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Dark Art

Open Call to Artists

Exhibits open during Art Walk on the 1st Friday of every month. 6pm-10pm

Gallery hours Monday through Friday 10:00am – 5:00pm

Extended Gallery Hours most Fridays until 10pm

Occasionally galleries may be closed for private events

– Please call ahead for gallery hours –

Donation Entry Fee

Enter If You Dare…

Every year, artists are invited to venture into the shadows.

Dark Art is the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center’s largest and most anticipated open call exhibition of the year, celebrating work that explores the mysterious, macabre, surreal, gothic, eerie, and beautifully unconventional.

But darkness is more than haunted imagery and creatures of the night.

It is also deeply human.

It is grief and resilience.
Anxiety and healing.
Fear and transformation.
Isolation and hope.
The dreams that keep us awake.
The memories we cannot shake.
The emotions we struggle to put into words.

Dark Art invites artists to transform these experiences into powerful visual expressions. Whether your work reveals monsters from mythology, psychological landscapes, unsettling beauty, social commentary, or personal catharsis, we welcome art that embraces the complexity of the human experience.

We encourage bold ideas, fearless storytelling, and artwork that lingers in the imagination long after viewers leave the gallery.

Show us what exists in the shadows.

Eligible Media

All visual art media are welcome, including:

• Painting

• Drawing

• Sculpture

• Mixed Media

• Photography

• Printmaking

• Fiber Arts

• Ceramic

• Glass

• Digital Art

• Installation

• Video Art

Please Note:
Artwork created wholly or partially using generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not eligible for this exhibition.

Performance Artists

We are seeking artists interested in creating live painting or other visual art performances during Opening Night.

If you are interested in performing live, please contact:

artcurator.sbdac@gmail.com

Performance opportunities are limited and will be scheduled in advance.

Costumes Encouraged

Opening Night is an experience as much as an exhibition.

Artists and guests are encouraged to wear costumes, gothic attire, fantasy, horror, Victorian, dark elegance, or any imaginative ensemble inspired by the spirit of the exhibition.

Come dressed to celebrate the wonderfully strange.

Eligibility

Open to all artists. 

Artists may submit up to three (3) original works.

Artwork must have been completed within the last three years and must not have been previously exhibited at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center.

Artwork Specifications

• Two-dimensional artwork must be professionally presented and ready to hang with wire installed.

• Three-dimensional artwork must be stable and ready for display.

• Maximum size: 72 inches on the longest side.

• Large installations must be approved prior to acceptance.

• Art must be for sale, NFS will not be accepted. 

The Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center reserves the right to decline artwork that differs significantly from the submitted image or is not professionally prepared for exhibition.

Important Dates

Submission Deadline
September 21, 2026

Artwork Delivery
September 28, 2026, 10am – 4:30pm

Opening Reception
Friday, October 2, 2026
6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Exhibition Closes
October 15, 2026

Artwork Pick-Up
October 16, 10am – 5pm.

Sales

Artwork may be offered for sale.

The Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center retains a 40% commission on all artwork sold during the exhibition.

Why Enter?

Because some ideas refuse to stay in the light.

Because beauty can be unsettling.

Because monsters often wear familiar faces.

Because vulnerability is courageous.

Because art gives shape to the emotions we cannot always explain.

Whether your work whispers or screams, unsettles or mesmerizes, Dark Art invites you to share the parts of yourself that rarely find daylight.

Join us this October for an unforgettable celebration of imagination, mystery, and the beautifully strange.

We can’t wait to see what emerges from the darkness.