Over the last year, we’ve seen time and time again how art is a powerful tool during a time of isolation, loss, and division (to name a few). In this month’s blog post, we want to share some of the extraordinary work being done to document and respond to the coronavirus pandemic. We assembled a collection of exhibitions and calls for entries hosted on CaFÉ that specifically asked for artwork related to the pandemic or themes emerging from it. By sharing these projects, we hope to spread recognition for the talented artists who are preserving their artforms, and for the arts organizations that are giving artists a platform to do so. Take a look at the list below to see these ongoing exhibitions, upcoming events, and open calls for entries.
Ongoing & Past Exhibitions
The exhibitions below highlight the calls for entry from the past year that are now on display to be viewed. Explore the artwork from hundreds of talented artists!
New Normal: An Artist’s Response to COVID-19
Fort Works Art
“This innovative program challenges local visual artists to create works that reflect their experience, as members of the Fort Worth area community, during this time of pandemic.”
Photo courtesy of Fort Works Art.
How Are You?
Art Works Downtown
“After one of the most tumultuous years in modern history, How are You? offers a source of empathetic processing for the public’s well being by exhibiting a selection of artwork made in 2020.”
Photo courtesy of Art Works Downtown.
PANIC
O’Hanlon Center for the Arts
“2020 has been one of existential threat and uncertainty. We are in the middle of political polarization, racial reckonings, and climate catastrophes.
Sometimes being out of one’s depth and going to places you have never been before, especially if not by choice, can motivate new action and create new imaginings and possibilities.”
Photo courtesy of O’Hanlon Center for the Arts. Art: Chester Arnold. Design: Jeremy Thornton
Hindsight
Gallery 114
“In the light of a new year, we looked for artworks reflecting on how perceptions have changed in light of what we’ve experienced.”
Photo courtesy of Gallery 114.
Art in the Time of Corona | A Global Art Project
Dab Art Co.
“The goal of this innovative project is to record and exhibit (in real time) defining artwork created during civil uncertainty.”
Photo courtesy of Dab Art Co.
Out of Isolation
Firefly Artists
“In a world seemingly turned upside down, we have sheltered in our homes and expressed our feelings with creativity. Out of Isolation shares artwork created during the COVID-19 pandemic and the stories behind those expressions.”
The exhibition will run from December 1, 2020 through February 14, 2021 at The Darcy Center in Northport, NY.
Photo courtesy of The Firefly Artists.
The Healing Power of Art
Fine Line Creative Arts Center – Kavanagh Gallery
“The Healing Power of Art brings together 30 artists whose work looks at the way art can heal. A subject that has been particularly important in the last year.”
Photo courtesy of the Fine Line Creative Arts Center.
The Healing Power of Art in Isolation
Siy Gallery
“Siy Gallery’s mission is to celebrate [this] unity through the universal medium of art, and to promote the positive effects art has on our mental health when we create, share, and consume it—effects that are essential to our success in overcoming this far-reaching challenge.”
Photo courtesy of Siy Gallery.
Upcoming Events
These calls for entries were recently closed for submissions and are in the process of going on display at the time this blog post was published. Stay tuned to see the results!
Art in Public Places Program Hawai‘i Call for Entry – COVID-19
Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts
“The goal is to support artists financially and promote the valuable role artists play in this time of global crisis, particularly within the state of Hawai‘i and our community, and to document artists’ response to the pandemic and economic and civil unrest.”
Photo courtesy of the Hawai‘i SFCA.
Home Sick: International Juried Art Exhibition
The Art Effect
“Youth at The Art Effect developed the exhibition theme to invite artists to capture how the concept of being ‘home sick’ can take on multiple meanings in light of a tumultuous year such as 2020.”
The exhibition will be on display February 25-April 1, 2021 at the Poughkeepsie Trolley Barn.
Photo courtesy of The Art Effect.
Reflections 20/20
The Artists Council – Palm Springs
“Reflections 20/20 is a virtual exhibition designed to provide viewers with the experience they have missed so much, the pleasure of seeing art on the walls.”
The show will be presented on the Artists Council website in a 360° gallery from February 22 to April 2, 2021.
Photo courtesy of The Artists Council.
Anxiety in a Time of Pandemic
Indiana University Kokomo
“Anxiety in a Time of Pandemic aims to exhibit works of art expressing the impact artists have felt through this unprecedented time in society.”
The exhibition will be on display at the Indiana University Kokomo Downtown Art Gallery from March 17 to April 2, 2021.
Photo courtesy of Indiana University Kokomo.
Month of Photography Denver Festival | Reimagining Hope
Colorado Photographic Arts Center
“After a difficult year, this exhibit offers a positive vision of the future expressed through stunning light projections on one of Denver’s iconic buildings.”
The outdoor exhibition will be digitally projected on the Daniels & Fisher Tower as part of Night Lights Denver during the 2021 Month of Photography Festival in March.
Photo courtesy of Indiana University Kokomo.
Open Call for Entries
This pandemic-related call for entries is still open at the time this blog post was published. Apply today!
Painting through the Pandemic
Rhode Island Watercolor Society
“The pandemic has led to many of us being stuck at home for long periods of time, which has certainly been a challenge, but has also led to many to create an abundance of art! Art has a way of bringing comfort to those who view and create it, and now is a time when art is truly needed!”
Deadline for submissions is February 24, 2021. The online show will run March 6 to April 9, 2021.
Photo courtesy of the Rhode Island Watercolor Society.
Written by Communications Coordinator Justine Chapel
