• In the Spring of 2012, Bond Millen Gallery Gallery founder Page Bond launched EMERGE I as an exhibition to support graduating VCU MFA students & connect with the VCUarts community at-large. When the gallery was reimagined under Ashley Millen in 2023, moving to a new location on Cary Street Road, the annual EMERGE exhibition was revitalized with an open-call format, enabling us to connect with a broader range of young artists. 

     
    EMERGE aims to focus on young, emerging artists either currently in school, recently graduated (1-5 years), or showcasing strong commitment to their artistic practice, if not pursuing traditional schooling. 

  • THE OPEN CALL

    Refraining from setting a theme during our EMERGE open-call encourages artist submissions from a wide range of perspectives and applications of the fine arts. We aim to cast a wide net, allowing themes to emerge organically from the submissions themselves, when possible. 
     
    We welcome young artists practicing in different media such as painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, craft, etc to apply. 
     
    Many works included in EMERGE will be selected from open call submissions, while a small number of artists will be invited to exhibit if the gallery connects with their practice. We try to make it to local thesis exhibitions at VCU, William & Mary, UVA, George Washington, etc, and market the open-call to faculty & students at Universities out of our travel-range.
     
     
    THERE IS NO FEE TO SUBMIT TO EMERGE! 
    We know fees can enforce unnecessary barriers to entry in the submission process, and hope to encourage as many to apply as possible. 
  • CHLOE CLAYBORNE, EMERGE IX
  • THE EXHIBITION This group exhibition will be the only open-call we hold each year. We look for emerging artists and...

    THE EXHIBITION

    This group exhibition will be the only open-call we hold each year. We look for emerging artists and students who will bring something distinct to the exhibition, while also considering our collector-base and how artists might fit into our roster post-EMERGE.  Many past EMERGE artists have gone on to be nationally recognized, collected, and represented. 

     

    All accepted artists will have their artwork featured in-person at Bond Millen Gallery in the West End district of Richmond, Virginia.

     

    PAST EXHIBITIONS

  • IMPORTANT DATES

    IMPORTANT DATES

    Monday, March 9, 2026: Submissions Open
    thursday, april 23, 2026: Submissions close-11:59EST deadline
    Friday, may 1, 2026: Accepted Applicants Notified
    friday, June 5, 2026: Participating Artist Delivery Deadline (5601 Cary Street Rd)
    Thursday, June 11, 2026: EMERGE X Exhibition OpenING Reception 5-7pm
    DATE TBD: Young Collectors Night
    Saturday, July 25th, 2026: EMERGE x Exhibition Closes 
    July-August, 2026: Work Returned to Participating Artists, or Kept on Consignment if discussed