Mixmaster 2026: Juried Members’ Exhibition Opening Reception & Awards

MIXMASTER is a juried exhibition dedicated to uncovering and celebrating the diverse talents of its artist members who are based in New England and the Tri-State region. Call for art opens October 20th, 2025 on ArtCall.org. Selected works will be featured in an exhibition at the Mattatuck Museum in January 2026. The juror for MIXMASTER 2026 is Laurel V. McLaughlin, PhD, the Curator and Director of the Collective Futures Fund at Tufts University Art Galleries.  Opening Reception & Awards:   Sunday, January 18, 2026 11 AM – 4 PM, opening remarks at 1 PM

More about this exhibition

This initiative aims to both support and acknowledge contemporary art, offering a significant platform for artists to showcase their creativity. MIXMASTER provides an opportunity for both established and emerging artists to present their latest works, created within the past three years. Through this exhibition, artists gain the visibility and recognition they deserve, while art enthusiasts have the chance to experience a wide array of fresh, innovative pieces. The exhibition not only highlights the vibrant art scene in these regions but also fosters a sense of community and appreciation for contemporary artistic expression.

Exhibition:                          Sunday, January 18 – Sunday, February 22, 2026
Opening Reception & Awards:   Sunday, January 18, 2026 11 AM – 4 PM, opening remarks at 1 PM
Location:                            Mattatuck Museum, 144 W Main St, Waterbury, CT 06702
Prizes:
First Prize: $500 and a solo show at the Mattatuck Museum in the fall of 2026
Second Prize: $300
Third Prize:  $200
Staff Selection: Upgraded membership to Director’s Circle membership level and all benefits ($500 value)
Visitor’s Award: Upgraded membership to Director’s Circle membership level and all benefits ($500 value)

JUROR: Laurel V. McLaughlin, PhD is a writer, curator, art historian, and educator, working as a Curator and the Director of the Collective Futures Fund at Tufts University Art Galleries. Her curatorial work focuses on contemporary research-based sculpture, installation, new media, and social practice works concerning formal liminalities, globalized migration, and ecological networks. McLaughlin has curated exhibitions Emilio Rojas: tracing a wound through my body; Bergman & Salinas: Against the General Good/ Contra El Bien General; Ulises: Assembly; Waste Scenes (featuring Maia Chao and Fred Schmidt-Arenales; and Mira Dayal: conjunctions, among others, and her curatorial work has been supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art, the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, and the Dutch Consulate of New York, and she is currently undertaking a 2022 Andy Warhol Curatorial Research Fellowship for a forthcoming exhibition How do you throw a brick through a window…(2025).

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