Art exhibition giving artists space to communicate.

We are excited to invite artists who have experienced adoption, foster care, or kinship care (AFK) to submit their artwork for the 4th Annual Encompass Adoptees Art Show. This exhibition is centered around identity, belonging, healing, and storytelling through creative expression.

The Encompass Adoptees Art Show is intended to provide a space for individuals to share their experiences through art while creating connection and understanding within the community. We welcome and encourage work that expresses the range of emotions and experiences connected with adoption and family separation. As well as other related themes such as resilience, love, loss, self-discovery, and many more. Through painting, poetry, photography, sculpture, mixed media, and other visual forms, this exhibition aims to honor the strength of AFK voices.

Submission Deadline: Monday, October 20, 2025, 11:59 PM ET

Call to Artists 2026

Encompass Adoptees Art Show

Key Dates & Timeline

  • Submission Period: Now through October 20, 2025, 11:59 PM ET

  • Selection Process: October 20–November 3, 2025

  • Artist Notification: November 3–6, 2025

  • Work Drop-off: November 17–24, 2025 at Encompass Adoptees

  • Installation: Oct 28 & Nov 1, 2026

  • Exhibition Duration: December 9–20, 2025

  • Artist Reception: TBD

  • Deinstallation: December 22–23, 2025

Support 

  • Installation Support: Professional installation assistance provided

  • Marketing Support: Promotional materials and outreach by Encompass Adoptees

  • Documentation: Intern photography of installed work for portfolio use

Adoptee artists using art to cope.

Artistic Vision & Themes

We seek artwork that explores one or more of the following interconnected themes:

Identity & Personal History

  • Navigating one’s identity as an adoptee, fostered person, or someone in kinship care

  • Questions surrounding heritage, culture, memory, and self-definition

  • Reclaiming one’s personal narrative and lived experience

Belonging & Family

  • The meaning and complexity of family

  • The concept of chosen family, biological family, and community connections

  • Feelings of displacement, belonging, or in-between spaces

Emotional & Healing

  • Processing grief, joy, anger, love, confusion, or hope

  • Art as a form of healing, reflection, or bearing witness

  • The lasting emotional impact of adoption and separation

Loss & Growth

  • Personal transformation and self-discovery

  • Strength found through hardship and change

  • Honoring survival, vulnerability, and perseverance

Relationships & Interdependence

  • The complex nature of human connections

  • The importance of having each other

  • Intergenerational bonds and wisdom

  • The complexity of love, care, and kinship

Hands holding each other in support.
Processing emotions can be intense and isolating.

Accepted Mediums

We welcome submissions across all visual art forms, including but not limited to:

Traditional Visual Arts:

  • Painting and drawing

  • Photography and mixed media photography

  • Printmaking and illustration

  • Sculpture and ceramics (lightweight, suitable for hanging or small pedestals)

Mixed Media & Experimental:

  • Collage and assemblage

  • Textile and fiber arts

  • Found-object works

  • Mixed media installations

Literary Works:

  • Poetry (printed, framed, or audio-based)

  • Multimedia and interactive works

Community-Engaged & Collaborative:

  • Participatory projects

  • Community-created works

  • Collaborative installations

Artists can use pottery as a form of expression.
Adoptee artists can use poetry to express feelings.

Selection Criteria

Submitted work will be evaluated based on:

  • Emotional and thematic relevance

  • Clarity of concept and storytelling

  • Potential to encourage conversation, understanding, and connection

  • Artistic quality and originality

  • Feasibility for exhibition display

Galleries give space for artists to display artwork about adoptee life.

Submission Requirements

Submit the following materials to heather@encompassadoptees.org by Aug 15, 2025

For All Submissions:

  • Project Submissions: A maximum of three individual works

  • Work Description: Include title, medium, dimensions, and installation requirements for each piece

  • Artist Statement: A brief description of how the piece relates to themes listed above (3+ sentences, no more than 1 page)

  • Technical Specifications: Detail any electrical, projection, mounting, or interactive needs for your piece

  • Installation Plan: Describe how the work will be displayed and any special needs

  • Artist Bio: 150 words maximum

  • High-Resolution Images: Submit clear, well-lit photos of your work (multiple angles if applicable)

  • Artist Requirement: Must be created by an artist who identifies as having experienced adoption, foster care, or kinship care

Community is important for adoptees.

About the Exhibition

The Encompass Adoptees Art Show is an annual community exhibition designed to bring attention to artists with lived experiences in adoption, foster care, and kinship care. Now in its fourth year, the show brings together artists to create space for visibility, connection, and creative expression.

By centering AFK voices, the exhibition encourages meaningful dialogue between artists, viewers, families, and the broader community. Through shared storytelling and artistic expression, the exhibition aims to be both an art exhibition and a space that fosters understanding, community, and connection.

Questions?

Contact Heather Gonzales at heather@encompassadoptees.org