**OPEN CALL** (please scroll through entire call below. PDF linked at the end)

MOCK

Curated by and on display at Ejecta Projects (Carlisle, PA)

Exhibition dates: September 19 – October 31, 2026

MOCK

- to imitate

- to ridicule

- to rehearse

This open call exhibition at Ejecta Projects invites visual artists to submit works of art that engage with the concept of “mockery” – in any of its iterations, meanings, and implications. A word that functions as verb, adjective, adverb, and noun, mock connotes a variety of related terms including imitation, ridicule, and rehearsal. Open to broad interpretations, the curators of MOCK seek artworks that intersect with notions of humor, sincerity, institutional critique, and imbalanced power structures, among other approaches to this topic.

Artists are asked to submit work that embrace, deny, reflect, or otherwise critically respond to ideas and material processes related to:

·      mimicry

·      appropriation or imitation

·      replicas, multiples, or imitation (faux)

·      simulation(s)

·      fakery, forgery, or knockoffs

·      studio apprentices, master copying, artist proofs, or prototypes

·      remixes, covers, or other re-imaginings

·      intellectual property rights

·      role-playing

·      authenticity

·      parody or satire

·      cynically humorous

·      originality

·      resistance to authority

Important Dates: 

July 21: Call for entries announced

August 23: Deadline for entries,11:59 PM ET

August 27: Notification email to artists selected for MOCK

September 14: Deadline for artworks to be received (shipped or delivered in-person)

In-person delivery of artworks to Ejecta Projects must be coordinate with the gallery

September 19: Opening reception of MOCK, 6-8 PM

September 19 – October 31: Exhibition dates

November 1 - 10: Artwork can be picked up in person (dates/times TBA). Return shipping underway.

Submission Guidelines-------- PLEASE READ CAREFULLY -------- Submission Guidelines

This opportunity is open to artists 18 years old or older working in 2D, 3D, and video/transmedia.

Due to unpredictable and non-transparent policies around US tariffs, we are not currently accepting international submissions for this open call. We hope this changes soon. Videos that can be shared electronically will be considered.

There is a submission fee of $14 payable at the following link. See our statement about this fee at the end of this open call.

SUBMISSION FEE PAYMENT LINK HERE

STEP 1:

Artists may submit up to 10 images of artworks that are available for display in the exhibition. All submissions must be formatted as a single PDF not to exceed 11 pages and emailed as an attachment directly to ejectaprojects@gmail.com with the subject line of MOCK SUBMISSION.

Your attached application MUST be labeled to include your name. Please follow this example: Puryear_Martin_MOCK.

Emailed submissions must arrive to our electronic inbox by no later than 11:59PM (EST) on Sunday, August 23, 2026. 

Your PDF packet should include no more than TEN individual images (one image per page) representing your art - and ONE (optional) page for you to respond briefly to this prompt (no more than 500 words): How does your art or studio practice critically engage with the theme of this open call?

One image per page. Each page/image should also include relevant image information: Title, date, materials and no more than a sentence or two IF there are other relevant details important for us to know – and especially if those details pertain to our understanding of how the work engages specifically with the exhibition theme. Video, time-based, or performance works should be represented with a single still image. Please include a link to individual video materials under the image in your pdf. DO NOT include any sales information, additional contextual information, bios, CVs, or an artist statement in your PDF packet. Materials that do not closely conform to the guidelines above may not get reviewed by the curators.

STEP 2:

The body of your email to Ejecta Projects must include your full name and contact information, including a phone number and current physical mailing/shipping address.

You may include a brief note of introduction and a link to your website. No other links, images, statements, biographical information, or other supporting materials should be attached or included in your email.

BEFORE you apply, please note:

Ejecta Projects is a labor of love. We typically see few sales and anticipate little to no financial gain. However, ideally all work curated into the exhibition must be for sale. To keep art at Ejecta Projects affordable for our community, we only take a low 10% commission on work sold from open call exhibitions. This consignment fee helps defer the costs associated with the additional time, labor, and materials related to sales, as well as the overhead expenses for the gallery.

Exhibitors are responsible for the costs of shipping or delivering artworks to and from Ejecta Projects. 

If selected for this exhibition, a PREPAID return shipping label must be included in your packaging when you ship your work. Return shipping will reuse the same packing materials (documented and stored upon arrival) provided by the artist.

Due to limitations of local options, our preferred carriers are USPS and UPS. We require a $6.00 service fee on all packages being returned shipped via FedEx or DHL (collected upon receipt of the work via a payment link) due to the additional package drop fees we incur by these carriers.

Works delivered in person to Ejecta Projects must align with drop off hours (to be coordinated with Ejecta Projects). Similarly, works delivered in person must also be collected in person during designated times (TBA).

Ejecta Projects does not provide insurance coverage for artwork and is not responsible for any damage, breakage, replacement costs while the work is on display or with any damage or breakage that may have occur during transport or unpacking the work. Every precaution will be taken in handling the artwork, but Ejecta Projects assumes no liability for any loss or damage to any artist’s work while in our care, custody or control, before, during or after the exhibition. Artists, if they wish, are invited to provide their own insurance.

Recommend maximum size for physical work submitted is 72 X 60 X 30 in., but if you have something bigger that you think is an exciting fit for the show theme, we’d happily have a look at it.

Work selected for inclusion in MOCK cannot be withdrawn before the end of the exhibition. Work sold during the exhibition will be either collected in person by the purchaser or shipped directly from the gallery to the purchaser (expense to be paid by the purchaser) after the exhibition closes.

All wall-based artwork must be suitably framed to a professional standard. All framed work should be fitted with Plexiglas. (Works with glass are acceptable if small and only if hand delivered. DO NOT ship work framed with glass.) Wall-mounted sculpture, stretched canvas, panels, or work conceptually dependent on not being framed do not require a frame. No clip frames or taped edges are permitted. Use of push pins or magnets for display is not encouraged. Work must be wired or otherwise be ready for hanging.

All work must be labeled on the back by the artist indicating which end is the top and the following details: Artist Name, Title, Medium, Date Completed, and Price. Mixed daylight, fluorescent, and directed lighting limit our ability to project time-based media, especially in group exhibitions.

Selected video works must arrive at the gallery “show ready” based on conversations with the staff at Ejecta Projects. If multiple video works are included in the exhibition, these may be ganged and displayed on a single monitor.

Once selected, no artwork may be substituted.

With the submission of artwork to MOCK, the artist agrees to all the terms and conditions set forth in this prospectus and to having photos if their artwork used to promote the exhibition and future published works or public posts that document or support the mission of Ejecta Projects.

Contact/Questions: Please direct all questions to ejectaprojects@gmail.com

About the Gallery:

Founded by artist Anthony Cervino and art historian Shannon Egan, Ejecta Projects is an art gallery, an artist’s studio, and a quiet space to consider collaborative artistic and curatorial undertakings. Located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Ejecta Projects not only offers exhibition and consignment opportunities for artists, but also serves as a gesture toward community investment, a place for connection among people who crave an atmosphere of warmth and creativity. Follow us on Instagram @ejectaprojects.

SHARED STEWARDSHIP: Sustaining an Artist/Art Historian-Run Gallery

Ejecta Projects is a labor of love. Everything we do to operate the gallery is in addition to the time, effort, and commitments to our full-time jobs and our shared home. We do this work because we sincerely believe in the critical function of independent art galleries in supporting artists and providing a space of belonging within our local community.

Since opening in 2018, Ejecta Projects has maintained a consignment fee of 25–35% on gallery sales while avoiding application fees for our open calls. Increasingly, however, our ability to provide brick-and-mortar exhibition opportunities has been challenged by inflation and limited sales. We have limited resources, but we would like to continue to innovate and develop new initiatives that serve artists and our community.

After considering many alternative cost strategies, and mindful of the larger conversations surrounding predatory gallery practices, Ejecta Projects is introducing a shared stewardship application fee model. Artists’ investments will contribute directly to exhibition expenses rather than generating profit for the gallery. To keep Ejecta Projects sustainable and growing, we are adopting the following shared cost-sharing structure for group exhibition open calls:

Artist application fee: $14 per open call submission (flexible for verified hardship requests)

Consignment on sales: 10%

Designed to be artist-friendly, this fee and consignment structure will help offset monthly overhead (our rent and utilities average approximately $1400 per month) as well as expenses associated with individual exhibitions (replacement lights, paint, reception expenses, open call promotions, wall vinyl, tape, bubble wrap, etc., averaging approximately $500 per exhibition).

This change will not impact our own financial investment in Ejecta Projects. Likewise, we will continue to dedicate our time, labor, and experience to curating exhibitions around relevant and engaging themes; promoting our exhibitions and the work of participating artists; consistently maintaining open hours for every exhibition; treating every artwork with care and respect; communicating clearly and promptly with artists and patrons; and innovating in ways that benefit artists, our community, and a broader culture of creativity.

Artists selected for exhibitions will continue to be responsible for the shipping or delivery costs associated with transporting their work to and from Ejecta Projects, as well as for providing insurance for their work while it is in our care, if desired.

About the space: Located in a historic, renovated mechanic’s garage, Ejecta Projects has approximately 1100 square feet of exhibition space, featuring roughly 100 linear feet of wall space suitable for display. Mixed daylight, fluorescent, and directed lighting limit our ability to project time-based media, especially in group exhibitions, where such works are typically presented on a 42-inch monitor (either individually or ganged together). We also have floor space for three-dimensional works and a ceiling height of 12 feet at its lowest point.

Over the past eight years, we have curated and designed exhibitions that allow each artist's work to be encountered both individually and as part of the exhibition's broader theme. In consideration of these factors, we anticipate that group exhibitions will be limited to 20–30 individual works, depending on size, medium, and specific display requirements.

Posted 07.21.26