Submissions:

Submissions can take any form, from informal sketches or ideas to more developed artworks. For example, a drawing, map, photography, craft, painting, poetry, needlework, ceramics, fashion, an Instagram post, a snapshot on your mobile phone, an idea that hasn’t come to fruition, a quote or a song/lyric are all welcome. Submissions that meet our requirements (see below) will be exhibited at RMIT Gallery as part of The Big Anxiety Festival that opens to the public in September 2022. 

As part of this exchange, RMIT Fine Art staff and students from the areas of painting, jewellery, sculpture, wearable art, ceramics, photography, print making and drawing, will respond to your submission in the form of an artwork that will be exhibited alongside your work and gifted to you at the end of the exhibition. Your work, and your gifted artwork, will be returned to you at the end of the exhibition.

The aim of the exhibition is to create an archive of pandemic responses that activate public conversations about the ongoing impacts of the pandemic on nurses and midwives. More broadly, the project is an invitation for nurses and midwives to share these experiences with the broader community through art, creative expression, and public programming. 

We would like to receive your submission by the 7th April 2022, so we can respond to your work, prepare your gift, and plan the exhibition. Smaller works (A5-A3 size) and digital works with a shorter duration (films, videos, animations) are preferred. If you have a larger or more complex submission (for example wearable art, a large drawing, sculpture etc) please get in touch and we will discuss how to accommodate your work.  

If you have any questions, please feel very free to contact Dr Ruth De Souza: ruth.desouza@rmit.edu.au

How to submit a work:

You can submit material or digital works. While we will aim to exhibit every work, there are a few practical guidelines to follow involving scale, duration, and content. 

The first step is to fill out the form at the top right of this page. The form will ask a few simple questions about your submission, pandemic experience, and contact details. From there you have two options. To submit a digital file through the form, or to post or deliver your work to the RMIT Gallery.  

For material works (for example, works on paper, painting, clothing, prints, mixed media, sculpture etc):

Please fill out the submission form at the top right of this page and post or deliver your submission to RMIT Gallery. Please ensure that your name is clearly marked on the packaging so we can match your submission to your online form. Please also ensure that you package your work carefully to prevent any damage in transit. Please note that while we will take every care with your work, in the unlikely case that the work is damaged in transit or during the exhibition we cannot be held responsible for this damage. We encourage you to get in touch if you would like any advice on posting your work.

Posting works to the gallery:
You can post your submission to:

Nurses and Midwives Art Exchange
RMIT Gallery
RMIT University
PO BOX 2476
MELBOURNE VIC 3001

Delivering works to the gallery: 
As RMIT Gallery will be closed for installation until April 8th, we request that you deliver your work to the gallery on Friday 8th April (between 11 am and 5 pm) or Saturday 9th April (between 12:30 pm and 5 pm). If these dates and times do not work for you, please get in touch and we will find another time.  

For digital works (for example, a poem, a song, photos, animations, films): 
Please fill out the submission form at the top right of this page. The form will give you an option to upload a file or enter a link.

We have space and resources for a limited number of durational digital works (for example videos, films, animations, music etc). Please get in touch if you would like to submit a video, film, song, sound work, or animation. 

Thank you. We look forward to working with you!  

About the team:

Dr Ruth De Souza is a Fellow of the Australian College of Nursing and a Registered Nurse with a PhD, MA (Nurs), Grad Dip (Counselling) and Diploma in Nursing. Ruth has extensive experience as a clinician, researcher and academic in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia. She is a 2020 RMIT University Vice Chancellor's Fellow and is based in the School of Art. 

Dr Kelly Hussey-Smith is an artist-researcher focused on photography as a social practice, the politics of representation, and community-oriented education. She is a Lecturer in Photography at the RMIT School of Art. 

Dr Fleur Summers is the studio coordinator in sculpture at the School of Art, RMIT. She focuses on teaching developmental working processes with reference to spatial practice. Fleur has experience in a range of technical processes and has a strong conceptual approach. 

Dr Mark Edgoose is the studio coordinator of Gold and Silversmithing, at the School of Art, RMIT. Working at the intersections of craft, design and architecture and fuelled by an interest in both traditional and high-tech materials and processes, Mark has made a significant contribution to Australian object-making for 40 years.  

Associate Professor Grace McQuilten is a published art historian, curator and artist with expertise in contemporary art and design, public art, social practice, social enterprise and community development. 

Dr Martine Corompt is the Program Manager of the undergraduate Fine Art degree at RMIT University. Martine specialises in moving image, animation, and mixed media installation. 

This project is supported by the Creative Care theme of CAST Research Group.