Calling all artists! UMD insect art show

 


The UMD Arts for All Grant is investigating the use of visual art in science communication. As a part of this project we are organizing a visual art exhibition titled, Another Look, Another World that will be themed around Maryland insect diversity and conservation. 

The exhibition will be hosted in the Herman Maril Gallery, located on the ground floor of the UMD Art and Sociology Building, Room 1309. An exhibition flyer is attached below.

How People Can Get Involved:
  • Spread the word
  • Contribute original insect art
  • Attend the exhibition (invite family and friends)
We would love for anyone to consider contributing original visual art and/or visual works to this exhibition! Insect photos and creative visual representations of research are welcome.

Two Different Open Calls for Insect Art:
  1. Student Visual Art Competition Open Call: Competitive, Any UMD Student (undergraduate and graduate), Cash Prizes (First place: $1,000; Second place: $750)
  2. UMD Campus Community Art Open Call: Non-competitive, Any Adult, No Cash Prizes
Important Dates:
  • Oct. 2, 2026: Intent to submit art forms due by 11:59 p.m.
  • Oct. 7, 2026: Art drop-off at the Herman Maril Gallery, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • Oct. 14 - Nov. 6, 2026: Exhibition on view
  • Oct. 21, 2026: Opening reception, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., light refreshments will be served 
Please check out our exhibition web page (https://go.umd.edu/insectartshow) for more details including submission criteria and forms, related resources, important dates, downloadable exhibition flyers, and more.

Please consider sharing this opportunity across the UMD campus. We would love to have many different departments represented in the exhibition. One of the aims of our project is to bring together multiple departments and facilitate interdisciplinary conversations and connections, both through attending the exhibition and through contributing artwork.

If anyone needs a reasonable accommodation to participate in and/or attend the exhibition, please contact me, Madeline Potter, at mpotter@umd.edu or (301) 226-7615 by Friday, September 18, 2026.
 
Photo credits (left to right): © paulswitzer, some rights reserved, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist.org; © Bert Harris, some rights reserved, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist.org; © Steve Tobin, some rights reserved, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist.org.