2027 AAI | Cuchifritos Curatorial Open Call at Artists Alliance Inc

Organisation: Artists Alliance Inc (AAI)
Location: Cuchifritos Gallery + Project Space, New York, USA
Financial support: Not specified in the supplied text
Exhibition period: Fall/Winter 2027–2028
Application deadline: 6 November 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET

Artists Alliance Inc invites curators and curatorial collectives to submit exhibition proposals for Cuchifritos Gallery + Project Space. Three exhibitions will be selected for presentation in Fall/Winter 2027–2028.

The 2027 open call asks applicants to engage with (Re)Building—an inquiry into how cultural practitioners reconstruct, repair and reimagine the forms and systems that shape collective life. Proposals may approach rebuilding through material transformation, spatial intervention, archival research or the reconsideration of social and economic frameworks.

Curators are encouraged, though not required, to consider the theme in relation to the gallery’s location inside Essex Market, a working, city-owned public marketplace that has itself been a site of relocation, reconstruction and reinvention.

Selection criteria

Proposals will be assessed for artistic and creative merit, cultural and intellectual significance, engagement with the theme, and suitability for Cuchifritos Gallery and its context within Essex Market. The selection process will also consider feasibility within the available space, staffing and resources, alongside the artists’ and curators’ experience and commitment to their practices.

No single criterion determines selection. Proposals are evaluated without regard to the political, ideological or social viewpoints expressed in the work; the potential for controversy or disagreement is not grounds for exclusion.

Eligibility

The call is open to curators of all nationalities and professional backgrounds, including US and non-US residents. Curatorial collectives may apply but must submit one application.

Curators enrolled in degree-granting programmes during the exhibition period are not eligible. Artists working in a curatorial role may apply but cannot include their own work in the proposed exhibition.

Selected applicants based outside New York City must arrange their own accommodation for any on-site work at the gallery. Applicants will be notified in January 2027.

Cuchifritos Gallery + Project Space is located at 88 Essex Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The gallery is ADA-accessible and free to visit.