City issues 2SLGBTQIA+ artists’ Call Out for ‘Full Colour’ Pride Month visual art exhibition

Photo of an Eco Dying Textiles Workshop for the 2026 Pride Art Exhibition Call to Artists shot by Jess Max.

Artwork will be on display at City Hall June 5 to Aug. 14

The City of St. Catharines invites submissions from 2SLGBTQIA+ artists at every career stage from across the Niagara Region for “Full Colour: A Celebration of 2SLGBTQIA+ Art and Expression,” a group exhibition to be presented during Pride Month in June.

“Full Colour” celebrates the depth, diversity and vibrancy of queer and trans artistic practices. This City exhibition will bring together artists working across disciplines to explore the many ways 2SLGBTQIA+ communities express identity, build connection, and imagine new possibilities.

“This exhibition exists because representation is not optional, it’s essential,” said “Full Colour” curator Leigh MacLeod, founder / director of Willow Arts Community. “In the current climate where 2SLGBTQIA+ rights and lives are increasingly under scrutiny, “Full Colour” is a statement of presence, resilience, and joy. It’s about taking up space and celebrating the artists who continue to do so every day.”

We welcome submissions that engage with themes including, but not limited to:

Identity, gender, and sexuality
Visibility, resistance, and advocacy
Joy, celebration, and chosen family
Memory, history, and community archives
Transformation, fluidity, and becoming
Futures, imagination, and queer world-building

We strongly encourage submissions from artists who reflect the diversity of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, including Two-Spirit, trans, non-binary, racialized, Indigenous, disabled, and neurodivergent artists.

“Full Colour: A Celebration of 2SLGBTQIA+ Art and Expression” will be on display at City Hall from June 5 to Aug. 14, 2026.

Submissions are open to all emerging, student and established artists, designers and collectives from across the Niagara Region. Artworks must be original. There are no costs associated with entry. Selected artists will be compensated $225.

The submission deadline is Sunday, May 10, 2026, at 11:30 p.m.

For more information, visit the City’s Calls to Artists webpage.

The City Hall art exhibition program is coordinated through the Cultural Services Office at the City’s Community Recreation and Culture Services department.

Eco dyeing textiles workshop photo credit: Jess Max