The Women in Arts Network is thrilled to announce an open call for submissions under the theme, “The Things We Feel.”
We all experience feelings that shape our lives in ways we do not always recognize. Some are joyful and familiar, while others are difficult, fleeting, deeply personal, or impossible to explain. A feeling can come from a memory, a person, a place, an experience, a relationship, or even a moment that stays with us long after it has passed.
The Things We Feel invites women artists and non-binary artists from around the world to explore these experiences through their own artistic language.
Your work does not need to literally represent an emotion. It may be created from a feeling, inspired by an experience, connected to a memory, explore an inner state, capture a particular atmosphere, or simply evoke a feeling in the viewer. A work can be quiet or expressive, personal or universal, figurative or abstract, direct or open to interpretation.
The theme can encompass love, joy, grief, longing, fear, nostalgia, belonging, vulnerability, desire, solitude, hope, anger, comfort, connection, uncertainty, transformation, and countless other experiences. We are equally interested in the feelings that are difficult to name and the moments when emotion becomes part of the creative process.
Sometimes a colour can bring back a memory. A photograph can hold a moment of longing. A portrait can communicate an unspoken connection. An abstract work can express a mood without showing anything recognizable. A landscape can remind us of home. A texture, gesture, object, or space can bring forward a feeling we thought we had forgotten.
This open call encourages artists to consider the relationship between what we feel and what we create. What experiences have shaped your work? What emotions stay with you? What do you carry into your creative practice? And what do you hope someone else feels when they encounter your artwork?
Artists working across painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, illustration, digital art, collage, textiles, mixed media, video, installation, and other contemporary visual practices are invited to submit.
Whether your interpretation is intimate or universal, subtle or powerful, realistic or experimental, we want to see how you make the invisible visible through your art.
We look forward to discovering the many emotions, experiences, memories, and stories that come together through The Things We Feel.
Important Note
Please note that all submitted artwork will undergo a juried selection process, and submission does not guarantee inclusion in the exhibition.
The Women in Arts Network is proud to present The Things We Feel, an international virtual exhibition exploring the emotions, experiences, memories, sensations, and inner worlds that shape how we experience ourselves and the world around us.
Some feelings are easy to name, while others are quiet, complicated, fleeting, or difficult to put into words. This exhibition invites artists to explore the many ways feeling can become art. Your work may be inspired by a feeling, created around an emotion, shaped by a personal experience, connected to a memory, or simply evoke a feeling in the viewer.
The theme is intentionally open to interpretation. Artists may explore love, grief, joy, longing, fear, nostalgia, belonging, vulnerability, desire, solitude, hope, connection, transformation, or any other feeling or experience that has found its way into their creative practice.
Designed for artists working across all visual mediums, this opportunity brings together a diverse selection of works from artists around the world, creating a visual conversation around the deeply human experiences that connect us all.
Selected artists will be featured in an international virtual exhibition hosted by the Women in Arts Network. Presented through an online gallery, the exhibition will be accessible worldwide, allowing artists to share their work with collectors, curators, fellow artists, art enthusiasts, and audiences across the globe.
Artists may also choose to add a Personalized Artist Interview Feature to their application.
If selected, the artist will receive a dedicated feature published on the Women in Arts Network website. The interview offers an opportunity to share your creative process, artistic influences, inspirations, personal journey, and the story behind your work, allowing audiences to engage with your practice beyond the artwork itself.
Featured interviews are also promoted across the Women in Arts Network’s digital platforms, providing an additional opportunity for visibility and introducing your work and artistic voice to a wider international audience.
Please note that all submissions are reviewed through a juried selection process. Submission of an application and payment of the application fee does not guarantee selection for either the exhibition or the Artist Interview Feature.
Artists are welcome to interpret The Things We Feel in their own way. Your work does not need to literally depict an emotion. It may be inspired by a feeling, created from an experience, connected to a memory, explore an inner state, communicate an atmosphere, or simply evoke a feeling in the viewer.
We welcome artists working across all visual mediums and look forward to discovering the many different ways artists around the world express The Things We Feel through their work.
The Things We Feel explores the emotions, experiences, memories, sensations, and inner worlds that shape who we are and how we experience the world around us. Some feelings are easy to name, while others are quiet, complicated, fleeting, or impossible to put into words. Through art, these invisible experiences can take shape, allowing us to express what language cannot always capture.
Artists are invited to interpret the theme in their own way. Your work may be inspired by a particular feeling, created around an emotion, born from a personal experience, connected to a memory, shaped by a moment, or simply evoke a feeling in the viewer. The artwork does not need to literally depict an emotion. It can explore what a feeling looks like, what it means to you, where it comes from, or how it stays with you.
We welcome interpretations of love, joy, grief, longing, fear, nostalgia, belonging, vulnerability, desire, solitude, hope, anger, comfort, connection, transformation, and everything in between. You may explore feelings toward yourself, others, places, memories, relationships, nature, identity, or the world around you.
The exhibition is open to artists working across all visual mediums, including painting, drawing, illustration, photography, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, textiles, collage, mixed media, digital art, video, installation, and other contemporary visual practices.
Whether your artwork comes from a feeling, explores a feeling, holds a feeling, is inspired by an experience, or simply makes someone feel something, we invite you to share it.
What do you feel? What does your artwork make others feel? And how can something invisible become visible through art?
Over the past two years, the Women in Arts Network has presented 15+ international exhibitions featuring more than 800 artists from around the world. Each exhibition has created a space for artists to share their work, reach new audiences, and become part of a growing international community.
The Things We Feel offers artists the opportunity to bring their work into a wider conversation around emotion, experience, memory, and the many things that inspire us to create.
By participating, selected artists will have the opportunity to:
Exhibit internationally as part of a curated virtual exhibition hosted by the Women in Arts Network.
Add an international exhibition credit to your artist CV, website, portfolio, and exhibition history.
Have your work professionally presented as part of a curated group exhibition alongside artists from around the world.
Reach new audiences beyond your existing artistic and local community through an exhibition accessible worldwide.
Introduce your artistic practice to people who may discover your work through the exhibition and explore more of your portfolio.
Be part of a larger artistic conversation, sharing your own interpretation of a theme that is personal yet universally understood.
Be recognized as a selected artist through a juried selection process.
Become part of a growing international community of women artists brought together through the Women in Arts Network.
Receive additional promotional exposure through the Women in Arts Network’s digital platforms and exhibition promotion.
Share more than just your artwork through the optional Personalized Artist Interview Feature, giving you space to talk about your artistic journey, inspirations, creative process, and the story behind your work.
Create a stronger professional record of your continued participation in exhibitions and your development as an artist.
For emerging artists, the exhibition can be a valuable opportunity to build exhibition experience and strengthen a growing portfolio. For established artists, it offers another space to present their work, reach new audiences, and continue contributing to an international artistic community.
Most importantly, The Things We Feel gives you the opportunity to share work that comes from something real: a feeling, a memory, an experience, a moment, or an idea that stayed with you.
Your work may speak to you in one way and to someone else in another. We want to create a space where those different interpretations can come together.
Applications are open to women artists and non-binary artists aged 18 and above from anywhere in the world.
We welcome artists at every stage of their creative journey, from emerging artists presenting their work for the first time to established artists with years of professional experience. Whether you are building your first exhibition record or already have an extensive exhibition history, we encourage you to apply and share your unique interpretation of The Things We Feel.
Artists working across all visual art mediums are welcome to submit, including:
Painting
Drawing
Photography
Sculpture
Printmaking
Illustration
Digital Art
Mixed Media
Textile Art
Collage
Video Art
Installation
Contemporary and Experimental Practices
We welcome a wide range of artistic styles, approaches, and perspectives. Your work may be figurative, abstract, conceptual, minimalist, expressive, symbolic, experimental, or somewhere in between.
For The Things We Feel, your artwork does not need to show a feeling literally. It may be inspired by an emotion, shaped by an experience, connected to a memory, explore an inner state, or simply evoke a feeling in the viewer.
Whether your work comes from joy, grief, love, longing, fear, nostalgia, connection, solitude, hope, vulnerability, or a feeling that is difficult to name, we invite you to share it.
No matter your medium, style, experience, or artistic background, we want to discover the different ways artists around the world turn what they feel into art.
Step 1: Complete the application form with your contact information, artist details, and artwork information.
Step 2: Upload up to 3 artworks that respond to the theme The Things We Feel.
Step 3: If you would like to share more about your practice, you may choose to add the Optional Artist Interview Feature during the application process.
Step 4: Submit your application and complete the application fee payment.
Step 5: All submissions will be reviewed through a juried selection process. The selection panel will consider each submission based on artistic quality, originality, technical execution, relevance to the theme, and overall presentation.
Selected artists will be notified via email following the review period and will receive further information about the exhibition, launch, promotional activities, and participation.
Artists may apply for the Virtual Exhibition only or the Virtual Exhibition with the Optional Artist Interview Feature.
Submission of an application and payment of the application fee does not guarantee selection.
All decisions made by the selection panel are final.
Only selected artists will be contacted regarding exhibition participation.
All artwork submitted must be the original work of the applying artist.
By submitting your work, you confirm that you have the necessary rights to the artwork and that the information provided in your application is accurate.
We look forward to reviewing your work and discovering the many ways artists interpret The Things We Feel through their art.
Virtual Exhibition: $15 USD
Your application includes:
Submission of up to 3 artworks for consideration
Inclusion in the juried selection process
Opportunity to be featured in the international virtual exhibition if selected
Professional online presentation of selected artwork
Digital certificate of participation for selected artists
Artist Interview Add-On: $19 USD
Artists who choose this option and are selected for the exhibition will receive:
A dedicated artist interview published on the Women in Arts Network website
An opportunity to share your artistic journey, creative process, inspirations, and the story behind your work
Additional visibility through promotion across our digital platforms
An online feature that can be shared as part of your portfolio, website, CV, grant applications, and professional profile
Participation Options
You may choose one of the following:
Option 1: Virtual Exhibition Only — $15 USD
Option 2: Virtual Exhibition + Artist Interview Feature — $34 USD
Whether you choose the exhibition alone or include the Artist Interview Feature, your work will be considered for The Things We Feel, an international virtual exhibition exploring the emotions, experiences, memories, and feelings that inspire and shape artistic expression.
Please Note: All application fees are non-refundable and help support the administration, review, curation, exhibition development, and promotion of the opportunity. Submission of an application and payment of the fee does not guarantee selection.
Submission Deadline: October 5th, 2026
Applications must be submitted before the deadline to be considered for the juried selection process. We encourage artists to apply early to avoid any last-minute issues with artwork uploads or submission.
Selection Notification: Within three weeks of the submission deadline
All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their submission via email once the jury process has been completed.
Virtual Exhibition Launch: Approximately one month after selected artists are announced
The exhibition will be presented online through the Women in Arts Network platform and will be accessible to audiences worldwide.
Please note that all dates are subject to change if necessary. Any updates will be communicated directly to applicants.
FAQ For “Virtual Exbition + Artist Interview”
Open call is a global call for art initiated by the Women in Arts Network. It is an opportunity for women-identifying and non-binary creators to showcase their work in an online exhibition and an optional artist interview. This initiative celebrates creativity, amplifies voices, and connects creators with a global audience.
This is brought to you by the Women in Arts Network, an organization dedicated to empowering women and non-binary creators and providing platforms to celebrate their work.
The application fee is 15USD, and there is also an additional fee if you choose to purchase the artist interview add-on.
This is open to women-identifying and non-binary creators aged 18 years or older from anywhere in the world.
No, you don’t need to be a professional artist. Whether you’re a seasoned creator or someone who’s just beginning your artistic journey, you’re welcome to apply.
We accept submissions across various creative mediums, such as painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, textile arts, digital art, mixed media, and more. Your work should meaningfully represent your creative vision and ideas.
Yes, you can submit multiple pieces as part of your application. Each piece will be considered individually during the jury review process.
The application process is simple:
You’ll need to provide basic personal details, information about your work (title, medium, dimensions), and a brief description of the story or inspiration behind your submission.
Once you apply, your submission will be reviewed by a professional jury. If your work is selected for the online exhibition or artist catalog (or both), you’ll be notified with further details.
All submissions are carefully reviewed by a jury of professionals with expertise in the arts. They will evaluate each piece based on creativity, originality, and the story it represents.
The jury will focus on work that tells a story, showcases originality, and reflects the creator’s unique perspective and voice. Submissions that demonstrate thoughtfulness and passion will stand out.
After the jury has completed their review, selected artists will be notified via email. Make sure to check your email regularly after the application deadline!
The online exhibition is a digital showcase of selected works, allowing creators to share their pieces with a global audience. Think of it as a virtual gallery where art is accessible and celebrated worldwide.
No, not all submissions will be featured in the exhibition. The final selection will be made by the jury.
The exhibition will be hosted on a dedicated platform, allowing visitors to view the artworks along with descriptions and the artists’ stories. Further details will be shared with selected participants.
The artist interview is a tailored feature showcasing selected works and sharing the unique stories of the artists behind them.
No, participation in the interview is optional. During the application process, you’ll have the opportunity to opt in or out of being considered for the interview.
If you opt into the artist interview and your work is selected by the jury, you will receive a separate notification with the details.
Absolutely! This is open to creators of all experience levels. You don’t need to have prior exhibition or publication experience to participate.
Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered. Be sure to check the timeline and submit before the cutoff!
No, once your application is submitted, it cannot be edited. Make sure all of your information is accurate before you finalize your submission.
Yes, recent graduates from degree-granting programs are eligible to apply as long as they meet the other eligibility criteria.
If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out to our team at [info@womeninartsnetwork.com]. We’re here to help!
For any additional questions or inquiries, please visit the Arts to Hearts Project website or contact their team directly at info@womeninartsnetwork.com
