Quiet, Piggy: We Cannot be Silenced | A Virtual Exhibition
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Woman Made Gallery (WMG) is seeking entries in any medium for Quiet, Piggy: We Cannot be Silenced, a virtual group exhibition open to women and non-binary artists. Entries are juried by Julie Carpenter.
Hosted online from February 18–March 31, 2026, the exhibition will be widely promoted. WMG will highlight each participating artist through an immersive virtual gallery that includes artist statements and encourages viewer interaction on social media.
Artists must address the theme of this exhibition in their work and in their artist statement.
Artists may submit up to three works plus an artist statement related to the exhibition theme. ALL accepted works with statements will be viewable online.
Exhibition Description | Quiet, Piggy: We Cannot be Silenced
Language has long been wielded as a weapon — misogynistic terms, often used by men, become instruments of control and erasure, with words used to diminish, demean, and silence women. Quiet Piggy: We Cannot Be Silenced is about the enduring power of art to confront disparaging language and reclaim agency. The exhibition confronts the language of degradation head-on. The title Quiet Piggy is deliberately provocative: a derogatory term crudely tethered to negative connotations about the female body, horrifyingly used to shame, silence, and marginalize. By reframing and challenging this insult, the exhibition subverts the term into a narrative of resistance.
Here, the term becomes a rally cry for resilience. Voices are not hushed but amplified. To remain silent in the face of such language is complicity; to speak and to defend is defiance. This exhibition insists that women’s voices, bodies, and truths cannot be reduced, censored, or erased.
Please include a short artist statement (100–250 words). Your statement should explain how your piece relates to the exhibition theme. Share what motivated the work and how you see it engaging with activism, dissent, or personal/political struggle. The statement will appear alongside your work in the virtual exhibition to provide context and deepen viewer understanding.
Juror: Julie Carpenter serves on the Board of Directors of Woman Made Gallery. She is the former Director of Art & Programming at Epiphany Center for the Arts, and prior, served as the Executive Director of the Oak Park Art League, one of Illinois’ oldest, continually operating nonprofit art centers. In 2024, Julie was named one of Newcity Magazine’s Art50, recognized for curatorial leadership and contributions to Chicago’s arts community.
This virtual exhibition is open to artwork in all media that has not been previously exhibited at WMG.
IMPORTANT DATES
VIRTUAL EXHIBITION DATES: February 18–March 31, 2026
ENTRY DUE DATE: Friday, January 16, 2026 @ 11:59 PM CST
NOTIFICATIONS: Friday, January 23, 2026
ENTRY FEE $15. Only one submission may be entered per artist. Each submission may include 1 to 3 artworks. Works must address the theme of the show. Entry fee is non-refundable.
ELIGIBILITY Woman Made Gallery is a space for women and non-binary artists, including trans women and femme/feminine-identifying genderqueer artists. This exhibit is open to artists from the local, national, and international communities. Quiet Piggy: We Cannot be Silenced will be an on-line only exhibition, viewable on Woman Made Gallery’s website and social media channels. Please note: "Woman Made reserves the right to refuse entries that do not comply with the entry requirements.
ART SALES Accepted work may be listed for sale, though it is not required. Sales and shipping arrangements are the responsibility of the artists. WMG will not take a commission for any sales.
WHAT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE While this exhibition encourages bold expression and critical engagement with political themes, submissions must uphold standards of respect and responsibility. Artwork that incites violence, promotes hate speech, or targets individuals with slander or malicious intent will not be accepted. Gratuitously graphic content without clear artistic or political context, cultural appropriation without thoughtful engagement, and plagiarism are also grounds for exclusion.
Keywords: Quiet Piggy, Political Art, Art and Activism, Women Artists, Non-Binary Artists, Protest Art, Social Justice Art, Virtual Exhibition, Call for Art, Art in Conflict, Art as Resistance, Contemporary Feminist Art