Intermedia Gallery 2025/26 Open Call

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Introduction

Centre for Contemporary Arts Glasgow (CCA) is pleased to announce a new open call for Intermedia Gallery proposals, continuing its history as a valued platform for the development and presentation of emerging and reemerging artistic practice in Glasgow.

This opportunity is designed to support artists with space and resources to present new work. Sitting between grassroots, DIY exhibition-making and larger-scale institutional commissions, Intermedia Gallery offers a critical forum for artists to bridge that gap – creating room for experimentation, visibility and growth, beaming outward into new and wider professional contexts.

Exhibition delivery is kept intentionally light-touch; selected artists will lead on the organising, curating, installing, de-installing, publicising and documenting their exhibition with CCA’s guidance. Selected artists will benefit from the organisation’s infrastructure, expertise, visibility and wider networks and are offered supporting resources across invigilation, installation, communications support and technical provisions in addition to a budget. This approach operates as a deliberate contrast and complement to our curated and commissioned exhibition programme in CCA’s ground floor spaces, which are not open to proposals.

Intermedia Gallery has a longstanding and integral place in Glasgow’s visual arts ecology. Formerly an independent space funded by Glasgow City Council (Glasgow Life) and based on King Street, the gallery moved to the top floor of CCA in 2006. CCA renewed its commitment to the opportunity in 2022, increasing the level of integrated resources six-fold to better support the needs of artists.

Overview of Support

• £1,150 budget per exhibition. This is based on 5 days of one person's time paid at Scottish Artist Union rates of £230/ day. This budget can be spent however best fits.

• 8 exhibition slots available across 2025-26.

• Invigilation provided by CCA throughout the exhibition across 3 ½ weeks: a total of 16 days (11am-6pm) and an opening evening.

• Up to a maximum of 3 days (21 hours) install support with members of CCA’s technical and installation teams. The primary responsibility for install/ deinstall lies with the artist(s), with exceptions in the case of those with specific access requirements.

• Intermedia Gallery is kindly sponsored by Williams Bros who will supply a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages for the opening event.

• An aspect of marketing and communications support, inclusion in CCA e-newsletter, social media and website. Access to CCA photocopier to print A3 posters (x30)

• Available to individual or group exhibitions.

• Not open to those in education at the proposed time of exhibition.

• Opportunity to display relevant work or research concurrently on CCA Annex, CCA’s online project space.

• Opportunity to work with CCA’s Schools and Young People Programme (S&YP), aiming to improve access to contemporary art and issues for young people.

• Support from CCA’s Access Manager to ensure all are able to access the opportunity.

Selection Process

Successful submissions will be selected with the following criteria in mind: strength of artistic vision, commitment to exhibition-based practice, feasibility of proposal and stage in professional development. The overall selection aims to find a balance between artistic content, contemporary discourse and different media, offering a complimentary and varied roster of exhibitions across the calendar. The selection process is consciously non-discriminatory against gender, sexuality, ethnicity, age and those with disabilities.

Submissions from Glasgow-based artists will be prioritised. UK-wide and international proposals will be considered if the proposal demonstrates a feasible installation and deinstallation plan and a commitment to be present in Glasgow given the budget. We strongly encourage people from the global majority, who are LGBTQIA+, living with disabilities, and/or from working-class or low socio-economic backgrounds to apply.

Intermedia Gallery is not seen as a commissioning opportunity to produce extensive bodies of new work. It is instead geared to the display of work that is either finished or nearing completion but has not yet been displayed. We would like to stress that given the available budget and resources we are unlikely to select proposals that are unrealistic or overly ambitious. We are unlikely to consider proposals that have already been exhibited or that are touring. We are also unlikely to consider proposals from artists who we have worked with on an open call basis over the past couple of years, as we believe it’s important to distribute opportunities fairly.

Proposals will be selected by a representation of CCA’s Programme and Community Engagement teams, an invited artist from the previous round of Intermedia Gallery exhibitions and an invited external curator. All applications will be read and assessed according to the criteria with a longlist then being brought forward to discuss.

If you have any questions about the selection process, please feel free to email submissions@cca-glasgow.com.

Practical Information

• Intermedia Gallery is located on the second floor of the building, off the main atrium and close to the lift. It has windows along one side out into the atrium - this wall is listed and cannot be edited for the purposes of exhibition.

• The space is 6m x 11m, installed with load-bearing gallery walls and ceiling mounted unistrut channel that can be used for suspending heavier items such as projectors. There are de-mountable spotlights which can also be added to the track. Please see the floor-plan for further info.

• CCA equipment for the duration of the exhibition such as speakers and projectors may be available but can’t be guaranteed in advance.

• Similarly we may be able to lend basic tools for installation but encourage artists to consider what they need and bring appropriate equipment.

• Transportation of works should be considered within the available budget.

• CCA risk assessment templates will be provided during an induction briefings with selected artists.

• The Intermedia Gallery schedule works to a fixed diary. Please let us know your preferred months from the list and we will notify you of the closest available slot.

Access

CCA is committed to being as accessible as possible, thus our Intermedia Gallery open call has a separate budget for accessibility. This is provided for artists who may face specific barriers related to access and disability to participating in the programme.

If you have any access requirements you would like us to be aware of prior to, or following a successful, submission, please let us know. You can send them via email to our Access Manager, Zoë, who is contactable at zoe@cca-glasgow.com. Your requirements will only be shared with the panel, or with other CCA team members, with your permission.

Here are some useful links for those who are interested in knowing more about Intermedia Gallery and other spaces in our building as well as information on CCA’s access rider procedures:

Accessibility Guide and Walkthrough Video

Access Rider Procedure Document

Information Sessions

We will be hosting two informal zoom information sessions for those wishing to meet us and find out more about the Intermedia Gallery opportunity and CCA in general.

Please click through the following options below to register your interest for each session and keep an eye on your inbox on the day for the zoom link -

1pm (13:00) UK time – Tuesday 13th May 2025

5pm (17:00) UK time – Wednesday 4th June 2025

How to apply

Proposals can be submitted via the submission form below that asks for a proposal summary and a project description, formatted either in written form (500 word limit) or as an audio or video file (3 minute limit and under 10MB). We also ask that artists submit supporting images and/or PDF’s that give insight into 5 existing works, either individually or compiled. There are additional options to attach other supporting documents to your application, such as an artist CV, links to websites, online works or moving image excerpts if relevant. Please ensure that any links to content will not expire before we come to review the submission.

While we recognise that AI can be a powerful tool, we would like to hear your proposal in your own words. We assess proposals on the quality and originality of ideas, not the quality of writing.

Intermedia Gallery Submission Form

If you have any issues uploading images, PDFs or CVs to the form please email them to submissions@cca-glasgow.com

If you would prefer to submit in an alternative format, have any queries in relation to the process or if we can make it any easier for you to apply please don't hesitate to email submissions@cca-glasgow.com

Deadline : Tuesday 17th June 2025, 2pm (14:00)

Timeline: we will endeavour to get back to all applicants by the end of July 2025; this may need to be pushed back depending on other unforeseen commitments and number of applications received.