Notification will be made on June 13, 2023

The deadline to enter was May 10, 2023

Introducing Eye of the Beholder: The Art of the Found Object

Inspiration can come from anywhere. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure, or in this case, the beginning of a found object assemblage artwork. Eye of the Beholder: The Art of the Found Object is a biennial found object art exhibition now in its 8th year. This exhibition will showcase fine art constructed from ordinary, everyday objects that have been scavenged and repurposed into art by the artist. All original 2D or 3D work following exhibition guidelines is eligible for this exhibition. Please note that art including, but not constructed of found objects, and photographs or paintings of assemblage art or found objects are not eligible for this show. Works selected by the juror will be exhibited in MFA’s Circle Gallery from Jul 26 – Aug 26, 2023. Exhibition Chair: Angela Petruncio.

Click this icon to view and print the downloadable prospectus.

Juror: Toni-Lee Sangastiano

As a scholar of the carnivalesque and a multidisciplinary artist, Dr. Toni-Lee Sangastiano studies the postmodern sideshow’s American and European processional original, and its relevance to contemporary language, aesthetics, and media. She makes visible the people and spaces of the postmodern sideshow, the codes of normality they challenge as social activism onstage, and the circus through contemporary realism and maker technology. As a leading sideshow banner painter and scholar, she produced this early form of advertisement for the last permanent sideshow in Coney Island during the “sideshow Renaissance” of the 1990s. Sangastiano also approaches the circus and the sideshow, two distinct types of performances, through documentary photography, mixed media, and video. She is primarily trained in visual arts, art theory, and aesthetics, and her work engages the analysis of power structures and language. She is an Associate Professor of the Practice in the Art & Art History Department and a Medical Humanities faculty member at Georgetown University. Learn more and see her work at sangastiano.com.

Juror’s Statement

*coming soon.

Awards

  • Cash awards total $1,000

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

Information for Accepted Artists

Exhibition Schedule

Exhibition Schedule:

  • Mar 15 Online Entry Opens for Submissions
  • May 10 Entry Deadline
  • Jun 13 Notification @ 5 PM
  • Jul 19 – 23 Accepted and Shipped Work Must Arrive at MFA Circle Gallery
  • Jul 26 Exhibition Opens
  • Aug 6 Virtual Awards Ceremony from 4 – 5 PM via Zoom
  • Aug 26 Last Day of the Exhibition; Closing Reception at MFA Circle Gallery from 4 – 6 PM
  • Aug 27 –  28 Pick-up Hand-Delivered Work 11 AM – 4 PM
  • Aug 30 Shipped Work Will Be Sent

NOTE: Should Circle Gallery or any other exhibition space be closed for reasons beyond our control, MFA reserves the right to move a planned physical exhibit to our online gallery.

Delivery and Shipping

Delivery

  • All work delivered to the gallery must have the following information affixed to the non-viewing side of the artwork:
    • Artist Name
    • Address, phone number, and email
    • Title of the work, medium, and price. Be specific with medium descriptions (e.g., oil on hardboard or canvas, not oil; chromogenic print or archival inkjet print, not photography or digital print; oil pastel on paper, not pastel; etc.)
  • Work must arrive on scheduled dates.
  • Paintings must be dry.
  • Measure to ensure work meets size limitations before delivery, include outer edges of frames. Work not in compliance with the exhibition guidelines and MFA’s General Guidelines will not be exhibited. No exceptions. Work delivered must correspond with the images submitted to the juror.
  • All shipped work must include a bar-coded shipping label. Do not send by United States Postal Service (USPS). We prefer UPS but accept FedEx. No shipping peanuts allowed.
  • Please affix packing/repacking instructions to OUTSIDE of the shipping box.
  • Tips on shipping can be viewed on the RedDotBlog

Pickup and Storage

Pickup and Storage

  • When the exhibit ends, unless specified otherwise, you may pick up your work no earlier than 6:00 PM on the closing day of the exhibit.
  • Unless previous arrangements have been made, work placed in storage after announced pickup dates will be subject to a fine of $10 per piece, per week. Work left in storage longer than two (2) weeks shall become MFA property and may be disposed of, or used for fundraising purposes. There are no exceptions.

Liability

Liability

  • Artwork will be handled with all possible care. MFA will not be responsible or liable for loss or damage from any cause whatsoever. Insurance, if desired, must be carried by the artist.

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Sales

Sales

  • All work entered into any exhibition must be for sale unless prior agreements are made, and marked either with a price or POR for Price On Request.
  • Artists will retain 70% from sales (75% for MFA Members). MFA will retain 30% commission (25% for MFA Members) on any work sold through MFA.
  • The sale of artwork is taxable and all sales tax processing will be handled by MFA.
  • Sold artwork requiring shipment will be handled by MFA with costs collected from the buyer. Buyers will be asked if the work may be retained until the exhibit ends. If the buyer disagrees, the Gallery will let the work go, and the artist will be informed.
  • MFA asks that artists donate 20% from any sale made through a direct referral from MFA within three months. All donations are used to help defray operating costs of the Maryland Federation of Art and are tax-deductible by the artists to the full extent of the law.

Notification

All entrants will be sent notice by email. Artists who have unsubscribed from MFA emails will not receive a notification. The notice to accepted artists will include specific details and could vary from the prospectus. A list of accepted artists and artwork will also be posted on MFA’s website. Please set your email account to recognize notification@mdfedart.org and info@mdfedart.org. Contact Circle Gallery if you do not receive notice by 5 PM on the day of notification.