Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning (JCAL) is seeking multidisciplinary artists to showcase original work for “Ancestral Nourishment,” an exhibition conceived and curated by Seema Shakti Choudhary. Submit here.

Who are your ancestors and how do you honor them through your work? As artists, our creative practice grounds and nourishes our body, mind and spirit. There exists a source of energy and motivation that roots and fuels us to continue creating art. This exhibition is about honoring this source of energy through celebrating our roots, our past, our ancestors and the nourishment and inspiration they provide us to continue creating and telling our stories through art. The way you honor and uplift your ancestors through your practice is open to your interpretation and should encompass your artistic style, subject, medium, or technique that you use in the creation of your work. Applicants may submit new or preexisting work in any medium. The deadline to submit is September 8, 2023 at 11:59PM. The exhibition will be on display in JCAL’s galleries from November 10, 2023 to January 6, 2024 and is part of our Visual Voices curatorial initiative. Artists selected for this exhibition will each receive a $250.00 stipend.  

About Visual Voices

Visual Voices, is a cohort of emerging and midcareer curators who will receive, from 2023 to 2025, the fiscal, strategic and institutional support to propose and mount exhibitions in JCAL’s galleries in order to amplify Queens-based BIIPOC (Black, Immigrant, Indigenous, People of Color) artists. Visual Voices curators will identify, cultivate and elevate emerging BIIPOC talent, and produce artist talks, workshops and demonstrations. Visual Voices reflects our leadership’s conviction that a diverse community isn’t defined top-down by a cultural institution, but rather by giving agency and power to a community to define itself.

Eligibility:

 · Solo artists only; no collectives or collaborations will be considered;

 · Artist must be a current resident of NYC. Special priority given to Queens-based artists.  

 · Artists under 18 may participate with parental or guardian consent, with the minimum age being 13.

 JCAL welcomes artists of all races, colors, religions, languages, gender identities, sexual orientations, national origins, ages, disabilities, and socioeconomic and marital statuses. Those who identify as part of underrepresented communities, and whose work centers on the artist’s personal experiences and observations, are especially welcome and encouraged to apply. 

Application Materials (PDF or Word Only):

 Only one application per artist will be accepted. A completed application must contain elements detailed below. Maximum file size is 100MB per file.

A. Artist Statement

 Introduce yourself and your journey as an artist (500 words max).

B. Works for Consideration

 Submit up to 10 individual works, that are original to you, as follows:

 Title, date, medium of work, and dimensions of the work;

 Short description of each work (100 words max);

 Special exhibition directions, if appropriate, per work (100 words max).

C. Artist CV (optional)

 Include a CV if you have one available. 

Work will be reviewed based on quality and the completeness of the accompanying application. You may be contacted with follow-up questions regarding the nature of the work and the manner of intended exhibition. Artists are responsible for transporting and collecting all artwork to and from the institution. JCAL reserves the right to not exhibit artwork that does not meet display criteria or does not align with the institution’s mission. Works submitted after September 8, 2023 will not be accepted.

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