Special assistance and accommodations are available upon request. Please contact Connie Isbell, ADA Coordinator, at connie@monmoutharts.org. 

Monmouth Arts offers a limited number of $500 Mini Grants for arts projects to new and emerging organizations, and organizations only requiring a small amount of funding as part of the Local Arts Grant Program through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Organizations can apply for only one Mini Grant per fiscal year and may not have received other Monmouth Arts funding for that year. These grants have a simplified application process and a short time frame from application to award. There is no deadline. Applications are reviewed every two months. There are six (6) Mini Grants available for 2026.      

APPLICATION GUIDELINES    

Projects must take place during Fiscal Year 2026 (January 1, 2026 - December 31, 2026).   

Mini Grants are intended as an introduction to the ArtHelps Local Arts Grant Program; however, organizations only requiring a small amount of funding for their project may continue to apply for Mini Grants in subsequent years. After one successful Mini Grant application organizations can apply through the regular grant process for future support. A grant received in one year is no guarantee of subsequent funding.      

Organizations that apply for General Operating Support or Special Project Support through Monmouth Arts or from the NJ State Council on the Arts may not apply for a Mini Grant. Organizations can apply for one Mini Grant per fiscal year.      Grant recipients must submit a Final Report consisting of a narrative and final financial accounting of the project at the end of the grant period.  The Mini Grant will be paid in full when the application is approved.

Applicants can preview a full copy of the form before applying by clicking here and going to the Guidelines and Application section of the grants page on our website.

Call for Submissions 

Human Thread: The Art of Compassion and Courage

Exhibition: June 2 – August 10, 2026 

Opening reception: Thursday, June 4; 4:00 - 6:00pm

For assistance, accessibility requests, or questions about submitting please contact Connie Isbell, Membership & Community Engagement Director, at connie@monmoutharts.org; 732.212.1890 ext 101.

The Caroline Huber Wellness Center at Brookdale Community College in partnership with Monmouth Arts invites artists to submit works for a special exhibition celebrating two of Brookdale’s guiding values: Compassion and Courage. These values shape the College’s poverty-informed practices—removing barriers, leading with love, and acting boldly to open doors for all learners. We seek artwork that reflects the emotional, social, and human dimensions of these commitments.

Art has long served as one of humanity's most powerful tools for social transformation. Where policy stalls and words fall short, a painting, a photograph, or a mural can crack open empathy in ways that little else can. Artists like Käthe Kollwitz, whose unflinching depictions of poverty and grief gave face to the voiceless, understood that to render suffering with honesty and tenderness is to refuse its invisibility — and in that refusal, to invite others into connection rather than turning away. It is this same impulse that drives artists working today to document resilience, bear witness to hardship, and find in the human face evidence of endurance, hope, and the stubborn will to carry on. 

We invite you to bring that spirit to this exhibition — to submit work that holds the full weight of compassion and courage, and that trusts the capacity of the arts to remind us we are never as alone as struggle might make us feel. To make art about compassion and courage is not a gentle act. It is an insistence that human dignity cannot be negotiated away, and that solidarity, practiced boldly and tenderly, is itself a form of resistance.

Selected works will be featured in the curated exhibition in the Wellness Center providing a platform for artists to showcase their interpretations of the theme. 

Please read all terms and guidelines for Human Thread before submitting this application. Submitting this application and agreeing to the terms and guidelines below does not guarantee an exhibition opportunity in Human Thread; exhibition submissions are subject to review by the parties of Monmouth Arts, and will be handled fairly. Artists will be notified regarding selection with an appropriate amount of time to prepare. 

ELIGIBILITY AND FEES

• Open to all Brookdale Community College students, faculty, and staff as well as members of Monmouth Arts. 
• There is no submission fee for eligible artists. Artists who would like to become new members and submit may use the discount code THREAD to receive $10 off the $40 artist membership rate. Student memberships are free. For more information and an online membership form, please go to www.monmoutharts.org/join-us. 
• Established, emerging, and student artists who are 16 and over are encouraged to submit works to this opportunity.
• Artists will receive 100% of sales.

ARTWORK CRITERIA 

• Accepted 2D work includes drawing, mixed media, painting, photography, lithography, printmaking, and digital art. 
• Large 2D works can be accommodated in the space.
• Reproductions of original works will not be accepted.
• All 2D works must be available for the duration of the exhibition.
• Performance art (up to 5 mins in length) can be submitted and will be scheduled for the opening reception. 
• Video and film (up to 5 mins in length) can be submitted and will be shown during the opening reception. 
• Images of artwork/videos must be JPEG format. Rename each image with Last Name_EntryNumber_Title_Media_Size_Year_Price.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• Submissions must be entered through the online Submittable platform. After reading the complete guidelines, you can create a free account or log in to your existing Submittable account.
• Submissions are limited to a maximum of three (3) entries.
• Submissions must include contact information, brief artist statement (up to 100 words), artwork information (title, media, size (H x W x D), year completed, and price (must indicate NFS if not for sale).
• Artists are strongly encouraged to submit high-quality JPEG images that best present the work.
• Final acceptance of artwork is contingent upon review at delivery.

IMPORTANT DATES

Application deadline: April 27, 2026  

Work chosen by: May 11, 2026  

Artwork delivery dates: May 27 through May 29, 2026 (8:30am - 4:00pm)  

Exhibition: June 2, 2026 – August 10, 2026 (8:30am - 4:00pm)  

Opening reception: June 4, 2026, 4:00 - 6:00pm  

Artwork pick up date: August 11 - August 14, 2026 (8:30am - 4:00pm)

Commission/taxes: Artwork sold through Human Thread is not subject to a commission fee. Buyers will contact artists directly for sales. If artwork is not for sale, indicate NFS (not for sale) clearly in the Submission Details section of the application form. Sales tax will not be added to the price of work sold. Remittance of NJ Sales Tax to be handled by the artist. 

Acceptance of Work: Acceptance into the exhibition is not guaranteed with entry. Final acceptance of artwork is contingent upon review at delivery. Entered and accepted work cannot be substituted. All work must be available for the duration of the exhibition.

Promotion: Monmouth Arts will promote the exhibition using available resources through several outlets including, but not limited to, social media, website, and e-newsletters. Artists are also encouraged to promote the show to their own networks.

Photography: By agreeing to exhibit your work at Monmouth Arts, you allow Monmouth Arts to take photos of your artwork hanging in the exhibit space and use the photos submitted with your application. You grant Monmouth Arts full permission to use your likeness and images of your work in order to create appropriate promotional materials as a means to facilitate the mission of Monmouth Arts and its programs.

Liability disclaimer: Monmouth Arts will make every effort to treat your artwork with care. However, work is submitted at the artist’s own risk. Monmouth Arts will not be held liable for lost or damaged work. Artists are responsible for insuring their work from delivery to pick-up.

Media/Press Release: Monmouth Arts reserves the right to use digital images of exhibited artworks for use in social media, press release, and advertising. While these digital images themselves become the property of Monmouth Arts, the artist maintains all other copyrights on their artwork, including intellectual property. Monmouth Arts can and will use digital images in marketing and promotional materials as Monmouth Arts sees fit, but will give credit to the artist when possible.

Indemnification: Artist shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless Monmouth Arts, its employees, officers and directors, for any and all losses, damages, liabilities, expenses, actions, claims, judgment or settlements, including, but not limited to, attorneys’ fees for damage to, or destruction of, the artwork that may result from theft, vandalism, adverse environmental conditions, or any negligent acts of Monmouth Arts, its officers, directors and employees.

Responsibilities: Artist is responsible for sharing the promotional materials with their network. Drop off and pick up of accepted work to and from the Caroline Huber Wellness Center is the responsibility of the artist.

Breach of Contract:  In the event of a breach of the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the non-breaching party may, at its option, upon written notice to the breaching party, terminate this Agreement.

Artist’s Representations and Warranties:  By signing below, you state the artwork is unique and does not infringe upon any other person’s copyrights and is solely the result of the artistic effort of the artist.

For assistance, accessibility requests, or questions about submitting please contact Connie Isbell, Membership & Community Engagement Director, at connie@monmoutharts.org; 732.212.1890 ext 101.