What Becomes Possible
Exhibition Dates: February 26 through April 24, 2027
Submissions Due: January 5, 2027
Mark Rengers Gallery and Sweetwater Center for the Arts invite members of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh (AAP) to submit work for What Becomes Possible, a spring exhibition exploring the power of artists to inspire the next generation.
Presented at the First National Bank Exhibition Hall, What Becomes Possible brings contemporary art and arts education together through an exhibition of work by local artists and meaningful creative experiences for students participating in the Youth Arts Possibilities Program (YAPP).
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
What Becomes Possible begins with a simple idea: encountering an artist can change the way a young person imagines their future.
The exhibition will introduce YAPP students to the work and creative lives of practicing contemporary artists. Through experiencing the exhibition, meeting artists, and creating work of their own, students will discover that art is not only something found in galleries and museums. It is something created by real people through curiosity, practice, persistence, and imagination.
For participating artists, the exhibition offers more than an opportunity to show their work. It is an invitation to share something of their creative journey with a new generation and help young people see possibilities they may not yet have imagined for themselves.
For this spring exhibition, we invite emerging and established members of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh who are actively practicing contemporary artists with a developed body of work to submit for consideration.
A COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM
What Becomes Possible and YAPP are built upon the combined commitment of three organizations to contemporary art, arts education, and greater access to creative experiences.
First National Bank (FNB) provides the First National Bank Exhibition Hall and the principal financial support that makes YAPP and its programming possible. Its generous sponsorship creates a place where regional artists, students, and the broader community can encounter contemporary art and one another.
Mark Rengers Gallery curates and manages the exhibition program at the First National Bank Exhibition Hall by working with participating artists on artwork selection, installation, presentation, sales, and the overall exhibition experience.
Sweetwater Center for the Arts leads the educational component of YAPP, develops and coordinates the student experience and works with participating artists to translate their creative practices into engaging, age-appropriate learning experiences.
Together, these partnerships create a bridge between regional practicing artists and young people discovering their own capacity for creativity.
YAPP ARTIST EXPERIENCE
A critical component of the First National Bank Exhibition Hall is creating opportunities for YAPP (Youth Arts Possibilities Program). This program works with Sweetwater Center for the Arts to creatively engage students with professional art.
Selected exhibiting artists may be invited to lead a workshop with school students to expose youth to gallery experiences and connect them to the artist’s work.
Teaching artists should have previous teaching or art-education experience and must be willing and able to satisfy applicable background-clearance requirements for working with students.
Sweetwater Center for the Arts will coordinate the educational program and work with participating artists in preparing for their YAPP workshops.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Please submit 4–10 available artworks for consideration. Artworks must have never before been exhibited in the region and be no older than 2 years (no earlier than 1/1/2025).
For each artwork, include:
• Title
• Year
• Medium
• Dimensions (H × W × D)
• Retail price
• Low-res photo (144 dpi and 10 inches on the longest side)
Two-dimensional artwork should be photographed straight-on and cropped to the artwork with no surrounding background. Three-dimensional work should be photographed against a clean white background. Providing adequate images will affect the selection process.
Please also include:
• Artist biography
• Artist statement
ARTWORK DELIVERY, SHIPPING, AND HANDLING
A $15 artwork handling fee will apply to works that are hand-delivered to the exhibition.
A $60 artwork handling fee will apply to works that are shipped to the gallery. This will cover receiving, unpacking, packaging storage, and repacking of the work for return shipment. Artists shipping work are responsible for incoming and return shipping costs and must provide appropriate reusable packaging for safe return of the artwork.
SELECTED ARTISTS
Artists selected for the exhibition will receive an Exhibition Agreement from Mark Rengers Gallery outlining exhibition details, artwork delivery and pickup, sales terms, insurance, and other exhibition responsibilities.
EXHIBITION SCHEDULE
Submissions Due: January 5, 2027
Artist Notifications: January 15, 2027
Artwork Delivery: February 16 – 20, 2027
Opening Reception: Friday, February 26, 2027
YAPP Artist Experiences: TBD
Exhibition Closes: April 24, 2027
Artwork Pickup: April 29 – May 1, 2027