Call for Submissions: A Black Art Fair 2025

Nia Centre for the Arts

Photo: Nyaomi Boogs (@nyaomiboogs)

Submission Deadline: June 11, 2025, 11:59pm
Exhibition Dates: October 25 – 26, 2025
Nia Centre for the Arts, Toronto

Applications are now officially open for the third edition of A Black Art Fair, Nia Centre’s multidisciplinary exhibition showcasing the work of Black Canadian visual artists from across the country. Nia Centre invites Black artists to submit original artworks in any medium, completed in the last five years.

This is a chance not only to showcase work alongside your peers, but also to form new professional opportunities; build connections with curators, gallerists, collectors, other artists, and community members; expand your reach; and participate in fostering a culture where Black art is celebrated and sustained.

Eligibility

Black Canadian artists aged 18+, from all stages of their artistic journeys and from anywhere in the country, are encouraged to apply. Must be based in Canada.

Compensation

A small commission fee will be applied to all works sold during the Fair. If you are not sure of how to price your work, Nia Centre will provide guidance in an orientation session before the Fair.

Selection Process

All submissions will be reviewed over a six to eight week period by A Black Art Fair’s co-curators. Kindly do not send any emails to follow up on the status. When the appointed curators have made their selections, you will receive an email.

Photo: Nyaomi Boogs (@nyaomiboogs)

Submission Requirements

• Artworks from all mediums are welcomed, but wall-based art will be prioritized for display purposes. Please include accurate sizing in your submissions.
• All entries should be original in concept, composition, and execution, and must not infringe on any copyrights or the intellectual property of others.
• Submissions must also be completed works, not conceptual ideas or works-in-progress.
• Both individual and collaborative pieces that have been completed within the last five years are welcome.
• Artwork must be ready for display, i.e. framed or mounted where applicable. Frames will not be provided for artwork.

How to Submit

Applicants can submit their artwork through our submission portal. Up to five submissions per artist are admissible.

Submission Deadline: June 11, 2025, 11:59pm

Photo: Nyaomi Boogs (@nyaomiboogs)

About A Black Art Fair

A Black Art Fair is an annual multi-day exhibition dedicated to promoting the work of Black Canadian visual artists. The last edition of A Black Art Fair, in November 2024, showcased work by 26 visual artists from across the GTA and Canada, all with roots in continental Africa, the Caribbean, and beyond. More than 500 community members attended to see 49 artworks that spanned painting, photography, textile, collage and sculpture, each articulating an artist’s personal reflection on contemporary Black life. In total, 37 of the 49 artworks sold, and ten featured artists were able to sell out all of their work.

About Nia Centre for the Arts

Nia Centre for the Arts is a Toronto-based not-for-profit organization that supports, showcases, and promotes and appreciation of arts from across the African Diaspora. Our space at 524 Oakwood Ave is Canada’s first professional Black arts centre. The Nia Centre is a space built with purpose and dedicated to Black artists and young creatives. Designed to serve a wide array of interdisciplinary arts, the Centre provides the community with a multi-purpose performance theatre, event space, a digital media lab, exhibition space and a dedicated youth hub. At Nia Centre for the Arts, we recognize the importance of making arts spaces accessible for everyone. We are committed to providing members of the public with an inclusive and diverse cultural space that is welcoming and responsive to community needs.

For additional questions or information, please contact us:
info@niacentre.org

Nia Centre for the Arts
524 Oakwood Ave
Toronto, ON M6E 2X1
niacentre.org
info@niacentre.org
(416) 535-2727

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