Local Artist Papp Selected For International Exhibition

The Mobile Arts Council has announced that Mobile artist Maria Papp is bringing the Gulf Coast arts community to the international stage as one of 21 artists from around the world selected to participate in Art Beyond Boundaries 2026, an international sumi-e exhibition originating in Japan. The exhibition opened on September 30 at the Federal Senate of Brazil. Papp has spent more than 40 years studying and practicing sumi-e, the traditional Japanese art of ink wash painting. Her journey began in Buenos Aires, where she developed an early interest in Asian art before eventually residing locally. In 1975, Papp began studying sumi-e with Mobile artist Mary Rodning. Throughout her career, Papp has exhibited and received recognition both nationally and internationally. Her work has been connected to exhibitions and collections in Argentina, Hungary, Japan, China, Spain, Taiwan and the U.S. She has also contributed to the cultural relationship between Mobile and Ichihara, Japan. She was a founding member and the first president of the Mobile-Ichihara Sister City group, helping support student exchanges and cultural connections between the two communities.