How do you think about your culture? Do you carry it wherever you go? How does it intersect with the cultures around you? How do you view yourself in a world that is interconnected, and how would you express this in art?
Kojo, 2021
Tavares Strachan
Courtesy the artist and Perrotin. © Tavares Strachan
In the spirit of the upcoming exhibitions Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica and After the End of the World: Pictures from Panafrica, we invite Chicago-area teens of all cultures and backgrounds, ages 13–19, to create a work of art that reflects the way they see themselves in a multicultural, interconnected world—using photography, graphic design, digital poster design, or digital collage.
This year’s competition is inspired by Pan-Africanism, a worldwide movement began as a call for self-determination and unity among peoples of African descent. Artists have long since played a key role in visualizing and circulating Pan-Africanist ideas centered in Black identity, global solidarity, and liberation. From amplifying the red, green, and black of the Pan-African flag to depicting Black lives and creatively redrawing the planet, Pan-Africanist artworks serve as inspirations for how we can reorient our world around equity and justice.
What story do you have to tell? What do hope, dignity, resistance, healing, identity, equality, and interconnectedness look like to you? As you think about what you might like to make, we encourage you to visit the many exhibitions and programs on Pan-Africanism taking place around this city this fall and to consider the following prompts created by the Art Institute’s Teen Council:
- How do you carry your culture wherever you go?
- How does your culture connect and intersect with other cultures?
- How do you celebrate your culture?
- What does hope mean to you?
- How do you resist?
- How are we interconnected?
To enter, complete this entry form before 5:00 p.m. CST on Friday, December 6. All submitted artworks will be featured on the Art Institute’s website. For additional information and submission guidelines, please see the menu below.
Need encouragement to submit your artwork? Take a look at the virtual gallery featuring works by teens that were submitted to last year’s competition, My Chicagos.
Learn More
Simbiose Africana nº 3, 1973
Abdias do Nascimento
Instituto de Pesquisas e Estudos Afro-Brasileiros (IPEAFRO), Rio de Janeiro
Africa Restored (Cheryl as Cleopatra), 2003
Kerry James Marshall
The Art Institute of Chicago, gift of Susan and Lewis Manilow
