Get your artwork ready — it’s almost time to submit entries for the 62^nd MEA/MAEA Art Acquisitions Purchase Exhibition. Digital submissions will be accepted March 1-22 via the form at this link.

The annual juried art show has continued to expand and improve. This year’s event includes a new award category: Promoting Peace through Art, in addition to Best in Show, Juror’s Choice, Honorable Mention, MAEA Purchase and MEA Purchase awards.

For the second time, the show will feature an artist’s reception with award presentations, said Heidi Posh, a Livonia art teacher and MEA board member who is co-chair of the organizing committee.

“This show demonstrates that art is an important part of many people’s lives,” Posh said. “Our artists range from custodians to classroom teachers and pretty much everyone in between.”

The Art Acquisitions Committee has made other changes in recent years, most notably shifting from in-person to virtual art submission and judging, which means geography is no longer an issue when selecting a juror.

“We saved money by not having to pay for the juror’s travel and accommodations as we previously had done,” Posh said.

The juror for this year’s exhibition is Frank Juárez, an award-winning art educator, curator, and arts advocate based in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, known for his commitment to elevating contemporary art. Juárez has curated exhibitions and juried art shows throughout the Midwest.

For works accepted into the show, drop-off dates have moved to correspond with the MEA Representative Assembly (RA) in April, so members can simplify drop-off by connecting with local RA delegates traveling to East Lansing (see key dates below).

No entry fee is required; any member in good standing of MEA or MEA-Retired can submit up to three original artworks in a wide range of media, including painting, drawing, photography, ceramics, glass, fibers and more.

“Our goal was to make the show more accessible to artists from all over the state,” Posh concluded.

Find rules, requirements and how to submit artwork here.

Behind the scenes, the committee has secured a new storage area and inventory system which will make it easier for MEA field offices across the state to borrow purchased art for display.

MEA member Keith Beale, whose artwork is featured in this year’s promotional materials, demonstrates the high caliber of artists and works exhibited. Previously a 19-year art teacher in Virginia, Beale won Best in Show in 2023 which was his first year entering.

His featured piece from last year, “Better Made,” highlights his use of pop iconography as a universally resonant point of entry to work that translates internal experience and stream of consciousness into tangible form, he said.

Acknowledging that the viewer’s experience supersedes intent, he added, “The viewer is encouraged to infuse the work with their personal narratives and psychological residue, thereby becoming the final, essential agent in the creation of meaning.”

Another of Beale’s entries from last year, “C-Pink and Blue,” was selected for an MAEA Purchase Award by the Michigan Art Education Association.

View accepted entries from last year’s show; read about the 2025 winner of Best in Show, Farmington art teacher Gabby Marderosian; and find the entry form to submit your artwork for consideration in this year’s 62^nd MEA/MAEA Art Acquisitions Purchase Exhibition!

MEA/MAEA Art Purchase Exhibition key dates

• 2 Digital submissions accepted
• March 24–30 Judging period
• April 2 Notification sent to participants (They may feel free to drop off artwork at their MEA Field Office starting April 6^th)
• April 13–15 Artwork drop-off at MEA Headquarters, 1216 Kendale Blvd., East Lansing.
• April 16–17 Artwork drop-off at the annual Michigan Education Association Representative Assembly
• April 25 Display setup
• July 29  6 p.m. art show and reception with awards at MEA Headquarters, 1350 Kendale Blvd., East Lansing
• August 22 Final day for art pickup (any pieces not purchased will become property of MEA)