Oakton seeks entries for art exhibition about working women

(May 9, 2016) Professional artists who self-identify as women are invited to submit entries in all media to Oakton Community College for “Beyond Rosie the Riveter: Women and Work” by Monday, Aug. 8. Entry is free. This juried art exhibition, sponsored by the Koehnline Museum of Art and Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) at Oakton, will take place Sept. 29 - Oct. 21, at 1600 E. Golf Road, Des Plaines.

Oakton’s annual WGS exhibition is one of the region’s premier art events, attracting hundreds of participants and routinely drawing submissions locally, nationally, and internationally. Themes focus on issues and ideas involving women and feminism; this year’s exhibition thoughtfully examines and celebrates the many contributions made by working women. Submissions may focus on women in the United States or on women globally and may have either a contemporary or historical context.

This year’s exhibit is influenced by Rosie the Riveter, the cultural icon who represented the contributions of millions of women to the U.S. labor force in factories, offices, and shipyards during World War II. Submissions should reflect women who for generations have been making vital contributions to their families and societies, and supporting local economies as workers in the private and public arenas. Entries are encouraged to observe how women have made an impact on multiple fronts by working as homemakers, mothers and caregivers, and as drivers of family businesses and cottage industries.

Artists may submit one original work of any size for consideration. Works must be submitted on a compact disc as a JPEG image with a resolution of at least 300 dpi. The CD must be labeled with the artist’s name, title of work, date, and medium. It should also contain an artist statement/biography in narrative form as a Microsoft Word document not exceeding 150 words (no resumes). The statement should refer to the specific artwork submitted. Text will be edited for spelling, grammar, and space.

Dowload the submssion form (PDF).

Submit entries to: “Beyond Rosie the Riveter: Women and Work” Exhibition, Koehnline Museum of Art, Oakton Community College, 1600 E. Golf Road, Des Plaines, IL 60016. Artists must also include submission form, which can be found at www.oakton.edu.

For more information, contact Nathan Harpaz at 847.635.2633 or nharpaz@oakton.edu.