For the self-taught. For those working in the mundane. For those who start late. For those who create in the margins.
Accent Accent invites submissions for “After Hours”, a July exhibition dedicated to self-taught artists—those who never went to art school, who never received formal training, who work in industries that may seem distant from art but still feel compelled to create.
This exhibition is held in memory of a beloved friend and former staff member of Accent Accent. By day, she was an engineer at Amazon; by night, she was a poet—one of many who make art in the quiet, in-between spaces of life. This show is for artists like her: the insurance analyst who sketches on lunch breaks, the data entry worker who writes poetry on the subway, the chemist who sculpts in secret.
This exhibition is for those who create in the margins, who write beyond their daily lives, and whose voices deserve to be heard.
We are looking for work that reflects this duality of existence—living one life while making art for another. There is no requirement to engage with science or technology in your work. What matters is that your background is outside the art world, and your day job might be somewhere monotonous, corporate, technical, or far from creative industries. This is a space for those who create despite it all.
You are welcome to submit your work for this exhibition if
- You have never attended an MFA program, and your family doesn’t do art and doesn’t support your pursuit of it.
- You are currently working in a non-art field (big tech, finance, administration, catering, real estate…).
- You have always been creating art but must rely on multiple boring jobs to sustain yourself.
- You’ve reached a certain age and suddenly feel like you can’t keep living like this. (Any one of these criteria is enough to qualify.)
We welcome submissions in various forms, including but not limited to
- Visual art: painting, photography, sculpture, video, digital art, installations…
- Writing: poetry, fiction, essays, cross-genre texts, archival materials…
- Live works: performance art, spoken word…
Participation Requirements
- A self-statement (at least 250 words) introducing your current job and life background, as well as your motivation for creating and participating in this exhibition. This statement may be used in the exhibition itself.
- Photos of the work, a proposal, or an excerpt of the work you plan to exhibit. Participation Details:
- A submission fee of $25 is required.
- You are expected to personally install your work and introduce it during the exhibition period.
- There will be opportunities during the exhibition for readings, performances, and discussions on self-taught creative practices.
- Although this is a community-supported exhibition, due to the limited size of the exhibition space, works will be selected on a merit-based system. Submission does not guarantee inclusion in the exhibition.
- The submission fee can be applied as credit toward any Accent Sisters workshop, course, or books.
Submission Deadline
June 23, 2025
Exhibition Time
July 18 – 30, 2025
Scan the QR Code To Apply
Venue
Accent Sisters
85 5th Ave, #702, New York, NY 10003
For more information
https://www.instagram.com/accentsisters/?hl=en
(text & photo courtesy of Accent Sisters)
