Delamar Traverse City 2027: Northwest Michigan Digital Prints and 2-D Art Solo Exhibition
Kooiman Pavão Cultural and the Delamar Traverse City hotel have opened a regional call for visual artists in northwest Michigan. Two artists will be chosen for separate solo exhibitions in the Delamar's main hallway during spring and summer 2027. Applications are free and close Friday 6 November 2026 at 11:59 pm, as indicated by the Artwork Archive entry platform in the America/New_York time zone. Eligibility is deliberately local: artists must be within 50 miles of Traverse City and work in two-dimensional media capable of being framed or hung. Digital printmaking, printed photographic art and other wall-ready 2-D work may fit, but a purely online artwork or equipment-heavy interactive installation is not automatically eligible.
Who qualifies for this northwest Michigan exhibition?
The organiser requires applicants to be artists within a 50-mile radius of Traverse City, Michigan. This is neither an unrestricted United States exhibition nor a worldwide competition. A digital artist living elsewhere in the Midwest cannot rely solely on having travelled to Traverse City or liking the region. If the 50-mile boundary is close to an applicant's address, the gallery team should confirm how distance is measured before the application is submitted.
Artists working in any two-dimensional medium may apply, and the works must be framed or otherwise ready to hang. The selection criteria consider technical skill, conceptual strength and innovation within the medium, with priority given to work speaking to the hotel's audiences and the creative character of northwest Michigan. Both emerging and experienced regional artists can consider the opportunity if their bodies of work are suitable for a coherent solo display.
Two venues dates — but one exhibition location
Despite the involvement of two partners, the actual display venue is the Delamar Traverse City, 615 East Front Street, Traverse City, Michigan 49686. Two solo artists will be selected and one artist will show in each of two periods: 1 February–25 April 2027 or 3 May–8 August 2027. Both shows are expected to run approximately twelve weeks. The organiser will make the final placement decision, and an artist should indicate any unavoidable conflicts rather than assuming a chosen slot can be guaranteed.
The gallery area is described as the hotel's Main Hallway, which is visited by hotel guests as well as people from the region. This may provide an audience broader than a conventional ticketed exhibition, but the space is not the same as a dedicated black-box media-art gallery. Artwork needing darkness, continuous sound playback, large projection screens or frequent maintenance would need explicit curatorial and technical permission.
Photography, digitally produced pictures and original 2-D work
The official call is medium-open within a two-dimensional format. That can make sense for a digital image maker who produces archival photographic prints, inkjet prints of computational drawings, collages or other 2-D pieces prepared for a wall. The call does not state that the organiser will supply screens, projection equipment, external computers, internet connections or specialist lighting. Artists considering digital practices should adapt only when this is faithful to the work, and check with K/P Cultural before submitting an installation that falls outside the stated format.
For a solo exhibition of approximately three months, visual coherence matters. Ten proposed works should not look like unrelated samples unless the artist can articulate a wider artistic rationale. A related series with a consistent approach to colour, form, local landscape or digital process can communicate a deeper story to visitors. These suggestions describe useful exhibition planning, not a set of mandatory artistic themes.
What to submit: up to ten artwork images
The application requests up to ten images of artwork available to be included in the exhibition. Applicants should select completed or realistically available works and document them in good light without misleading retouching. Each image should make it possible to understand composition, materials and presentation. The organiser's Artwork Archive form provides the actual technical requirements and upload workflow; follow those rather than guessing at an arbitrary file size or mandatory picture resolution.
Clear artwork records are useful after selection as well: title, medium, dimensions, date of creation, sale price if applicable and installation notes. The organiser asks for accurate inventory details in advance of exhibition. For a framed digital print, the stated dimensions should distinguish the physical framed object from its original digital pixel dimensions, which are not meaningful as a gallery hanging measure.
The application is free — what happens if selected?
The listing identifies no entry fee. Two artists will be selected through a review by K/P Cultural and Delamar staff. Each successful artist is expected to be present at the opening reception held by the Delamar. Selected artists may also work onsite en plein air before or during the exhibition if they wish, but it is not presented as a requirement for every participant. No automatic cash prize or guaranteed production stipend is stated in the official application.
Artists are responsible for delivery of their work. K/P Cultural will install the selected pieces, and Delamar says it will insure works while they are onsite. The organiser nevertheless includes liability language in its application conditions, so an artist handling fragile or expensive pieces should review the exact agreement and transport protection. Insurance onsite does not necessarily cover the journey to the hotel or every type of damage.
Sales arrangements: artists keep 70% of the retail price
K/P Cultural facilitates sales through the exhibition, with the artist retaining seventy percent of each retail sale. This is a commission-based potential revenue, not a guaranteed fee paid to every exhibitor. It is important to use the terms of the present 2027 call: an older event in the series may have used different percentages or arrangements. Artists should consider their production cost, framing, applicable taxes and delivery costs when setting retail prices.
The organisers reserve the right to photograph or use entered artworks for publicity related to the exhibitions. That permission is different from a claim that the hotel owns the physical artworks or all reproduction rights, but the precise scope of images, credits and marketing use should be understood before agreeing. If the artist's printed image incorporates licensed photographs, digital assets or typography from other creators, those materials should permit the expected exhibition and promotional uses.
Audience, location and how the work will be seen
The hotel is beside Grand Traverse Bay and close to walking, cycling and outdoor destinations. The organisers describe the art programme as offering visitors a window into the region's creative energy. Work may respond to local memories, contemporary life, abstraction, print experimentation or other themes that have meaning to the artist; the call prioritises relevance to its audiences but does not prescribe a single landscape subject. The technical demands of a bright hotel corridor should be considered when selecting print finishes or reflective frames.
A coherent short artist statement can explain what brings the pieces together and why this setting is appropriate. Rather than writing only that an artwork uses new software, a digital printmaker could describe how the process changes the visual experience, what observations or data inform it and what makes the result distinctive as a physical work. A photographer can clarify whether the images belong to a connected place or ongoing research. These are application tips, not compulsory form fields confirmed by the organiser.
Deadline, restrictions and contacts
The public entry platform lists the deadline as 6 November 2026 at 11:59 pm, America/New_York. If the portal displays a revised closing time, use its active countdown and submit before the last day. The two future exhibitions are provisionally scheduled for February–April and May–August 2027, but selected artists should confirm delivery and reception dates after being contacted.
For questions about requirements, exhibition format, sales or artwork rights, the organiser provides info@kpcultural.com. Technical issues about creating an Artwork Archive account, files or login are handled through the application platform instead. This division matters: software support can resolve an upload error but cannot decide whether a projected installation counts as eligible two-dimensional work.
Official application and final checklist
Before applying, confirm residence within 50 miles of Traverse City, wall-ready 2-D media, up to ten available artwork images, free submission, ability to deliver the work and attendance at an opening reception, the 70% artist sales share and organiser's publicity permission. The account was prepared from the Kooiman Pavão Cultural call hosted by Artwork Archive on 17 October 2026. Any updated written exhibition agreement and the active submission form control actual participation.