Call for Submissions: Art is Life 2025

WorkWell NYC is accepting submissions for its Art is Life 2025 Employee Artist Showcase! The theme of this year’s exhibition is "Life Lessons Learned”, a key aspect of WorkWell NYC's Project B.U.I.L.D. programming. “Life Lessons Learned” draws on moments of growth, resilience, introspection, and the human experience. This collection will celebrate learning from the challenges and beauty in each of our journeys.

Art is Life 2025 welcomes submissions of:

• Visual Arts (photography, painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, collage, printmaking, or textile)
• Performing Arts/Media (acting, audio recording, dancing, film or video, playing an instrument, or singing) and
• Literary Works (poetry, novel, short story, or script)

To learn more about past showcases, visit nyc.gov/projectbuild

Eligibility and Rules

• Must be a City of New York employee to submit art
• Employees are limited to one (1) submission per person
• Artwork must be original and reflect the overall theme “Life Lessons Learned”. Artwork can be a new or existing piece and is eligible regardless of its past history of exhibition.
• Artwork must be submitted via our electronic submission form here bySunday, March 16, 2025 at 11:59 pm
• No AI-created work will be accepted

About the Employee Artist Showcase

Submitted artwork will be exhibited in both an in-person Employee Artist Showcase and via a virtual gallery. The in-person showcase will be in lower Manhattan from June 24th – 27th and be open to the public. After the conclusion of the in-person gallery, access to the virtual gallery will be opened.

Submission Guidelines

All Types of Art

All submitted artwork will be required to have an accompanying artist statement (3-5 sentences, 150 words maximum) where you respond to the following prompts:

• Tell us about your artwork, describe the process of creating it, and credit any collaborators.
• Tell us about how your artwork fits into the 2025 Art is Life theme, “Life Lessons Learned”

For sample descriptions, visit last year's gallery here.

Visual Art

(e.g. photography, painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, collage, printmaking, textile)

Submit up to two (2) digital images of the same artwork (applies to 3D artwork only).

2D artwork requirements

• Artwork should not exceed 60 inches (5 feet) high, 60 inches wide, and 5 inches deep (including frame if artwork is framed).
• Artwork should be ready to be hung or displayed but does not need to be framed.

3D artwork requirements

• Artwork should not exceed 36 inches high x 12 inches wide x 12 inches deep for pedestal art. If it is free standing, it will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Artwork should weigh no more than 30 lbs.

Digital artwork requirements

• Images must be high resolution (at least 300 DPI).
• Accepted file formats are .jpg, .jpeg, or .png file.

Performing Arts/Media

(e.g. acting, audio recording, dancing, film or video, playing an instrument, singing).

Submissions can be no longer than two (2) minutes (can be an excerpt of a larger work). If more than two minutes are submitted, only the first two minutes will be reviewed.

Video files

• Files must be high resolution (1920 x 1080-pixel size).
• Only .mp4 files will be accepted

Audio files

• Only .mp3 files will be accepted

Literary Works

(e.g. poetry, novel, short story, script)

Submissions can be no longer than two (2) page (8.5”x11”) maximum (can be an excerpt of a larger work). If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed.

• Only PF files will be accepted.
• Only .mp4 files will be accepted

Important Dates

• Submission period: Monday, January 6,-Friday, February 28
• Curation period: Submissions will be reviewed in a rolling basis through Friday, April 25
  • WorkWell NYC hopes to accept all artwork submitted but may need to make selections based on space, theme, and other considerations.
• Artists notified: Monday, April 28 – Friday, May 2
• Performance and Artist Q&As selection period: Monday, May 5 – Friday, May 30
• Artists deliver accepted artwork (2D and 3D artwork for physical display only) to gallery in lower Manhattan: Tuesday, June 17 – Monday, June 23
• In-person Employee Artist Showcase: Tuesday, June 24 – Friday, June 27
  • The gallery will be open to the public, including City employees and their guests.
• Artists pick up exhibited artwork from gallery: Saturday, June 28 – Sunday, June 29
• Virtual Employee Showcase link available: June 30

Art is Life Gallery Exhibition: March 25-27, 2024

Check out these photos from last year's in-person exhibition. To view all of last year's artworks, go to nyc.gov/virtualgallery