ECC Art Gallery

Embedded on the second floor of the Equality Community Center, located at 15 Casco Street, the ECC Art Gallery seeks every opportunity to grow and expand. We prioritize recording and showcasing queer stories and histories, and believe it is important to honor ourselves and our community by creating and sharing with one another. 

Bold and intimate, political or personal, our thematically varied open call exhibitions offer interpretive outlets for emerging creatives and veteran artists alike. Our gallery is dedicated to providing a space to honor and uplift talent from the unique LGBTQIA+ voices of Maine, so if you have work to show, we want to show it! 

Submit your work today, and / or join our art committee! 

EXHIBITIONS AND OPEN CALLS 

We are proud to share that we have had a successful first year of exhibitions! This volunteer-run gallery has hosted four different shows in our 2025 to 2026 season: Resist & Persist, Love is Love, Family, & Pride! We have shown well over 80 individual artworks by over 30 individual artists, and can't wait to see what’s next to come! 

In the upcoming months, it is our goal to increase community engagement, as well as offer additional arts programming such as workshops and artist talks. 

Our 2026 to 2027 exhibition schedule is as follows: 

*All opening receptions align with Portland’s First Friday Art Walks. 

QUEER HORROR - October 2, 2026 - November 20, 2026 

COLLAGE SHOW - December 4th, 2026 - December 21st, 2026. 

TRANSparent - January 8, 2027 - March 19, 2027 

DAY IN THE LIFE - April 2, 2027 - May 21, 2027 

PRIDE 2027 - June 4, 2027 - September 20, 2027

Eligibility

Our open calls are open to all individuals across Maine, even those who may not identify as artists themselves. Artwork is not juried, and all submissions will be accepted subject to space, availability, and appropriate nature. Artwork that falls outside of the submission guidelines will NOT be considered, and artists are expected to self-select which exhibition is most appropriate for their work(s)

Submission guidelines

Submissions for all open call exhibitions are accepted on a rolling basis. Artwork should be appropriate to the theme and should not be intended to attack or incite hatred against individuals or groups of any kind. At this time, the ECC is unable to insure artworks, and cannot be held responsible for any damage or theft. Because of this, all artists are required to sign a liability release form upon drop off of an accepted piece of work. In advance of each exhibition, dates for drop off and pick up will be communicated clearly to artists via email. Accepted pieces will be required to be displayed for the entirety of the show. 

If an artist wishes to publicize their piece for sale, they must include a price to display and provide a means of communication for interested parties to contact them. At this time, the ECC does not have the resources to facilitate the sale of artworks, so artists are responsible for managing their own sales. Once a piece has sold, the artist should notify the gallery admins and the piece will be marked as such. 

*While not required by any means, the ECC welcomes artists to consider donating a portion of their sales to the ECC as a means to sustain the gallery space and help ensure future artists can access the opportunity for years to come. 

Artists can submit up to three works. 

Please submit artworks with the following naming convention: Artist Last Name_Title of Artwork_Year of Artwork Creation (E.g Streisand_No More Tears_1979)

ALL SUBMISSIONS SHOULD BE: 

● Two-dimensional visual art 

● 36 x 24 inches or smaller. 

● Labeled appropriately to include the name, dimensions (in inches), the medium, and date of creation (Month/Year). 

● Conceived of, and produced entirely by that artist alone as the sole owner ● Ready for hanging upon delivery to the ECC

SUBMISSIONS ARE NOT: 

● 3D, audio, video, performance, or anything else other than two-dimensional ● Larger than 36 x 24 inches (unless approved) 

● To be submitted without an appropriate label 

● A reproduction, close interpretation, or imitation of works by another artist. ● Unable to hang on the wall upon delivery to the ECC 

questions?

Please email our gallery committee at gallery@eccmaine.org