Banner detail: Carousel, oil, Lee Ann Howdershell for MFA’s The Power of Color 2026

Now on Display July 29 – August 22, 2026 at Circle Gallery

Closing Reception will be August 22, 2026

View and Purchase Artwork   View Participating Artists   Awards    Watch the Virtual Awards Ceremony

Introducing The Power of Color

Color is a fundamental element of artistic expression that transcends language and culture. The psychology of color empowers artists to convey emotion, energy, and meaning. Artists use this invaluable tool to create an atmosphere, direct the viewer’s eye, and make a lasting impact. The Power of Color is an open call for artists who aren’t afraid to let color do the heavy lifting. Show us work where color isn’t just present, it’s the point.

Iconic colors in art history are imprinted in our memory such as Titian Red, Van Dyck Brown, and International Klein Blue. In science and fashion colors such as Perkin Mauve or Barbie Pink come to mind. The Impressionists aimed to capture the fleeting effects of light and color, The Fauves were known for their bold, eye-popping color choices, whereas The Great Colorists highlighted how color can convey a sense of motion, express inner feeling, and take the viewer into new imaginative realms. Contemporary artists experiment with color combinations, disrupting traditional color harmonies to elicit thought and emotion. Sculptors explore how color can alter spaces and physical appearance. The digital age has opened up opportunities for artists to explore, manipulate, and reshape the role of color in art.

Maryland Federation of Art (MFA) exhibitions are blind juried by professional and credentialed art experts. MFA invites all artists residing in any of the states or territories of the US, Canada, or Mexico to enter. Any original 2D and 3D artwork in any media will be considered. Works selected by the juror will be exhibited in Circle Gallery from July 29 – August 22, 2026. Exhibition Chair: Nada Abizaid

Click this icon to view and print the downloadable prospectus.

Juror: Paul Sattler, Artist and Professor of Color Theory at Skidmore College

Paul Sattler is an artist, specializing in imaginative figurative painting. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he lives and works in Saratoga Springs, New York and Pownal, Vermont.  Sattler received his BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA from Indiana University, Bloomington.  In 2004, he was awarded the Wallace Truman Painting Prize from the National Academy of Design, New York and in 2006 became a Solomon R. Guggenheim Fellow. In 2014 Sattler was awarded the inaugural Residency at the Studio Art Centers International in Florence, Italy.  Currently represented by Momentum Gallery in Asheville, North Carolina and Alpha Gallery in Boston, he has also had solo exhibitions at Gerald Peters Gallery in New York and a mid-career survey at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York.  Sattler’s work has been written about and reviewed in the ArtNews, The New York Times, Art New England, the Art Collector, Hyperallergic, Numero Cinq, the Boston Globe among others. A former professor of art at Boston University, Sattler has taught painting, drawing and color theory at Skidmore College (Saratoga Springs, NY) where he has taught since 1998.  He lives and works in Saratoga Springs, New York and Pownal, Vermont.

Juror’s Statement

The Power of Color.  At this moment, power is a complicated word and unsettling concept.  And so, setting to one side the greater world and experiencing your artworks has been a welcome gift.  Living with your colorful inventions over the past month has helped me believe, once again, in the powerful potential of color.  Your colors were chosen to articulately re-present the effects of light and shadow on flower or face — or your colors were recruited to embody a raw and abstract vision, mood, or feeling.  Whatever approach was utilized, I was drawn, repeatedly, to artworks that appear to see the world (external or internal) with fresh eyes – where color, as Sonia Delaunay said, “has a life of its own.”  Any lifeforce is essentially powerful.  But, of course, “a life of its own” does not mean that color independently does all the work.  One famous artist reminds us that color is the keyboard, and the artist’s hands touch the keys purposefully.  Your playing was accomplished by a wealth of innovative and carefully considered techniques – mechanisms to make your ideas visible!  The most captivating about your art is the power it possesses to bring me closer to a place, a time, a feeling.   So, thank you for building these bridges to new experiences and sharing your power.

-Paul Sattler

Awards

 

Best in Show

  • WAKE UP! by Vugar Guliyev

 

Juror’s Choice

 

  • Trinity by Kathy Daywalt
  • Fall Line 18 by Alec Dann
  • Coneflower by Alison Penning

 

Honorable Mentions

 

  • Ribbon Candy by Neva Delihas Setlow
  • Uma Thurman by Mark Cameron
  • Water by Heather Bathon

 

 

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

Information for Accepted Artists

Exhibition Schedule

Exhibition Schedule:

  • Apr 7 Online Entry Opens for Submissions
  • Jun 3 Entry Deadline
  • Jul 2 Notification @ 5 PM
  • Jul 22 – 26 Accepted and Shipped Work Must Arrive at MFA Circle Gallery from 12 – 4 PM
  • Jul 29 Exhibition Opens
  • Jul 29 Virtual Awards Ceremony from 5:30 – 6:30 PM via Zoom
  • Aug 22 Last Day of the Exhibition and Closing Reception at MFA Circle Gallery from 4 – 6 PM
  • Aug 23 – 24 Pick-up Hand-Delivered Work from 11 AM – 4 PM
  • Aug 27 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.

Delivery and Shipping

Delivery

  • All work delivered to the gallery must have the following information affixed to the non-viewing side of the artwork:
    • Artist Name
    • Address, phone number, and email
    • Title of the work, medium, and price. Be specific with medium descriptions (e.g., oil on hardboard or canvas, not oil; chromogenic print or archival inkjet print, not photography or digital print; oil pastel on paper, not pastel; etc.)
  • Work must arrive on scheduled dates.
  • Paintings must be dry.
  • Measure to ensure work meets size limitations before delivery, include outer edges of frames. Work not in compliance with the exhibition guidelines and MFA’s General Guidelines will not be exhibited. No exceptions. Work delivered must correspond with the images submitted to the juror.
  • All shipped work must include a bar-coded shipping label. Do not send by United States Postal Service (USPS). We prefer UPS but accept FedEx. No shipping peanuts allowed.
  • Please affix packing/repacking instructions to OUTSIDE of the shipping box.
  • Tips on shipping can be viewed on the RedDotBlog

Pickup and Storage

Pickup and Storage

  • Work may not be removed from the exhibition early for any reason. Artists may pick up their work on the specified dates, or at 6 PM after the Closing Reception.
  • Unless previous arrangements have been made, work placed in storage after announced pickup dates will be subject to a fine of $10 per piece, per week. Work left in storage longer than two (2) weeks shall become MFA property and may be disposed of, or used for fundraising purposes. There are no exceptions.

Liability

Liability

All work will be handled with all possible care, but pieces submitted for the exhibition are at the artist’s risk. In the event of damage or theft, MFA will not be held liable. If insurance is desired, the artist must carry it.

Sales

Sales

  • All work entered into any exhibition must be for sale unless prior agreements are made, and marked either with a price or POR for Price On Request.
  • 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.
  • The sale of artwork is taxable and all sales tax processing will be handled by MFA.
  • Sold artwork requiring shipment will be handled by MFA with costs collected from the buyer. Buyers will be asked if the work may be retained until the exhibit ends. If the buyer disagrees, the Gallery will let the work go, and the artist will be informed.
  • 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 the 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 eleanor@mdfedart.org and info@mdfedart.org. Contact Circle Gallery if you do not receive notice by 6 PM on the day of notification.