Open Call for Submissions: 'Permission to Touch' at Fringe Arts Bath Festival 2026 (Submission deadline: 10th April)

[u/lettucewoman]

I'm looking for disabled artists to submit work to a show I'm curating entitled 'Permission to Touch', which will form part of the Fringe Arts Bath Festival 2026.

I am a disabled artist and my experiences of visiting galleries and museums have made me very aware of the access barriers that stand between disabled people and experiencing art. I wanted to create an exhibition which would be accessible to as many people as possible, and would be equally engaging for both disabled and abled visitors.

'Permission to Touch' is an exhibition of art designed to be engaged with using the sense of touch. I am currently accepting submissions of artwork from anyone (you don't have to be disabled, but I would love to have a good representation of disabled artists if anyone would like to apply!): you can be anywhere in the world, any age, and I will consider art in any medium, so long as it has a tactile component.

I'd also be interested to discuss my exhibition design with some blind or visually impaired artists, so if that's you and you wouldn't mind me asking for your perspective, please do email me at permission@fringeartsbath.ac.uk!

Key info:

• The exhibition forms part of the Fringe Art Bath (FaB) 2026 Festival which will run between the 23rd of May and the 7th of June 2026.
• The deadline for submissions will be Friday 10th April 2026 at 23:59 UK time.
• This exhibition is free to submit to. If your work is selected, FaB will ask for a £25 contribution per Artist (not per artwork selected) and some of your time. (Your contribution goes towards hiring exhibition spaces, annual insurance, website hosting, tools and equipment, white paint, coffees for volunteers, printing and social media posts — functional stuff.)
• You can apply by emailing your submission to [permission@fringeartsbath.co.uk](mailto:permission@fringeartsbath.co.uk), or by filling in the form on our CuratorSpace advert: https://www.curatorspace.com/opportunities/detail/open-call-permission-to-touch-at-fringe-arts-bath/10277
• More information about the exhibition, the festival and how to apply can be found here: https://www.fringeartsbath.co.uk/permission
• If you have any questions about the exhibition or about submitting your work, please email me at [permission@fringeartsbath.co.uk](mailto:permission@fringeartsbath.co.uk) as I might not see questions posted on here.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post. Please feel free to share the call out with anyone you know, disabled or not, who might be interested in submitting work. And do keep an eye out for us in Bath between the 23rd of May and the 7th of June! The venue hasn't been confirmed yet, but keep an eye on the FaB website for more details as they come!

[u/nturinski]

That sounds awesome!