Now Open for Entry

Deadline to Enter is May 13, 2026

Will be on Display July 8 – August 15, 2025 at Maryland Hall’s Earl Gallery

Please click the button above to enter this show on ArtCall.org. You will need to create a free account to enter your work.

We are using a new entry platform, that uses different terminology than you might be used to seeing. In ArtCall:

• You will be asked to pay for the number of artworks you’ll be uploading in advance. You can add more later.

• The word “application” means artwork, so one application is one work of art.

• “Attachments” means images of the artwork, you can upload up to 2 images. You do not need to pay extra for attachments.

For first time users, we recommend the following resources:

• The video tutorial linked on the call for entry page.
• Our blog post that walks you through the entry process step-by-step.
• Our FAQ section.

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

Click this icon to view and print the downloadable prospectus.

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.

Terms of Entry

• Entry is open to artists residing in 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 Equality 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, or social media. Images will include attribution wherever possible.
• Work cannot be withdrawn before the end of the event.

Liability

•  All work is blind juried. Artists’ name and identifying information is hidden from the juror. Watermarks are discouraged to ensure blind jurying.
• All work will be handled with all possible care, but pieces submitted for exhibition are at the artist’s risk. In the event of damage or theft, the MFA will not be held liable. If insurance is desired, the artist must carry it.

Awards

• Awards designated by the juror total $1,000.

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 at their own risk.
• For video submissions: you must put the link to the video in the Linked Web Resource field, and then upload a still frame from the video. For accepted video submissions, the artist will be expected to deliver the file to MFA on a thumbdrive.
• 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. If artwork is part of a limited edition, please state total number in the edition. 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).

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

• 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 Maryland Hall 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) on any work sold through MFA.
• Work must be for sale. Work may be set to Price on Request (POR).

Exhibition Schedule:

• Mar 17 Online Entry Opens for Submissions
• May 13 Entry Deadline
• Jun 11 Notification @ 5 PM
• Jul 1 – 2 Accepted and Shipped Work Must Arrive at Maryland Hall from 10 AM – 2 PM
• Jul 8 Exhibition Opens
• Jul 12 Virtual Awards Ceremony from  3:30 – 4:30 PM via Zoom
• Aug 15 Last Day of the Exhibition; In-Person Reception at Maryland Hall’s Earl Gallery 5:30 – 7 PM
• Aug 17 – 18 Pick Up Hand-Delivered Work from Maryland Hall 10 AM – 2 PM
• Aug 21  Shipped Work Will Be Sent

NOTE: Should Maryland Hall be closed for reasons beyond our control, MFA reserves the right to move a planned physical exhibit to our online gallery.

Notification

All entrants will receive notification by email. Accepted artists will also be posted on MFA’s website. Artists who have unsubscribed from MFA emails will not receive notification. The notice to accepted artists will include specific details and could vary from the prospectus. Please set your email account to recognize eleanor@mdfedart.org and info@mdfedart.org. Contact Circle Gallery if you do not receive notice by 6 PM on the day of notification.