The South Bend Museum of Art features a full spectrum of historical and contemporary art featured in five galleries. A wide range of artistic traditions are taught in our world-class art studios. Located inside the Century Center in downtown South Bend, Indiana, the SBMA is an architectural delight. Designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee, the museum occupies three levels in the northern wing of the building.
Mission
The South Bend Museum of Art affirms the enduring power of the visual arts to reflect and create community, engage minds, and nurture growth through exhibitions, collections and educational programs.
History
Since its founding in 1947, the SBMA has provided insight into the art, history and culture of the region and nation. Since 1987, SBMA has been recognized as achieving the highest level of professional standards in the field, awarded accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums. Accreditation status must be renewed every 10 years and, in March of 2011, SBMA was awarded ongoing accreditation. Accreditation inspires museums to achieve a higher standard. It strengthens the field as a whole, as well as the museums that receive accreditation. The rigorous process leads to sustained organizational improvement and a clearer sense of purpose. Of the estimated 17,500 museums in the U.S., only 750 are accredited.
2025 FESTIVAL OF BANNERS
Our City
This year, the SBMA invites our community to draw inspiration and pride from the greater South Bend area with the theme: Our City. We look forward to seeing how our community interprets and expresses this theme by reflecting on the following questions: What makes our city special? What aspects instill pride within us? How has the city influenced our community? And in what ways does the city contribute to a better future for its citizens?
DATES:
Call for Designs: January 16, 2025
Submission Deadline : May 12, 2025 at 5:00PM
Participating Artists Announced: June 18, 2025
Banners on Display: July 15 - September 15, 2025
Award Ceremony at SBMA: August 1, 2025
SUBMISSION DETAILS
FORMAT:
digital image, photograph of a drawing
dimensions: 4.25 in wide x 10 in high
vertical designs only
The design must be 4.25 inches wide by 10 inches high. Please make design vertical. This format is necessary to project the drawing onto the banner. Your design should be considered finished artwork and colored in the manner you intend the larger design to be colored. Simple designs using bold, solid colors are the most effective. Remember, the finished accepted designs will be printed on a banner and hung on a street light in DTSB, you want viewers to be able to see the details from 9 -14 feet away.
No Entry Fee Required
All designs & entry forms must be submitted to the museum digitally no later than 5:00 pm, May 12, 2025.
*Please note: not all entries will be accepted. Children should be at least 5 years of age.
*Additionally, designs submitted in the wrong format and/or not responding to the theme will not be accepted.
Entries chosen by the jurors will reflect the wide diversity of community participants.
All banners will become the property of SBMA. However, participants can pick up their banners after October 15, 2025. Banners will be stored on museum property for only 3 months, after which they will be discarded.
If you have any questions, please contact Curator of Education and Public Programming, Kolt Sizer at sizerk@southbendart.org
2025 FESTIVAL OF BANNERS
Our City
This year, the SBMA invites our community to draw inspiration and pride from the greater South Bend area with the theme: Our City. We look forward to seeing how our community interprets and expresses this theme by reflecting on the following questions: What makes our city special? What aspects instill pride within us? How has the city influenced our community? And in what ways does the city contribute to a better future for its citizens?
DATES:
Call for Designs: January 16, 2025
Submission Deadline : May 12, 2025 at 5:00PM
Participating Artists Announced: June 18, 2025
Banners on Display: July 15 - September 15, 2025
Award Ceremony at SBMA: August 1, 2025
SUBMISSION DETAILS
FORMAT:
digital image, photograph of a drawing
dimensions: 4.25 in wide x 10 in high
vertical designs only
The design must be 4.25 inches wide by 10 inches high. Please make design vertical. This format is necessary to project the drawing onto the banner. Your design should be considered finished artwork and colored in the manner you intend the larger design to be colored. Simple designs using bold, solid colors are the most effective. Remember, the finished accepted designs will be printed on a banner and hung on a street light in DTSB, you want viewers to be able to see the details from 9 -14 feet away.
No Entry Fee Required
All designs & entry forms must be submitted to the museum digitally no later than 5:00 pm, May 12, 2025.
*Please note: not all entries will be accepted. Children should be at least 5 years of age.
*Additionally, designs submitted in the wrong format and/or not responding to the theme will not be accepted.
Entries chosen by the jurors will reflect the wide diversity of community participants.
All banners will become the property of SBMA. However, participants can pick up their banners after October 15, 2025. Banners will be stored on museum property for only 3 months, after which they will be discarded.
If you have any questions, please contact Curator of Education and Public Programming, Kolt Sizer at sizerk@southbendart.org
2025 FESTIVAL OF BANNERS
Our City
This year, the SBMA invites our community to draw inspiration and pride from the greater South Bend area with the theme: Our City. We look forward to seeing how our community interprets and expresses this theme by reflecting on the following questions: What makes our city special? What aspects instill pride within us? How has the city influenced our community? And in what ways does the city contribute to a better future for its citizens?
DATES:
Call for Designs: January 16, 2025
Submission Deadline : May 12, 2025 at 5:00PM
Participating Artists Announced: June 18, 2025
Banners on Display: July 15 - September 15, 2025
Award Ceremony at SBMA: August 1, 2025
SUBMISSION DETAILS
FORMAT:
digital image, photograph of a drawing
dimensions: 4.25 in wide x 10 in high
vertical designs only
The design must be 4.25 inches wide by 10 inches high. Please make design vertical. This format is necessary to project the drawing onto the banner. Your design should be considered finished artwork and colored in the manner you intend the larger design to be colored. Simple designs using bold, solid colors are the most effective. Remember, the finished accepted designs will be printed on a banner and hung on a street light in DTSB, you want viewers to be able to see the details from 9 -14 feet away.
No Entry Fee Required
All designs & entry forms must be submitted to the museum digitally no later than 5:00 pm, May 12, 2025.
*Please note: not all entries will be accepted. Children should be at least 5 years of age.
*Additionally, designs submitted in the wrong format and/or not responding to the theme will not be accepted.
Entries chosen by the jurors will reflect the wide diversity of community participants.
All banners will become the property of SBMA. However, participants can pick up their banners after October 15, 2025. Banners will be stored on museum property for only 3 months, after which they will be discarded.
If you have any questions, please contact Curator of Education and Public Programming, Kolt Sizer at sizerk@southbendart.org
SBMA High School Summer Residency Program
The South Bend Museum of Art is excited to announce the 2025 SBMA High School Summer Residency Program! This unique experience is available for self-directed and motivated fine arts majors enrolled in Iocal studio arts programs. High School residents receive access to our suite of unique studio spaces, including dark room photography, fibers, ceramics, drawing and painting, and space for 3D sculpture based inquiry. Residents can attend workshops, audit classes, participate in critiques and studio visits from guest artists, and interact with a vibrant artist community. Additionally, residents have opportunities to work directly with members of the museum staff in various roles as they volunteer hours in our exhibitions, curatorial, and education departments to experience the inner workings of museum life. Lastly, all participants will be awarded a group exhibition in the museum the following year.
Who: This residency program is available to Junior & Seniors enrolled in local high schools. All high school residents must reside in the Greater South Bend area(within an hour drive to the museum) during the months of June, July, and early August. All high school residents must have a reliable form of transportation.
When:
The Summer High School Residency program runs from June to mid-August 2025. In exchange for participation in this program, all residents are required to volunteer a minimum of 5 hours per week at the South Bend Museum of Art. Volunteer hours/duties may vary. All residents are required to assist in various museum activities and events including our Art Beat youth activity area. Residents may continue to volunteer or participate in museum programming as they desire or are available throughout the academic year, but it is not a requirement of the program. High School residents will participate in an exhibition of their work at the end of the 2025 Summer.
*NOT ALL APPLICANTS WILL BE ACCEPTED
For further program details/ instructions, please contact:
Kolt Lucius Sizer, Curator of Education
Application Deadline: Friday, MAY 23, 2025
All submissions are reviewed. If accepted, you will be notified via email or phone. Please make sure to include contact information. Please do not call or email to check the status of your submission.
Submissions should include:
•Contact Information
- Name
- Address
- Phone
- Email Address
•General Information
- High School You are currently enrolled at
- Year of standing
- GPA
•References
- 2 References including Names, Phone Numbers, and Email Addresses of academic/ professional references
- Please include a letter of recommendation from one of these references
•Portfolio
- 5-7 images of your current work (PDF or .jpg format)
- Vimeo links of film/ animation/ kinetic/ performance or other time-based works will also be accepted
- Image list (.pdf format): Please include the title, year, media, and scale for each image, as well as a small thumbnail image or file number so we know which image the information refers to.
Release Waiver
- Signed release waiver from parent or guardian (if accepted)
SBMA Undergraduate Summer Residency Program
The South Bend Museum of Art is excited to announce the 2025 Undergraduate Summer Residency Program! This unique experience is available for self-directed and motivated fine arts majors enrolled in Iocal studio arts programs. Undergraduate residents receive access to our suite of unique studio spaces, including dark room photography, fibers, ceramics, drawing and painting, jewelry, and space for 3D sculpture based inquiry. Residents can attend workshops, audit classes, participate in critiques and studio visits from guest artists, and interact with a vibrant artist community. Additionally, residents have opportunities to work directly with members of the museum staff in various roles as they volunteer hours in our exhibitions, curatorial, and education departments to experience the inner workings of museum life. Lastly, all participants will be awarded a group exhibition in the museum’s Jerome J. Crowley Community Gallery the following March.
Who: This residency program is available to any college undergraduate enrolled in a local Studio Art Program. All college residents must reside in the Greater South Bend area during the months of June, July, and early August.
When:
The Summer Undergraduate Residency program runs from June to August 2025. In exchange for participation in this program, all residents are required to volunteer a minimum of 5 to 8 hours per week at the South Bend Museum of Art. Volunteer hours/ duties may vary. All residents are required to assist in various museum activities and events including our Art Beat youth activity area. Residents may continue to volunteer or participate in museum programming as they desire or are available throughout the academic year, but it is not a requirement of the program. College residents will participate in an exhibition of their work at the end of Summer of 2026.
*NOT ALL APPLICANTS WILL BE ACCEPTED
For further program details/ instructions, please contact:
Kolt Lucius Sizer, Curator of Education
Application Deadline : FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2025
All submissions are reviewed. If accepted, you will be notified via email or phone. Please make sure to include contact information. Please do not call or email to check the status of your submission.
Submissions should include:
•Contact Information
- Name
- Address
- Phone
- Email Address
•General Information
- College/ University you are currently enrolled at
- Year of standing
- GPA
•References
- 3 References including names and email addresses of three academic/ professional references
- Please include a letter of recommendation from one of these references
- Have references email their letters of recommendation to: sizerk@southbendart.org
•Portfolio
- 7-10 images of your current work (.jpg format)
Vimeo links of film/ animation/ kinetic/ performance or other time-based works will also be accepted
- Image list (.pdf format): Please include the title, year, media, and scale for each image, as well as a small thumbnail image or file number so we know which image the information refers to.
•Documents
- Artist and/or curatorial statement (.pdf format)
- Curriculum Vitae/ Resume (.pdf format)
The South Bend Museum of Art accepts submission materials from artists, art organizations, community organizations, and curators. All submissions are reviewed by the museum’s Curatorial Staff quarterly in March, July, September, and January and are considered for all available opportunities.
All work must be framed, wired, and ready for display. Works on paper must be covered by glass or plexiglass. All hanging hardware must be appropriate to the size and weight of the work.
GALLERIES
There are 3 galleries at the SBMA available for changing exhibitions, each with its own focus. You will be asked which space is the most suitable for your work:
- Art League Gallery (approximately 1200 sq. ft.): Solo, two-person, and small group exhibitions.
- Project Room Gallery (approximately 110 sq. ft.) Solo or small group exhibitions of screen-based work. This small gallery space adjoins the Art League Gallery and is dedicated to new media, animations, video, etc., that can be played on a single screen. Equipment includes: Samsung 55″ 1080p flatscreen smart tv, Micca Spec G2 media player, Mac mini.
- Community Gallery (approximately 600 sq. ft.). For area community art organizations (see specific guidelines below)
Available Floorplans:
- The Art League Gallery (includes entrance into small rectilinear Project Room Space).
- Crowley Community Gallery
REQUIRED MATERIALS
- Up to 20 images and/or up to 3 video links;
- Artist Statement and Bio (no more than 500 words) -or- a Community Arts Organization mission statement and submitter bio (no more than 500 words);
- A Mission Connection statement that describes how your exhibition idea relates to our mission, including any programming activities that might include our Collections, Exhibitions, and Education Departments at SBMA. You'll also be asked how your exhibition idea engages the diverse communities of South Bend and the surrounding region.
- For Community Organizations: see additional guidelines below.
COMMUNITY GALLERY GROUP PROPOSALS
All artwork coming into the South Bend Museum of Art will be chosen by a jury process or curatorial selection. Any exception to this must be approved by Curatorial Staff. In no case will any entrant to any exhibition be guaranteed acceptance of one or more pieces.
All juried shows will have a juror who is a non-member and non-affiliated of the exhibiting group. In the case that a local organization is part of a national affiliate, a national member may be a juror. The South Bend Museum of Art reserves the right to have final approval of the juror and must be informed of the juror before an agreement with the juror is formed.
The date for jurying should be set in accordance with installation timelines. The site of the jurying will be determined by SBMA staff and will take place within one or two days following the close of the previous show. Only the juror, a group representative assisting in the jurying process, and SBMA staff may be present during the jurying process. All handling of artwork will be the responsibility of the SBMA staff.
Entry Criteria and Prospectus
- Work previously shown in the South Bend Museum of Art is not eligible for exhibition.
- Work must have been completed within three (3) years prior to the date of the exhibition.
- All work must be framed, wired, and ready for display. Works on paper must be covered by glass or plexiglass. All hanging hardware must be appropriate to the size and weight of the work.
The SBMA reserves the right to refuse any work that does not meet the criteria.
The SBMA Offers partial and full scholarships for studio classes. Scholarship applications should be submitted no later than two weeks before the start of the class session. Any applications turned in after that time may be considered for the following session if funding is available. Scholarship Applicants will be notified via email no later than the week before the start of classes.
*Applicants will be asked to submit a 1040 Individual tax return form. Link to form: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040.pdf
All Youth class tuition includes tools and supplies. Adult class tuition does not include tools and supplies.
Limit one scholarship a year per applicant. Applying for a scholarship does not guarantee acceptance. Each application will be reviewed by the executive director, Lisa Shaffer.
South Bend Museum of Art, Art Instructor/Teaching Artist Application
Responsibilities
Provide in-person instruction to students (ages 6-adult) enrolled in art classes in a particular medium (ceramics, drawing, painting, mixed-media, sculpture, photography, or other artistic field of study.
Design and conduct art curriculum in collaboration/ approval with the Education Department at SBMA under the supervision of Curator of Education and Studio Programs, Katie Neece.
Prepare and maintain a successful and efficient classroom environment.
Prepare learning materials to promote and encourage interest and successful learning outcomes.
Explain and demonstrate artistic techniques.
Establish a safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environment for a diverse population of students. Minimum Qualifications Expertise in the media being presented, to include experience in teaching youth and/or adults; ability to communicate effectively and develop positive relationships with people from different cultural backgrounds; innovation/creativity in artistic area; energetic. dependable and flexible; collaborative work style; ability to think critically and solve problems; ability to work a varied schedule, including evenings and weekends as necessary; good communication skills. Preferred Qualifications Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (BFA), Bachelor of Arts (BA), or equivalent experience teaching or instructing in the field in a studio setting. Applicants are welcome to apply. We value diverse perspectives and encourage individuals with a genuine interest in the role to submit their applications. Other Position Details:
- Does not supervise others
- Position will not drive CC vehicles
- Correspondence with students and Education Dept. via email
- Does not receive an SBMA email address
- Instructors will be subject to a background check upon hiring
Application Instructions:
- Continuous Recruitment - depending on availability apply by: open until filled
- This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.
- Required: Please submit a PDF including artist bio, CV and 3 images of work or a link to your website to be considered, along with a proposal for the class you would like to teach (please include age group, media, and subject matter).
Instructor Pay:
- All instructors are paid $28 per contact hour (adult studio classes run 3 hours, youth + teen classes run typically for 2 hours).
- There are no full-time teaching positions available for teaching at SBMA.
- Teaching positions are on a part-time, contract basis per session.
- Instructors can teach up to 3 classes max per session, with approval from the Education Department.
What We Offer: Use of open studio space free of charge, discounts taking classes, opportunities to participate in community art shows: Student Faculty Show and Aloft Hotel art show, and workshops.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:
The South Bend Museum of Art is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. We believe in fostering a workplace that values diverse perspectives and experiences, which enriches our work and strengthens our community.
Questions? Please contact Katie Neece, Curator of Education and Studio Programs: neecek@southbendart.org