Call for Entries for Washington Sculptors Group outdoor exhibition at the Sandy Spring Museum in autumn 2026.

10^th Anniversary Exhibition

Presented by Washington Sculptors Group and Sandy Spring Museum.

EXHIBITION DATES: September 20, 2026 - November 8, 2026

JUROR: Maria Gabriela (“Gaby”) Mizes

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Tuesday, July 14, 2026 (received by 11:59 EST through EntryThingy)

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
This is the tenth edition of ARTINA, an annual outdoor sculpture exhibition at Sandy Spring Museum.  Artina 2026,Ripples of Ten Years, celebrates that history while looking forward. Artists are invited to create a living, dynamic landscape — ever-changing with sunlight, weather, and the movement of visitors.

Jeff Chyatte Memorial Award: $500 “Best in Show” selected by the juror.

Artist Honoraria: There is a $150 per artist honorarium.

Artists are invited to explore:

• Reflection and refraction: how sculpture can mirror, fragment, or distort perception.
• Time and transformation: how sculptural materials can create ephemeral, mutable experiences, echoing a decade of evolving practice.
• Multiplicity and dialogue: mirrored and refracted surfaces as metaphors for the many voices, artists, and ideas that have shaped the Artina series.
• Future-oriented imagination: using sculptural media to bend light and flow to suggest possibilities beyond the present moment.

Self-guiding maps of the exhibition will be available at Sandy Spring Museum and on the websites of WSG and SSM. Exhibition cards will be distributed to WSG, SSM members, and the community. Promotion of the show will be actively pursued.

ABOUT THE ARTINA EXHIBITION SERIES

For the last decade, since 2016, ARTINA has transformed the Sandy Spring Museum’s outdoor spaces into sites of encounter, discovery, and reflection. Past exhibitions include: Upside Down, Inside Out, juried by Zoma Wallace (2025); A Point of View, juried by Nehemiah Dixon III (2024); Queering Nature, juried by Stephanie Mercedes (2023); A Space in Place, juried by Natalie Fulgencio-Turner (2022); Balancing Acts, juried by Twylene Moyer (2021); Light, A Sculptural Solar Dance, juried by María Gabriela Mizes (2020); Introspective, juried by Cecilia Wichmann (2018); (Re)Use and Abuse of the Land, juried by Ursula Achternkamp (2017); and Art in Nature, juried by Martine Van Kampen (2016).

IMPORTANT SITE INFORMATION:

It is recommended artists visit Sandy Spring Museum to get a sense of the surroundings prior to applying. See site plan below. The museum grounds are open seven days a week, from dawn to dusk. Admission is free. Artina 2026’s Exhibit Manager will be on site at the museum to answer artist’s questions on Sunday, June 14, 3036 from 12 - 4 pm.

Your artwork must remain on display for the full duration of the show. Any means of anchoring the sculptures will be removed by the artist during de-installation with the site restored to its natural state. You are responsible to install and deinstall your artwork and provide whatever equipment you need (i.e., tools, ladders).

Artworks may be installed on:

• Museum’s front and side lawns and mulched areas.
• One of two 10’x 10’ concrete pads adjacent to the rear parking lot.
• Wooden trellis extending from the museum’s front entry to Route 108.

NOTE: The Center Courtyard and Outdoor Amphitheater are off-limits (see map).

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ARTWORK CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS:

Artwork must be:

• Structurally stable and suitable for long-term outdoor exposure
• Weather-resistant, able to withstand rain, sun, humidity, seasonal temperature changes, and strong winds
• Works must be entirely self-contained as no connection to water, drainage, or electricity is available onsite.
• Constructed of durable and robust materials appropriate for outdoor public display
• Fragile materials or materials that may shatter, splinter or otherwise pose a safety hazard are not permitted.
• Touchable, able to withstand unsupervised public interaction and close viewing
• Installed safely, with no trip hazards, sharp edges, or pinch points
• Capable of secure installation, including anchoring or weighting if necessary
• Non-electrical
• During the exhibition period, no maintenance required by Museum staff
• Sensitive to the museum’s natural environment and landscape

Feel free to contact exhibits@washingtonsculptors.org if you need help or have any questions.

Site Map Artworks may be installed on the museum’s front and side lawns, surrounding mulched areas, along the wooden trellis extending from the museum’s front entry to Route 108, and part of the rear trellis. The areas marked with a red ‘X’ are off limits.