Annual Juried Youth Exhibition
Since 2006, MOPA has held an annual juried exhibition showcasing the photographic talents of local youth. Every year, students are encouraged to submit work that responds visually to a particular theme. The winning entries are selected for their creativity and artistic interpretation of that year’s topic.
YX21 Call For Entries
Theme: “SPACE”
- MOPA encourages you to be creative with your interpretation of the theme!
- How do you think about SPACE? Outer space? Inner space? Open space? Personal space?
- Share your unique perspective on space through photography or video!
- Check out our video on ways to interpret “SPACE!”
- Free to enter!
Submission deadline: March 16, 2021 at midnight
Click for more information and to enter!
Teachers – Check out our Lending Library for cameras to use in your classroom!
How to Get Started
- Change your mindset about photography.
- Get past literal interpretations of taking a photo. Approach this project actively and creatively.
- A literal interpretation means: I’m going to take a picture of a car or a tree
- A creative approach means: I’m not going to take a photo of something, I will MAKE a photo that communicates an idea.
- Get past literal interpretations of taking a photo. Approach this project actively and creatively.
- Get inspired through our Photo Club challenges! Experiment with projects that can take your photos to the next level!
- Understand the theme. What comes to your mind when you think of SPACE? Outer space? Exploration? Inner space? Personal space? Wide open space? Confined space?
- Be authentic. Make work that reflects who you are and what’s important to you.
- Don’t discount your voice just because you have not practiced communicating it visually. Find a way to get across what you want to say using a camera combined with your other strengths. Contemporary art – in photography and in other mediums – is about ideas, not perfect art technique.
- Stick to it. What if your photo doesn’t come out well? Making a good anything is about persistence. You try, you assess and critique – identify what you did worked and what didn’t – and you try again.
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Important updates during closure
While MOPA is temporarily closed, we are busy at work to keep our Youth Exhibition program going! Please check back here for updates! If you would like to join our Youth Exhibition mailing list, please email us at yx@mopa.org.
Updates for YX20: Growing Up
We regret the delay in featuring the outstanding work from our YX20 selected youth artists! MOPA is still closed to the public, but we have not stopped planning for this important exhibition. YX20: Growing Up will now hang alongside the selected works from YX21: Space as part of a first-ever dual Youth Exhibition! This innovative show is scheduled for May 22, 2021 through February 6, 2022.
Updates for YX19: Dreamscapes
Thank you again to all of our participating artists from Dreamscapes! The shutdown happened just as we were beginning the process of returning artwork to our exhibited artists. If you were unable to pick up your artwork before we closed, please know that we are keeping it safe!
Artwork can be picked up by appointment beginning 12/14/20 as MOPA remains closed to the public. Pick-up times and days are limited to the following: Mondays from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm and Fridays from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. To make an appointment, email yx@mopa.org.