The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown is accepting entries for its 89th National Midyear Exhibition, one of the longest-running juried shows for contemporary American artists in the country. The submission deadline is April 17, 2026, with the exhibition running July 12 through August 20 and an opening reception and awards ceremony at 2 p.m. on July 12.

The exhibition is open to U.S. residents and artists from American territories aged 18 and older. Both two-dimensional and relief artworks are accepted, and wall-mounted sculptural relief pieces are now eligible under updated guidelines. Artists may submit work online at ButlerArt.com, where complete submission instructions are available. Louis A. Zona, Director Emeritus of the Butler Institute and a curator, scholar, and educator who led the museum for more than four decades, will serve as juror.

The 2026 edition revives a tradition of including up to five invited professional contemporary artists alongside juried selections, a feature designed to deepen the curatorial range of the show. The National Midyear has served as a benchmark exhibition for emerging and mid-career American artists since its founding, providing national exposure within one of the region’s oldest and most established art institutions.

The Butler Institute of American Art, founded in 1919 in Youngstown, holds a permanent collection focused exclusively on American art and operates the only museum in the United States dedicated solely to that subject.

Source: Business Journal Daily