BRAVE and Western’s B-Gallery Calling for Submissions of Creative Work for Resiliency Exhibition

The Western B Gallery and Building Resilience and Voicing Empathy (BRAVE), Western’s Suicide-Prevention program, are calling for submissions of creative work in all mediums and sizes for a juried group exhibition for their Third Annual Art Show.

Western students, staff and faculty are encouraged to respond to the subject of “Resiliency.” The reception for the artwork will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 14 from 4-6 p.m., and the show will run through Feb. 17.

This art show is a collaboration with the Fine Arts department and BRAVE as a creative approach to raise awareness of normalizing the idea of mental health. Submissions should respond to the theme of “Resiliency” by dropping off a short typed artist statement to Fine Arts Building room FI 213 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9, or from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10.

“The show is a creative way to see how students, faculty and staff respond to mental health in different mediums,” said KaSandra Church, Western’s Suicide Prevention coordinator. “We get everything from pictures, paintings and sculptures to written word such as poems or short stories.”

Submissions are open to anyone; faculty, staff, students and community members are encouraged to submit work. The only limitation is that people entering are only allowed to submit one piece of artwork.

“We are only taking one piece of artwork to simplify things and get a better representation of different artists, and prizes can only be awarded to students,” Church said. “Last year, we had so many submissions that we could not display them all. We had around 50 submissions.”

Church said the art show will be a unique way to bring in people who are interested in the subject matter and a great opportunity to engage attendees in mental-health awareness activities. After the show, BRAVE will have information about the counseling center, Prevention Wellness Services and campus resources.  

For more information about “Resiliency,” contact KaSandra Church at KaSandra.Church@wwu.edu or (360)-650-7957. Lisa Turner, the B Gallery staff supervisor, can be reached at Lisa.Turner@wwu.edu or (360)-650-3666.