Inconspicuous Interference
Submission deadline: April 22, 2026
Application fee: $25
The history of the United States is filled with craftspeople whose lives were spent creating and honing their skills, not only as a means of survival, but also in pursuit of building a brighter future for themselves and their communities. The efforts of metalsmiths, ceramicists, textile artists, woodworkers, and countless other unnamed and unrecognized artisans were integral to the founding and evolution of our nation. The efforts of craftspeople have been vital to critical moments in American history, including the American Revolution, the underground railroad and the abolition of slavery, the suffragist movement, the unionization of labor, and acknowledgement of the AIDS crisis.
Today, craftspeople continue to have substantial power in our collective work towards a brighter future. When so much of our material environment is made in far-distant factories, intended to be quickly discarded, craft acts as an inflection point and interrupts this mindless cycle of consumption. Through the thoughtful making, repair, and use of objects, we are presented with an opportunity to re-shape the world we live in, both in the broader communities and economies to which we contribute and in the microcosm of our own daily lives. Hand-crafted objects that are carried on the body hold the potential to serve as both personal talismans and tools for social and political change.
For Inconspicuous Interference, the Baltimore Jewelry Center is seeking artwork which investigates the role of objects carried on the body as instruments for resistance, protest, and change. How do craftspeople, as makers, do our part in building a brighter future? What role do our objects play in building that future?
Artists are welcome to submit up to three artworks.
Instructions:
To apply, each applicant should:
Submit up to three artworks and pay the $25 application fee via Artcall.
Important Dates:
April 22, 2026: Application Deadline
May 11, 2026: Application Response
June 15, 2026: Artwork due at BJC studio
June 26 - August 7, 2026: Exhibition on view
If you have any questions, please contact us via email at bjcexhibitions@gmail.com
2026 Graduate Exhibition
Submission deadline: June 7, 2026
Application fee: $25
This exhibition will feature the work of emerging jewelers and metalsmiths as they complete their formal education while also acting as an archive and spotlight for the work being created by recent graduates. The goal of this annual exhibition is to highlight the work that is being produced by graduating jewelers and metalsmiths using an open and inclusive framework, with the desire to capture the depth and breadth of what is currently being created in the field.
Applicants must have graduated with a Certificate, BA, BS, BFA, MA, or MFA in metals and/or jewelry or a related field of study during the Fall 2025–Spring 2026 academic year.
Eligible artworks must be made between 2024 and 2026, and may include jewelry, wearables, and/or small sculptures measuring no larger than 12 inches in any dimension.
Artists are welcome to submit up to three artworks.
The exhibition will feature an award for Best In Show as chosen by the Baltimore Jewelry Center’s eight-person exhibitions committee. the artist awarded best in how will receive a one-month emerging artist residency with the BJC. The timing of the residency will be decided on between the awarded artist and the BJC. More details about residencies at the Baltimore Jewelry Center be found here.
Instructions:
To apply, each applicant should:
Submit up to three artworks and pay the $25 application fee via Artcall.
Important Dates:
June 7, 2026: Application Deadline
July 6, 2026: Application Response
August 3, 2026: Artwork due at BJC studio
August 14 - September 2026: Exhibition on view
If you have any questions, please contact us via email at bjcexhibitions@gmail.com
About the Baltimore Jewelry Center
The Baltimore Jewelry Center is a 501c3 educational nonprofit building a vibrant creative community for the study and practice of metalworking for new and established artists. We offer classes, workshops, and studio space rental to anyone with an interest in contemporary jewelry and metalsmithing. In addition to our education program, the Baltimore Jewelry Center helps metal and jewelry artists grow sustainable business practices by offering professional development, sales opportunities, and a promotional platform.
Our exhibitions program is a robust component of the Baltimore Jewelry Center and supplements the education we provide to our students and community. Through exhibitions that showcase national and international artists in the art jewelry and metals field we offer students an up close and personal view of the innovations and freshness happening in the field at large.
What does my entry fee support?
The Baltimore Jewelry Center is a 501c3 educational nonprofit with a small staff and budget. Entry fees cover:
Administrative costs associated with the gallery
Promotional/print materials
Exhibition install and display materials
Shipping and insurance
Opening reception costs
Packaging
The Artist agrees to provide suitable/durable wrapping, boxing material, and wrapping/boxing instructions for the transport and storage of their work to the Baltimore Jewelry Center.
Submission Guidelines:
Please email images, completed entry forms and any other requested materials to bjcexhibitions@gmail.com with the exhibition title in the subject line.
Entry fees must be made via PayPal (make payment to bjcexhibitions@gmail.com). Applications will not be reviewed until the entry fee has been paid in full. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Image Guidelines:
Please send jpeg images only. Images should be 300dpi, and approximately 4x6 inches. You may include one detail image of each piece submitted.
Please label each image with your last name, first name, and title. See example below:
LastName_FirstName_Title.jpg
LastName_FirstName_Title_Detail.jpg
Sales
Work may be for sale or for exhibition only, at the artist’s discretion.
Sales will be split 60/40 retail price between the artist and the Baltimore Jewelry Center.
Insurance
While part of the exhibition all work will be insured for the wholesale price. The Baltimore Jewelry Center will insure the work from point of receipt of work (including storage).
Artists are responsible for shipping and insurance to the Baltimore Jewelry Center. The gallery will be responsible for return shipping, but artists are welcome to prepay for return shipping.
