CALL FOR ARTISTS!!
🎨 FLORENCE, ITALY IS CALLING…
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Open Canvas Adaptive Arts presents:
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The "EXPO METRO Florence Artist Opportunity"...
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One artist.
One original work.
One international stage.​
Something pretty extraordinary is happening in Florence, Italy, and Open Canvas Adaptive Arts wants to make sure an artist with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and/or autism has a place in it.
As we prepare to launch our 100 Hands project and begin inviting artists to participate from across the country, we are also taking Open Canvas onto an international stage.
We have secured a space in EXPO METRO Florence, an international public art exhibition that brings artwork from artists around the world into a unique, immersive public display.
THE EXHIBITION
On November 28, 2026, Florence, Italy will become the backdrop for the EXPO METRO Art Tunnel, a 25-meter immersive exhibition featuring artwork from artists around the world.
Rather than hanging artwork on traditional gallery walls, EXPO METRO transforms a large-scale tunnel environment into a digital art experience, allowing visitors to encounter artwork in a completely different way.
It is art where people might not expect to find it.
It is international exposure.
And for one Open Canvas artist, it is going to be a chance to say:
“My art was exhibited in Florence, Italy.”
The exhibition is expected to reach a substantial public audience, with approximately 50,000 people anticipated to encounter the exhibition and its surrounding promotional reach.
That is a pretty big canvas.
OPEN CANVAS IS SPONSORING ONE ARTIST!
Open Canvas Adaptive Arts will sponsor ONE adult artist with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and/or autism to have one original work selected for exhibition at EXPO METRO Florence.
And because we believe opportunity shouldn't be limited by geography, this opportunity is open nationwide, to anyone in the USA.
You do not need to live near Open Canvas.
You do not need to travel to Florence.
In fact, you don't even need to have your artwork sitting in front of you right now.
This first step is simply about introducing yourself and your art to us.
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WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?
This opportunity is open to adult artists with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and/or autism who would like to have an original work considered for international exhibition.
Whether you have been creating art for years, you're just beginning to explore yourself as an artist, or you simply have a piece that you think deserves to be seen…
We want to hear from you.
You do not need a professional art résumé.
You do not need gallery experience.
You do not need an art degree.
You just need to be an adult artist with IDD and/or autism and have a piece of original artwork you'd like us to consider.
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HOW DOES IT WORK?
We've intentionally made the first step simple.
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STEP 1: TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF
Start by completing the short Artist Interest Form on this page.
We'll ask for:
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Your name
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Your email address
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A short introduction about yourself
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A little information about your art and the type of work you create.
That's it.
You do not need to upload your artwork with this initial form.
Once we receive your form, Open Canvas will contact you within 48 hours with instructions for submitting the artwork you'd like to enter.
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STEP 2: CHOOSE YOUR ARTWORK
After we contact you, you'll select the original artwork you'd like to submit for consideration.
The artwork may be something you've already created, or it may be a new piece you create specifically for this opportunity.
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There is one important thing to keep in mind:
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Your artwork needs to work well within a square digital crop.
The original artwork itself does not have to be square, and there is no requirement that the physical piece be a particular size.
What matters is that a high-quality digital image of the artwork can be presented effectively in a square format.
So if you're choosing an existing piece, take a moment to consider how it will look inside a square.
If you're creating something new, you may want to design the composition with a square presentation in mind.
Think of it as giving your artwork a little passport.
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STEP 3: PHOTOGRAPH YOUR ARTWORK
Because your original artwork will be submitted digitally, you'll need to provide a high-quality photograph of the piece.
Don't worry if you're not a professional photographer.
When we contact you, we'll provide instructions for how to photograph and submit your artwork so we can get the best possible digital representation.
Artwork submissions will be shared with Open Canvas electronically, most likely by email.
HOW WILL THE WINNER BE CHOSEN?
This isn't going to be decided by one person sitting behind a desk with a giant red pen.
We're building this process in two stages.
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ROUND ONE: THE JUDGES
After the submission period closes, an Open Canvas-selected panel of judges will review the submitted artwork.
The panel will select five finalists to move forward.
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ROUND TWO: YOU GET A SAY
Once the five finalists have been selected, we'll introduce them to our community through Open Canvas social media and our website.
Their artwork and artist information will be shared publicly, and our community will have the opportunity to vote for the final winner.
The artist receiving the most public support will become the Open Canvas-sponsored artist whose work moves forward to EXPO METRO Florence.
In other words…
The judges narrow it down.
The community helps choose the winner.
One artist gets a ticket to Florence.
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IMPORTANT DATES
Artist Interest Forms
Open now!!
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Artwork Submission Deadline
11:59 p.m. on October 7, 2026
Please note that artists do not need to submit their artwork immediately.
Your first step is simply completing the Artist Interest Form.
Open Canvas will contact you within 48 hours with the next steps for submitting your artwork.
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Finalist Selection
Following the submission deadline
Our judging panel will review submissions and select five finalists.
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Public Voting
Following finalist selection
The five finalists and their artwork will be featured on Open Canvas social media and our website for public voting.
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EXPO METRO Florence
November 28, 2026 🇮🇹
One winning artwork will be exhibited as part of the EXPO METRO Art Tunnel in Florence, Italy.
BUT WAIT… THERE'S MORE.
We don't want this opportunity to end with an artwork appearing on a screen in Florence.
We want people to meet the artist behind the art.
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THE WINNER WILL RECEIVE:
International Exhibition
Their selected original artwork will be exhibited digitally as part of EXPO METRO Florence.
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A Personal Artist Webpage
Open Canvas will create a dedicated artist profile page on the Open Canvas website featuring the winning artist.
This page will tell their story, introduce their artistic practice, and showcase their work.
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A Place to Share Their Own Links
The artist will also have the opportunity to include their own website, social media accounts, or other appropriate links so people who discover their work through Open Canvas can continue following their artistic journey.
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International + Local Promotion
Open Canvas will share the winning artist and their artwork through our social media and website, helping introduce their work to our community and beyond.
And our finalists won't disappear into the void either.
All five finalists will receive recognition and promotional features from Open Canvas, including social media and website content celebrating their work and their participation in the competition.
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WE WANT TO HEAR YOUR STORY!
For our finalists and our winning artist, Open Canvas will arrange a personal Zoom conversation to learn more about you, your art, your story, and what you'd like people to know about you as an artist.
We'll use that conversation to help develop your artist bio and make sure your voice is represented authentically.
Don't have Zoom?
That's completely okay.
We can arrange a phone conversation instead.
This isn't an interview where we're looking for the “right” answers.
We simply want to get to know the person behind the artwork.
NEED A LITTLE HELP WITH YOUR ART?
Open Canvas is also offering free 15-minute mentoring sessions for participating artists who would like a little creative guidance.
Maybe you have an idea but don't know where to start.
Maybe you're trying to decide which piece to submit.
Maybe you have three ideas fighting for attention in your brain at the same time.
Maybe you simply want another artist-minded person to bounce an idea off of.
That's what these sessions are for.
We can talk through ideas, offer suggestions, help you think about composition or presentation, or simply help you figure out what direction you'd like to take your work.
These sessions can be held by Zoom or phone, depending on what works best for you.
There is no cost to participate.
A NOTE ABOUT YOUR ARTWORK & PERMISSION
By submitting an Artist Interest Form and artwork for consideration, you are giving Open Canvas Adaptive Arts permission to use the submitted artwork image, your name, and the basic information you provide about yourself and your artwork for purposes related to this opportunity.
This may include:
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The Open Canvas website
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Artist profile pages
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Open Canvas social media
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Finalist announcements
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Public voting
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Promotional posts
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Information about the EXPO METRO opportunity
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Recognition of finalists and the winning artist
If your artwork is selected as the winning piece, your artwork and artist information will be used to promote your participation in the Florence exhibition and to direct visitors toward your Open Canvas artist profile.
We want people to see the art.
But more importantly, we want them to know who made it.
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
Because Open Canvas believes that artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities and autism should not have to wait for someone to decide they are “ready” to be seen.
We believe artists deserve opportunities to exhibit their work, tell their stories, build an audience, and be recognized for what they create.
Not as an afterthought.
Not as a special category tucked away in the corner.
As artists.
This opportunity is one small step toward creating more spaces where artists can be recognized for their creativity, their perspective, their skill, and their individual voice.
And this is only the beginning.
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