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Current opportunities for artists in the Florida Keys: local markets and events, gallery openings, and state and national programs. Every listing below was checked at the source, and each one comes down once its deadline passes. A few are kept on afterwards, marked closed, because artists look back at what an application asked for before the next round opens.

Local, the Florida Keys and Monroe County

Exhibition call

Art in Public Buildings: third exhibition

Islamorada, Village of Islands

Submit artwork for temporary display in Village Hall, Founders Park Community Center and the Ron Levy Aquatic Center Lobby. The third exhibition runs from November 2026 through March 2027. The Village expects to select approximately 15 to 25 works.

Before you apply Selected works must be available for delivery to Village Hall the week of November 9. Participating artists must sign the Program Guidelines and Loan Agreement when delivering their artwork.

Closes
Monday, October 19, 2026
Award
Temporary exhibition. Artists may offer selected works for sale; the Village takes no commission.
Fee
No submission fee
Who can apply
Artists must have a residence or business address in Islamorada. Wall-based works up to 72 inches in diameter may be accepted, along with one sculpture up to 16 inches in diameter and 30 inches tall.

Public art commission

Welcome and Thank You Signs

City of Key West, Art in Public Places

Two permanent, site-specific artworks at the gateway to Key West on US 1: one welcoming people as they arrive and one thanking them as they leave. The City is asking for public art rather than a standard highway sign, drawn from the fabric of the island. One artist or team may be selected for one work or for both.

Before you apply A proposal cannot be emailed, faxed or uploaded. It is a sealed paper package delivered to the City Clerk, it has to include ten signed forms, eight of which need a notary, and anything arriving after 3:00 p.m. on October 15 is rejected automatically.

Closes
Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern
Award
$75,000 to $100,000 for the project as a whole, inclusive of installation
Fee
No application fee
Who can apply
Professional artists and artist teams with a history of work in challenging public spaces. No residency requirement and no pre-qualification round. The selected artist must carry $300,000 in liability insurance.

Public art commission

Poinciana Plaza Fifty-Four

Key West Housing Authority, with the City of Key West Art in Public Places

Permanent public art for fifty-four new apartments going up at 1611-1612 Dunlap Drive in Key West, funded by the city’s one percent for art ordinance. Professional artists and artist teams are invited to propose a permanent installation for the site.

Before you apply There is a pre-proposal meeting on Wednesday, September 30 at 10:00 a.m. in the Housing Authority boardroom, 1400 Kennedy Drive. For the RFP package, write to Vanessa Sellers at sellersv@kwha.org or call 305-296-5621 extension 282.

Closes
Wednesday, October 28, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern
Award
Set by the one percent for art set-aside on the development. See the RFP package for the figure.
Fee
No application fee
Who can apply
Professional artists and artist teams. No pre-qualification round is required to propose, and the bid listing asks for no additional registration.

Grant

Fall 2026 Artist Grants

Anne McKee Artists Fund

Project grants of up to $3,000 for individual visual, performing and literary artists who live in the Florida Keys, plus the Joint Performance Grant with the Tennessee Williams Theatre and three grants for young artists. The Fund has changed its grant cycle: applications open Monday, September 28, 2026 and close Monday, October 26.

Before you apply The application form opens Monday, September 28 and closes automatically at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, October 26. Have your written project proposal, its budget and one to five work samples (each under 10 MB) ready before you begin.

Closes
Monday, October 26, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern
Award
Standard Grant up to $3,000 for a creative project. Joint Performance Grant: $5,000 plus an evening at the Tennessee Williams Theatre Cabaret with production help. Youth: $1,000 Jon McIntosh Student Grant for a high school senior, $800 for ages 14 and up, $500 for under 14.
Fee
The Fund lists no application fee
Who can apply
Individual visual, performing and literary artists who live in Key West or the Florida Keys at least six months a year and have an upcoming creative project. Past grant winners may apply every two years.

Grant

Grant to Visual and Media Artists

South Florida Cultural Consortium

The Consortium awards $15,000 and $7,500 grants to individual visual and media artists across five counties, and Monroe County artists are eligible. Attending one free workshop was required before applying.

Why this is still here This cycle has closed. It is kept here because artists look back at what the application asked for, and because the Consortium runs the grant most years: attending one free workshop was required before applying, so watch for the next round’s workshop dates rather than the deadline.

Closed
Monday, September 14, 2026 at 11:59 pm
Award
$15,000 and $7,500
Fee
No application fee
Who can apply
Individual artists who have lived and worked in Monroe County for a full year before applying. Not open to organizations, to students in a degree program, or to employees of the participating county governments or their local arts agencies.

Fellowship

Workshop Fellowship Award

Key West Literary Seminar

Covers the full $675 workshop fee, plus help toward four nights of lodging, for writers accepted into the January 2027 Writers Workshop Program in Key West. The priority deadline has passed and applications are still being read on a rolling basis.

Before you apply The Seminar says spots often fill in the first round, so applying now is no guarantee. It is also all or nothing: if the application is declined you cannot then pay and attend.

Closes
Rolling. The form closes Sunday, January 3, 2027 at 11:59 pm
Award
Full $675 workshop fee waiver, plus need-based lodging assistance
Fee
No application fee
Who can apply
Writers at all levels, no geographic restriction. Priority goes to those who have not received Seminar support before.

Exhibition call

Small Works 2026, 19th Annual Juried Exhibit

Jag Gallery, Key West

Original 2D and 3D work under 10 inches in any direction, including the frame. Selected pieces hang at Jag Gallery in Key West from December 5 through January 10, with trophies for Juror's Choice, Honorable Mentions and People's Choice.

Closes
Saturday, October 24, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern
Award
Trophies, and winners are invited into a Jag Gallery group show in 2027
Fee
$18 per entry, and $18 for each additional image. Up to six pieces.
Who can apply
Open to all artists. No jewelry and no AI-generated work.

National

Grant

Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant

Pollock-Krasner Foundation

Grants to individual working artists with no deadline at all: applications are open year round and reviewed on a rolling basis. Awards go up to $50,000, with most around $35,000.

Closes
No deadline. Open year round
Award
Up to $50,000, most around $35,000
Fee
No application fee
Who can apply
Painters, sculptors and artists working on paper, anywhere in the world. Not open to photography, video or film, performance, graphic or commercial art, illustration, craft, or AI-generated work. One application every 24 months.

Looking for more?

The listings above are the ones the Arts Council has checked. For the wider picture, CaFE is the national board most public art commissions and juried exhibitions are posted to, including several of the calls above. It is free to browse and you can filter by state.

Browse CaFE opportunities (opens in a new tab)

Have an opportunity for Keys artists?

The Arts Council is glad to consider calls that are open to Monroe County artists. Send the details to info@keysarts.com or call 305-295-4369. The Council's own grant programs are listed under Our Grant Programs, and the Cultural Umbrella and Cultural Consortium pages stay available year round, including between cycles.