AMPLIFY Youth Art Exhibition: Call for Submissions

Too often, youth are missing from conversations around their physical, mental, and social well-being, and how these aspects of their health are shaped by their environment. Yet who better understands what is happening in their world than the youth themselves? Through art, youth can share stories that are frequently hidden — revealing their realities of well-being and the world around them.

Twelve youth artists will be selected to create a piece of artwork based on the following prompt:

Our health is shaped by more than doctors and hospitals. It’s influenced by the world around us: the air we breathe, the places we gather, the schools we attend, and the neighborhoods we call home.  Think about your surroundings, relationships, and experiences—big or small—and their effect on your health and well-being.

At the Conference’s Awards & Reception, AMPLIFY will create a space for dialogue – connecting health care professionals nationwide with the youth they serve, and opening new pathways for understanding, collaboration, and change. The adolescents’ voices, expressed in color, texture, and form, will reveal the ties between environment, health, and equity, inspired by their lived experiences.

Through the artwork, curation notes, and prompts, participants are encouraged to “walk in their shoes,” sparking meaningful conversations between artists and health professionals, and inspiring health care professionals to re-envision the health sphere through the youth lens.

AMPLIFY will have impacts beyond the Conference, too. Through community partnerships, the exhibit will be displayed in multiple venues at the University of Michigan and the surrounding communities. The exhibit will encourage further engagement by capturing viewers’ reactions in the moment through a live word cloud, allowing them to reflect on health, the environment, and identity through youth perspectives.