Call Description

The Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State is pleased to announce a Call for Entries for a juried exhibition marking the country’s 250th anniversary in 2026. Dreaming American Futures: Invitational 250 is a juried show open to the following individuals:

• Penn State students, faculty, and staff (all campuses)
• Penn State alumni who reside in the state of Pennsylvania
• Local artists (Must be 18 or older and live within a 50-mile radius of State College, PA)

There is no entry fee. Submissions (digital images of 1-3 works completed in the last 18 months) will be due February 15, 2026; accepted artists will be notified by March 15, 2026; the exhibition will be on view at the Palmer June 13 to November 29, 2026. Artists are expected to deliver works in person or via mail to the Palmer in early May 2026.

We invite works of art that address one or more of the following ideas as we look to the future:

• Activating change
• Bridging the divide
• Pursuit of happiness
• A more perfect union

Submitted works can be 2d (paintings, photographs, works on paper, original prints); 3d (sculpture); or new media (generated by digital technologies). We cannot accommodate multimedia, video, or large-scale installations. Submissions must include an artist statement (not more than 125 words) explaining how the works relate to the themes of the exhibition.

For more information on the exhibition, including our featured jurors, please visit our Call for Entries page.

Questions? Email palmerinfo@psu.edu.

Application Requirements

There is no entry fee. Submissions (digital images of 1-3 works completed in the last 18 months) will be due February 15, 2026. Submissions must include an artist statement (not more than 125 words) explaining how the works relate to the themes of the exhibition.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must be at least one of the following:  

• Penn State student, faculty, or staff (all campuses)
• Penn State alumnus who reside in the state of Pennsylvania
• Local artist (Must be 18 or older and live within a 50-mile radius of State College, PA)