On Display July 8 – August 15, 2026 at Maryland Hall’s EARL Gallery

Closing Reception on August 15 from 5:30 – 7 PM at Maryland Hall’s EARL Gallery

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Introducing Art in Abstraction 

Abstraction shows that artists do not have to recreate the visible world exactly to say something powerful. Through color, form, gesture, scale, and composition, they can translate feeling, memory, movement, and energy into visual language. In the spirit of artists like Lee Krasner, Helen Frankenthaler, Joan Mitchell, Elaine de Kooning, Willem de Kooning, and Franz Kline, abstraction becomes more than a style. It becomes a way of expressing emotion, atmosphere, and experience that can feel just as vivid and meaningful as representation.

MFA (Maryland Federation of Art) exhibitions are blind juried by professional and credentialed art experts. MFA invites all artists to enter an exhibition that welcomes 2D and 3D abstract work for Maryland Hall’s Earl Gallery. This exhibition is open to artists residing in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Mexico. All eligible fine art entries in any media will be considered by the juror. Selected works will be displayed in this MFA-organized exhibition at Maryland Hall’s Earl Gallery in Annapolis, MD from July 8 – August 15, 2026. Exhibition Chair: Amani Freeman

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Juror: Patrick Schmidt, Abstract Artist and Professor at Washington & Jefferson College

With over 40 solo and 70 group shows throughout the US and Europe, Patrick Schmidt designs for both public and private spaces. His colorful geometric abstract paintings have a deep connection to the mid-20C hard-edge/op-art movements that were developed in France and South America, as well as the Pattern & Decoration Movement from the mid-1970s-1980s in the United States. He see’s pattern functioning as an extension of popular culture which has a connection to economic, social, and ethnic identifiers. From cold war patterning of propaganda to the meditative patterning of an Islamic Mosque.

As a colorist by nature, Schmidt uses pigment to talk about the world, partly as internal dialog, partly as outward observation. Schmidt employs a network of color schemes (what he refers to as “color communities”), to resolve the compositional disparity in his work that mirrors today’s overtly divisive and political environment. Although his work would never be included in a minimalist exhibition, minimalism (visual and sound), correlates to the slow development/contemplation of his work, in the sense of a Buddhist Mandala.

When not in the studio, Schmidt is teaching at Washington & Jefferson College and lives with his wife & dog in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Juror’s Statement

The work in the show reflects the many ways Abstractionists explore the world and themselves. I was impressed by the variety of submitted media—from the sophisticated doodle drawing to the painterly use of a digital format. I was equally struck by the different genres represented—each celebrating or commenting on the human condition. 

Process

I approach jurying without any preconceived notions and let each work speak to me. After looking at every work multiple times and understanding the size of each work in relation to the image, I read the artist statements to get to know the work on a more intimate level. I began with the 5-6 pieces that drew me in and spent a few hours with them every evening. Interestingly, these initial works represented every category/genre within the exhibition. 

Awards

After my initial round, I knew “Dreaming of Monet” was my top choice. The brush strokes suggest a digital influence which transforms the work into a pointillistic landscape. It truly is a sublime painting. The mathematical, transformed photo “Lantana Tapestry” was another first-round pick with its sensual, kaleidoscopic feel. The structured precision of “Intersecting Signals” has a beautiful blend of the elements of design. “High Moral Ground” was a late qualifier, but its size/scale and proportion convinced me of its excellence. Similarly, there are many reasons why “Coronavirus Elegy” both conceptually and materially captured my attention. It too was a first-round pick. The four Honorable Mention pieces are all dramatic works that could easily have been among my top choices.

In conclusion, thank you to all the artists who submitted work, especially to the artists who are exhibiting, for sharing your work with me. I truly enjoyed studying and analyzing your art. I want to encourage all the artists to continue their journey in the world of Abstraction.

-Patrick Schmidt

Awards

First Place

• Dreaming of Monet by Heidi Theresa Manfred

Second Place

• Lantana Tapestry by Allen Hirsh

Third Place

• Intersecting Signals by Jim McGillin

Juror’s Choice

• Moral High Ground by Karen Schulz
• Coronavirus Elegy by Lauren E. Cassidy

Honorable Mentions

• Linear Sphere by Michael Gouker
• Intervals by John Verdi
• blackredorange by Mark Cameron
• Random Patterns by Wil Scott

Awards designated by the juror total $1,000.

*Award contributors and recipients will also be listed in the exhibition catalog.