About Irving Arts Center

Irving Arts Center (IAC) combines family entertainment and cultural events with a convenient location in the center of Dallas/Fort Worth. The Arts Center boasts two fully equipped theaters, five galleries, meeting and classroom facilities and a beautiful outdoor sculpture garden on a ten-acre site. Art Connection is the IAC’s membership program for the visual arts. Members can join at a variety of levels, including a dual membership with the Smithsonian Affiliations program. Please click here for Art Connection Membership Information or call (972) 252-ARTS to learn more about becoming an Art Connection Member. 

About the Art Connection Members’ Exhibition

This annual, non-juried exhibition is open to all current members who wish to participate. The entry fee is $10 per work, and artists may submit up to two pieces. Eligible entries will be judged for cash awards in three categories: Youth, Non-Professional and Professional. An overall “Best of Show” prize will also be awarded.

OPTIONAL: 2026 Theme/Design Challenge – “We Are America @ 250”

The 2026 thematic challenge is “We Are America @ 250” commemorating the 250^th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. All of us are part of the vibrant, dynamic, and complex mosaic that is America in 2026. Members who wish to enter the thematic challenge are invited to submit artwork that explores local and national identity. 

Need additional prompts/inspiration?

Addressing the complexity and richness of the American experience can also be approached by focusing on one or more of these topics:

• Innovation and progress
• Civic participation
• Community-centered storytelling
• Future facing reflection as we consider America’s past and share our hopes for the next chapter of our nation’s story.

Selection of the thematic challenge winners in the three categories (Youth, Non-Professional and Professional) will be done by People’s Choice voting on IAC’s social media platforms as well as in-person by QR code for the duration of the exhibition, June 20-August 1. (It is not a requirement that the artwork submitted for the 26^th Annual Art Connection Members Show conform to this theme. Participation in the thematic challenge is optional.)

Eligible Participants

All Art Connection Members are eligible to participate. Membership fees must be current. To join or renew, go to the Art Connection Page or call the IAC Box Office at 972.252.ARTS (2787).

Art Connection members who are employed by the Arts Center or who serve on the Irving Arts Board, as well as their families, may participate in the exhibition, but are not eligible for cash awards. PLEASE NOTE: Youths under the age of 14 may participate only if they are part of a household with a Smithsonian Affiliate/Family Membership or above. Student Art Connection Memberships are for individuals age 14 and older.

Eligible Work/Show Conditions

•  All entries must be original works completed within the last two years. Entries that have been in any previous exhibition at the Irving Arts Center (IAC) are ineligible.

• Eligible media include: painting, sculpture, ceramics, drawing, printmaking (hand-pulled graphics), digital printmaking, photography, textiles, fiber, mixed media, and fine art crafts (no work from kits). Video will be accepted; however, equipment availability for viewing/displaying is limited.

• Entries must not be the product of or contain imagery derived by Artificial Intelligence (AI). 

• 2-D work must be framed with glass or Plexiglas (acrylic) and ready to hang, equipped with wire or D-rings. (Please no sawtooth hangers or Uni-Frames – a system with two pieces of glass or acrylic held together with springs and clips.) Works on stretched canvas must be dry to the touch and can either be framed or have finished gallery-wrapped edges with proper hardware attached to the back.

• It is strongly suggested that framing for works be consistent with gallery or museum standards, i.e. simple black, metal frames or natural wood frames with white or off-white mats for a more professional and polished presentation.

• Maximum size for 2-D work is 60” in any direction, including frame. 3-D artwork should not exceed 200 lbs. and should not occupy more than a 4’x 4’ area on the floor. Work must fit through the Main Gallery’s 9’ x 5’ doors.
  
  
• Diptychs, triptychs, or other works with multiple panels or elements that constitute one piece, must not exceed the 60” height and width restriction.
  
  

• Work with special or complex display needs, or that is not properly prepared for installation, may not be accepted.

• Art Connection Members of all ages, including youths, will be participating in the Members Exhibition.  Please submit work that is suitable for family viewing. 

• By participating in the show, the artist gives IAC the right to photograph the artwork and/or use existing photographs and digital images of the artwork for promotional purposes. Photographs and/or video may be taken of the artist during the exhibition and reception. These may also be used for promotional purposes.

• Artwork will remain as place by IAC staff in the Main & Focus Galleries, and any adjacent exhibit areas, and cannot be removed before August 2.

Entry Fees & Procedures (“The Rules”)

Awards

Cash prizes will be awarded. Members may enter in one of three categories: Youth (17 years old and younger), Non-Professional and Professional.*  

Prizes will be awarded at the discretion of the 2026 awards judge, Toni Schuster and announced at the Reception & Awards Ceremony on June 21.  

Toni Schuster is an artist, graphic design professional, educator, and author. She received her MFA in Visual Communications from UNT (University of North Texas) and teaches for Dallas College.

Best of Show:   $350

Youth:                       
1st – $200
2nd – $150
3rd – $100

Non-Professional:   
1st – $250
2nd – $200
3rd – $150

Professional:       
1st – $300
2nd – $250
3rd – $200

Cash prizes for the optional 2026 thematic challenge (“We Are America @250”) will also be awarded in each category: $75, one prize winner per category. Winners will be selected by People’s Choice voting, June 20-August 1.

(*Artists who regularly sell their work to the public, participate as art vendors, are represented by a gallery, or regularly monetize their artistic practice through paid promotional or sponsored activity related to their artwork should submit as a Professional.)

The Non-Professional division is intended for students ages 18 and up as well as artists who engage in art primarily as a hobby and do not regularly monetize their artistic practice through sales, gallery representation, or paid promotional activity related to their artwork.

MORE FINE PRINT

Liability

All artwork will be handled with care; however, the City of Irving and Irving Arts Center will not be held responsible for any loss or damage to the artwork while in transit or on the premises of the IAC.

Agreement

Submission to this exhibition constitutes the Member’s agreement to all conditions of this show as well as the terms and conditions of the IAC Loan Agreement.

Calendar

Contact Information
Marcie Inman, Director of Exhibitions & Educational Programs
(972) 252-7558 x1225 or minman@IrvingTx.gov