Platform Gallery

Originating from the French word plateforme, meaning “ground plan” or “flat shape,” Platform is a public exhibition space at the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center, UC Santa Barbara, that features the work of emerging and established artists displayed as two-dimensional printed media. The artwork displayed in the Platform exhibition gallery brings the University’s academic and community guests into dialogue with the IHC’s annual public events series theme in creative ways.

Platform is located on the 6th floor of the Humanities and Social Sciences Building (HSSB), UC Santa Barbara.

CALL FOR IHC PLATFORM GALLERY SUBMISSIONS

DEADLINE: MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2026

The IHC announces a call for submissions for artwork to be included in its Platform Gallery, an online exhibition and public gallery space on the 6th floor of UC Santa Barbara’s Humanities and Social Sciences Building. We are soliciting work that engages with our 2026–27 public events series theme, Bodies Politic, which will focus on questions of sovereignty, control, and resistance in relation to individual and collective bodies and examine practices that resist, disrupt, or subvert attempts to regulate physical and metaphorical bodies. Visit here for the complete series description.

The IHC invites submissions from artists from all locations; a UCSB affiliation is not required. Submissions must include:

Artist name, title, media, year for each art object
Artist affiliation
A minimum of 300dpi/ppi PDF to be printed at 11 x 17 inches

Optional: Artists may also submit a short description of how the artwork engages with the Bodies Politic theme to be included in an object label.

Selected artworks will be printed and matted (11 x 17) by the IHC and will also become part of the permanent Platform online gallery.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What kinds of art are you accepting for submission?
A: We are accepting two kinds of artwork:

1. Digital images of two-dimensional artwork that is originally in digital form (e.g. a digital photograph or a digitally designed image) or a digital image reproduction of a non-digital artwork (e.g. a scan or photograph of a drawing or collage).
2. Time-based artwork, of which a still or representational image will be displayed in the gallery with a QR code to the complete artwork online. If submitting a time-based artwork, please send an image to be used for the exhibition and
the URL to the complete artwork.

Q: What do you do with my art once it has been submitted?
A: If your art is selected for the exhibition, the IHC will print the image on 11 x 17 inch paper. You will have the option to take home the unframed printed image at the conclusion of the exhibition. The digital image will become part of the permanent online Platform Gallery. All image rights remain the property of the artist. If your submission is not selected for the exhibition, the IHC will delete the digital images from its files.

Q: What will the matting and frame look like?
A: The frame is 20 ½ x 28 ½ inches and is white; the mat displays an area of 10 ½ x 16 ¼ inches and is also white. To see the exhibition frames, please visit the 6th floor of the Humanities and Social Sciences Building, UC Santa Barbara.

Q: How many pieces may I submit?
A: You may submit between one and fourteen artworks. There are fourteen frames in the gallery.

Q: May I submit a series of works?
A: Yes. Please note in your submission if some or all of your artworks are part of a series that may only be exhibited together.

Q: What if my files are too large to submit via email?
A: You may share a link to an online folder where they can be viewed and downloaded (via Box.com, Dropbox, etc.).

Previous Exhibitions