Theme & SUbmission Guidelines
Pandemic & Resilience

Call for creative submissions April 13-May 13, 2020

How to Apply

  • Submissions must be made with submission form
  • There is no cost to submit
  • One submission per person per show
  • All types of works are accepted as long as it can be presented in standard digital text, photo, or video formats

Technical Requirements

  • Photography and Other Visual Mediums
    • Submit minimum 1 and maximum 5 images that represent your work
    • For consistency across the virtual gallery, images will be limited to the most commonly used aspect ratios: 1:1, 3:2, 4:3, 16:9
  • Music
    • Time for music submissions must be between 1 and 5 minutes
    • Files must be hosted by SoundCloud or Bandcamp
  • Video
    • Length of video submissions must be between 30 seconds and 3 minutes
    • Files must be hosted by YouTube or Vimeo
  • Text
    • Text submissions will be limited to 500 words
    • Accepted formats: Word, TXT, Google Doc Links

    Artistic Guidelines

    Work submitted must be within the technical guidelines and themes of the current outbreak of COVID-19. We’ve put together some prompts to provide artistic guidance.

    Some of our questions may seem unimportant and some may not resonate with you, but sometimes being a good detective of your experience can unearth unexpected creations.

    Take your time and consider the prompts.

    Food for thoughts and theme discussion

    On the nature of being human, a social creature

    • Who do you trust most deeply in this time of crisis? What experiences have you had that have reinforced your trust?
    • This crisis makes it clear how much we depend on each other by removing the structures we rely on. What structures do you still rely on? What are the most resilient structures in your life? What structures have you put in place that create stability in this time?
    • We interact with people and objects SO MUCH everyday. What are the objects and people you now interact with? What do they look like? How do they make you feel? What are the most prominent objects and people in your life now?
    • How has isolation affected your emotions and view of the world? What have been the experiences that have broken through your isolation? What experiences have reinforced your isolation? What memories of connection sustain you in this time?
    • How has your level of empathy for your fellow citizens and friends changed? What stories have you read about that have moved you? How has your behavior changed? Have you reached out to people you wouldn’t have otherwise? What is an experience you have had since the crisis where you have had complete empathy for another person?
    • What it’s like to walk around in empty public spaces

    Basics of human nature that we may not be connected to on a daily basis

    • We are now being confronted by mortality in a way we are not used to. Generations before us have faced this fear before. What kinds of fears have come up? Who have you imagined losing? Has it drawn you closer to others?
    • Have you worried about your own death? What triggers it? A wheeze? A hot forehead? Does it make you feel out of control? What images come up? What are you most scared of coming to pass?
    • Has getting in touch with the possibility of death given you a different relationship to it? If death were a person what would you say to it?
    • How has this experience given you a clearer idea of death and its causes on a global scale? Are their openings for action that this crisis has instigated inside of you

    The human spirit

    • To be apart and still connected. What puts you in touch with the human spirit? What people, videos, artwork, news stories, and things you’ve done have put you in touch with the human spirit? How vividly can you describe it in words, pictures or music?
    • What is the essence of connection? How would you describe the most important experiences of connection you have had since shelter-in-place?

    Viral infection

    • Stigma. Do you feel that the crisis is overblown or not taken seriously enough? How do you feel about people who discuss it frequently? How do you feel people react to you when you discuss it? Are you sheltering your words so as not to attract stigma? With who? With who can you be straight?
    • Trust vs trying to control the situation. Who do you trust to do the “right thing”? Who do you not trust to do the “right thing”? From children to restaurant workers, who do you trust and how far? How does this show up in your interactions and how you treat people?
    • Disagreement about what to do. Where do you see disagreement? With who? Has it escalated? Do you share these experiences with people? Have there been moments where you’ve truly put aside your differences of opinions? With who?

     

    Economic impact

    • People losing jobs. Have you or a loved one lost a job?
    • Businesses shutting down. Has a treasured business closed down?
    Submit your work!
    Image credits: Nicole Plante, Daniel Tafjord, John Cameron, JR Korpa, Noah, Nick Fewings, Pille-Riin Priske, Josh Hild, National Cancer Institute, Sharon McCutcheon