Welcome to Artful Weekend, our guide to fun and interesting ways to enjoy art in person or virtually.
Our July Open Exhibit, juried by painter and printmaker Toni-Lee Sangastiano, is now on view! Open exhibits are a great way to view the breath of mediums and styles of our member artists. This month’s show features four works of printmaking: John Gosling’s pastoral linocut Shenandoah Mountain, Bath County, Virginia; David Mann’s victual spread etched in Milk and Honey; Bridget Murphy’s dessert landscape etching Pool View, Carefree, AZ; and Veronica Barker-Barzel’s whimsical print Merlion and Cub (the latter are among this months honorable mentions). Also on view are two particularly unique sculptural pieces: David Alfuth’s Cabinet of Curiosity No. 14 overflows with, well, curiosities—in interesting shapes and forms; and Brian Kirk’s welded steel Beetle, with bright red dots and requisite bug-eyed gaze, is an absolute charmer. See it in-person in the Gallery, through Sunday, August 8, or view it online.
Mixed media artist Yasmin Bussiere works with metallic paints, pens, acrylics and oil pastels to fuse grandiose landscapes with spiritual reflections. Eastern Light, her solo exhibit, celebrates the beauty of the Central Asian landscape and is inspired by her memories living and traveling across the continent. Her work is organic, instinctive and transportive. Listen to Bussiere speak about her show here. Read more about her and Eastern Light here.
Elroy Williams, whose work is currently featured in DC Lines, has a keen eye for what captivates. The longtime commercial artist turned fine artist says he paints, sculpts and photographs “to converse with the world” about “what can only be said through the visual.” See him in conversation at Amy Kaslow Gallery Friday, July 23, from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Reserve a free ticket here; 4300 Fordham Road, NW.
From the heroines of ancient myth to the female trailblazers of the modern era, centuries of independent and rebellious women have been trivialized or condemned through the degrading myths and gendered stereotypes perpetuated in printed imagery.Women Behaving Badly: 400 Years of Power and Protest, at the Baltimore Museum of Art, captures visual representations of independent, defiant, and sometimes misunderstood women and explores the role of European and American art in both continuing their condemnation and celebrating their achievements. Female artists who portrayed the pioneering modern women in the exhibition include Bernarda Bryson Shahn, Elizabeth Catlett, Gisèle Freund, Frances Benjamin Johnston, and Sarah Choate Sears; on view through December 19, 10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore.
Through painting, drawing, and printmaking, Art Enables resident artist Toni Lane and visiting artist Alanna
Reeves explore themes of displacement, vulnerability, identity and the effects of identity discontinuity on mental health and wellbeing. In their works, historical and cultural forces manifest as shifting landscapes to be navigated and questioned. Lane and Reeves sort through both what is longed for and unwanted, foreign and familiar, past and present, seeking self-knowledge and stability; In Search of Solid Ground, is on view through August 28 online and at Art Enables, 2204 Rhode Island Avenue, NE.
Art Works Now (AWN), a visual arts non-profit organization in Hyattsville, MD, is celebrating their 10th anniversary with 10 Years of Art Works, a fun-filled community event that can be joined either virtually or in-person on Saturday, July 24th, from 1:00 – 7:00 p.m. On-site festivities include collaborative mural painting, sidewalk art, button making and more as well as handbuilding, tie-dye, and painting workshops. There will be an art sale by students and teaching artists of AWN, along with live music by the Wild Anacostias, and Pizzeria Paradiso and Simple Pleasures Ice concession stands. Virtual activities include a scavenger hunt and paint & sip workshop with performances by Emma’s Revolution and Amy K Bormet with artistic stylings by Kim Bursic. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door; 4800 Rhode Island Avenue, Hyattsville, MD.
All things visually bright, sweet, and fun is the theme of Sugar Rush at the new artist-owned gallery Bad Candy in D.C.’s Brookland neighborhood. The group show features works by 11 up-and-coming D.C.-based artists whose works range from edgy surrealism and vivid abstracts to bold portraiture and digital art; on view through July 31, 3508 12th St NE.
Waverly Street Gallery is now open with Thursday and Saturday hours (1:00 – 4:00 p.m). Their Summer Member Show—featuring contemporary art in a wide range of media including paintings, sculpture, photography, and jewelry—is on view through July 31; 4600 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD.
Enjoy the weekend!
Sign up for our weekly blog newsletter, subscribe to our RSS feed, or like us on Facebook for the latest Art League news. Visit our homepage for more information about our classes, exhibits, and events in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.
You can support The Art League every time you shop through AmazonSmile!
Simply set The Art League as your chosen charity, and every time you shop at smile.amazon.com, a portion of your purchase will be donated to support our mission to share the experience of visual arts with the community.
