Off the Wall 2024

Introducing Off the Wall 

MFA (Maryland Federation of Art) invites all artists to enter its 3-D free-standing Off the Wall exhibition open to artists residing in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Mexico. All eligible fine art entries in any media will be considered by the juror. Selected works will be displayed in this MFA organized exhibition at Maryland Hall’s Earl Gallery in Annapolis, MD from July 12 – August 15,

For this exhibition, we ask that artists compile and upload their in-progress sketches/photographs or anything that will aid the viewer in understanding the production of your work. You will be able to add these to the images of your finished work when applying for the call. If these are not a part of your creative process you will also be able to upload a brief description of what went into your creative process when producing the work. These are by no means necessary and will not affect the jurying process but if your work is selected then your description/production notes will be displayed alongside your finished work. We hope this will create a more robust exhibition and add interesting visual facets to the exhibition as a whole.

Juror: Cher Pruys: Artist | Educator | Art Activist

Cher Pruys, ASAA SCA, IGOR, AAPL, CSAA, AMS, LMS, OSA, MAA, CFA, NOAPS, PSOA, AWA, AAOA.
“To take my inner visions with my hands and create a work of art for you the viewer …. That is the ultimate in self-expression.”

Cher Pruys was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Over the years she lived in many places including Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Fort Frances, settling into her present home in Devlin, on the banks of the Rainy River with her husband Mark, 4 dogs, and 2 cats.
By age three, Cher was seldom found without a drawing tool in hand. She worked in pencil, charcoal, and ink over the years, until she picked up a paintbrush at the age of 35. Beginning with oil paints, she found her chosen mediums in acrylic, watercolor, and gouache.
Although self-taught, her dedication and talent have seen her work juried into 475 International exhibits, as well as exhibits in numerous non-juried shows. She has garnished 731 awards thus far. She was the first recipient of a major Canadian National Award, The Mary Pratt Crystal Award of Excellence at the 2014 SCA Open Juried Exhibition, The SCA 1st place award of distinction twice respectively, 2016, and 2017 at The Canada’s 150 show. The SCA 2nd place Award of Distinction in the 2021 Elected Members Show. The winner of the Biafarin/SCA Award of Excellence at the 2022 Elected Members Show. October 2021 Winner of The Exclusive Harmony of The Arts Contest by The Blue Blood Gallery in Prague. The Gold Medal recipient for Figurative Painting in The Mondial Art Academia’s International 2018 Competition. The Silver Medal for Portrait Painting in The 2020 International Art Professional World Art Acadamia Competition. The Aviation Week & Space Technology Award Best of the Best, and the ASAA Award of Distinction for the best painting in the ASAA International Space & Technology Exhibit & Competition, consecutively for 2 years. In 2020 & 2021 & 2023 she was awarded with the most wins in The American Art International Awards. The Grand Prize Winner in The AWA (American Women Artists) 2022 Spring Online Show with a perfect score for “In Retrospect”. 2nd place in the AAPL elected Members Online Show 2022, Award of Distinction in the 2023 Pushing Forward Reaching Back Show, and 3rd place in the NOAPS Spring Online Artist Members Show. 2023 saw her win the Gold Medal of Honour at the Allied Artists of America’s 110th show! She has had 21 solo exhibits. Cher is also an avid fused glass artist and a certified teacher of piano and guitar. Her painting “The Bubble” had the honour of being part of the Masterworks from The International Guild of Realism Tour. Her work has graced the covers of 3 books, and 37 magazines, including The Best Of Acrylic Fall 2021, the cover of May Arabella Magazine with “In Retrospect”, the cover of #20 Hyperrealism Magazine with “Girls Girls Girls”, #21 Hyperrealism Magazine with “The Young Cowboy”, and the most recent, the cover of the March Artists & Illustrators Art magazine, and has been featured in over 350 international publications. Cher’s works have found a permanent home in private and public collections worldwide.

Prospectus

 

Exhibition Schedule:

  • Feb 19 Online Entry Opens for Submissions
  • May 8 Entry Deadline
  • Jun 12 Notification @ 5 PM
  • Jul 6, 8 – 9 Accepted and Shipped Work Must Arrive at Maryland Hall from 10 AM – 2 PM
  • Jul 12 Exhibition Opens
  • Jul 18 Opening Reception
  • Aug 15 Last Day of the Exhibition
  • Aug 16 – 17 Pick-up Hand-Delivered Work from Maryland Hall from 10 AM – 2 PM
  • Aug 23 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.

User Entry Process Tutorial

Watch the video below for a tutorial on how to upload your entries.

How to Upload

   

Artist Conditions

  • Entry is open to artists residing in the any of the states or territories of the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
  • 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.

    

Entry Requirements

  • All work must be uploaded through artcall.org. File size may be no more than 10 MB.
  • For video submissions: you must put the link to the video in the Linked Web Resource field, and then upload a still frame from the video. For accepted video submissions, the artist will be expected to deliver the file to MFA on a thumbdrive.
  • To enter online, you will need an artcall.org account that includes an email address and a password. There is no charge to create an artcall.org account.
  • Non-member entrants who have a discrepancy between the entry fee paid and their membership status must pay the difference before the
    display date or their work will not be shown to the juror.


    

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 at MFA Circle Gallery is not eligible for re-entry.
  • Maximum size of work, including edges of artwork or frame, cannot exceed 72″ in any direction. Artists may be asked to assist with the installation of oversized work (greater than 60″ or over 40 lbs.).

   

Sales

  • Artists will retain 70% from sales (75% for MFA Members). MFA will retain 30% commission on any work sold through MFA (25% for MFA Members at the time of the sale).
  • Work must be for sale. Work may be set to Price on Request (POR).

What is a submission?

One submission or application on artcall.org is the equivalent of one entry on MFA’s old entry system, or one piece submitted for jurying. Artcall.org uses the terms submission and application interchangeably.

How do I enter a video submission?

When submitting a video, you must put the link to the video in the Linked Web Resource field, and you must upload a screenshot of the video as an attachment.

Can I edit my submissions after I've submitted them? 

Artcall.org requires you to select the number of submissions / applications you want to enter and to pay before entering in your image and image details. You can edit your submission details along with images you've attached up until the submission period is over. Once the submission period has ended, you cannot edit their entries in any form.

Can I add more submissions after I've paid?

You must submit a separate submission / application for each piece of artwork you wish to be shown to the juror.  You have the option to add a second or third image of the same work to your submission / application as a detail photograph This is not required.

Have the entry fees changed at all?

The fees have changed but not drastically, 1 or 2 entries are $30. Up to 4 additional entries are $4.50 each. Entry fees are non-refundable.

Who is this exhibition open to?

We invite all artists residing in any of the states or territories of the US, Canada, or Mexico to enter this exhibition.