Coming Soon: Open Interval, an Artist-Scientist Exploration of ‘Turbulence’

What does it look like when an artist and a scientist spend meaningful time thinking together in open-ended exploration? That is the question at the heart of Open Interval, a Simons Foundation program that supports trios of artists, scientists and arts organizations to come together around a shared scientific theme and spend several months following their curiosity. The program’s next theme will be “turbulence,” a phenomenon that sits on the edge of chaos and beauty.

Program Overview

Awarded trios will receive $30,000. The program will run from April to December 2027 with a touchstone meeting in May and other possible cohort convenings. The time spent in the program is meant to be collaborative and exploratory.

Applying for the Open Interval program does not require a proposed project or end goal. On the contrary, the program supports a period of sustained collaboration rather than production, exhibitions or completed works.

We will require responses from complete trios: an artist, a scientist and a representative from an arts organization.

Call Timeline

• September 9, 2026: Open Interval call launches
• October 21, 2026: Submission deadline
• Late November 2026 to early December 2026: Finalists notified and interviews scheduled
• Early January 2027: Notifications sent to all applicants
• April to December 2027: Open Interval program

Eligibility

Trios should be regionally co-located anywhere in the United States. All three applicants should be within easy reach of one another and able to collaborate in person.

We are seeking artists who:

• have an authentic desire to collaborate with a scientist. A formal background in science is not necessary. (Artists with demonstrated interest in science or mathematics are of interest to us, but it is not necessary that they have worked with science in the past.)
• create large-scale or public work that lends itself to collective experiences by large audiences — in particular, performance, installation, participatory work, sound art and dance.
• have substantial experience creating, exhibiting and presenting artwork, with a well-developed point of view.

We are seeking scientists who:

• actively conduct basic science research at a university or research institution and hold a Ph.D. or equivalent. (We will prioritize submissions from researchers in the basic sciences — astrophysics, neuroscience, quantum physics, biology, mathematics, etc., as these fields align with the Simons Foundation’s mission to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences.)
• are eager to collaborate and find new cultural expressions for their work.
• think creatively — and see the value in creative collaborations.

We are seeking arts organizations that:

• see the value in stewarding collaborations combining art and science.
• take an active role in collaborating with artists and prioritize artists’ well-being, empowerment and growth.
• have 501(c)(3) status. Fiscally sponsored programs are not eligible.
• play a vital role in arts and public ecosystems outside of academic environments. University arts centers are eligible; however, we are seeking trios that draw from beyond a single institution.

We will schedule webinars to take questions when the call launches in September. Stay tuned for more information and sign up to receive announcements here.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected].