Juried Art Exhibition, Echoes of the Island
Entries are being accepted for the 2026 juried art exhibition at The Richard & Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum on Mackinac Island, hosted by Mackinac State Historic Parks, through Friday, February 27.
The theme for the exhibition is Echoes of the Island: A Journey Through Time. Mackinac State Historic Parks is looking for artists to explore the layers of Mackinac’s storied past. From the sacred lands of the Anishinaabe people to the Revolutionary War-era Fort Mackinac, from Victorian summer retreats to horse-drawn carriages, Mackinac Island is in many ways a living museum. We encourage artists working in all media to share with us their artistic visions of what Echoes of the Island: A Journey Through Time means to them.
“The annual contemporary art contest continues to support the mission of The Richard & Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum by encouraging new artistic creations inspired by Mackinac Island,” said Steve Brisson, Mackinac State Historic Parks Director. “I invite residents and visitors alike to tour the exhibition and enjoy this show during the 2026 season.”
Juror for the show is Pasqua Warstler, an artist and a dabbler. Curiosity drives her studio work which prompts her to try new methods, techniques and media. Warstler finds them all fascinating and worthy of more exploration. This dabbling-artist approach helps Warstler in creating her paintings, collages, assemblages, prints and sculptures, and often combining them to create works in multimedia. This has been the attitude since her early days in the art studio as a student at Aquinas College where she earned a BFA in drawing and painting and where she studied with Grand Rapids- based artists James Karsina, Winifred Lutz and Larry Blovits.
With the mantra, ‘blossom where you’re planted’, Warstler tries to look at people, places, and spaces from a number of angles, so that she may see more, learn more and experience more deeply. This curiosity continued to direct her work throughout her career as an arts advocate working to bring art experiences to individuals and communities whether it was teaching in the national schools in Ireland, conducting tutorials in rural downstate or developing gallery and art programs in communities in the Upper Peninsula. Warstler is proud of her service at the Bonifas Arts Center, where she served as Education Director, Gallery Director, and finally as Executive Director over a 26-year career. It was an exhilarating time providing her valuable opportunities to develop arts curriculum and gallery programs, develop docent training programs, curate exhibits, build artists opportunities with professional workshops, call-for entries and hire artists to conduct workshops. Warstler had the great pleasure of presenting Inuit artwork from the Dennos Museum, Egyptian funerary art from the Kalamazoo Art Institute, a collection of early American art from the Detroit Institute of Arts, and original quiltwork from Paducah. Highlights include traveling exhibits of Upper Peninsula artists’ works to the Governors’ office, ArtPrize and now to Mackinac Island where she is very much looking forward to this exhibition.
As artists, Warstler says, we are always being creative, not only with what we make but in how we live this life. This is an exciting time for Warstler as she works to establish artist retreat opportunities with a goal to provide dedicated space and time for artists or whether she’s back in my studio as the artist-dabbler depicting landscape settings, trees, birds, leaves, sky and water and transition from representational to expressive and abstract.
Warstler will select a single Best of Show, second and third place, and three honorable mention awardees from the pieces displayed in the exhibition. Winners will be announced at the June 17, 2026 awards ceremony on Mackinac Island. The Best of Show winner will receive The Richard & Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum Gold Medal and $2,500 cash prize. Their name will be added to the list of annual Gold Medal winners, which is displayed at the museum. The second and third place winners will receive cash prizes of $1,000 and $750, respectively, and the three honorable mentions will receive cash prizes of $250 each. All prizes are donated by the Mackinac Arts Council and Mackinac Associates.
All media of artwork is accepted from living artists, including photography, paint, sculpture and others. Artwork must have been completed within the last two years. No artwork that has been selected as a finalist in previous juried exhibitions will be accepted. Artists are encouraged to submit more than one artwork, but no more than three will be accepted. Participation is open to all artists, nationally and internationally, who are 18 years of age or older. Artwork selected for inclusion in the exhibition may be available for sale with permission of the artist.
All entries must be submitted electronically at https://www.mackinacparks.com/
