Applications for the 2026 West Michigan Area Show are now open through March 29. Local artists from 14 West Michigan counties can submit their art for a chance to be juried into the show. More than $6,000 will be awarded and entries can range from paintings, prints, and photos to mosaics, ceramics, jewelry, sculpture, and mixed-media works.
The 2026 West Michigan Area Show will be on view from May 29–September 27, 2026.
Xuxa Rodríguez, 2026 West Michigan Area Show Juror
This year’s juror is Xuxa Rodríguez, Patsy R. and Raymond D. Nasher Curator of Contemporary Art at Duke University’s Nasher Museum. Prior to her role at Duke, Rodríguez served as the Associate Curator of Contemporary Arts at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and earned a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Rodríguez will present an ArtBreak lecture on Wednesday, May 27, at noon in the KIA auditorium.
CALENDAR
- Applications Open: Monday, February 23
- Applications Due By: Sunday, March 29
- Artist Notification: Tuesday, April 22
- Artist Drop Off: May 15–18 (Fri–Mon)
- Awards and Opening Reception: Thursday, May 28
- Exhibition Opens: May 29–September 27
ANTICIPATED 2026 AWARDS
- $1,000 Helen Sheridan Memorial Grand Prize
- $500 Second Place
- $400 Third Place
- $300 Fourth Place
- $200 Fifth Place
- $1,000 Portage Community Art Award
- $750 Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo’s People’s Choice Award
- $350 The Martin Maddox Prize for Imaginative Realism
- $300 Ninth Wave Studio Award for Ingenuity in Mixed Media or Intermedia
- $250 Kalamazoo Art League Award for Excellence in Any Media
- $250 West Michigan Potters Guild Award for Ceramics
- $200 Eclectic Glass Guild of Southwest Michigan
- $200 Kalamazoo Log Cabin Quilters’ Art Quilt Award
- $200 Southwest Michigan Printmakers Excellence in Printmaking Award
- $150 Kalamazoo Book Arts Center Book, Print, and Paper Award
The West Michigan Area Show is made possible by generous support from:
David Isaacson in memory of his wife, Helen Sheridan.