Artists wanted for Health, Equity & Nature Exhibition and Publication

Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods is asking for art submissions for an exhibition to accompany the upcoming release of their Health Equity and Nature Report featuring environmental impact data for Lake County Illinois. Art submitted should be related to/inspired by the themes of the upcoming report such as Environmental Justice, the Connection between Nature and Health Equity, Transformative Experiences Pertaining to Nature, or Barriers to Accessing Nature and the Outdoors (a full list and detailed descriptions of the report's sections can be found here). Art submitted for the exhibition can be in any media (visual or non-visual), but only visual art will be considered for inclusion in the report itself.

A maximum of 40 pieces will be chosen for inclusion in an in-person exhibition at Brushwood Center's gallery that will take place from June 11 - August 27, 2023. Preference will be given to artists who are residents of Lake County, IL.

A smaller number, approximately 10, of the pieces chosen for the exhibition will also be chosen to be included in the printed report. Artists with work used in the printed report will receive the following cash prizes:

$250 prize for each piece used in the printed report
$1,000 prize for the piece used as the report cover

What is the Report?
The Health Equity and Nature Report contains data compiled by Brushwood Center's Health, Equity and Nature Accelerator initiative. The purpose of the report is to collect real world data showing the connection between human well-being and access to nature in Lake County to understand our strengths and deficits. Additionally, the report will show the most recent environmental justice, green space, health outcome data in Lake County through quantitative data (like the number of people affected by an issue), and using qualitative data (how it has affected them) will include community voices on current innovative solutions to the barrier to accessing the outdoors and recommendations to continue this work. We hope that this report will lead to a pilot program that proves that access to green spaces contributes to a healthier well-being and bring about real change.

What is the Health, Equity, and Nature Accelerator?

Brushwood Center’s Health, Equity, and Nature Accelerator aims to activate healthcare investment in nature-based solutions and drive collaboration among community, governmental, environmental, and healthcare sectors in Lake County and the larger Chicago region. The Accelerator was born in response to growing community demand and momentum for systemic changes to address racial and ethnic inequities at the intersection of health, climate, and nature. Building on Brushwood Center’s decades of on-the-ground community engagement experience in Lake County, the Accelerator also responds directly to the lessons Brushwood Center took from our pandemic-response work.

DEADLINE: Artwork for this call must be submitted no later than Sunday, April 30, 2023.