AS MUCH TRUTH AS ONE CAN BEAR
OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS
Truth, identity, justice, memory, emotional endurance, and social reality. | February 5 through March 27, 2027
We invite submissions for As Much Truth As One Can Bear: A Juried Exhibition on James Baldwin’s proposition for Truth.
ABOUT THE SHOW
As Much Truth as One Can Bear takes its conceptual grounding from James Baldwin’s assertion that truth is not simply known—it is endured. This exhibition invites artists to explore the limits of perception, the weight of lived experience, and the tension between what is revealed and what is resisted. Truth, in this context, is not singular or stable. It is layered, emotional, historical, and often uncomfortable. The works in this juried exhibition engage with identity, race, memory, justice, love, and survival. Some works confront directly; others unfold quietly. Together, they create a space where viewers are asked not only to observe, but to reckon.
To experience this exhibition is to participate in an act of witnessing. The viewer is not outside the work—they are implicated in it. If we can only bear so much truth at once, then this exhibition becomes a collective space to expand that capacity.
There will be a Best in Show award of $650.00, and 1st Prize - $400, 2nd Prize - $300, 3rd Prize - $200, and three Juror’s Choice winners of $150/each.
ELIGIBILITY
Open to emerging and established artists, including students.
Must be 18+ to enter.
ACCEPTED MEDIA
All media are welcome, including:
Painting
Drawing
Photography
Sculpture
Mixed media
Installation
Digital work
Text-based work
Video
Textile
And interdisciplinary practices
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
5–10 images or time-based samples of recent work
Artist statement (300–500 words)
CV or short biography highlighting continued practice
Optional: Reflection on time in your work
$20 submission fee – paid here
Email submissions to submissions@artscenterinorange.com
Put “As Much Truth As One Can Bear” In the subject line.
Deadline for submissions: October 1, 2026
WE ARE SEEKING WORK THAT
Explores personal or collective truths
Engages with visibility, silence, or resistance
Responds to cultural, political, or emotional realities
Challenges viewers to reflect or reconsider