This year, CCMoA’s annual, international juried exhibition celebrates the limitless power of artistic expression – the courage to speak through images, to challenge norms, to share what words cannot. Artists were encouraged to interpret the theme broadly – as the expression of their thoughts, emotions and beliefs, or as the liberation that comes from creating without boundaries, without adhering to perceived rules of art-making.
318 artists from 34 States in the USA, the District of Columbia, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Spain, France, Italy, Malaysia, and Kuwait submitted 551 artworks for this exhibition. Three awards will be announced by David Henry Perry, the juror, at the exhibition Gallery Talk and Reception on January 30, 2026.Only 74 artworks were selected.
Support provided from the Arthur McMurtry Fund.
Catherine Smith, Banned Words, 2025
Stoneware
"The overwhelming international response to the theme Visual Voice: Freedom to Create. presented an enormous curatorial challenge. My objective was to assemble a compelling and cohesive exhibition as opposed to simply judging individual artworks in isolation. My hope is that the combination of artworks selected respond to the theme in a diversity of style, media, and message, while also resonating as a unified whole. I commend everyone who responded to this call for art, as I know how difficult it can be to expose your creative self to the scrutiny of others. Simply taking this initiative is the best indicator of your artistic maturity.
-David Henry Perry, juror, architect, exhibition designer, and curator
