2026 Art Ability at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital From Art Ability

Art Ability began at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital in 1996 as an eight-week exhibit and sale of work by artists with disabilities. Now, in addition to the annual exhibitions, Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital is an actively collecting institution whose permanent collection of over 600 objects is on display throughout the year serving as a showcase for, and celebration of, artists with disabilities.

Art Ability is dedicated to creating community awareness of cognitive and physical disabilities, encouraging people with disabilities to reach beyond their limitations and find fulfillment and inspiration through art. Art Ability provides positive role models for people with disabilities while increasing their access to the arts. The program successfully develops new markets for artists with disabilities where they can gain recognition for their technical skill and artistic vision.

The 31st annual exhibit and sale will be on display at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital in Malvern, Pennsylvania, from November 8, 2026 to January 31, 2026, and will be open to the public during the hospital's visiting hours. The event will kick off with a ticketed preview party and fundraising dinner on Saturday, November 7, 2026.

Open to artists with physical, cognitive, visual and hearing disabilities. To be eligible for submission, the work must have been created after the onset of a disability or injury. Each work must also have been created within the last five years to be eligible.

All works must be for sale. Please do not submit work that has been sold or will be unavailable when decisions are announced in late July. Art previously exhibited in Art Ability is not eligible for submission. Original work only; reproduction prints will not be accepted. 

 

Acceptable media: Painting (Acrylic, Oil, Gouache, Tempera, etc.); Watercolor & Wash (Ink Wash, Alcohol Ink, etc.); Drawing & Fine Printmaking (Pencil, Charcoal, Crayon, Pastel, Ink, Marker, Woodblock, Etching, Silkscreen, etc.); Photography (Analog or Digital); Mixed Media (2-Dimensional: Collage, Mosaic, Fiber Art, etc.); Sculpture (must weigh under 25 lbs.); Jewelry, Fine Crafts & Functional Art

 

Size: No dimension should be less than 12” or more than 48” including the frame. Each piece is not to exceed 25 lbs. in weight.

 

Finishing: Any works selected by judges must be sent ready for display. All flat works may require appropriate framing and hanging hardware. 

Presentation guidelines:

•  All works on paper, cardboard, foam core, scratchboard, flimsy materials and/or delicate surfaces must be protected with Plexiglas and framed. Plexiglas and proper wiring is required for all framing. NO GLASS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

•  Frames must be used to protect soft and/or sharp edges.

All flat works that are metal, ceramic, or any delicate materials, as well as those that use Plexiglas, must be framed.

•  Wrap-around canvas must be on sturdy stretcher bars. Unfinished or sloppy edges will not be accepted.

•  All wall art must be properly wired for hanging. Saw teeth, French cleats, nail holes and nail rings will not be accepted.

Each artist should submit work through the Artwork Archive website – artworkarchive.com. Interested artists are required to create a free Artwork Archive profile to apply. There is no entry fee for the Art Ability call and artist profiles can be created and saved for future use. Artists with saved profiles should check to confirm contact information is still accurate.

Applicants are invited to submit up to 6 (six) separate works of art for consideration, uploading 1 (one) JPEG (.jpg) image of each to the Artwork Archive site. If necessary, a detail may be uploaded as one of the six. Images must be uploaded to the artist’s profile prior to completing the submission. Applications also require title of work, medium, size, year completed, and price. Be sure the size and selling price reflects the artwork framed. Refer to specific finishing guidelines under the Eligibility section of this document.
 
Please provide an artist statement that will be used on an artwork label and displayed with your work. Due to the size limitation, this statement should be no longer than 125 words and should include the following information:

•  A brief description of yourself and your art (mediums, techniques, subjects, etc.)

•  Your source of inspiration and motivation to create

•  The role art has played in your life in living with your disability or impairment

If you were an exhibiting artist in the 2025-26 Exhibition, please open the PDF of the 2025 program book to read your artist statement. It can be found at mainlinehealth.org/artabilityprogram. If everything still applies, simply indicate that you want us to use the statement on file.

  

The preferred method of submission is online via Artwork Archive. If you do not have computer access, please call 484.596.5607 or email [email protected] for the mail-in form and further instructions.

The exhibit is displayed in a rehab hospital. Please consider the subject matter prior to submitting artwork. Nudes and dark subject matter will not be accepted, regardless of artistic merit.  If you would like the curator to review your submissions prior to submitting your artwork, please email your images to [email protected] for feedback. 

Depending on a variety of factors, the online submission process may take up to two hours to prepare images and submit the application. Applicants are strongly urged to allow time for any unforeseen technical difficulties. Applications can be saved and updated at any time prior to the submission deadline of July 5, 2026.

 

Art centers and groups: A separate profile and valid email address is required for each submitting artist. Each artist’s submissions should reflect the person’s individual creativity. Multiple renditions of the same subject matter, such as a class assignment, will not be accepted. In addition to the artist's contact information, please include the name and address of the art center or group on application.
 

Legal Agreement

1.     Sales and liability

Artists earn 80 percent of the sales of exhibited work, multiples, and those commissioned in the 12-week show. Unsold works are returned after the exhibit closes. Artists may be invited to take part in Art Ability’s ongoing sales and exhibition programs. A consignment agreement would then be sent for artist approval. For work sold during Art Ability’s ongoing sales and exhibition programs, artists receive 80 percent of the sales. All payments are made by check in U.S. dollars after the close of the exhibition. By applying to this exhibition, permission is granted to allow Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital (BMRH) to photograph, publicize and reproduce the works submitted for the show, in whole or in part, for various types of publicity, educational or public relations purposes or otherwise for the hospital’s benefit. This right is perpetual and non-royalty bearing.

 

2.     Review and notification

Review of submissions will be conducted by a jury of art professionals and the exhibition curator. Artists whose work is accepted will be asked to send actual work at the expense of Art Ability or, if more convenient, to personally deliver the work to our Malvern location, by appointment. We reserve the right to final selection for the exhibition upon arrival of the work. More shipping details will be mailed to accepted artists. Artists will be notified of preliminary acceptance in late July 2026. Artists whose work has not been selected will also be notified by email.