Deadline to Enter was September 18

Artists will be notified of their acceptance status on October 17 @ 5 PM

Introducing Small Wonders 

Life is full of little things that can make a big impact. The little details come together to form a bigger picture, or in this case, an exhibition of small but wonderful works. This show is for artists who dream big but work small. Work is limited to under 11 inches in all directions, but there’s no limit on creativity or media. Maryland Federation of Art (MFA) invites all artists residing in any of the states or territories of the US, Canada, or Mexico to enter our 21st annual Small Wonders exhibition. All original 2D or 3D work under 11 inches in all directions (including the frame and display!) and following exhibition guidelines will be considered. Works selected by the juror will be exhibited in MFA’s Circle Gallery from November 27 – December 21, 2024.

Click this icon to view and print the downloadable prospectus.

Juror: Tatiana Flores, Jefferson Scholars Foundation Edgar F. Shannon Professor of Art History

Tatiana Flores is a scholar of the visual culture of the hemispheric Americas, specializing in modern and contemporary Latin American, Caribbean and Latinx art. She is the author of the award-winning monograph Mexico’s Revolutionary Avant-Gardes: From Estridentismo to ¡30-30! (Yale University Press, 2013). Committed to public-facing work, she has been active as an independent curator for over two decades. She curated the critically acclaimed Relational Undercurrents: Contemporary Art of the Caribbean Archipelago for the Getty Foundation’s Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA initiative in 2017. A major survey exhibition described as having “seismic importance,” it featured over eighty contemporary artists with roots in the insular Caribbean. Through the framework of the archipelago, Relational Undercurrents located thematic continuities in a region that has long been regarded as fragmented and incomprehensible.

A 2017-18 Getty Scholar, Flores received the 2016 Arts Writers book prize from the Andy Warhol Foundation and was the 2007-2008 Cisneros Visiting Scholar at the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University. She previously served as president of the Association for the Study of the Arts of the Present (ASAP) and was chair of the editorial board of Art Journal. Flores is a senior editor and founding editorial board member of ASAP/Journal. Her co-edited volume The Routledge Companion to Decolonizing Art History is forthcoming.

Through her research, teaching and service, Flores advocates on behalf of disenfranchised and marginalized communities, artists and historical actors. This fall, she will be teaching the art history colloquium “Caribbean Aesthetics.”

Terms of Entry

  • Entry is open to artists residing in the any of the states or territories of the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
  • Entering this exhibition indicates understanding and agreement on the part of the artist with the conditions stated herein and with (a) MFA’s approved Statement of Equity and Diversity and (b) MFA’s General Guidelines. Work must meet exhibition guidelines to be included in the event. MFA may determine work ineligible if entry guidelines are not followed. Work delivered must correspond with the image(s) submitted to the juror.
  • Images of accepted works may be used at the sole discretion of MFA for promotional purposes including, but not limited to: the invitation, catalog, website, social media, or a subsequent year’s prospectus. Images will include attribution wherever possible.
  • Work cannot be withdrawn before the end of the event.

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.

Awards

  • Cash awards total $1000

Entry Requirements

  • All work must be uploaded through artcall.org. File size may be no more than 10 MB. Images for the juror must correspond with the actual work. MFA does not display watermarks; artists display them at their own risk.
  • All entries must be original and completed solely by the artist’s hand. A maximum of 6 original works created within the past 3 years may be entered. Work previously exhibited at MFA Circle Gallery is not eligible for re-entry.

Entry Fee

  • 1 or 2 entries $45 (MFA Members $30). Up to 4 additional entries $6.75 each (MFA Members $4.50). Entry fees are non-refundable.

Work

  • Images for the juror must correspond with the actual work.
  • All entries must be original and completed solely by the artist’s hand. A maximum of 6 original works created within the past 3 years may be entered.
  • Work previously exhibited at MFA Circle Gallery is not eligible for re-entry.
  • Maximum size of work, including edges of artwork or frame, cannot exceed 72″ in any direction. Artists may be asked to assist with the installation of oversized work (greater than 60″ or over 40 lbs.).

Sales

  • Artists will retain 70% from sales (75% for MFA Members). MFA will retain 30% commission (25% for MFA Members at the time of the sale) on and work sold through MFA.
  • Work must be for sale. Work may be set to Price on Request (POR).

Exhibition Schedule:

  • Jul 9 Online Entry Opens for Submissions
  • Sept 18 Entry Deadline
  • Oct 17 Notification @ 5 PM
  • Nov 20 – 24 Accepted and Shipped Work Must Arrive at MFA Circle Gallery from 11 AM – 4 PM
  • Nov 27 Exhibition Opens
  • Dec 1 Virtual Awards Ceremony from 4 – 5 PM via Zoom
  • Dec 5 Reception at MFA Circle Gallery from 6– 8 PM
  • Dec 21 Last Day of the Exhibition
  • Dec 22 – 23, 27 – 30 Pick-up Hand-Delivered Work from 11 AM – 4 PM
  • Jan 8 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.