Art Acquisitions Purchase Exhibition

Art teacher wins MEA-MAEA Exhibition with self portrait

The self-portrait in colored-pencil that MEA member Amber Thompson entered into this year’s 60^th Annual MEA-MAEA Art Purchase Exhibition had very special meaning to her, but she didn’t expect it to win Best in Show.

News that her piece, “Grow Where Planted,” (above) was selected for the exhibition’s top prize left the Otisville middle and high school art teacher speechless, she said.

“When I got the email, I was shocked,” Thompson said. “My family was with me, and they thought something was wrong because I couldn’t speak for a bit. I just felt very thankful that it kind of confirmed my work and that I really am able to do this.”

She always loved drawing and art class, but 11 years into a teaching career she had strayed from producing much of her own work until recently – beyond examples for lessons to share with students – because of classroom demands.

“You just get so busy that you don’t do a lot for yourself, especially those first few years,” Thompson said. “As I’ve grown into teaching, I wanted to show my students that I’m a teacher and I’m also a specialist in this work outside of school, and you can make a career out of this.”

Read the full story of the special meaning behind Thompson’s winning artwork, what inspired the Lapeer grad to become an educator, and the moment her life came full circle when she visited the show at MEA Headquarters.

You can visit the exhibition through June 14 or view the gallery below of accepted pieces.

MEA Art Acquisitions Committee: About Us

The Art Acquisitions Committee is a voluntary group of MEA members.  We appreciate the fine arts and want to promote and celebrate the creative talents of our members.  Working with a professional juror, we put together an annual art show.  All pieces chosen by our juror are displayed at MEA Headquarters in a group show.  Out of this collection, the committee choses pieces for MEA to purchase which are then available for display in MEA offices across the state.

Please consider participating in this annual event.  Information about the 2025 show will be forthcoming on the MEA website.

View this year’s entries below — hover your mouse over the thumbnail to see the artist and title of the piece, then click to see the full-size image.

View the 60th MEA/MAEA Annual Art Show Entries