City Lit are inviting submissions for our annual Mental Wealth Festival Exhibition in the City Lit Gallery, taking place this October 2025. Submissions are invited from all members of the City Lit community – including those who have or are currently studying on courses, as well as members of staff.
The exhibition will take place from the 2th - 14th October, to coincide with City Lit's Annual Mental Wealth Festival & World Mental Health Day.
Exploring the Theme: "Being"
This year's exhibition is titled "Being" and seeks to include art work that responds, reflects, or provides interesting creative perspectives on the topic. The theme is entirely open to interpretation, but we offer the following suggestions around work that explores:
+ what it means to 'be' - as an human being and body.
+ what it means to be with other people/to be in relationship with others (friends, family, other humans, strangers, ourselves, etc.)
+ how art or creative activity supports or helps explore (well)being and/or mental health.
+ how art and creative activity can explore, reveal, imagine, play with other or alternative ways of being.
+ how art can be a form of mindfulness and meditation - enabling us to connect with a sense of being or just be.
+ how art can provide a means to be with-in the world, the city, our environment, nature, etc.
+ how art can enable us to explore and express ways of being in terms of identity, heritage, race, sexuality, gender, disability, neurodiversity, etc.
+ any other related ideas/concepts.
The Mental Wealth Festival
The Mental Wealth Festival seeks to explore, discuss and campaign around mental health and wellbeing, whilst championing learning, creativity and community as those things that help keep us well. Our annual festival exhibition and showcase is a focal point for the celebrations, featuring art, design, craft, writing and performance and other forms of creativity from across the City Lit community that harnesses the creative and expressive to open out thinking and feeling around the mind, body, self and our wellbeing.
Submission Details
1. Who is allowed to submit their work?
Submissions are open to former or current City Lit students and staff members.2. What is the submission deadline?
The submission deadline is midnight on 21th July 2025.3. What is genre, styles or forms can be submitted?
For the exhibition we welcome work in any genre, style, or form – from drawing, painting, photography, print and collage, to sculpture, object based work, film/animation or any mixed/transmedia or experimental forms.4. When will submitters find out whether their work has been chosen?
All submitters will be notified by the end of July as to whether their work has been chosen for this year's exhibition or showcase, and all accepted submissions will be given further information on the logistics, line up and schedule for the events.5. How do I submit work for the Exhibition
To submit a piece of creative work for the exhibition please complete the following form.
If you have any questions, or have trouble accessing or completing the submission form, please contact ian.tucknott@citylit.ac.uk.
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