Orlando Museum of Art features a captivating lineup for the 2026 Florida Prize in Contemporary Art
- Alastair Mac
- Apr 14
- 3 min read
Twelve artists, including two collaborative duos, will be featured in the museum’s annual Florida Prize exhibition honoring artists across the state.
The Orlando Museum of Art (OMA) features an impressive artist lineup for the 2026 Florida Prize in Contemporary Art, on view May 30 through August 23. Now in its 12th edition, this annual exhibition brings together some of the most compelling artists working across Florida and offers a snapshot of the state’s cultural vitality through diverse practices, perspectives and forms.
This year’s exhibition will feature the largest number of selected artists in Florida Prize history, with 12 artists represented, including two collaborative duos. The 2026 Florida Prize artists are:
Maria Theresa Barbist
Rose Marie Cromwell
Jason Hackenwerth
Katie Hargrave & Meredith Laura Lynn
Francisco Masó
Jessy Nite
Charo Oquet
Ema Ri
Mette Tommerup
We Are Nice’n Easy (Allison Matherly & Jeffrey Noble)
For more information about each artist and duo, click here.
The Florida Prize in Contemporary Art was established by OMA to bring new recognition to the most progressive artists in the state. Each year, OMA’s curatorial team surveys artists working throughout Florida before selecting a group whose practices reflect the breadth, urgency and originality of contemporary art being made today.
The 2026 exhibition continues that legacy while expanding its scale and ambition. Artists in this year’s lineup range from emerging to established voices and work across painting, installation, photography, sculpture, assemblage, weaving, performance and large-scale immersive environments.
“This year’s Florida Prize brings together an exceptional group of artists whose practices are distinct in form, yet deeply resonant in the ideas they explore,” said Coralie Claeysen-Gleyzon, chief curator of OMA. “Across the exhibition, we see artists engaging with language, systems of communication, coded meaning, spirituality, heritage and memory. Their works invite audiences into rich visual worlds that are both deeply personal and powerfully relatable.”
Claeysen-Gleyzon co-curated the 2026 exhibition with associate curator Katherine Page, marking a new chapter for the museum’s signature contemporary art survey. Page joined OMA in December 2025, bringing a fresh perspective to the continued evolution of the Florida Prize.
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As in past years, the exhibition will be accompanied by special programming designed to deepen public engagement, including workshops, performances and artist talks that offer audiences multiple ways to connect with the work and the artists behind it. OMA aims to create immersive experiences that extend beyond the gallery walls and foster meaningful connections with contemporary art.
Before the opening of the exhibition, a ticketed preview party will be held on Friday, May 29, from 6 to 9 p.m. During the event, one artist will be awarded the $20,000 Florida Prize, chosen by this year’s invited juror Jade Powers, The Hugh Kaul Curator of Contemporary Art at the Birmingham Museum of Art. This event will also showcase the culinary talents of local restaurants and caterers. Each participating chef will create a dish inspired by and paired with one of the Florida Prize artists or duos.
In addition, guests will also be invited to vote all summer long for their favorite artist to earn the People’s Choice Award, which carries a $2,500 prize.
For more information on the Florida Prize in Contemporary Art, the artists, OMA’s sponsors and the opening preview party, visit www.omart.org.
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