gesamtkunstwerk, or a total work of art

at midwest nice art, we have an appreciation (some may say an obsession) for art history. when thinking about art at its core, and particularly genres, harmony and unity bring everything together — form, concept, material. with this in mind, we invite artists to submit work for gesamtkunstwerk, or a total work of art, a group exhibition exploring artwork that considers the whole. this idea is rooted in the early twentieth century, with artistic movements working as a reaction to industrialism and modernism; in arts and crafts movement’s handmade decor, bauhaus’ form and function,  art nouveau’s organic unification, and dada’s nonsense installations. these practices evolved with installation, new aesthetics, and performances. with this inspiration, we seek work that considers the total work, or turns this on its head.

the exhibition will examine these ideas through a variety of mediums in art. any mediums are welcome, including but not limited to sculpture, painting, collage, photography, digital art, video art, installation, ceramics, performance art…anything you can think of! you may submit up to 3 artworks for a $5 fee, due november 20, 2025. artists will receive a notification a week after the deadline. students may submit for free with the code student25 (to use this, please use your school email when applying). the exhibition will go live december 2025.

this exhibition will be juried by danielle krysa aka the jealous curator. danielle (canada) has a bfa in visual arts, and a post-grad in graphic design. she is the writer behind the contemporary art site, the jealous curator (est.2009), and has curated art shows all over north america. danielle is also an artist herself, and her mixed media work is held in private collections worldwide. she is the author of several art books, including “creative block”, “your inner critic is a big jerk”, “a big important art book - now with women”, and two children’s books; “how to spot an artist” and “art and joy”. danielle has had the great pleasure of speaking at tedx, pixar, creative mornings, and was interviewed in series of video segments on oprah.com about breaking through creative blocks and self-doubt.