2026 Artist open calls and opportunities

We celebrate themed art exhibitions for local artists and groups to display and sell their work. From new, emerging to established artists, we celebrate a creative community here in Crystal Palace. We sell a selection of artists’ prints and cards in the cafe. For more information on how the group art shows work, email thepaxtoncentre@gmail.com or call us on 020 8659 4701.

Open Call: July - August 2026 Group Art Show - Summer of Love

Following our highly successful 2026 exhibition run, we are excited to present our next group show celebrating the spirit of connection, colour, and creativity.

This July - August exhibition invites artists to take part in ‘Summer of Love’.

Summer of Love will celebrate themes of warmth, peace, freedom, joy, and human connection—drawing inspiration from the wonder of the summer months while incorporating and embracing contemporary interpretations of summer and love in all its forms. 

Through bold colour, expressive imagery, and imaginative storytelling, the exhibition will explore how art can capture optimism, unity, and the beauty of shared experience. From creative influences and playful experimentation to gentle reflections on community, life in the summer months and compassion, each artwork will contribute to a collective atmosphere of warmth and celebration. Together, the exhibition will create an uplifting visual journey that invites viewers to reflect, reconnect, and rediscover the enduring power of the ‘Summer of Love’.

Deadline to express your interest: 22nd May – using The Paxton Centre Artists Information & Expression of Interest Form

Exhibition dates: Sunday 5th July - August 29th

Exhibition installation: Sunday 5th July, 1–4pm

Exhibition break down: Saturday 29th August Launch party: Friday 10th July, 6–9pm

To express your interest, download, review, and complete the Artist Information & Expression of Interest Form (linked below) and email it to thepaxtoncentre@gmail.com by the deadline.

Please note: There is a £5 submission fee to enter the exhibition. If your work is selected, a £25 exhibition fee will apply.

The exhibition fee helps support:

- Marketing and administration of the show, artist selection , organisation and planning logistics.

- Audience reach of over 9,000+ followers via our social media platforms and local community platforms (10k+)

- Promotion in our monthly newsletter, The Paxton Post

- Dedicated social media promotion before and during the exhibition

- A launch party event held at the centre

- The opportunity to exhibit and sell your work within a supported gallery environment that has had an excellent run of launches and footfall for over 10 years

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Open Call: May - June 2026 group art show theme ‘Abstract: Floating Forms’

Following our highly successful ‘Abstract: Echoes in Exploration’ exhibition in 2025, we are keen to revisit the theme of Abstract.

This May-June group art show will celebrate ‘Abstract: Floating Forms’.

Floating Forms is an abstract exhibition that explores movement, balance, and the quiet spaces between structure and freedom. Through shifting shapes, layered textures, and expressive colour, the works evoke a sense of weightlessness and flow. Each piece invites viewers to pause, drift, and interpret freely—finding meaning in motion, stillness, and uncertainty. Together, the collection will create an immersive visual experience that celebrates abstraction as a language of emotion, imagination, and open-ended discovery.

Deadline to express your interest is 31st March - using the below Expression of Interest Form

Exhibition dates: 2nd May - 30th June 2026

Exhibition put up: Saturday 2nd May 1-4pm

Launch party: Friday 8th May 6-9pm

To express your interest, download, review and fill in the Artist Information & Expression of Interest Form (linked below) and email it back to The Paxton Centre, thepaxtoncentre@gmail.com by the deadline date.

Please note: There is no cost to enter the show, aside from your own exhibition expenses. You will be supported through our marketing communications when we announce the show and during the launch evening, with social media to promote the exhibition. More information is available in the Artist Information Form.

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