Call for Artists — Nocturnes & Nostalgia

A curated exhibition for The Bergman Project
The Art Cellar at Grasby Art Studio, Calgary · Friday, August 7, 2026

The Art Cellar is seeking work by local Calgary-area artists for a one-night curated exhibition paired with The Bergman Project — an intimate evening of live jazz with vocalist Serafina Martino and pianist Janice Friedman, direct from New York City, performing the songs of Marilyn & Alan Bergman ("The Way We Were," "The Windmills of Your Mind," "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?") alongside timeless jazz standards.

As with our sold-out Mountains and The Sea evening, this is a true collaboration between sound and image: each painting is chosen to deepen the music, surrounding an audience of 50 guests for one unforgettable evening.

The Theme

The Bergmans wrote about memory, longing, romance, and time. We're looking for work in three moods:

Nocturnes — art that lives in low light: moonlit landscapes, night cityscapes, rain-slicked streets, lamplit windows, candlelit interiors. (3–4 pieces)

Memory & Nostalgia — remembered moments rather than present ones: soft-focus and impressionistic scenes, faded interiors, old photographs reimagined in paint, empty dance halls, the way we were. (4–5 pieces)

Romance, Movement & Jazz — couples, dancers, embraces; musicians, pianos, smoky club scenes; abstract work with turning, circling forms in the spirit of "The Windmills of Your Mind." (3–4 pieces)

Work in any medium is welcome. Pieces with a palette leaning charcoal, deep blues, gold, and plum will feel especially at home in the room.

How to Submit

Email info@grasbyartstudio.com with:

  • Up to 3 works: image, title, medium, dimensions, and price
  • A sentence or two on how each piece speaks to the theme
  • Your name, phone number, and website or Instagram if you have one

Submission deadline: Saturday, August 1, 2026
Artists notified: Monday, August 3
Drop-off at the studio: Tuesday, August 4 – Thursday, August 6

Please wait to hear from us before bringing in work — only accepted pieces can be received at the studio.

All works will be for sale during the exhibition; the gallery retains a 30% commission on sales. Selected artists receive two complimentary tickets to the evening and will be introduced to guests — our audiences love to meet the artists.

Teresa Grasby, curator and host
Grasby Art Studio · grasbyartstudio.com · 403-453-1722