CALL FOR ENTRIES OPENS: May 6th, 2025
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: June 1st, 2025 at 11:59pm CDT

Learning Curve is an annual exhibition celebrating HCP students’ work from the past year. It features a range of photo-based work—including digital, analog, and alternative processes—and highlights HCP Education's various programs. There is no fee for entry.

Every year the Learning Curve exhibition is juried by a leading curator, editor, or artist who is in dialogue with the medium of contemporary art and/ or photography. Works selected by the juror will be exhibited at HCP and highlighted on our digital platforms (website, newsletters, and social media).
 

About the Juror: 

Raquel Natalicchio is a bilingual photographer from Los Angeles, California currently based in Houston, Texas as a staff visual journalist for The Houston Chronicle. Natalicchio documents social issues, community-driven stories, political mobilization, and migration across the US/Mexico border. Her work focuses on the universality of humanity, including themes of love, struggle, resilience, and community. Her current long-term project, “Borderlands”, explores the rich diversity of experiences in border communities along the US/Mexico border.

Natalicchio has exhibited in several solo and group exhibitions such as the Los Angeles Center of Photography, Art House NYC, New York, and Think Tank Gallery, Los Angeles among others. Her images have been published extensively in the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle, El Pais, Daily Mail, CNN, NBC, CBS, and ABC to name a few.

Combining her passions for photography and education, Natalicchio has developed special curricula with themes such as ‘self-love’ for teen girls after-school programs. She is equally passionate about community building and has produced talks, panel discussions, and exhibitions for photography communities in Los Angeles, Houston, and London.

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Eligibility

Students who attended a course or a workshop at HCP from January 2024 onward are welcome to apply. Students of all levels of photographic knowledge or experience may apply.
 

Call For Entry Guidelines

STEP 1. Prepare your images and all related texts
       Carefully edit a group of no more than 5 images and/ or videos that describe your current photographic work.  For videos, your files must be either QuickTime (.mov) or MPEG-4 (.mp4) filetypes. For images, please use the following specifications:

• JPEG (.jpg) or PNG (.png) filetype for images
• 72 DPI
• 2000 pixels on the LONGEST side
• Adobe RGB (1998) Color Profile

For each image, you will need to fill out the following information:

• Title
• Year
• Medium
• Size (inches)

You will also need to have the following information available for upload:

• Artist Bio
• Artist Website (if applicable)

STEP 2. Click "Submit"!
 

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NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE: Applicants will be notified of the jurying results by June 9th, 2025. Please note; HCP retains the right to reject any selected work that differs from the work submitted.

LIABILITY & AGREEMENT: Works will be insured while on the premises of HCP. HCP retains the right to display and reproduce work accepted for this exhibition for publicity and promotional purposes.

- ARTWORK PRESENTATION: Upon your acceptance, the work to be exhibited must be delivered ready-to-hang in either a simple white, black, or natural wood frame; matting is optional, and frames that do not meet this criteria should be pre-approved by the Exhibitions and Programs Coordinator in advance. In the case that a pedestal or specific hardware is needed for presentation, you must inform the Exhibitions and Programs Coordinator of what will be necessary for the installation of your work. Artists exhibiting slide or video projection, installation or sculptural works beyond a two-dimensional format are expected to provide the hardware and equipment necessary to exhibit the work as it is intended to be shown. HCP does not provide slide or video projectors. HCP does have a few small-to-medium sized TV monitors and media players for displaying video work. 

- Your entry constitutes understanding and agreement with the conditions outlined in this prospectus.

DEADLINES/CALENDAR:

May 6th, 2025 – Entries for Learning Curve 17 open for submission

June 1st, 2025 – Entries for Learning Curve 17 close 

June 9th, 2025 – Acceptance notifications sent via email

July 3rd, 2025 – Accepted works due at HCP 

July 17th, 2025 – Opening reception, 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Exhibition On View: July 17 – August 17, 2025

FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR SUBMISSION PLEASE CONTACT:
               Areli Navarro Magallón, Exhibitions and Programs Coordinator
               713-529-4755 or areli.magallon@hcponline.org