Calls - the Word
with Heather René Dunaway
August 2026
Y’all…
I opened so many calls last week and this week. My brain feels like mush. I was so happy to take a break from it all and design a festival badge tee to sell in the Merch tent at this year’s festival. In true millennial fashion (and because we didn’t have any badges in our collection prior to 1990) the badges run from 1990-2019. The festival is turning 45 this year. It’s become a nostalgic time for a lot of people. So, what better way to celebrate than to become a “certified badge collector.”
Anyways, back to the calls I made. We have two gallery calls, 2 public art calls, and 3 festival calls open for artists to apply to.
Gallery Calls
For the galleries, we have our end of year showcases coming up. In the City Gallery, that means our annual Winter Art Showcase. This show is a $200.00 and under exhibition for the gift giving season. It’s our biggest selling show of the year, as folks are shopping for unique gifts for the holidays. The City Gallery is huge, and this show we try to cram as much as we can in. The biggest show I have ever hung in that space saw 130+ artworks and I almost died by the end of installation.
In the Augusta & Co. Gallery, we are hosting our first ever clay based Show! Which is super exciting. Titled “Georgia Clay,” this show will highlight the rich history of clay in Augusta while allowing artists to explore not just ceramics, but pottery, sculpture, Jewelry, Mosaics, and Mixed Media. Heck, anything that uses clay, I am down to show. Want to dye textiles using our Georgia Red Clay, that would be cool with me. I really want to highlight the versatility of clay in this show. This exhibition is also a $200 and under art sale.
Both of these gallery shows are a great way to clear out your inventory and make room for new work!
Click the images to learn more! >>
Public Art Calls
For the public art calls, we have the “Snappy” sculpture call for a durable, 10ft wide piece inspired by the Common Snapping Turtle, to be installed at Phinizy Center for Water Sciences and Nature Park along the popular Beaver Trail.
This project is funded by the Georgia Rehabilitation Institute. A long standing parter of our public art initiatives.
We just installed “Swimming Colors” and “Keep To the Path” last and earlier this year. “Snappy” will make the 6th sculptural installation at Phinizy. We are hopeful that this budding sculpture trail will span across the park and connect arts lovers with nature and vice versa. Art is a great way to highlight how wonderful the great outdoors is and why its so important to conserve our waterways, protect our critters, and secure our future.
We have “Chompy” the gator, now we are going to have “Snappy” the turtle. It’s just so fitting.
I, for one, LOVE working with Phinizy on these public art projects. The whole gang over there is so passionate and motivated to do great work. They are quite literally the easiest partners to have.
The next public art call is for the next iteration of the Augusta Sculpture Trail! This will mark the 4th time we have brought artists from local to across the country to exhibit work in Augusta, Ga. So, a light round of applause for making Augusta an Arts destination.
For those of you who aren’t familiar, back in ye olde covid times, the Arts Council along with the City of Augusta started the Augusta Sculpture Trail. Which is 10 sculptures, on loan from the Artists for 24 months, displayed in Downtown Augusta, Ga. We have a free self guided tour, and a paid tour available. Part of the trail is also featured on our Promenade & Paint experience. Each iteration sees 1-3 sculptures on average stay behind and become permanent fixtures along the trail. To date we have 18 sculptures.
Click the images to learn more! >>
We are currently surveying the community to see which of the current 10 loaned sculptures we want to see stay. You can click here to take the survey.
This call is going live on August 1, 2026 via Call for Entry (CAFE) .
Don’t worry, you’ll be able to find it on our website soon! Check back in the Calls and Careers resource page soon.
I am really excited to see these new sculptures enter Augusta at such a pivotal time. Construction will be winding down, new sculptures going in encouraging folks to get out and explore our city again. The Riverwalk is going to be getting some much needed TLC as part of the city’s 30 year plan.
I am also interested to see which of the 10 sculptures the public picks… We have a lot of cool ones this time around. Voting closes August 1st! Don’t miss your chance to take the survey!
Festival Calls
The Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival, which has been heavy on my noggin for the past few months, has quite a few open calls with opportunities for local artists of all ages!
The Young Artist Market is accepting applications through September 4th. Youth Emerging Artist Members of the Arts Council are eligible to participate. Each are allotted a 3’x3′ space to showcase their talents and make some money over the weekend to buy Pokemon cards or beanie babies (or whatever they like these days).
The open call for volunteer fiber art in the Family Area is near and dear to my heart. These colorful installations really make a visual impact and get the kids excited about art in the family area. This year’s theme is “wild water” and the installations will be at the main entrance into the Family Area activity center.
Finally, and this one is probably the coolest opportunity, the Emerging Local Artist Alley (the ELAA for short). This is going to be an incubator hub for crafty local creatives to learn what it takes to work the festival circuit. Lead by our friends at 4P Studios. This is great for YAMs who have aged out of the YAM, college students, or self taught creatives who are just getting their feet wet in markets.
Click any of the below images to visit the apps and learn more.
That’s the word.
Now, I’ll get to work on the next few calls for post festival…
-Heather