Soo Visual Arts Center, founded in 2001, is a non-profit 501 (c)3 arts organization.
Mission: Soo Visual Arts Center (SooVAC) is a nonprofit art space that connects our community with fresh, under-represented and provocative art.
Vision: Soo Visual Arts Center is a gathering place where art is shared and made, a center for artists and the community and a home where the gift of space and time will encourage ideas to become creations.We have exhibited over 3900 under-represented artists since opening our doors in 2001. As a leader in discovering new talent and with a strong focus on emerging artists , SooVAC offers year-round exhibition programming coupled with educational support, artist talks, and workshops. Our curatorial focus promotes contemporary artists whose work challenges and expands conventional notions of aesthetics. Through this approach, we enable artists to explore and grow while fostering an environment that encourages artists to take risks in their artwork and to push themselves in new directions.
Take a look at our past and current shows HERE.
SooVAC's CALL FOR EXHIBITIONS Winter 2027-2028.
SooVAC is interested in any form of visual art from individual artists, collaborative teams, or curatorial proposals at any career stage. Exhibitions will be awarded on the merits of artists' previous work; a proposal is not required. Group exhibitions will be considered; however, the panel's focus will be on solo exhibitions.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Monday, August 31st, 2026, 11:59 PM.
Soo Visual Arts Center provides equal opportunity and access to its facilities and programs to all individuals regardless of race, national origin, gender, age, beliefs, sexual orientation, or disability in admission, access, or employment. Upon request, accommodations will be provided to individuals who face barriers to participation in SooVAC services, programs, and activities.
Our gallery is located at 2909 Bryant Ave South, Suite 101, Minneapolis, MN 55408.
If you have any technical questions about uploading your submissions, contact Submittable. If you have any questions about the content of your application, contact Alison at alison@soovac.org.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS-Group applications will still need to follow the guidelines below, but also must contain information on all the included artists:
1. Application Form-Fill in all of your contact information on Submittable.
2. WORK SAMPLES-EXACTLY 10 Work Samples (FOR VIDEO SEE BELOW*) Group exhibitions or collaborative projects are also accepted, but the images cannot exceed 10. Digital Image Specifications: Images should be in a JPEG format no larger than 1000 x 1000 pixels @ 72 dpi. Format each JPEG file name as “Artist’s last name_Artist’s first name_1.jpg,” “Artist’s last name_ Artist’s first name_2.jpg,” etc. Each JPEG may not exceed 1MB and 1000 pixels in any direction. *Video Submissions are also accepted in .mov format, no larger than 300MB, and no more than 2 min clips for each video submission label the same as image files. Work samples cannot exceed 10 but can be a combination of video and image files.
3. IMAGE LIST- Fill out each Image description field with the following information: List the following information for each work (make sure your image number corresponds to the label on your JPEG images): -Title of work -Date completed -Medium -Dimensions (H” x W” x D”) PLEASE INCLUDE TITLE, MEDIUM, DIMENSIONS, AND DATE OR YOUR APPLICATION WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
4. ARTIST STATEMENT/Proposal – doc, docx, txt, rtf, or pdf format accepted. Label this document: Artist’s last name_Artist’s first name_artiststatement.doc ex. Doe_Jane_Artiststatement.doc. No longer than 1 page.
5. RESUME – doc, docx, txt, rtf, or pdf format accepted. Label this document: Artist’s last name_Artist’s first name_Resume.doc ex. Doe_Jane_Resume.doc. Please provide a website if you have one. If you are applying as a group or collaborative team, include all participating artists' resumes in one document.
GOOD THINGS TO KNOW
1. Notification will be done by email or phone, so please include BOTH on your application. 2. Paying for Shipping to and from SooVAC will be the artist's responsibility. However, a modest stipend will be provided.
CHECKLIST: The following must be submitted by Monday, August 31st, 2026, 11:59 PM.
___Application Form (Fill Out all of your information on Submittable Contact Info Box)
___10 IMAGES OF YOUR ARTWORK-JPEG format (.jpg)
___IMAGE LIST IMAGE LIST (Fill out Description box for each corresponding image please include; Title, medium, date, and dimensions – additional description optional)
___RESUME 2 Pages Max (doc, docx, txt, rtf or pdf format accepted.).
___ARTIST STATEMENT 1 page Max (doc, docx, txt, rtf, or pdf format accepted).
PLEASE FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY; INCOMPLETE OR INCORRECT SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
CURATORIAL PANEL
Sophia Abrams is a filmmaker, curator, and artist based in Brooklyn and Minneapolis. Abrams graduated from UW-Madison with degrees in journalism and African American Studies. In May 2022, Abrams curated Black Expressions, Camouflage and Cologne, and Time(is) in spaces around Madison, Wisconsin. Sophia’s directed and produced art documentaries for PBS Wisconsin. She’s worked with the Brooklyn Museum and the Studio Museum in Harlem. At Soo Visual Arts Center, Sophia currently serves on the curatorial board. She’s worked on projects for BET, Universal Pictures, and HBO documentaries on the history of Black television. She’s currently in post-production on her first film, Shifting Space.
Dahn Gim works through material transformation, altering and reassembling repurposed objects and personal archives to navigate shifting boundaries between familiar and unfamiliar, known and unknown. After completing her MFA from UCLA, she has exhibited internationally at venues including Somerset House (UK); Post Territory Ujeongguk and Dongdaemun Design Plaza (South Korea); Currents New Media (Santa Fe); Somerset House (UK); Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Hammer Museum, Human Resources, Steve Turner Gallery, UCLA Art | Sci Center, Culture Hub, Kala Art Gallery (CA); Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery, Stony Brook University (NY); Rochester Art Center, Minnesota Museum of American Art, and Hair and Nails Gallery (MN). Gim is a recipient of the 2026 Minnesota State Arts Board’s Creative Individual Grant, 2025 MRAC Artist Impact Grant, and the 2024-2026 McKnight Visual Artist Fellowship. dahngim.com
Alison Hiltner is SooVAC's Associate Director, and her visual arts practice explores how science fiction cinema shapes contemporary understandings of scientific research and how that knowledge filter will affect future technological advancement. Some of her notable credits include shows at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Telemark Art Center in Norway, the Weisman Art Museum, 16 Tech in Indianapolis, the Rochester Art Center, and the UCLA Art | Sci Center in Los Angeles. She received several Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grants, three MRAC/McKnight Foundation Next Step Grants, a Jerome Foundation Fellowship, an Artists on the Verge Northern Lights/Jerome Foundation Fellowship, two McKnight Visual Artist Fellowships, and an artist-in-residence at the University of Minnesota’s School of Medicine through an experimental program at the Weisman Art Museum. Most recently, Hiltner had a solo exhibition at the Practice Gallery in Philadelphia, was named 2024 Innovator of the Year by the International Sculpture Center (ISC), and will exhibit a work at the Katherine E. Nash Gallery at the University of Minnesota in the fall of 2026. alisonhiltner.com
Xavier Tavera has been passionate about portraiture for most of his life as a way to engage with people and their stories. Tavera’s work oscillates between documentary and the imagined with the sole purpose of telling a story. After moving from Mexico City to the United States, Tavera has devoted himself to telling the stories of the Latin American diaspora, often recontextualizing them to provide visibility and fair representation. Tavera has shown his work extensively in the Twin Cities, nationally and internationally, including Germany, Scotland, Mexico, Chile, Uruguay, Switzerland, Portugal, Greece, and China. His work is part of the collections of the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Plains Art Museum, Minnesota Museum of American Art, Minnesota History Center, Ramsey County Historical Society, the Weisman Art Museum, and the National Museum of Mexican Art. He is a recipient of the McKnight Fellowship, the Jerome Travel Award, the State Arts Board, and the Bronica Scholarship. Most recently, Xavier has exhibited work at the Perlman Museum, Northfield, MN; Parallel Lives, Bloomington Center for the Arts, Bloomington, MN; and Future Fair 2026, NYC. xaviertavera.com