I don't submit entries for a lot of virtual exhibits any more, but this is one that speaks to me, being a topic I feel passionately about. "Objects of Agency" is an exhibition hosted by Hera Gallery in Rhode Island, focusing on female agency in light of the recent Supreme Court decision removing the universal right to an abortion, i.e. unrestricted women's health care.

From the Call for Entries:

Objects of Agency addresses the health care crisis which has recently culminated in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization and stripped thousands of people of the right to bodily autonomy.

The United States has the worst maternal mortality rate among other similarly developed countries. According to the University of Colorado, due to the Dobbs decision, maternal mortality rates are projected to go up 14%. For women of color, it is 20%. Simply due to women’s health care becoming more restrictive and less accessible.

When “abortion” is typed into a Google search, the first page that comes up is a misleading website filled with fear slogans and misinformation to prevent women from seeking necessary and viable health care options. A recent research study by the Center for Countering Digital Hate showed that in many right wing states, 1/10 Google search results for abortion services lead to anti-abortion fake clinics. When abortion is typed into Instagram, the first hashtag is #abortionisevil. 

So, what do we do? How can we use our creative voices to counteract misinformation and false advertising and provide viable discourse and inspiration? 

At Hera Gallery, we invite you to fight, cry, rage, and make art. We invite you to connect with others through creative expression in hopes that it brings a sense of insight, or deep feeling, beauty, education, perseverance, protest, connection and/or community. We invite you to share your voice through the virtual exhibition Objects of Agency. 

Objects of Agency is looking for 53 works which speak to abortion rights in the United States. The virtual exhibition will take place over the 52 weeks of 2023. All selected works will be on virtual display throughout the duration of the exhibition on heragallery.org.  Each week, Hera Gallery will choose one featured artist and artwork from the exhibition to represent the current tribulations and inspirations of the current state of women’s health care in America. Featured artists will be posted on all social media accounts. Objects of Agency aims to stimulate, educate, and encourage abortion care. It aims to challenge the anti-abortion campaigns and false information which dominate the internet. It aims to provide access to factual information and ultimately to create a platform and a network to share the voices, choices, and stories of all women and female identifying persons.

The call for entries closes December 17. There's no listed date of notification, but high resolution images have to be delivered by January 3, so I expect the turnaround time will be pretty quick. Here are my five entries:

Exclusive Lean on meLean on me
6I8A2592 (2017-09-13)
2017-06-19
Cyndical and Lior Allay
Discovery Park, Seattle, Washington

2018-03-24 1650 Gallery (Los Angeles, California), "Together": Exhibited
2019-04-26 Seattle Erotic Art Festival (Seattle, Washington): Exhibited and Sold
2019-05-01 Black Box Gallery (Portland, Oregon), "Portraiture: Through the Lens": Exhibited
2019-10-26 Verum Ultimum (Portland, Oregon), "Chasing Ghosts IV": Exhibited
2020-04-03 Hilliard Gallery (Kansas City, Missouri), "Contemporary Figurative Show": Exhibited
2020-09-25 International Festival of Erotic Arts (online, based in Barcelona, Spain): Exhibited online, online symposium presenter
2021-03-01 118 Online Art Gallery (online), "When She Rises, We all Rise": Exhibited online
2021-03-08 Bifarin.com (online), "Diversia: Woman 2021": Exhibited online
2021-07-03 The Studio Door (San Diego, California), "Proud+ 2021": Exhibited
2021-08-11 Vidin Spring Circuit (Vidin, Bulgaria) (People Mono PIDM): Accepted
2021-1-20 Shadowhunter Circuit (Open Monochrome PIDM) (Malta): Accepted Proof 2 Role ReversalRole Reversal
B75A5311 (01-10-2021)
04-23-2019
Melancholic and Despondent
Discovery Park, Seattle, Washington

2021-06-30 Marika Magazine (published in Toronto, Canada) (Summer 2021): Published
2021-07-30 3 Square Art Gallery (Fort Collins, Colorado), "Figure That!": Exhibited, Finalist
2021-08-11 Vidin Spring Circuit (Pazardzhik and Paracin, Bulgaria) (Nude Color PIDC): Accepted
2021-11-12 Knox Contemporary Art Gallery (online exhibition based in Calgary, Alberta), "XPOSED: Naked and Not Afraid": Exhibited online Together

1. "Exclusive," Marzipanned, Frink Park, Seattle, January 2019
2. "Lean on me," Cyndical and Lior Allay, Discovery Park, Seattle, June 2017
3. "Proof 2," Lior Allay, Freeway Park, Seattle, March 2019
4. "Role Reversal," Melancholic and Despondent, Discovery Park, Seattle, April 2019
5. "Together," Lior Allay and Cyndical, Discovery Park, Seattle, June 2017