The 34 Gallery is an International Mental Health Arts Initiative!

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    • Mission
    • Our Artists
    • Open Calls
    • Interludes
    • Contact
    • Submissions

  • Home
  • Mission
  • Our Artists
  • Open Calls
  • Interludes
  • Contact
  • Submissions

July Open Call: "Animalia"

Artjobs Listing

The Call to Action

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. This month, we are particularly interested in works by artists who reduce mental health distress through self-care with the assistance of pets, guide/therapy animals and the natural world.

Theme

Our July Open Call, “Animalia," has been created by our 34 Gallery Art Advisor Lawrence W. Lee to generate discussion on emotions that often defy words. Previous Winners can be found on the Open Calls page of our website. Our initiative aims to channel the power of art to explore monthly mental health themes through art therapy.  


Why Animals Matter in Art


  • "Animalia" is scientific name for the kingdom that contains all animals, including humans.
  • Artists use animals in their art to show feelings they don’t want to say out loud. It’s like telling a secret to a pet who won’t judge you.
  • Animals and the nature depicted in art assist in the expression of fears, dreams, hopes, and the intangible.
  • This method can be utilized to explore often intangible concepts like instinct, aloneness, freedom, or the sublime.
  • For reference, a few examples of artists uses animals and nature as a form of expression: Frida Kahlo, Pablo Picasso, David Hockney, Louise Bourgeois, Damien Hirst, & Banksy.


Themes: We ask artists to explore the connection between humanity and the natural world. We invite you to express your own connection with animals and nature.  It might be an old cat who shared your childhood bed or a wild bird of prey that represents the strength and freedom you are longing for. Show us what "Animalia" 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

Requirements: Submit up to 3 artworks or poems by June 27th to submissions@34gallery.org. 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 describing how animals and nature play a role in your mental health routine or have helped you navigate difficult emotional circumstances. 


Artists will be notified by July 10th. 

Restrictions

  • 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.


HUG Open Call: "ANCestral Futures"

HUG Listing

The Call to Action

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. Previous Open Call Winners can be found on the Open Calls Page.

Theme

Our Open Call theme is "Ancestral Futures" created by 34 Gallery Medical Advisor Dr. Saravanan Thangarajan.


Themes: One day, someone will trace their healing, identity, and survival back to us. What kind of ancestor are we becoming? "Ancestral Futures" is a global call for art that explores legacy as choice. We invite artists to envision the impact of your voice & your story for generations to come. 


This exhibition is not about nostalgia or despair. Instead, it is about human responsibility, intergenerational imagination, and the way our everyday acts echo through time. Whether your work reflects generational healing, cultural lineage, ecological repair, or personal transformation—it belongs in this space. 


Additional theme suggestions: Healing through time, creative inheritance, cultural continuity and reinvention, ecological legacy and future kinship, and/or visions of oceanic and space exploration.

Requirements

  • Artists must have a HUG Account. 
  • Eligible artists on the platform must have an actively used .ART domain. 
  • If you are unable to attain a .ART domain, submit directly:  submissions@34Gallery.org


Please Note:

  • Artwork should focus on themes related to visions of future ancestry and global development. 
  • Avoid excessively graphic or disturbing imagery that could be unsuitable for our diverse global audience.


The technique for this call: Open Medium. Audiovisual & A.I. Artwork Accepted.

File Type:  .MP4, .JPG, .PNG --File Size: Up to 100 MB 

Restrictions

  • 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.


#Empower4Her 2025

#Empower4Her 2025

Our #Empower4Her 2025 Campaign features the very best global professionals & creative talent to show you that being a woman is, in fact, amazing! Follow us for self-care advice from Medical Advisor Dr. Bernadette Anderson & art therapy with Art Advisor MindSoul Meditations:


  • The Empower4Her Facebook Page
  • The Beauty Series, I: Beauty Standards
  • The Beauty Series, II: The Beauty Belief Audit
  • The Beauty Exhibition Gallery 
  • Art Therapy with MindSoul Meditations


Interested in being featured as a mental health or art professional? Get in Touch. 

Interludes

Mental Health Arts Advocacy

Interludes  is a virtual publication by The 34 Gallery featuring Global Arts Professionals and Brands discussing their careers, creative process, and mental health to inspire at-risk populations to utilize The Arts for art therapy, self-care and mental wellbeing. 


Submissions: Email submissions@34gallery.org with up to 5 artworks or career photos with answers to the following questions:


● State your artist name and preferred creative mediums or Arts field.

● Describe your career in The Arts & creative process.

● What (or who) inspired you to work in the Arts?

● What has been your favorite experience as an artist?

● How have The Arts improved your mental health?

● What do you think has made the global mental health crisis worse?

● How do you think humanity can unify and address these outcomes?

● Has climate change impacted your region? If so, how?

● What has been the mental health impact of these disasters?

● Why did you choose to be involved with the 34 Gallery?

● Describe your winning selection(s) with us & the creative process. (if applicable)

● What is your advice to youth looking to delve into The Arts?

● What is your advice to those interested in arts careers, art for self-care and/or arts therapy?


Be Advised:  The 34 Gallery is an SDG 3.4 Mental Health Arts Initiative. A number of our artists are

working under the condition of anonymity due to international conflict, domestic violence, and

trafficking situations. For this reason, our content must pass global screening filters to continue

providing outreach and safe virtual spaces to these artists. Your work with us ensures they will continue

to have a creative mental health outlet.

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