Call for Art
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media release: Entry Deadline: 10/30/21. Fee: $0.00. Media: Any, except Installation Art. Open to all artists, aged 18 or older.
Now accepting submissions for the spring 2022 exhibition, Collateral Damage, a group show featuring work concerning mental health. The pandemic has highlighted the mental health crisis in our country by removing some of the stigma that prevents discussion of mental health issues. At this critical juncture, when we have all experienced some level of isolation and the inability to control our own worlds, Collateral Damage seeks to harness the momentum to continue that conversation.
In order to open the exhibition to artists with financial barriers, the application process is free, and selected artists will receive a stipend, paid after the exhibition has launched. In addition to the exhibition, Collateral Damage will host a series of artist talks and discussions with the aim of destigmatizing mental illness through open discussion and genuine representation. Selected artists will be given the opportunity to participate in the programming in a number of different ways.
IMPORTANT VENUE INFORMATION: This exhibition will be held on the third floor of the Pyle Center in downtown Madison, WI. We may or may not be able to show a small number of free standing sculptures. The Pyle Center uses the Walker Hanging system, hanging work should not be heavier than 30 lbs. The Pyle Center does have the capacity to host a film or live performance event, so video works, new media, or performance artists are encouraged to apply. Unfortunately installation art cannot be accepted at this time.
Works will have to be delivered by mid April 2022. Artists will retain all sales from works sold. If you have any questions about the submission process, please reach out to CollateralDinfo@gmail.com
We want to keep the theme of this show open, but your submission should be clearly linked to mental illness or mental health in some way.
Collateral Damage was born out of Victoria Maidhof’s studio practice, and is named after her current series of degraded polaroid film pieces. Maidhof has suffered from mental illness most of her life, witnessing first-hand how pervasive the stigma associated with it is in our culture. She now seizes any opportunity to speak out about her diagnosis and struggles to educate the uninformed. Last year Maidhof was surprised to find that people who had never suffered from mental health issues were experiencing the symptoms that she and other mentally ill people experience every day. She watched in amazement as depression and anxiety spurred by the pandemic became an open dialogue, both on social media and in the news. The pandemic has broken down barriers that in the past made acknowledging a problem taboo. At this critical juncture, when we have all experienced some level of isolation and the inability to control our own worlds, Collateral Damage seeks to harness the momentum to continue the conversation, with the aim of destigmatizing mental illness. We intend to bolster artists’ careers by removing the financial barrier of submission fees and supplying them with an exhibition opportunity and a stipend. It is well known that accumulating an artist CV is a main component of the battle in establishing an artistic career and creative network. This exhibition aims to destigmatize mental illness through open discussion and genuine representation.