CONTACT 34 GALLERY

The 34 Gallery aims to channel the power of art to explore monthly mental health themes through art therapy. Your participation is a form of mental health advocacy that also brings global attention to these conditions.

•  This month, we are particularly interested in works by artists utilizing this art therapy open call to address:  Substance Abuse Recovery, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, Depression, Chronic/Terminal Illness, Traumatic Brain Injury, & Physical Disabilities. 

Our March Open Call, “Hope" has been created by our 34 Gallery Staff to explore the mental health impact of living in a state of ongoing crisis. As artists, we already know hope is vital to becoming the artists we are meant to be. The rejections and naysayers do not stop us. We keep going. This month, we invite you to channel this energy into providing hope for those struggling with substance abuse, mental health conditions, physical disabilities and chronic/terminal illness. Each of these categories takes a toll on human life:

• Individuals with substance abuse are 6 times more likely to commit suicide.
• Up to 15% of individuals with schizophrenia die by suicide globally.
•  90% of suicide cases involve individuals with chronic physical conditions and/or mental health issues. 

For 2026, Artists are invited to explore what hope means. Delve into the hidden corners where light still exists. Explore the natural world to find rejuvenation. Seek out the good through the noise. Remind us why darkness is temporary. Authenticate the experience of shining bright in a world determined to extinguish the stars. Show us what Hope means to you.

Please Note: As a Mental Health Art Gallery, we are asking Creatives to mobilize to help save lives at this time. Someone seeing your work can be inspired to keep going with hope and resilience despite their mental health struggles. Your artistic advocacy with us can and will make a difference!

Open Medium. Fine Art, Poetry, Audiovisual, Short Film & A.I. Artwork Accepted. Submit up to 3 artworks or poems  by February 27th. Include the following questions in your cover letter: 

• Your artist name, artwork titles, and website/social media links.  
• 1 - 2 paragraphs describing the creative process regarding your work & how it fits with the Open Call Theme. 
• 1 - 2 paragraphs on your experience of maintaining hope through substance abuse recovery, health condition, and/or a mental health diagnosis.

Selected artists will be notified by March 10th. 

• Be advised that this open call also includes a global youth & adult audience.
• Works that are sexually graphic and/or advocate violence (self or others), discrimination, or hatred (societal/gender/religious/cultural) of any kind will be disqualified.
• Technique for this call is open but not limited to: Open Medium. Poetry, Audiovisual & A.I. Artwork Accepted. 
• File Type: .MP4, .JPG, .PNG --File Size: Up to 100 MB for art & audiovisual submissions; Word, Google Docs,  or .PDF for poetry.

34 Gallery is excited to announce "Inner Child: A Visual Exploration," an open call inviting artists, illustrators, dreamers, and visual storytellers worldwide to reconnect with the playful, unfiltered, and often forgotten parts of themselves. This transformative challenge asks creators to craft visual works that honor, heal, or celebrate the child within—whether through nostalgia, imagination, or the raw honesty that only our younger selves knew how to express.

In a world that demands constant adulthood—seriousness, productivity, perfection—"Inner Child" offers a necessary sanctuary: permission to play, to feel, to remember.

Theme: "Inner Child" is an artistic exploration of the relationship between who you were and who you've become. 34 Gallery invites you to create visual works that bridge the gap between childhood wonder and adult understanding—honoring the parts of yourself that never grew up, or perhaps shouldn't have had to grow up so fast. Picture creating from the perspective of your seven-year-old self, visualizing the safe space you needed as a child, or manifesting the joy that once came so easily.

Traditional Interpretations:

• Childhood memories reimagined through your current artistic lens.
• Portraits of yourself as a child, real or imagined.
• Objects, toys, or spaces from childhood rendered with adult technique.
• Colors, textures, and compositions that capture childlike wonder.
• Visual representations of childhood dreams, fears, or fantasies.

Outside the Box Concepts:

• Create the imaginary friend you wish you'd had, or the one you did have.
• Construct a "hurt/comfort" diptych—pairing a childhood wound with its adult healing.
• Build a visual time capsule: what would you send back to comfort or encourage the young you?
• Illustrate the "monsters under the bed" from childhood, now understood through an adult lens.
• Map the geography of a childhood hiding place, secret fort, or safe haven.
• Create artwork using only materials or techniques you loved as a child (crayons, finger paint, collage, glitter).
• Design the superhero, magical power, or fantasy identity you imagined for yourself.

Participating in "Inner Child" offers a profound opportunity for healing, play, and creative reconnection with your authentic self. By creating work for this challenge, you'll join a community exploring vulnerability, memory, and the transformative power of honoring all versions of ourselves. This is your invitation to give your inner child the art they deserved to see, the voice they deserved to have, and the celebration they always needed.

• Include your creative process & motivation in your Artist Statement.

Create or Complete Your Webbie Social Profile:

1. 🌐 Visit webbiesocial.com
2. 🖼️ Add a profile photo.
3. 📝 Write a short artist bio.

Submit to the Open Call:

1. ➕ Click Add New Content.
2. 📂 Select Post Type: Open Calls.
3. 🏷️ Choose "InnerChild"
4. 📤 Upload your submission and hit Submit.

• 🏆 Be featured in The 34 Gallery’s official digital showcase hosted on Webbie Social.
• 🌍 Gain visibility across Webbie Social’s creator network and partner media.
• 💎 Be featured on The 34 Gallery website and social media.

Don't miss this opportunity to reconnect with the most honest version of yourself. "Inner Child" is your invitation to play, to heal, to remember, and to create without apology. Build the treehouse. Draw the dream. Honor the kid you were. Begin your journey of inner child exploration today and submit your work before February 27, 2026!

• Selected artists will be notified by March 10th. 
• Technique for this call : Open Medium. Fine Art Audiovisual & A.I. Artwork Accepted. 
• Works that are sexually graphic and/or advocate violence (self or others), discrimination, or hatred (societal/gender/religious/cultural) of any kind will be disqualified.