Explore our current open calls and join us in amplifying marginalized voices.

Open Call for Art: Another Technology Is Possible

Artificial intelligence is often presented as inevitable.

But behind every technology are decisions about labor, resources, ownership, power, and who benefits from innovation.

Philadelphia Printworks invites artists, designers, and grassroots organizations to submit artwork exploring technology as a site of struggle, possibility, and collective imagination.

We're interested in work that examines the systems behind AI and digital technologies, including:

  • The environmental and racial impacts of data center development on historically marginalized communities
  • The environmental impact of AI, including energy consumption, water usage, and resource extraction
  • Surveillance, policing, privacy, and data collection
  • Racial bias and discrimination in algorithms
  • Labor, automation, and worker exploitation
  • Capitalism, corporate power, and the commodification of human data
  • Colonialism, ownership, and digital extraction

We're equally interested in work that asks broader questions:

  • What technologies have been overlooked, forgotten, or excluded from dominant narratives of progress?
  • What technologies already exist within our communities?
  • What technologies emerge from values such as care, reciprocity, stewardship, accessibility, and collective liberation?

From community networks and open-source movements to ancestral knowledge systems, artists are invited to imagine technological futures beyond extraction and inequality.

What other technologies are possible?

Selected designs may be licensed for inclusion in the Philadelphia Printworks Marketplace through our standard artist licensing program.

Submit your work through our Open Submission Program. For further information, please refer to our submission FAQ at the bottom of the submission form.

For any inquiries, please reach out to info@philadelphiaprintworks.com.

Call for Submissions: Abolish ICE

The U.S. immigration detention system is inherently abusive, unjust, and fatally flawed beyond repair. From family separation to indefinite detention and deportation, ICE represents an ongoing threat to the rights, safety, and dignity of immigrant communities.

People navigating their immigration cases should be able to do so in community—not behind bars or under surveillance. Humane detention is not possible. Detention centers routinely violate basic human rights, and Black immigrants in particular face disproportionate targeting and abuse. Incarceration is not a solution.

Philadelphia Printworks invites artists to submit work that demands the abolition of ICE and envisions a world rooted in justice, care, and collective liberation. We reject the idea that livelihoods should depend on the existence of detention centers, and we believe our communities deserve more than harm disguised as opportunity.

We thank Juntos, a community-led, Latine, immigrant organization in South Philadelphia, for helping inform our education around this issue. Their advocacy and leadership continue to shape our understanding of what abolition can look like.

This call for submissions is ongoing, with no set deadline. A minimum of 25% of net proceeds from the sale of all products must be donated to a recognized organization dedicated to immigrant justice or deportation defense. Eligible submissions may include, but are not limited to, posters, zines, and apparel designs.

To participate, please fill out the market submission form.

All submissions will be evaluated under our standard open submission guidelines. Accepted submissions will be prioritized. For further information, please refer to our submission FAQs.

For any inquiries, please reach out to info@philadelphiaprintworks.com.

Archived Initiatives

Reproductive Justice (October 2024 - June 2025)

Reproductive Justice is: “...the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities.” — SisterSong: Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective

In June 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, transferring the power to regulate abortion to state governments. This decision has resulted in abortions being made illegal in many states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas, significantly restricting access to reproductive healthcare for millions and leaving many without safe, legal options for abortion services.

Philadelphia Printworks invites artists to submit work that advocates for reproductive freedom for all.

This call for submissions is ongoing, with no set deadline. A minimum of 25% of net proceeds from the sale of all products must be donated to a recognized organization dedicated to the cause of reproductive justice. Eligible submissions may include, but are not limited to, posters, zines, and apparel designs.

To participate, please fill out the market submission form.

All submissions will be evaluated under our standard open submission guidelines. Accepted submissions will be prioritized. For further information, please refer to our submission FAQs.

For any inquiries, please reach out to info@philadelphiaprintworks.com.

Ceasefire Now! (March 2024 - June 2025)

Philadelphia Printworks invited artists to champion Palestinian solidarity and call for an immediate ceasefire through their creative works. This call, now archived, welcomed a variety of submissions, including posters, zines, and apparel designs.

While the open call had no set deadline, it remained active as a platform for artists to express support and raise awareness until significant developments necessitated a transition. In response to evolving needs and the establishment of a ceasefire, designs focusing on ongoing Palestinian liberation have been integrated into a new Free Palestine collection. This move ensures the continuity of support for Palestinian causes.

Throughout its duration, the "Ceasefire Now!" call successfully raised $13,750.00. We are proud of the impact and solidarity demonstrated through this initiative and grateful to all contributors whose artistry has fueled meaningful change.