The Un-Lost Sculptures of Roberta Dickinson 
Open Call for Submissions

We are seeking a Philadelphia-area trans artist to produce one new anti-war sculptural work drawing on the lost sculptures of the late Philadelphia trans Quaker artist Roberta Dickinson (1916-1982). Chosen by a competitive open call, the artist will join two other trans artists who have been invited to participate. Each artist will receive $1,000 for materials, and a $1,000 honorarium for labor, supported by The Leeway Foundation, the William Penn Foundation, and William Way LGBT Community Center.

“The Un-Lost Sculptures of Roberta Dickinson" will be exhibited in June-August 2027 alongside a retrospective on the life and works of Dickinson called Roberta Dickinson: Designing a Life. The exhibition will take place at Icebox Project Space at Crane Arts in Philadelphia. Along with two invited artists, the chosen artist from the open call will use Dickinson's lost sculptures as a jumping off point for new work. Rather than replicate the originals, curator Zach Ozma will work with the artists to re-interpret Dickinson’s protest sculptures in their own style, media, and political context. After the show, Ozma will work with all three artists to find permanent or temporary public installation locations for the work.

Dickinson’s three known sculptures, dating from the early 1970s are documented in photographs and notes, were designed to be around five feet tall and architectural. Some were made of cheap everyday materials. They included found images like US propaganda posters and photos of atrocities in Vietnam. Dickinson displayed the works at churches, military bases, and courthouses as unofficial temporary installations.

In her time, Roberta Dickinson was not accepted by much of the professionalized art scene in Philadelphia. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t consider yourself a professional artist, or are in some way outside “the art world.”

This open call has two rounds. Round 1 asks about who you are, and work you have already done. At this stage, we are not seeking design proposals for the Unlost Sculpture. Round 1 is intended to be low-lift. If selected for Round 2, artists will propose new work.

Timeline

October 1, 2026: Call for submissions goes live

December 7, 2026: Deadline for submissions

December 15: Selected artists move on to second round; unselected artists are notified

January 22, 2027: Deadline for second round submissions

February 1, 2027: Selected and unselected artists are notified

May 31, 2027: Artwork is completed and ready for install

Payment

$1,000 for materials after signing contract; $1,000 honorarium after installation

Programming

There will be opportunities to participate in programming during the run of the exhibition, June-August 2027

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Please consult this list of Frequently Asked Questions or contact us at the email below

Questions

Please reach out to arts@waygay.org

Submissions

Submit here. Deadline: December 7, 2026