In This Together: Art, Belonging, and the Urgency of Social Connection
Ends on
The Springville Museum of Art and Dr. Julianne Holt-Lundstad invite Utah artists to submit existing or proposed artworks for In This Together: Art, Belonging, and the Urgency of Social Connection, a regional exhibition exploring belonging, connection, and community through contemporary art.
This exhibition brings together artistic practice and research on social connection to create a public experience that is thoughtful, accessible, and resonant. We are seeking work that engages these ideas in ways that feel authentic, creative, and grounded in a clear point of view.
Selected artists will be featured in the exhibition, included in a printed catalog, and receive a $1,000 honorarium.
This exhibition is informed by research on social connection—its relationship to belonging, loneliness, health, and community wellbeing. This is not an academic exercise. You are not being asked to illustrate research or translate data directly. Instead, we invite you to engage with these ideas in a way that feels true to your practice and perspective. We’re interested in interpretation rather than explanation.
You might consider:
- What helps people feel connected or understood?
- Where does belonging come from—and where does it break down?
- What spaces or relationships create connection?
- How do people experience connection across distance or difference?
- What does disconnection feel like, and how does it shape us?
We welcome a wide range of responses—subtle or bold, personal or collective—grounded in a clear point of view.
Recommended source materials include Social Connection in America 2025 Report, Nivea Connect Report 2025, Surgeon General’s Advisory: The Healing Effects of Social Connection, Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults, Social Media and Adolescent Health, and WHO Commission on Social Connection.
Eligibility
- Utah-based artists
- All media welcome
- Individual artists or collaborations
- Existing artworks or proposals for new artworks
Submissions Open: May 1 through July 1, 2026
Deadline for Submissions: July 1, 2026 at 11:59PM
Artists Notified: August 5, 2026
Exhibition on View: November 18, 2026 - July 3, 2027