Call for Submissions: Tradition Transformed 2025

Orillia Museum of Art & History (OMAH)

2024 participating artist Claire Domitric, Everchanging Lands, 2022, Watercolour and ink on Stone paper (Mineral paper), 20″ x 28″

Tradition Transformed 2025

Submission Deadline: Friday, August 22, 2025
Jury Results: The final week of September

Exhibition: October 25, 2025 – January 10, 2026
Reception: Saturday, October 25, 2025 | 1 – 3pm

Our vast and varied landscape is as unique and diverse as the people who inhabit, traverse, or envision it. This year, in conjunction with the exhibition John Gould: Travels of the Mind and Body running concurrently at OMAH, we invite participants to consider the theme of travel or daydreaming in relation to the Canadian landscape.

Now in its 24th year, this annual juried exhibition was created in recognition of Franklin Carmichael, a renowned landscape artist and member of the Group of Seven, who was born in Orillia. Inspired by Northern Ontario’s natural beauty, Carmichael often travelled there to capture the landscape in watercolours, his preferred medium. Tradition Transformed invites artists from across Canada to reinterpret the Canadian landscape through their chosen medium—including, but not limited to, drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media and media arts.

Entry Fee:

There is an application fee of $40 (plus HST) per submission. Artists can submit up to 3 times, $40 (plus HST) each submission, one image for each entry.

Prizes:

• Jurors’ Prize – $1500
• Kevin J. Batchelor Emerging Artist Award – $1000
• New this year, The Philip Jackman Photography Prize – $500
• Norma Duggan Award – $250

Installation view of OMAH’s Tradition Transformed 2024 exhibition.

Jurors:

Carol-Ann Ryan is a visual arts professional based in Barrie, Ontario. From 2021-2025 she was the Public Art Coordinator for the City of Barrie. She has held positions at the Art Gallery of Ontario, MOCA Toronto, the Vancouver Art Gallery, and the MacLaren Art Centre, Barrie. She is also an independent curator and art consultant. Carol-Ann completed an MA in Art History and an Honours BA in Art & Art History.

Erin Vincent is a Toronto based-artist. Vincent has exhibited her work in Canada, United States and England, with representation by Christie Contemporary (Toronto ON), Muriel Gupien Gallery (NYC) and Karen Imperial Gallery (San Francisco). Her work is held in Canadian and International collections. Erin completed her MFA at York University, focusing on sculpture and installation.

Submission Information:

Submission info, including guidelines and the submission form can be found on our website.

Submission inquiries can be sent to Tanya Cunnington, Arts Programming Coordinator by email.

2024 Artists:

Murray Van Halem | Andrew Wang | Nancy Bennett | Steph Schofield | Jenny Iserman | Sarah Lawson | Kristina Flindall | Ted Karkut | Anita Granger | Svetlana Swinimer | Jennifer Raetsen | Joanne Lomas | Sean Rees | Gillian Lowry | Julie Desmarais | Lynden Cowan | E. Connie Munson | Gita Karklins | Erin Fyfe | Elaine Carr | Emily Pleasance | Tammy McClennan | Julia T. Eldridge | Sylvia Galbraith | Mark Janeck | Kathy Ebbinghaus Melanson | Ken Walton | L. E. Glazer | Nancy Hallas | Gayle Kells | Claudia Mandler McKnight | Mike Efford | Bret Culp | Deb Menken | Julie Cosgrove | Claire Domitric | Tania Love | Darlene Kulig | Anton Pickard | Kathleen Vaughan | Chris Nelson | Peter Adams | Jenn Lantz | Carol Deimling | Gregory A. McCullough | Sabrina Leeder | Joanna Turlej

Installation view of OMAH’s Tradition Transformed 2024 exhibition.

For information/Media Contact:
Tanya Cunnington Arts Programming Coordinator
705 326–2159 x109 | artscoordinator@orilliamuseum.org

Orillia Museum of Art & History
30 Peter Street South
Orillia, ON L3V 5A9
orilliamuseum.org

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OMAH has been the hub of art, culture, and heritage in the heart of Orillia’s Arts District for over twenty-five years. Located in downtown Orillia, the clocktower of the Sir Samuel Steele Memorial Building is a beacon for the museum. OMAH’s mission is to provide inclusive space to engage community, inspire creativity and celebrate culture, by exploring art and history.

Museum hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 11 am to 4 pm| Suggested Admission is $5

The museum is fully accessible.

Acknowledgements

The Orillia Museum of Art & History respectfully acknowledges our presence on the traditional territory of the Anishnaabeg which includes the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Pottawatomi nations, collectively known as the Three Fires Confederacy. We respect and observe the long and enduring presence of Indigenous Peoples – First Nations, Metis and Inuit – on this land. Their teachings and stewardship, culture and way of life have shaped our City’s unique identity.

The Orillia Museum of Art & History gratefully acknowledges the ongoing support of the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, the City of Orillia, and our community supporters and contributors.