New Brighton Gallery Flips Traditional Submission Gatekeeping, Demanding Artists Advocate for Their Vision
NEW BRIGHTON, WIRRAL – The Hatch Gallery announces a groundbreaking open call for artists that challenges the conventional art world expectation of quiet humility.
“PITCH ME: I’M DREAMING” invites bold, unapologetic artists to pitch themselves – not just their work – for an upcoming exhibition running from 12 September to 1 November 2025.
The innovative call directly confronts the long-standing tradition where artists are expected to remain silent and let their work “speak for itself.” Instead, The Hatch is demanding artists speak up, explain why their art matters, and advocate for why it deserves wall space and public attention.
“There is no place for false modesty that pervades the art world,” says Gallery Director/Curator Anneley Pickles. “Artists create because they have something vital to communicate. We want to hear that passion, that conviction, that belief in their own work’s importance.”
The free submission process requires artists to champion their vision with confidence, answering crucial questions: Do you have something to say? Can you advocate for your work like it demands to be seen? Are you ready to make your
declaration?
This approach reflects a growing movement challenging traditional power structures in the art world, where external validation has historically determined artistic worth.
“PITCH ME: I’M DREAMING” positions artists as the primary advocates for their own creative vision.
The exhibition will run Fridays and Saturdays only at The Hatch Gallery, New Brighton, with submissions closing on Wednesday 27 August 2025. Artists can apply through the gallery’s online form at https://forms.gle/GCTNMmmRJtNhayNE9
“Pitch Me: I’m Dreaming” – Why It’s Time for Artists to Shout About Their Work
The art world has a problem with confidence. For too long, we’ve perpetuated the myth that good art speaks for itself, that artists should remain humble, quiet, almost apologetic about their creative output. This cultural expectation has created generations of talented artists who struggle to articulate their worth, who downplay their achievements, who wait for external validation rather than claiming their space.
The Hatch Gallery in New Brighton on the Wirral has launched its latest open call, “PITCH ME: I’M DREAMING,” directly challenges this idea. To reflect a new confident vision of how things can be, The Hatch is not just seeking artwork, instead we are demanding artists become their own advocates, their own champions, their own loudest supporters.
The Tyranny of False Modesty
Walk into any artist’s studio, and you’ll likely encounter a fascinating contradiction.
Here are creators who pour their souls into their work, who spend countless hours perfecting their craft, who have genuine insights about the world around them – yet ask them to talk about their art’s importance, and they’ll often deflect, minimise, or apologise even. Yes, it happens.
This learned humility is a hurdle. We want artists to feel freed to be who they want to be, freed from shackles of quiet restraint and uncertainty. There are too many who remain invisible in an oversaturated market. It’s not serving galleries, who struggle to identify passionate voices among tentative submissions, and it’s certainly not serving audiences, who miss out on understanding the fire that drives creative expression.
So we thought we’d try and shake things up with a new focus.
The Power of the Pitch
What the new Open Call “PITCH ME: I’M DREAMING” recognises is that the ability to articulate artistic vision is not separate from creative talent – it’s part of it. When artists can confidently explain why their work matters, this is not being arrogant; they are being complete practitioners of their craft.
The best artists throughout history were no shrinking violets. Picasso didn’t quietly hope someone might notice his innovations. Frida Kahlo didn’t apologise for her unflinching self-portraits or eyebrows, ditto the Gallagher Brothers. Basquiat didn’t wait for permission to make statements about race and class, allowing the shake of the can to make the only noise. They have all understood that creating art is inherently an act of believing your perspective matters enough to demand attention.
Beyond the Gallery Walls
This call for artistic confidence extends far beyond exhibition opportunities. In an era where artists must navigate social media, grant applications, residency programs, and direct sales, the ability to champion your own work has become essential for survival. The artists who thrive aren’t necessarily the most talented – they’re often the ones who can most effectively communicate their talent’s value.
“PITCH ME: I’M DREAMING” is a fresh training ground for this reality. It’s asking artists to practice the skill of advocacy, to stretch and burn the muscle of self-promotion, to embrace the idea that believing in your work isn’t vanity – it is today’s necessity.
The Dreaming Element
The exhibition’s title includes a crucial word: dreaming. This isn’t about boastful ego or empty self-promotion. It’s about artists connecting with their deepest aspirations, their most ambitious visions for what their work can achieve in the world.
When artists pitch from a place of genuine dreaming, they’re not just describing what they’ve made – they’re articulating what they hope to create, change, or illuminate.
This forward-looking confidence is what transforms individual artistic practice into cultural contribution.
A New Model
What The Hatch is proposing could represent a fundamental shift in how we discover and celebrate artistic talent. Instead of waiting for critics, curators, or collectors to anoint the next important voice, this model empowers artists to claim that importance themselves.
The submission deadline of 27 August 2025 is a call to action. It’s asking artists to spend the coming months not just creating work, but developing the confidence to stand behind it, to argue for it, to dream about its potential impact.
In a world that often seems designed to diminish individual voices, “PITCH ME: I’M DREAMING” is a radical act of amplification. It’s saying that artists’ own assessment of their work’s value isn’t just valid – it’s essential.
The question isn’t whether your work is good enough to be seen. The question is: are you ready to dream big enough to demand it be seen?
The pitch starts now. The exhibition will run Fridays and Saturdays only at The Hatch Gallery, New Brighton, with submissions closing on Wednesday 27 August 2025.
Artists can apply through the gallery’s online form at https://forms.gle/GCTNMmmRJtNhayNE9
