Mosaic Arts International 2025
TIMELESS MOSAICS
Fine Art & Site-Specific Mosaic Art: SAMA’s Annual International Juried Exhibition
Presented at Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens, Polasek Gallery, Winter Park, Florida
August 26 – December 7, 2025
The Society of American Mosaic Artists (SAMA) invites artists working in mosaic media to submit applications to Mosaic Arts International (MAI) 2025: Fine Art & Site-Specific Mosaic. Held in conjunction with SAMA’s annual conference, the juried exhibit presents the best in contemporary fine art mosaics from SAMA’s diverse international membership. Fine Art is a segment of the Mosaic Arts International 2025 exhibition series that will be presented at Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens, Polasek Gallery, Winter Park, Florida: August 26 – December 7, 2025.
The Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens, founded in 1961, houses a collection focusing on American representational sculpture, prominently featuring Polasek’s creations. The museum is one of only 55 members listed on the National Trust’s Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios. This unique destination offers guided tours of the historic Polasek residence and chapel, an outdoor sculpture garden, rotating exhibits, and a gift shop.
The 2025 Conference—The American Mosaic Summit— will be held at the Hilton Orlando Hotel, Orlando Florida, October 30 – November 1, 2025.
The Mosaic Arts International exhibition series invigorates a new perspective of mosaic art in numerous contexts, and celebrates established, as well as emerging artists working in the medium today. All segments combined represent a total of between 35 – 60 artists. The Society of American Mosaic Artists is celebrating our 25th year as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to educating, inspiring, and promoting excellence in mosaic arts.
Calendar
May 14, 2025: Digital Submission period opens
July 7, 2025: Digital Submission Deadline ($20 entry fee per work)
July 21, 2025: Notification of selection e-mailed
August 18-21, 2025: Work must be received in Winter Park, Fl, including hand-delivered and shipped
August 26 – December 7, 2025: Polasek Gallery Exhibition (works must remain in exhibit for the entire length of the show)
October 30, 2025: SAMA Conference Artist Reception at Polasek Gallery
December 10, 2025: All work is to be returned or shipped by this date
Selection Process
The choices of the selected entries are solely decided by the jurors. SAMA Board Members and/or Staff facilitate the administrative aspects of the jury process and in no way influence the outcomes. The decisions of the jurors are final.
Jurors (alphabetically)
Tamie Diener-Lafferty has served as the Curator of the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens since 2022 where she organizes four art exhibitions each year including the Winter Park Paint Out, a fundraising plein air event. As part of the juror panel, she contributes to the selection of approximately twenty-four distinguished artists for this event. Additionally, she brings over 20 years of experience as a Curator with Walt Disney Imagineering, where she developed exhibits for Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Ahmed Ibrahim, a mosaic artist since 2000 and winner of the 14th International Mosaic Meeting in Chartres, France, is renowned for his belief in pushing beyond comfort zones to achieve artistic growth. Ahmed contributed to large-scale mosaic projects with the Sabry Mansour team, including murals at Ahram Canadian University and Helwan University in Cairo. His mosaics are showcased in public spaces across the Greater Chicagoland area. As a dedicated Mosaic Teaching Artist, Ahmed currently teaches at the Hyde Park Art Center and has previously instructed at The Chicago Mosaic School, The Art Center Highland Park, and The Stirling Hall Art Center. His work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally. Ahmed holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mural Arts from Helwan University in Cairo, Egypt.