In a time when democracy (in the US and worldwide) is under tremendous threat and when our present becomes always more dystopian, how do you see your role as an artist as things fall apart? Does your art serve as a cathartic outlet to express the anxiety produced by this dystopian world? Does your art allow you to reflect upon the present reality? Do you feel compelled to produce work that rings alarm bells and that shouts from the rooftops that The World Is On Fire?
As things fall apart and unravel, do you see opportunities for rebuilding from the ashes with a shared foundation for a better future? Does your art express and develop a hopeful stance? Does it even work towards developing a utopian vision? How do your ideals—ideological, philosophical, spiritual, social, and of course artistic—guide your life choices and your art? What are the different ways in which you articulate, express, and communicate such a vision? Do you see your art contributing to define future paths? Might this dystopian present lead you to dream a better future and effect much-needed change?
Thomas Cole, The Voyage of Life: Manhood, oil on canvas, 52 x 78in., 1840, Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, Utica, NY (photo: work in the public domain via Wikimedia).
Journal Submission guidelines for UMVA Members’ Showcase
Deadline: 1 March 2022:
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- We invite MAJ member artists (to become a member: click here) to submit up to 4 JPEG or png images (NO TIFF files), approximately 2800 pixels on width, resolution 72dpi.
- Include an image list and statement or brief essay (600 words or less) in Word doc. format, NOT a PDF.
- Label each image file as follows: your last name_Number of Image_Title (with no spaces in the title). Please DO NOT put whole caption/credit in image file label, see image list/caption format below (if you are submitting for a group put your own last name in first).
- Label your document file names: Last Name_Title
- Image list/caption format: create a list that is numbered to match the number in your image file label that includes the following: Artist’s Name, Title of Work, medium, size (example: 9 x 12 in.), date (optional), photo credit (example: photo: Ansel Adams) if not included we assume it is courtesy of the artist. Example: Unknown Artist, Untitled, oil on canvas, 9 x 12 in., 2000 (photo: Ansel Adams).
- Please wait until all of your material is compiled to submit.
Put “As things Fall Apart” in the subject line and submit by email to umvalistings@gmail.com by the 1 March 2022 deadline. MAJ will limit the “Members’ Showcase” section to UMVA members who have not been published in the past year.
Do not send preformatted visual essays. Our editors will lay out text and images submitted using the new guidelines above..
It is the MAJ’s policy to request and then publish image credits. We will not publish images the submitter does not have the right to publish. However, it is to be assumed that any uncredited or unlabeled images are the author’s/submitter’s own images. By submitting to the MAJ, you are acknowledging respect for these policies.
Thank you,
MAJ Editorial Board: Natasha Mayers, Nora Tryon, Véronique Plesch, and Betsy Sholl (poetry editor)
Image at top: Thomas Cole, The Voyage of Life: Youth, oil on canvas, 52 ½ x 78 ½ in., 1840, Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, Utica, NY (photo: work in the public domain via Wikimedia).