Juried Art Contest Information

Echoes of the Island: A Journey Through Time

$5,000 in Cash Prizes

Entries are now being accepted for the 2026 juried art exhibition! Please read the following guidelines carefully:

Juried Exhibition
Mackinac State Historic Parks announced an Art Exhibition at The Richard & Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum on Mackinac Island, Michigan. Art will be chosen by a juror and displayed to the public starting in early May, 2026 until closing in October, 2026.

The juror will select a single Best of Show, second and third place, and three honorable mention awardees from the pieces displayed in the exhibition. Winners will be announced at the June 17, 2026 awards ceremony on Mackinac Island.

Award
There will be a single Best of Show award which will be chosen by the juror. The winner will receive The Richard & Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum Gold Medal and $2,500 cash prize. Their name will be on the list of annual Gold Medal winners, which is displayed at the museum. In addition, there will be second and third place cash prizes of $1,000 and $750, respectively, and three (3) honorable mention awards with cash prizes of $250 each. All prizes are donated by the Mackinac Arts Council and Mackinac Associates. Winners will be announced at the June 17, 2026 awards ceremony.

Guidelines
The subject of the artwork must conform to the theme Echoes of the Island: A Journey Through Time.

The theme for the 2026 juried art exhibition is Echoes of the Island: A Journey Through Time. Mackinac State Historic Parks is looking for artists to explore the layers of Mackinac’s storied past. From the sacred lands of the Anishinaabe people to the Revolutionary War-era Fort Mackinac, from Victorian summer retreats to horse-drawn carriages, Mackinac Island is in many ways a living museum. We encourage artists working in all media to share with us their artistic visions of what Echoes of the Island: A Journey Through Time means to them.

All media of artwork will be accepted from living artists, including photography, paint, sculpture and others. Artwork must have been completed within the last two years. No artwork that has been selected as a finalist in previous juried exhibitions will be accepted. Artists are encouraged to submit more than one artwork, but no more than three will be accepted. Due to space limitation, entries larger than 46″ high or wide (measurements include frame) will not be accepted. 

Participation is open to all artists, nationally and internationally, who are 18 years of age or older.

Sales
Artwork selected for inclusion in the exhibition may be available for sale with permission of the artist.

Fee
There is a non-refundable entry fee of $25 for each entry. There is a limit of three entries.

Procedures
The entry form link is at the bottom of this page. All entries are accepted electronically. Entries must be a high-resolution (300 dpi and at least 3 MB but no larger than 5 MB) JPG image of the artwork. Incomplete entry forms will not be considered.

Entries must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, February 27, 2026.  Artists will be notified of the juror’s selection by Friday, March 13, 2026. Please do not call or email to inquire. 

Preparation Requirements
Accepted entries must be ready for presentation. Accepted pieces must be ready for hanging with wire or other appropriate mounting hardware. It is recommended that framed pieces have a glass or Plexiglas front. Additional arrangements may have to be made for three-dimensional objects. Works that are not prepared may cause disqualification from the final judging.

Rights and Reproductions
Mackinac State Historic Parks reserves the right to photograph and reproduce all entries accepted for the exhibition, regardless of copyright for the sole purpose of catalog publication and publicizing the show.

Delivery of Accepted Artwork
Artwork must be shipped to the Mackinac Island State Park Field Office between March 16, 2026 – April 17, 2026.

Mackinac Island State Park Field Office
ATTN: 2026 Art Contest
PO Box 370
1856 Fort Service Road
Mackinac Island, MI 49757

Questions on shipment to Brian Jaeschke – jaeschkeb@michigan.gov or 231-436-4100.

Liability
Mackinac State Historic Parks’ staff will exercise all reasonable care with your original artwork. However, Mackinac Island State Park Commission, its directors, staff, volunteers, and anyone connected with the exhibition will not be responsible for loss or damage, including damages made during the mailing process. It is suggested that artists carry their own insurance.

Agreement
Submission of a work shall constitute and agreement to comply with all the conditions set forth in this invitation. The juror reserves the right to reject any work not accurately represented by the digital image. The decision of the juror is final.

Juror

Juror for the show is Pasqua Warstler, an artist and a dabbler. Curiosity drives her studio work which prompts her to try new methods, techniques and media. Warstler finds them all fascinating and worthy of more exploration. This dabbling-artist approach helps Warstler in creating her paintings, collages, assemblages, prints and sculptures, and often combining them to create works in multimedia. This has been the attitude since her early days in the art studio as a student at Aquinas College where she earned a BFA in drawing and painting and where she studied with Grand Rapids- based artists James Karsina, Winifred Lutz and Larry Blovits.

With the mantra, ‘blossom where you’re planted’, Warstler tries to look at people, places, and spaces from a number of angles, so that she may see more, learn more and experience more deeply. This curiosity continued to direct her work throughout her career as an arts advocate working to bring art experiences to individuals and communities whether it was teaching in the national schools in Ireland, conducting tutorials in rural downstate or developing gallery and art programs in communities in the Upper Peninsula.  Warstler is proud of her service at the Bonifas Arts Center where, for over 26 years she served as Education Director, Gallery Director and finally as Executive Director. It was an exhilarating time providing her valuable opportunities to develop arts curriculum and gallery programs, develop docent training programs, curate exhibits, build artists opportunities with professional workshops, call-for entries and hire artists to conduct workshops. Warstler had the great pleasure of presenting Inuit artwork from the Dennos Museum, Egyptian funerary art from the Kalamazoo Art Institute, a collection of early American art from the Detroit Institute of Arts, and original quiltwork from Paducah. Highlights include traveling exhibits of Upper Peninsula artists’ works to the Governors’ office, ArtPrize and right here to Mackinac Island where she is very much looking forward to returning to view your work.

As artists, we are always being creative, not only with what we make but in how we live this life. This is an exciting time for Warstler as she works to establish artist retreat opportunities with a goal to provide dedicated space and time for artists or whether she’s back in my studio as the artist-dabbler depicting landscape settings, trees, birds, leaves, sky and water and transition from representational to expressive and abstract.

Important Dates

June 19, 2025
Mackinac State Historic Parks begins accepting submissions.

February 27, 2026
Submission deadline. Any entries received after 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time February 27, 2026 will not be considered.

March 13, 2026
Artists notified by email of juror results.

March 16 – April 17, 2026
Ship artwork to the Mackinac Island State Park Field Office.

Early May, 2026
Iconic Mackinac exhibition opens to the public

June 17, 2026
Awards ceremony announcing the exhibition winners held at The Richard & Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum.

Early October, 2026
Exhibit closes to the public for the season. However, it may reopen during various dates through late October for special group tours and events. All artwork must remain at the museum through October 18, 2026.

After Close of Exhibition 2026
Artwork can be picked up by artists. Appointments for pick-up must be made between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. If artists wishes to have artwork returned via mail, the appropriate packaging and return postage will be requested at exhibition closing. Please ensure that packaging and postage included for return artwork is of the appropriate dimensions and denomination.

Click here to submit a piece/pieces