Art for Social Change: Food for Thought

We never could’ve guessed a year ago when we published our 2025 calls, how topical this theme would be, considering everything that’s going on in the U.S. now.
This exhibit is a feast of food themed art for our Art for Social Change exhibition. OPAL is partnering with the Community Fridge Project and collecting food during the run of the show as well as hosting a fundraiser for stocking fridges in the Oak Park community for those in need.

From the still lives of the Renaissance and Dutch Golden age to the soft sculptures of Claus Oldenburg, or the lush impasto of Wayne Theibaud, food is everywhere in art!  Food is sustenance, it brings us together around a table, it can bring joy or anxiety, it can be factory-farmed or farm-to-table.

This open call exhibit asks; what are your best or strongest memories about food, or eating in community? What are your feelings about food and how can they be conveyed in an artwork to continue the long tradition of food as subject?