remaining and less than 180 total academic credits by the time of graduation.* A variety of scholarships are available for both Studio Art and Art History.

Scholarship types will be awarded based on artistic merit of work submitted and a combination of concentration, GPA, enrollment, and financial need according to the specifications of available scholarships. All media will be considered, and students are encouraged to submit up to five (5) works. A series of pieces will be considered as a single work.

Students who apply for need based scholarships must fill out a FAFSA prior to submitting to the Scholarship Competition. Please respond thoroughly to all questions to be considered for different scholarships.

*The maximum allowable time to be eligible for most financial aid programs for a full-time undergraduate student cannot exceed 180 credits attempted, including transfer credits. Students attending less than full-time will be eligible for aid for semesters registered, not to exceed the equivalent of ten (10) full-time semesters. The maximum allowable time to be eligible for financial aid for a full-time Master's degree is three (3) years and for a full-time Doctoral degree four (4) years.

All submissions for the Scholarship Competition are due by 11:59pm on Sunday, February 15, 2026.  The recipients will be notified by the Financial Office and an awards ceremony will take place at the opening reception of the Spring Senior Exhibition in the Gordon Art Galleries.

The ODU Art Department welcomes submissions for the 2026 Windgate-Lamar Fellowship offered by the Center for Craft in Asheville, NC. From this application, two students will be nominated to apply.

The Windgate-Lamar Fellowship supports emerging craft artists with a prestigious award of $15,000.00 to support their artistic endeavors. Proposals for use of funds vary but often include travel and/or studio equipment. 

Interested applicants must meet the following criteria:

● Nominees must be completing a degree granting program between December 2025 and August 2026

● Nominees must be able to receive taxable income for the duration of the grant and report this grant as income

● Nominees must be 18 years of age or older

● Students must be US citizens or in the process of applying for citizenship

Selected applicants will demonstrate the following attributes:

● Student’s work must be informed by craft process, materials, traditions, and/or sensibilities

● Work should demonstrate a balance of content and design, as well as an understanding of materials

● Applicants should demonstrate innovation and curiosity, commitment to growth, and show evidence of how their work will stimulate creative thinking or dialogue among other artists

Applicants should review the 2026 Windgate-Lamar Fellowship information here before completing this application. It is strongly recommended that applicants review former recipients' materials when applying. Applicants must also secure a faculty mentor to assist in the final application process. 

Please be advised that the official application process for this grant will require substantial time and commitment to complete before the February 2nd 2026 deadline. For this reason, we ask that only serious applicants apply. Submitting an application does not constitute a guarantee of being awarded a fellowship.

If awarded, the grant period begins May 1st, 2026 and ends April 30th, 2027. More details are available here.

All submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, October 19th, 2025. Notification emails will be sent by Sunday, November 2nd, 2025.

Questions regarding this opportunity should be directed to eculver@odu.edu

The Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries and ODU Art Department welcome submissions for the 2026 Juried Student Exhibition.
 

This exhibition is open to all students taking classes in the Art Department during the submission period from Spring 2025 until Spring 2026. All media will be considered, and students are encouraged to submit up to five (5) works for consideration by the juror. For this exhibition, a series of pieces will be considered as a single work, space permitting. Artwork not previously exhibited in the Gordon Art Galleries is strongly preferred.
 

The 2026 Juried Student Exhibition will run from Friday, March 13 through Saturday, April 18, 2026 with an opening reception Thursday, March 12, 2026 from 6-8p.m.


All submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, January 25, 2026. Artists will be notified of the juror's selections by Friday, February 13, 2026.

Accepted work should be delivered to the Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries between Monday, February 23 and Friday, February 27, 2026 by appointment or during normal hours of operation listed on the website.

 

This is a professional exhibition. Artwork must arrive installation-ready with all appropriate hardware included. Two-dimensional artwork is preferably framed, and if framed must include wire for hanging. If the work is meant to be displayed in an alternative manner, all necessary installation materials and instructions must be provided. Three-dimensional artwork will be displayed on pedestals provided by the Gordon Galleries. Artwork not installation-ready will not be included in the exhibition even if selected by the juror. Any and all questions regarding installation and display methods should be directed to Gordon Galleries' staff at gordongalleries@odu.edu.



  * All exhibited works will be considered for exhibition in the Annual Arts & Letters Exhibition, which will be on view for one year in the Dean’s office suite (BAL 9th Floor) following the Juried Student Exhibition. Please indicate availability of artwork for the A&L Exhibition in the form below.

   The Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries cannot fund any shipping expenses for this exhibition. 

The Old Dominion University Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries and the Art Department are issuing an open call for the 2027 Alumni Exhibition. This will be the third installment of alumni exhibitions occurring every five years to celebrate the continuing work of graduates. Alumni of the Art Department are invited to submit up to three (3) recent artworks for consideration. 

The exhibition will open Spring 2027.
 

All media are acceptable, and a series will be considered as a single work. The Art Department Exhibition Committee will select works based on academic and creative merit, and submit selections to the Gordon Galleries for final review and approval with qualifications for size and space limitations in March 2026. Notifications of selections will go out by 30 April, 2026. 

Digital submissions are due no later than 11:59 p.m. on 31 March, 2026. Only artwork submitted via this form will be considered for exhibition.

Artwork should be delivered to the Galleries no later than Friday, 8 January, 2027 during normal hours of operation, which can be found on our website. 

The Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries will be unable to provide funding for shipping works; participating artists will be responsible for transporting their artwork to and from the Galleries. 

Old Dominion University's Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries are issuing an open call for exhibition proposals for Fall of 2027.    
 

The 2027 Fall exhibition will run from late-August through early-November. (specific dates are determined by the ODU Academic Calendar). The Gordon Galleries will host a public opening reception typically held from 6 to 8 p.m. on a Thursday night at the start of the exhibition's run. During the run of the exhibition, the artist(s) may be invited to give a talk or interact with students through workshops by the ODU Art Department's Visiting Artist Committee.

Proposals for these exhibitions are due by 11:59 p.m. on March 31, 2026. Final decisions will be communicated in the spring of 2026. Date ranges are subject to change pending changes to the University's calendars.

The Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries host exhibitions in a variety of media, and artists of all disciplines are encouraged to submit proposals. Proposals can be for solo, group, juried, invitational, international and traveling exhibitions.

After submission, the ODU Art Department will assess entries for their academic and creative merit and will submit ranked proposals to the Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries for final review and approval.

The Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries provide funding for design and printing of collateral materials, PR, and catering. Shipping and handling may be discussed on a case-by-case basis. Acceptance of proposals does not obligate Old Dominion University to fund creation of artworks or to offer financial remuneration to third-party curators or jurors.

The floor plan for the Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries' Changing Gallery can be found HERE.