The Art Prompt

Art Deadline

Wednesday, May 28, 2025

If you’d like to contribute a piece to be shown at our event, please reach out to objectsofaffection310@gmail.com where you’ll be connected with Palisadian Kristen Goldberg who is organizing art curation!

Event Date

Sunday, June 1, 2025

As a thank you for lending us a piece of art, your ticket to Objects of Affection is entirely optional. If you still feel inclined to buy a ticket to support the Palisades fire relief, follow the link below. Or if you’d prefer to donate an amount separately – you can do so here. Thanks so much for partaking in this special art show!

First Things First

You do NOT need to be an ‘artist’ to partake in this prompt! This is an invitation to reflect, create, and honor the objects that hold meaning in your life—no artistic experience necessary. :)

If you have an existing piece of art that you would like to submit that may stray a bit from this prompt, feel free to reach out to us at objectsofaffection310@gmail.com! We’d love to include your creations.

The Theme

Objects of Affection explores the emotional, spiritual, and sentimental weight we place on everyday objects. Through touch, we infuse life into the inanimate objects that become our trustworthy companions over the years. They end up having their own presence and aura––this invisible sheen that signifies when something has become sacred to us. They hold the imprint of our lives, carrying stories of home, love, identity, and belonging. When we experience and ponder the objects that we have cherished so deeply, we are forced to ask ourselves, how could they not have a heart?

In the wake of loss, losing these objects can feel like losing a piece of ourselves. It can even feel irretrievable…until however, we remember art.

Art can hold our grief like nothing else, transforming our loss into something new. This prompt invites you to create intentional space to sit with a cherished object––whether present, lost, or imagined––and allow your grief to take on a new, meaningful form as art.

The Prompt

Choose an object that holds deep personal significance to you. It may be something you still have, something you lost, or even something that only exists in memory. This object might feel like a tether to the past, a symbol of resilience, or a vessel for love that endures.

It could be a particular item, an experience or ritual, or even something imaginary––an object of affection can exist both in memory or dream space, both tangible and intangible.

  • What emotions or memories are tied to this object?

  • If this object could speak, what would it say to you? What would you say to it?

  • How does it shape your sense of self, love, and/or connection?

Creative Interpretation

Express this object and its meaning in any medium that speaks to you––painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, poetry, mixed media, a shitty iPhone photo that you framed, an audio excerpt of you talking about your item, or something else entirely. You may choose to depict the object as it was, as it is now, or as something transformed by memory and feeling. You may even choose to abstract its essence into colors, textures, and shapes. The options are endless and we welcome them all.

Examples

  • A small acrylic painting of your grandmother’s heart-shaped locket you lost. The locket you paint is open and empty, representing the depth of your grief and the irreplaceable nature of it. Beside it is a newly printed photo in the shape of a heart representing the new love that is now filling what was once a void.

  • A framed photo of your stuffed animals that you have had since you were a toddler. To honor your inner child, you choose to bedazzle the frame––something your younger self would be very jazzed about.

  • Vintage photos of the old Palisades village pre-Caruso––a different type of loss (though related) that we didn’t create space for when it was torn down way back when.

  • A framed short poem or essay about your love of Palisades. What that community really felt like before and after the fires, the things you will always cherish, your hopes for the future.

  • A mini replica of our iconic lifeguard stations built out of air-dry clay––representing our little town’s deep connection to the ocean and its Beach Boys-esque roots.

  • The last shitty iPhone photo you took of your home––highlighting the irony of how mundane/random the photo might be and yet how sacred it has become to you.

Optional Writing Reflection

Alongside your piece, consider writing a short reflection (a few sentences or a paragraph) about the significance of this object that would be put on display beside your artwork.

  • Why does this object matter to you?

  • How does it hold a piece of you?

  • What does it mean to carry affection, longing, and resilience through the things we cherish?

Closing Thoughts

Objects hold energy. Even when they are gone, their essence lingers. This is an invitation to reforge our connection with what we have lost and to honor what remains, both within us and beyond us.

Want to Contribute?

We are currently accepting submissions for Objects of Affection and we would love for you to be included!

Most importantly, you do NOT have to be an artist—just someone with a story to tell or an experience to share. If you’ve got an idea for a piece, we’d love to have you in the show. It can be anything from a framed photo, to a painting, poem, sculpture, or something else entirely!

Reach out to objectsofaffection310@gmail.com with your idea. We can’t wait to chat with you!

Art Deadline: May 28, 2025