The District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH) requests applications from qualified artists for its Fiscal Year 2027 Juried Exhibition Grant (JEG). JEG provides support for District-based artists to exhibit their work in a juried, themed visual art exhibition through grant awards and the use of CAH’s exhibition space located in the lobby of 200 I Street, SE (“Gallery”).
In a city defined (and divided) by its rivers, water functions not only as a natural force but also as a cultural one. This Request for Applications (RFA) seeks works for an exhibition that will bring together DC-resident artists whose work engages water and waterways as sites of stewardship, displacement, spiritual reflection, environmental injustice, recreation, adventure, and collective futures. CAH welcomes work that approaches water as subject, collaborator, force, or framework, expanding the conversation around how contemporary art can deepen public engagement with our shared ecosystem.
Of special interest are works about the Anacostia watershed, the Chesapeake region, and the many human and ecological communities shaped by our local waterways. Artists may also wish to engage with local, national and/or global tidal flows, stormwater systems, Indigenous water knowledge, climate activism, and the lived experiences of residents who navigate both environmental risk and environmental beauty. Public programs will activate partnerships with scientists, policy advocates, and community groups, situating artistic practice within ongoing conversations about restoration, resilience, and access.
Artists may consider the following guiding questions:
- How can art make visible the interdependence between human and non-human life within a watershed—revealing shared vulnerabilities, responsibilities, or futures?
- How might water’s spiritual or ritual significance across cultures (cleansing, blessing, rebirth, transition) resonate with themes in your work?
- If water were considered a collaborator rather than a subject, how would that shift the way you imagine, construct, or share your work?
- In what ways does the Chesapeake region’s ecosystem, cultural heritage, or histories shape your understanding of water as a connector between communities, species, and landscapes?
- What forms of play, rest, or sensory pleasure arise when you move alongside or across water, and how can your artwork honor or amplify those moments?
- How might your work acknowledge, honor, or be informed by the Indigenous tribes of the District of Columbia area —such as the Piscataway, Nacotchtank (Anacostan), Pamunkey, or other tribal nations—whose relationships to these waterways predate the District itself?
Each applicant may submit up to five original artworks for consideration that take water as a key subject, theme, or material for their work, including, but not limited to:
- Collage/Assemblage
- Ceramics
- Drawings
- Paintings
- Photographs
- Prints
- Sculptures
- Textile Arts
- Videos (<20 minutes)
Artworks will be selected by a jury panel.
For the purpose of this grant, “artist” is defined as a legal resident of Washington, DC for at least one (1) year prior to the application deadline.
CAH will award selected applicants (“grantees”) a grant for the public display of the work(s) and to support the delivery of the artwork to CAH offices. CAH grant funds must be spent within CAH’s Fiscal Year 2027 (FY 2027) (October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027).
This grant is competitive. Funding amounts will vary based on number of works selected for installation and scale of commissioned work:
- For one (1) exhibited artwork: $1,000
- For two (2) or more exhibited artworks: $1,500
- For site-specific installations: $2,000
A. PROGRAM GOALS
- Provide the opportunity for District of Columbia artists to publicly exhibit their work in an innovative, educational, and thematic art exhibition.
- Provide support, exposure, and professional benefit for visual artists residing in the District of Columbia.
- Provide a unique exhibition and related programs for District residents and visitors.
B. STATUTORY AUTHORITY
CAH has grantmaking authority under D.C. Official Code § 39-204, et seq.
C. HIGHLIGHTING CULTURE & COMMUNITY
CAH encourages all applicants to demonstrate their commitment to our community-centered framework of equality, cultural awareness, universal access, and community engagement throughout the application process. This may include highlighting the following:
- Addressing how the artwork factors in the varying access, engagement, and economic needs of the District residents expected to interact with the work.
- Supplying evidence of community benefit by providing examples in their written materials of how the work highlights the District's distinct historical, linguistic, and cultural makeup.
- Describing ways the District’s unique communities will be authentically represented, positively impacted, and thoroughly celebrated through the work, along with other relevant considerations.