The 81st May Show has opened at the Mansfield Art Center in Ohio, featuring over 100 works selected from nearly 600 submissions by guest juror Wendy Earle, curator of the Akron Art Museum. The exhibition, which runs through the end of May, showcases a diverse range of mediums from Ohio artists aged 16 to their late 80s. Awards include the Fred "Fritz" Culler Award for Best of Show to Bradley Wallace for "Venus 1K Views," the Mechanics Bank Award of Excellence to Barbara Morejon and Luanne Bole-Becker, and the Jeff McBride & Maura Teynor Emerging Artist Award to high school senior Katerina Prykodko.
The May Show is historically significant because it led to the founding of the Mansfield Art Center itself, as the Mansfield Fine Arts Guild—started in 1945—used the annual show to demonstrate the need for a permanent home for the fine arts in Mansfield. The exhibition highlights the vitality of Ohio's artistic community, with strong representation across generations and mediums, and serves as a key community event that drew 600 attendees to its opening reception. It underscores the role of regional juried shows in sustaining local art ecosystems and providing exposure for emerging and established artists alike.