PLEASE NOTE THE DATES HAVE CHANGED FOR THIS EXHIBIT
We never could’ve guessed a year ago when we published our 2025 calls, how topical this theme would be, considering everything that’s going on in the U.S. now.
We’d love to exhibit a feast of food themed art for our Art for Social Change exhibition.
OPAL is partnering with the Community Fridge Project and collecting food during the run of the show as well as hosting a fundraiser for stocking fridges in the Oak Park community for those in need.
From Renaissance still lives to Claes Oldenburg’s soft sculptures and Wayne Thiebaud’s vibrant impasto, food has long been central to art. Artists like Giuseppe Arcimboldo, who made portraits from fruits and vegetables, and Audrey Flack, known for photorealistic desserts, show how food shapes expression. Food sustains, unites, evokes emotions, reflects diverse origins, and highlights urgent issues of access.
Food is universal. It nourishes us physically and emotionally, shapes cultural identity, and builds community. How do you experience food’s power? How can your art express this deep relationship?
The Oak Park Art League invites artists to submit works for an important open call focusing on food and its profound significance in our lives. We seek your strongest, most personal memories about food and communal eating—those moments that define connection, tradition, and celebration. Whether your art reflects favorite dishes tied to special occasions or addresses critical issues like hunger and food insecurity, today’s realities, your voice is essential.
Submit your work and help us honor food as a vital part of life, inviting reflection, awareness, and dialogue through creativity. All media welcome.
This is an Open Call. The artwork you submit will be included in the exhibit if it meets the Call theme, artwork criteria and the submission fee is paid.
● Limit of 2 submissions per artist
*Please read the Exhibition Guidelines. Entry into the exhibition and payment of the hanging fee constitute your acknowledgment that you have read and understood the guidelines for exhibitions in OPAL’s Carriage House Gallery.
Submission fee:
Art Member - 1st work - $25., 2nd work $10.
Non Member - 1st work - $45., 2nd work $20.
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● All work must have been completed within the past 3 years and not previously exhibited at OPAL.
● Deliver artwork to the Gallery on the drop-off dates below. All media/mediums accepted except for AI generated work.
● ARTWORK IS LIMITED IN SIZE TO (42”) IN THE LARGEST DIMENSION, including frame.
● Sculptural work can be up to 72” high if it is freestanding but must be no more than
36” wide in the round.● All work MUST be ready to hang, with hanging wire.
(ABSOLUTELY NO SAWTOOTH OR STRING HANGERS WILL BE ACCEPTED) -
Drop off work: Nov 1 & 2
Exhibition dates: Nov 7 - Dec 20
Please note ~ Opening reception:
Saturday Nov 8, 1-4pmPick up work: Dec 19 & 20