Introducing Lowe House
Maryland Federation of Art (MFA) has been invited to exhibit artwork at the Lowe House Building in Annapolis, MD, the office building for the Maryland State Delegates. Entry is open to MFA Members or artists residing in Anne Arundel County. Original 2D work created through any media and following entry guidelines are eligible for entry. Works selected by the Juror will be exhibited at the Lowe House of Delegates Office Building (6 Bladen Street, Annapolis, MD, 21401) from January 14 – April 13, 2026.
Juror: Laura Pasquini: Visual Arts Program Navigator at AACC / Artist, Museum Educator, and Visual Arts Success Coach
Laura Pasquini is an artist, museum educator, and visual arts success coach living near Annapolis, MD. She received a BA in Art History and Theory from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and a Masters of Arts in Teaching and Certificate in Drawing + Painting from the Corcoran College of Art + Design at George Washington University. She has traveled to her father’s home country of Italy several times to study and work abroad in both Florence and Venice. During that time, she frequented museums, while painting and studying from the drawings of Renaissance masters.
She has over 20 years of experience as a visual arts educator for museums including the Corcoran Gallery of Art, where she held the position of Director of Community Outreach, Youth + Family Programs. She has also worked as an educator for the National Gallery of Art and is currently the Visual Arts Program Navigator at Anne Arundel Community College.
Juror’s Statement
It has been a joy to return as a juror for this year’s MFA Lowe House Exhibition and to spend time with such a thoughtful and diverse body of work. My sincere thanks to the artists who submitted their work, and to the Maryland Federation of Art for its continued commitment to ensuring that the work of living artists can be seen and celebrated in vital public spaces such as the Lowe House.
It has been a few years since I last had the pleasure of jurying this exhibition. In that time, we’ve witnessed the world slowly reemerge from the isolation of the pandemic—shifting from quieter, inward-looking reflection toward something more outward, energized, and engaged.
That sense of vitality runs throughout this body of work and can be experienced through bold palettes, dynamic movement, a reverence for the natural world, and a renewed attention to the human subject. Across the exhibition, artists invite us into journeys through both distant travel and familiar terrain—from the Pacific Northwest to Loch Raven, Baltimore’s industrial sites, and the Patapsco Valley. Beyond the representational, we encounter bold abstractions, geometry, and organic forms that encourage sustained looking and an awareness of the beauty that surrounds us.
This work invites you back—as it did me—to consider each artist’s careful attention to subject, technical prowess, and personal response to the world around them. I allowed this intersection to guide my selections. Thank you for spending time with the exhibition, and I invite you to visit, revisit, and enjoy.
-Laura Pasquini
Awards
Juror’s Choice: After the Storm by Janet B, Waters
Juror’s Choice: Pacifica by Kathleen Kotarba
Juror’s Choice: Intersection 1.0 by Jim McGillin
Juror’s Choice: Authoress by Melanie Berry
Juror’s Choice: Dahlia Explosion by Lee Goodwin
Honorable Mention: Summer Raspberries by Pat O’Brien
Honorable Mention: Tub Faucet by Mike McSorley
Honorable Mention: Fixing to Occupy the Space by Nancy Keene Fishel
Honorable Mention:Closeup of Ship by Kathryn Mohrman
Exhibition Schedule
- Sept 16 Online Entry Opens for Submissions
- Nov 19 Entry Deadline
- Dec 11 Notification @ 5 PM
- Jan 7 – 11 Accepted and Shipped Work Must Arrive at MFA Circle Gallery
- Jan 14 Exhibition Opens
- Jan 18 Virtual Awards Ceremony from 4 – 5 PM via Zoom
- Apr 13 Last Day of the Exhibition
- Apr 14 Pick-up Hand-Delivered Work from Lowe House 11 AM – 2 PM
- Apr 15 Pick-up Hand-Delivered Work from Circle Gallery 11 AM – 4 PM
- Apr 20 Shipped Work Will Be Sent
NOTE: Should Lowe House be closed for reasons beyond our control, MFA reserves the right to move a planned physical exhibit to our online gallery.
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.
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.
