About the Exhibition

This year’s Healing Arts exhibition, The Fatherhood Effect, positions fatherhood as a public health approach to healthier living. By elevating local stories and lived experiences, the exhibition invites reflection on how fatherhood has evolved over the past three decades—and how meaningful, engaged fatherhood contributes to healthier children, stronger families, and more connected communities.

Research shows that when fathers are actively involved in their children’s lives emotionally, physically, and socially, children experience long-term benefits related to learning, mental health, emotional regulation, and social development. Engaged fatherhood has also been linked to stronger communication skills, improved academic outcomes, and greater emotional resilience.

Through the arts in public health, The Fatherhood Effect highlights fathers as present, nurturing, and deeply involved in caregiving. The exhibition challenges outdated stereotypes that define fathers solely as providers, instead emphasizing care, emotional connection, and shared responsibility as essential elements of fatherhood.

As a juried community exhibition, The Fatherhood Effect invites visual stories that explore fatherhood as a pathway to individual and community well-being. Together, these works encourage reflection on the impact of fathers’ care in our lives—and how, in turn, we can better care for our fathers.

Submit my artwork

Is this show right for you?

We are seeking visual artworks that explore the lived experience of fatherhood through emotional, social, and cultural lenses. Artists of all skill levels and backgrounds are encouraged to apply, including caregivers, older adults, young or first-time fathers, and individuals with artistic, medical, educational, or community-based experience.

This exhibition centers on visual stories that reflect how fathers care—through presence, relationship, and everyday acts—and how that care shapes children’s emotional well-being, mental health, and development over time.

Ask yourself

  • Does my work explore fatherhood, caregiving, or the father–child relationship?
  • Does it communicate lived experience, emotion, memory, or reflection?
  • Does it challenge or reinforce stereotypes?
  • Does it expand how fatherhood and masculinity are understood?
  • Does it reflect the impact—big or small—of a father’s presence, absence, or care?

If you answer yes, maybe, or even I’m still exploring, we encourage you to submit. This exhibition welcomes honest, thoughtful, and evolving perspectives on what fatherhood can mean.

Ready to Submit?

Submit My Artwork

Please be sure to review the rules and guidelines below. The deadline for artwork submission is March 31, 2026.

  • Applicants must be 18 years or older and residents of the greater Houston area.
  • Individual artists may submit two (2) artworks or one series of up to two (2) pieces for consideration.
  • Only two-dimensional (2-D) artworks are accepted (see full guidelines below).

All submissions will be reviewed by The Health Museum staff for eligibility before juror review. Artwork must be appropriate for public viewing by all ages. Selected works will be displayed at The Health Museum for the duration of the exhibition, August 2026 through January 2027. Works deemed non-relevant, inappropriate, or inconsistent with the exhibition theme may be disqualified at The Health Museum’s discretion.

The Health Museum welcomes a range of visual art media; however, due to the nature of our space—which serves thousands of children, families, and school groups each month—all submitted work must be safe for public display and durable in a high-traffic environment.

Accepted works include painting, drawing, photography, digital art, and mixed media. This year’s exhibition is limited to visual arts only; sculpture and three-dimensional works will not be accepted.

  • All works must be 36 inches or smaller in any direction (including frame, if applicable).
  • All submissions must be original work created by the applicant. Plagiarism or copyright infringement will result in disqualification.
  • Each artwork must be submitted as a separate application. Artists may submit up to two (2) total entries, with one work per submission form.
  • Multiple clean digital images are required to show the full work, details, and presentation. Images must be 2–10 MB with a minimum resolution of 150 dpi.

Please avoid materials that are

  • Fragile or easily damaged (e.g., unprotected glass)
  • Sharp or hazardous (e.g., exposed wires, sharp edges)
  • Degradable, odorous, or organic (e.g., untreated natural materials, food)
  • Toxic or unstable (e.g., uncured resins, aerosols)
  • Excessively heavy or difficult to mount securely

Museum staff reserves the right to adjust display plans as needed to ensure public safety and the preservation of artwork. All submitted works must align with The Health Museum’s mission to foster curiosity and understanding around health, well-being, and the human experience. Artists are encouraged to visit The Health Museum to better understand the exhibition environment.

Rose Tylinski

Healing Arts Program Managerrtylinski@thehealthmuseum.org713.337.8461

Please reach out for questions or more information about this exhibit