Calls for proposals for exhibitions and projects

The Michaelis Gallery has a long held history of open exhibitions and ‘hosted’ exhibitions by young people and students alongside high-quality professional academics and artists. The production and reception of art is increasingly discursive and the academic environment at Michaelis allows for the analytical staging of art exhibitions that pay close attention to the interaction between artworks and paracuratorial formats that exist within the expanded field of discursive art: like the interdisciplinary research project; artistic research; pedagogical activities. The galleries approach in content conceptualisation has a user-generated direction through involving peers and collaborators in the co-production of exhibitions that offer multi-layered experiences through the physical gallery space, and offsite spaces. This allows the use of the facilities by other cultural organisations, which offer opportunities for exchanges and broadcasts about the Galleries programmes to the general public.

Proposal deadlines 2024:
30 March for proposals of exhibitions 1 June-31 December 2024
30 September for proposals of exhibitions 1 January-30 June 2025

Guide for proposals:

  • Anyone is allowed to submit proposals, which are reviewed by the Galleries Committee twice a year.
  • Proposals should be submitted to the Galleries curator, Jade Nair: jade.nair@uct.ac.za . All proposals are reviewed by the Galleries Committee who decide on the outcome.
  • The gallery does not have an in-house installation team, please ensure that your exhibition plan includes the resources and labour necessary to install and uninstall your exhibition.
  • What we provide: a clean space and clean walls; access to the gallery’s AV equipment (dependent on availability) incl. projector, plinths, shelves, TV, speaker and  headphones; access to the gallery’s tools and lighting; coverage on the school’s website and social media.
  • Exhibitors are encouraged to contribute to the educational outcomes of the school, which may manifest through, for example, walkabouts, panel discussions or workshops.
  • Exhibitors are encouraged to apply with their own funding plan as the gallery’s annual budget is, mostly, dedicated to the maintenance of spaces and resources.

Proposal form download: Michaelis Galleries_Exhibition Proposal Form