Artist Opportunities

Studio 23 Plein Air Showcase

Open to all Great Lakes Bay Region plein air artists

Deadline to Apply: December 2, 2025

On Display December 11, 2025 - January 10, 2026

Plein air artists living or working in the Great Lakes Bay Region are invited to deliver 1 to 3 plein air artworks for a Plein Air Showcase. 

  • Please limit Not for Sale entries to one.

  • Artwork should be created within the past year.

  • Open to all mediums.

  • Artwork must be ready to hang.

    • All paint must be dry. 

    • All wall-displayed works of art must be framed or gallery-wrapped. A framed work must have a wire on the back, French cleat, or appropriately sized sawtooth hanging hardware. 

  • Artworks started as plein air and finished at home are acceptable. Artworks based on preliminary studies created during plein air events are also acceptable. 

Follow the link here for registration and full details.

Bay City Players Productions

Bay City Players
1214 Columbus Ave, Bay City, MI 48708

Studio 23 partners with the Bay City Players to display artwork by local artists during production weekends, matching the theme or mood of the play being performed. Please email Amy at agibas@studio23baycity.org if you are interested in displaying during any of the listed productions.

Upcoming opportunities at the Bay City Players:

  • The Glass Menagerie, January 23-25 & January 30–February 1, 2026

  • Morning After Grace, February 20-22, 2026

  • Anastasia, April 23-26 & April 30–May 3, 2026

For more information on productions, visit baycityplayers.org.

Ongoing Opportunities

Submit an application or contact our Curator of Exhibits for the following opportunities any time. Applications are reviewed throughout the year as needed.

  • Studio 23’s Collegiate Spotlight program features the work of area college students and recent graduates with a developed portfolio of artwork. Students selected for exhibit will install artwork under the guidance of Studio 23’s Curator of Exhibits, gaining valuable hands-on experience in a gallery setting.

    Applications are reviewed and selected by Studio 23 Curator of Exhibits throughout the year.

    Follow the link here to apply.

  • Studio 23 partners with local businesses to bring a rotating display of artwork to lobbies, conference rooms, seating areas, and more within our community. We currently partner with six area businesses with a variety of spaces and needs.

    For information on displaying your artwork with one of our partnering businesses, contact Curator of Exhibits & Membership Amy Gibas at agibas@studio23baycity.org.

    Click the link here to learn more about our partner’s spaces.

  • Studio 23 hosts six exhibits per year, including solo, group, and juried and student exhibitions. We are currently planning for the 2025 exhibition season. For information on how to submit an application for exhibition, follow the link below.

    Click here for Application for Exhibition at Studio 23/The Arts Center

  • Members of Studio 23 are eligible to display artwork for sale in the Studio 23 Off the Wall Member Gallery Boutique. Purchases made from the Off the Wall Gallery may be taken home the same day, or placed on layaway to be taken home once payment is complete. The Off the Wall Gallery is continuously updated as artwork is sold and new art is delivered.

    For information on becoming a member, visit our membership page.

    To schedule an appointment to discuss displaying your work, contact Curator of Exhibits & Membership Amy Gibas at agibas@studio23baycity.org.

Upcoming Opportunities

Check back for applications to these annual and biannual opportunities.

  • The mission of the Studio 23 Visiting Artist Program, through selection of an annual visiting artist, is to enhance the experience of Art for our community via exposure to a greater diversity of artists, art media, and artistic styles.

    Application is open to artists of all media and styles, with preference for those that will meet the program’s mission of bringing more diversity to our community. Please see application below for application requirements, requirements of the selected artist, and details on funding.

    This opportunity is made possible by the C Joanne Grabinski Visiting Artist Fund.

    Application to the Studio 23 Visiting Artist Program will become available again in 2026.

  • Students, Faculty, and The 100 Day Project members of Studio 23 are invited to submit up to five pieces of artwork for Painters and Potters 2025 exhibit. Must have been enrolled in a class between July 2023 - July 2024. All artwork must have been created during that time and not exhibited in Painters and Potters before.

    Registration for Painters & Potters has passed and will be available again in 2026.

  • 50 Artists of the Great Lakes Bay Region is a bi-annual juried exhibition which showcases the works of 50 artists who live and/or work in the Michigan counties of Saginaw, Bay, Midland, Isabella, Gratiot, Clare, Gladwin, and Arenac. Each of the 50 artists featured in this exhibit is also included in our Art Around the City project. Art Around the City is an outdoor exhibition that you can view in Downtown and Uptown Bay City, Veterans Park, and Bigelow Park around the Bay City Railtrail.

    Deadline for entry has passed. Application for 50 Artists of the Great Lakes Bay Region and Art Around the City will be available again in 2027.

  • This juried exhibition shines a spotlight on the current artwork created by artists from across the state of Michigan. The body of work displayed is an energetic blend of abstraction and realism from our state’s talented and accomplished artists.

    Michigan artists 18 years of age or older are invited to enter MI Artists All-State Juried Exhibition at Studio 23/The Arts Center. Applicants may enter up to three pieces of work for consideration.

    MI Artists will return to Studio 23 in 2026.