Ithaca College

The Peggy R. Williams "Difficult Dialogues" series invites all artists to submit their work on the subject of campus rape and sexual assault--the theme of this year’s quadrennial Difficult Dialogues series, created in honor of Ithaca College president emerita Peggy Ryan Williams. We've extended the deadline to Tuesday, March 29, at 11:59 p.m. (Some flyers around campus mistakenly say Sunday, March 29, but Tuesday is correct.)

Read on for details and instructions on how to submit your work.

We know this campus is full of creative people. We hope to use your art--in almost any form--to draw attention to this serious problem and to help survivors come forth, recognize there is no shame for them, and recover; help bystanders and potential victims all become better at preventing these crimes; and bring perpetrators to justice.

There are three separate categories for which you may submit an entry:
1. Film and video. One- to five-minute video that can be used in online awareness campaigns.
2. Visual art. Two- and three-dimensional art that could include photography, drawing, painting, sculpture, collage, and multimedia.
3. Spoken word, poetry, song (music + lyrics), short prose (up to 750 words, fiction, nonfiction, essay).

Members of the Difficult Dialogues Committee will select entries to be featured during April and May at public events. Cash prizes will be given to those chosen as first-, second-, and third-place entries in each category. (Although anyone from the IC community may enter, only students are eligible for prizes.)

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR: The subject of the artwork should revolve around the themes of sexual violence PREVENTION and of HEALING, EMPOWERMENT, and JUSTICE for victims. We’re hoping the collective brilliance of Ithaca College students will come up with novel approaches that have the power to make a serious difference in eliminating what has come to be known as “rape culture.”

VIDEO: A short (1-5 minute) video.

VISUAL ART. Submit low-resolution photo of your artwork with dimensions and list of the materials used; the actual piece will be used in the final exhibition.

WORDS AND MUSIC. Poems up to 120 lines, spoken word of up to 5 minutes, essay up to 1,000 words, nonfiction or fiction story up to 1,500 words.

DEADLINE for all pieces is 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, March 29

HOW TO SUBMIT: Email your entry in JPG, PNG, DOC, WAV, or MP4 format to mstephens@ithaca.edu. (If it's a huge file, send a low-resolution or compressed version.) Contact Maura Stephens, 607-274-3829, if you would like to submit in a different format.