Submissions Now Open for 2022 MSAA Art Showcase

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) is calling for submissions for its 2022 MSAA Art Showcase, an initiative that celebrates the work of artists who have multiple sclerosis (MS).

The showcase, which began in 2009, gives MS patients in the U.S. the opportunity to share their original work, regardless of skill level. The creative outlet also is meant to encourage artists who, after their diagnosis, may struggle with how the progressive neurodegenerative disorder affects — or might affect — their artistry.

The deadline for up to three submissions is Dec. 13.

During next year’s MS Awareness Month, marked each March, the artworks will be featured on the MSAA website, along with the artists’ stories. Select pieces will be highlighted on the site throughout 2022 and in the 2023 MSAA Art Showcase Calendar.

“The MSAA Art Showcase honors all people who share their art, and thanks the artists for taking the time to share their creative work with us,” the nonprofit organization states on a webpage about the event.

Recommended Reading

August 26, 2021 News by Teresa Carvalho, MS

MSAA Is ‘Improving Lives Through Art’

“We have received many wonderful submissions over the years from across the country and are delighted to share their work and their stories with you,” the MSAA said on the webpage showcasing the 2021 artwork.

Paintings in oil, watercolor, acrylics, tempera, or gouache are welcomed, as are drawings in pencil, pen and ink, chalk, crayon, pastels, charcoal, digital, or other media. The MSAA also accepts graphic design and photography works. Three-dimensional artwork such as sculptures or pottery are ineligible, as is portrait photography or any works the organization deems obscene, defamatory, sexually explicit, or otherwise inappropriate.

New entrants must email a copy of a physician’s verification of their MS diagnosis to [email protected], which also is the address for electronic artwork submissions. All entrants must submit a release form along with a biographical statement of no more than 150 words about their art interest.

Participants must be at least 18 as of the entry date and a legal U.S. resident. MSAA employees are ineligible. Up to three pieces of artwork for each entrant will be accepted. Go here for more eligibility information.

The organization has said that the initiative demonstrates how individuals with multiple sclerosis, while physically affected by the disorder, can — and do — contribute in meaningful ways to society at large.

The MSAA retains the right to use reproductions of submissions in various contexts for supporters and others.