The 67th Midwestern Invitational Exhibition of Fine Art 
The Pursuit of Happiness

IMPORTANT DATES & INFORMATION

    Entry Form Due    Fri. 8 May 2026
    Artwork Delivery Deadline    1 to 5 p.m. Fri. 5/Sat. 6 June 2026
    Midwestern Preview/Anniversary Dinner    Thu. 18 June 2026
    Midwestern Luncheon    Fri. 19 June 2026
    Last Day of Exhibit    Sun. 6 September 2026
    Artwork Pickup    1 to 5 p.m. Wed. 9/Thu. 10 September 2026
*Shipped artwork MUST be en route to the museum at this time. We will NOT accept hand-delivered items after Sat. 6 June.

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The THEME

A Letter from the Curator ​

“If the men and women of the past, with all their flaws and limitations and ambitions and appetites, could press on through ignorance and superstition, racism and sexism, selfishness and greed, to create a freer, stronger nation, then perhaps we, too, can right wrongs and take another step toward that most enchanting and elusive of destinations: a more perfect Union.”         
        ―Jon Meacham, The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels

This July 4th will mark 250 years that our nation has been formally parted from the British Empire. It would have been simple enough for the revolutionary generation to lodge their grievances with George III and Parliament and pronounce their exit. Amongst their grievances: the imposition of taxes on goods, cutting off global trade, stationing armies in cities during peace time against the will of colonial legislatures, protecting troops who murdered colonial inhabitants from prosecution, denying the right of trial by jury and whisking certain persons overseas to be tried for contrived offenses, and many more. Instead, the writers of the Declaration of Independence went above and beyond this to espouse Enlightenment-era ideals and enumerate what they held to be fundamental human rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

We can be under no illusion that the writers and signatories of the Declaration actually lived up to all of their ideals, or fairly applied or upheld the rights they enshrined. But in forcefully—and very publicly—proposing the value and universality of these ideals, they set a goal post by which succeeding generations of women and men have strived and fought for emancipation, suffrage, and the expansion of human rights, both in this country and around the world.   

Even amid the lofty language of the Declaration, it is worth exploring what a particular and interesting choice the phrase “pursuit of happiness” is. English Enlightenment philosopher John Locke asserted in his Second Treatise on Government that the three fundamental natural rights of humankind are life, liberty, and property. Locke would use the term “pursuit of happiness” elsewhere in his writings but not in the context of fundamental human rights. It is important that we don’t misconstrue the choice made by Thomas Jefferson and other contributors to replace “property” with “pursuit of happiness” to suggest that we should regard them as equivalent terms—rather, “pursuit of happiness” should be seen as a deliberate departure from Locke’s “property” and the amassing of material wealth. 

The Declaration writers understood happiness less as a pleasant state of mind, as we might in the present day, than as something pertaining to human welfare or flourishing—more akin to the ancient Greek concept of eudaemonia with its connected terms areté (virtue or excellence) and phronesis (practical wisdom). In Definitions, the dictionary of philosophical terms sometimes included among Plato’s works, eudaemonia is: “The good composed of all goods; an ability which suffices in living well; perfection in respect to virtue; resources sufficient for a living creature.” Thus, we should take the “pursuit of happiness” as an aspiration to the highest order of human good and achievement finding its expression in any way that an individual may be driven to seek it. 

This is much, much more background than we have provided for Midwestern themes in the past. That is because of its scope, for one, but also because of its importance in this cultural moment. The United States will become one quarter of a millennium old this summer. Such an anniversary calls for both celebration and reflection upon our country and its ideals and history. I want to emphasize that you are welcome to consider the entire scope of history of this country—from founding to the present day. You need not feel obliged to do a portrait of George Washington or other some eighteenth-century figure or event, and you may represent our history honestly (warts and all). There are many ways in which our present mirrors the revolutionary era, with divisions in our society, our communities, and even our own families. There are pressing questions on the limits of government authority, the abuse of power, and fundamental civil rights. But there is also abundant hope that out of this day’s strife and in appealing to “the better angels of our nature,” there may emerge a new and better tomorrow. 

Warmly,
Jonathan Rutter