Open Call for Artists | Wave Hill Sunroom Project Space

Located in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, Wave Hill is a 28-acre public garden and cultural center overlooking the Hudson River and Palisades with the mission to explore human connections to the natural world through programs in horticulture, education and the arts. Contemporary art and programs are presented in Glyndor Gallery, Wave Hill House, and across the Wave Hill grounds. The organization’s art-incubator programs—the Sunroom Project Space and Winter Workspace Residency—support emerging and mid-career artists with unique opportunities to conduct research and develop works at the intersection of nature, culture and site. Wave Hill’s year-round performances focus on creating a diverse and innovative series hosted in multiple locations both indoors and in the garden.

Organized by Curator of Visual Arts Rachel Raphaela Gugelberger, the Sunroom Project Space is an open call opportunity for New York-area artists to research, develop and present a site-specific project as a solo exhibition in the Sunroom and Sun Porch at Glyndor Gallery. Wave Hill invites proposals for artist projects that thoughtfully respond to and engage with the site—its plant collections, history, design, and architecture—with a focus on the interconnected relationships between nature, culture, and the Bronx. For the 2026 season, Wave Hill is particularly interested in projects for the Sunroom and Sun Porch that center non-human life and offer new perspectives on the concept of nature, particularly as it challenges speciesism—the belief that humans are inherently superior to other living organisms, a view often reflected in how we treat non-human animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, and other life forms. Proposals should consider the defining characteristics of living organisms—including energy use, growth and development, reproduction, responsiveness to stimuli, adaptation, homeostasis, and metabolism—as well as their complex behaviors and cognitive capacities. 

Four to six artists will be selected for solo presentations. Artists will receive an honorarium of $2,000 each, exhibition and professional development support, and will have six to twelve months to research and develop their ideas. Organized by Curator of Visual Arts Rachel Raphaela Gugelberger, each project is accompanied by a Meet the Artist program that is co-designed with the artist, and a short essay published both in print and online. The Meet the Artist program provides an opportunity for Wave Hill visitors, the artist’s communities, and others to learn about each artist’s creative process and the themes that shape their work. 

Learn more about Wave Hill exhibitions here. 

Information Session: Monday, July 7, 12 – 1 PM. RSVP to [email protected] with the subject line "2026 Sunroom Project Space Info Session." 

Eligibility & Guidelines: 

• Wave Hill welcomes applications from artists who work across media; 
• Are in the early stages of their career regardless of education; 
• Live within a 50-mile radius of the Bronx; 
• Artists may submit proposals for consideration online through SlideRoom;
•  Applications are reviewed by a jury comprising Wave Hill’s Curator of Visual Arts, an invited guest curator, and a prior 2025 Sunroom Project Space artist. Artists interested in applying are encouraged to visit Wave Hill and Wave Hill’s website and arts pages before applying.
• Students enrolled in a degree-granting program; artists with commercial gallery representation; and/or artists who have previously exhibited at Wave Hill are not eligible to apply.  

08/03/2025