Current Exhibition: OCEANS: The Sound and the Fury (Spring 2022)
Submissions now open for the OCEANS Exhibition, curated by artists Erin Kendrick and Princess Rashid Simpson. A variety of interpretations encouraged. Submit by January 16, 2022. Submit here.
Next Exhibition: AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (Fall 2022 through Spring 2023)
Start thinking NOW what you’ll contribute for this collaborative show! This Open Call exhibition will be curated by Jennifer Wolfe, Marsha Hatcher, Annelies Dykgaaf, and Hope McMath…with others to join this collaborative group. The exhibit will be launched at from Women Writing for (a) Change, open at Yellow House, then rotate to several community partners in the Spring of 2023. This is an open call to all female artists to explore the theme of radically inclusive, equitable, and diverse justice for ALL.
We are Lifting the Expression of the Feminine in All Forms
At Women Writing for (a) Change Jacksonville, our vision is to lift the expression of women in all forms, starting with writing but extending to all forms of media and the expressive arts and sciences, including musical, performing, theater, film, journalism, and of course, the visual arts. We have a legion of reasons for this, but the fact that our national museums have traditionally focused almost exclusively on white men is a compelling reason enough.
Up until now, the data shows that less a ridiculously small percentage of art in our national and international museums and galleries is by women, much less women of color. We aim to change that, starting our own backyard. Each semester we hold an art exhibition featuring local women artists, some as featured artists but always with a radically inclusive community focus where any female-identifying artist can submit their work.
Artists: Benefits of Exhibiting
- Your work will have multiple exposures to a variety of audiences, as we hold regular classes and a variety of events throughout the semester. Hundreds of people will view your work.
- The artwork is hung in a home setting, creating an inviting environment so that potential patrons can see the way the art might look in their homes.
- The artwork is tied to a positive experience for participants and is therefore imbued with more meaning to patrons.
- Your work and your name will receive press coverage.
- Your work will be captured in our Annual Anthology if you submit it.
- We may ask to create a journal or a booklet with your artwork, providing another platform for your work. You will be reimbursed for this use.
Current and Future Art Exhibits
- RISE (Fall 2018) and SHINE (Spring 2019): Rise and Shine anthology [exhibit curated by Cookie Davis and Deborah Reid] (Vol. I)
- BIRDS (Fall 2019) and BLOOMS (Spring 2020): Birds and Blooms anthology [exhibits curated by Deborah Reid] (Vol. II)
- ROOTS (Fall 2020) and BRANCHES (Spring 2021): Roots and Branches anthology [exhibit curated by Jennifer Murray Jones (Roots) and Louise Freshman Brown (Branches)] (Vol. III)
- RIVERS (Fall 2021) and OCEANS (Spring 2022): River and Oceans anthology (Vol. IV)
- AND JUSTICE…FOR ALL (Fall 2022 thorugh Spring 2223): And Justice…For All anthology (Vol. V)
Annual Anthology
The work from these artists, and the writing it inspires each semester, is collected into an annual anthology titled, (a) river rising: Anthology of Women’s Voices. Our first volume was printed in November of 2019, with the theme of Rise and Shine, based on our 2018-2019 art shows, and including work from the past five years of writing in the Jacksonville community. Birds and Blooms, our second volume, was be published in the fall of 2020; Roots and Branches will be published in December of 2021.