The River We Call Home

In celebration of the Connecticut River Conservancy’s 75th anniversary, CRC, the Connecticut River Museum, and BMAC invite artists to submit work for a curated group exhibition honoring the Connecticut River watershed as a place of wonder, belonging, and relationship—one that sustains both human and natural communities.

For 75 years, CRC and many collaborators and volunteers have worked to protect, restore, and advocate for the Connecticut River and its tributaries. This exhibition seeks to reflect a legacy of love and stewardship through artistic interpretations of the river as a home. By highlighting the watershed’s dimensionality as only art can do, the organizers hope the exhibition will stir a renewed sense of passion and engagement for environmental conservation among museum visitors.

Two united yet distinct exhibitions will be held at museums situated alongside the Connecticut River in 2027:

Connecticut River Museum
Essex, Conn.
February 13 – May 30, 2027
Artist reception: Thursday, March 25, 5-7 p.m.

Brattleboro Museum & Art Center
Brattleboro, Vt.
July 10 – October 31, 2027
Artist reception: Saturday, July 10, 5-7 p.m.

Eligibility & Guidelines

• This call is open to artists who live, work, or have a meaningful connection to the Connecticut River watershed in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, or Connecticut.
• Artists at all career stages are welcome to apply.
• Collaborative and interdisciplinary works are welcome.
• All artistic mediums will be considered.
• All work must be original.
• If your work is selected, you will be expected to deliver or ship your work, ready to hang, at the appointed time prior to the exhibition opening.

Artists are encouraged to respond to ideas such as:

• The river as a place of beauty, reflection, belonging, or identity;
• Inhabitants of the watershed, great or small;
• Relationships between people, wildlife, and water;
• Change over time—ecological, cultural, or personal;
• Stewardship, care, and responsibility for shared places; or
• Daily life, recreation, or quiet moments along the river.

Interpretations may be literal or abstract, historical or modern, celebratory or contemplative. We invite artists to help tell the story of a river that connects us across borders, generations, and ecosystems, and to reflect on what it means to call the Connecticut River home.

Submission Process

• Submissions must be received via this online form by Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
• There is no fee to apply.
• Artists may submit up to three works for consideration.
• You will be asked to provide contact information, a brief bio and artist statement, images and descriptions of the works you are submitting, and your preference, if any, to have your work exhibited at CRM or BMAC.
• All submissions will be reviewed by representatives of CRC, CRM, and BMAC.
• Decisions will be announced by December 4.