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

Notification was made June 11, 2026

Virtual Awards Ceremony will be July 12 from  5 – 6 PM via Zoom

Introducing Off the Wall

Art has spent centuries hanging politely on walls, waiting to be looked at. Off the Wall is done waiting. We’re calling for sculptures that plant themselves in the room. That commands space. That makes someone walk around it, step back from it, or get uncomfortably close to it. Work that couldn’t exist any other way, in any other form, in any other place. The only question now is whether your work is brave enough to stand alone.

MFA exhibitions are blind juried by professional and credentialed art experts. Entry is open to artists residing in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Mexico. Any original free-standing 3D work that follows our exhibition guidelines will be considered. 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 Co-Chairs: Nichole Leavy and Amani Freeman

Click this icon to view and print the downloadable prospectus.

Juror: Wilfredo Valladares Lara, Sculpture Professor at AACC and Curator

Wilfredo Valladares is an award-winning, internationally recognized artist, educator, and curator. He is the founder of Arte Studio 28 and Perspectivas Latinas, initiatives dedicated to promoting and fostering Latinx and Caribbean artists, traditions, and cultures. His artwork is held in collections across the U.S., Latin and Central America, South Korea, and Italy.

Valladares is a tenured Full Professor in the Visual Arts Department at Anne Arundel Community College (AACC), where he also coordinates the Sculpture Program. He is the former Visual Arts Academic Chair at AACC. He serves on the Board of the Arts Council of Anne Arundel and is the former Board Co-Chair and Visual Arts Curator of the American Poetry Museum in Washington, DC.

He holds an MFA from the University of Maryland, College Park; a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art; and a Pedagogy Degree from Normal Mixta Matilde Cordova Viuda de Suazo. His international installations include Terzo Millennio (Milan, Italy; 1997) and Near and Far (Daegu, South Korea; 2014). Notable public art commissions include Pétalos Reflejantes (Silver Spring, Maryland; 2009) and Journey: Anacostia (Washington, DC; 2013).

Through his work and leadership, Valladares continues to transcend traditional paradigms of cross-cultural art. His practice bridges boundaries and connects diverse cultures, embedding history, memory, and personal experience into each creation.

Juror’s Statement

To be published with the awards on July 13.

Awards

Awards designated by the juror total $1,000.