Free To: Free From: A Mail Art Exhibition Exploring Freedoms

About this call

Kansas City Public Library invites artists of all ages and skill levels to create a 5x7 inch visual artwork on the theme of freedom and mail it to the library for inclusion in its group exhibition Free To: Free From. The show is the capstone exhibition for the library's 250 and Counting programme. Artists are asked to explore what it means to be free to act or free from constraint, and how factors like geography, health, and socioeconomic status shape experiences of this fundamental right. All visual media are accepted, including collage, drawing, painting, photography, and fiber art. Works must be 2D with a depth no greater than one quarter inch, mounted on a white 8x10 inch mat board. The exhibition runs October 14, 2026 through January 17, 2027 at the Guldner Gallery, Central Library. All mailed entries that follow submission guidelines are guaranteed inclusion.

Who can apply

• International applicants
• Medium: Painting / Drawing / Photography / Printmaking / Textile / Mixed Media
• Free entry
• Works must be 5x7 inches, 2D with depth no more than 1/4 inch, mounted centered on a white 8x10 inch mat board. All media accepted: collage, drawing, painting, photography, fiber art, text-based/typographic work. No nudity, sexually explicit content, graphic violence, or profanity. Mail physical artwork to: Kansas City Public Library, ATTN: FREEDOM, 14 W. 10th St., Kansas City, MO 64105. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want your work returned. Open to all ages and skill levels; national and international submissions welcome. Deadline: October 10, 2026.