KOLAJ FEST NEW ORLEANS
Call for Artists, Projects, & Papers
Early Deadline: Saturday, 28 February 2026
Final Deadline: Sunday, 8 March 2026
How do you want to manifest at Kolaj Fest New Orleans 2026?
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.
Our goal is to create an event that attracts a variety of people working in various capacities, such as art professionals at museums, galleries, and centers as well as academics, writers, and artists. The general public is invited to join us for gallery visits, evening presentations, and collage making.
Kolaj Fest New Orleans plays a key role in the work of Kolaj Magazine and Kolaj Institute, as it is a way for us to become familiar with a professional’s work and presenters may be invited to participate in future projects.
Responding to the Call lets us know that you would like to be a presenter at Kolaj Fest New Orleans 2026. (Organizers will issue separate calls for those interested in the Collage Art & Book Market, the Collage in Motion screening, exhibitions, or other projects.)
The program at Kolaj Fest New Orleans 2026 promises to be a unique experience. In building a program, our aim is to break down hierarchy and foster dialogue among art professionals working in a variety of capacities. To that end, Kolaj Institute works with presenters to craft a program.
In seeking presenters, we wish to know what stories you have to share and what you have learned through your academic research or art practice. We are particularly interested in: historical perspective, art world economics, the role collage has played in an artist’s practice (particularly when their final work isn’t collage per se); mash up culture; the relationship between contemporary art and society; museum issues; surveys of how collage was presented in exhibition; collections where collage plays a central role; the role of collage in various art movements (Modernism, Surrealism, Pop Art, etc.); utopian and dystopian imagery in art; art’s role in the current political moment and, in particular, how art can open conversations about social justice; notions of power in the art world and its impact on collage. We are particularly interested in presentations which speak to our projects–Art Meets History; Folklore Collage Society; Collage Illustration; Poetry & Collage; Joy as Subject; Photography & Collage; Politics in Collage; Collage in Motion; Place as Archive; and Street Art–however, we are very open to new ideas and subjects.
Additionally, we are interested in one’s experience as an artist: making art, showing art, selling art, identifying as an artist or a collagist, how the artist participates both in an art community and in society in general. We are interested in artists open to sharing how they navigate the art world. And we are interested in various approaches and strategies for collage making. This is by no means an exhaustive list.
Presenting at Kolaj Fest can mean many different things:
Symposium at Kolaj Fest New Orleans
Symposium sessions at Kolaj Fest New Orleans bring together a group of artists who speak about a central theme. Artists, writers, academics, and curators present slideshows which are followed by a Question & Answer period. Symposium panels are typically crafted by the organizers who bring together artists with shared interests or common practices. On the submission form, Presenters are asked to provide statements about the research or ideas they want to present and/or information about their artist practice and sample images of the artwork they would like to present. Curators are invited to present past, present, or future exhibitions. LEARN MORE.
Workshops & Roundtable Discussions at Kolaj Fest New Orleans
Workshops at Kolaj Fest New Orleans offer participants the opportunity to engage with their process or materials in a new way; explore subjects or themes; or practice a new collage technique to make. Over a dozen workshops take place during the festival. Roundtable Discussions are facilitated conversations for attendees to come together to discuss subjects, artist practices, projects, or other topics that warrant deeper dialogue. On the submission form, Presenters will be asked to provide 3-5 sentences about the idea behind the workshop; 2-3 things that people will do or experience during the workshop; and 2-3 things people will learn during the workshop. We also ask you to let us know what special materials or equipment you may need the organizers to provide. LEARN MORE
Projects at Kolaj Fest New Orleans
Projects at Kolaj Fest New Orleans are activities that unfold over the course of the festival and often lead to exhibitions or publications that take place after the event. While led by an artist or group of artists, projects are often open to collaboration from Kolaj Fest Participants. On the submission form, Presenters will be asked to provide a statement of their project idea and to list what support they would need from the organizers. LEARN MORE
Go to the Submission Form
To get an idea of the sorts of projects we seek, we strongly encourage you to review programs from the previous years prior to submitting. (2018 Edition, 2019 Edition, 2022 Edition, 2023 Edition, 2024 Edition, and 2025 Edition)
DEADLINE
Submissions are reviewed on an ongoing basis.
The early deadline to submit is Saturday, 28 February 2026. If you want to lead a panel or project, it is important that you apply by this date. We will review your submission and may update the Call to seek additional panelists or project collaborators.
The final deadline to submit is Sunday, 8 March 2026. Submissions will be reviewed on an ongoing basis. We will notify Submitters via email no later than 29 March 2026.
NOTE: If you are selected to present at Kolaj Fest New Orleans, you are responsible for all travel to and from New Orleans, accommodations, and meals. You are also required to pay the registration fee as an attendee at Kolaj Fest New Orleans.
REGISTER FOR KOLAJ FEST NEW ORLEANS 2026
Questions?
Please send an EMAIL.
(If you cannot attend Kolaj Fest New Orleans 2026, consider submitting to Kolaj Magazine another way. MORE INFO)
About Kolaj Fest New Orleans 2026
Kolaj Fest New Orleans is a multi-day festival and symposium about contemporary collage and its role in art, culture, and society. Our mission is to create a platform that allows us to explore critical issues around collage (how it is curated and presented, its role in contemporary art, and the tensions between collage as a medium, a genre, and a phenomenon). Our goal is to create an event that attracts a variety of people working in various capacities, such as art professionals at museums, galleries, and centers as well as academics, writers, and artists. The general public will be welcome to join us for gallery visits, evening presentations, and collage making. Kolaj Fest New Orleans 2026 would not be possible without the support of the community. EVENT WEBSITE