CALL TO ARTISTS
Light on Cut Paper: Photography & Collage
at the New Orleans Photo Alliance in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
in conjunction with Kolaj Institute and Kolaj Fest New Orleans 2026
10 June-10 July 2026
DEADLINE TO SUBMIT: Tuesday, 12 May 2026, 11:59PM MDT
Photography and collage have a long history of being in dialogue with one another; however, the intersection of these two mediums is poorly explored. New Orleans Photo Alliance and Kolaj Institute are working together to investigate the intersection of this medium. We are seeking work by artists who collage their own photographs, make photomontage, use a collage-like process in either the composition of photographs or in the dark room. We are open to any artwork where the artist feels the image speaks to this intersection. In addition to sending images, the artist must provide a brief statement that explains why they feel this artwork is an example of photography and collage.
This call accepts images that are digitally manipulated to create a collage, however, AI generated photos are not permitted for submission.
JUROR
Jan Kather has been teaching media arts and humanities courses at Elmira College in Elmira, New York since 1979. Branching out from traditional darkroom photography, she became involved in global collaborations, including Berkeley Commonplace projects such as “Fragments”, “Subject Matters”, and the “Round Table Collaboration Postal Collage Project”. She has been a board member of Berkeley Commonplace since its founding in 2021. After participating in Kolaj Institute’s 2024 Photography and Collage Virtual Artist Residency, she developed a new awareness about her own history as a photographer, and seriously explored the concept of “in-camera” collage. Three of her pieces from this study are currently on exhibit at City Hall in Elmira, New York.
To learn more about the exhibition, requirements for entry, and submission fees, go HERE.
(Text adapted from materials provided by the New Orleans Photo Alliance. Questions? Send an EMAIL.)
ABOUT THE NEW ORLEANS PHOTO ALLIANCE
The mission of the New Orleans Photo Alliance (NOPA) is to encourage the understanding and appreciation of photography through exhibitions, opportunities, and educational programs. They operate a darkroom, gallery and studio/event space. Learn more at www.neworleansphotoalliance.org.
ABOUT KOLAJ INSTITUTE’S PHOTOGRAPHY & COLLAGE PROJECT
The mediums of collage and photography are bound together in an ongoing dialogue. The photographer makes pictures of the world. The collagist remixes those pictures to tell a story about the world we live in. In partnership with the New Orleans Photo Alliance, Kolaj Institute’s Photography & Collage Project explores the intersection of these two mediums. We ask, “What happens when a collagist picks up the camera? What happens when a photographer collages their pictures?” Artists at an in-person residency in May 2024 created artwork that was included in the “Where Photography Meets Collage” exhibition at the New Orleans Photo Alliance Gallery, 9 June-20 August 2024. In August 2024, Kolaj Institute Gallery presented the exhibition, “Advanced Wound Healing Techniques: Collage by Robbie Morgan” (16 August to 6 October 2024); a collection of collage made with personal photographs that were destroyed in a series of fires that took place when the artist was 24 years old. In July 2024, Kolaj Institute hosted a virtual residency after which artists were invited to submit artworks that were considered for “Camera & Collage”, an exhibition at Kolaj Institute Gallery, 29 November 2024-5 January 2025, as part of PhotoNOLA 2024, an annual celebration of photography in New Orleans, produced by the New Orleans Photo Alliance in partnership with museums, galleries, and alternative venues citywide. In 2025, NOPA and Kolaj Institute collaborated on the exhibition, “Where Photography Meets Collage 2025” at the New Orleans Photo Alliance Gallery, 25 June-14 August 2025. In conjunction with PhotoNOLA 2025, Kolaj Institute mounted “Pictures at the Intersection of Photography & Collage“, 10 December 2025-24 January 2026. The project is led by Dafna Steinberg and Lance Rothstein with curatorial support from Ric Kasini Kadour.
ABOUT KOLAJ INSTITUTE
The mission of Kolaj Institute is to support artists, curators, and writers who seek to study, document, and disseminate ideas that deepen our understanding of collage as a medium, a genre, a community, and a 21st century movement. We operate a number of initiatives meant to bring together community, investigate critical issues, and raise collage’s standing in the art world. Kolaj Institute’s Gallery in New Orleans presents exhibitions and connects Kolaj Institute and the artists we work with to the vibrant St. Claude Arts District. We produce 8-10 exhibitions a year and participate in Second Saturday, the neighborhood’s monthly art walk, putting the collage art, books and exhibitions in front of New Orleanians and visitors.
ABOUT KOLAJ FEST NEW ORLEANS
Kolaj Fest New Orleans is a multi-day festival and symposium, 10-14 June 2026. Our mission is to create a platform that allows us to explore critical issues around collage including how it is curated and presented, its role in contemporary art, and the tensions between collage as a medium, a genre, a community, and a movement.