Dear Friend:

In response to the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and in conjunction with the Jan/Feb 2023 group exhibition, ROE 2.0, Woman Made Gallery is asking for your voice by sharing your abortion story. This is an on-going project and there is no entry due date. We'll exhibit the stories as they come in, and we feature them on WMG's website.  

We know that there are dozens of reasons why abortions are necessary and it is never a decision taken lightly.

“It was the right decision for me and for the children I already gave birth to.” “I was not ready to be a mother.” “I got my life back.” “It allowed me to complete my education.” “I was able to leave my bad relationship.” “It secured my future.” “It saved my life.” “It was medically and mentally necessary.” “I did not want to be pregnant.”

Whatever the reasons, the most outrageous part of all of this, is that half of the population has been told that they no longer have rights over their own body and that they are now 2nd class citizens.

When I had my abortion, I could not be more unprepared. I was using contraception. yet I accidentally became pregnant. I had no job and I had just been admitted to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to receive my Master’s degree which made a tremendous difference in my life and my career, receiving the credentials necessary to teach.

There are a thousand stories. I had pretty much forgotten mine, pushed it aside. When it was over, I moved on, taught college Art, exhibited my work, and promoted other Women artists.

Even if you have not had an abortion, you know someone who has. You may have driven them to the appointment. You may remember the feelings of that day and many years afterward.

We are soliciting those personal stories now not to exceed more than 500 words. You may sign your name or stay anonymous. With your permission, your story together with others is shared on WMG’s Website.

You have a choice to sign your name, or to be anonymous and your identity will be omitted. There is no entry fee to submit your story. By clicking the checkbox in this application, you accept and agree to the Acknowledgment and Grant of Permission. If you do not agree to the Acknowledgment and Grant of Permission, you should not submit your experience to Woman Made for the Online Project: My Abortion: My Choice. 

Regards, Marcia Grubb

Lifetime WMG Member | Past President of Woman Made Gallery

Keywords:  Roe v. Wade, Reproductive Rights, Pro-Choice, Feminism, Feminist, My Body, My Choice, Planned Parenthood, Abortion Is Healthcare, Womens Rights

The Midwest Open is an annual exhibition at WMG that highlights the achievements of women and nonbinary artists living in the American Midwest. According to the United States Census Bureau, the 12 states in the Midwest include Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

For the Midwest Open, a showcase for the vibrancy and diverse views these artists represent, all media and subject matter will be considered. WMG is looking for work unique to the vision of each artist, work that needs the world to complete it, or work that sings a song from the heart(land).

What new series or experiment or story have you ready to share with WMG? Do you have drawings or drafts or proofs with a soul and a power all their own? Open to all media, including works that might be unfinished, but are exceptionally well-crafted, tended to, and bring together the hands and heart.

Cash prizes are awarded to three artists in the exhibition, as designated by the juror.   

Awards: 1st place: $300 | 2nd place: $200 | 3rd place: $100 | 4th place: Honorable Mention 

Exhibition Dates: August 31–September 28, 2024

The exhibition will be held from August 31 to September 29, 2024, at Woman Made Gallery, 1332 S. Halsted St., Chicago, IL 60607. Entry fee allows submission of up to three works in any medium.

Final Entry Due Date (fee $35): July 6, 2024, 11:59 PM

About the Juror: Pamela Callahan is an artist and poet who lives and works in Wisconsin. Supporter of Woman Made Gallery since 1993, she has juried exhibitions, curated literary programs and advised and advocated for WMG throughout the years. She is the co-creator of Otter Creek Arts, a full-time studio located in the Driftless region. Hand in hand with creating artwork is its stewardship of the surrounding woods and wetlands. Pamela has exhibited her work throughout the Midwest and parts beyond. Her studio is part of the annual Fall Art Tour, which happens each 3rd weekend in October, together with 50 other artist studios from Baraboo to Spring Green, Dodgeville to Mineral Point. 

For more information about Pamela and her art visit https://www.pamelacallahan.com/

Calendar 

Exhibition Dates: August 31–September 28, 2024 

Extended Due Date: July 6, 2024, 11:59 PM CST 

Notification: July 11, 2024

Opening Reception: Saturday, August 31 from 4 to 7 PM CST 

Artist Walkthrough: Saturday, September 28 from 2 to 4 PM CST 

Entry Fee 

*The entry fee is $30 until the first deadline. The entry fee will then increase to $35 per entry. Each entry requires a minimum of one artwork, though up to three artworks may be considered per submission. Entry fees are non-refundable. 

Members at the Enhanced Artist Level ($100) and above receive one free entry annually. Please email general@womanmade.org to receive your one-time code for free entry redemption. 

WMG offers up to 30 fee waivers per exhibition. To acknowledge the historic inequities of wealth distribution, they are mainly reserved for ALAANA/BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+. If you require a fee waiver simply email us explaining your need and we will assist you. Please email WMG at general@womanmade.org to request a fee-waiver. 

Eligibility Woman Made Gallery is a space for women and nonbinary artists, including trans women and femme/feminine-identifying genderqueer artists. We welcome art from women and non-binary artists from our local community, regionally based, and around the world. 

Due to wall size restrictions, artworks must be no larger than 6’ horizontally and under 75 pounds in weight, unless delivered to and picked up from our gallery by the artist. Artists may be additionally responsible for the installation of oversized works. 

New media artworks are eligible. To be considered, artists must submit a sample .mp4 or URL under 10 mins for purposes of consideration. For exhibition, WMG requires a digital transfer (Google Drive, Vimeo downloads, WeTransfer) as well as a USB formatted in .mp4 file format delivered to the gallery. WMG can provide a limited number of screens and projectors with basic speakers. All other new media needs are the responsibility of the artist. 

Art Sales Accepted work may be listed for sale or be not for sale (NFS). WMG will retain a 40% commission on sold works. Work remains the property of the artist until sold. Sold artworks shall remain in the exhibition until the end of the exhibition. Artists will be paid no later than 30 days after the close of the exhibit. Artists may donate any portion of their commission to WMG. 

Terms of Exhibition An artist contract with full terms of the exhibition will be administered at the time of acceptance notification. Artists need to retrieve their work by the date noted in the artist contract or make alternate arrangements. WMG is unable to store work beyond the pick-up date. Artists may donate their art to WMG's fundraising efforts if unable to pick it up. WMG is happy to talk through preparations, offer advice, and recommend resources as requested.

This exhibition seeks to provide space for an inclusive voice in the struggle for representation of BIPOC women in the art world. For 32 years Woman Made Gallery’s vision has been to “ensure the equal placement of women’s art in the world. WMG hosts conversations on issues that matter most to women, helping them make sense of the world through a feminist lens.”  

There are many schools of feminist thought; and mainstream feminism has not – intentionally or not – been inclusive of all voices. One such response to this is the “womanist” movement coined by Alice Walker in 1979, for black feminists or feminists of color, to address more specifically the needs of these groups. WMG would like to take a critical look at feminism. We want to hear the voices and view the work of those who have been systematically marginalized. 

Exhibition Description: According to The Burns Halperin Report published December 12, 2022 in Artnet News: "Work by Black American women comprises 0.5% of acquisitions at 31 U.S. art museums.” This info does not factor in all of BIPOC women artists, but gives a glimpse at the disparity for artists of color. This show intends to highlight work by these under-represented artists. What type of work do you create as a BIPOC feminist artist? Does feminism inform the work that you create? Please submit images of up three works in all media that include a visual element and have not been previously exhibited at the Gallery. Please address the theme of this exhibition in your work and in your artist statement. The exhibition will be held from October 12 to November 9, 2024 at Woman Made Gallery, 1332 S. Halsted St., Chicago, IL 60607. Entry fee allows submission of up to three works.

First Entry Due Date: July 27, 2024, 11:59 PM CST (entry fee: $30) | Extended Final Entry Due Date (fee increases to $35): August 3, 2024, 11:59 PM

Jurors: Monica J. Brown & Donna Jackson

Monica J. Brown explores memory, history and personal mythology through visual art, sound, movement, writing and performance. Her visual art has been exhibited widely throughout Chicago, nationally and internationally. Some exhibition spaces include: SooVAC, Minneapolis, MN; The Center for Contemporary Art, Bedminster, NJ; and Ucross Art Gallery, Ucross, WY. Her work has been written about in Newcity Art, the Chicago Reader, the Detroit Art Review, and MPLSART. She has created murals with Chicago's Hubbard Street Mural Project, and Detroit's Live6 Neighborhood Arts Project. Her work is currently represented by Black Art in America and SoNa Chicago Gallery. Monica is a Ucross fellow, and has attended residencies at Atlantic Center for the Arts, Ragdale, and Dorland Mountain Arts Colony, among others. She has received grants from Chicago DCASE and the Illinois Arts Council Agency. She is also a recipient of Columbia College's Albert P. Weisman Award. She earned a BFA from Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, and an MA from Columbia College Chicago. She currently resides in Chicago.Find out more at https://linktr.ee/mymyriadmuse.

Donna Jackson graduated from Western Michigan University with a degree in University Studies, minoring in arts and engineering, and attended the College for Creative Studies as a graphic communications major. She is the founder of DMJStudio, a creative studio devoted to developing art projects and events that closes gaps between community and culture through public art, exhibits, film, and social collaboration. The studio’s desire is to make art and culture accessible everywhere and to everyone. The focus of many of the projects developed by the studio address the narratives of women, people of color, city life of the middle and lower-class and global citizenship. 

To ensure DMJStudio events and projects are free, Donna works and provides branding and design services to cultural and non-profit institutions and individuals. Organizations such as United Way, Charles H, Wright Museum of African American History to Focus Hope, Neighborhood Service Organizations, City of Houston, and Detroit Public Schools. Her goal is to work for non-profits and art institutions as a consultant while developing community-based art projects and exhibitions. Donna currently consults non-profits and artists in brand identity development, creating cultural experiences and digital platform management. In 2021, Donna became President of the Women’s Caucus for Art, a national organization supporting women in arts and activism. For more on Donna and her work, visit https://www.dmjstudio.com/.

Calendar 

Exhibition Dates: October 12 – November 9, 2024

Opening Reception: Saturday, October 12 from 4 to 7 PM CST 

Artist Walkthrough: Saturday, November 9 from 2 to 4 PM CST 

First Entry Due Date: July 27, 2024, 11:59 PM CST

Extended Due Date (fee increase to $35): August 3, 2024, 11:59 PM CST 

Notification: August 15, 2024

Entry Fee 

*The entry fee is $30 until the first deadline. The entry fee will then increase to $35 per entry. Each entry requires a minimum of one artwork, though up to three artworks may be considered per submission. Entry fees are non-refundable. 

Members at the Enhanced Artist Level ($100) and above receive one free entry annually. Please email general@womanmade.org to receive your one-time code for free entry redemption. 

WMG offers up to 30 fee waivers per exhibition. To acknowledge the historic inequities of wealth distribution, they are mainly reserved for ALAANA/BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+. If you require a fee waiver simply email us explaining your need and we will assist you. Please email WMG at general@womanmade.org to request a fee-waiver. 

Eligibility Woman Made Gallery is a space for women and nonbinary artists, including trans women and femme/feminine-identifying genderqueer artists. We welcome art from women and non-binary artists from our local community, regionally based, and around the world. 

Due to wall size restrictions, artworks must be no larger than 6’ horizontally and under 75 pounds in weight, unless delivered to and picked up from our gallery by the artist. Artists may be additionally responsible for the installation of oversized works. 

New media artworks are eligible. To be considered, artists must submit a sample .mp4 or URL under 10 mins for purposes of consideration. For exhibition, WMG requires a digital transfer (Google Drive, Vimeo downloads, WeTransfer) as well as a USB formatted in .mp4 file format delivered to the gallery. WMG can provide a limited number of screens and projectors with basic speakers. All other new media needs are the responsibility of the artist. 

Art Sales Accepted work may be listed for sale or be not for sale (NFS). WMG will retain a 40% commission on sold works. Work remains the property of the artist until sold. Sold artworks shall remain in the exhibition until the end of the exhibition. Artists will be paid no later than 30 days after the close of the exhibit. Artists may donate any portion of their commission to WMG. 

Terms of Exhibition An artist contract with full terms of the exhibition will be administered at the time of acceptance notification. Artists need to retrieve their work by the date noted in the artist contract or make alternate arrangements. WMG is unable to store work beyond the pick-up date. Artists may donate their art to WMG's fundraising efforts if unable to pick it up. WMG is happy to talk through preparations, offer advice, and recommend resources as requested.