ICOSA Annual/ Call for Entry
Image: ICOSA Annual juror, Dennis Nance
ICOSA Collective (Austin, TX) announces a national call for entries for ICOSA Annual, a juried group exhibition to be held in conjunction with the Austin Studio tour. Open to all US residents working in any 2D/ 3D media and video. The entry fee is $30.
Thanks to an anonymous donor, ICOSA can waive the entry fee for ten artists experiencing financial hardship. Requests are handled on a case-by-case basis. If you need a waiver, please email us at icosaannual@gmail.com before you start the application. The ICOSA Annual Committee will review your request and respond once a decision has been made.
About ICOSA
ICOSA Collective is an artist-run nonprofit art space committed to championing bold ideas, emerging voices, and experimental artistic practices. Since 2015, ICOSA has served as a platform for contemporary artists through exhibitions, sound installations, film screenings, performances, and collaborative programming that encourages dialogue and creative exchange. With more than 80 exhibitions, partnerships with artist-run spaces across the United States, and collaborations with local and regional artists, ICOSA has become an integral part of Austin's independent arts ecosystem. Visitors to the Austin Studio Tour are invited to explore current exhibitions, connect with artists, and experience a community-driven space where experimentation, collaboration, and contemporary art thrive. The gallery is located in the Canopy Arts Complex on the Eastside of Austin. ICOSA Annual is an exciting opportunity for non-member artists to showcase their work in the gallery during the Austin Studio Tour.
About the Juror
Dennis Nance is an artist and curator from Houston, Texas. He was appointed as Curator for the Galveston Arts Center in 2016 where he organizes exhibitions featuring work by contemporary artists from Texas and the Gulf Coast region. From 2007 to 2016, Nance was Exhibitions & Programming Director for Lawndale Art Center in Houston, Texas, where he worked extensively with local and regional artists through exhibitions and the Lawndale Artist Studio Program. Nance is a past member of the Artist Advisory Board for DiverseWorks and BOX 13 ArtSpace artist board member. He is a practicing artist and has been awarded grants for his work from the Houston Arts Alliance and an Idea Fund Award, administered through Aurora Picture Show, DiverseWorks Artspace and Project Row Houses and funded by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. His work has been included in exhibitions at the Art Lab at the Institute for Contemporary Art, Boston; the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston; Webb Gallery; The Brandon; BOX13 ArtSpace; and the Menil Collection bookstore. He received his BA from Austin College in Sherman, TX with a concentration in Fine Arts and French.
Exhibition Schedule
Submission deadline: Thurs, Oct. 1 (11:59pm)
Artists Notification: Thurs, Oct. 16th
Shipped Worked: Friday, Nov. 6th (Arrive before 5pm)
Hand-Delivered Work: Saturday, Nov 7th (12-4pm)
Opening Reception: Nov. 13th, 7-10pm
Show Runs: Nov. 13th - 22nd
Show Closes: Nov. 22nd Meet and greet with Curator 5pm
Work shipped back by: Dec. 1st
The exhibition opens Friday, November 13th and closes Sunday November 22nd. An opening reception will be held Friday November 13th from 7pm – 10pm. All artists and their guests are welcome. The exhibition will run in tandem with Austin Studio Tour, a free, annual, self-guided art event spanning two weekends. Icosa received over 4,000 visitors during the 2025 Austin Studio Tour.
ENTRY PROCEDURE
Entries must be submitted online no later than 11:59PM on Thursday, October 1st. Late applications will not be considered. Please submit all materials via link.
• Artist Statement/CV (no more than 3 pages)
• 5-10 images of works completed within the past two years
• Save images with your first initial, last name (Example:JDoe01.jpg)
• Do not include a price sheet or prices for submitted pieces
• Optional Video Entry, no longer than 5 minutes of video. Must be a YouTube, Vimeo link, etc. (Please make sure that the videos are not password protected.)
• $30 entry fee
Due to an anonymous donor, ICOSA can waive the entry fee for ten artists experiencing financial hardship. Requests are handled on a case-by-case basis. If you need a waiver, please email us at icosaannual@gmail.com before you start the application. The ICOSA Annual Committee will review your request and respond once a decision has been made.
ACCEPTANCE
If your work is accepted, shipped work must arrive no later than 5pm, November 6th. Hand delivered work can be dropped off on Saturday November 7th from 12-4pm. Accepted work must be ready to hang or display in a professional manner. Artists are responsible for shipping costs both ways and must include a return shipping label with their work. Pack securely. No use of Styrofoam packing pellets (bubble wrap acceptable). No glass on framing of wall-based work, plexiglass only. Work that arrives at gallery damaged will be returned un-displayed. ICOSA is not responsible for work damaged in transit. Unsold work will be packed by ICOSA in the shipping containers they arrived in and shipped out to the artists by December 1st of 2026. Pick-up of hand delivered work will be coordinated with the artists. Pick-up no later than December 1st of 2026. ICOSA will not store work past the pick-up time.
SALES
Do not include a price sheet in application. Work does not have to be for sale. Sale prices are determined by the artist (after artwork has been accepted). After Square fees, 60% of sale price goes to the artist, 40% to ICOSA. All work must be the property of the artist in order to be available for sale.
INSURANCE
Though great care will be taken in handling your work, ICOSA does not provide insurance for any piece during the ICOSA Annual exhibition. ICOSA recommends the work be insured during shipping, as the artist bears the full responsibility for loss and damage to art while in transit. ICOSA retains the right to decide which work is included in the exhibition.
IMAGE USE
By participating in the ICOSA Annual, artists grant ICOSA rights to use the selected image(s) on printed materials and the gallery website for promotional purposes only.
NOTIFICATION
Artists will be notified of acceptance or nonacceptance no later than Thursday, October 15th.
FAQ’s:
Is there a theme? There is no specific theme, but oftentimes the curator will develop a theme and exhibition title once they have chosen from the submitted works.
Are there limitations on media/ size? We are open to all 2D and 3D media including video and performance. Please be aware that as the artist you are responsible for shipping the work so please take that into consideration if you are not local. Although there is not a specific size limit, the work does need to fit through our door which is 8’h x 4’w and weighs no more than 50 lbs.
Can I submit if I live outside of the Austin area? Yes! Just be aware that you are responsible for getting your work to the gallery by either delivering or shipping. Due to shipping time, only artists who reside in the continental United States are eligible
CONTACT
Any questions, email icosaannual@gmail.com. See our website at https://www.icosacollective.com/.