DEADLINE EXTENSION! Entries will now be accepted up to 11:59pm CST on Monday, March 18.
Exhibition and Booklet:
St. Louis region artists, writers, and anyone interested in creative expression are invited to submit work for an inaugural artistic showcase entitled “InVISIBLE: A Reclaiming of the Asian Gaze”. This gallery exhibit will be held in partnership with Wildfruit Projects at their location in St. Louis, MO, in May 2024. The exhibit of visual works at the gallery will be accompanied by a printed booklet featuring written and digital submissions.
Goal:
In St. Louis, Asians have described feeling “invisible” in a region that grapples with a conspicuous Black-white divide but also the challenges created by immigration patterns that are outpacing local infrastructure and support. According to the 2020 census, the AAPI community grew 37% in the last decade, adding 22,000 Asians to our 14-county region. Yet we still are a minority that too often feels only superficially viewed and considered, for example through the lens of false narratives perpetuated by film and media.
In response, we present: InVISIBLE: A Reclaiming of the Asian Gaze, a multi-day, multicultural and multigenerational showcase of art, a creative expression workshop (in March), and an accompanying booklet of written and digital expressions. This program is conceived to uplift the perspectives and voices of the AAPI community in the greater St. Louis region. InVISIBLE also provides opportunities for St. Louis AAPI residents to share their culture and experiences and to come together to create connections and engender pride around shared heritage, history, and identity.
Entrants are invited to explore/express/interpret their Asian American/Pacific Islander identities through up to three submissions of original work. Entries may include, but are not limited to:
- Visual works such as drawings, paintings, collage, photography, ceramics, interactive pieces, sculptures, textiles, other 2D/3D constructions, or links to online media.
- Literary works such as poetry, essays, short stories or other creative writing (1500 words maximum, regardless if one, two, or three submissions in this category)
There are no restrictions on when work was completed or if it has been shown or published previously, so long as the rights belong to the creator. Works generated by artificial intelligence will not be accepted. Work executed under classroom or educational guidance is allowable. There is no entry fee.
Entry Procedure
Entries are to be submitted by midnight, March 18 through the InVISIBLE entry link.
The following is required for submission:
- Name, address, telephone number, email address, social media handles and optional demographic information such as age, ethnic heritage and gender identity.
- A short bio (up to 250 words) including information you wish the committee to know, (e.g. your AAPI heritage, occupation, experience or interest in creative expression, etc.)
- Up to 3 works per person are allowed and may be a combination of the below:
- Visual works: submit a JPEG (file resolution 72ppi/dpi and file size 5 MB maximum) or a QR code or weblink.
- Literary works: submit as a Word .docx or .pdf document and put the word count at the end of the piece.
- Submissions should be titled as follows: “Submission #_Your Name_Title”
- For works proposed for gallery viewing:
- A short description of how your piece is ideally displayed (although the committee reserves the right to decide final display details).
- An artist statement (up to 250 words) that accompanies your work
You will be notified of the committee’s decision by email the week of April 7.
Important Dates
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February 6 – Application open
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March 9 – “Express Your Identity Through Zines” Workshop
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March 18 Deadline at midnight to submit entries
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Week of April 7 – Notification of acceptance
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May 17-19 Opening reception for participants, booklet available, and showcase open to the public over the weekend
Permission and Copyright
By submitting an entry, InVISIBLE participants grant permission for the sponsoring partners to use the accepted work on its website, for promotional materials, and any publicity, physical and virtual. Every effort will be made to preserve the image quality of submitted works, recognizing that certain print or electronic media may affect how the viewer receives the image. Participants will be given attribution for their work.
The participant certifies that the work submitted is original, does not infringe on any existing copyright, and has arranged release forms for any people depicted.
Sales
Artists wishing to sell their work from the exhibit may do so after the exhibit closes. Upon acceptance to the showcase, further information will be available about selling your work.
Sponsorship
This project is a partnership of the St. Louis Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and St. Louis Pan Asian Collective (STL PAC, an AAPI young professionals advocacy and community-building group).
It is supported in part as a Washington University in St. Louis Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity Arts & Culture Community Grant. The CRE2 Arts & Culture Community Grant aims to continue and build on the work foregrounded by the Divided City Initiative with the generous support of the Mellon Foundation. This special opportunity is presented in partnership with The Center for the Humanities & The Office for Socially Engaged Practice.
Questions?
Please contact stl.panasiancollective@gmail.com for further information.
St. Louis JACL 