The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change
Advancing Social Change and Strengthening Democracy Through Research, Service and Historical Preservation.
The Third Annual Frances Dancy Hooks Art Award and Exhibition!
Embracing Firestorms, Envisioning Futures
Speaking truth to power can require social change agents to step into difficult situations. Change agents can find themselves stepping into a firestorm of the fear, hurt, resentment, greed, and insecurities of society at large. In the space of energetic change, society can feel uncertain, dangerous, and even destructive, much like a wildfire.
Wildfires can be devastating, causing destruction and heartbreaking loss. However, many cultures, including indigenous peoples of North and South America, embrace the idea of fire as a pathway for cleansing and rejuvenation.
What is true for the forest can also be true for society. The blaze makes space for the future, even if it first looks like loss. Resilience is necessary for change and growth. We must find a way to Embrace the Firestorm.
Only then can we claim the possibilities ahead. What do we want the released energy, space, and resources to produce? What is the Future we Envision?
This year鈥檚 Frances Dancy Hooks Art Award and Exhibition invites artists to consider both the Firestorm and the Future. What burns away and what comes next? What do you Embrace and Envision?
Submission Info
Artists may submit up to two pieces via the .
- Each artwork will require its own submission package in the digital portal, and artists must submit one image of the piece in its entirety and may submit up to two additional images to highlight details or other angles.
- Artworks may be two- or three- dimensional and can be of any tangible medium. Digital artworks, including AI generated or augmented pieces, are not accepted at this time.
- All pieces must weigh under 20 pounds, including any frames or appendages, and cannot be larger than 4ft x 4ft x 4ft.
- To be eligible, artists must be practicing in the Greater Memphis Area and over the age of 18. There is no submission fee.
The Submission Form Includes:
- space for a title,
- piece specifications, including size and weight
- a brief artist statement/bio, and
- a brief statement on how this piece demonstrates the theme of 鈥淓mbracing Firestorms, Envisioning Futures.鈥�
Artists of all backgrounds, experience levels and mediums are encouraged to apply. Finalists and the award winner will be chosen by a diverse committee of specialists and experts in the fields of arts and culture and social change, including members of the Hooks Institute staff, the 福利片国产 of Memphis College of Communications and Fine Arts and members of the Memphis art community.
Ten to fifteen works will be chosen for the final exhibition in the Dr. Ralph Faudree Gallery area of the Hooks Institute offices in Wilder Tower on the Central Campus of the 福利片国产 of Memphis. The Institute will be hosting multiple public events in October specifically to showcase the exhibit. The winner will receive the Frances Dancy Hooks Art Award and a $700 prize. Artists chosen as finalists will have their work displayed in the public exhibit, and will have the option to offer their pieces for sale.
Announcing the 2026 Hooks Policy Papers
In this Tenth Edition of the Hooks Policy papers, researchers from the 福利片国产 of Memphis鈥檚 Loewenberg School of Nursing and the UT Health Science Center and present findings from an NIH-funded grant on breast health in segregated communities in Memphis. Looking into the impacts of various social determinants of health, the research reveals that Black women living in segregated communities experience higher breast cancer mortality rates when compared to White women living in segregated communities.
Soheil Hashtarkhani and Arash Shaban-Nejad
Fekede Asefa Kumsa, Lluvia Koali Santiago Chipman, Minghui Li, and Arash Shaban-Nejad
Shelley White-Means, Jill Dapremont, Soheil Hashtarkhani, and Fekede Asefa Kumsa
Jill Dapremont and Shelley White-Means
Cindy K. Lemon, Shelley White-Means, Jill Dapremont, and Minghui Li
This edition of the Policy Papers was funded by the NIH grant, and