Q & A FOR LA MESA
DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LA MESA MIAMI OPEN CALL?
Please join us on Sunday, November 8, from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. to learn more and get the inside scoop on what this show is all about!
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84613741405?pwd=2ZMI49RWlHqXuXUa7vsbiLxzm661vb.1
Meeting ID: 846 1374 1405
Passcode: 674736
Evaluation Criteria
Applications will be evaluated based on:
Conceptual strength and relevance
Engagement with textile and fiber as a critical language
Artistic coherence
Spatial awareness
Professional readiness and feasibility
Open Call
Evaluation Criteria
Applications will be evaluated based on:
Conceptual strength and relevance
Engagement with textile and fiber as a critical language
Artistic coherence
Spatial awareness
Professional readiness and feasibility
How to apply
All applications must be submitted online via Google Forms.
Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.
Applicants will be asked to provide:
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Basic contact information
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A short artist statement and project proposal
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A brief biography or CV
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Up to 5 images of relevant work (with captions)
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For time-based or performative proposals: video links (Vimeo or YouTube)
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Installation requirements and technical notes
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A brief statement addressing the relationship of the proposal to America250
Each Open Call requires a separate application form and corresponding fee. Fees are non-refundable and support jury honoraria, administrative coordination, and the Triennial's sustainability.
Artists may apply to more than one Open Call. Each application requires a separate fee.
Apply Below with final image of works
How to apply
All applications must be submitted online via Google Forms.
Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.
Applicants will be asked to provide:
-
Basic contact information
-
A short artist statement and project proposal
-
A brief biography or CV
-
Up to 5 images of relevant work (with captions)
-
For time-based or performative proposals: video links (Vimeo or YouTube)
-
Installation requirements and technical notes
-
A brief statement addressing the relationship of the proposal to America250
Each Open Call requires a separate application form and corresponding fee.
Transparency and Conflict of Interest
Jury members recuse themselves in cases of conflict of interest
Selection is based solely on merit
Application fees do not influence outcomes
Due to volume, individual feedback cannot be provided
Important Dates
Open Call Launch/ March 1, 2026
Application Deadline/ March 31, 2026
Jury Review Period/ April 1–15, 2026
Selected Artists Announced/ April 20, 2026
Triennial Opening/ Thursday, June 11, 2026
Closing/ July 24, 2026
Venue
Transparency and Conflict of Interest
Jury members recuse themselves in cases of conflict of interest
Selection is based solely on merit
Application fees do not influence outcomes
Due to volume, individual feedback cannot be provided
Important Dates
Open Call Launch/ March 1, 2026
Application Deadline/ March 31, 2026
Jury Review Period/ April 1–15, 2026
Selected Artists Announced/ April 20, 2026
Triennial Opening/ Thursday, June 11, 2026
Closing/ July 24, 2026
Venue
Presented by Miami International Fine Arts (MIFA) in collaboration with FAMA and Threading the City and its flagship initiative Threading the City.
Presented by Miami International Fine Arts (MIFA) in collaboration with FAMA and Threading the City and its flagship initiative Threading the City.
Presented by Miami International Fine Arts (MIFA) in collaboration with FAMA and
Threading the City and its flagship initiative Threading the City.
MIAMI FIBER TRIENNIAL 2026
Presented by Miami International Fine Arts (MIFA) in collaboration with FAMA and Threading the City and its flagship initiative Threading the City.
MIAMI FIBER TRIENNIAL 2026
Presented by Miami International Fine Arts (MIFA) in collaboration with FAMA and Threading the City and its flagship initiative Threading the City.
MIAMI FIBER TRIENNIAL 2026
Presented by Miami International Fine Arts (MIFA) in collaboration with FAMA and Threading the City and its flagship initiative Threading the City.
La Mesa Miami celebrates craft as a vital form of contemporary artistic expression.
Presented in collaboration with the Ceramic League of Miami, Partners for Art + Design, and Fiber Artists-Miami Association (FAMA), the inaugural exhibition brings ceramic and fiber artists together to reimagine the table as a space for storytelling, tradition, hospitality, and community. Conceived as a dialogue between ceramic and fiber artists, the exhibition explores the table as both a functional object and a symbolic space, where stories are shared, traditions are preserved, and communities are formed. Works presented may include vessels, tableware, textiles, sculptural objects, and unexpected interpretations of everyday furnishings. Through clay, fiber, and experimental processes, artists transform functional objects into works of art that explore innovation, cultural exchange, memory, and the enduring significance of gathering.
Artists are invited to submit up to five clay, fiber, mixed, experimental, functional, or nonfunctional objects that explore their cultural traditions, including colors, design themes, and specific objects for cultural holidays and celebrations. Artists may mix both media or select to work in one material only. Artists must be members of (one) of the three organizations mentioned or become a member before submitting a proposal. You may submit work only to the organization you belong to, or, if you are a member of more than one, select one to submit to. Do not submit work if it is not for sale. All works will be for sale; please add a price for each item you wish to include. You will receive 50% of the sale, so price accordingly. We are suggesting a price point starting at $50 and up to $1000. Please note that La Mesa Miami is a juried exhibition, and that registration does not guarantee acceptance into the show.
Artists accepted into the exhibition will have the option to become a volunteer to help during the event with sales, packing sold works, and manning the tables.
EVENT DATES:
March 19, at Green Space Miami, La Mesa Miami will present an immersive, collective vision where tradition and contemporary practice meet. By invitation-only preview.
March 20-21, 2027, at Green Space Miami, La Mesa Miami will present an immersive, collective vision where tradition and contemporary practice meet. Open to the Public
OBJECTIVE
The goal of this unique partnership of PFA+D, the Ceramic League of Miami and FAMA is to expose the ceramic and textile arts to the community and celebrate the idea of living with hand-made objects; enable the artists working in both media to exhibit and sell their work; and build awareness of the unique talent and cultural heritage that exists in our South Florida community. Objects will include place-settings of ceramics...a dinner plate, salad plate, soup bowl, coffee cup, etc. as well as decor and serving pieces including candle sticks, vases, soup tureens, salad bowls, pitchers, gravy boats, casseroles, cream and sugar sets, salt and pepper shakers, etc. and textile objects to enhance the table including table runners, place mats and napkins, centerpieces, fabric flowers, etc.
Detailed Guidelines by Category:
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Functional Vessels & Tableware
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Clay/Ceramics: Hand-built or wheel-thrown dining ware, serving pieces, urns, and vessels designed for serving, storing, or sharing food and beverage.
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Fiber: Woven or stitched baskets, bread warmers, vessel-shaped fiber forms, or wrapped containers.
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Textiles & Table Linens
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Handwoven tablecloths, runners, embroidered napkins, placemats, tapestry runners, or stitched linens that define the surface of the table.
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Sculptural Objects & Centerpieces
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Non-functional or conceptual objects that evoke gathering, memory, or celebration, such as clay sculptures of symbolic foods, woven centerpiece structures, or decorative candlestick forms.
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Experimental & Hybrid Media
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Works combining ceramic and fiber elements (e.g., clay beads integrated into woven hangings, wrapped ceramic handles, fiber-stitched clay vessels) or non-traditional/recycled materials exploring cultural heritage, design themes, and holiday traditions.
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Open Call
About
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Who:
Ceramic League of Miami, Partners for Art + Design, and Fiber Artists-Miami Association (FAMA) -
What:
We are seeking proposals for original, saleable textile artworks that explore and celebrate cultural traditions. Artists may propose up to five works that incorporate textiles and may take the form of: -
Lightweight suspended works designed to hang from the ceiling above a table while allowing sufficient space for table displays below. No size limitation, but be mindful that these are objects to be used on a table.
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Tabletop works designed to be displayed on tables can be fiber-based or clay and fiber.
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Theme & Conceptual Focus: Proposed artworks should explore connections to the artist’s cultural traditions, colors, patterns, design themes, meaningful objects, holidays, rituals, or celebrations. Artists are encouraged to consider how traditional cultural elements can be interpreted through contemporary textile practices.
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Sales, Pricing & Commission
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For-Sale Requirement: All submitted works must be original and for sale. NFS (Not for Sale) items will not be considered.
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Commission Split:
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Artist: 50%
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Exhibition / Host Organization: 50%
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Suggested Price Range: $50 – $1,000. Please price your work accordingly to account for the 50/50 split.
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Payment for sales made during the show
will be made by the end of March or early April. -
Jury Process: Please note that La Mesa Miami is a juried exhibition. Registration or submission does not guarantee acceptance into the show.
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Each proposed artwork must be priced individually.
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Example: think of a cohesive place setting rather than three disparate objects.
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Exhibition Space:
Green Space, 7200 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33138
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Eligibility and Requirements
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Title
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Medium/Materials
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Dimensions (H x W x D in inches)
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Retail Price ($USD): You will receive 50%
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Short Statement / Cultural Narrative (50–150 words describing connection to theme)
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High-Resolution Images: 300 DPI, JPEG/PNG format, labeled as LastName_FirstName_Title_01.jpg.
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Organization Membership: Must be a current member of, or become a member of, the Ceramic League of Miami, Partners for Art + Design, or Fiber Artists-Miami Association (FAMA). Must be a current member or become a FAMA member to send a proposal. Membership will be verified at the time of proposal.
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Only local artists, please. Artists will be responsible for delivering their work and picking up any unsold work from the Green Gallery on time.
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Submission Materials: Create a PDF document and include an artist statement for the work, a short artist bio (150 words or less), artwork images (2-3 high-res) with descriptions. Important: SAVE the PDF FILE as Your Last Name, First Name, Title of the Work.
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Works specs: ceiling-hanging pieces and table pieces.
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Entry Fees: $25 non-refundable entry fee per submission, and up to three pieces. Become a member: https://www.fiberartists-miamiassociation.com/membership. Renew your membership before applying. If unsure, email us at fiberartmiamiassociation@gmail.com
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Timeline
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Important Dates & Timeline
(Changes were made to the call-no proposal required; you will submit the final image of your proposed artwork/s on January 4)
Key logistical details:
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Proposal with written idea and sketch Deadline: Nov. 20, 2026. Give us a quick review of what you would like to create and send it by Email to fama@fiberartists-miamiassociation.com. We will give you feedback before submission is due.
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APPLY BEOLOW-Submission Image and information Deadline: [January 4, 2027]
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Jury Notification Date: [January 22, 2027]
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Artwork Delivery / Drop-off Dates: [Fri, Mar 19, 2027]
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Exhibition Dates & Venue Location: [March 19-21]
: Final Artwork Photographs
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Monday, January 4, 2027 —— Artists are encouraged to submit 3-5 finished pieces from the same series.
Submit professional photographs of your entries (3 to 5). -
By January 22, 2027 — Final jury review and letter of acceptance into the exhibition. Artists will sign a release form and return it to FAMA.
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Fri, Mar 19, 2027
10:00 AM to Noon and Noon to 4:00 PM Delivery of completed artwork by accepted artists to Green Space. Load-in at Green Space Gallery
Exhibition Weekend
March 19–21, 2027 Green Space Gallery
7200 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, FL
Friday, March 19, 2027
Opening Reception | 6:00–9:00 PM
Invitation-only / Ticketed event
Each participating artist will receive one complimentary ticket.
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Saturday, March 20, 2027
12:00 PM–6:00 PM
Hours are subject to change.
Sunday, March 21, 2027
12:00 PM–6:00 PM
Hours are subject to change.
Artists to Pick Up artwork and Load Out: Sunday and Monday TBA
Call to Action (CTA) and Contact Info
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First, Pay the $25.00 non-refundable fee ( submissions with up to five artworks), payable to our fiscal sponsor, The Ceramic League of Miami
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Then, apply: Scroll below and fill out the application
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Support and Questions (Subject: La Mesa)
When building your submission form, ensure you collect the following for each entry:
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Artist Information: Full Name, Email, Phone, Address, and Primary Organization Membership.
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Artwork Details (per item, up to 5 items):
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Title
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Medium/Materials
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Dimensions (H times W times D in inches)
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Retail Price ($USD$)
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Short Statement / Cultural Narrative (50–150 words describing connection to theme)
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High-Resolution Images: 300 DPI, JPEG/PNG format, labeled as LastName_FirstName_Title_01.jpg.
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The Triennial is a major institutional platform dedicated to contemporary textile, fiber, and expanded material-based practices.
America250 marks 250 years since the founding narratives of the United States—an anniversary that invites not celebration, but critical reflection. Through textile and fiber practices, the Miami Fiber Triennial 2026 examines how the American project has been built, repaired, controlled, protected, and resisted through material systems such as labor, migration, industry, domesticity, extraction, and care.
Textile becomes a lens through which America is read not as a singular history, but as a layered fabric—woven from multiple temporalities, geographies, bodies, and lived experiences.
In addition to exhibitions, the Triennial will feature a Didactic Room, hosting workshops, talks, and educational programs, alongside a curated program of film screenings addressing textile histories, labor, and material culture within the American context.
About MFT 2026
Partners and Sponsors
Partners: Ceramic League of Miami, Partners for Art + Design, Green Space Miami
About MFT 2026
The Triennial is a major institutional platform dedicated to contemporary textile, fiber, and expanded material-based practices across interior, collective, and exterior spaces.
America250 marks 250 years since the founding narratives of the United States—an anniversary that invites not celebration, but critical reflection. Through textile and fiber practices, the Miami Fiber Triennial 2026 examines how the American project has been built, repaired, controlled, protected, and resisted through material systems such as labor, migration, industry, domesticity, extraction, and care.
Textile becomes a lens through which America is read not as a singular history, but as a layered fabric—woven from multiple temporalities, geographies, bodies, and lived experiences.
In addition to exhibitions, the Triennial will feature a Didactic Room, hosting workshops, talks, and educational programs, alongside a curated program of film screenings addressing textile histories, labor, and material culture within the American context.
The Triennial is a major institutional platform dedicated to contemporary textile, fiber, and expanded material-based practices.
America250 marks 250 years since the founding narratives of the United States—an anniversary that invites not celebration, but critical reflection. Through textile and fiber practices, the Miami Fiber Triennial 2026 examines how the American project has been built, repaired, controlled, protected, and resisted through material systems such as labor, migration, industry, domesticity, extraction, and care.
Textile becomes a lens through which America is read not as a singular history, but as a layered fabric—woven from multiple temporalities, geographies, bodies, and lived experiences.
In addition to exhibitions, the Triennial will feature a Didactic Room, hosting workshops, talks, and educational programs, alongside a curated program of film screenings addressing textile histories, labor, and material culture within the American context.
About MFT 2026
Interior / Intimacy
The personal, domestic, and bodily scale of textile as memory, protection, labor, and care.
Curatorial Frame
Collective / Urban Fabric
Threading the City as a shared civic surface, where multiple voices converge into a collective narrative shaped by movement, exchange, and coexistence.
Exterior / Living Systems
The landscape as an active collaborator, where textile engages ecology, time, environmental responsibility, and non-human agency.
Together, these scales position textile as a critical, spatial, and embodied language operating across intimacy, architecture, ecology, and the urban experience.
Interior / Intimacy
The personal, domestic, and bodily scale of textile as memory, protection, labor, and care.
Curatorial Frame
Collective / Urban Fabric
Threading the City as a shared civic surface, where multiple voices converge into a collective narrative shaped by movement, exchange, and coexistence.
Exterior / Living Systems
The landscape as an active collaborator, where textile engages ecology, time, environmental responsibility, and non-human agency.
Together, these scales position textile as a critical, spatial, and embodied language operating across intimacy, architecture, ecology, and the urban experience.
Confirmed Solo Exhibitions
By Invitation
Patricia Calero — Suspended Time
Curated by Katherine Chacón
Using industrial seatbelts as material, Calero creates abstract and kinetic works that reflect on impact, protection, and duration. Her practice transforms systems of safety and restraint into tension-filled compositions in which time appears suspended.
Mayra Alpízar — Textile, Intimate Matter
Curated by Katherine Chacón
An exploration of textile as a tactile and emotional extension of the body. Alpízar’s work foregrounds intimacy, gesture, and material memory, positioning fiber as a site of vulnerability, presence, and embodied knowledge.
Open Calls
MIFA invites artists working in textile, fiber, and expanded material practices to apply to the following Open Calls:
01 — Solo Exhibition (Room D)
America250: From a Single View
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Exhibition Type: Solo Exhibition
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Medium: Textile, fiber, installation, mixed media
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Application Fee: $60 USD
Description
This Open Call seeks one artist to present a cohesive solo exhibition that understands textile not as surface, but as a system—a structure tied to labor, protection, control, repetition, and resistance.
The selected artist will engage material histories embedded in everyday fibers—industrial, repurposed, or hybrid—and expand textile language into spatial, conceptual, and political territory.
Proposals are encouraged to explore:
- Textile as an infrastructure or mechanism - Abstraction rooted in material history - Repetition, tension, and time - Expanded textile practices beyond decoration
In relation to America250, proposals should critically engage with questions of labor, protection, migration, infrastructure, repetition, and resistance within the American context—historical or contemporary.
Collectives may apply, provided the proposal functions as a unified conceptual and spatial project and demonstrates a sustained history of collaboration.
Open Calls
MIFA invites artists working in textile, fiber, and expanded material practices to apply to the following Open Calls:
01 — Solo Exhibition (Room D)
America250: From a Single View
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Exhibition Type: Solo Exhibition
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Medium: Textile, fiber, installation, mixed media
-
Application Fee: $60 USD
Description
This Open Call seeks one artist to present a cohesive solo exhibition that understands textile not as surface, but as a system—a structure tied to labor, protection, control, repetition, and resistance.
The selected artist will engage material histories embedded in everyday fibers—industrial, repurposed, or hybrid—and expand textile language into spatial, conceptual, and political territory.
Proposals are encouraged to explore:
- Textile as an infrastructure or mechanism - Abstraction rooted in material history - Repetition, tension, and time - Expanded textile practices beyond decoration
In relation to America250, proposals should critically engage with questions of labor, protection, migration, infrastructure, repetition, and resistance within the American context—historical or contemporary.
Collectives may apply, provided the proposal functions as a unified conceptual and spatial project and demonstrates a sustained history of collaboration.
02 — Group Exhibition (Room E)
Threading the City: America250
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Exhibition Type: Group Exhibition
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Medium: Textile, fiber, video, performance (wall-based), mixed media
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Application Fee: $30 USD
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Open to FAMA members only
Technical Parameters
Please note:
Only wall-based works are accepted
No sculptural or freestanding installations
Works must be suitable for standard gallery wall installation
Description
In alignment with America250, Threading the City foregrounds textile as a shared surface—one that carries layered histories of migration, labor, tradition, and adaptation within the American context.
The exhibition prioritizes works that engage fiber as narrative, abstraction, or cultural memory within a collective framework, emphasizing the city as a woven space shaped by multiple voices and material histories.
02 — Group Exhibition (Room E)
Threading the City: America250
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Exhibition Type: Group Exhibition
-
Medium: Textile, fiber, video, performance (wall-based), mixed media
-
Application Fee: $30 USD
-
Open to FAMA members only
Technical Parameters
Please note:
Only wall-based works are accepted
No sculptural or freestanding installations
Works must be suitable for standard gallery wall installation
Description
In alignment with America250, Threading the City foregrounds textile as a shared surface—one that carries layered histories of migration, labor, tradition, and adaptation within the American context.
The exhibition prioritizes works that engage fiber as narrative, abstraction, or cultural memory within a collective framework, emphasizing the city as a woven space shaped by multiple voices and material histories.
03 — Exterior Interventions
America250: An External View
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Exhibition Type: Exterior Interventions
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Location: Trees, gardens, and landscaped areas at MIFA
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Medium: Textile, fiber, natural, or hybrid materials
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Application Fee: $20 USD
Description
This Open Call invites artists to create textile- and fiber-based interventions specifically designed for trees and garden spaces. Textile is approached as a gesture of coexistence, care, and attentiveness—responding to living systems rather than dominating them.
Works may wrap, hang, rest, or suspend from branches and garden structures, engaging wind, light, shade, humidity, and time.
In the context of America250, these interventions reflect on the relationship between American expansion, land use, extraction, and ecological responsibility—proposing textile as a counter-gesture of care, repair, and coexistence.
Key considerations:
Non-invasive and non-damaging installation
Respect for living organisms
Natural, recycled, or biodegradable materials are encouraged
Temporary and time-based works welcome
No nails, staples, or permanent attachments permitted
03 — Exterior Interventions
America250: An External View
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Exhibition Type: Exterior Interventions
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Location: Trees, gardens, and landscaped areas at MIFA
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Medium: Textile, fiber, natural, or hybrid materials
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Application Fee: $20 USD
Description
This Open Call invites artists to create textile- and fiber-based interventions specifically designed for trees and garden spaces. Textile is approached as a gesture of coexistence, care, and attentiveness—responding to living systems rather than dominating them.
Works may wrap, hang, rest, or suspend from branches and garden structures, engaging wind, light, shade, humidity, and time.
In the context of America250, these interventions reflect on the relationship between American expansion, land use, extraction, and ecological responsibility—proposing textile as a counter-gesture of care, repair, and coexistence.
Key considerations:
Non-invasive and non-damaging installation
Respect for living organisms
Natural, recycled, or biodegradable materials are encouraged
Temporary and time-based works welcome
No nails, staples, or permanent attachments permitted
04 — Activations
Performances, Workshops & Public Programs
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Application Fee: $10 USD
Description
This Open Call invites artists, educators, and collectives to propose performances, workshops, and participatory activations that expand the Miami Fiber Triennial beyond the exhibition space.
Proposals may include:
Textile-based performances
Community workshops
Participatory actions
Artist talks or demonstrations
Experimental or time-based activations
Projects should engage textile as a social, embodied, and pedagogical tool, and may respond to themes of America250, labor, migration, care, and material knowledge.
Selected activations may take place in the Triennial’s Didactic Room, conceived as a space for learning, dialogue, and embodied knowledge exchange.
04 — Activations
Performances, Workshops & Public Programs
-
Application Fee: $20 USD
Description
This Open Call invites artists, educators, and collectives to propose performances, workshops, and participatory activations that expand the Miami Fiber Triennial beyond the exhibition space.
Proposals may include:
Textile-based performances
Community workshops
Participatory actions
Artist talks or demonstrations
Experimental or time-based activations
Projects should engage textile as a social, embodied, and pedagogical tool, and may respond to themes of America250, labor, migration, care, and material knowledge.
Selected activations may take place in the Triennial’s Didactic Room, conceived as a space for learning, dialogue, and embodied knowledge exchange.
Jury Panel
All applications will be reviewed by a professional jury composed of curators, artists, and cultural leaders with extensive experience in contemporary textile and fiber practices:
Pit Brant -
Artist and Educator
Curatorial Panel
Katherine Chacón
Marco Caridad
Shirley Moreira
Olga Garcia-Mayoral
Maria Alcala Barcelo
Monica Czukerberg -
Artist and Educator
Bernice Steinbaum -
Gallerist