On Display February 14 – March 31 in our Virtual Gallery

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Introducing In the City

Skylines, crosswalks, alleyways and shops; bright lights, buses, taxis and crowds. These are just a small list of elements that create the essence of an urban environment. Some aspects of city life are universal and can represent any city, anywhere, from a large metropolis to a small town. Every city as well, has unique symbols and iconic places that signify the identity of the community, such as restaurants, festivals, music halls and graffiti. We welcome all artists to submit original work that gives us the sense of your urban experience. Whether you are an urbanite or a city visitor, give us a visual story of the city. Any original 2D or 3D work that follows our exhibition guidelines will be considered. This includes, Works selected by the Juror will be exhibited in Maryland Federation of Art’s (MFA) first In the City Exhibition in our Virtual Gallery from February 14 – March 31, 2025.

Click this icon to view and print the downloadable prospectus.

Juror: Christina Gomez: Professor of Liberal Arts and Graduate Director of Visual & Critical Studies Department, School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)

Christina Gómez is a Professor of Liberal Arts and the Graduate Director of Visual & Critical Studies. She is a sociologist, activist, and native Chicagoan whose book was selected for the One Campus, One Book program at the University of Alaska Southeast. Gómez told us about some of her favorite places around Chicago that inspire her. Christina Gómez’s research has concentrated on racial identity construction in the United States, discrimination, and immigration. She is the author of numerous articles that focus on skin color discrimination, construction of Latino identity, politics of bilingual education, and experiences of undocumented students in higher education. She has received many prizes and fellowships, including a Henry Luce Foundation Scholars Fellowship, National Science Foundation Fellowship, and Faculty of the Year Award, School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2019).

Juror Statement:

Serving as a juror for In the City 2025 has been a profound honor. The submissions revealed and opened a window into urban life, each work offering a distinct meditation and interrogation of what it means to inhabit our cities. From global metropolises to more intimate urban spaces, these works illuminate the complex nature of city life through deeply personal and poignant lenses. The submissions, spanning diverse media, transcended mere representation to capture the humanity of urban experience. The selected works distinguished themselves through their ability to disrupt our perspective, creating moments of contemplation that invite us to examine our relationship with urban spaces – and the individuals who dwell in these spaces and call these cities we call home.

Each piece speaks to different modes of city dwelling—from survival to resistance, adaptation to flourishing. These artworks celebrate daily movement, the collision of cultures, the persistence of memory, and the dialogue between people and place. They acknowledge both a city’s life and its shadows of conflict and struggle. The exhibition invites us to gain insight into the artists’ keen observations and their ability to translate the complexity of urban existence into compelling visual narratives. Their insights challenge us to hold a mirror to our thinking about cities and their residents – to reexamine our lens.

I commend each artist for their insight, technical prowess, and contribution to our understanding of contemporary urban life.

Christina Gómez, Ph.D.
Professor, Liberal Arts Department
Graduate Director, Visual & Critical Studies Department
School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)

Terms of Entry

  • Entry is open to all artists internationally
  • 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

  • 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.

Awards

  • Cash Awards Total $500

Juror’s Choice

• Mary Hogan “Gum Wall”
• Jeannine Kitzhaber: “Build Baby Build 2.0” 
• Patsy Lindamood: “Shadow Play”
• Michelle Oconis: “AFTERMATH #2”
• Roslyn Racanello: “Torn Town”

Honorable Mentions

• D’Angelo Perrier: “TESSI’s School Portrait”
• William Rothenbach: “The City is Watching You…”
• John Diephouse: “Before The Show”

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’s Online 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 in our Virtual Gallery within the past 3 years is not eligible for re-entry.

Sales

  • Artists will retain 80% from sales (85% for MFA Members). MFA will retain 20% commission (15% 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

  • Oct 15 Online Entry Opens for Submissions
  • Dec18 Entry Deadline
  • Jan 23 Notification @ 5 PM
  • Feb 14 Exhibition Opens Online
  • Mar 3 Awards Announced @5 PM
  • Mar 31 Last Day of the Exhibition

 

General Guidelines

Notification

All artists will receive notification by email. Accepted artists and artwork will also be posted on MFA’s website. Artists who have unsubscribed from MFA’s emails will not receive notification.
The notice to accepted artists will include specific details and may vary from the prospectus.
Please set your email account to recognize notification@mdfedart.org and info@mdfedart.org.