On Display August 15 – September 30, 2025

Sales Gallery   Virtual Gallery    Watch The Juror Talk

Introducing Celebrating 250

Celebrate 250: Commemorating America’s 250-Year Heritage Through Art

For two and a half centuries, the United States has been shaped by a dynamic tapestry of innovation, resilience, and cultural exchange. Celebrate 250 invites artists to honor this rich legacy by exploring the nation’s diverse narratives, pivotal moments, and enduring spirit. This exhibition seeks works that capture the essence of American history and identity, encouraging creative interpretations that pay tribute to 250 years of progress, struggle, and triumph.

We are looking for artists who are eager to break away from conventional depictions of historical motifs and create bold, evocative pieces that highlight the multifaceted story of the United States. Whether through abstracted imagery, mixed media installations, contemporary twists on national symbols, or inventive use of color and form, we invite you to celebrate the legacy of America’s past while illuminating the possibilities for its future. Let your work pay homage to the founding ideals, cultural evolutions, and personal experiences that collectively weave into the nation’s narrative. Any original 2D and 3D artwork in any media will be considered. Works selected by the juror will be exhibited in MFA’s Virtual Gallery from August 15 – September 30, 2025.

Click this icon to view and print the downloadable prospectus.

Juror: Martina Dodd: Art historian and curator

Martina Dodd is an Atlanta based art historian and curator. She is currently the Program Director of Curation and Object-Based Learning at the Atlanta University Center (AUC) Robert W. Woodruff Library and a founding editor of DIRT, a writing collective and online journal advocating for critical discourse and increased accessibility in the arts.

She has curated exhibitions for Clark Atlanta University Art Museum, AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library, Prince George’s African American Museum and Cultural Center, Madison-Morgan Cultural Center, Transformer, and DC Arts Center. She routinely partners with academic institutions and art organizations to curate innovative and inclusive conference programming. Her recent programming highlights include “Inclusive Innovation: Designing the Future of Atlanta” for the Atlanta Studies Symposium in 2021, “Sustaining Futures” for Common Field Convening in 2021, and “Toward a Radical Imagination: HBCU, Digital Libraries, and Authentic Collaboration” for the Council on Library and Information Resources/Digital Library Federation (CLIR/DLF) and the HBCU Library Alliance in 2023.

In 2019, she was selected as an inaugural mentee for the Association of Art Museum Curators Mentorship Program and a 2022 Authenticity Fellow for the HBCU Library Alliance and the Digital Library Federation. She holds a M.A. in the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas from the University of East Anglia and a B.A. in Anthropology and International Studies from Johns Hopkins University.

Juror’s Statement

This exhibition explores the layered complexities of American identity, reflecting on 250 years of cultural, political, and environmental transformation. Through painting, photography, and digital media, artists document significant moments in time—bearing witness to movements, milestones, and ongoing struggles that have shaped the soul of the nation. The works prompt viewers to reflect on how historical narratives are told: through reenactments that celebrate tradition, or revisionist approaches that seek a more honest and inclusive truth.

Artists interrogate the legacies of civil unrest and the tension between national pride and systemic injustice, challenging the myths of American exceptionalism while honoring the resilience of its people. The exhibition also considers the evolving relationship between nature and technology, drawing parallels between the country’s westward expansion and today’s digital frontiers shaped by AI and innovation.

Set against the beauty of our local landscape, these works ask us to consider where we stand as Americans—grappling with our past, navigating the present, and imagining a future that is more just, sustainable, and unified. Through art, we commemorate not only what America has been, but what it still strives to become.

Awards

Juror’s Choices

  • Sandstorm by Steven Borko
  • Ruby by Marisa Canino
  • The road less traveled by Jamie Hardges
  • Underground Railroad by Dave Mann

Honorable Mentions

  • INSURRECTION by Irene Martinelli
  • The Fall of Infamy by Sergio Cesario
  • Eagle Feather by Hima Jain
  • And Still, We Dance by Leigh Lafosse
  • White America by Lissa Rosenthal-Yoffe

Awards designated by the juror total $500.

Information for Accepted Artists

Exhibition Schedule

Exhibition Schedule:

  • Apr 15 Online Entry Opens for Submissions
  • June 18 Entry Deadline
  • Jul 17 Notification @ 5 PM
  • Aug 15 Exhibition Opens
  • Sep 9 Awards Announced @ 5 PM
  • Sep 30 Last Day of the Exhibition

Liability

Liability

MFA shall not be liable for any special or consequential damages that result from the use of, or inability to use, MFA’s online exhibition gallery.

Sales

Sales

  • Only artists in the 48 contiguous United States may set a price. MFA will reimburse appropriate shipping costs to those artists for online sales shipments.
  • Artists will retain 80% from sales (85% for MFA Members). MFA will retain 20% commission (15% 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. Artists will be responsible for fulfillment of sales.
  • The sale of artwork is taxable and all sales tax processing will be handled by MFA.
  • All other artists must enter Price on Request (POR) and purchase inquiries will be referred by MFA to the artist.
  • 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 Maryland Federation of Art and are tax-deductible by the artists to the full extent of the law.

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 amani@mdfedart.org and info@mdfedart.org. Contact Circle Gallery if you do not receive notice by 6 PM on the day of notification.