Digital Explorations 2026

About the Open Call

Computer software and technology have forever expanded the ways artists capture and produce their work. Artists can weave together scenes in photoshop, produce paintings through a screen, create videos, animations, and projections that transport us to new worlds, and sculpt with a 3D printer. Maryland Federation of Art (MFA) invites all artists residing in any of the states or territories of the US, Canada, or Mexico to enter our 4th annual exhibition dedicated to digitally-produced art. Any original 2D or 3D image based work created and/or produced through digital software and following exhibition guidelines will be considered. This includes, but is not limited to digitally produced photography, digital painting, illustration, graphic design, digital video and projection. Works selected will be exhibited in MFA’s Circle Gallery from January 28 – February 28, 2026. Exhibition co-chairs: Emil Petruncio and Erica Krieger. Juror: Andy Holtin, Professor of Extended Media at American University. Andy Holtin received his MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University’s Sculpture and Extended Media program. His work uses technological systems to create performative objects and interactive installations, incorporating an exploratory range of materials and processes. Holtin currently works as half of the collaborative duo CausalityLabs, pursuing projects that explore mechanism as a metaphor for human experience and perception. His work has been exhibited internationally at locations including Galerie35, Berlin, Germany; Museo Antropologico y de Arte Contemporaneo, Ecuador; Museo Universitario Arte Contemporaneo, Mexico City; Planetario Alfa Science and Culture Museum, Mexico; and nationally at museums, galleries, and universities from New York to Portland to Florida. Holtin teaches all levels of Sculpture, addressing traditional media as well as installation formats, kinetic and interactive systems, and digital audio and video. Holtin’s current work and research focuses on the exploration of cognitive processes through the development of and interaction with performative objects in a form of sculptural theater. Using systems ranging from simple machines to interactive robotics, his works orchestrate events that ask us to scrutinize cause and effect and our assumptions about the objects and materials of our culture. He has particular interests in the history of the sciences and linguistics.

What is Offered

Exhibition opportunity at MFA’s Circle Gallery, potential for sales with artists retaining 70-75% commission, and participation in a virtual awards ceremony.

Requirements

Entry is open to artists residing in any US state or territory, Canada, or Mexico. Works must be original, completed within the past 3 years, and not previously exhibited at MFA Circle Gallery. Maximum work size, including frame, cannot exceed 72 inches in any direction. Images for jurying must correspond with the actual work. For video submissions, a link and a still frame are required. Work must be for sale.

How to Apply

All work must be uploaded through artcall.org. For video submissions, applicants must provide a link to the video in the Linked Web Resource field and upload a still frame as an attachment. An artcall.org account (with email and password) is required for online entry. A tutorial video on how to upload entries is available.