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CALL FOR ART: "Before We Were Happy" @ New York Mills Regional Cultural Center


  • New York Mills Regional Cultural Center 24 North Main Avenue New York Mills, MN, 56567 United States (map)

EVENT LINK: https://www.kulcher.org

FEE: Free

CALL FOR ART: Before We Were Happy

Adult Annual Regional Art Show

New York Mills Regional Cultural Center, New York Mills, MN

Exhibition: May 26 – July 4

Inspired by the 2026 Great American Think-Off question:

Has the pursuit of happiness made Americans unhappy?

This exhibition explores nostalgia—was the past truly happier, or is that a myth shaped by privilege, exclusion, and selective memory?

We’re seeking visual work that:

  • Questions idealized histories

  • Challenges nostalgia as comfort or denial

  • Explores who happiness was (or wasn’t) for

  • Reimagines happiness as evolving, complex, or hard-won

All visual media welcome: painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, installation & mixed media.

Submit:

Up to 2 works

Ready to display (framed)

Optional artist statement (250 words) + bio (100 words)

Include medium, size, year, and price (if for sale. Please note NYMRCC retains a standard 30% commission of all gallery sales)

Drop-off: May 19–21

24 N Main Ave, New York Mills, MN 56567

info@kulcher.org | 218-385-3339

Key Question:

Was happiness something we lost or something we were never all allowed to have?