Call for Submissions – New Vistas: Vibrant Future

Juried Exhibition at Etobicoke Civic Centre Art Gallery

New Vistas reception, 2024. Image courtesy of ECCAG.

The City of Toronto, in partnership with Humber Polytechnic’s Arts Administration and Cultural Management 2026/27 cohort, is seeking emerging artists in the GTA from equity-seeking communities for the newest New Vistas exhibition at Etobicoke Civic Centre Art Gallery. The submission deadline is November 9, 2026.

New Vistas: Vibrant Future is a month-long juried group exhibition featuring emerging artists from the Greater Toronto Area. As we mark 50 years of arts and culture at the Etobicoke Civic Centre, this exhibition looks both backward and forward, honouring the stories that brought us here while making space for new voices, perspectives, and possibilities.

What histories, stories, and traditions do we carry forward? How might we honour, reclaim, question, or reimagine our relationships with the past? What does it mean to celebrate the communities, identities, relationships, and experiences that shape our lives today? And what might a vibrant future truly look like?

Submissions should reflect the following themes:

Memory and personal histories, cultural traditions, community and belonging, relationships to land and place, changing communities and landscapes, identity, transformation, imagined futures, or entirely different interpretations of the theme.

We welcome a wide range of visual art media. All submitted works must comply with the Etobicoke Civic Centre Art Gallery’s Terms of Entry and display requirements. Each artist can submit a maximum of TWO works of art. You are only required to submit one work of art.

Artist Opportunities

In the spirit of supporting artists as they develop their creative practices, selected artists will have the opportunity to:

• Exhibit their work at the Etobicoke Civic Centre Art Gallery
• Offer exhibited works for sale
• Be considered for promotion through New Vistas and local arts and community social media channels

New Vistas reception, 2025. Image courtesy of ECCAG.

Exhibition Info

Submission Deadline: November 9, 2026, 11:59pm
Exhibition Dates: December 2, 2026 – January 14, 2027
Opening Reception: December 5, 2026, 2 – 4pm

Delivery of Artwork: Selected artworks to be dropped off at the Etobicoke Civic Centre Art Gallery on Sunday, November 29, 2026, 9:30 – 10:30am.

Wall Space: Walls are a total of 9′4″ high x 264′ wide, with a maximum of 170 linear feet of framed work. Additional works may be placed in the display cases.

Display Cases: All three-dimensional work * must be in enclosed cases. Display cases may also be used to show additional 2-dimensional work. Our case sizes are as follows:

Two large glass cases with locks: 60″ L x 36″ W x 32″ H each

Four acrylic-topped display stands of varying sizes:
1. 24″ L x 12″ W x 18″ H
2. 28″ L x 14″ W x 22″ H
3. 32″ L x 16″ W x 28″ H
4. 30″ L x 30″ W x 35″ H

Who can Apply?

Early-career artists*, 18+, from equity-seeking communities, with a focus on IBPOC, Newcomers, Deaf, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQIA+. Artists who live or work in the Greater Toronto Area.

*Early-career artists are defined as artists in the early stages of their professional careers who have produced a small body of work and achieved some local recognition and/or have limited sales and public exhibition experience. This includes artists who have been practicing for approximately two to five years and/or post-secondary fine art students.

How to Apply

Fill out application form here! You will need to log in before completing.

Read the Terms of Entry in full before applying.

Submission Deadline: November 9, 2026, 11:59pm

For any further inquiries, please don’t hesitate to contact us at:
comms.newvistas@gmail.com
Instagram @newvistasprojects
Facebook @newvistashumber

About the Gallery

Etobicoke Civic Centre Art Gallery hosts 10 shows annually with exhibitions showcasing emerging and established visual artists/art groups by providing diverse, accessible, inclusive, and professional gallery spaces. The gallery is owned and operated by the City of Toronto Arts Services and is programmed by a dedicated gallery committee.

The gallery is a public space, displaying artworks in the halls and foyer on the main floor of the Etobicoke Civic Centre and is filled with large windows providing natural light throughout the day.

Etobicoke Civic Centre Art Gallery
399 The West Mall
Toronto, ON M9C 2Y2
toronto.ca/eccartgallery
eccartgallery@toronto.ca
416-394-8628

Gallery Hours:
Monday to Friday: 8am – 6pm
Saturday: 10am – 6pm
Sunday and Holidays: Closed