Polk Museum of Art Announces Call for Central Florida Artists for 'Art of This Moment' Online Exhibition

Lakeland, FL (July 28, 2020) – The Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College invites artists from across the Central Florida community to submit recent work for its upcoming online exhibition Hindsight 2020: Art of This Moment.

In many ways, our collective worlds and everyday existences have shifted and changed dramatically over the first half of 2020. Hindsight 2020 is an exhibition focusing on the diverse spectrum of artistic perspectives, ideas, and reflections upon the past five months of our lives.

“This exhibition is an exciting opportunity for the Museum to connect with and showcase talented Central Florida artists,” states Diane Baires, Administrative Assistant to the Office of the Executive Director, who will be coordinating artist entries. “We hope that Hindsight 2020 highlights how art can be a unifying and healing force, especially in times of great uncertainty and change.”

Seeking art produced since March 2020, Hindsight 2020 aims to be a truly contemporary exhibition capturing and documenting our new reality in nearly real time. Accordingly, the Museum seeks high-quality submissions related but not limited to the COVID-19 pandemic, experiences in isolation, social justice, the Black Lives Matter movement, and any other aspect of this novel 21st century moment.

“Art has always provided the most accessible lens through which we can see the history of the world through others’ eyes, and to be certain, 2020 will be a year for the history books,” explained Dr. Alex Rich, Executive Director and Chief Curator. “With Hindsight 2020, we want the Polk Museum of Art to provide a forum for area artists to share their individual responses to this incredible period of momentous change. By examining art made by our community in the past few months of global upheaval, we can all begin to better understand and appreciate the indelible changes 2020 has already had on our world and on ourselves.”

Submissions will be accepted beginning July 31, 2020 at 9 am until August 31, 2020 at 5 pm EDT. Works selected to be part of Hindsight 2020 will be featured as part of the virtual exhibition on the Polk Museum of Art website. Artists may be invited and have the opportunity to share the stories behind their works and be featured on the Museum’s MUSEings blog, as well as on other Museum digital and virtual platforms. This call is open only to artists living in the immediate Central Florida area, including the following counties: Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Polk, Hillsborough, and Pinellas. The Museum encourages artists of all ages and skill levels to apply. Artists can submit their work online by visiting https://polkmuseumofart.org/hindsight2020.

For any additional questions or information, please contact Diane Baires at dbaires@polkmuseumofart.org or 863-688-7743 ex. 248, or Taylor Holycross at tholycross@polkmuseumofart.org or 863-688-7743 ex. 249.