Are you an illustration-based artist with a story you'd like to share in relation to approaching or becoming a parent/carer during the pandemic? Have you made drawings, sketchbook work, visual diaries or other narrative-based illustrations in response to your experience? If so, please read on…

‘Lullabies In Lockdown’ is a group exhibition of illustration to be held at Sunny Bank Mills in Leeds during October 2022. The exhibition showcases the work of several local, national and international artists who became parents during the Covid pandemic. This open call looks to discover further existing works created during this time to widen the conversation. 

The show explores how illustration can be used to make topics accessible: to document, share, unite and advocate for those having lived an experience. It intends to uncover quieter or untold stories around navigating parenthood during the pandemic as well as celebrate the tender moments, precious times and lives of the babies who stayed at home.

The open-call invites: prospective, first-time, single-parents, those who were navigating adoption, surrogacy or even committing during lockdown to not having children… Anyone with related experiences to new parenthood and caring for children in the early stages of life during the pandemic is welcome to submit illustrative work made during this time.

For this open call, please submit up to 5 images (or other digital files) of completed illustration-based work which is ready for inclusion within the show. The work submitted from this open call will be shortlisted during a selection process in August with works chosen then being professionally printed/presented within the gallery.

NB: There is potential for original works also to be selected from open call submissions in which instance we will contact relevant artists who will be responsible for arranging delivery to the gallery with the organiser’s covering the cost of return postage only.

The exhibition is curated by Sunny Bank Mills and Beth Duggleby, a lecturer and researcher. Selected works for the exhibition will inform discussion around the positive uses of illustration within culture, society and contemporary research in this area. With this in mind, your work might be referenced in write-ups for the exhibition, debates and discussions and be included in publications or other printed & digital promotional and archive materials for the show. Please only submit work if you consent to its use in this way.

Entry is free. This is an unpaid opportunity.