Unfinished Woman: Who am I beyond the roles that I play?

The Cultural Center of Cape Cod invites artists to submit works for Unfinished Woman, an exhibition inspired by Joan Anderson's A Year by the Sea series. This show honors the moment after the roles of partner, best friend, volunteer, and caretaker begin to fade, and a woman is left asking: Who am I beyond the roles that I play? The exhibition invites artwork that embraces this season of emergence—raw, real, and unapologetically incomplete—celebrating the messy middle: the space between who we were told to be and who we are finally ready to become.

The exhibition explores three themes: Radical Reinvention in Midlife (a reclamation, not a second act), The Sacred Solitude of Becoming (the power in stepping away from noise, duty, and the gaze of others), and The Beauty of the Unfinished Self (recognizing that we are never finished). The Best in Show award is $1,000 cash.

Entry fee is $30 for the first entry and $5 for each additional entry, with a maximum of 20 entries per artist. Submit 1-20 JPEG images (1,200 pixels minimum on longest side, maximum 5 MB file size). Work must have been produced within the last five years. The exhibition runs October 6–November 1, 2025. Local drop-off is Monday, October 6, 8am-noon. Shipped work must arrive by Friday, October 3. Opening reception with Joan Anderson is Thursday, October 9, 5-7pm. Notification of acceptance will be sent by email by Sunday, September 21. The Cultural Center charges a 30% commission on sales for members and 40% for non-members. Artists are responsible for all shipping costs and must provide pre-paid return labels. The Center's insurance does not cover damage during shipping; artists should insure their own work.