OPEN CALL FOR ART | Deadline to submit extended to March 20, 2021

[How to apply] –  Please read the open call carefully and thoroughly, taking into consideration the guidelines below before completing the submission form.

Submit your artwork by following this link Radical Visions of Safety Open Call.

All submissions must be received by 11:59 pm on March 20, 2021

Betti Ono is a Black women-led space for art, culture, and community dedicated to amplifying the work and lives of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists and communities. Inspired by the bold and unapologetic spirits of our namesake Betty Mabry Davis and Yoko Ono, our mission is to build power through culture. A core expression of our mission is centering artists in movement building and taking collective action to address the most pressing issues impacting BIPOC people today.

Betti Ono has teamed up with Alliance for Girls (AFG), a network of girls serving organizations, to launch a public campaign and policy advocacy initiative to end gender based violence on public transit and demand safe and just passageways for BIPOC girls* and women.

BIPOC Girls* and women’s radical visions of safety are dynamic and evolving, moving away from traditional assumptions as identified in Radical Visions of Safety, a report from AFG. The report elevates the expertise of girls, girls’ champions, and caregivers and redefines what radical safety and promising practices actually look like from the ground up.

[CALL FOR ART]   Open to BIPOC girls* and gender-expansive youth, 13 -24. Using art to amplify the key messages and themes identified in the AFG Radical Visions of Safety report,  we invite you to join us in reimagining a world that is radically safe for BIPOC girls* and women.

Use any creative medium to produce work that captures one of the key messages below, in a clear, impactful and shareable way. 

We seek art that illustrates and promotes an aspirational and expansive vision of radical safety on these core levels :

  • Physical
  • Emotional
  • Spiritual

We seek artwork that reflects and connects to the overarching themes and characteristics of safety named by girls, girls champions and caregivers: 

  • Sovereignty
  • Comfort
  • Trust
  • Self-love
  • Respect
  • Healthy boundaries and relationships
  • Non-judgement
  • Acceptance
  • Belonging

Over $5000 in unrestricted mutual aid will be awarded. A  jury made up of members of Betti Ono and Alliance for Girls will select 10 artists to receive an award of $500 in unrestricted mutual aid.  A people’s choice award of $1000 will be provided to one BIPOC girl* or gender expansive youth between the ages of 13-24.

By submitting to the Radical Visions of Safety Open Call, you agree to grant Betti Ono,  Alliance for Girls and all partners/supporters and anyone else who wants to share this positive message, permission to use your work. Anyone who uses the work will be asked to credit the creator (but we cannot guarantee this)

[How to apply] –  Submit your artwork to Radical Visions of Safety Open Call. All submissions must be received by 11:59 pm on March 20, 2021. For questions email hello@bettiono.com

[SUBMISSION GUIDELINES]  Please review the following do’s and don’ts as a guide for your submission:

DO

  • Bring your lived experience, culture, and distinct creative voice to amplify the theme 
  • Capture one of the above key messages or themes per submission 
  • Only include messaging derived from the guidance above and is true to the spirit of the need 
  • Submit art that easily translates to the digital space for virtual/online presentations. You can submit work in any one of these file formats: 
    • Illustration and graphic design (formatted for social) – AI or PSD
    • Video (between 6 seconds and 3 minutes long) or GIF – MP4
    • Audio (music, PSA, comedy) – Soundcloud
    • Copy (Literary works, poetry, news, or magazine articles) – PDF
  • Please submit high resolution, layered artwork files 
  • URLs and links are welcome, they should link to a specific project or work sample page rather than to a general website’s home page.
  • Include ‘Source: Radical Visions of Safety (AFG)’ where applicable 
  • Please only submit work originally created by you

DON’T

  • Don’t use Betti Ono or Alliance for Girls (AFG)  logos in your work
  • Don’t deviate from the key messages provided above
  • Don’t include language that is or could be interpreted as inflammatory, discriminatory or stigmatizing
  • Don’t include images or photos of people who are, or look under 18 years old. Only include images or a photo of someone once you have their consent to use it for the purpose of this brief. Obtaining this consent is the sole responsibility of the participant

Key Terms

  • Sovereignty is seen as a sense of control around one’s body and environment. 
  • *Girls is defined as gender-expansive youth (cis girls, trans girls, non-binary youth, gender non-conforming youth, gender queer youth and any girl-identified youth).
  • BIPOC is defined as Black, Indigenous, People of Color
  • Gender-based violence is defined as social, economic, physical, psychological, verbal, forms of violence based on (perceived) gender. (Ex: street harassment, withholding money, threatening comments, etc.