Year: 2012

Tales from the Patrons’ Show: Todd’s Story

At 45 years old and going strong, the Patrons’ Show — The Art League’s beloved annual fundraiser and art sale — has a long and storied history. We asked repeat visitor Todd Webb, who generously hosted a site for Patrons’ Show ticket-holders before The Art League’s flickr page, to share his memories of shows past. His tale, starting with his chance introduction to the show several years ago , is one of friendships made, artwork gained, and lessons learned.

Thanks to Todd for sharing his wonderful story! Do you have one of your own to share? Drop us a line in the comments, on our Facebook page, or at [email protected].

I was introduced to the Patrons’ Show by a woman I was dating. We weren’t a serious item because she didn’t like that I enjoyed wagering football. One evening she drew me to her computer and showed photos she’d taken of some artwork. She pointed our her top “picks” and described the fundraiser. Noting how excited she was about it, I pressed her to explain the show in more detail. It’s awfully confusing the first time you ever hear of such a thing. Now let me get this straight – everyone gets a prize?  When I finally grasped the concept, I ribbed her endlessly for it.

“You’re gambling! YOU ARE gambling!” I repeated over and over.

She defended herself: “No, but everyone gets a piece of art.”

I conceded, “Yes, but you’re seriously hoping to be among the first hundred people called, and not the last hundred. So you’re experiencing the same gambling thrill.”

“Well, yeah,” she said.

She broke up with me.

That lovely lady may have thought this Marylander was out of her life forever, but I remembered the Patrons’ Show and how giddy she got over it. So one year later, on an ice-cold Saturday, I put on three layers of clothing, gloves, two warm hats, grabbed a folding chair, and made the pre-dawn drive to Alexandria. The ex had explained that a recent Washingtonian Magazine article attracted many newcomers to the raffle. That year the tickets sold out immediately, and ever since then the experienced line up early.

Art League Patrons' Show
2009: The Torpedo Factory is abuzz on the day of the drawing.

The rest of the story is after the jump! Continue reading Tales from the Patrons’ Show: Todd’s Story

Events

Opportunities for Artists

Today’s roundup includes opportunities as near as the Torpedo Factory and as far as Brazil. See below for details on upcoming deadlines. Good luck!

Fellowship: The Instituto Sacatar in Bahia, Brazil
Deadline: January 16, 2012 – The Instituto Sacatar in Bahia, Brazil, provides airfare, studio, room and board to competitively selected artists of all ages, nationalities and disciplines.  Selected artists spend two months at our beachside estate on the island of Itaparica near Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. We encourage artists to immerse themselves in the rich local Afro-Brazilian culture. Full details about our program can be found at www.sacatar.org.  Applications should be made electronically at www.artsapp.com/sacatar, where you will find the instructions for completing an application. Sacatar will award two-month Fellowships throughout 2012 and 2013.  For questions, contact: [email protected]

Artists Wanted : Year in Review
Deadline: Through January 31, 2012. Let 2012 be the year the world sees your art. The second of an annual series, Artists Wanted : Year In Review is an international open call for Painting, Sculpture & Installation, Photography, Design & Illustration, Motion & Sound, and more, with a mission to present one selected visionary at SCOPE Art Show, the premier showcase for international emerging contemporary art and one of the most influential presences in the expanding global art market. Our goal is simple — to find amazing talents and expose them to the world in the most potent way possible. More details here.

Torpedo Factory annual jury
Receiving: March 19, 2012. Artists must go through the annual jury process to become a Torpedo Factory artist. All artists working in fine arts and fine crafts are eligible. Benefits of associate membership include eligibility to sublease studio space from resident artists. On January 29, there will be an optional information session in the Torpedo Factory. For more details and to download the application, visit torpedofactory.org/jury.

Gallery West membership
Here are some reasons to consider joining Gallery West in Old Town Alexandria:

  • Established Alexandria gallery, in operation for over 32 years
  • Exposure to a new clientele in an art-loving community
  • King Street Boutique and Restaurant district location
  • Monthly shows with space for each artist to have a group of paintings
  • Camaraderie and support from other members, sharing of business and technical information, and tips on other opportunities
  • Monthly dues are less than other area co-op galleries
  • Resume builder: a step in your professional career
  • A solo show every 18-24 months with a mailing list of 1300 patrons
  • Once-a-month gallery sitting affords the opportunity to connect with the art-buying public
  • New members small group show in first year of membership
  • Make new contacts in the art business world of Greater Washington DC
  • Learn the art/gallery business and how to interact with customers

Interested? Check out the new member prospectus (in the column on the left side) at our web site, www.gallery-west.info.

Artist Opportunities

Vacancies on Alexandria’s Public Art Committee

Alexandria artists, arts professionals and arts appreciators: the Public Art Committee has some openings and is looking for volunteers to fill the empty seats! Details are below.

The Alexandria Commission for the Arts is seeking volunteers to serve on the Public Art Committee.  Applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, February 10, 2012.  The Commission will review the applications and appoint the new members at the February 21, 2012 Arts Commission meeting.  There are three openings for individuals who will represent the West End area of Alexandria.  Two openings are for artists or arts professionals who will serve an unexpired term through November 1, 2013.  One opening is for an individual who has an interest in art and will serve an unexpired term through November 1, 2012.  Each member may reapply for a three-year term after serving the unexpired terms listed.  Two of the three positions available must be filled by individuals who reside within the City of Alexandria. One position may be filled by an individual who resides or works within the City.

Announcement continued after the jump: Continue reading Vacancies on Alexandria’s Public Art Committee

News

Q&A with Award Winner Sandy LeBrun-Evans

The January All-Media exhibit in The Art League Gallery includes a wide variety of great works of art by Art League members in all media — you can see for yourself on our flickr page or by dropping by the gallery, open seven days a week.

Juror Allen Beland, a photographer, chose this month’s award-winners, giving the Second Place Award to a photograph by Sandy LeBrun-Evans depicting a broken-down, beautifully weathered truck in a remote setting. We asked Sandy about her work in photography and mixed media, the transition to digital, and the award winner, Truck.

"Truck" by Sandy LeBrun-Evans

Is there a story behind Truck? Where was the photograph taken?
Sandy: Truck was shot in Cisco, Utah. I was traveling through Utah searching out “abandoned” and “forgotten” places and things. The Truck had about 25 spent shells around it where locals had leaned on the hood target shooting (I hope). Of course, I picked up a few of those shells for possible use in some mixed media work.

What camera do you use? How do you process the image?
A Nikon D700. I shot and processed five images of the Truck through Photomatix HDR software and then fine-tuned in Photoshop CS5.

Is Truck part of a series?
Truck is part of a series entitled Forgotten. My family and I ski in Park City, Utah every year, so I planned to stay an extra week photographing in southeastern Utah. I did some Internet searching, located abandoned areas and started driving. Some of the areas designated as abandoned towns were gifts, and some were just a spot of land that was truly abandoned — nothing there!

After the jump, Sandy talks about shooting with an iPhone and adding mixed media into her work: Continue reading Q&A with Award Winner Sandy LeBrun-Evans

Artist Interviews

Free Workshop For Artists: Art*iculation

The Art League often hosts free lectures for artists, which are posted on our lecture series and enrichment page. One of January’s three workshops is a guide to writing about your artwork, led by writing coach David Hazard, which promises to be useful and fun.

Art * iculation

A 3-hour free workshop on finding your writing voice… for visual artists

Exhibitions, shows, and galleries — as well as personal websites — require both a clear artist’s statement and a compelling description of your work. As a painter, sculptor, potter, or woodcarver, it’s important to know how to say in words what comes to you by feel and intuition.

David Hazard has coached creative people for 34 years, and will help you to capture the words that so often escape visual artists when asked to articulate why they do what they do. You will learn how to:

  • identify the strong elements of their personal voice… as it emerges in their work

  • understand and connect with their audience

  • create simple and compelling personal statements for promotional and marketing copy

Saturday, January 28, 1 – 4 pm. Please RSVP The Art League at (703) 683-1780. Walk-ins are also welcome.

Events

2012 Solo Preview

This month’s exhibit in the solo show room of The Art League Gallery is a first — it’s a preview of the nine artists who will have solo shows this year. Like the shows themselves, the 2012 Solo Preview encompasses a wide variety of artwork: both the photorealistic, in-your-face colored pencil work by Suzanne Vigil and the somber grays and browns of Juan Hernandez’s oils; Pattee Hipschen’s intimate paintings of vivid country landscapes and the otherworldly landscapes of beekeeper and encaustic artist Georgia Nassikas.

"Lollypalooza" by Suzanne Vigil

Ordinarily, this space is used to exhibit a coherent body of work by one artist. Instead, this month it’s home to an eclectic peek into the future. This year’s solo artists were excited at the chance to preview some work before their own shows, and the gallery will probably continue the preview idea next year, says Assistant Gallery Director Megan Fox, who is the solo artist coordinator.

Applying for a solo show is a competitive process, winnowing down about 40 applicants to the nine who will get shows, and it’s worth it for the exposure an artist gets with an exhibition in a nationally-recognized gallery. Solo shows don’t only act as a springboard for further opportunities, they are also an exercise for emerging, local artists who may be preparing their first-ever exhibit, Megan says. Part of The Art League’s mission, after all, is “nurturing the artist.”

From left: "Niño y Su Carreta" by Juan Hernandez, "Midnight Blue" by Marcia Jestaedt, and "Dome" by Cecily Corcoran

The process begins two years ahead of time when applicants send in digital images of their work and then bring it in for the jurors to view. The three jurors sit behind a table, “American Idol”-style, with five easels in front of them to hold each artist’s pieces. Successful solo shows involve a coherent body of work, something different from the monthly juried exhibitions, and make a statement — not necessarily outlandish, but clear, Megan says.

This jurying process is more involved than the usual juried shows, requiring artists to undergo a “personal development project” as they craft an artist’s statement and a proposal for their show, Megan says. After jurying, artists receive feedback in the form of the jurors’ comments — another benefit to applying.

After the jurors make their decisions, the shows are scheduled in tandem with the year’s other exhibits and the artist’s own schedule. This November, for example, Andrew Zimmermann’s photography show will coincide with FotoWeek DC. It’s Megan’s job in the months ahead of a solo show to check in with artists, make sure they’re on track to have enough work, and craft press releases and show cards. Ahead of the exhibit, the artist brings in the work to see it in the gallery space.

This year’s exhibits will start March 8 with the encaustic paintings of Georgia Nassikas before moving on to raku-fired ceramics by Marcia Jestaedt. Also featured are colored pencil, photography, oil paintings, sculpture, and collage.

"Despite Everything, She Would Keep Moving Forward" (foreground) by Elissa Farrow-Savos and "Amber Waves" by Georgia Nassikas

For a full list of this year’s solo shows, click here. The opening reception for the 2012 Solo Preview (and the January All-Media show) is January 12 at 6:30 pm.

Exhibits

Patronize the Patrons’ Show


The Patrons’ Show drawing on February 19 has been moved up one hour to 4:00 pm!

Donations for the 2012 Patrons’ Show are already pouring in from artists — but like the lawn flamingos in Nancy Garcia’s colored pencil donation, Sweet Dreams Til Spring, these works of art are hibernating until February, when hundreds of ticket-holders will be eagerly waiting for their turn to snatch one up.

Now in its 45th year, The Patrons’ Show is The Art League’s huge annual fundraiser, when Art League members (all local artists) donate artwork which can be purchased for the price of a ticket, $175: a steal for the buyer, The Art League, and the artist, who gets unparalleled exposure.

Two weeks before the February 19 drawing, ticket-holders flood The Art League Gallery and its flickr page to study up on what pieces they want to pick. With over 500 pieces to choose from, wish lists are packed — as are the gallery walls:

2011: 670 works went home.

But for now, the pieces are still in storage, waiting for their turn in the spotlight. Over 100 pieces have been donated so far, with hundreds more to follow. Each one will go home with a lucky ticket-holder.

In 2010, Washingtonian Magazine named the Patrons’ Show the “most fun art fundraiser,” and the superlative definitely applies. Lifelong friends are made, traditions are formed, picnics are had, and one couple who met in line even tied the knot. You can see some reviews of past years’ shows here, here, and here. This is the story of one artist donor.

Tickets go on sale Saturday, January 14 at 10:00 am in The Art League Gallery. They go fast, so don’t miss out! After the initial run is sold, additional tickets are released to the waiting list as more art is donated, so that each ticket guarantees a work of art — at a bargain price.

Full details on the Patrons’ Show are here. Stay tuned for more news!

2010: The big board.
2009: Decisions, decisions.
Events

New Artist Opportunities For a New Year

Need help crafting your artist statement for the opportunities below? How about saving photographs of your work for submission? The Art League will be hosting free workshops this month on writing about your artwork — “Art * iculation” — and on Photoshop. For more details and to register, visit The Art League’s lecture series and enrichment page.

Courtesy of FindArtInfoBank.com:

Call to Artists: Creatures: Swim, Fly, Crawl – MA
Deadline: January 15, 12. CALL to ARTISTS: CALADAN GALLERY presents a juried exhibition entitled “CREATURES: Swim, Fly, Crawl”. This exhibition will be a survey of our fellow citizens on the planet Earth: Animals! We present these creatures with love and honor. We are searching for uplifting, innovative works representing animals; those that find a way to provide witness to ourselves. We have been extremely fortunate to be creating an exciting, diverse, and active meeting place for artists. We are averaging over 55,000 viewers a month, and have provided a warm and positive virtual atmosphere since 2003. All mediums except video are eligible. Please go to: http://www.caladangallery.com to download prospectus (click on “enter your artwork”) OR write to: Caladan Gallery, Box 391939, Cambridge MA 02139 OR call: 617-838-8929 for more information.

44th Annual Visual Arts Exhibition – TX
Deadline: February 10, 12. CALL FOR ENTRIES: VISUAL ARTS SOCIETY OF TEXAS. 44th Annual Visual Arts Exhibition. BOS $1000; $10,000+ Cash/Merchandise. Deadline: 2/10/12. Juror: Elizabeth Dunbar, independent curator, Austin, Texas. Entry Fee: $35 non-members; max 3 slides/digital images. Full-color Catalog. Prospectus for details. SASE VAST PO Box 1281, Denton, TX 76202; http://www.vastarts.org. Opens 4/26/12. Info: [email protected] or 972.827.8647.

Many more listings after the jump: Continue reading New Artist Opportunities For a New Year

Artist Opportunities

March Exhibit: “Play”

From March 7 to April 7, The Art League Gallery will be exhibiting a different kind of show. Below, the prospectus for “Play,” a juried show of interactive art and a first for The Art League.

Play
A Juried Exhibit of Interactive Art
March  7 – April 7, 2012
Juror – Judy Bass

In honor of Minds Wide Open: Year of Children in the Arts, The Art League offers this juried exhibit of works that can be touched or interacted with to encourage visitors to become involved in the art work on an entirely new level.  The Virginia Commission for the Arts declared 2012 the Year of Children in the Arts and “Play” will be our kick-off for this initiative.

 Artwork that is interactive can include two or three-dimensional work that

  1. Can be touched or handled (instructions for touching work must be included with submission)

  2. Have objects that viewers can add on or to the work (as in putting additional lines on a drawing, or coloring in an unfinished area or adding collage pieces onto a panel, canvas or sculptural form)

  3. Have a way to view the work through colored lenses or 3-D glasses (which must be provided)

  4. Have pieces to move around (a puzzle or game)

  5. Have examples of the tools and materials used in the creation of the piece that visitors can pick up and handle (pieces of canvas, brushes, etching plate, woodblock plate, etc)

Continued after the jump: Continue reading March Exhibit: “Play”

Artist Opportunities, Exhibits

The Show Must Go Up

Midday snow flurries in Alexandria coincided with a flurry of activity in The Art League Gallery, where jurying was taking place for the January All-Media exhibit.

Ever wondered how the artwork is delivered, chosen, and hung for each show? It’s an involved process which, thanks to the help of gallery volunteers, only takes a day: receiving started Monday after the gallery closed and the work is hung by Tuesday evening.

It all starts with receiving, when member artists drop off works of art — one or two, this month — to be considered for the show and pay the entry fee. Everything is carefully recorded.


After receiving concludes, the jurying process can begin. This month’s juror was photographer and teacher Allen Beland. The juror selects which pieces will make it into the gallery’s limited space. He also selects the artists to receive awards and honorable mentions.

Piece by piece, volunteers present the work, which the judge names a Yes, No, or Maybe — not always an easy decision, with 515 pieces submitted this month and only 153 accepted.



To get an idea of jurors’ thought processes and responses to the work submitted, Communications Director Erica Fortwengler interviews jurors for a juror’s dialogue each month. This month’s dialogue with Allen Beland is here.

Finally, the hanging committee gets to work. Following the juror’s instructions, if any, the hangers install the pieces in a visually pleasing arrangement — and in the process give the drywall a sense of purpose. The hammering and hanging takes only a couple hours, capping an accelerated process for a big, brand-new show.

It takes a group effort.


This month’s award winners were Jane Thomas, who received the Gallery Director Award for her watercolor, The Thoughts, and Sandy LeBrun-Evans, who won second place for her photograph, Truck.

The January All-Media show opens tomorrow and continues through February 6. Also in The Art League Gallery this month are the 2012 solo show preview (Jan. 5–27) and a SOHO photography exhibit (Jan. 28–Feb. 6).

Exhibits