Are you ready to share your creative project with your community?

Send in a proposal to showcase your mahi toi in 2026!

Auckland Council is calling for proposals from creatives to show your work across Franklin Arts Centre (Pukekohe), Fresh Gallery Ōtara, Māngere Arts Centre – Ngā Tohu o Uenuku, Papakura Art Gallery and Nathan Homestead Pukepuke.

Auckland Council continues to support our creative practitioners to produce and exhibit for their local communities. We welcome projects across a range of creative and artistic forms. We are calling for proposals from groups, collectives or individuals interested in exhibiting and/or creating unique programmes at four of the city’s local arts facilities in 2026.

You might be an established painter, graphic designer, digital artist, sculptor, installation artist, photographer, jeweller, sound artist, fashion designer, musician, or writer. You might be a student or a practitioner, at any level, who has completed works you think are ready to be shared with the public. Community groups and organisations are also welcome to send in a proposal.

Auckland Council recognises te Tiriti o Waitangi/the Treaty of Waitangi as a foundational document on which local government in Auckland works to deliver Māori aspirations. We recognise that Auckland’s Māori identity is its unique point of difference in the world and celebrate Māori culture and te reo Māori. We seek to build on this identity in our Arts Facilities.

What we are looking for:

• Creative projects that are ready to take place between January and December 2026
• Projects exploring places, people, and themes relevant to the community where the gallery is located
• Projects by groups or individuals with well-developed, unique programmes or events
• A project idea suitable for one (or more) of the arts facilities listed above.

Selection notes: 

• Preference is given to:
• Creative groups, collectives or individuals from the respective local board area for each facility (i.e. Franklin, Papakura) and from wider Auckland
• Projects that celebrate Māori culture and support te reo Māori
• Reflect mana whenua mātauranga

How to apply:

Submit your idea for your creative project – whether it’s an exhibition, installation, a unique programme, event, or activity. Applications close on Monday 28 July 2025 at 5:00PM.

Apply now online: 

Franklin Arts Centre (New Zealand Steel Gallery)

Fresh Gallery Ōtara 

Māngere Arts Centre - Ngā Tohu o Uenuku

Papakura Art Gallery

Nathan Homestead Pukepuke

Installation of Fafangu: to awaken by Adriana Māhanga Lear

Fale 'o Hikule'o - House of Echoes, 2024 (foreground)

'Otua hala he sikotā - Messages from the dead(background)

Fakafoa - The Body Breaks in Waves (Left)

Photograph by Lilian Rose Martirez