Dream House

Permanent, secure, and affordable housing is out of reach for many. As real estate prices and rents outpace wage growth, people find themselves in increasingly precarious living situations— forced to make impossible decisions as they struggle to prioritize shelter alongside other basic needs. Even as our landscape fills with new construction, countless people cannot reliably sleep or live indoors. The idea of home and belonging has become an unattainable fantasy for those struggling to become — or remain — rooted in their communities.

Accelerating climate change only deepens these inequities. Flooding, erosion, and drought fall hardest on those already marginalized: migrants and day laborers, service and hospitality workers, senior citizens, low-income individuals, and people living with mental illness. 

Visible homelessness is rising sharply, pointing to a corresponding and less-seen surge in non-visible housing insecurity. The severe imbalance between housing supply and demand creates fertile ground for exploitative and predatory practices — targeting, in particular, those who do not own property.

This exhibition invites each of us to examine our own relationship to shelter and security. What happens to the human psyche when the material realities of modern life deny people the chance to put down roots? What role does the history of colonialism and displacement play in today’s crisis? Who builds our homes — and can those laborers find dwellings of their own? What is lost when daily life cannot be lived with the dignity of a private interior space? What can the securely housed do to advocate for their neighbors? 

Who has the right to live in comfort and safety, and who is denied it?

Dream House also opens space to examine the many intersecting forces that shape access to shelter: gender, labor, citizenship, safety, identity, health, family, climate change, and generational wealth.

 Dream House: Dwelling in Fantasy

A Call for Proposals on the Theme of Housing Insecurity

Artistic Discipline: Visual, Writing, and Performative Arts

Exhibition Opens: January 2027

Initial Submission Deadline: September 5, 2026

No Entry Fee

About the Exhibit

Dream House: Dwelling in Fantasy began in 2024, when artist and curator Margot Stroop

organized an inaugural exhibition in Bellingham, Washington. That multi-genre exhibit

centered the voices and firsthand experiences of artists navigating housing insecurity and the impacts of gentrification, exploring the housing crisis through many lenses.

This second chapter comes to the Clyde and Mary Harris Gallery at Walla Walla University, with a focus on housing in rural communities throughout the Pacific Northwest.

To Apply: Follow the link above. Accepted artists receive $300 to help offset costs of arts

production. Modest funds are available to help cover shipping and presentation costs for artists who need extra support. Funding for these portions of participation will be determined after jury selection and show planning has begun. Inquiries can be sent to Margot Stroop

margotstroop@gmail.com.

Eligibility

We welcome proposals for original works in visual, written, or performative arts that center the voices and experiences of people impacted by the housing crisis. Selected works will:

• Connect to themes of home, house, belonging, and ownership

• Engage with the idea that security can be an unattainable fantasy

• Address one or more intersectional dimensions of housing insecurity

• Be appropriate for an interactive, family-friendly exhibition space

We invite proposals for visual, written, interactive, performative, temporary, and/or site-specific works. Both existing works and proposals for new pieces will be considered.

Because Walla Walla University is located in the Pacific Northwest, priority will be given to work that addresses the housing crisis in this region. That said, work exploring the crisis in broader or other regional contexts may also be a strong fit.

Family-Friendly Guidelines

The Clyde and Mary Harris Gallery is located on the campus of Walla Walla University, a

Seventh-day Adventist institution. Please review the campus guidelines before submitting.

https://www.wallawalla.edu/about-wwu/general-information/our-mission

Submission Details

Location: College Place, WA

Point of Contact: Margot Stroop

Email: MargotStroop@gmail.com

Deadline: September 5, 2026

We welcome proposals for original works in visual, written, or performative arts that center the voices and experiences of people impacted by the housing crisis. Selected works will:

• Connect to themes of home, house, belonging, and ownership

• Engage with the idea that security can be an unattainable fantasy

• Address one or more intersectional dimensions of housing insecurity

• Be appropriate for an interactive, family-friendly exhibition space

We invite proposals for visual, written, interactive, performative, temporary, and/or site-specific works. Both existing works and proposals for new pieces will be considered.

Because Walla Walla University is located in the Pacific Northwest, priority will be given to work that addresses the housing crisis in this region. That said, work exploring the crisis in broader or other regional contexts may also be a strong fit.

Family-Friendly Guidelines

The Clyde and Mary Harris Gallery is located on the campus of Walla Walla University, a

Seventh-day Adventist institution. Please review the campus guidelines before submitting.

https://www.wallawalla.edu/about-wwu/general-information/our-mission

Submission Details

Location: College Place, WA

Point of Contact: Margot Stroop

Email: MargotStroop@gmail.com

Deadline: September 5, 2026