THE LOW DOWN: From all art submitted, a panel of community members will select 5-10 pieces that best represent the year’s themes (see below) as Winning Designs. These will be converted into billboards and other outdoor media posters over the course of a two year period. Each winning artist will receive a $500 gift certificate to the store of his/her choice, which will be presented at an Awards Ceremony in January of 2010. All submitted art will be exhibited in our Roving Art Show, unless otherwise specified by the artist.

Welcome to Health Through Art’s 8th Call for Art! Every two years for the last 20 years we have conducted a Call for Art, asking Bay Area community members to send us original artwork with a healthy, positive theme. To help you think of ideas for your art, we always suggest several themes drawn directly from a series of discussions and focus groups that we do with Alameda County communities in order to find out what YOU are worried about, and what YOU want and need in order to be healthy and happy.

This year the discussions that we used were part of a larger assessment we carried out for Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services. We talked to kids, adults and elders about alcohol and other drugs, and about mental health, and we think we have a clear sense of what the community saying:

1. *People want to be seen and treated as whole human beings,
   not just as individuals with particular problems or conditions;
   

2. *There is hope for real and lasting change.
   

This hope is the most important part of our 8th Call for Art and we’d like to make that hope visible through your art. Send us your images and slogans in support of healthy and hopeful life choices. Every single piece of artwork submitted will be a part of our traveling exhibit of artwork (Roving Art Show) for two years, and 5-10 pieces will be selected to be converted into billboards, posters and other media to bring these healthful and hopeful messages to the whole community.

While we always encourage you to create art that speaks to your personal experiences of health and healing, we will be looking for art that speaks to the health and healing of the whole community. How can you use words and images to support the healthy decisions your friends or family are making? How can your personal choices be used to teach others about being healthy? What kind of world do you imagine for yourself and for your community?

We are looking for vibrant images and short, clear messages. As always we accept only original artwork and messages. More details can be found inside the 8th Call for Art brochure which you can download here ----> 8th Call For Art brochure.pdf

Although these are hard times for all of us, we DO have the power to heal as a community, and we are doing it every day. Join us and let your art inspire others!