Art Calls Commodification of Nature
Opportunity Description
U.S. National Deadline: July 31, 2026 – The Marshall T. Steel Center at Hendrix College is seeking artists whose work examines how the commodification of nature contributes to environment degradation and shapes contemporary perceptions of nature for a year-long group exhibition in Ellis Hall.
Submissions should include work that explores how people’s experience and consideration of nature in the 21st century is changed by a commodity mindset. Monetization is foundational to capitalism; it makes things commensurable and exchangeable, turning natural resources into objects for profit. This process distances people from the ecosystem of which they depend, diminishing environmental concerns and responsible use of resources. We are interested in work engaging with ecological degradation resulting from capitalist exploitation and consumer culture, environmental ethics, and the privatization and commodification of natural resources. Submitted work ideally comments on the environmental degradation that stems from commodifying the natural world and explores the physical and ethical consequences, raising questions about how this process detaches us from nature and taints our view of it.
We are especially interested in works that involve expression of this concept through portrayals of landscapes and environmental scenes, although submissions are not limited to representational approaches. The goal of this exhibition is to promote ecological awareness through ecologically minded works that directly engage with such concepts. The work will be presented to initiate and foster a discussion that encourages the recognition of this perspective in hopes of a new relationship between humans in nature rooted in mindfulness and sustainability.
The exhibition will take place from September 4th, 2026 through May 15, 2027. The committee of a student curator, a museum director, and a philosopher of aesthetics will select up to 6 different artists for the exhibition.
ELIGIBILITY
Open to artists in the United States working in all mediums of 2D and low relief. 2D or low relief works of art with measurements less than 40” x 40” are preferred. All work must be ready to hang with proper hanging wires or brackets. If you are not familiar with wiring your work, please review the proper way to wire with d-rings and picture-hanging wire. No sawtooth hangers. All work must be created within the last 5 years. No AI-generated artwork.
Location
An opening event will be held in September 2026 in Ellis Hall. Participating artists will be invited to this event and receive promotional materials about the exhibition. Hendrix College and the Marshall T. Steel Center will issue a press release about the exhibition and cover the exhibition on social media.
Ellis Hall is a building on the Hendrix College campus that houses the philosophy and religious studies programs as well as the Marshall T. Steel Center for the Study of Religion and Philosophy. Hendrix College’s mission statement states that the college “cultivates empathy, creativity, self-understanding, rigorous inquiry, informed deliberation, and active learning across the liberal arts, toward the development of the whole person.” Ellis Hall is a historic home with 6 exhibition locations: two places in the first-floor lobby, two places in the staircase, and two places in the second-floor lobby. The works be the subject of writing in courses on Nature Aesthetics, Land Health, and Wellbeing. Students will respond to the selected works, discussing and reflecting on the theme. Ellis Hall is open to the public and sees hundreds of visitors annually.
APPLY ONLINE – No Fee
For questions about the application itself (application requirements, terms, etc), please contact us directly at cutler@hendrix.edu
1600 Washington Avenue
Conway, Arkansas 72032
501-329-6811
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