Application Deadline: Tuesday 30 June 2026, midnight

Curated by Julie Patarin-Jossec 

The International Visual Sociology Association (IVSA) is celebrating its 40th Anniversary with a special exhibition at the Bridgeport Art Center.

IVSA is seeking artwork that explores the legacy and future of visual inquiry within the social sciences. Artists, researchers, scholars, and interdisciplinary practitioners are invited to submit works that:

• Reflect on the heritage and evolution of visual practices within the social sciences.
• Critically examine the ways in which dominant approaches to knowledge production have marginalized forms of understanding that extend beyond the visual.
• Challenge existing disciplinary boundaries and propose innovative, subversive, and experimental approaches to research-creation.
• Explore new methods of storytelling, documentation, representation, and knowledge-sharing that expand the possibilities of visual sociology.

Fees: there is no fee to submit your artwork. However, if your work is selected to be part of this exhibition, you will be expected to become an IVSA member. 

Deadline: Tuesday 30 June 2026, midnight. Please note that no late submissions will be accepted. The submission form will be close to new entries starting 1 July.

Delivery of artwork: accepted artists will coordinate with the curator (Julie Patarin-Jossec) to hand deliver their work to the Bridgeport Art Center at the beginning of installation week (12-13 November). More information on this will be provided after selection of the artworks. Shipping physical artworks will not be an option. 

Pickup of artwork: all artworks will have to be picked up by the artists at the end of the exhibition. More information on this will be provided later on, in coordination with the curator.

Entry guidelines: artworks do not have to be completed by the time of your entry. Please only submit visuals for which you own copyright. If you share images of your work, artworks must match your submission images. Please also note that this exhibition focuses on sociologically engaged artwork––make sure your work can be a good fit based on the exhibition’s description. As specified in the description, this call favors media that have been historically under-represented in social research, such as experimental film, installations, performances, and sound works. 

EXHIBIT – 4th Floor Gallery November 20 – December 30, 2026

This anniversary exhibition aims to celebrate four decades of visual sociological practice while fostering dialogue about the future of research, creativity, and social engagement. Through photography, film, mixed media, installation, performance documentation, digital works, and other experimental forms, the exhibition seeks contributions that question established canons and imagine new ways of seeing, knowing, and creating.

The exhibition will be presented at Bridgeport Art Center as part of IVSA’s 40th Anniversary celebration, bringing together an international community of artists, researchers, and scholars dedicated to expanding the role of visual practice in understanding social life.

Opening reception

Friday, November 20th from 7-10pm