Call for Submissions: Unity Through the Arts 2027 Juried Exhibition

Cultural Expressions for CHANGE in partnership with the Town of Ajax

UTTA community wall. Photo courtesy of the CE4C team.

4th Annual Unity Through the Arts Exhibition
Celebrating Cultural Diversity Through Art

Submission Deadline: Tuesday, December 15, 2026, at 11:59pm ET

Cultural Expressions for Change (CE4C), in partnership with the Town of Ajax, invites artists to submit work for the 4th Annual Unity Through the Arts (UTTA) juried exhibition. This year’s theme celebrates cultural diversity not only as identity, but through the lived traditions, creative practices and community expressions that shape how culture is shared, interpreted and passed on.

The exhibition will be presented across three Ajax venues: McLean Community Centre, Ajax Public Library and Ajax Town Hall.

We seek two-dimensional artworks exploring cultural experiences such as rituals, storytelling, textiles, food traditions, clothing, language, craft, spiritual practices and intergenerational knowledge. Submissions may also reflect migration, displacement, diaspora and community belonging. Subcultural influences, including streetwear, skate culture and other community-based movements, are welcome where they meaningfully engage with cultural identity and diversity.

CE4C strongly encourages participation from artists whose voices have historically been underrepresented, particularly Black, Indigenous and racialized artists and other equity-deserving communities.

Project Requirements

• All two-dimensional visual art mediums are welcome.
• Artwork must connect meaningfully to the exhibition theme.
• Applicants must submit a digital image(s) of the completed artwork and a statement (maximum 250 words) explaining its relationship to the theme.
• Still digital works, including photography and graphic art, must be printed and mounted for hanging.
• Selected works must be ready to hang with D-rings and wire installed.
• The work delivered must be the same work submitted for jurying; substitutions are not permitted. Works submitted to previous UTTA exhibitions are not eligible.

Eligibility

Artists (youth ages 12-18 and Adults 18+) working in two-dimensional visual media and residing in Durham Region, Ontario, and the surrounding Greater Toronto Area (GTA) communities are invited to apply. CE4C particularly encourages submissions from Black, Indigenous and racialized artists and other equity-deserving communities. Adult and youth registration categories are available.

Installation of 2025 UTTA exhibit at the RMG. Photo courtesy of the CE4C team.

Compensation

Cash awards are offered in different categories, with prize amounts varying by category. Artists selected to receive an award will be informed when invited to the awards ceremony.

Selection Process

This is a juried exhibition. Each submission must include a digital image of the completed artwork and the required artist statement (maximum 250 words); submissions missing either item will not be considered. Applicants will be notified whether their artwork was selected on Sunday, December 20, 2026.

Selected artwork drop-off: Monday, January 4, 2027 10:00am – 7:30pm. Drop-off location will depend on whether an artist is registered in the adult or youth category. Specific drop-off addresses and instructions will be provided to selected artists

Non-awarded artwork pickup and end of exhibition: Friday, January 22, 2027, before 7:30pm

Awarded artworks will be retained for display at the awards ceremony, and artists may collect their awarded pieces after the ceremony on Saturday, January 23, 2027, that same evening.

Unity Through the Arts Awards Ceremony: Saturday, January 23, 2027, 6:00 – 9:00pm, Ajax Centre for the Arts (formerly the St. Francis Centre), 78 Church Street South, Ajax, Ontario.

UTTA 2025 People’s Choice award recipients. Photo courtesy of Christina Leslie.

Submission Requirements

Complete the online artist registration form and pay the non-refundable fee by Tuesday, December 15, 2026, at 11:59pm ET.

• Submit a digital image of each completed artwork and a theme-related artist statement of no more than 250 words for each piece. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.
• Non-refundable registration fee: $45 for the adult category or $25 for the youth category; each fee covers up to two artworks.
• Artwork previously submitted to past UTTA exhibitions will not be considered; replacements or substitutions after submission are not accepted.
• Selected artwork must be ready to hang, with D-rings and wire; still digital artwork must be printed and mounted.
• Artists must arrange delivery and collection at the required times and insure their work. CE4C and the Town of Ajax do not accept responsibility for loss or damage.
• By registering, artists grant CE4C permission to use images of their submitted work to promote the exhibition.

How to Submit

To apply, review the full exhibition brief and complete the online 2027 Unity Through the Arts Artist Registration Form.

Submission Deadline: Tuesday, December 15, 2026, at 11:59pm ET.

For additional information or questions, please contact:
Unity Through the Arts Chair
Email: info@ce4c.ca | Phone number: 647-948-9388

Cultural Expressions for CHANGE (CE4C)
In partnership with the Town of Ajax

Exhibition locations (Ajax, Ontario):

• McLean Community Centre, 95 Magill Drive
• Ajax Public Library Main Branch is 55 Harwood Avenue South,
• Ajax Town Hall, 65 Harwood Avenue South
• Awards ceremony: Ajax Centre for the Arts (formerly St. Francis Centre), 78 Church Street South, Ajax

Website: www.ce4c.ca
Email: info@ce4c.ca
Phone Number: 647-948-9388

Instagram @culturalexpressionsdurham
Facebook @CulturalExpressionDurham

Accessibility: All exhibition locations—McLean Community Centre, Ajax Public Library, and Ajax Town Hall—are accessible. The Ajax Centre for the Arts, where the awards ceremony will take place, is also accessible.