Bathroom Design Open Call for SoMad's New Building

SoMad is moving into a new building in 2027, and instead of filling their bathrooms with basic fixtures, fluorescent lighting and forgettable tile, they’re inviting artists to transform each one into something entirely their own — a permanent, site-specific environment that will inspire occupants for decades to come.

SoMad wants spaces with a real point of view, that are weird, funny, lush, disorienting, tender. SoMad craves rooms that surprise, delight, make one linger or laugh, further perception. After all, the time one spends in the bathroom is ubiquitous and capable of creating a moment for each of us, alone and unhurried, to have a privately profound experience.

SoMad is especially interested in concepts that are an extension of an artist’s existing practice. Whether one already works in the realm of image-making, sculpture, installation or something more abstract, SoMad wants to know how ideas become a room.

Applicants don’t need to make something that looks like a bathroom. Applicants just need to make something that works as one. Bold, strange and unexpected proposals are all encouraged. Functional and maintainable are essentials. No prior bathroom design experience is required.

Requirements

Open to: artists, designers, architects, and interdisciplinary creatives. NYC-based or able to be onsite for key project phases preferred.

Application Instructions

This application has 9 sections and takes approximately 45–60 minutes to complete thoughtfully. We recommend gathering the following before you start:

A PDF of your visual proposal (sketches, renderings, references, or mood board) — named with your last name and the project title, e.g. Ruiz_WigsForDays.pdf
A rough sense of your budget and any specialty materials or collaborators you’d involve
300–500 words on your concept, either drafted in advance or ready to write
You can submit a draft and return to edit your responses any time before the deadline using the link sent to your email after your first submission. All edits must be made by November 11, 2026 at 11:59pm ET.

Here’s what SoMad will ask about:
-About You
-Availability & Bathroom Preference
-Your Practice
-Conceptual Core
-Visual Proposal
-Materials & Installation
-Budget
-Maintenance & Durability
-Anything Else