Studio Break is now accepting from submissions from Professional Artists, Deadline: June 15th.

Eligibility: The competition is open to all Emerging, Mid-Career, and Established Artists. Applicants should have a demonstrated track record of creating thematic bodies of work. Artists who’ve been featured on/at Studio Break in 2026 are ineligible.

Studio Break Winners:
1 Solo Exhibition at Studio Brak Gallery & Podcast Feature
1 Two- Person Exhibition at Studio Break Gallery & Podcast Feature
1 Two- Person Exhibition at Studio Break Gallery & Podcast Feature

5 Total Competition winners will be featured in a solo or two-person exhibition (5 total) and featured on the Studio Break website with a podcast feature highlighting the artists studio practice & online gallery. Podcasts will coincide with the artists exhibition at Studio Break Gallery.

Media:  the competition is open to all visual media:
2-D (drawing, painting, printmaking, photography)
3-D (sculpture, installation)
New Media (video, performance)

Juror: Erika Diamond, Artist, Curator, Educator based in Asheville, NC

Application:
__Applicants should submit a $20 application fee via Venmo Link or PayPal Link
__Interested applicants can send an email directly to studiobreak@studiobreak.com with a subject marked "2026 Studio Break Professional Competition". 
__Artists should include their full name, a website link to their portfolio & Instagram account.
__Artists submitting video or time based work should include hyperlinks to review video on portfolio websites or video sites like vimeo, youtube, etc...
__Questions concerning the application may be sent to: studiobreak@studiobreak.com

Erika Diamond is a textile-focused artist, curator, and educator based in Asheville, NC. Her work is influenced by dance, costume, materiality, and the politics of queer safety and visibility. She received a BFA in Sculpture from Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA in Fiber from Virginia Commonwealth University. Diamond has exhibited nationally and abroad, and her costumes have been commissioned by Charlotte Ballet. Exhibition venues include Cameron Art Museum (NC), Center for Craft (NC), Spring Break Art Fair (NYC, 2024), Tracey Morgan Gallery (NC), Contemporary Craft (PA), Dinner Gallery (NYC), Form & Concept Gallery (NM), Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (VA), and International Museum of Art & Science (TX). Her work is included the collections of San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles and Ally Bank among other private collections. Residencies include McColl Center for Visual Art; STARworks; ABK Weaving Center; Platte Forum; and UNC Asheville STEAM Studio. She is a 2026 Greene Fellowship awardee and has received grants from Arts AVL, US Artists, Haywood County Arts Council, and Arts & Science Council of NC. Diamond has taught at Western Carolina University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, Penland School of Crafts, and Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts. Her work has been reviewed in Metalsmith Magazine, Glasstire, and Whitehot Magazine. 

As Associate Director of Galleries at Chautauqua Institution and a freelance curator, she creates exhibitions that blur distinctions between the genres of art, design, and craft, while centering diverse voices and practices. Venues for her curatorial projects include Chautauqua Institution (NY), Atlanta Contemporary (GA), Jamestown Community College (NY), Austin Peay State University (TN), and Tyger Tyger Gallery (NC).