Creative minds across Chatham-Kent are being encouraged to showcase their talents.
A few local artists have teamed up to create the Chatham-Kent Art House Project.
Retired drama teacher and Wallaceburg resident Dan White is one of the people behind the idea.
He said the goal is to promote the art scene within Chatham-Kent.
"We were thinking with COVID, let's give people something to do while they're more or less housebound and give them a creative outlet, especially amateur and emerging artists in Chatham-Kent," he explained.
According to White, the project incorporates different phases.
The first phase is the visual arts element and runs until midnight at March 28.
Participants are encouraged to submit their visual artwork along with a brief written outline of the creative process. From the submissions, three works will be selected by a five-person jury.
The chosen works will then be posted online and begin Phase 2 of the project - The creative writing element.
Writers can select one of the three visual works that inspire them and write a 500-1,500 piece based on the visual art piece of their choosing.
"We talked about that a fair amount and thought we might have a brilliantly inspired poem that is only 500 words, we don't want to omit it because it wasn't a narrative story or short story," White explained."So, we expanded the [word] range a little bit."
Phase 2 is open from April 4 until May 2 at midnight. After the event closes, the jury will select six submissions, two per related work of art.
"It just gives some local artists some exposure and the incentive to create," said White. "Once this is done, we expect this to be successful, we've already started to brainstorm our next venture."
All selected artists will win a prize of $75 as well as have their artwork featured in a zine.
White said those young and old are encouraged to enter, however, at least one of the pieces selected in each phase will be a submission from a secondary school student in Chatham-Kent.
"We have specifically reserved one award in each of those categories for high school students," White explained."We really want young artists to be engaged in this. I have reached out to area art and English teachers to get them to hopefully get their students involved in this project."
More information can be found on the Chatham-Kent Art House website.
Submissions can be sent to chathamkentarthouseproject@gmail.com.
