2026 Betsy Meyer Memorial Exhibition & Meyer Family Award for Contemporary Art

Application Deadline: Monday, September 28, 2026

The Annual Betsy Meyer Memorial Exhibition & Meyer Family Award for Contemporary Art, presented by Main Line Art Center, honors three artists annually with an exhibition in the Center’s gallery and an award of $1,000. This juried award and exhibition program is an effort to support and honor talented contemporary artists and to encourage excellence and experimentation in artistic practice, presentation and community involvement. Our juror this year is artist, curator, and cultural organizer Ricky Yanas. The exhibition will be on view at Main Line Art Center, 746 Panmure, Haverford, Pa 19041, from November 14 – December 18, 2026. All fine artists are eligible to apply. All mediums are welcome and artists are encouraged to submit work that pushes the boundaries of their medium.

Requirements:

• At least 3 pieces of work chosen to be exhibited in the show must be for sale. The gallery works on a 60%-40% commission split, with 60% going to the artist.
• ALL WORK YOU APPLY WITH MUST BE AVAILABLE FOR THE EXHIBITION. The Art Center reserves the right to rescind your invitation and award if the works you submitted with your application are not available for exhibition.
• Artists must attend the opening reception and artist talks on the evening of Saturday, November 14th from 6-8 PM and be available to help install their work in the galleries, if necessary, November 11 – 13.
• If artists want to drop-off their work for Main Line Art Center to install, they must do so on November 9 – 10 from 9 AM – 4 PM. Main Line Art Center does not ship or transport work under any circumstances. Artists are responsible for delivering their work to the gallery and retrieving their work after the exhibition.

Important Dates:

• Deadline to apply: Monday, September 28, 2026
• Winning artists will be notified by Monday, October 5, 2026
• Artwork drop-off: November 9th & 10th, 9AM – 4PM
• Artist installation: November 11th & 13th
• Opening Reception: Saturday, November 14th, 6-8PM
• Exhibition dates: November 14 – December 18, 2026

Meet Our Juror

Ricky Yanas

Ricky Yanas is a Mexican-American artist, curator and cultural organizer living in Philadelphia. Working within a pragmatic tradition of problem finding, his work extends through a variety of disciplines (photography, documentary film, installation, archival investigation, and place-making) with the aim to create inter-sectional/inter-historical spaces of inquiry, mutual engagement, and collaboration through collective art making.

In 2016, Yanas founded Ulises, a bookstore and curatorial project, with Nerissa Cooney, Lauren Downing, Joel Evey, Kayla Romberger and Gee Wesley. In May of 2024, Ulises re-opened their storefront location at the Ray building in Philadelphia’s South Kensington neighborhood.