The Museum of Craft and Design (MCD) has launched a new artist opportunity with Call & Response: Craft as a Tool for Activism, a nationwide juried exhibition and artist marketplace. Working alongside the Museum of Craft and Design’s Executive Director, JoAnn Edwards and Curator, Ariel Zaccheo, Call & Response will be juried by Glenn Adamson, Curator, Writer, and Historian; Ebitenyefa Baralaye, Ceramicist, Sculptor, and Designer; and Nate Watson, Visual Artist, Educator, and Executive Director of Public Glass. The winning piece will receive a grand prize of $1,000, the runner-up will receive $500, and the third place will receive $250.

The national reckoning for social justice spurred by protests and the Black Lives Matter movement has made clear that all museums and arts organizations must do better to represent, engage, financially support, and communicate with their BIPOC communities. “Craftivism” (as coined by Betsy Greer in her 2011 essay “Craftivist History” in “Extra/Ordinary: Craft and Contemporary Art”) celebrates the power of craft to bring about political change. This juried exhibition intends to highlight artists that are working at this crucial intersection of craft and activism, uplifting their political ideals and their communities through their medium of choice.

This open call to artists and craftspeople aged 18 and older, throughout the United States, will culminate in a juried exhibition to be displayed virtually on SFMCD.org starting July 30, 2021. BIPOC artists are encouraged to apply. All entries will be juried and the top 50 will be presented in the virtual exhibition. Additionally, selected artists will have the opportunity to sell their artwork online via the MCD Artist Marketplace on sfmcd.org through September 30, 2021. Entry is $5.00, paid directly to SlideRoom for use of their software. The deadline to enter is May 31, 2021.