2026 Paul and Norma Tikkanen Painting Prize

Description

Fourth Annual Paul and Norma Tikkanen Painting Prize Ashtabula Arts Center 2928 W. 13 St. Ashtabula, OH 44004ashtabulaartscenter.org facebook.com/ashartscenter Phone: (440) 964-3396Calendar:Jun 1-Jul 15, 2026: Art Call digital first round application (include high resolution image) YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO APPLY BEFORE JUN 1.July 16- July 20: Online jury process to continue to second roundJul 22: Notification for artists to continue to second, in-person roundAug 1-8: Drop off of second round selectionsAug 8: In-person jury processAug 10: Second round notification for artists Aug 10-15: Retrieval of cut artworksOct 4: Show opens at the Ashtabula Arts CenterOct 3: Public reception and award ceremony, 6-9 p.m.Oct 31: Show closesNov 2-7: Artwork pick-upPrizes:2 $15,000 First Place prizes
2 $8,000 Second Place prizes
4 Possible $1,500 Optional Honorable Mention prizes1 $500 People's Choice PrizeEligibility (artists must reside in one of the following):Counties in OH: Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Summit, Trumbull
Counties in PA: Crawford, Erie, Lawrence, MercerCurrent full and part-time employees, board members of AAC, board members of the Tikkanen Foundation, AAC Foundation supervisors, and their immediate family members are NOT eligible to participate.Entry Fee:$15 per piece. Each applicant limited to 2 entries.
Rights and Responsibilities:All accepted artworks must remain at the AAC through October 31Gallery will collect 30% commission on all sales.AAC shall have the right to use images of exhibited artworks for the catalog and all promotional purposes.Artwork drop-off and pick up must be done in person. All works will be signed into and out of the AAC.All pieces must be wired ready to hang. Works which are not appropriately wired will not be displayed.Unclaimed artwork becomes the property of the AAC on Nov 30, 2026.Artworks are covered by insurance while in possession of the AAC. They are not covered during transportation to and from the AAC.The Arts Center has the right to accept or reject any artworks for any reason.Artwork:Prizes will be awarded for abstract & realistic workCategorization of individual works will be decided by the judgesAccepted mediums: Gouache, Fresco, Encaustic, Ink (Sumi-e), Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Alcohol Inks, Tempera, Mixed Media Painting (Jurors will have final say on acceptable mediums. 85% of the painting should be a painting medium.) Originals only; no giclees, no prints, no wet paint.Work must be entirely created by the artist. Use of AI tools, including generative AI, image synthesis, or other automated  content creation tools will render the work ineligible for acceptance.  Pre-wired; include a fragile piece disclaimer if neededCompleted in the last 3 yearsMaximum size 4ftx4ft; max weight 25lbsHigh school students not eligiblePaul and Norma Tikkanen Foundation Acquisition (New for 2026):The Paul and Norma Tikkanen Foundation will claim the 2026 First and Second prize winners as an acquisition. Artists will  transfer ownership of artworks to the Paul and Norma Tikkanen Foundation in exchange for their prize. The Paul and Norma  Tikkanen Foundation will handle the acquisition collection and process. All work entered must be for sale. Artworks must not  exceed $8000 per the acquisition limit set by the Paul and Norma Tikkanen Foundation. Digital Image Specifications:At least 300dpi and at least 4x6 inces (in pixels this is at least 1300x1750 pixels) at that resolution. Bigger is better.
File formats: jpg, png, gif, jpeg
File size: 5 MB Maximum
File names: artist first name, last name, and title of work, separated by underscores and not spaces (ex: Norm_Abrahms_The_Farm.jpg)Jurors:Sara ReismanEmilio MartinezKate KretzJuror Bios:Sara Reisman is a curator, educator, and writer whose work focuses on socially engaged art, art in the public sphere, the history of exhibition making, and the intersections between art and social change. Reisman has held numerous leadership roles, including Chief Curator at the National Academy of Design (2021–2025), Executive and Artistic Director of the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation (2014–2021), and Director of New York City’s Percent for Art Program (2008–2014). She has taught at the University of Pennsylvania, the State University of New York - Purchase College, and, since 2016, at the School of Visual Arts’ Curatorial Practice MA Program. Recent exhibitions include The Useful Life of Objects (Materials for the Arts, NYC), Rumor de la Tierra (Q Galería, Quito, Ecuador), When Thoughts Are Free (601Artspace, NYC), and Stephen Antonakos: Vectors of Time and Space (B&M Theocharakis Foundation, Athens, Greece), all 2026.Emilio MartinezBorn 1981 in Tegucigalpa, HondurasLives and Works in Miami, FLSelected Solo Exhibitions2025Freedom from fear, Lspace gallery, NYBeyond the horizon, Fredric Snitzer gallery, Miami Fl. 2024American Me, Fredric Snitzer Gallery, North Miami Pop Up, Miami, FL2023Van Gogh, Lautrec, and Me, NSU Museum, Fort Lauderdale, FL2021Of Monsters and Men, David Castillo Gallery, Miami, FL2017Cantos y cuentos de conquistas, Haitian culture alliances, Miami, FLSelected Group Exhibitions2026 The Riddle of the Sphinx and Other Mysteries, NSU Museum, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Fortuny + Chahan, Fondamenta San Biagio 802Giudecca, Venezia. 2022Cicatrices / Marks that remain, Frost Art Museum, Miami, FL2017Visionary Aponte: Art and Black Freedom, Little Haiti Cultural Center, Miami, FL. 2018Visionary Aponte: Art and Black Freedom, King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center, NY University, New York. 2019Visionary Aponte: Art and Black Freedom, Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuals, Havana, CubaVisionary Aponte: Art and Black Freedom, Galería Oriente, Santiago de Cuba. I paint My Reality, Surrealism in Latin America, NSU Art Museum, Fort Lauderdale, FL.Afrotropic, NSU University Fort Lauderdale, FL. 2020Visionary Aponte: Art and Black Freedom, Fine Arts Gallery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN. 2017Discrimination and disparity, Spady Cultural Heritage Museum, Delray Beach,FL,201665th Annual All Florida Exhibition, Boca Raton Museum of Art, Palm Beach, Fl 2015Borderless Caribbean II, Little Haiti Cultural Complex Art Gallery, Miami, FLPost Basquiat North-South Contemporaneous, Community Folk Art Center, Syracuse University, NY2014Shades of Black, The Little Haiti Cultural Center, Miami, FL2013Americana, The Ansin Family Art Gallery at the Miramar Cultural Center, FL500 Years of Hispanic Presence, Instituto Cultural de México, Miami, FL“Caribbean”, Alternative Contemporaneous in Miami Art”, Multitudes Contemporary Art Gallery, Miami, FL“Discovering Dreams”, The Purvis Young Museum of Art, Wynwood, Miami, FL“The Dream Collection”, The Little Haiti Cultural Center, Miami, FL2012“Angels” The Purvis Young Museum of Art, Miami, FL2010Outsider Art” Artopia Art Center. Miami, FLBibliography2023Emilio Martinez, Dialogues with Van Gogh, Lautrec: www.artealdia.comNSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, New Exhibition: Picturing Fam, artmiamimagazine.comEye on the Arts, NSU Art Museum exhibit, https://www.newpelican.com/Picturing Fame, https://lmgfl.comboca magazine, /www.bocamag.com/art-celebrity-intersectin-4-nsu-art-museum-exhibitions/Galerie magazine, https://galeriemagazine.com/see-memorablemoments-nomad-capri/Lifestyle magazine, https://lmgfl.com/picturingmoments- nomad-capri/Lifestyle magazine: https://lmgfl.com/picturingfame/MODERN ARABESQUE magazine, https://www.modernarabesque.com/en/news/35932022Cicatrices Marks that Remain: www.frost.fiu.edu2020‘Visionary Aponte: Art and Black Freedom’ opens, Vanderbilt, news.Vanderbilt.edu2019Meet Emilio Martinez, https://voyagemia.com/interview/meet-emilio-martinez/Northern lights, Fort Lauderdale magazine, https://fortlauderdalemagazine.com/northernlights/
Kate Kretz earned a Cours De La Civilisation Francaise certificate at The Sorbonne, a BFA at SUNY Binghamton, and her MFA at the University of Georgia.Kretz’s work has appeared in over 95 international newspapers and has been featured repeatedly in the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Miami Herald, The Huffington Post, The Atlanta Journal/Constitution, ArtPapers, and Surface Design, as well as appearing in Esquire, Vanity Fair Italy, ELLE Japon, and PASAJES DISENO magazines. Exhibitions include the Museum of Arts & Design in NYC, Design Museum Holon, Van Gijn Museum, Kunstraum Kreuzberg, Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University in Beijing, Racine Museum, Wignall Museum, Katonah Museum, Frost Art Museum, Fort Collins MOCA, Telfair Museum, Fort Lauderdale Museum, the Museo Medici, Mattatuck Museum, San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, as well as Lyons Wier Ortt & 31Grand Gallery in NY, Hardcore Art Contemporary Space in Miami, and Packer/Schopf in Chicago.Kretz is a Fulbright Specialist. She’s received three MD Arts Council grants (in both Crafts & Painting), the NC Arts Council Grant, The South Florida Cultural Consortium Fellowship, Florida Visual Arts Fellowship, and a Millay Colony Residency. She was given the SECAC award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement, and the James Renwick Alliance’s 2020 Distinguished Artist Award. Kretz wrote for Hyperallergic magazine’s “Drawing In A Time Of Fear & Lies” series, and in 2024, Intellect Books/University of Chicago published her book “Art From Your Core: A Holistic Guide to Visual Voice.” She was an Associate Professor/BFA Director at Florida International University for ten years, and currently teaches part-time, when she’s not in the studio.