Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Opportunity for Artists

IMPLICIT BIAS: Seeing the Other - Seeing Our Self
 
This exhibition will be presented by Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery and Busboys and Poets. It is scheduled to open Friday, September 18 and run through Saturday, December 5, 2015.

Deadline for Applicants is: Saturday, August 20, 2015

Description of the exhibition is as follows:
 
IMPLICIT BIAS - Seeing the Other: Seeing Our Self is an exhibition that seeks to explore the unconscious racial bias that affects our decisions, choices, friends and beliefs about others. The growing body of social science research suggests that each of us harbors unconscious beliefs and values about race (as well as gender, age, etc.) that are often at odds with our conscious beliefs about our values.  At the heart of discrimination lie powerful unacknowledged biases about the Other, which affect our decisions and choices, and all too often have adverse affects on the lives of others.
 
Given recent news events in Charleston, Ferguson, Baltimore, New York and several places across America today, how do we find solutions?  One suggestion is to begin with ourselves and look at our own bias. With this emotionally charged subject matter, we want work that squarely addresses the issues of racial disparity in our country, as well as work that helps us visualize what an equitable future might look like. We're looking for work that addresses the need for greater self-awareness about our own biases, beliefs and consequent actions. The work does not need to solely imply an introspective view of Bias, but can extend to more prevalent matters, such as injustice in all its forms: Police, judicial, education, voting rights and urban planning for example.
 
We are living in important and dangerous times, where racial bias has stepped into a place that can no longer be ignored by the powers that be. IMPLICIT BIAS - Seeing the Other: Seeing Our Self is an exhibit that wants to reflect these matters with honesty, integrity and an urgency these times deserve.
 
"Maybe, we now realize the way racial bias can infect us, even when we don't realize it.
So we are guarding against, not just racial slurs, but we are also guarding against the
subtle impulse to call Johnny back for a job interview, but not Jamal."
 
-President Barack Obama's Charleston eulogy at the funeral of the Rev. Clementa Pinckney
 
 If you are interested in participating in this powerful show, please click HERE for further details and submissions.

There will be a $5 submission fee for this Exhibition.

Thank you and we look forward to reviewing your work.

Spencer Dormitzer
Gallery Director