OPEN CALL: Reflections: Portraits That Define Community
A Fundraiser for The Sharing Place and Monira Foundation
Exhibition and Event: Friday, April 24th, 5 PM
Sign up to reserve your Panel: January 12, 2026 – Friday, February 27, 2026 at midnight.
Finished Works due: No later than March 31, 2026, 5 pm at Mana Contemporary
The Monira Foundation invites artists of all backgrounds to contribute to Reflections, a portrait exhibition and fundraiser that celebrates the people, connections, and spirit that define our shared lives. Each 8” x 10” portrait will become part of a collective installation, a visual reflection of how we see and care for one another.
This project is about giving back to the community, both inside and outside our walls. Artists support artists, and together we support our neighbors.
100% of the money raised will directly benefit our community:
- 50% of each sale will be donated to The Sharing Place, helping local organizations provide assistance to reduce food insecurity for those in the greater Hudson County area. The food pantry distributes groceries to people on the 3rd Saturday of every month.
- 50% will directly support Monira Foundation’s artist programs, ensuring we continue to nurture creativity, connection, and opportunity for artists by paying them for exhibitions, programming, and residencies.
Theme: Portraits That Define Community
What does community look like to you? A friend, a neighbor, a stranger, a memory, or even a self-portrait. We invite artists to explore connection, belonging, and care through portraiture in any medium or approach.
Together, these portraits will form a large-scale installation celebrating the many faces and stories that make our community thrive.
Why do we ask you not to identify yourself on the front of the work?
This choice allows us to emphasize the power of individuality within a collective, illustrating how each portrait contributes to a larger visual dialogue about belonging and identity. Together, the works reveal a portrait of a community that is both diverse and deeply interconnected. Just like we are.
Note: While this is not a juried exhibition, any artwork containing hate speech, discriminatory symbols, or messages of intolerance in any form will be automatically disqualified.
How to Participate
1. Sign Up & Reserve Your Panel
Complete the online Google submission form by February 27, 2026, to reserve your space in the show. After registering, you’ll receive details about picking up your provided 8” x 10” gessoed masonite panel from Monira Foundation. Apply Now!
Each artist will receive one panel free of charge to create their portrait.
2. Create Your Portrait
- All works must be created on the provided 8”x 10” gessoed masonite panel.
- One portrait per artist.
- All media are welcome: painting, drawing, collage, mixed media, etc.
- Please sign the back only with your name and contact information.
Your artwork is a 100% donation to support the fundraiser. Every piece will be exhibited and offered for sale during the event on April 24th, 2026.
3. Deliver Your Finished Portrait
- Local drop-off only at Mana Contemporary or Monira Foundation (Jersey City).
- Drop-off details and times will be shared when you sign up.
- All submitted works will be included; this is a community show, not a juried exhibition.
Important Dates:
- Register your participation by February 27, 2026.
Complete the online form to confirm your participation. - Deliver your completed artwork no later than March 31, 2026.
Works can be dropped off or mailed to:
Monira Foundation
888 Newark Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07306
- April 10-24, Reflections opens for public viewing.
- April 24th, Fundraising Event in Jersey City
Giving Back: Our Collective Commitment
Your creative contribution directly helps sustain artists and feed families. By donating your work, you are helping us strengthen both sides of our community—those who create and those who need care. Every portrait reflects generosity, creativity, and the power of coming together.
At Monira Foundation, giving back also means ensuring access, equity, and inclusion within the arts. We recognize that equity is critical to the long-term viability of creative communities, but historically, one culture has been dominant at the expense of a greater multitude of humanity. We are committed to reversing this inequity by embracing an ethics of inclusion.
Centering the voices and experiences of BIPOC, LGBTIA+, women, and artists with disabilities sits at the heart of Monira Foundation’s collaborations with artists, performers, dancers, and writers. In our mission to expand the reach and quality of art available to the public, we strive to create an environment where everyone has full access to a dynamic and creative life. We hold ourselves accountable by continually scrutinizing our programs and services, challenging and reforming any structural inequities that may hinder this framework.