City Gallery, located at Joe Riley Waterfront Park, owned by the City of Charleston and operated by the City of Charleston’s Office of Cultural Affairs, presents an annual program of exhibitions and events featuring the finest contemporary art from local, regional, national and international artists, with a focus on the Lowcountry of South Carolina.
Solo Proposals
Individual artists may submit their portfolios for consideration for exhibitions at City Gallery, other City of Charleston locations, and public art projects. Portfolios will be held for two years, at which time artists will be asked to resubmit with current work.
MOJA Call for Poster Artist
City issues open call for the official 2026 MOJA Arts Festival poster
The MOJA Arts Festival is an annual, eight-day, national celebration of Black arts, culture and heritage that honors the lasting contributions of the African Diaspora. MOJA is produced by MOJA Arts, a new 501 (c) 3 nonprofit and supported by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs and numerous generous sponsors. Residents of Charleston and guests from across South Carolina and the country gather to witness the city’s unique cultural and historical connection to the global Black experience through music, food and artisans. The festival annually recognizes the African American traditions and cultural legacies of four selected West African and Caribbean countries. The 2026 festival will celebrate Barbados, Gullah Geechee, Jamaica and Sierra Leone.
The City of Charleston’s Office of Cultural Affairs, which partners to produce the festival, issues an open call each year for the signature MOJA Arts Festival Poster. All artists living in the state of South Carolina are invited to submit. The poster commission is $5,000.
Artists are asked to adhere to the following guidelines:
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The art must have been completed within the last two years and may not have been previously exhibited in the Charleston region.
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Artists must limit each submission to one (1) digital image of an original artwork that should not exceed 36″ x 36″ for consideration for the poster.
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Artists should include, along with their poster submission, no more than four (4) other digital images as samples of their work. The samples must be two-dimensional but can be in any medium.
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Submissions created wholly or in part using artificial intelligence image-generation tools are not eligible for this exhibition. Standard digital tools used for editing, color correction, or refinement of human-made work are permitted. Digital art created entirely by the artist without AI generation is welcome. By submitting, artists affirm that all work is their own original creation and does not incorporate AI-generated content. Cultural Affairs reserves the right to disqualify work found to be in violation of this policy.
Only submissions that meet the stated guidelines will be considered. The selected submission will be featured on festival posters, merchandise and print and electronic marketing materials. The City of Charleston and the MOJA Arts Festival will retain the license and legal rights to the selected artwork, but the artist will retain copyright and ownership of the artwork.
Artwork should be submitted by midnight August 20, 2026
Group Proposals
The City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs accepts proposals for group exhibitions at City Gallery at Joe Riley Waterfront Park from pairs of artists, groups of artists, and curators. We are currently accepting proposals for the 2024 calendar and beyond; we accept exhibition proposals on a rolling basis. Programming decisions are typically made 12 to 18 months in advance of an exhibition being mounted. Exhibitions will be reviewed once a year, although proposals may be forwarded at any time. Proposals are reviewed in their entirety, and are scored according to a carefully considered set of criteria:
– The exhibition reflects clear objectives and a strong overall consistent intellectual concept or theme.
– Thoughtful use of the unique City Gallery space. A floor plan can be downloaded here.
– Audience appeal and the ability to stimulate further dialogue in visual culture.
– Originality.
– Overall consistency of artwork proposed.
– Resources required (including transportation, artistic fees, etc.).
– Levels of funding already secured or identified.
Complete the following exhibition proposal application and be sure to include all required materials. Proposals that do not follow the guidelines will not be considered for review.
Juried Exhibitions
City Gallery hosts two major Juried Exhibitions annually: the Piccolo Spoleto Juried Art Exhibition, and the MOJA Arts Festival Juried Art Exhibition.
MOJA Arts Festival Juried Art Exhibition
September 24 – October 25, 2026
The MOJA Arts Festival is a multi-disciplinary festival produced annually and directed by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the MOJA Planning Committee, an all-volunteer community arts and cultural group. Additional assistance and guidance is provided by the less formal networks of the MOJA Advisory Board, a group of civic leaders who assist with fundraising and advocacy, and the Friends of MOJA patron circle, representing individual and corporate donors.
Moja, a Swahili word meaning “One,” is the appropriate name for this festival celebration of harmony among all people in our community. The festival highlights the many African American and Caribbean contributions to western and world cultures. MOJA’s wide range of events include visual arts, classical music, dance, gospel, jazz, poetry, R&B music, storytelling, theatre, children’s activities, traditional crafts, ethnic food, and much, much more. In addition to its myriad arts presentations, MOJA also includes an active and busy educational outreach component of workshops in the public schools and senior outreach in community centers.
The festival’s annual juried art exhibition highlights the recent work of regional artists featuring painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, and photography. Artworks receiving prizes are presented alongside a limited selection of pieces identified by the juror(s) as meriting display.
Artists are encouraged to submit artwork that celebrates African American and Caribbean culture. Residents of South Carolina, as well as those based in communities in the Gullah Geechee Heritage Corridor in the adjacent states of Georgia and North Carolina, are encouraged to submit work for consideration.
Call for submissions for this annual event goes out in the summer. The exhibition typically runs from the August until early November.
The 2026 MOJA Juried Art Exhibition Call for Submissions is now open. Deadline to submit is August 11, 2026. MORE INFO
Piccolo Spoleto Juried Art Exhibition
Piccolo Spoleto, established in 1979 by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs, is the official outreach arm of Spoleto Festival USA. The festival annually presents a varied program that includes visual arts exhibitions, performances of classical music, jazz, dance, theater, and choral music, cultural events and community celebrations, poetry readings, children’s activities, craft shows, and film screenings. The festival’s annual juried art exhibition highlights the recent work of artists across South Carolina featuring painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, and photography. Artworks receiving prizes are presented alongside a limited selection of pieces identified by the juror as meriting display.
Call for submissions for this annual event typically goes out in the early spring. The exhibition runs from the end of May until mid-June.
Gallery Specifications
The gallery is two levels with over 350ft in linear space, track lighting, and several pedestals with plexiglass bonnets.
For the gallery’s floorplan, click HERE.
