Thank you for your interest in the Cohen Gallery at the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts.
This open call invites letters of interest (LOI) for exhibitions that engage the Cohen Gallery as a site for artistic experimentation, research, dialogue, and public engagement. Letters of interest may be submitted by eligible Brown-affiliated faculty, graduate students, and staff with curatorial responsibilities.
Before submitting, applicants should review the gallery information, policies and procedures linked below. Please reach out to artsinstitute@brown.edu with any questions.
About Cohen Gallery
Space Information
Applicants should use these materials to assess the possibility of their proposed exhibition and to develop their installation plans.
Selection Process
LOI will initially undergo a feasibility review to determine whether the project can be accommodated within the gallery's physical, technical, operational, scheduling, and budgetary parameters.
Applicants whose LOI submissions are programmatically aligned with the Brown Arts Institute (BAI) and deemed feasible by the review committee will be invited to submit a full exhibition proposal, inclusive of a draft budget, object checklist, and additional components. Please see the timeline below for further information about the letter of interest, review, and full proposal timelines.
Exhibitions in the Cohen Gallery receive support from the Exhibitions, Marketing, and Operations units of the Brown Arts Institute. As a reference point, exhibitions in this space tend to have a budget of approximately $10,000, and typically do not include funding for international shipping, framing, fabrication/artwork production, or other very cost prohibitive line items. A draft budget is not required at Letter of Interest stage, but we hope this provides useful context for considering the scale of a proposed project.
LOI will subsequently be evaluated based on criteria including:
- Artistic and curatorial strength
- Clarity and significance of the proposed project
- Function within the gallery and available resources
- Quality and feasibility of the proposed installation
- Potential for meaningful engagement with Brown and broader public
- Opportunities for interdisciplinary, curricular, or community engagement
- Alignment with BAI's programming goals and commitments
Applicants will be notified of decisions following the review process. BAI may also maintain a list of alternate proposals for future consideration or scheduling.
Review Timeline
Oct 15, 2026: LOI form opens
Fall '27 Process
Dec 1, 2026: Deadline to submit LOI for Fall '27. Subsequent semesters remain open.
Dec 15, 2026: Selected applicant(s) invited to submit full proposal
Jan 19, 2027: Full proposals due
Feb 8, 2027: Project agreements shared
Feb 22, 2027: Project meetings begin
Spring '28 and Beyond Process
March 15, 2027: Deadline to submit LOI for Spring '28 and beyond.
April 15, 2027: Selected applicants invited to submit full proposals for Spring '28, Fall '28, Spring '29
May 15, 2027: Deadline for Spring '28 and Fall '28 proposals
Oct 15, 2027: Deadline for Spring '29 proposals
Oct 15, 2027: LOI reopens for subsequent years