State of The Arts 2026 is the Prairie Village Arts Council's 20th annual REGIONAL juried competition for all 2D and 3D artworks, photography, and poetry/prose held every Fall. The Exhibition runs during the months of September & October. Why is State of the Arts the biggest exhibition on the Prairie Village Arts Council (PVAC) calendar? Several reasons stand out, including the exhibition's competition aspect. The PVAC receives hundreds of applications each year, guaranteeing a wide range of artistic styles and subject matter, all entered in hopes of winning the $1,000 Best in Show award. The juried competition also selects Merit awards worth $750 each. The turnout for this show is always strong, boosted in part by the chance to vote for the $250 People's Choice award. An important part of State of the Arts' appeal is its diversity, with stunning florals hanging near traditional depictions of Kansas City landmarks, feet away from daring landscapes, incisive portraits, and abstract pieces that provoke images and feelings in the mind of the viewer. The R.G. Endres Gallery, in Prairie Village City Hall, fills every year for this event, and this year's 20th Anniversary edition is likely to be the biggest ever, with 𝟮𝗗, 𝟯𝗗, 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗲𝘁𝗿𝘆/𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗲 artworks juried in from the area's finest artists.

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲: 1. the inclusion of photography and poetry/prose 2. a theme: 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲: 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦
For the first time (or at least in a long while) we have a THEME for State of the Arts. In honor of our 20th Annual State of the Arts, we present the theme of RECOLLECTIONS.

𝑴𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒖𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍… 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. — 𝑅𝑜𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝐶𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡, 𝑛𝑒𝑢𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 "𝑄𝑢𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝐷𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚𝑠"

Selected artists interpreted this theme in their own ways.