LAYERED LIVES | There's Always Something Underneath

ShadowBoxX Gallery and the Chicago Women's Caucus for Art (CWCA) present LAYERED LIVES, an international juried exhibition exploring women's lived experiences and the many selves we become over a lifetime.

What do we reveal? What do we conceal? And what remains beneath the surface?

Artists of all identities are welcome. Women, including transgender women, as well as non-binary and LGBTQ+ artists, are especially encouraged to apply. Current CWCA Chicago chapter members receive preferential consideration.

Opening February 20, 2027, during Waukegan's monthly ArtWauk celebration.

LAYERED LIVES

There's Always Something Underneath

An international juried exhibition presented by ShadowBoxX Gallery in collaboration with the Chicago Women's Caucus for Art (CWCA), Chicago Chapter.

We are never just one thing.

Our lives accumulate in layers. Some are visible, others concealed. Some we choose for ourselves, while others are imposed upon us. Each experience leaves something behind, shaping who we are and how we present ourselves to the world.

LAYERED LIVES invites artists to explore women's lived experiences and the many identities, histories and transformations that make up a life.

What layers do we reveal? What layers do we conceal? What remains of the people we once were?

In art, as in life, the surface rarely tells the whole story. An underpainting may disappear beneath subsequent layers yet continue to influence everything above it. A revision may obscure an earlier intention without erasing its presence. The surface remembers.

We welcome work that engages with these ideas through personal narrative, cultural experience, memory, identity or the physical language of artistic layering. Interpretations may be intimate, confrontational, humorous, political or deeply personal.

WHO IS INVITED

Artists of all identities and from all countries are welcome to apply. In keeping with the exhibition's collaboration with the Chicago Women's Caucus for Art, submissions from women, including transgender women, as well as non-binary and LGBTQ+ artists, are especially encouraged.

This exhibition also celebrates the renewal and creative community of CWCA's Chicago chapter. Current CWCA Chicago chapter members will receive preferential consideration during jurying, provided submitted artwork meets the exhibition's artistic and technical standards.

All submissions will be evaluated for artistic merit, originality, execution and relevance to the exhibition's theme.

ABOUT THE COLLABORATION

The Chicago Women's Caucus for Art advocates for women in the arts and fosters artistic opportunity, community and professional development.

ShadowBoxX Gallery is an independent contemporary art gallery in downtown Waukegan, Illinois, committed to provocative, original artwork and an inclusive creative community.

Together, we invite artists and audiences to discover what lies beneath the surface.

Applicants must submit between 1 and 20 images of original artwork through CaFÉ.

Each artwork submission must include:

Artwork title

Year completed

Medium and materials

Dimensions (height, width and depth where applicable)

Selling price in U.S. dollars

A clear, representative image of the actual artwork

Applicants must also provide an artist statement and briefly explain how their submitted work relates to the LAYERED LIVES exhibition theme.

Current CWCA Chicago chapter members should identify their membership in the application questions to receive preferential consideration.

All artwork must be original, analog and exhibition-ready. Artists may submit work in painting, drawing, traditional printmaking, sculpture, fiber, mixed media and other physical art forms.

Artists whose work is accepted must confirm participation and arrange delivery or shipping within the published exhibition schedule.

IMPORTANT DATES

January 21, 2027: Application deadline, 11:59 PM Central Time
January 25, 2027: Acceptance notifications
February 6, 2027: Earliest date for shipped artwork to arrive
February 11, 2027, 7 PM: Virtual Zoom artwork preview
February 13–14, 2027, 11 AM–5 PM: Local artwork drop-off
February 14, 2027: Final deadline for shipped artwork arrival
February 19, 2027, 5–9 PM: CWCA Member & Collector Preview
February 20, 2027, 5–9 PM: Public opening reception during ArtWauk
March 13, 2027: Exhibition closes
March 14, 2027, 11 AM–5 PM: Artwork pickup

Shipped artwork must arrive between February 6 and February 14. Please do not schedule deliveries before February 6.

The February 11 Zoom event will feature artwork images and artist information. Physical artwork does not need to have arrived at the gallery for participation in this virtual preview.

Open internationally to artists 18 years of age or older.

Artists of all gender identities are eligible. Women, including transgender women, as well as non-binary and LGBTQ+ artists, are particularly encouraged to submit.

Current members of the Chicago chapter of the Women's Caucus for Art receive preferential consideration in the jury process. Membership does not guarantee acceptance.

Original analog artwork only. Painting, drawing, traditional printmaking, sculpture, mixed media, fiber and other physical art forms are welcome.

Digital-only artwork, AI-generated imagery and reproductions are not eligible.

Submitted work must demonstrate artistic merit and a meaningful connection to the exhibition theme.