Visual artists who are mother figures, selling your own original work. Or family members and loved ones selling the original artwork of a mother figure in your life — your mom, grandmother, stepmother, aunt, mentor, or anyone who mothered you. You don't have to be the artist. You just have to be able to tell the story of the connection. Either the vendor or the artist must be based in DC, Maryland, or Virginia.

Original visual art made by a mother figure — painting, drawing, printmaking, mixed media, photography, illustration, or collage. Painting is our primary focus. We're looking for work that feels personal, shows craft, and tells a story. This is not a craft fair. No jewelry, candles, soaps, clothing, food, or non-art merchandise.

• Application: $20 non-refundable (applied toward space fee if accepted)

• Space Fee: $50/day — Saturday, Sunday, or both ($100 weekend)

• DU Table Rental: $20/day — limited, first come first served (7–9 available)

• Friday Preview: Free — optional, no fee for Friday evening sales

• Performance Sample: 60–120 second recording of a live or staged poem (YouTube, Vimeo, SoundCloud, Google Drive, etc.).

• Proposed Work: 1–4 poems intended for performance.

• Contact Info: Legal name, stage/preferred name, pronouns, email, phone, DMV residency, application category.

• Professional Materials: Artist bio (150-300 words) and CV/resume highlighting publications, readings, awards, community involvement.

• Deadline: November 2, 2025, 11:59 PM ET

• Application Fee: $20 (non-refundable; supports jury and production costs)

• Notification: Anticipated December 2025

Submissions will be reviewed by two established poets based on artistic merit, performance quality, category fit, and diversity.

If selected, poets will be asked for their date availability and invited to perform based on a curated mix of poetry for each monthly event and availability.

• Application fees are non-refundable.

• One application per poet.

• Recordings must be accessible and 60–120 seconds long.

• All poems must be your original work or performed with explicit permission for translations/adaptations.

• Selected poets must be available for their performance dates.

• Applying confirms DMV residency and grants DU permission to promote submitted materials.

• Poets agree to revenue sharing: DU retains 50% of ticket sales; poets split the other 50% plus tips.

• Poets in the full series may sell merchandise at any reading for a $20 table fee and may attend free to encourage audience building.

• Incomplete submissions including those with inaccessible file sharing links may be disqualified.

Email: connect@dupontunderground.org