The anthology, Compton: Reflections on Art and the City, aims to analyze the intellectual and creative contributions of Compton artists and their works and explore the city of Compton as an important site of artistic and historical production. We seek essays and criticism that interpret and evaluate recognized and underrecognized Compton artists and their individual or collective bodies of work within the contexts of larger artistic movements, artistic and cultural impact, and intersections of art, place, and culture.

Call for Anthology Submissions

Compton: Reflections on Art and the City

Editors: Jenise Miller, Kency Cornejo, and Rosalind McGary

Submit:https://tinyurl.com/CPT-Arts

Deadline: August 23, 2024, 11:59 pm PST

Kaya Fortune, John Outterbridge, 2015 

The city of Compton, California rose to global fame and notoriety through the arts. From serving as an outpost for the Black Arts Movement in the west through the Compton Communicative Arts Academy in the 1960s - 1970s to the setting for the explosive rap scene that gave the world an image of Black American life “straight outta Compton,” artists from this relatively small city defined perceptions and realities of West Coast culture and American culture broadly. With Charles Dickson’s upcoming Car Culture sculpture as a centerpiece of the largest Black public art project in the U.S. and Kendrick Lamar’s instant chart topping “diss-turned-anthem” Not Like Us, Compton artists continue to represent in significant arenas of popular arts and culture. 

The anthology, Compton: Reflections on Art and the City, aims to analyze the intellectual and creative contributions of Compton artists and their works and explore the city of Compton as an important site of artistic and historical production. We seek essays and criticism that interpret and evaluate recognized and underrecognized Compton artists and their individual or collective bodies of work within the contexts of larger artistic movements, artistic and cultural impact, and intersections of art, place, and culture. We are interested in submissions that engage the following themes and welcome relevant submissions outside of these categories: 

• Compton and the Literary Imagination: analyzing works by authors from Compton and representations of Compton in literature

• Compton Visual Artists and Art: analyzing works by visual artists from Compton and/or works inspired, reflected, or represented by the city 

• Compton Freestyle: exploring stories and works in Compton contributions to music, dance, and movement

• Compton Off the Wall: exploring Compton public art and architecture histories   

• Compton Unscripted: exploring Compton in film and theater and/or the works of filmmakers from the city

• Compton Culture(s): exploring creative practices in Compton culture and living (e.g. family/community archives, fashion trends, hobbies, gatherings/events, placemaking, etc.) beyond or across the above categories and/or that address specific socio-political (e.g. arts and activism, groups or collectives, community organizing, etc.) or other themes through an artistic lens

• Compton Futurities: exploring art and creative practices that center speculative or futuristic narratives, technologies, and possibilities and/or envision Compton through the lens of Afrofuturism, Indigenous futurism, and/or Latinx futurism

We seek submissions that expand our collective understanding of the city and its artists and their creative works, lineages, and stories. Submissions should draw upon research and/or lived experiences and be written in accessible language for wide audiences. We are open to submissions from emerging and experienced writers and critics residing in the United States. Writers will be compensated for the publication of their work. We may also be able to assist with the cost of image reproduction fees and accessing archival images and photographic scans.  

The anthology builds upon the Sēpia Collective “Reading the City” conversations with artists from Compton and related essays cross-published in the Compton: Arts and Archives series. 

Submission Form: 

Please use the following link to submit a 1-2 paragraph summary or abstract for previously unpublished work, a short bio, your connection to Compton and/or interest in Compton arts, and relevant experiences and/or qualifications: https://tinyurl.com/CPT-Arts 

Submission deadline: Friday, August 23, 2024, 11:59pm PST. 

Editors will be in contact after the submission period closes. Writers whose summaries are accepted will be asked to submit a full draft within 4 weeks of notification of acceptance.

Please email any questions to anthology@thecomptonartsproject.org

Website:https://thecomptonartsproject.org/anthology