---
title: "Griots: Our Stories, Ourselves"
description: Juried exhibition at The Art Center at Johns Creek exploring storytelling across cultures; cash awards, up to 5 works, $30 entry fee.
url: https://www.artsume.com/programs/2bb767f5-e888-46bc-aff2-1fd8ded2bf78
type: program
status: open
createdAt: "2026-10-24"
updatedAt: "2026-10-24"
programType: Exhibition
organization: The Art Center at Johns Creek
organizationUrl: https://www.artsume.com/o/art-center-at-johns-creek
deadline: "2027-01-09"
entryFee: 30 USD
location: The Art Center at Johns Creek, Johns Creek, GA, United States
isOnline: false
compensationRange: First place $500 cash award, plus additional cash awards and recognitions depending on submissions and sponsorship.
disciplines:
  - mixed media
  - ceramics
  - drawing
  - fiber art
  - printmaking
  - painting
  - collage
  - digital art
  - photography
  - sculpture
---

# Griots: Our Stories, Ourselves

**Hosted by:** The Art Center at Johns Creek

**Type:** Exhibition | **Location:** The Art Center at Johns Creek, Johns Creek, GA, United States | **Deadline:** January 9, 2027 | **Entry fee:** $30

## About This Program

> "Storytelling, memory, cultural identity, and the role of the artist as griot/storyteller"

“Until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter.”
- African Proverb

Stories shape who we are. They preserve memory, carry culture across generations, challenge injustice, celebrate joy, make sense of experience, and imagine new possibilities. Every community has stories to tell—and every person carries stories that help define who they are.

The Art Center at Johns Creek invites artists to explore the many ways stories are created, remembered, shared, and interpreted through Griots: Our Stories, Ourselves.

Traditionally, griots were West African storytellers, historians, musicians, and keepers of cultural memory. Through spoken word, music, poetry, and performance, they preserved histories and passed knowledge from one generation to the next. Today, the role of the storyteller continues in countless forms. Artists are storytellers too, using paint, photography, sculpture, fiber, ceramics, printmaking, mixed media, and other creative languages to preserve memories, give voice to experience, and offer new ways of seeing the world.

What stories do you carry?

What stories have shaped you? Whose stories deserve to be remembered?

We welcome artwork that explores personal narratives, family histories, cultural traditions, identity, place, migration, heritage, memory, community, social experience, or imagined futures. Work may tell a story directly or communicate through symbolism, metaphor, abstraction, materials, or visual language.

Artists might explore subjects such as New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian traditions, Gullah culture, the African American church, African American folklore, Afrofuturism, or other stories rooted in lived experience, cultural memory, and imagination. These are examples, not limitations. We encourage artists to bring their own perspectives and interpretations to the theme. We encourage artists to think broadly about what it means to be a storyteller. Your story may be intimate or universal, joyful or difficult, rooted in the past or reaching toward the future. It may be a story you inherited, a story you are reclaiming, a story that has been overlooked, or a story only you can tell. We look forward to hearing your stories and sharing them with our community.

### Artist Statement Requirement

Each submitted artwork must be accompanied by a brief paragraph explaining how the work relates to the theme of Griots: Our Stories, Ourselves. Statements should illuminate the narrative significance of the work and may share the personal, cultural, historical, or imagined story behind it. Consider what story the artwork carries—or what story it invites the viewer to discover. The statement will be an important part of the jurying process and will also help audiences engage more deeply with the artwork during the exhibition.

### A Nonprofit Commitment to Artists

The Art Center at Johns Creek is a nonprofit arts organization committed to making the arts accessible to our community and creating meaningful opportunities for artists. We believe artists deserve to have their work seen, valued, and supported. Entry fees help make this exhibition possible, covering exhibition-related expenses and contributing to artist awards. The lion's share of entry fees collected will be used to support the exhibition and its participating artists. Additional sponsorship support helps us expand the awards and recognition we can offer. We are grateful to every artist who contributes to this exhibition. Your participation helps us build a vibrant arts community, and we are committed to presenting your work with care and respect.

### Awards & Recognition

First Place: $500 cash award

Additional cash awards and recognitions will be presented. The total amount of award money will depend on the number of submissions and sponsorship support received.

### Entry Information

Entry Fee: $30 non-refundable

Number of Entries: Up to five works per artist

## Eligibility & Requirements

- **Disciplines:** mixed media, ceramics, drawing, fiber art, printmaking, painting, collage, digital art, photography, sculpture
- **Note:** All artwork must be an original creation of the submitting artist, AI work will not be considered. Eligible media includes but is not limited to mixed media, ceramics, drawings, fiber art, printmaking, painting, collage, digital art, photography, and sculpture.

### Additional Requirements

- Up to five (5) works per artist
- Only one entry per artist
- Maximum file size: 50MB per image
- Accepted file types: JPG, PNG
- A brief artist statement accompanying each submitted artwork explaining its relation to the theme
- Entry fee: $30 non-refundable

## Compensation & Benefits

First place $500 cash award, plus additional cash awards and recognitions depending on submissions and sponsorship.

**Includes:** Prize

First Place: $500 cash award. Additional cash awards and recognitions will be presented. The total amount of award money will depend on the number of submissions and sponsorship support received.

## Timeline

- **Opens:** October 23, 2026
- **Deadline:** January 9, 2027
- **Program Start:** February 3, 2027
- **Program End:** March 6, 2027

## Contact

**Email:** afoster@itstheartcenter.org

**Phone:** 770-623-8448

## How to Apply

Apply at: https://app.entrythingy.com/johnscreekarts/griots-our-stories-ourselves/