2026 Octagonal:
The All Media Show 

January 19 – March 14, 2026

Join us for the PUBLIC RECEPTION:
January 22, 2026 from 5:30 – 7pm
in the Community Gallery!
Awards will be announced at 6:15pm
during the reception.
 
Octagonal: The All-Media Show is the annual, juried all-media exhibition at the Octagon Center for the Arts in Ames, Iowa. Originally titled the Clay and Paper Show, the exhibit opened in 1968 to provide an opportunity to the central Iowa arts community. Over the past 57 years, the exhibit morphed over the decades to become the Clay, Fiber, Paper, Glass, Metal, Wood Exhibit that has featured hundreds of artists from dozens of states. The newest version of the exhibit, Octagonal: The All-Media Show, launched in 2018 taking a note from the past while moving forward to continue to provide an exciting opportunity for artists across Iowa, the Midwest, and the nation. This exhibit features a regionally-recognized juror each year, attracts artists from across the United States, and provides significant cash awards.
The Details 

> Artists must be over 18 years of age.

> Entry Fee: $25 for Non-Members; $20 for Members.

> Entry limit: Maximum of two pieces (2 submissions) per artist.

> Accepted artwork(s) must be received by the Octagon (via personal delivery or shipment) by January 5, 2026. If you need any further accommodations with this, please email exhibits@octagonarts.org.

Awards

Winifred V. Brown Best of Show Award:
$500

Media award for each category:

Priscilla Sage Award
$100

Janet Harris Squires Award
$100

Martha Benson Award
$100

Veronika Ruedenberg Award
$100

Media Categories

 > Clay          > Paper          > Fiber

> Metal          > Glass          > Wood

> Mixed Media          > Painting

 

Exhibit Timeline 

Applications Open: October 6, 2025

Applications Close: December 7, 2025

Exhibition Opens: January 19, 2026

Exhibition Closes: March 14, 2026

2026 Juror:
  Allison Sheridan  

Allison Sheridan is the Collections Manager and Communications / Publications Manager for University Museums at Iowa State University as well as the Curator for the Farm House Museum, Iowa State University’s oldest campus building and a National Historic Landmark!

Congratulations to this year’s award winners:


Winifred V. Brown Best of Show Award
Playin’ Possum by Geoff Paulline

Priscilla Sage Award
Decay of the Mighty by Jim Heemstra

Janet Harris Squires Award:
Cosmic Marble #9 by Karl Schecht

Martha Benson Award
Too Close To The Sun by Sara Carlson

Veronika Ruedenberg Award
Rose Window Bottle by Jasmine Beul

From left to right: Geoff Paulline, Jim Heemstra, Allison Sheridan (juror), Karl Schecht, and Jasmine Buel

2026
  Exhibiting Artists  

Joanne Alberda – Lunar Landscape

Shelly Bales – Wonderlust

Jasmine Beul – Rose Window Bottle

Amanda Brown – Space

Betsy Busby – Behold the Onion

Maureen Burke – Awe

Troy Cannon – Osprey’s Cry

Sara Carlson – Too Close To The Sun

Troy Chebuhar – Waste Geocentricism

Natalie Deam – Swim Swarm

Pamela Douglas – Red Lily Pads

Linda Emmerson – London

Joani Feiner – Enticing Ruffles

Elaina Fredrickson – Chaotic Exposure

Jill Guffy– Abstract Duet: Coming and Going

 

Kaitlin Harvey – Forget Me Nots & Marigolds

Joanna Haug – It’s Over Why Scream?

Jim Heemstra – Decay of the Mighty

Heather Hicks – Neck Crack

Will Hildebrandt – Flora

Diane Holland Rickerl – Mary Jane

Evan Hoyt – Ascent from Slumber

Marcia Joffe-Bouska – THE UNRAVELING

Peggy Johnston – Party at Nick’s

Annie Laursen – Gray V

Linda Lewis – Comfortable in her own skin

Ingrid Lilligren – Tumbling

Sarah Loch-Test – Mining Necklace

Diane Michaud Lowry – Unity

Genevieve Moritz – Cats in Bloom

Lydia Nong – Oranges Smell Good

Deb O’Brien – Birdsong

Geoff Paulline – Playin’ Possum

Sarah Perkins – Barnacle Container

Isaac Prior – Aeons Waltz

Sara Rieger – Sinking by the Bow at Midnight

Liona Rocca – Image Bearer

Karl Schecht – Cosmic Marble #9

Hongci Shih – Ephemeral Blessing

Audrey Stirling – Glowing in the Shadows

Sydney Thompson – Penumbra

Mattea Whetstone – Done

Alicia Wilkinson – The Treasure

Graham Young – Renting on Pluto, Dreaming of Saturn

Huge THANK YOU to our 2026 supporters for this show!

Brown Endowment Fund   |   Huff Endowment Fund