Oddball Art Labs presents
Reduce. Reuse. ReCREATE!
Wait?! Oddball is hosting a SECOND open call art show in 2025?! Where do I sign up? (Here, after our Summer show.)
A few of our artists paint on “non-standard” surfaces and rework existing art…and it got us thinking. Let’s host an art show that is all about saving items from the trash and turning them into amazing creations.
This is an open call show challenging the Elgin and Chicagoland creative community to share their visions. We are hoping to inspire the same mix of strangely surprising paintings, drawings, and mixed media 3D work that makes people smile while at our shows.
Submission form now open!
Submissions due by October 19, 2025.
We’re glad you asked. The art displayed at the Robin and Mark Seigle gallery in Elgin Artspace Lofts at ArtSpace should preferably be ‘All Ages’. We will review any submissions and have approved tasteful nudity and/or innuendo in previous shows.
This is intended to be a lighthearted and fun show for everyone.
All artwork submitted must be Made by Humans!
While many of us rely on Adobe, Affinity, Canva, Corel, and many other digital creativity tools to make our art…they are just tools to leverage our human creativity.
Digital prints of work created by humans will always been welcomed at Oddball Art Labs shows.
AI “Art” however is NOT welcome in this show.
All artwork submitted must be ready to hang!
All drawings, prints or photos must be framed. While paintings on canvases do not need to be framed, please make sure the visible edges are presentable.
D-Hooks and wire on the back is preferred, but quality sawtooth hangers are acceptable.
The point where the wire hangs on the nail should not be visible above the artwork.
Fishing line and/or string tends to be unreliable and as such is not considered acceptable for hanging.
If you are submitting 3D art, please let us know if you will need a pedestal.
Oddball Art Labs will retain 20% of all art sales to help pay for the show expenses. Please price your work accordingly.
Any prints for sale should be dropped off with the art at the defined drop off date. We ask this so we can plan out the Print Table space requirements in advance.
All prints should be in clear, plastic print bags, and should have labels on the bags that list the Art Title, Artist Name and price.
Maximum print size for our shows is 11″ x 17″ as any size larger can not be guaranteed to safely transportated to/from the gallery.
We don’t have a budget for shipping artwork across the country. As such, this show is focused on artists local to the Elgin / Chicagoland area.
If you won’t be able to handle in-person drop-off & pickup, please talk to us prior to submitting.
We have welcomed the work of artists out of state if they are open to covering the shipping costs.
ReCREATE Artwork Drop-off!
The drop-off for this show is:
Saturday, November 1, 2025
10am-3pm
Sunday, November 2, 2025
11am-1pm
The Robin and Mark Seigle Gallery at Elgin ArtSpace Lofts
51 S. Spring St., Elgin, IL 60120
So what do you consider “ReCREATED” artwork?
- Salvaged thrift store paintings with monsters added
- “Precious Moments” figures painted to look Goth (bonus points for added sculptural elements)
- Cabinet doors used as frames
- Miniature dioramas built inside old CRT TV Cabinets
- “Dead” art supplies reborn in forms never intended. (Think chunks of old, dried paint found in the back of your closet.)
- Monsters built with fused parts of mismatched toys
- …and any other ways you are reusing items to keep them from the trash heap! (but obviously, no organic stuff that will rot! Compost that please.)
These are just a few ideas…but we really want to see what you’ll come up with. Surprise us with your reCREATIONS!
(Providing a “before” photo would be amazing too, so we can see the starting point.)
Opening Reception
Friday, November 7, 2025
Hours: 6pm-9pm
The Robin and Mark Seigle Gallery
at Elgin ArtSpace Lofts
51 S. Spring St.
Elgin, IL 60120
Closing Reception
Saturday, November 29, 2025
Hours: 11am-3pm
The Robin and Mark Seigle Gallery
at Elgin ArtSpace Lofts
51 S. Spring St.
Elgin, IL 60120
The show was made possible by grants from the Elgin Cultural Arts Commission and the Palmer Foundation.
