Foyer Art Gallery Exhibit Application

The Albany Community Center Foyer Gallery is a civic exhibition space supported by the City of Albany and managed by the Albany Arts Committee. The Gallery hosts rotating exhibitions throughout the year featuring artists from Albany and the greater Bay Area. Located within the Albany Community Center and adjacent to the Albany Library, the Foyer Gallery is situated in a highly visible public space regularly used by families, youth programs, and community members of all ages.

The purpose of the Foyer Gallery is to provide accessible opportunities for artistic expression, encourage cultural engagement, and enhance the experience of visitors to this shared civic facility. Exhibitions typically remain on display for approximately three months.

The Foyer Gallery is located within the main lobby of the Albany Community Center and consists of four wall-mounted display areas. Each display surface is constructed of white-painted 3/4-inch plywood backer board designed to support two-dimensional artwork.

Artwork must fit entirely within the boundaries of the designated panels and may not extend beyond them. Individual artwork may not exceed 3 inches in projection from the wall surface. All artwork must be appropriately framed or finished and compatible with the City's required security hardware system. The City reserves the right to determine final artwork placement within the designated panels.

The gallery supports two-dimensional artwork only. Three-dimensional, freestanding, suspended, ceiling-mounted, or floor-mounted works are not permitted.

Panel dimensions (in inches) are as follows.

North Wall

• Left Panel 82 high x 125 wide
• Right Panel 82 high x 125 wide.

East Wall

• Left Panel 82 high x 37.5 wide
• Right Panel 82 high x 82.5 wide.

South Wall

• Left Panel 82 high x 31 wide
• Right Panel 82 high x 44 wide.

West Wall

• Left Panel 82 high x 38 wide
• Right Panel 82 high x 38 wide

The Albany Community Center Foyer Gallery is open to individual artists, artist teams, and collectives residing in Albany and the greater Bay Area. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age.

Applications will be reviewed and selected by the Albany Arts Committee. In addition to submitted materials, the Committee may review the applicant's website and publicly available professional social media accounts to better understand the artist's body of work, exhibition history, and consistency of artistic practice.

Applications are evaluated on artistic merit and originality, cohesiveness of the proposed exhibition, appropriateness for a civic family-oriented facility, technical suitability for display, professional presentation of materials, and consistency of artistic practice. The Arts Committee may request additional information prior to final selection.

Applications may be submitted online, by email, or by mail. To submit online, complete the application form available on the City of Albany website and upload all required materials through the form. To submit by email, send one complete application as a single PDF attachment (maximum 25 MB) to the Albany City Clerk at cityclerk@albanyca.gov.

To submit by mail, send one complete printed application including printed copies of all required written materials and one printed image of each artwork submitted (up to ten images) to Albany City Clerk, 1000 San Pablo Ave., Albany, CA 94706. Hard copy materials will not be returned.

All applications must include the following:

• applicant name(s), mailing address, phone, email, and website and social media links if available
• Letter of Interest of no more than 250 words describing your artistic practice and your interest in exhibiting in the Foyer Gallery
• an Artist Statement of no more than 250 words
• a working title for the proposed exhibition
• an Exhibition Proposal of no more than 250 words describing the body of work, theme, number of works, and intended presentation within the gallery space
• a current resume or CV outlining relevant artistic experience;
• and up to ten images representative of the proposed exhibition. Each image must include the title, year, medium, dimensions, and price if applicable. Images must be properly oriented and may not include text, borders, or graphic elements that are not part of the artwork

Artists may provide a price list for interested parties. The City does not process sales and does not take a commission on artwork sold.

Selected artists are responsible for the timely installation and removal of artwork as designated in the artist contract, providing appropriate labels for each piece displayed, payment of any required refundable hardware deposit, and participation in an opening reception if scheduled.

Application Deadline: June 12, 2026. Notification of Selection: September 2026. Installation Period: January through December 2027. Exhibition Duration: Approximately three months. For questions about the program, contact Jeremy Allen at jeallen@albanyca.gov or 510-559-7223.

The City of Albany reserves the right to reject any or all applications. Submission of materials does not constitute a contract. All submitted materials become part of the public record unless otherwise protected by law. The City may remove artwork that materially violates the published guidelines.