Join the movement. Connect your community.
Advocate through art.
Call for Submissions: Dear US Small Works Show
The Dear US Collective [www.dearuscollective.com] began in Minneapolis as artist Michael Johnson’s response to local events. It is now expanding to other cities around the country, with Kansas City being the next major show.
Theme
As the 250th birthday of our nation approaches, many of us feel discouraged and frustrated. As artists, it’s hard to feel like we can make a difference. Dear US is our chance to make art in response to human (“inalienable,” as the Declaration of Independence calls them) rights. This interactive, two-day show will bring community members together, allowing viewers to respond to our work by writing or visually creating their own postcards. At the end, postcards will be collected and displayed ahead of July 4th in businesses around town, before ultimately being mailed to elected officials. Through Dear US, the artists of KC will be leaders in a movement of resistance and solidarity, inspiring voices from our city, in conjunction with others across the country. We encourage you to directly or indirectly address our nation with your art, focusing on the theme of human rights and inalienability.
Submit
We are seeking original works of visual art for a gallery show May 29-31. Any medium is welcome, so long as it can be mounted on a 2-D surface. We prefer small works measuring 12×12 or smaller; however, if you wish to show a larger piece that already exists, feel free to submit. We are also seeking original poetry that can be printed on a single 8 1/2 x 11” page.
- For visual art, please email three high-res images in JPEG format, along with a CV, to dearuscollectivekc@gmail.com. Contact johnsuttonart@gmail.com with questions.
- For poetry, please email up to three unpublished poems in MS Word or Google Doc format, along with an optional cover letter, to dearuscollectivekc@gmail.com. Contact Jennifer Leigh Coates-Millard at jenniferleighwritermail@gmail.com.
Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis with April 30 as the final deadline to submit.
Dates and Location
We currently have a Westport community space with walls for a gallery show lined up for May 29-31. Details are not finalized, due to the last-minute nature of jumping on an already-established show in Minneapolis. However, John or Jen will be in touch with participants with final details once accepted.
Jennifer Leigh, Multidisciplinary Writer 