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 PTSD, Depersonalization, Derealization, Anhedonia, Complex Grief, Burnout, Conversion Disorder, Somatic Symptom Disorder & Major Depressive Disorder.

Our September Open Call, “Stillness," has been created by our 34 Gallery Medical Advisor Dr. Roba M. M. Abd ElAziz to explore emotional numbness after traumatic situations. 

• Emotional numbness is a defense mechanism triggered by trauma, where emotional responses are reduced to protect the person from psychological pain. This can lead to detachment from reality and loved ones. 

Themes: This theme explores the quiet, paralyzing aftermath of trauma—where instead of pain, one is left with a hollow stillness, emotional detachment, and a sense of disconnection from life. It's a space many survivors know too well, yet rarely express.

We encourage artists to express the silent heaviness that follows trauma—whether through an empty room, a frozen moment, or repetitive patterns symbolizing emotional disconnection. Your work should reflect the quietness of survivors, often misunderstood or unseen. Follow your creative instincts. Show us what stillness means to you. 

Remember: Artists create Golden Ages. Join us in starting one! Let's remind humanity to embrace the light of who we are. Your artistic advocacy with us can and will make a difference. 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. 

Requirements: Submit up to 3 works below or to submissions@34gallery.org by Aug. 29th. 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 isolation and the sense of not belonging that follows trauma.

. Selected artists will be notified by September 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, .PDF for poetry.

The 34 Gallery invites artists to join our creative community to help reduce global rates of suicide, depression, PTSD and other mental health issues among youth and adults. Our ongoing collaboration with Webbie Social is another way to kickstart your art career and be a part of the art world on your terms!

This open call isn’t about movement in its most literal form, rockets launching, someone sprinting into the sunset or hard work disguised as progress. It’s about that fragile, radical moment where you choose to move—after being stuck, still, or worn thin. Feeling stuck? This one’s for you.

Whether it's emotional stillness, creative burnout, or a deep longing for transformation, In-Motion is your chance to explore and express the power of action—and how it pulls us out of stagnation.

Presented by The 34 Gallery, this new open call  on Webbie Social invites artists, writers, performers, and digital creators to dig into themes of psychological stasis and the forces that push us forward. 

What to explore in your submission:

• 🌀 The psychological weight of stagnation: Confront feelings of apathy, defeat, depression, or immobility—mental, physical, or social.
• ⚡ The spark of change: How do innovation, human connection, or even exploration (from Earth to space) stir motion? Show us experimentation, growth, and the shift toward healing or discovery.
• 🌬️ The emotional truth of moving forward: Art that feels like breath after holding it too long. 
• ✨ Let your story be a reminder: change is possible, even if slow. 
• 🔍 Art Therapy Prompt: “Describe the creative process of your work and how it relates to a situation where action gave you the strength to overcome stagnation.” -- Include your answers in the Artist Statement.

Selected Artists Will Be:

• Featured across Webbie Social

• Showcased on The 34 Gallery website

• Promoted across Webbie and 34 Gallery’s social platforms.

Submit now:  webbiesocial.com by August 29th

Use tags: #InMotion #WebbieSocial #34Gallery #ArtTherapy #CreativeHealing #OpenCall #EmotionalMotion

• 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.  Audiovisual & A.I. Artwork Accepted. 
• File Type: .MP4, .JPG, .PNG --File Size: Up to 100 MB for art & audiovisual submissions; Word, Google Docs, .PDF for poetry.