Call to Artists
SHE IN THE TOWER: A SOLO SHOW AND CURATORIAL PROJECT BY JESSICA LIBOR WITH CONSULTING BY MARINA GRANGER AND JO GAMEL
Submission deadline: April 10, 2026
This is a digital exhibition AND a physical exhibition. Some work will be selected for digital exhibition only, and a select portion of entries will be selected for the in-person, one day, physical gallery exhibition and reception in New York City at 7 House Gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
New York City — Era Contemporary presents She in the Tower, a solo show and curatorial project by Jessica Libor, with curatorial consulting by Marina Granger and artist liason consulting by Jo Gamel. She in the Tower invites viewers into an expanded realm of interior myth and psychological architecture. Rooted in the enduring archetype of the “girl in the tower,” Jessica Libor’s newest body of oil paintings and drawings reframes this figure as a sovereign consciousness in incubation. Across monumental canvases and intimate works on paper, the tower becomes a place where agency, desire, and self-authorship are forged through arresting visual language and emotional density.
Drawing from fairy tales such as Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Snow White, and Rose Red, as well as the global lineage of mythic structures that shape feminine interiority, She in the Tower transcends narrative nostalgia to articulate a contemporary psychology of feminine identity. Libor’s recent artist residency at the Akureyri Art Museum in Iceland is also present in her use of Nordic mythology.
The exhibition unfolds as a dual-layered experience: Libor’s solo presentation of new work is paired with a curated selection of emerging and established artists responding to the same thematic terrain, presented in collaboration with Era Contemporary Gallery. This invited section will explore variant universes of confinement and transcendence, autonomy and risk, calling on artists whose work resonates with the central motif of internal transformation and symbolic enclosure.
She in the Tower not only embodies Libor’s deepest artistic articulation to date, it builds a constellation of voices that interrogate what fairy tales reveal about autonomy, choice, and transcendence in contemporary life. The opening reception on May 7, 2026, at Seven House Gallery will feature a gallery walkthrough and artist talk, where Libor will discuss her research into fairy tale history, symbolism, and the process by which myth becomes modern psychological terrain.
This is a one day physical exhibition.
View our She in the Tower inspiration board on Pinterest soon.
ABOUT THE CURATOR
Jessica Libor (b. 1987) is an American artist whose work explores themes of feminine identity and the transformative power of storytelling in the creation of personal mythology. She earned her Master of Fine Arts from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 2014 and has pursued further classical training at the Grand Central Atelier and the Florence Academy of Art.
Based in Philadelphia yet active in New York, Libor has maintained an active studio practice since completing her MFA. Her artistic vision is deeply informed by narrative and symbolic traditions, drawing particular inspiration from global fairy tales—a recurring motif throughout her work. Artist residencies have played a pivotal role in this exploration; in 2022 and 2023, she participated in several residencies in Scotland and France, experiences that enriched her engagement with myth and folklore. Her most recent artist residency was Spring 2026 at the Akureyri Art Museum in Iceland, where she researched Nordic mythology.
In 2023, Libor presented her work in two solo exhibitions: her international debut at La Serre Wangari in Paris, France, and a stateside show at Look Listen Gallery in Philadelphia, PA. She was also selected to exhibit in the SPRING/BREAK Art Show in New York City in 2025.
Her work is held in private collections internationally and has been exhibited in numerous institutions, including the Independence Seaport Museum, the Louisiana Art and Science Museum, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the Masonic Library and Museum. In addition to her visual art practice, she is the host of The Creative Heroine Podcast, where she explores the intersection of creativity, storytelling, and the feminine spirit.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Paintings, sculpture, video (under 10 minutes), photography and experimental works and installation will be considered.
Deadline to digitally submit work: April 10th, 2026
Notification of acceptance: by April 15th, 2026.
This is a digital and in person exhibition, with the art being up for sale on eracontemporary.com from May 1, 2026 to August 1, 2026 and the artworks displayed in person for approximately two days (May 6 and 7), to be determined. Some work may be selected just for the online exhibition.
Terms: 50/50 split (please note this is changed from 40/60 due to working with other galleries). There is no need to ship the accepted artwork to the gallery if the work will be shown online only. If the artwork sells, it will be shipped from the artist’s home/studio and the artist can choose to have the collector pay for shipping or build in the cost of shipping into the price of the piece. If the work is accepted into the pop up (in person) portion of the exhibit, the shipping will be the responsibility of the artist both to and from the address where the works will be held, to Era Contemporary care of Jessica Libor, 449 Sharon Drive, Wayne, PA, 19087. Please be ready to include a shipping label in case the work does not sell. All work accepted for physical display must be shipped to the Wayne address by April 25, 2026.
Entry fee: $35 per artwork. There is no limit to how many pieces you can submit.
We look for work with a distinctive style, technical mastery, and artists that are professional, timely and friendly to work with.
To apply, please follow these steps:
Copy and paste the following questions into the body of an email to Era Contemporary at eracontemporary@gmail.com with email heading “EXHIBITION NAME (example, SHE IN THE TOWER) and (Your name)”. Attach image(s) of your artwork no larger than 3 MB and using the label format FIRSTNAME_LASTNAME_TITLE_SIZE_MEDIUM_YEAR_PRICE.
What is your legal name, and your public artist name (if different)?
Where are you based out of in the world?
What is the title(s) of this piece?
What is the medium of this piece? (example, oil on canvas)
What size is this work in inches
Is the work framed or unframed?
What is the price of this piece? Keep in mind the 50/50 split.
How does this piece relate to the theme?
What are your Instagram or social media handles?
What is your art website?
Next, please pay the submission fee of $35 for one piece, and $35 per additional submission to eracontemporary@gmail.com via Paypal. Please attach this receipt to the email. If you don’t have Paypal, you can pay the submission fee here.
All work will be kept on file and considered for future shows as well.