This year’s exhibit will showcase feminist responses to the current political moment, in which diverse groups face cultural, racial, social, and religious backlash, political scapegoating, deportation, and the erosion of hard-fought rights and protections. U.S. government agencies, as well as cultural and academic institutions, are under attack with departments being dismantled, thousands losing jobs, and funding being ripped away. Egg prices are at an all-time high, along with chaos, fear, dissension, displacement, and anger. Wars and genocides are raging around the world, while this country is at war with itself. This political moment has bred panic, anxiety, and stress. It has silenced some and emboldened others. While some of us are planning protests, campaigning, and buying survival gear, other feminists are resting, trying to heal, and creating art. In her novel, Beloved, Toni Morrison writes, “In times of great struggle, when it seems that everything is falling apart, we must remember that there is a power greater than the forces of division. The struggle for justice, for dignity, for equality, is not a fleeting moment but a long, hard process, and in that process, we must learn to lean on each other. The community, our shared humanity, is what gives us the strength to keep going. The world may seem broken, but it is in the healing, in the building, where hope is found. And we must keep building, together.” So let’s create art that not only reflects where we are currently, but engages the collective imagination of what the future could look like. Help the world to see what we can be, what we should be doing, and who we really are, beyond this moment. In this tumultuous time, let your art be the backbone of healing and hope. We are looking for submissions that express the creative and diverse ways in which women, feminist, queer and other minoritized groups resist the attempts to divide and diminish us both at home and abroad. We especially invite works that explore the social and ecological impacts of increasing nationalism, fascism and xenophobia on various socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, religious, ability-based, and international/global/regional groups. 

Entries are judged on artistic quality and adherence to the exhibition theme, Feminist Responses in a Tumultuous Time. 

Note: Submissions that do not directly relate to the exhibit theme will not be considered.

Where: Koehnline Museum of Art, Oakton College, 1600 East Golf Road, Des Plaines, IL 60016-1268 , 847.635.2633.

When: The exhibit runs September 30 - October 31, 2025. A public reception will be held on Tuesday, September 30th, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Artists are encouraged to attend this special event and discuss their work with students and other attendees.

Who: Female-identifying, trans, and/or non-binary artists. Submissions must be from professional artists who have a record of professional exhibitions and are 18 years of age or older.

Jury/Entry Fee: No entry fee. Catalog: The college will produce an exhibition catalog.

Submission of Work: Each artist may submit one original work for consideration. Work should relate to the theme of Feminist Responses in a Tumultuous Time. There are no size limitations.
 
Deadline and Guidelines:
Please complete the Art Submission Form and attach the following documents by Friday, August 15, 2025.
 
1) Image or video of work: Image should be a JPEG (.jpg) of at least 300 dpi. (at least 1 MB). Label all work with the artist’s name, title of work, date, and medium.

2) Artist Statement and Biography: Artist statement and biography should be a Microsoft Word document only (no PDFs or JPEGs) and should not exceed 150 words (no résumés). Please be aware that statements and biographies will be edited for spelling, grammar, and context. Submissions without statements and bios will not be considered.
  

Media: All media considered. Performance works will be considered if appropriate to the space. Installations and work that the artist determines to be delicate must be installed and removed by the artist. The Museum manager will determine if works should be installed and removed by the artist.
 

Insurance: All work will be insured while in the museum.
 

Delivery of Accepted Work: All work, hand-delivered or shipped, must arrive at the museum on Saturday, September 20, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., and Monday, September 22, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Shipped work must include a prepaid return shipping label for the artist’s preferred carrier. (Postage stamps are not accepted.)
 

Pickup of Work: Saturday, November 1, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., and Monday, November 4, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. If the indicated times for delivery or pickup are not convenient, contact Nathan Harpaz, Ph.D., manager of the Koehnline Museum of Art, 847.635.2633, to arrange a more convenient time and date.
 

Other Information: On the back of each piece, please place the artist’s name and phone number, title of work, year completed, medium, and insurance value. The Koehnline Museum does not take commissions on sales. Artists will be placed in contact with interested buyers. 

Questions: Call Nathan Harpaz at 847.635.2633 or email nharpaz@oakton.edu.