Off the Wall 2025

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 8 – August 14,

Juror: Jennifer Hecker: Sculpture professor, Department of Art, State University of New York (SUNY), College at Brockport

Jennifer Hecker has an extensive and diverse exhibition record that includes solo exhibits, commissions, collaborative installations, public art projects, outdoor sculpture displays, adjudicated exhibitions, and permanent collections. Jennifer recently (2022) completed a month-long residency at the Triangle L Art Ranch in Oracle, Arizona where she had a solo exhibition and collaborated with the Triangle L director, Sharon Holnback, on “Rain Dreamscape” —a site-specific, large scale, outdoor installation for permanent display in the sculpture park. Jennifer’s work has won awards in several recent exhibitions, including: 1st Place in the nationally adjudicated “Momentum” exhibition in Toledo, Ohio (2017); 2nd Place award in the nationally adjudicated “Hot Glass” exhibition in Cumberland, Maryland (2017); CITY Newspaper’s “Critic’s Pick Award” in the Rochester Contemporary Members’ Exhibition (2016); and 1st Place in the adjudicated, regional sculpture exhibition “After the Pedestal” at The Sculpture Center in Cleveland, Ohio (2015). In 2016, a solo exhibition of her mixed media sculptures was exhibited in the Main Gallery of the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts in Boone, NC. Just 15 months later, Jennifer had a solo exhibition in the Roz Steiner Gallery at Genesee Community College in Batavia, NY with 11 new sculptures. Her work has been included in thematic exhibitions on water at: AnnMarie Sculpture Garden and Art Center in Solomons, MD; Allegheny College in Meadville, PA; the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn, NY; and the State Street Gallery in Chicago, IL. In 2013, Jennifer was one of 42 regional artists invited to create a new work inspired by an artwork in the permanent collection of the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, NY in celebration of its centennial. In 2011, Jennifer was one of 30 artists from around the world to be featured in the book Sculpture and Design with Recycled Glass by Cindy Ann Coldiron (Schiffer Publishing). In 2006, her commissioned outdoor sculpture for the Village of Brockport, Les Racines et les Raisons (The Roots and the Reasons) was dedicated in Remembrance Park. In 2004, she completed a significant commission for a three-part, site-specific sculpture for Christ Church in Pittsford, New York.

Jennifer has been the recipient of awards from the Jerome Foundation, the Arts and CulturalvCouncil of Greater Rochester, the United University Professions and SUNY College at Brockport. Her work is included in the permanent collections of ProMedica Corporate Headquarters in Toledo, OH; The Red Cross in Rochester, NY; The Children’s Inn at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, MD, and SUNY College at Brockport, as well as private collections in New York, North Carolina, Arizona, Colorado, Virginia, Kansas, Ohio, Illinois, Florida, Michigan, and Minnesota.

Jennifer is a professor in the Department of Art at SUNY College at Brockport, where she has taught all levels of sculpture as well as general education art courses since 1989. In 1999, she was awarded a Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, and in 2002 she completed a 6- year term as department chairperson.

Prospectus

Exhibition Schedule:

Mar 11 Online Entry Opens for Submissions
May 14 Entry Deadline
Jun 12 Notification @ 5 PM
Jun 28 –Jul 2 Accepted and Shipped Work Must Arrive at Maryland Hall from 12 AM – 4 PM
Jul 8 Exhibition Opens
Jul 10 Opening Reception from 5:30 – 7 PM
Jul 13 Virtual Awards Ceremony from 5 – 6 PM via Zoom
Aug 14 Last Day of the Exhibition
Aug 16 Pick-up Hand-Delivered Work from Maryland Hall
Aug 22 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 in MFA-organized exhibitions at Maryland Hall 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.

Off the Wall 2025 > Register & Apply