The 98th Annual Regional Emerging Artist Exhibition will open on March 7th, 2025 and close on April 23rd, 2025.

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

The Awards Ceremony will be on Saturday, March 8th

High School Awards at 1:00 PM

College Awards at 1:30 PM.

Adult Awards at 2:00 PM.

Featuring work by high school, university, and adult artists, this juried exhibition highlights the diverse creativity of our community. This year's exhibition was juried by Jessica Benjamin. 

At the Awards Ceremony on Saturday, March 8th, 33 awards will be presented, totaling over $2,000 in cash prizes. 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 WORKS

High School

Johanna	Austin	Snowmelt
Johanna	Austin	Likeness of the Artist, with Embellishments
Ray	Bridgette	Collage Portrait
Ray	Bridgette	Cardboard Relief
Aislie	Clinch	Gooseberry
Alex	Clouse	Gila Monster
Ashlyn	Connell	Marbles
Marlee	Cruzan	Flowers in December
Marlee	Cruzan	Odette
Kaitlyn	Golladay	Elk
Kaitlyn	Golladay	Needle Felted Red Shouldered Hawk
Taylor	Hartley	Engraved
Taylor	Hartley	Rainbow Squirrel
Ellasyn	Loudenburg	In the Balance
Ellasyn	Loudenburg	Close Up
Emilse	Mohedano-Tellez	Endless
Lauren	O'Brien	Fruit of the Earth
Owen	Rios	Desert Sunset
Caitlyn	Scott	Pearl
Caitlyn	Scott	Meadow
Leah	Thompson	Lirio
Laura	Wilkinson	Pancakes for Two

College

Delaney	Akers	To the Moon and Back
Rima	Bartuce	Ebb
Lindsey	Basham	Into the Darkroom
Caroline	Behary	Breakfast is Ready
Lily	Best	Endurance
Lily	Best	Efflorescence
Tianna	Bond	A Freeing Feeling
Leah	Brecheisen	Portal
Jacky	Buehler	Quad Squirrel
Kayla	Burrell	Step to the Side
Donnie	Cady	Coyote Stack
Lauren	Carney	A Bowl of Dice
Charlotte	Chilton	Grave Wax
Charlotte	Chilton	Bodied A
Piper	Christian	Microscope
Caitlyn	Chwatek	Untitled (11x11x11)
Grace	Clarke	Fish Tank
Sean	Colella	Old Man
Alex	Cox	Say It Like You Got a Mouth Full of Bourbon
Kitty	Davies	Touching & Touching
Jenna	Davito	Memento Mori
Lucille	Dolan	Untitled
Connor	Donnelly	Wandering Thoughts
Connor	Donnelly	Midnight Dice
Jenna	Germano	Cover Up By NM
Bella	Gray	Peripheral Vision
Marie	Grimm	Comfortable Embracement
Marie	Grimm	Vibrancy Was a Myth
Bethany	Hathaway	Alexithymia
Gabi	Hernandez	We Have Food at Home
Camryn	Houk	Vibrancy
Regan	Iorfida	Even Though We May Look Different
Tori	Kafer	89 Seconds
Darci	Kaufmann	The Drain
Rocky	Krapf	Jelly
Lilia	Labertew	Watching
Elyse	Larsen	Fox in the Snow
Erin	Leonard	Untitled
Erin	Leonard	I Find Comfort in Your Chaos
Prosper	Luvunzu	Man's Eye View
Ena	Maloy	Across/Into
Jason	McFarland	sculpture
Jack	Miller	The Phantom of the Opera
Shreya	Mokashi	Sri Ganesh
Emma	Munson	The Beholder
Tess	Murphy	Christening
Makenna	O'Rourke	My Childhood Lives Here
Makenna	O'Rourke	A Cat Versus the Cosmos
Averi	Peterson	Staring Contest
Emily	Pounder	The Flusher
Emily	Pounder	Orange
Jade	Reymond	C'est Trop Tard
Donna-Rose	Reyna	Fragility of Time
Nora	Riley	Call Me
Zo	Russel	I am: Hair
Grace	Sindelar	Where I Sleep
Atlas	Sturrock	How to Move When the Rain Comes
Ava	Thoennes	Fish-Eyed Stare
Ava	Thoennes	(Un)lucky Rabbit's Foot
Vivian	Vazquez	Insomnia
Lucas	Walker	A Glow Apparent
AJ	Westley	The Cello Man
Jayden	White	The Room
Kolin	Wilkins	How Could I Leave for Work
Robynn	Willis	July 24th
Jasper	Woith	Untitled
Emma	Zozzaro	Eternal Dusk

Adult

Elizabeth	A Cowie	Preserve, Protect, Defend
Roger	Alexander	Hammer
Becky	Altic	The Cliffs of Moher
Becky	Altic	The Eagle's Nest
Kristine	Altine	Tower of Pisa
Jyoti	Anant	The Mirror Within
Kendra	Baca	The End
Cindy	Baker	On The Beach
Jayme	Banzhoff	Algarve
Laurie	Bergner	Lucie and her Great-Granddaughters
Laurie	Bergner	Working in Tea Field
Greta	Boudeman	Chicago Botanical Gardens
Li	Boyer	Journey
Dave	Buxton	Lake Michigan Sunset
Kevin	Callis	The Strangler
Emily	Cellini Henson	West Quoddy
Shelly	Challans	Prinsengracht
Theresa	Chambers	Luke 12:7
Jordan	Dodd	Take Care
Sarah	Eckstine	With Love
Allyson	Frink	Koi
Priti	Gandhi	Floating Lotus
Sara	Gentry	Koi
Cathie	Haab	Painting Hidden Creek
Cathie	Haab	Brunhild and the Viking Invasion
Cailin	Hall	Matryoshka, Blue
Alexis	Henson	Winter Lights
Kirsten	Heteji	Pink Skies, Blue Eyes
Kirsten	Heteji	Holding it Together
Susan	Holifield	Spring is Here
Susan	Holifield	Tea and Cookies
William	Irelan	Light through the Twigs
Mia	Jazo-Harris	Marshmallow Farm Portal (Mytvatn, Iceland)
Mardell	Klasen	Bins in a Row
Jeremy	Langston	Boat Dock at Lake Evergreen
Lori	Laughlin	Maasai Warrior
April	Luo	Drawing
Ramona	Manuel	A Quiet Place
Lydia	McNiff	Surgical Symphony
Brenda	Milcik	Moraine View
Darlene	Miller	The 3 R's
Elliot	Miller	Season's Beatings
Rusha	Mitra Sarkar	Citrus and Steam
Vinay	Mokashi	Oops! My Fish!
Jim	Mosley	Futile Lament
Carl	Olson	The Loop
Janet	Puntoni	Peddles in Blue
Jane	Reed Wilson	The Other Room
William	Rogalski	Utah
Greg	Roling	Malcesine, Lake Garda, Italy
Meghan	Roller	Alexa
Meghan	Roller	Hunter and Laine
Stew	Salowitz	A Quiet Pond
Karen	Schulthes	Escape
Tricia	Shaw	Illinois Countryside
Jodie	Slothower	Unraveling Code
Kristine	Stayton	KY Stone Distillery
Rose	Tuttle	Alternate Dimension
Krista	Wolf	Flowers for Marisa
Barb	Woods	Coco

Accepted Art Drop-Off Dates:

• Feb. 17-28 (Monday-Friday 10-5 PM, Saturday 9-1 PM)

Note: All pieces must be wired for hanging or otherwise installation-ready. 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 24th - May 3rd, 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

1. An "amateur" artist can be many things -- for the purpose of this exhibition, we broadly define an amateur artist as anyone whose primary source of income is not generated by their art. 
2. 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. 
3. 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. 
4. As this is a community exhibition, the artworks submitted must be appropriate for all ages. 
5. 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. 
6. Submitted work(s) must have been produced by the artist within the last three years. 
7. All pieces (unless sculptural) must be wired for hanging. We will not hang work with sawtooth hangers.
8. 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. 
9. 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).