Calls to artists for shows occur five times a year, approximately six weeks before the show’s opening date. Occasionally, other projects arise in which we invite artists to participate, and they will appear below. Submission guidelines can be read here.
WATER: it is essential to our survival. We are born from water, are mostly made of water, and live surrounded by water. It sustains us, and perhaps defines us. As we observe 2024’s World Earth Day, we invite you to express your unique experiences and perspectives on water, explore your personal relationship with water, and your sense of place in the wonderous watery HYDROSPHERE.
Deadline for submissions: March 17th, 2024
Please see our website for submission guidelines
You might also notice that our goal for 2024, is to enhance our visual art exhibits by asking our artists to suggest song pairings that inspired their work, or speak to it in some way. We create the playlists on YouTube and make them available to the public via a link on our website. If you submit your artwork, please also mull over some “watery” music that might accompany your piece!
We hope the information below will further inspire your submissions.
World Earth Day: Mon, April 22 – World Oceans Day: Sat. June 8
The Hydrosphere:
- The collective mass of water found on, under, and over the surface of a planet is called the hydrosphere.
- Earth’s approximate water volume (the world’s total water supply) is 1.386 billion cubic kilometres (333 million cubic miles).
- In 100 years, a water molecule spends 98 years in the ocean, 20 months as ice, about 2 weeks in lakes and rivers, and less than a week in the atmosphere.
- Water is the most common substance found on earth.
- If all of the world’s water were to fit in a one-gallon jug, the fresh water available for us to drink would be equal to only one tablespoon.
- There is the same amount of water on Earth as there was when the Earth was formed. The water from your faucet could contain molecules that dinosaurs drank.
The Wonder of Water:
- Water is the only substance on earth found naturally in three forms: liquid, solid and gas.
- Nearly 97% of the world’s water is salty or otherwise undrinkable. Another 2% is locked in ice caps and glaciers. That leaves just 1% for all of humanity’s needs.
- Water regulates the Earth’s temperature. It also regulates the temperature of the human body, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, cushions joints, protects organs and tissues, and removes wastes.
- Our bodies are 60-70% water; our brains are 75% water; our blood is about 82% water; and our lungs are nearly 90% water.
- A person can live about a month without food, but only about a week without water
- Water is part of a deeply interconnected system. What we pour on the ground ends up in our water, and what we spew into the sky ends up in our water.
- Water can dissolve more substances than any other liquid, including sulfuric acid.
- The freezing point of water lowers as the amount of salt dissolved in it increases.
- In Canada, there is more water underground than on the surface. Canada is home to 25% of the world’s wetlands. It’s the largest wetland area in the world.
- 60% of Canada’s freshwater drains to the North, away from most of our population.
- By 2025, half the world’s people will live in countries with high water stress.