YOUR AWKWARD FAMILY: A collaboration with Spiva Center For the Arts

New collaboration

New creative challenge

New call for exhibit entries 

In this brand new collaboration between Joplin Toad & Spiva Center For the Arts, we’re announcing “Your awkward Family”: the theme for our new creative challenge, AND our call for artwork for the summer “Embrace Your Awkward” exhibit in Spiva’s gallery.

Below is the rundown for both!

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CREATIVE CHALLENGE:

Welcome to the First #toadartchallenge of 2024! We’re so excited to bring this feature back- if you haven’t been part of one in the past, check out our past monthly challenges on our site or social media, like this one where the theme was “Nic Cage.”

You are welcome to submit any medium- painting, drawing, digital, photo, video, song, fiber arts, you name it- as long as it fits within the theme “Your awkward family”.  You can go with the obvious delightful choice of tributing classic “awkward family photos” from decades past… or you’re welcome to put your own spin on it! All entries must be emailed to joplintoad [at] gmail.com w/ subject line “embrace your awkward” by midnight on May 22nd. 

As always, our top 3 winners will receive prizes- this time from the Toad AND Spiva! We’ll be announcing those the final week of April.

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CALL FOR Exhibit ART: 

The Toad and Spiva are co-curating a special exhibit titled “Embrace Your Awkward” which will go live in Spiva’s galleries on June 21st. It has the same creative prompt as the challenge- “Your awkward family”- and yes, you’re welcome to submit your entry for both challenge *AND* exhibit at the same time. 

Spiva’s statement:

Prepare to embark on a whimsical journey through the wonderfully wacky world of family ties, for our collaborative exhibit with The Joplin Toad, titled “Embrace Your Awkward”. The prompt for this regional juried call for art is “Your awkward family.”

In this exhibit, we're throwing tradition out the window and embracing the quirks, the oddities, and the downright delightful chaos that comes with family life. We have invited artists to embrace their creativity and submit visual art in any medium that encapsulates the essence of their

awkward families. Held in Spiva's Harry M. Cornell Permanent Collection

Gallery, this exhibit will be displayed in theme with our Main Gallery show Awkward Family Photos. Get ready to laugh, cringe, and celebrate the tapestry of family life like never before!

Submission details:

Same as the creative challenge, all entries must be received by midnight, May 22nd via joplintoad [at] gmail.com, w/ subject “embrace your awkward” (Please specify if you wish your entry to be considered for the challenge or exhibit only).

Artists will be required to fill out THIS special form with their entry, if they are submitting their work for the exhibit- which we’ll link to later this week. Artwork will also need to be ready to hang, but don’t worry- we’ll have more info/guidance

If your creation is written, recorded, crocheted, etc and not ‘frameable’, it will still be considered for inclusion. 

Final selections will be chosen by a panel of judges from both the Toad and Spiva.

Have any questions for us?

That’s it for now, toads… go get your awkward on!!