Call for Art: We Don’t Need This Fascist Groove Thang
2025 Annual Exhibition
Juried by Joseph DeLappe
From December 4, 2025– February 21, 2026, CoCA will present the latest incarnation of its storied series exploring contemporary art, the CoCA Annual, a juried group exhibition seeking work from emerging as well as established artists in the Northwest and worldwide. For the 25th edition, CoCA is proud to announce Joseph DeLappe as juror.
Joseph DeLappe, (American, b. 1963), is an artist, activist and educator, currently working in Scotland, where he is the Professor of Games and Tactical Media at Abertay University, Dundee. Working with electronic and digital media since 1983, his projects in online gaming performance, sculpture and electromechanical installation have been shown throughout the world. Considered a pioneer in the critical and creative engagement of video games, performance, activism and community-based practices, DeLappe co-edited INCITE: Digital Art and Activism (Peacock Visual Arts) with art historian and curator Dr. Laura Leuzzi in 2023. In 2017 he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in the Fine Arts.
www.delappe.net. We are grateful to him for the following description of the exhibition:
We Don’t Need This Fascist Groove Thang
The world we inhabit is in a state of ongoing upheaval. We have witnessed the onslaught of authoritarianism in the USA, with escalating attacks on civil rights, immigrants, the degradation of freedom of speech and expression, reversals on reproductive autonomy, the erasure of LGBTQIA+ rights, etc. Our collective landscape continues to grow more volatile. We have lived through the global pandemic, witnessed systemic state violence against minorities, witnessed the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the brutal genocide in Gaza, intensifying climate catastrophes, and felt the shockwaves of Roe v. Wade being overturned. The ongoing erosion of democratic institutions, and the weaponization of digital technologies have only deepened the sense of instability.
In these struggles, is it possible, even necessary, for artists, technologists, writers, and activists to imagine alternative futures, challenging dominant narratives, and carve out spaces of truth, dissent, and hope?
We Don’t Need This Fascist Groove Thang is a call for artworks across all media that respond to our current moment of intersecting crises. We are seeking works that confront, question, and resist the politics of authoritarianism, nationalism, and hate, while also proposing creative strategies for care, solidarity, survival, and beauty.
We welcome submissions in any form—visual art, performance, games, writing, film, sound, installation, digital media, and hybrid practices. This exhibition is rooted in the belief that creativity is both a tool of resistance and a catalyst for change. Let’s come together to insist that another world is possible—and that we don’t need this fascist groove thang!
The deadline for submissions is midnight on Sunday, November 9 There will be a series of opening receptions, all on the Pioneer Square ArtWalk on First Thursday, December 4, January 1st, and February 5 at CoCA’s Pioneer Square location inside the Tashiro Kaplan Building at 114 Third Ave. South, Seattle, 98104. Other related events and performances will be determined from the submissions.
Artists in any region and any country are welcome to submit. A $500 first prize, $250 second prize, and $150 3rd prize will be awarded by the juror, as well as up to two $50 “honorable mentions” featured on CoCA’s website and become part of the ongoing 45-year archive (Prize monies in USD). A catalog of the show will feature artists’ statements, biographies, and images, as well as a short introductory essay by the juror.
To apply:
Full details at: https://www.cocaseattle.org/calls-for-art. Applications are electronic and can be made entirely online at http://www.cocaseattle.org/submission.php.
Be sure to enter “Annual” when asked what you are submitting for. Deadline: electronic submission completed as of midnight on November 9, 2025. The online system will ask you to:
· Submit up to 10 images of the artwork for consideration. Format is jpg file, max. dimension of 2400 pixels in at least one direction. For video / performance / dance, please include a link and make sure that access is open for review period (or include password in Work Description).
Enter a Work Description (max. 500 words): In addition to title, dimensions, edition, medium, year, and price (or NFS) for each artwork, consider the body of work as a unit, indicating whether new work or old, part of a series or not, previously exhibited, result of a collaboration, etc. Artwork is for sale at 60% Artist, 40% CoCA (70% Artist, 30% CoCA for members) and can also be “NFS.”
· Upload an Artist’s statement specific to the theme of the exhibition (250 words): This will appear in the catalog if accepted.
· Upload an Artist’s biography (200 words), including year of birth, city of origin, awards, honors, shows, degrees. This will also appear in the catalog if accepted.
· $25 (USD) entry fee (PayPal). Make sure to note the applicant’s name in the payment.
Offers will be made through email, accompanied by an Art Loan Agreement and additional information by the week of November 17; artists must confirm by email no later than November 20.
Please note that selected work must be shipped, transmitted, or dropped off to the gallery by November. CoCA insures work during exhibition, but shipping to/from, as well as shipping insurance remain the responsibility of the artist.
COMPLETE EXHIBITION TIMELINE:
Call goes out: Sept. 20
Deadline for Artists: November 9 2025 Sunday at midnight
Online review period: Nov. 10 – 15
Artist confirmations and loan agreements Nov. 16 – 20
Shipping: Week of Nov. 17
Drop-off: Sunday Nov. 23, 12p – 4p, or by arrangement
Catalog deadline for essay: Nov. 17
Install: Nov. 24 – Dec. 3
Opening reception(s): Thursday Dec. 4, Thursday Jan. 1 (TBD), Thursday Feb.5
Exhibition Dates: Dec. 3 – Feb. 21 CoCA
Holiday Closure: December 14 – Dec. 31 De-install: week of Feb. 23 (exhibition is up for 2.5 months)
Please note that selected work must be shipped to the gallery by November 24. CoCA insures work during exhibition, but shipping to/from, as well as shipping insurance remain the responsibility of the artist. Email info@cocaseattle.org for questions / more information.
Ship to:
Center on Contemporary Art
114 Third Ave. South
Seattle WA 9104
USA
