Call for Art Guidelines

Seen&Heard is excited to announce our call for art submissions. We are inviting all community members who wish to express themselves through visual art or spoken word to submit their work. Through this call, we aim to showcase the creativity of individuals from all walks of life and including those who have felt personally unseen and unheard.

Entries are accepted starting January 2, 2025. Final application deadline has been extended to February 28, 2025.

Types of Submissions:

1. Visual Art
We welcome original submissions of all forms of visual art, including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, printmaking, collage, mixed media, etc. Due to space constraints in the gallery, for 2-D art, please do not submit anything larger than 24”x24”x2”. For 3-D art, please do not submit anything larger than a 10” x 10” footprint.

2. Spoken Word
For those who prefer to share through spoken word, we accept poetry, storytelling, comedic monologue, recited essay, or other spoken performance art. Submit a video recording of the submission by downloading it directly into the application (MP4, MOV, etc.) A Youtube video link is also acceptable so long as there is a thumbnail photo also entered in the application. Spoken word submissions should not exceed 5 minutes (give or take a couple of minutes) in duration.

Submission Guidelines:

1. Eligibility
This call is open to all community members, regardless of age, background, or level of experience.

2. Theme: BEFORE, DURING, OR AFTER
Submissions should be original works created in the last two years that convey the marking of time in a meaningful way. For example, the artwork could express:

  • Temporal narrative (including time of day with light and shadows, events or seasons);

  • Emotions of personal experiences at a point in time or through time;

  • Historical context (before, during, or after historical events);

  • Transformation (physical, aging, self-awareness, identity, social movements, nature, politics, etc.)

    4. Submission Limit
    Each applicant may enter up to two submissions for consideration. Applicants are considered finalists if one or more artworks are selected for the gallery exhibit or spoken word performance.

    5. Submission Process
    IMPORTANT: In order to ensure optimal results in being selected as a finalist, please be acquainted with the project’s aims (described on the About page) and judging rubric (see below) before filling out the application to submit to the exhibit.

    6. Selection Process
    Jurors will carefully evaluate all submissions. Selection will be based on the artistic merit and alignment with the theme, Before, During, or After. Jurors will be evaluating the submissions based on qualities including:

  • Artistic merit (how well the artwork is executed, creativity, skill with chosen medium)

  • Adherence to the theme of Before, During, or After (how the artwork and Artist Statement demonstrate the marking of time in a meaningful way)

Finalist Showcase:

Those selected by the panel will showcase their artworks or performance at Abrams Claghorn Gallery in Albany, California. Visual art finalists will have their art featured in a gallery exhibit from April 2-27, 2025. There will be a reception on Sunday April 13, 2025 from 3-6 PM and finalists of the spoken word submissions will be featured in a live performance that afternoon.