McLean County Arts Center - Annual Regional Emerging Artist Exhibition

99th Annual Regional Emerging Artist Exhibition (AREA) at MCAC

Juried by Amy Wilson, Assistant Professor of Art and Gallery Director, IWU

Accepted Artists

Name	Group	Title
Ariana Whinna	High school	Mrs. Pickles
Cassie Gerrib	High school	Self Portrait
Madeline Walker	High school	Try
Braden Hartrich	High school	My Heart Still Aches
Erika McBeath	High school	Creation Falls to Civilization
Hailey Watson	High school	Reflecting Nature
Lanie Smith	High school	Untitled (pastel)
Hudson Fable	High school	Monsters
Serenity Neang	High school	Contrast through two worlds
Leah Thompson	High school	Salvation
Haley Schemmel	High school	Space Centaurs Because Space Centaurs
Ray Bridgette	High school	Who I Am
Matthew Hoy	High school	Modern Heaven
Trinity Kalmes	High school	Verdant Hollow
Naomi Seibly	High school	Cool, cool, cool
Ramona Lapp Whitt	High school	My Grandmothers were Quilters
Aislie Clinch	High school	Tart
Caitlyn Chwatek	College	Untitled
Caitlyn Chwatek	College	Untitled
Elijah Perkins	College	golden
Alex Cox	College	Curtains and Gin
Guinivere Saint Crane	College	Child of Creation
Sean Colella	College	Isn’t it Grand
Sasha Aldridge	College	Floop
Caroline Behary	College	Hidden Core
Caroline Behary	College	Dripping
Jacky Buehler	College	Compact Gaze
Sarah Doran	College	Remembrance of Family
Elyse Larsen	College	427
Lindsey Basham	College	Holi Moli
Nora Fennell	College	Mirrored Image
Carmen Pondel	College	Calli e Canali
Jessica Ross	College	View From Within
Jessica Ross	College	Can’t You Hear Me?
Zo Russell	College	Space Between
Zo Russell	College	Picking Strawberries
Lilia Labertew	College	Portrait of Joseph
Lilia Labertew	College	Looking Up
Jasper Woith	College	Brooding Parasite
Octavian Stickann	College	Play with me like pretty boy
Bella Gray	College	Consider Disconnecting…
Emily Broadfield	College	Game for One
Emily Broadfield	College	Baubles
Ellasyn Loudenberg	College	All Eyes on Me
Ellasyn Loudenberg	College	Last Shot
Grace Sindelar	College	Sunny Street #2
Grace Sindelar	College	Pond #4
Sydney Schanz	College	Red Portrait 2
Sydney Schanz	College	Wings, Wingless, Death
Liz Carter	College	Maintenance
Gianna Glass	College	Mildred
Jim Mosely	College	All for Naught
Katie Currie	College	Verdant Collapse
Ava Sebastiani	College	Tea Kettle
Addisyn McKinney	College	Tea Time for Two Tea Pots
Dianna Miguez	College	Blue Figure
Aislinn McKay	College	The Luck of the Unknown
Ena Maloy	College	Medusae
Sofia de la Cabada	College	Pianoforte
Rebecca Kelly	College	The Skeleton
Nikki Decker	College	Circle 2.2
Catherine White	College	Ready and Waiting
Tianna Bond	College	Simpler Times
Hallie Elder	College	Twins of Chaos: Melancholy and Rage
Emma Zozzaro	College	Portrait of an Aspiring Runaway
Emma Zozzaro	College	Moon Skin
Jack Miller	College	Emiliano Zapata
Jack Miller	College	The Outlaw Jesse James
Kayla Burrell	College	Bell Odyssey
Wanda Lindquist	College	My Nana at the Kitchen Sink
Atlas Sturrock	College	Untitled
Samuel Hempen	College	Look Around
Maria Lambert	College	Midnight
Maria Lambert	College	Love is monkey bread
Shreya Mokashi	College	Evolution of Art Over Time
Paulina Serrano Torres	College	La Decoración
Aaron Henkelman	Adult	Pink Flowers, Blue Vase
Ramona Manuel	Adult	Untitled (purple flowers)
Stanley Winterroth	Adult	Scopes
Leslie Huffington	Adult	Taxidermy Sylph
Leslie Huffington	Adult	Taxidermy Sylph
Madison Cummings-Garcia	Adult	Like Father, Like Daughter
Delaney Akers	Adult	Blow Out The Candle
Jenna Germano	Adult	Raise Your Horns
Dave Buxton	Adult	Douglas Beach
Rusha Mitra Sarkar	Adult	Misty Lilies
Becky Altic	Adult	Almost There
Carl Olson	Adult	The Crossing
Carl Olson	Adult	Freedom Trail
Barb Woods	Adult	Marie Executing the Turn
Barb Woods	Adult	Stella
Alizarin Salmi	Adult	Bound in Autumn
Li Boyer	Adult	Echoes of the Stone
Mardell Klasen	Adult	December Thaw
Greta Boudeman	Adult	Classic Fruit
Logan Shaw	Adult	An Unusual Parents Day
Kendra Duquette	Adult	TRANQUILITY
Allison Harris	Adult	Uplift
Makenna O’Rourke	Adult	Caracal: 6/20/25
Ananya Tewari	Adult	A Door to Solitude
Greta Springer	Adult	In the Beginning
Alexis Marcotte	Adult	The Lovebird’s Revenge
Gina Hechinger	Adult	Black Opal
Gina Hechinger	Adult	Boulder Opal
Priti Gandhi	Adult	A Tapestry of May
Priti Gandhi	Adult	The Road to Autumn
Thomas Clemens	Adult	Under the Redwoods
Allyson Frink	Adult	Hawaiian Vacation
Allyson Frink	Adult	Henry’s Farm
Theresa Chambers	Adult	Turbo
Deb Neumayer	Adult	So Sad
Deb Neumayer	Adult	Foo Fun
Krista Wolf	Adult	Memorial for a Meadowlark
Krista Wolf	Adult	Fall Phylum
Laurie Bergner	Adult	Congo Schoolboy
Rose Tuttle	Adult	Orbitrage
Alice Sanders	Adult	Holmes
Cathie Haab	Adult	Hope Rises
Cathie Haab	Adult	Early Snow
Jayme Banzhoff	Adult	Afterglow
Jodie Slothower	Adult	A March Perspective
Jane Wilson	Adult	Under the Bridge
Jane Wilson	Adult	Value Studies - Places
Gary Fern	Adult	After the Rain
Gary Fern	Adult	Allerton Park Electric
A.D. Horine	Adult	Survivor
Lori Laughlin	Adult	Archie O.
Lori Laughlin	Adult	Ted’s Indian
Brodie Baker	Adult	Inside
Sam Ingram	Adult	Calamity
Stephanie Hoy	Adult	Path to Paradise
Alyssa Nourie	Adult	Moments like these: lenten season
Alyssa Nourie	Adult	Moments like these: late spring, early summer
Georgia Glover	Adult	Illinois Sunset and the Omega Centauri
Sarah Eckstine	Adult	Symptomatic
Tricia Shaw	Adult	Bluebells on Elkhart Hill
Jared Lerblance	Adult	Echoes of the Summit
Emily Cellini Henson	Adult	Little Red
Vinay Mokashi	Adult	Walking like Insects
Richard McAlpin	Adult	Wotan’s Throne (Grand Canyon)
Nichole Buyers	Adult	Urban Flora
Nichole Buyers	Adult	Shift
Lucy Dolan	Adult	2 a.m.
Jade Nguyen	Adult	Memory of Saigon Streets
Sarah Larison	Adult	Chicago
Sarah Larison	Adult	Waimea Canyon
Melanie Shellito	Adult	Letting Go
Kristine Altine	Adult	Summer in Verona
Susan Holifield	Adult	Harvey
Susan Holifield	Adult	Summer Spirit
Frank Sanders	Adult	Self Portrait
Gina Mariani	Adult	Eve
Madhuri Vedula	Adult	The Royal Window
Kendra Baca	Adult	Fiala
Kendra Baca	Adult	Bistro
Angelica Gonzalez	Adult	Alpha Frenzy
Nancy Reed	Adult	Untitled
Joe Horine	Adult	Parklands

The 99th Annual Regional Emerging Artist Exhibition will open on March 6th, 2026 and close on April 24th, 2026.

There is an opening reception on March 6th, from 5-7 pm.

The Awards Ceremony will be on Saturday, March 7th

Adult Awards at 10:00 AM

College Awards at 10:30 AM.

High School Awards at 11:00 AM.

Featuring work by high school, university, and adult artists, this juried exhibition highlights the diverse creativity of our community.

At the Awards Ceremony on Saturday, March 7th, awards totaling over $2,000 in cash prizes will be presented. Each year, the Best of Show Merwin Medal is awarded to the most outstanding artwork, and the Ashley C. Ritter Most Promising Art Award is given to the artist exhibiting the most future potential.

Congratulations to all participating artists!

Accepted Art Drop-Off Dates:

Feb. 16-25 (Monday-Friday 10-5 PM, Saturday 9-1 PM)

Note: All pieces must be wired for hanging or otherwise installation-ready. If your work is not wired or is wired incorrectly, it will not be accepted. If you are unsure what this means or would like to confirm that your work is installation ready, call MCAC at 309-829-0011 or email Amy at amy@mcac.org. We will not accept work that is not installation-ready.

Accepted Art Pick-Up Dates: April 25th - May 4th, during MCAC's regular business hours.

*Any items not picked up within 30 days from the closing of the show will be considered property of the McLean County Arts Center.

Guidelines for Application

An "emerging" artist can be many things -- for the purpose of this exhibition, we broadly define an emerging artist as anyone whose primary source of income is not generated by their art.
Each artist may submit up to two artworks for consideration by the jury. The artworks can be in two different mediums, but please note that each individual only has two submission opportunities -- not two submissions per medium.
If a collaborative artwork is to be submitted, all contributing artists must be listed on the submission. Collaborative artworks will still count as one of an artist's two submission opportunities.
As this is a community exhibition, the artworks submitted must be appropriate for all ages.
All artwork must be original to the submitting artist. Submitting work that is a reproduction, plagiaristic, or misrepresentative in nature is grounds for dismissal from the exhibition and may result in future restrictions for application.
Submitted work(s) must have been produced by the artist within the last three years.
All pieces (unless sculptural) must be wired for hanging. We will not hang work with sawtooth hangers.
All exhibiting artwork is considered for sale unless marked "NFS". The MCAC utilizes a standard 30/70 gallery price policy (30% of the sale goes to the gallery, and 70% of the sale goes to the artist). Please price your work with this in mind.
A non-refundable application fee of $5 per artwork entered can be made through this secure form. If you need help completing the form, please email us at info@mcac.org, call us at 309-829-0011, or visit us in person at the MCAC (601 N. East St Bloomington, IL 61701).

Email the MCAC Staff

Mission Statement: We encourage and promote the appreciation, study, cultivation, development, and practice of art for the benefit of all the people, cultures and communities of McLean County.


		"This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts"