Call to Artists – Journey of Healing: The Trauma-Informed Power of Art

Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women during Zonta International’s 16 Days of Activism

Zonta Club of Cincinnati (ZCC) in partnership with Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) is seeking artist submissions for their upcoming Journey of Healing exhibition to be shown November 28, 2025 through January 4, 2026.

For this third annual exhibition, ZCC hopes to highlight work which depicts personal journeys of wellbeing representing the power of art as a healing modality. The exhibition seeks artistic expressions created through 2-D and 3-D mediums (drawing, painting, photography, print and sculpture). Through this exhibit ZCC desires to empower artists from the Greater Cincinnati region to bring awareness to the lived experiences of those seeking a world where no woman lives in fear of violence.

– This call is open to individual artists, amateur and professional, 18 years and older from the Greater Cincinnati region

– Accepted artworks must be ready for hanging or display and can be photographs up to 16”x20” finished, 2-D works up to 24”x36” finished, or 3-D works up to 36”x36”x48” (WxDxH) and can be an existing or new work

– All proposals and finished pieces must align with the exhibition theme and be appropriate for public viewing by all ages

– This exhibition will be non-juried, with up to 40 works selected by the Zonta Club of Cincinnati and CAC*

– Due to capacity limitations, each artist selected will be limited to exhibiting a single creative expression

– Every artist must submit an application (no fee to apply) by the stated deadline of August 1, 2025

– All applicants will be asked to provide an example of their previous work as a part of their application submission

*Zonta Club of Cincinnati and CAC reserve the right to decline any submission that does not align with the exhibition theme or could be deemed inappropriate for full public viewing.

**It is the sole responsibility of the artist to deliver their artwork to CAC no later than the scheduled installation date; all artwork remains the property of the artist and will be returned promptly after deinstallation (see exhibition timeline).

Exhibition Timeline:

– Applications due Friday, August 1, 2025

– Selection notifications by Sunday, August 31, 2025

– Artist’s Acceptance Form due by Monday, September 15, 2025 and CAC Loan Agreement due by Friday, November 7, 2025

– Artwork completion and delivery to CAC the week of November 17, 2025 *ALL WORK MUST BE DROPPED OFF BY MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2025 BY 10:00 A.M.

– Exhibition installation Monday/Tuesday, November 24-25, 2025

– Exhibition opening to public Friday, November 28, 2025 through January 4, 2026

– Artists’ reception Friday, December 5, 2025, 5:00-7:00 p.m.

– Artist Exhibition Talk 1 and Talk 2 in December, date/time TBD (optional participation)

– Exhibition deinstallation Monday-Tuesday, January 5-6, 2025 *ALL WORK SHOULD BE PICKED UP BEFORE 5:00 PM ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2026