archive the west ·
archive the west ·
archive the west is our Summer 2025 online juried exhibition.
The Western United States has become a long-standing art trope. Images of Monument Valley and other iconic landmarks have saturated the art-sphere, but these often seem like one-offs or fetishization devoid of a necessary context. Absent a larger series or archive, these depictions often rely on shallow understandings of the region’s cultural history. For this call, we want to see depictions of the American West that draw upon personal or collective archives. Use them as inspiration or building blocks in the work itself. Dig into dusty prints or negatives that speak to the wild beauty, austere landscape, and diverse happenings of the American West, or provide original pieces from a current project that incorporates or addresses the archives’ informing role. We want to see them!
The exhibition will examine these ideas through a variety of mediums in art. Any mediums are welcome, including but not limited to sculpture, painting, collage, photography, digital art, video art, installation, ceramics, performance art…anything you can think of! You may submit up to 3 artworks for a $5 fee, due July 20, 2025. Artists will receive a notification a week after the deadline. Students may submit for free with the code STUDENT25 (to use this, please use your school email when applying). The exhibition will go live August 2025.
If you have any questions, please reach out to us at midwestniceart@gmail.com.
This exhibition will be juried by Disparate Projects. Disparate Projects is an evolving collective and platform dedicated to the exploration of contemporary photography. Founded by Lisa Beard, Micah McCoy, and Vann Thomas Powell, we are committed to thoughtful photographic curation, engaging critical discussions in photographic theory, and nurturing collaborations with photographers of disparate approaches.
Lisa Beard is a photo-based artist, teacher, writer, and curator based in the Chicago area. She received her MFA in Media Arts from Maine Media College (2022). Lisa’s current photographic work is the result of a conceptual and experimental practice that involves creating photo-based processes developed specifically for each project in an attempt to bring form and subject-matter into relation. Touching on the constant fluctuation of truth, memory, and reality Lisa’s work focuses on persistence and residual meanings through the layers of time.
Micah McCoy is a photographer, curator, and poet based in Northwest Arkansas. He received his MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago (2022) and has exhibited work in solo and group exhibitions both in the United States and abroad. His work explores issues of religiosity, anxiety, and social detachment. Micah’s editorial photography has been featured in publications including NBC News, The New York Post, and others.
Vann Thomas Powell holds an MFA in experimental and documentary art from Duke University (2023) and works as a documentary artist based in Durham, North Carolina whose practice revolves around still photography and the moving image. Through a blend of historical and philosophical research, his work delves into the intricate interplay between past, place, and memory, with a particular emphasis on American identities. Powell is especially drawn to subjects such as foundation narratives, myths, tall tales, folklore, and seldom-told histories, seeking to unearth the layers of meaning embedded within these narratives.