Creating Space for Artists: Inside CaFÉ’s 2026 Online Exhibition and Virtual Gallery

In March of 2026, CaFÉ shifted roles: instead of providing a platform for arts administrators to host and manage their creative opportunities, it became the organizer. Through Space is Weird, So Are We, an online exhibition with cash awards, CaFÉ invited artists from around the globe to explore space as distance, territory, feeling, and fantasy.

CaFÉ began in 2004 as a free resource for artists, created to make opportunities more accessible, equitable, and visible. Over the last few years, CaFÉ has expanded beyond the platform itself by hosting an annual exhibition. This year marked the second exhibition presented in partnership with the MUD Foundation, an innovative organization, like CaFÉ, that operates at the intersection of art and technology.

During the eight weeks the call was open, more than 1,000 artists from 48 states and 31 countries applied, including 200 who had never used CaFÉ before. Artists interpreted space in many ways, from reflections of recent NASA space travel to the distance between two creatures. Space and its eccentricities were explored in a wide range of interpretations and styles.

Earth on the Move. Artwork by Tetiana Dmitrichuk

CaFÉ’s goal for the exhibition was twofold: to honor and highlight the artists who use the platform — both new and longtime users — and to demonstrate how CaFÉ can support creative ventures, such as Space is Weird, So Are We.

CaFÉ’s partnership with the MUD Foundation took the project to the next level, transforming a standard online gallery into an immersive gallery experience — something the organization excels at delivering as part of its MaaS (Metaverse as a Service) offering. The MUD Foundation, which launched in 2018, focuses on infrastructure for arts and education. Founder Rodolfo Peraza describes MaaS, its browser-based extended reality offering, as one of MUD Foundation’s most exciting developments. The technology allows museums, nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions to host and manage their own immersive experiences, creating new ways to engage with and explore culture beyond 2D constraints.

This technology aligns with Peraza’s vision: “a future for technologies in the arts that is inclusive and accessible. …we see the future of internet presence as device- and interface-agnostic — in our case, with a focus on the use of virtual and augmented reality in the arts and education.”

Peraza and his team have supported Creative West for several years across various initiatives, from serving as panelists at the Creative Vitality Summit to sponsoring CaFÉ’s online exhibition series. “By combining CaFÉ’s extensive reach with MUD’s immersive capabilities, this partnership eliminates physical and geographical barriers for our community of creators. Together, we offer artists innovative platforms to showcase their work, connect with global audiences, and gain recognition through community-focused, boundary-pushing digital exhibitions,” Vasquez said.

An artist himself, Peraza said he had a hard time choosing a favorite artwork, and he wasn’t the only one. Several Creative West staff members served on the jury panel for the exhibition, reviewing more than 1,700 artworks and ultimately selecting 105, including three award winners and six honorable mention

Beyond the jurying process, the MUD Foundation’s immersive gallery gave the public a new way to engage with the selected artists’ work. “The virtual gallery really allows people to explore the artworks in a fun and engaging way. It can create a sense of community around the exhibition and allow people to feel like they are in the gallery without having to actually travel or even have a gallery space,” said Natalie Villa, project management specialist at Creative West.

For the artists themselves, the exhibition offered a different kind of connection.

For the CaFÉ team, Space is Weird, So Are We became more than an exhibition. It offered a chance to celebrate the artists who make up the CaFÉ community while experiencing firsthand what it means to build and manage a creative opportunity through CaFÉ.

The response to the call and feedback from participating artists showed the impact in different ways, from first-time CaFÉ users having a memorable experience to artists feeling encouraged to continue experimenting because their unique perspectives were acknowledged. And through its partnership with the MUD Foundation, the exhibition expanded the ways and places where audiences could experience the artwork, advancing accessibility and visibility, which are central to both organizations’ work.