Regional photographers mirror on America in new museum exhibit

The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is showcasing the 2026 Cumberland Valley Photographers Exhibition, which opens June 20. The exhibition is a juried assortment of up to date images that discover the American expertise because the nation approaches its 250th anniversary.

The exhibition options 39 images by 28 artists from Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., in keeping with a neighborhood announcement.

The exhibition was organized across the theme of America’s 250th birthday and invited photographers to answer 4 themes: Unfinished Revolutions, Power of Place, Tell Everyone’s Story and American Experiment. Out of 107 submissions from 48 artists, jurors chosen works that delve into nationwide identification, neighborhood, historical past and hope.

Exhibition themes and artist illustration

Maryland artists make up the most important group within the exhibition, with vital participation from Washington, Frederick, Montgomery, Baltimore, Allegany and Carroll counties. Washington County is especially effectively represented, with artists from Hagerstown, Smithsburg, Sharpsburg, Keedysville and Williamsport contributing to the present.

The chosen images handle points equivalent to justice, reminiscence, identification and alter, whereas additionally highlighting resilience, connection and the potential for progress, in keeping with the announcement.

Award-winning works

Four works had been acknowledged with exhibition awards:

• First Place Jurors’ Award ($1,000): Kameron Ross (Hagerstown), A Robin’s-Egg Blue Trailer Sits Beneath a Northern Catalpa Tree

• Second Place Jurors’ Award ($500): Sandra Chen Weinstein (McLean, Virginia), Black Lives Matter

• Third Place Jurors’ Award ($250): Mark Youngblood (Hagerstown), Nobody’s Right if Everyone is Wrong

• Washington County Arts Council Award ($250): Justin Artz (Hagerstown), The Community’s Living Room

Opening program and public engagement

The public is invited to attend the opening program from 1 to three p.m. June 20. The occasion will embrace a panel dialogue that includes award-winning photographers Kameron Ross and Justin Artz, together with members of the exhibition jury. The dialogue will present insights into the chosen works, the judging course of and the themes that influenced this 12 months’s exhibition. A reception will observe within the museum’s atrium.

Admission to the opening panel and reception is free.

Through numerous views and highly effective imagery, the 2026 Cumberland Valley Photographers Exhibition encourages guests to mirror on the nation’s previous, take into account its current and envision its future as America marks 250 years of independence.

Visitor info

The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is at 401 Museum Drive, Hagerstown. Free parking is obtainable adjoining to the museum. Hours are 10 a.m. to five p.m. Tuesday by way of Sunday; the museum is closed Mondays and main holidays.

This story was created with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists had been concerned in each step of the knowledge gathering, overview, enhancing and publishing course of. Learn extra at https://cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct/.