2026 CAM Perennial Open Call
Curated by Casie Lomeli & Leslie Moody Castro

Apply by September 26, 2025 at 11:59pm CST

Contemporary Art Month (CAM) seeks to promote and raise the profile of San Antonio contemporary art and artists by organizing and facilitating a month-long celebration of contemporary art, providing marketing support, and by organizing and facilitating public programs. At the heart of Contemporary Art Month’s mission, is the promotion of one of San Antonio’s greatest assets: its artists.

2026 marks the 40th anniversary of Contemporary Art Month—an ideal moment to reflect on CAM’s origins in San Antonio’s artist-run spaces while looking forward with renewed energy. With both guest curators rooted in the city and deeply engaged in the regional and national art scenes, the exhibitions will honor CAM’s past while amplifying diverse voices and perspectives for the future.

About the Curators

Casie Lomeli’s practice is centered on creating meaningful conversations that explore the complexities of the human experience, particularly those that involve identity, society, and ancestry. At times her work is focused and centers on communications strategies for arts organizations, and other times it’s more poetic and curatorial, providing another avenue of storytelling. Originally from Kyle, Texas, Casie studied Art History and Business at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Over the past decade, Casie has immersed herself in the Contemporary Art community in San Antonio. She has held positions at Ruiz-Healy Art gallery and Artpace San Antonio, and has collaborated with organizations such as Luminaria, Clamp Light Artist Studios & Gallery, Planned Parenthood South Texas, and more. She also serves as the Exhibitions Manager at Sala Diaz and is a dedicated Board Member and Co-Chair for Contemporary Art Month San Antonio. Currently, Lomeli is the New Media and Communications Coordinator at Contemporary at Blue Star.

Photo by Diego Medel.

Casie Lomeli

Leslie Moody Castro

Leslie Moody Castro is an independent curator and writer whose practice is based on itinerancy and collaboration. She has produced, organized, and collaborated on projects in Mexico and the United States for nearly two decades. She is committed to creating moments of exchange and dialogue within exhibitions, is a co-founder of Unlisted Projects Residency, and Co-Lab Projects, and in 2022 served as inaugural curatorial fellow and curator in residence at New Mexico State University and Casa Otro Residency, respectively. She has been awarded two grants from the National Endowment of the Arts for her curatorial projects and a fellowship from the Department of State for her research on borders. Moody Castro has participated in numerous residencies including the Narva Artist Residency, Estonia, The Galveston Artist Residency, Casa Lü Residency, Tepoztlán, MARSO CDMX, and Fountainhead, Miami. She has curated biennials including the Amarillo Museum of Art Biennial in 2021, The Texas Biennial in 2018, and co-curator of the Aurora Biennial in 2024.  Moody Castro was guest editor of Glasstire Magazine from 2021—2024, is the founder of AtravesArte and believes Mariachis makes everything better.

Eligibility

Important Dates

The 2026 CAM Perennial Open Call is open to artists living and working in Texas or artists outside of Texas that are recommended by past CAM Perennial curators.

Exhibition Information

August 18, 2025: Open Call Launches
September 26, 2025: Open Call Closes
October 2025: Studio Visits
December 2025: Artists Notified of Selection
March 2026: Exhibition on View

Dates are subject to change.

The exhibition will take place March 2026 across artist-run spaces in San Antonio. Final dates and locations TBA.

Selection Disclosure

Part of the mission of CAM is to give full authority to the selected curators. This strategy is aimed at allowing independent curators full liberty and avoiding personal conflicts. For the 2026 Perennial, the selected curators are two CAM Board Members. They will be functioning as guest curators. To this end:

  • The remaining CAM Board Members have no hand or influence in the curation, discussion, or any review of the selected artists.

  • The remaining CAM Board Members will not see or preview the list of the names of applicants. 

  • The CAM Perennial Artists selection is entirely at the discretion of the guest curators.

  • Community partners such as local galleries, museums, and venues are not privy to or involved in the selection process of either the curator, or open call artists, and the curator's autonomy is privileged.

For questions and media inquiries contact

Roberta “Nina” Hassele | info@contemporaryartmonth.org