Receptions are a good opportunity to meet the artists behind an exhibit. At this Sunday’s closing reception, there’s a good chance one of the artists is you!
At the beginning of the month, we invited all of our artists, students, and well-wishers to help us celebrate our 60th anniversary by contributing a puzzle piece in black and white.
And you delivered!
Over the course of the month, the Community Canvas has steadily grown, and it’s now 25 feet wide, including hundreds of pieces made with charcoal, paint, ink, photos, glue, felt, metal, and anything else our artists could think of.
Come join us Sunday at 2:00 pm to see the completed project and learn what happens next! This will also be the closing reception for the SOHO Photography Exhibit, which you can read about here.
by Andarge Asfaw Climb to Debre Damo Monastery by Andarge Asfaw.
Ethiopia Travel Workshop with Andargé Asfaw
March 21–31, 2014 (Friday to Monday) register / more information
The Art League is adding a new location to our repertoire of travel workshops, and it’s not too late to be on our first trip to Ethiopia!
The workshop dates were recently changed to March 21 to 31, and there is room to join.
This will be The Art League’s first travel workshop to Ethiopia, and artists in all media are welcome to join. It’s a great opportunity to go to a place unlike any other with an expert guide from Ethiopia — our own photography instructor, Andargé Asfaw.
To celebrate our 60th anniversary this year, The Art League has a slate of activities planned, including special events and exhibits. We also took the opportunity to dust off six decades of Art League archives, an exercise that not only reminded us how much we’ve grown, but turned up lots of strange and interesting tidbits.
Earlier this month, we debuted the fruit of our labors: the second floor of the Torpedo Factory is now a visual tour of The Art League’s growth, in the form of a huge timeline. Come in and see it!
Some of the highlights:
the first-ever Art League exhibit, held in a Barnes & Kimel furniture store
the first permanent gallery space in the Parkington Shopping Center (today’s Ballston Common Mall)
classes with famous Washington Color School painters like Gene Davis, Paul Reed, Lou Stovall, and Leon Berkowitz
spearheading the creation of the Torpedo Factory Art Center
the first computer, travel workshop, art camp, Art on the Rocks, and more!
Of course, there wasn’t room for every interesting item from the archives, so you can expect to see more bonus facts here on our blog and our Facebook page throughout the year.
Our 60th anniversary timeline is reproduced below. Click here to start and then you can use your arrow keys to scroll through each panel.
Have an Art League memory to share?Reminisce with us here via the contact form, and we’ll compile the community’s memories as we go through the year.
Self-Portraits at Target Gallery
Deadline: February 24. Target Gallery presents Identification, an all-media self-portrait exhibition exploring alternative definitions of self through the juxtaposition of the artists’ objective and subjective identities. Artists are asked to submit a standardized 4×4 photo of themselves to exhibit along side of the artwork. More on the exhibit →
Art of Stewardship
Deadline: February 28. Howard County Conservancy is issuing a call for artists working in two-dimensional art/photography and outdoor sculpture; focusing on the artist as an environmental activist in stewarding our Earth. More on the exhibit →
Hamiltonian Fellowship
Deadline: March 1. The 7th annual open call to the Hamiltonian Artists Fellowship is now open. Advancing the professional development of emerging visual artists, the two-year program serves as a critical steppingstone for the next generation of contemporary artists in Washington, DC. More on the fellowship →
America’s Next Top Master Artist
Deadline: March 14. Kicking off on the Gateway Arts District Spring 2014 Open Studios Day, Project America’s Next Top Master Artist is an elimination-style exhibition presented in three rounds at Brentwood Arts Exchange. The winner receives $500 and a solo exhibition at Brentwood Arts Exchange. More on the exhibit →
History is still being made, collage by Karen Kozojet Ching.
Art in City Hall
January 4–July 18
Alexandria City Hall (301 King St.), 2nd floor Opening reception: TBA
January 4 marked the official opening of the newest in the biennial Art in City Hall exhibits. “Intersections of Art and History” is open through July 18. You can see it Monday to Friday on the second floor of Alexandria’s City Hall. There’s quite a bit of art to see, so set aside some time to wander the hallways!
Art in City Hall is an ongoing partnership between The Art League and the Alexandria Commission for the Arts, and features artists from The Art League, Del Ray Artisans, and the Torpedo Factory. The juror this time around was Dana Cibulski, an artist and art educator who has taught at NOVA, the Atlanta College of Art, Fordham University, and NYU.
Exhibits hang twice a year at City Hall — one is unthemed, and the other is themed. The theme for this exhibit, “Intersections of Art and History,” was particularly appropriate for a city with so much history and a year with so many anniversaries — The Art League, the Torpedo Factory, and the Alexandria Commission for the Arts are celebrating their 60th, 40th, and 30th anniversaries this year, respectively.
There will be an opening reception for Art in City Hall at a date to be determined — check our website for the date once it’s scheduled.
(click for full size) Clockwise from top left: Riverside, photograph, by Nancy Monacelli; Shoppers, acrylic, by Jane Thomas; Houses at Old Town, watercolor, by Alfonso Ong; Walking in the Rain, watercolor, by Dillian Deal. Respectively, they were awarded the Del Ray Artisans Award of Merit, the Alexandria Commission for the Arts Award of Merit, the Torpedo Factory Artists Association Award of Merit, and The Art League Award of Merit.Garden of Ripples by Gaetano Rando
Left: On the Old Town Ghost Tour, acrylic with Mixed Media, by Jill Brantley.St. Mary’s, acrylic, by Mark Coffey.
Regulars in the Gallery will remember Gaetano Rando, or Guy, from the December 2011 solo exhibit “Transitions” featuring work by Guy and his son, Marco. The “spirit of mysticism and whimsy” the Washington Post saw in that show is alive and well in Rando’s 64 Garden Squares (his award winning piece in the January “Abstract Expressionism Exhibit”), but the piece also reveals changes in the artist’s work over the past two years.
If 64 Garden Squares reminds you of a chessboard, you’re not far off. In the past, Rando has made vertical chess sets that can be played from either side of the board. (This particular piece is not a functional board, though.) And like chess, this piece has its origins in Asia — specifically, the ancient Chinese text, the I Ching.
Through the Looking Glass, a vertical chessboard by Guy Rando.
The I Ching identifies 64 hexagrams, or series of six lines, each paired with a description. The number 64 has been appearing in Rando’s recent work, as seen in 64 Garden Square and two pieces currently at Art in City Hall. The eight by eight pattern of 64 garden “rooms” represents the Earth, Rando said. Dualities, like heaven and earth, appear in the I Ching, the same way they do on a chessboard.
Fall by Guy Rando in the current Art in City Hall exhibit.Garden of Ripples, also in Art in City Hall.
Rando described art as the “objectification of emotion” — an essentially untranslatable feeling that differs according to the viewer’s experience. The emotion behind 64 Garden Squares, Rando said, comes from imagining himself walking through 64 garden rooms.
What that means is up to the viewer. For Rando, creating spaces for people to experience is a familiar idea. He made a career out of teaching and practicing landscape architecture and urban design, and designed spaces including the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden, for which he was a consulting designer. He’s also created proposals for large-scale sculptures for public art competitions. In landscape architecture, in the I Ching, and in the 64 “rooms” of 64 Garden Squares, the goal is the same: describing the physical world.
Potomac Wave from the 2011 “Transitions” exhibit.
Rando also brings the physical world into his work as a part of the sculpture by working with materials like driftwood and cedar. In the 2011 “Transitions” exhibit, he used found wood — driftwood from the Potomac — repurposed and reconfigured. There are common elements between those pieces and more recent ones, such as the two-dimensional feel of the sculptures, which all hang on the wall, and the use of wooden pegs. The pegs serve both a structural and aesthetic purpose, as a way to attach things and to add shadows and depth to the sculpture, Rando said.
Rando doesn’t work exclusively in wood, but it does feature prominently in his portfolio. There are two reasons for that, he said: one, it’s convenient to use, without the need to send anything out for fabrication or casting. Two, the grain and patterns in the wood inform the finished piece, especially in the examples of the weathered pieces of driftwood.
The ideas for a piece can come from anything — any experience or moment, Rando said. Then you work on it, develop it, express the concept you want to express. “You’ll always find that it’s never quite done, you can go back and work on it,” Rando said.
Buddha Harmony from the 2011 “Transitions” exhibit.
SOHO Photography Exhibit
January 25–February 2 Closing reception: Sunday, February 2, 2:00–4:00 pm
Starting Saturday, you can see some of the art created in the current session of the Space of Her Own mentorship program. The third SOHO Photography Exhibit runs January 25–February 2 and features photo narratives and artist statements from the 11 fifth-grade girls in the collaborative program between The Art League and Alexandria’s Court Service Unit.
Each photo was conceived, taken, and developed by the artist after some lessons on photography, lighting, and the darkroom. Some prints have also found their way to our Community Canvas project as a sort of preview:
Some of the photos from the exhibit. See the full story behind each at the exhibit starting Saturday.
The exhibit will be on view for about a week in the solo room of the Gallery, and you can also join us for the closing reception on Sunday, February 2 at 2:00 pm. You can learn more about the exhibit in our two earlier blog posts, linked above next to “read more.”
A 2012 Art Camp intern works with students. Watch the video here.
The Art League School’s Summer Art Camp is currently searching for interns for Summer 2014! Interns act as classroom aides to over thirty working artists during the course of the summer. They are also responsible for basic camp functions such as assistance with class set ups, class coordination, and helping to evaluate the effectiveness of classes offered. Interns are trained and directly supervised by the camp coordinator. Campers range from ages 5 to 11, and art projects are done in a variety of fine art media. Interns will have the opportunity to create and teach their own lesson towards the end of the summer.
Camp begins June 16, 2014 and ends August 22, 2014. Hours are 8:30 am–4:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Internships are unpaid.
A background in art is recommended. If interested, please send your resume and letter of interest noting any teaching and/or experience with children to [email protected]. Only 7 internships are available.
The Art League’s mission is to nurture the artist and enrich the community — and from time to time, we have an opportunity to extend that community outside of Alexandria.
Last year, The Art League was honored to receive a generous donation of a brand-new gas kiln that could support our student demand. We wanted to have our gas previous kiln continue its mission of nurturing and enriching artists, so we contacted the Craft Emergency Relief Fund.
The Art League’s new kiln being delivered to the Madison Annex in July.
The Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) was founded on a simple premise: people caring for one another during tough times. Building upon the grassroots gesture of passing the hat at craft shows for artists dealing with emergency situations, CERF created an ongoing pool of funds that are available to professional craft artists when they suffer career-threatening emergencies. In addition to the financial assistance, CERF helps acquire donated goods and services for beneficiaries from individuals, organizations and businesses.
Working with CERF, The Art League was able to find potter Joe Frank McKee. Joe Frank lost his studio and kiln to a fire. The Art League’s kiln would allow him to rebuild his pottery.
Joe Frank owns and operates Tree House Pottery in Dillsboro, North Carolina along with Travis Berning. They’re both members of the Southern Highlands Craft Guild and co-founders of the Western North Carolina Pottery Festival, held each fall in Dillsboro. Joe Frank creates lines of functional and decorative ceramics, including horsehair, raku, and fumed pots. Travis’s pottery is inspired by nature, bearing images of leaves. You can see examples in their website gallery.
About CERF: The Craft Emergency Relief Fund started in 1985 as a safety net for working artists in emergency situations. Today they work to protect artists with preparedness and relief programs. You can learn more about their mission and read their preparedness resources at craftemergency.org.
Capitol Hill Art League
Deadline: February 18. The Capitol Hill Are League announces its 2014 DC metro-area juried open call exhibit, to be juried by American University professor Dr. Alida Anderson. The exhibit is open to 2D and 3D work; cash prizes will be awarded for best-in-show and second place. More about the exhibit →
Annapolis Craft Festival
Deadline: March 4. The Fifth Annual Annapolis Arts, Crafts and Wine Festival, June 7 and 8 at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, showcases the prized works of over 200 artists employing a variety of media: painting, sculpture, ceramics, digital art, mixed media, printmaking, jewelry, fiber art, glass, wood, leather, metal and photography. More about the festival →
Washington Craft Show Deadline: April 1. The 27th annual Washington Craft Show, October 31 – November 2, 2014, sponsored by Crafts America, will be held at the Washington Convention Center in the heart of Washington, D.C. This prestigious show features 195 artists who are jury selected from all over the United States. More about the craft show →
Juried exhibit
Deadline: April 7. The South-Atlantic Juried Exhibition at the Montpelier Center for Arts and Education is open to all professional artists who reside in Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. More about the exhibit →
Re-runs
The following announcements appeared here previously, but we’re publishing them again in case you missed them:
Figurative abstraction
Deadline: January 25. “Passages: An Exhibition of Figurative Abstraction” at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke will run February 10 to March 6. Artists are invited to submit work in two-dimensional, three-dimensional, installation or digital media (including video based media). More about the exhibit →
Circus-inspired art
Deadline: January 29. The Off-Rhode Studio at Art Enables is opening its walls and inviting artists in the Washington, Virginia, Maryland area to participate in “Amazing Marvels,” a show featuring work inspired by the circus, sideshows or carnivals. Off-Rhode is a gallery for self-taught and outsider artists; however, this call is open to all artists working in all mediums and preference will be given to self-taught and outsider artists. View the call for artists →
TFAC Visiting Artist Program
Deadline: January 31. Artists can apply for residencies at the Torpedo Factory in summer 2014. The juror is Zoma Wallace, the Art Bank Coordinator at the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. More about the program →
Print and drawing competition
Deadline: January 31. Drawings and prints (not photography) in any medium are eligible with no limitations as to color, surface or materials. The juror is Ann Shafer, Associate Curator of Prints, Drawings & Photographs at the Baltimore Museum of Art. More about the competition →
Photography competition
Deadline: January 31. ArtSpace Herndon invites photographers from DC, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia to participate in their 2014 Fine Art Photography Competition. The competition is open to fine art photographers aged 18 or older working in any medium (digital or analog, color or monochrome), and using any printing technique. There is no required theme for entries. More about the competition →
Official Cherry Blossom artist
Deadline: January 31. Each year, the National Cherry Blossom Festival solicits portfolios from interested artists, one of which the Festival selects and works with to create the Official Artwork to be used on official collateral materials and merchandise items such as the official poster, t-shirt and more. More about the contest →
Paducah, Kentucky residency
Deadline: February 1. Artists can apply for residencies in 2014 and 2015 at A.I.R. Studio Paducah in Kentucky. The studio welcomes self-motivated, focused artists working in a range of traditional and non-traditional visual arts practices, as well as writers and composers. Residents are encouraged to have a clear objective for the time of their residency. The duration of the residency is two weeks to three months. Collaborative artists and couples are welcome to apply. More about the residency →
3-D art
Deadline: February 18. For the juried exhibit “Dimensional Expressions” at Artful Dimensions Gallery in Fredericksburg, VA, artists in all media are invited to submit images of their 3-D artwork. Art League artist and instructor Kathlyn J. Avila is the juror for this exhibit. More about the exhibit →
Juried exhibit — Harrisonburg
Deadline: March 15. Park Gables Gallery at the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community in Harrisonburg, VA invites submissions to an exhibit juried by a three-juror panel. Entry is open to all artists residing in the U.S. There are over $5,000 in prizes available and the gallery charges no commission on works sold. More about the exhibit →
For their narrative photos, the SOHO group used props, costumes, and models (themselves, their friends, and mentors).
As part of their recent photography lesson and in preparation for their upcoming exhibit, the SOHO girls wrote artist statements and what they learned from the project. The exhibit will feature narrative photographs, conceived, shot, and developed by each of the girls, and their accompanying artist statements. In addition to those statements, they also wrote reflections on their first darkroom experience:
Jamia
“There were two rooms. One was called the wet room and the other was called the dry room. The rooms were dark with two orange, dim lights. I learned how to develop my photos and how to use a cool tool called an enlarger.”
Zoraya
“The most interesting thing that I learned about photography was that changing the angles of my camera changed the length and size of the people in the pictures.”
Ashley
“I loved learning about the importance of lighting to show different emotions in photos. The darkroom was small and dark. Most of the equipment was black, white, and gray. There were six enlargers. Everything was, and had to be, in order. It smelled like salt and vinegar chips! Our pictures all turned out black and white.”
Katie
“The darkroom was like a person wearing a black scarf. It’s chemistry. There is barely any light—like a bat cave with a hole on top. We zoomed in and zoomed out. We learned how to test the photo development times to see how we wanted our pictures to come out. It was so fun because the photos were black and white, like how they would have been when photography began.”
Jessmin
“Learning about different viewpoints in photography was interesting. There is “bird’s eye” view, taken from above, “worm’s eye” view, taken from the ground, and “front” view, shot by looking straight ahead. The darkroom was red, mysterious, and scary! All of the tools were fascinating. When we put the photo paper in the chemicals, the image magically appeared!”
Norma
“The most interesting thing I learned about photography were camera angles. Like “worm’s eye” view is when you take photograph from the floor. The dark room was dark. To make sure you have the right picture, you have to hold it up to the light. Once we finished copying the photos to the film, we dropped the film into four stations, so they would appear in their own color. The four stations smelled like vinegar.”
MeKenzie
“The most interesting thing I learned was how to take photos from different points of view.”
Kianni
“The most interesting thing I learned was that you could take the same picture, but just by moving the lighting, you can make it a completely different picture. The darkroom was, of course, dark. I liked putting the pictures in the chemicals and watching them develop. When we first went into the darkroom, we had to shut both doors so no light could get in. Then we turned off the lights. After that, we watched a demonstration of how to put our pictures on our paper. We did ours. When the photo was on our paper, we dipped it into chemicals to develop it. We then had to set a timer to expose the picture correctly.”
Emily
“The most interesting thing I learned about photography is that there are a lot of different ways to use lighting to change a picture.”
Denisse
“I learned the steps of how to make photos—how to take pictures and develop them, and how to focus pictures using light. The darkroom was dark and in it were machines to make our photos. There were pans of chemicals to develop our pictures and it smelled like salt and vinegar. We used special paper to put our photos on and they had to dry in a dryer.”
Michelle
“What I learned in photography class is how to focus the lens when taking a picture. The darkroom was dark and it had two rooms. It was smelly and small.”
The third SOHO photography exhibit will be on view January 25 to February 2. Look for a preview in an upcoming blog post!
Patron’s Show Tickets Go On Sale Saturday — Online Only
It’s almost here! Ticket sales for the 2014 Patrons’ Show Fundraiser — your opportunity to go home with an original piece of artwork for only $200 (plus transaction fee) — open Saturday at 10:00 am.
Tickets go on sale: Saturday, January 18, 10:00 am
Dates to view show: February 5–16
Patrons’ Show Drawing: Sunday, February 16, 4:00 pm
Ticket sales are online at Eventbrite only!You can buy your tickets here. We will have computers in The Art League Gallery to help anyone without access to a computer, but in-person purchasers will have no advantage — ticket transaction fees are the same for everyone.
This is The Art League’s biggest fundraiser. Your ticket doesn’t just guarantee you a piece of original artwork valued at $200 or more — your ticket purchase benefits The Art League’s educational programming, exhibits, and community outreach programs such as student scholarships, IMPART and SOHO.
Questions? The seating chart, First Choice Raffle, and purchase instructions are all detailed in the FAQ on the ticket sales page. If you have questions about purchasing tickets not answered in the FAQ, you can also call the Gallery at 703-683-1780.
Space of Her Own — an arts and life-skills mentoring program now in its twelfth year — is named in part for the room renovation at the end of each year, when each girl’s bedroom is transformed with new furniture and the artwork created throughout the program.
This year, for the third year running, the SOHO program will transform another room: The Art League Gallery’s solo room, which will host a special exhibit of photography by the SOHO girls.
For the exhibit, each SOHO participant created a photo narrative — all the way from taking photographs, to developing their own prints in the darkroom, to writing artist statements to accompany the images. It’s just one example of the arts education and life skills that the SOHO program provides each week.
Along the way, the SOHO girls learned how to work a film camera, design and think about lighting in a photograph, compose a photograph, create a narrative image, and use a dark room. For part one, photographer and instructor Alison Duvall taught them how to use the 35mm point-and-shoot cameras and black-and-white film.
(These cameras are all donated, by the way — you can see what other items SOHO needs on this page.)
In part two of the lesson, the students brainstormed their narrative and planned how they would use the available props and costumes to tell their story. Photographer and videographer Alan Ortiz gave a lesson on dramatic lighting, using the painting A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery by Joseph Wright of Derby as an example.
Zoraya demonstrates dramatic lighting; bottom, the Wright of Derby painting used for the lesson.
Finally, it was time for the photo shoot, with each girl acting as photographer and director, enlisting her friends and mentors as models. We’ll feature some of what they made in a future blog post, and you can see it for yourself, January 25–February 2 in the Gallery!
Swanson Spring Fling Arts & Crafts
Deadline: January 17. This annual arts & crafts show will be held Saturday, March 15 at Swanson Middle School in Arlington. All fine craft and art media will be considered, including but not limited to clay, fiber, wood (including furniture), glass, jewelry, leather, metal, paper, original painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, accessories and mixed media. More about the show (PDF download) →
Paducah, Kentucky residency
Deadline: February 1. Artists can apply for residencies in 2014 and 2015 at A.I.R. Studio Paducah in Kentucky. The studio welcomes self-motivated, focused artists working in a range of traditional and non-traditional visual arts practices, as well as writers and composers. Residents are encouraged to have a clear objective for the time of their residency. The duration of the residency is two weeks to three months. Collaborative artists and couples are welcome to apply. More about the residency →
Hospital call for art
Deadline: February 15. The Art Committee of Augusta Health Inc. in Fishersville, VA is seeking high quality fine art for temporary gallery exhibits and for possible purchase by the hospital for permanent display. More about the call for art →
Official Cherry Blossom artist
Deadline: January 31. Each year, the National Cherry Blossom Festival solicits portfolios from interested artists, one of which the Festival selects and works with to create the Official Artwork to be used on official collateral materials and merchandise items such as the official poster, t-shirt and more. More about the contest →
Washington Craft Show
Deadline: April 1. The 27th annual Washington Craft Show, October 31 – November 2, sponsored by Crafts America, will be held at the Washington Convention Center in the heart of Washington, D.C. It is a multi-media crafts exhibition and sale focusing on contemporary American craft. More about the show →
Re-runs
The following announcements appeared here previously, but we’re publishing them again in case you missed them:
Art on Paper
Deadline: January 15, 2014. The Maryland Federation of Art invites all artists residing in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico to enter its Art on Paper competition. Original work created on or made from paper (including photography), meeting size requirements and following entry guidelines will be considered. The selected works will be on exhibit at MFA’s Circle Gallery. More about the exhibit →
Baltimore-area artists
Deadline: January 15. The Baker Artist Awards are managed by the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance. To nominate yourself for the 2014 Baker Artist Awards, you must be at least 21 years old and have been a legal resident of the Baltimore region since October 1. More about the award →
Ann Arbor residency
Deadline: January 15. The Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan is now accepting applications for the Roman J. Witt Artist Residency Program. The program awards one residency per academic year for a visiting artist/designer to develop a new work in collaboration with students and faculty. More about the program →
Figurative abstraction
Deadline: January 25. “Passages: An Exhibition of Figurative Abstraction” at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke will run February 10 to March 6. Artists are invited to submit work in two-dimensional, three-dimensional, installation or digital media (including video based media). More about the exhibit →
Circus-inspired art
Deadline: January 29. The Off-Rhode Studio at Art Enables is opening its walls and inviting artists in the Washington, Virginia, Maryland area to participate in “Amazing Marvels,” a show featuring work inspired by the circus, sideshows or carnivals. Off-Rhode is a gallery for self-taught and outsider artists; however, this call is open to all artists working in all mediums and preference will be given to self-taught and outsider artists. View the call for artists →
TFAC Visiting Artist Program
Deadline: January 31. Artists can apply for residencies at the Torpedo Factory in summer 2014. The juror is Zoma Wallace, the Art Bank Coordinator at the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. More about the program →
Print and drawing competition
Deadline: January 31. Drawings and prints (not photography) in any medium are eligible with no limitations as to color, surface or materials. The juror is Ann Shafer, Associate Curator of Prints, Drawings & Photographs at the Baltimore Museum of Art. More about the competition →
Photography competition
Deadline: January 31. ArtSpace Herndon invites photographers from DC, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia to participate in their 2014 Fine Art Photography Competition. The competition is open to fine art photographers aged 18 or older working in any medium (digital or analog, color or monochrome), and using any printing technique. There is no required theme for entries. More about the competition →
3-D art
Deadline: February 18, 2014. For the juried exhibit “Dimensional Expressions” at Artful Dimensions Gallery in Fredericksburg, VA, artists in all media are invited to submit images of their 3-D artwork. Art League artist and instructor Kathlyn J. Avila is the juror for this exhibit. More about the exhibit →
Juried exhibit — Harrisonburg
Deadline: March 15, 2014. Park Gables Gallery at the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community in Harrisonburg, VA invites submissions to an exhibit juried by a three-juror panel. Entry is open to all artists residing in the U.S. There are over $5,000 in prizes available and the gallery charges no commission on works sold. More about the exhibit →
In the Key of Green and Gold, acrylic on canvas, by Constance Slack.
For the first of 2014’s exhibits celebrating six decades of art at The Art League, it seems natural that the best-in-show award would find its way to a long-time Art League artist.
Constance Slack, also known as Connie, has been a Torpedo Factory artist since the beginning and an Art League member for even longer, and she was recognized with the Gallery Director’s Award for In the Key of Green and Gold, pictured above. In selecting the award, the juror for “Abstract Expressionism Revisited,” Anne Marchand, pointed to the painting’s evocative color and the texture. Both are best experienced in person, of course — the exhibit is open through February 3.
We asked Slack to tell us more about music, painting, and Abstract Expressionism, the movement revisited in this month’s exhibit.
Constance Slack in 1979, working in her Torpedo Factory studio. She had a solo exhibit at The Art League that year.
How long have you been an Art League artist? Constance Slack: I believe I joined The Art League in 1967. I have been in the Torpedo Factory for nearly 40 years. Both have been instrumental in my career as an artist.
You describe your painting process as fairly chaotic. What is going through your mind while you’re working on a painting?
Most often I try not to have anything in mind when I begin. The exception would be when I have just returned from an exciting trip. Trying to paint from something I have imagined or have a picture of in my head just leads to disaster. If I do begin with a concept, I know to quickly let it go and let the painting lead the process.
For In the Key of Green and Gold, how did those colors emerge as the dominant ones — or how do you arrive at a palette for any particular painting?
The palette emerged spontaneously. I did not have a concept or title in mind when I began. I paint intuitively, making color choices as the painting dictates. In the Key of Green and Gold is a painting about the synchronicity of painting and music.
Detail, In the Key of Green and Gold
What’s your favorite music to paint to?
I paint to all kinds of music: sometimes Classical, sometimes Flamenco, movie themes, Jazz, Reggae, whatever I feel like at the moment. I don’t have a particular favorite, but I will say that the music influences the brush strokes. Adagios produce a different painting from Spanish Flamenco.
What did you listen to for this one?
I believe I may have been listening to “Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone.” One of my favorites. It is an album of expansively inspiring music.
Why are you a painter?
In the beginning of my artistic career, I loved sculpture, wood sculpture in particular, but found it hurt my hands and elbows, limiting what I could do. I was always a painter, loving color, so dropped the sculpture and pursued painting full-time.
Detail, In the Key of Green and Gold
When did you first become interested in art, or when did you know you wanted to be an artist?
As long as I can remember, I have loved drawing and painting. Early in life, I just wanted to be an artist.
What artists have influenced you?
I like the early work of Deibenkorn, the works of Jenkins, O’Keeffe, Van Gogh, and am pulled to all Abstract Expression as it somehow resonates with my soul.
How has the abstract expressionist movement influenced your work?
Abstract expressionism, if it must have a name is who I am, what I do. It is my most natural form of expression. I find it most challenging to say something in my paintings without using images. It is my purest form of communication.
Winter classes started last week, but there’s still time to join a class! See below for a list of some of the classes starting late, and don’t forget it may be possible to join a class already in progress for prorated tuition. Just contact the school (703-683-2323 or [email protected]) and they can help you find a class or workshop.
Artwork from “Abstract Expressionism Revisited”The 2014 Solo Preview
With our first exhibits of 2014, we’re previewing an event-packed year in The Art League Gallery. This month is your chance to see what’s to come in our 60th anniversary year and to join in the action!
With “Abstract Expressionism Revisited,” our artists are kicking off a year-long series of themed exhibits, inspired by the six decades of art history The Art League Gallery has seen. Each month’s exhibit will explore a different movement, with a contemporary take, with October’s exhibit bringing us up to the present day.
In the solo room, the Solo Preview showcases one piece by each of the nine solo artists with exhibits scheduled this year — jewelry, sculpture, photography, painting, and collage are all represented this year. Solo artists are chosen in a jurying process two years in advance, and spend the intervening time developing their exhibit.
Last, and most exciting of all, there’s a giant collaborative collage installation going up right now, and you can contribute your own creative vision! Read more about Our Community Canvas here.
The Community Canvas is growing!Solo Preview 2014Abstract Expressionism RevisitedAbstract Expressionism Revisited
Baltimore-area artists
Deadline: January 15. The Baker Artist Awards are managed by the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance. To nominate yourself for the 2014 Baker Artist Awards, you must be at least 21 years old and have been a legal resident of the Baltimore region since October 1. More about the award →
Figurative abstraction
Deadline: January 25. “Passages: An Exhibition of Figurative Abstraction” at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke will run February 10 to March 6. Artists are invited to submit work in two-dimensional, three-dimensional, installation or digital media (including video based media). More about the exhibit →
TFAC Visiting Artist Program
Deadline: January 31. Artists can apply for residencies at the Torpedo Factory in summer 2014. The juror is Zoma Wallace, the Art Bank Coordinator at the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. More about the program →
Print and drawing competition
Deadline: January 31. Drawings and prints (not photography) in any medium are eligible with no limitations as to color, surface or materials. The juror is Ann Shafer, Associate Curator of Prints, Drawings & Photographs at the Baltimore Museum of Art. More about the competition →
Photography competition
Deadline: January 31. ArtSpace Herndon invites photographers from DC, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia to participate in their 2014 Fine Art Photography Competition. The competition is open to fine art photographers aged 18 or older working in any medium (digital or analog, color or monochrome), and using any printing technique. There is no required theme for entries. More about the competition →
We’re kicking off our 60th Anniversary year on January 9 during the opening reception for “Abstract Expressionism Revisited” – the first exhibit in our 60th Anniversary exhibition series. The works selected for this exhibit will honor the artwork created during the great 1950s Abstract Expressionist movement, the decade when The Art League was established.
The beginnings of a giant community canvas will be unveiled during the evening, and we need your help to complete the installation!
Art League instructor Scott Hutchison conceived the idea for “Our Community Canvas” – a growing installation of 600 black and white, large puzzle pieces that will come together on the back wall of The Art League Gallery throughout the month of January. Everyone is welcome to come by the Gallery on the ninth or any day in January to contribute to the project by designing a piece of the canvas. We invite everyone to share their contribution on Instagram with the hashtag #TALCommunityCanvas.
Bowls by the Torpedo Factory artists of Hollin Hills studio.
January 18, you can warm up with some soup and support a worthy cause at the same time.
Every year, the potters of the Torpedo Factory donate soup bowls for Souper Saturday, a fundraiser that supports United Community Ministries, which provides a wide variety of services to Northern Virginia families including transitional housing, after-school programs, and a food bank.
For $20, you can get a bowl of soup — clam chowder generously provided by Chart House — and a handmade bowl by a Torpedo Factory artist. Souper Saturday is coming up January 18, 9:00 am to 12:00 noon at the Torpedo Factory (105 N. Union St. in Alexandria).
Text-Tile by Eric Vahouny from the June 2013 “(CON)text” exhibit.
Don’t miss these events in the Gallery! We’ll be holding a workshop on writing artist statements and a lecture on Abstract Expressionism.
Space is limited, so please contact the Gallery to sign up.
Art*iculation with David Hazard
Saturday, January 11, 2013, 10:30 am – 1:30 pm
David Hazard joins us again to present “Painting with Words,” his popular workshop on writing an artist statement. Hazard is a professional writing coach and publishing consultant who has worked with artists for more than 25 years, helping them to communicate more effectively. This workshop is free to Art League members. Please register by calling 703-683-1780 or e-mailing [email protected].
Dr. Claudia Rousseau on Abstract Expressionism
Thursday, January 23, 1:00 pm
In conjunction with our Abstract Expressionism Revisited exhibit, join us for a free presentation on this important artistic movement and the artists working both locally and nationally during the 1950’s and 1960’s. Dr. Rousseau received her Ph.D. in Art History from Columbia University. She currently is a professor of Art History and Montgomery College. She has written extensively on Italian Renaissance art and Modern Art. Rousseau often curates and juries exhibits. She juried for The Target Gallery in April 2013 and was a solo juror for The Art League in October 2012.
Sunday, January 5 is the last chance to see the amazing works created by the Injured Military Personal from Ft. Belvoir in our IMPART Ceramics Exhibit. Join us for the closing reception from 2:00-4:00 pm in the Gallery!
It’s going to be a big year for The Art League — 2014 marks the 60th anniversary of our founding in 1954. Those first exhibits took place in furniture stores and on sidewalks, but today, we have a permanent home in the Torpedo Factory and a host of staff and volunteers committed to creating the best exhibition opportunities we can.
To celebrate the 60th, a series of group shows in 2014 will revisit major art movements of the past six decades. Each exhibit has a theme, and we’ll be working our way from the fifties through to the present day over the course of the year. Artists are encouraged to reflect on these periods of art history in their submissions. Works not specifically fitting the theme will be considered by jurors, but will not be eligible for awards.
Here’s what visitors and artists have to look forward to this year. (Please note that dates later in the year may change — check our website for any updates.)
Red Spot, tapestry, by Art League instructor Tea Okropiridze
Abstract Expressionism Revisited (January 8–February 3): the first in the 60th anniversary series. Juror: Anne Marchand. Reception: Thursday, January 9.
Solo Preview 2014 (January 9–23): See works from each of the nine solo artists in 2014.
Patrons’ Show (February 5–16): This year’s drawing is Sunday, February 16. Tickets go on sale (online only) January 18.
Student/Faculty Show (February 19–March 2): Students and instructors from The Art League School share the artwork they’ve made in all media. Reception: March 2.
ColorField (March 12–April 7): Revisiting the Washington Color School. Juror: Timothy App, professor of art at MICA. Reception: Thursday, March 13.
15th Biennial Ikebana Show (March 6–9): A special collaboration with the Washington, DC branch of The Sogetsu School of Ikebana. This exhibit couples the art of Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) with art and vessels by Art League artists. Reception: March 6.
Eric McCollum, “The Cocoon Series” (March 13–April 9): Black-and-white photographs exploring the human form.
Pop Art (April 9–May 5): Continuing the 60th anniversary series. Juror: Robin Nicholson, VMFA Deputy Director. Reception: Thursday, April 10.
Natalie Shudt, “Sway” (April 10–May 5): Flowing botanical forms made from silk, steel, and wood grow out of the floor and wall.
The Feminist Movement in Art (May 7–June 2): Paying tribute to the female artists of the 1970s. Juror: Amanda Jiron-Murphy, Gallery Director at the Hamiltonian. Reception: Thursday, May 8.
May All-Media Exhibit (May 7–June 2): A juried exhibit of artwork by Art League members. Juror: Mira Hecht.
Courtney Hengerer, “Playground” (May 8–June 2): Abstract acrylics on wood panel.
Neo-Expressionism (June 4–July 7): Continuing the 60th anniversary series. Juror: TBA. Reception: Thursday, June 12.
Tabletop (June 4–July 7): An international ceramics exhibit juried by Tony Clennell. Online entry only — deadline May 2, 2014 at 6:00 pm. Reception: Thursday, June 5.
Susan O’Neill, “Figural” (June 5–July 7): Figure drawings on paper.
July All-Media Exhibit (July 9–August 4): A juried exhibit of artwork in all media. Juror: TBA. Reception: Thursday, July 10.
David Alfuth, “The Adventure” (July 10–August 4): 3-D paper collages in black and white.
Taking Form (August 6–September 1): A showcase of work by Art League sculptors and 3-D artists. Juror: TBA. Online entry only — deadline July 18, 2014 at 6:00 pm.
Influences and Inspirations: Past and Present Art League Faculty (August 7–September 21): This exhibit will be held at the Athenaeum (201 Prince St, Alexandria, VA).
Contemporary Realism (September 3–October 6): Realistic work from Art League members. Juror: Dorothy Moss, Smithsonian American Museum. Reception: Thursday, September 11.
Web Bryant, “Washington From Light to Night” (September 4–October 6): Oil paintings of the Washington area under the changing sky.
Art NOW (October 8–November 3): Concluding our 60th anniversary series, artists present work made since October 2013. Juror: TBA. Reception: Thursday, October 9.
Leslie Nolan, “Dissed” (October 9–November 3): Bold, personal portraits in acrylic.
“Small Works” & “Large Works” (November 5–December 1): Work is restricted in size, but not subject matter. Juror: TBA. Reception: Thursday, November 13.
Michelle Rogers, “Revisiting the Past” (November 6–December 1): The photographer presents triptychs of two original silver gelatin prints juxtaposed with a postcard.
December All-Media Exhibit (December 3, 2014–January 4, 2015): A juried exhibit of works in all media by Art League member artists. Juror: TBA. Reception: Thursday, December 11.
Whitney Staiger, “Profiles” (December 4, 2014–January 6, 2015): Modern cameos in brass, copper, and sterling silver explore our online and offline personas.
