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Exhibition: Commodification of Nature

Type: Exhibition Opportunities [View all]
Posted by: Hendrix College
Deadline: Fri, July 31st, 2026

 

The Marshall T. Steel Center at Hendrix College is seeking artists whose work examines how the commodification of nature contributes to environment degradation and shapes contemporary perceptions of nature for a year-long group exhibition in Ellis Hall.

Submissions should include work that explores how people’s experience and consideration of nature in the 21st century is changed by a commodity mindset. Monetization is foundational to capitalism; it makes things commensurable and exchangeable, turning natural resources into objects for profit. This process distances people from the ecosystem of which they depend, diminishing environmental concerns and responsible use of resources. We are interested in work engaging with ecological degradation resulting from capitalist exploitation and consumer culture, environmental ethics, and the privatization and commodification of natural resources. Submitted work ideally comments on the environmental degradation that stems from commodifying the natural world and explores the physical and ethical consequences, raising questions about how this process detaches us from nature and taints our view of it.

We are especially interested in works that involve expression of this concept through portrayals of landscapes and environmental scenes, although submissions are not limited to representational approaches. The goal of this exhibition is to promote ecological awareness through ecologically minded works that directly engage with such concepts. The work will be presented to initiate and foster a discussion that encourages the recognition of this perspective in hopes of a new relationship between humans in nature rooted in mindfulness and sustainability. 

Eligibility Criteria:

Open to artists in the United States working in all mediums of 2D and low relief.

Details

The exhibition will take place from September 4th, 2026 through May 15, 2027. The committee of a student curator, a museum director, and a philosopher of aesthetics will select up to 6 different artists for the exhibition. 2D or low relief works of art with measurements less than 40” x 40” are preferred. All work must be ready to hang with proper hanging wires or brackets. If you are not familiar with wiring your work, please review the proper way to wire with d-rings and picture-hanging wire. No sawtooth hangers. All work must be created within the last 5 years. No AI-generated artwork.

An opening event will be held in September 2026 in Ellis Hall. Participating artists will be invited to this event and receive promotional materials about the exhibition. Hendrix College and the Marshall T. Steel Center will issue a press release about the exhibition and cover the exhibition on social media.

Please complete the form linked below to submit your artwork. A brief statement about the artwork and its importance, along with a clear photograph(s) of the work, are required. Not all proposed works of art will be accepted for exhibition. The submission form deadline is Friday, July 31, 2026. Jurors will review all submissions, and applicants will be contacted on or before Friday, August 7th. If accepted, works will be shipped at the artist’s expense to arrive at Hendrix College on or by Friday, August 21tst. Return shipping and insurance will be paid for by the Steel Center for Philosophy and Religion, and Hendrix College.

Location

Ellis Hall is a building on the Hendrix College campus that houses the philosophy and religious studies programs as well as the Marshall T. Steel Center for the Study of Religion and Philosophy. Hendrix College’s mission statement states that the college “cultivates empathy, creativity, self-understanding, rigorous inquiry, informed deliberation, and active learning across the liberal arts, toward the development of the whole person.” Ellis Hall is a historic home with 6 exhibition locations: two places in the first-floor lobby, two places in the staircase, and two places in the second-floor lobby. The works be the subject of writing in courses on Nature Aesthetics, Land Health, and Wellbeing. Students will respond to the selected works, discussing and reflecting on the theme. Ellis Hall is open to the public and sees hundreds of visitors annually. SUMBIT WORK HERE.    

Posted on Thu, July 9th, 2026
Expires on Fri, July 31st, 2026

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