by Danni Dawson Carla Hall Paper Doll, oil on canvas and mylar, by Danni Dawson.
Long ago, Carla Hall — chef, Top Chef finalist and co-host of The Chew — was an Art League model. The teacher in those classes, Danni Dawson, recently got a chance to paint Hall one more time, and took the opportunity to create a different kind of portrait.
It was for an exhibit titled “Women Chefs: Artists in the Kitchen,” which you can read about in the Washington Post. Chefs and artists were paired up for portraits. Dawson’s “paper doll” portrait of Hall, now part of the Student/Faculty Show through February 28, combines different looks by using detachable, magnetic mylar sheets. Visitors can attach different fragments of the painting to see Hall in different outfits, put her hair up or down — or change a chicken from mid-strut to freshly roasted.
Here’s what artist Danni Dawson had to say about this portrait:
“I have painted a lot of portraits through the years with some very special clients: Sandra Day O’Connor, Frank Saul, and Nigel Morris, to name a few. Carla and I have known each other for years; she posed for my classes at The Art League School in Alexandria years ago. We decided to do a paper doll after Carla had seen one I did of my neighbor.
Carla came and posed for pictures that I took with me to Italy, and I painted most of the painting at my studio there. This portrait has been a lot of fun. It is great to be able to let go and think of different things like a change of clothes, a mobile still-life. Changing the painting each day. This is the first time I have felt as free as when I am sculpting.
Carla and I lost contact for a few years. I was watching her on TV and I didn’t want to bother her. Then I called her and we started a new project. This has been special for both of us, as Carla renews her roots in the art world and I renew mine in cooking. I make my own pasta from nettles, tomatoes, mint, etc. I pick up sauces from friends in Italy and here.
Painting portraits is special because one meets so many people from different walks of life, and then you have to try to find them in a painting or sculpture, so that the painting doesn’t just look like them but has the feeling of them.”
Carla Hall Paper Doll by Danni Dawson in two different configurations.
Help us spread the word about The Art League! The Washington City Paper Best of Poll is going on now, and The Art League is up for Best Art Class, Best Art Gallery, Best Arts and Culture Non-Profit, and Best Arts Blog.
This curious, versatile little tool looks like a paintbrush, except on the brush end is a flexible silicone tip.
So what can a color shaper (AKA colour shaper, clay shaper, and paint shaper) do?
Watercolor: use the color shaper to apply masking fluid. After it dries, it peels easily off the tip instead of ruining one of your brushes!
Pastel: use it to create fine lines or to blend.
Oil and Acrylic: use it to remove paint, whether to undo a mistake or to sign your name (as seen at the end of this video). You can also experiment with using it to push and pull paint or create textures in thick paint.
Ceramics and Sculpture: use it to shape and smooth small areas of clay. Can also be used to apply wax resist or remove portions of glaze and slip. The Kemper Wipe-Out tool, marketed to ceramic artists, is double-ended and used by painters as well.
More: cake decorators use them as well, apparently! What else have you used a color shaper for? Let us know in the comments!
The Art League Store carries Colour Shapers by Royal Sovereign Ltd. in two shapes: the angle chisel (seen below and above) and a cup chisel. The colors represent the bend of the silicone tip: gray is firmer, white is softer. Prices range from $8.41 for size #2 to $15.88 for #10, and the Wipe-Out Tool mentioned above is $5.69.
Deadline: March 22. (Free to enter; no prizes or sales.) Share with NASA — and with the universe — a creative work that will ride aboard the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on its journey to the asteroid Bennu.
Insect art
Deadline: March 23. For Swarm: Invasion of the Insects at the Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center in Solomons, Maryland, artists are invited to submit works inspired by insects — creatures that represent 90% of animal life on Earth.
2-D art: Flora or Fauna
Deadline: March 31. Still life with roses, fields of hay, owls in a tree and humans being human— these are just a few from thousands of possibilities for artistic exploration in the Maryland Federation of Art’s themed Flora and Fauna exhibition. Any original fine art 2-D artwork depicting the broad range of animal and plant life are the possibilities for juror consideration. Entries are open to all artists residing in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico.
Sittable art
Deadline: April 1. Each year, the Old Takoma Business Association commissions artists to create imaginative outdoor sculptural seats made from a portion of recycled materials for the reCYCLE Public Art Project. Artists are paid $100-$500 per seat depending on complexity.
Touchable art
Deadline: April 11. Please Touch, an all-media exhibition at Target Gallery in the Torpedo Factory, invites national and international artists to submit interactive works. Visitors will be encouraged to touch and engage with the artwork, so all work must be safe to touch. The juror is Virginia-based artist and curator, Cynthia Connolly.
Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!
National exhibition
Deadline: February 23. The Academy Center of the Arts (Lynchburg, VA) Annual National Juried Art Exhibition is open to U.S. residents, 18 years or older, working in the following disciplines; painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, fiber, glass, ceramics, wood, metal and mixed media. No photography accepted.
Photography exhibit
Deadline: February 24. The Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, CO has issued a call for artists for Night, juried by Sean Corcoran.
Military personnel
Deadline: February 27. “The Art of Freedom: Peace, War, and Everything in Between” will showcase artwork by veterans and the military community using the creative process to promote healing, and provide insight into artistic expression as a tool for understanding the transition from military to civilian life.
I Eat Therefore I Am
Deadline: February 29. “I Eat Therefore I Am” will be at Sipma Contemporary in Trenton, NJ. Artists are invited to express their take on food, body image, need, nourishment, obsession, and compulsion, anything that pertains to the human condition in question.
Photography competition
Deadline: February 29. The Allegany Arts Council is pleased to announce the call for entries into the Allegany National Photography Competition and Exhibition, to be held at the Saville and Schwab Galleries in downtown Cumberland, Maryland through the entire month of April 2016.
Brooklyn residency
Deadline: February 29. Wayfarers in Brooklyn, NY is now accepting applications for their Summer Artist in Residency Program. The program awards one artist the opportunity to develop a body of work in the supportive environment of Wayfarers, where ten other working artists have studios.
Hamiltonian Artists Fellowship
Deadline: March 1. The 9th annual open call for the Hamiltonian Artists Fellowship is now open. Advancing the professional development of emerging visual artists, the two-year program serves as a steppingstone for the next generation of contemporary artists in Washington, DC.
Public art
Deadline: March 4. The Howard County Arts Council is seeking up to 12 artists to participate in itsFifth Annual Juried Public Art Competition for a temporary outdoor exhibit from August 2016-July 2017. HCAC’s goal is to make art more accessible to the entire community by placing sculpture at sites throughout Howard County.
Solo shows
Deadline: March 7. Arlington Arts Center is accepting submissions for their 2016–17 Solo Exhibitions. Artists who produce cutting-edge contemporary art in any and all media, and who live or work in Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware, or Pennsylvania may submit exhibition proposals.
Regional juried exhibit
Deadline: March 11. The South-Atlantic Juried Exhibition is open to all professional artists who reside in Maryland, West Virginia, Washington, D.C., Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Artists are invited to submit up to three works completed within the last two years and not previously shown at The Montpelier Center for Arts and Education. All artwork must be for sale.
BlackRock Center for the Arts
Deadline extended: March 14. BlackRock Center for the Arts (Germantown, MD) is currently accepting proposals for solo and group exhibitions to be presented from January 2017 through December 2017. Visual artists, independent curators, and coordinators of artist collectives and arts organizations who live or work in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, DC, or West Virginia are encouraged to submit Exhibition Proposals.
Road Trip
Deadline: March 15. Gallery Underground announces “Road Trip,” a national juried art competition. All-media artists, sculptors, and photographers are invited to create visual works that portray the subject of a road trip – literally, figuratively, and metaphorically.
Delaplaine juried exhibit
Deadline: March 15. The Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center in Frederick, MD, announces a call for entry. All media are eligible. Artwork for exhibition must have been completed in last 2 years and not previously exhibited at the Delaplaine. More about the 2016 National Juried Exhibit →
Virginia artists
Deadline: March 16 (early bird February 16). Art Speaks on the Bay is held in Mathews, VA and is open to all Virginia artists age 18 and up.
City of Fairfax
Deadline: March 17. The City of Fairfax has two events for artists later this year: the Fall Festivaland the Holiday Craft Show.
Surreal photography
Deadline: March 19. Artists are invited to submit original, two-dimensional photographic images for Surrealism at Del Ray Artisans.
StoriesToArt
Deadline: March 31. StoriesToArt empowers art lovers to select exclusive pieces of art or commission art, music or poetry inspired by their own – or a loved one’s – stories and memories.
Philadelphia craft show
Deadline: April 1. The 40th Annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, a juried exhibition and retail sale, will be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from November 10 to 13, 2016, with a Preview Party on November 9. The jury will accept 195 craft artists.
Alper Initiative
Deadline: none. The Alper Initiative for Washington Art accepts general exhibition submissions from Washington area artists and curators of all ages, medium, and backgrounds.
Exhibit proposals: Richmond
Deadline: ongoing. Artspace in Richmond, VA has an exhibition season running from January to December. The Exhibition Committee reviews proposals throughout the year. Proposals may be submitted at any time. Proposers will be notified whether they have been placed on the exhibition calendar for the coming year.
Among the hundreds of pieces currently hanging in the Gallery for the Student/Faculty Show, you’ll notice 20 have gold stickers and five have stickers and ribbons.
As you might guess, those mark the pieces recognized with awards by this year’s judge: Mira Hecht, a DC-based artist who teaches painting at The Corcoran College of Art and Design. Congratulations to the artists! Here are all the winners:
Constance Pena’s Portrait Study won the John Foreman “Keeping the Life in Life Drawing” Student Award.Radishes by Kaye Jones was the winner of the Potomac Valley Watercolorist Award.I’m Torn by Joanne Mazarella won the Jennie Lea Knight Creativity Award.Box by Irene Gomberg won the Dennis Davis Award for ceramics.River Farm by Donald Rogich won the Landscape Award.
These are the 20 artists recognized with Equal Merit Awards:
Marian Bruno, Spark, cricula cocoons & merino wool
Dennis Crayon, Blue Magdalene, oil
Barry Dunn, Urban Wall, photography
Berit Jarama Estabrook, Evening Call, acrylic
Christian Arthur Fisher, Untitled, acrylic
Wayne Frost, Confluence, silk screen
Margaret Gamboa, Pearl Before Swine, sterling silver & pearl
Diane Kresh, Stories, mixed media
Monica Kruszka, Dreamscape #1, mixed media
Meredith Ledford, Untitled, acrylic & charcoal
Margaret Lindsey, The 5th Avenue Gig, oil
Deborah Mahnken, Scottish Moors, pastel
Barry Marlin, Sheba, ceramic
Molly F. McCracken, Storm, acrylic
Russell Mikel, Standing Whip, steel
Jeanette Monachello, Tree of Life, plasma cut sheet
Samantha Shelton, Fawns Dale, etching
Steven Spayd, Pulcinella Aeternam, acrylic & mixed media
Kathy Sullivan, Red-Tailed Hawk, watercolor
David Wagner, Samson at the Park, pastel
For the complete program, see the exhibit page. To meet many of these artists, come to the closing reception this Sunday, February 28, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm!
Double Dreams (detail) by Besrat Kebide, a student in Kathlyn Avila-Reyes’ ceramics class.
With thousands of students in our classrooms every year, it’s no easy feat to share with you what they do. But one of the best ways to see for yourself is happening right now!
We call it the Student/Faculty Show. Every year around this time, the students and instructors of The Art League School exhibit their handiwork in our gallery. You can see it through Sunday, February 28!
While you’re here, you can see our Young Artists Student Show on the second floor of the Torpedo Factory for examples of projects from our children’s and teen classes.
Student artwork
If this exhibit has you feeling inspired to grab a paintbrush, pencil, chisel, blowtorch, or camera, head on over to our class catalog. When you visit the exhibit in person, each student piece is labeled with the class it was made in.
Student artworkNight Nest, steel, by Mai Pham, a student in Metal Sculpture with Donna ReinselPaintings and prints by Art League studentsThe Student ShowStories, mixed media, by Diane Kresh, a student in Collage with Rosemary Luckett.The Orchard Guardian, ceramic and cement, by Yvette Jacob, a student in Carlos Beltran Baldiviezo’s ceramics class.Artwork by Art League instructors Delna Dastur, Marsha Staiger, Nancy McIntyre.Fish Lips by ceramics instructor Kathlyn Avila-ReyesInstructor artworkSculptures and ceramics by Art League studentsThree-dimensional work by students in sculpture and fiber classes.
If you’re new to painting, choosing the right tools can be pretty overwhelming. Just like with colors, there’s a huge variety of paintbrushes to choose from.
So here — in broad strokes — is The Art League guide to paintbrushes. See below the graphic for more resources!
Other tips
The quality of hair and the manufacture process make a big difference in how a brush holds and distributes paint, and how it retains its shape and spring.
Try starting with just a few brushes, then invest in different sizes, shapes, and styles as you learn what you need.
Always feel free to ask at The Art League Store if you need help selecting the right brush for the job. Our supply store is staffed by working artists.
It’s hard to decide what part of the Patrons’ Show Fundraiser is most beautiful. Is it the artwork itself? The community coming together for a night devoted to art? The artists and volunteers whose generosity makes it possible?
For these artists, the most beautiful part might be the awards they received. These awards are determined by this year’s judge, Dorothy Moss (Assistant Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the National Portrait Gallery) and the votes and picks of the ticketholders:
Clemente Best in Show for Contemporary Realism: Wendy Donahoe
Clemente Faculty Award: Marsha Staiger
Clemente Collector’s Award: Cynthia Richmond
Torpedo Factory Artist Award: Carol Levin
Geri Gordon First Choice Artist Award: Nancy Fortwengler
Van Landingham Awards: Kay Springwater & BJ Anderson
Congratulations, and thank you to all the artists who make the Patrons’ Show Fundraiser possible!
Deadline: February 27. “The Art of Freedom: Peace, War, and Everything in Between” will showcase artwork by veterans and the military community using the creative process to promote healing, and provide insight into artistic expression as a tool for understanding the transition from military to civilian life.
Public art
Deadline: March 4. The Howard County Arts Council is seeking up to 12 artists to participate in its Fifth Annual Juried Public Art Competition for a temporary outdoor exhibit from August 2016-July 2017. HCAC’s goal is to make art more accessible to the entire community by placing sculpture at sites throughout Howard County.
Regional juried exhibit
Deadline: March 11. The South-Atlantic Juried Exhibition is open to all professional artists who reside in Maryland, West Virginia, Washington, D.C., Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Artists are invited to submit up to three works completed within the last two years and not previously shown at The Montpelier Center for Arts and Education. All artwork must be for sale.
BlackRock Center for the Arts
Deadline extended: March 14. BlackRock Center for the Arts (Germantown, MD) is currently accepting proposals for solo and group exhibitions to be presented from January 2017 through December 2017. Visual artists, independent curators, and coordinators of artist collectives and arts organizations who live or work in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, DC, or West Virginia are encouraged to submit Exhibition Proposals.
StoriesToArt
Deadline: March 31. StoriesToArt empowers art lovers to select exclusive pieces of art or commission art, music or poetry inspired by their own – or a loved one’s – stories and memories.
UGallery
Deadline: Ongoing. UGallery offers emerging and established artists professional gallery representation online, working solely on commission. There is a one-time $5 application fee.
Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!
Food art
Deadline: February 16. This March, Capitol Hill Art League hosts its annual DC-metro area Open Call juried art exhibit based on the theme Appetite for Art. 2-D and 3-D work will be accepted.
Del Ray Artisans
Deadline: February 20. March Melee – An Art Bash at Del Ray Artisans is an opportunity to submit your best and brashest art — big or small.
Deadline: March 19. Artists are invited to submit original, two-dimensional photographic images for Surrealism at Del Ray Artisans.
Painting award
Deadline: February 19. The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District invites eligible artists to enter the Bethesda Painting Awards. Artists must be 18 years of age or older and permanent, full-time residents of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, DC.
National exhibition
Deadline: February 23. The Academy Center of the Arts (Lynchburg, VA) Annual National Juried Art Exhibition is open to U.S. residents, 18 years or older, working in the following disciplines; painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, fiber, glass, ceramics, wood, metal and mixed media. No photography accepted.
Photography exhibit
Deadline: February 24. The Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, CO has issued a call for artists for Night, juried by Sean Corcoran.
I Eat Therefore I Am
Deadline: February 29. “I Eat Therefore I Am” will be at Sipma Contemporary in Trenton, NJ. Artists are invited to express their take on food, body image, need, nourishment, obsession, and compulsion, anything that pertains to the human condition in question.
Photography competition
Deadline: February 29. The Allegany Arts Council is pleased to announce the call for entries into the Allegany National Photography Competition and Exhibition, to be held at the Saville and Schwab Galleries in downtown Cumberland, Maryland through the entire month of April 2016.
Brooklyn residency
Deadline: February 29. Wayfarers in Brooklyn, NY is now accepting applications for their Summer Artist in Residency Program. The program awards one artist the opportunity to develop a body of work in the supportive environment of Wayfarers, where ten other working artists have studios.
Hamiltonian Artists Fellowship
Deadline: March 1. The 9th annual open call for the Hamiltonian Artists Fellowship is now open. Advancing the professional development of emerging visual artists, the two-year program serves as a steppingstone for the next generation of contemporary artists in Washington, DC.
Solo shows
Deadline: March 7. Arlington Arts Center is accepting submissions for their 2016–17 Solo Exhibitions. Artists who produce cutting-edge contemporary art in any and all media, and who live or work in Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware, or Pennsylvania may submit exhibition proposals.
Road Trip
Deadline: March 15. Gallery Underground announces “Road Trip,” a national juried art competition. All-media artists, sculptors, and photographers are invited to create visual works that portray the subject of a road trip – literally, figuratively, and metaphorically.
Delaplaine juried exhibit
Deadline: March 15. The Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center in Frederick, MD, announces a call for entry. All media are eligible. Artwork for exhibition must have been completed in last 2 years and not previously exhibited at the Delaplaine. More about the 2016 National Juried Exhibit →
Virginia artists
Deadline: March 16 (early bird February 16). Art Speaks on the Bay is held in Mathews, VA and is open to all Virginia artists age 18 and up.
City of Fairfax
Deadline: March 17. The City of Fairfax has two events for artists later this year: the Fall Festivaland the Holiday Craft Show.
Philadelphia craft show
Deadline: April 1. The 40th Annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, a juried exhibition and retail sale, will be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from November 10 to 13, 2016, with a Preview Party on November 9. The jury will accept 195 craft artists.
Alper Initiative
Deadline: none. The Alper Initiative for Washington Art accepts general exhibition submissions from Washington area artists and curators of all ages, medium, and backgrounds.
Exhibit proposals: Richmond
Deadline: ongoing. Artspace in Richmond, VA has an exhibition season running from January to December. The Exhibition Committee reviews proposals throughout the year. Proposals may be submitted at any time. Proposers will be notified whether they have been placed on the exhibition calendar for the coming year.
The iOS app Art Thief started as a personal challenge and became a serious project. Now, hundreds of people are using it to prepare for this year’s Patrons’ Show Fundraiser. We asked its creator, Steve Roberson, to write this guest blog post.
To understand why someone would write an app, like Art Thief, that would be used by a few hundred people only once a year, you have to understand a bit about the Patrons’ Show.
There really are a whole host of reasons to love the Patrons’ Show. My wife and I go with a group of friends who bring wine and tasty snacks, so there’s a fun social component. There is a great range of art, and the lottery dimension adds excitement.
It is also incredibly interesting to observe how varied peoples’ tastes are. It can be so surprising to watch some pieces go early on that you have no interest in whatsoever, and an equally pleasant surprise to be called near the end of the event and still be able to get something you like. We were once called within the last 20 names and still managed to get a piece from one of the hundred or so we had on our list.
But it’s not always easy. We enjoy reviewing the art and making a list of pieces we like, but the actual drawing can be nerve-wracking. It was particularly painful our first year. We understood the process, but completely underestimated how fast it went. We tried to scramble through the many pieces of paper we had and mark off the artwork that had been taken by others. So stressful!
The following year we adopted a system that had been created by friends. It worked well, but it was still paper-based, and that bugged me.
You see, I’m a web developer, and the group I go to the Patrons’ Show with has programmers and other IT professionals in it. Managing your list of artwork at the Patrons’ Show felt like an information technology problem to us. But unlike the web applications I typically work on, this would have to be something that worked standalone. Access to the Internet during the night of the drawing is unreliable, at best. A phone or tablet app was a natural platform.
In the past I explored iOS, the operating system that runs iPhones and iPads, but I hadn’t done any programming for iOS beyond tutorials and experimentation. But now I had this idea for a project. Something where I understood the need. Something that I could sink my teeth into.
I decided that I’d try to build a bare bones app, with the minimum feature set to be useful at the drawing. Just good enough where I could prove to myself that it could be a reasonable solution to the problem.
This initial, one-screen version of Art Thief was built over the 2014 holidays so that a few in my group could try it out at the 2015 Patron’s Show. It worked pretty well. Not only did it use very little battery power on our devices, it was easy to keep up at the drawing. Plus, it was a great learning experience. Using it at the 2015 show let us know what worked, what didn’t, and of course, filled us with ideas of what features would be great to have just in case I felt overly ambitious. After the 2015 show, Art Thief became a full blown hobby.
Code was written and rewritten as key features were added. In the Spring of 2015, I reached out to Whitney Staiger and Suzanne Bethel of The Art League. In all honestly, I was a little nervous. Would they like it? Would they be put off by the name, Art Thief? I didn’t know.
Whitney and Suzanne were great. Their enthusiasm, insights and suggestions provided a great perspective. In fact, everyone I’ve interacted with at The Art League has been warm and generous. It’s really a wonderful community.
Art Thief was further revised and the app was submitted to Apple for review in the Fall and approved for the App Store a week later. My goal was for 100 people to use the app. After all, there are only 700 or so tickets sold, and if you’ve come in previous years, it’s likely that you already have some sort of system in place.
I’m pleased to say that as of this writing there have been over 350 downloads. And I’m more pleased to be contributing back to an event and community I enjoy and respect.
The Patrons’ Show Fundraiser is this Sunday, February 14! It all starts at 4:00 pm, though you can take your seat as early at 3:00 pm. Here’s everything you need to know:
How to Join In
There are still some tickets left at the time of this blog post!
Even if you can’t come on Sunday, you can join the fun with the First Choice Raffle Ticket, on sale in the Gallery. See below for details!
Making Your List
Because 600+ pieces is a lot to keep track of, we’ve posted a number of tools to help you make your lists. For the most up-to-date versions of these downloads, visit our Patrons’ Show Fundraiser homepage.
Who gets the very first pick on Sunday? The winner of the First Choice Raffle! Buy one raffle ticket for $15 or two for $25 and you could win that piece you’ve been eyeing …
Tickets are available for sale in the Gallery right up until the drawing on Sunday. You don’t need to have a Patrons’ Show ticket to purchase a raffle ticket.
Cast Your Vote
Stop by the Gallery desk to pick up a ballot and vote for your favorite piece in the Patrons’ Show. The artist whose piece wins the popular vote takes home $100!
Gallery Hours This Weekend
Thursday: 10:00 am–9:00 pm
Friday: 10:00 am–6:00 pm
Saturday: 10:00 am–6:00 pm
Sunday: 10:00 am–4:00 pm
Valentine’s Weekend in Old Town
SOUPer Saturday: Saturday, February 13
Torpedo Factory Art Center, 9:00 am–12:00 noon
For $20 this SOUPer Saturday, purchase an handmade ceramic bowl and receive a cup of clam chowder donated by our neighbor, the Chart House. All bowls have been generously created and donated by Torpedo Factory artists, and proceeds benefit United Community Ministries, a Route 1 corridor social-service agency serving Alexandria and Fairfax.
Scope Gallery Raffle Torpedo Factory Art Center, Studio 19
Scope Gallery and the Kiln Club are raffling off a handmade raku vase, and all Patrons’ Show ticketholders can receive one free ticket by coming to the gallery. See Scope Gallery for details.
Remember:
Bring your ticket (you need it to check out with your artwork and it notes your seating area)
The drawing starts promptly at 4:00 pm. We recommend arriving around 3:00 pm. This is when the chairs will begin to be distributed.
Please be respectful of the limited space and be kind to your neighbors. After all, it is Valentine’s Day!
Deadline: February 12. Pyramid Atlantic Art Center (Silver Spring, MD) is currently seeking proposals from artists & curators for their first Annual Pop-Up Exhibition for the month of March 2016.
Photography competition
Deadline: February 29. The Allegany Arts Council is pleased to announce the call for entries into the Allegany National Photography Competition and Exhibition, to be held at the Saville and Schwab Galleries in downtown Cumberland, Maryland through the entire month of April 2016.
Brooklyn residency
Deadline: February 29. Wayfarers in Brooklyn, NY is now accepting applications for their Summer Artist in Residency Program. The program awards one artist the opportunity to develop a body of work in the supportive environment of Wayfarers, where ten other working artists have studios.
Solo shows
Deadline: March 7. Arlington Arts Center is accepting submissions for their 2016–17 Solo Exhibitions. Artists who produce cutting-edge contemporary art in any and all media, and who live or work in Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware, or Pennsylvania may submit exhibition proposals.
Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!
Plein air competition
Deadline: February 14. The 8th Annual Mountain Maryland Plein Air event, June 11, is a juried exhibition and art competition organized by the Allegany Arts Council. Artists have two hours to paint and compete for cash prizes.
March150
Entry: Through February 15 (panels may run out earlier). Target Gallery (in the Torpedo Factory) is raising money for special exhibitions and programming with the 6th Annual Exhibition Fundraiser, March150! The exhibition includes 200+ pieces of original artwork on 10″ square panels created by local and regional artists.
Emulsion 2016
Deadline: February 15. The third annual Emulsion juried show at East City Art is open to all 18 and over within 50 miles of East City Art in SE DC.
Wearable art
Deadline: February 15. For “Any Portmanteau in a Storm” (Norfolk, VA), artists are invited to submit any wearable art created using unusual techniques or processes.
Food art
Deadline: February 16. This March, Capitol Hill Art League hosts its annual DC-metro area Open Call juried art exhibit based on the theme Appetite for Art. 2-D and 3-D work will be accepted.
Del Ray Artisans
Deadline: February 20. March Melee – An Art Bash at Del Ray Artisans is an opportunity to submit your best and brashest art — big or small.
Deadline: March 19. Artists are invited to submit original, two-dimensional photographic images for Surrealism at Del Ray Artisans.
Painting award
Deadline: February 19. The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District invites eligible artists to enter the Bethesda Painting Awards. Artists must be 18 years of age or older and permanent, full-time residents of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, DC.
National exhibition
Deadline: February 23. The Academy Center of the Arts (Lynchburg, VA) Annual National Juried Art Exhibition is open to U.S. residents, 18 years or older, working in the following disciplines; painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, fiber, glass, ceramics, wood, metal and mixed media. No photography accepted.
Photography exhibit
Deadline: February 24. The Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, CO has issued a call for artists for Night, juried by Sean Corcoran.
I Eat Therefore I Am
Deadline: February 29. “I Eat Therefore I Am” will be at Sipma Contemporary in Trenton, NJ. Artists are invited to express their take on food, body image, need, nourishment, obsession, and compulsion, anything that pertains to the human condition in question.
Hamiltonian Artists Fellowship
Deadline: March 1. The 9th annual open call for the Hamiltonian Artists Fellowship is now open. Advancing the professional development of emerging visual artists, the two-year program serves as a steppingstone for the next generation of contemporary artists in Washington, DC.
Road Trip
Deadline: March 15. Gallery Underground announces “Road Trip,” a national juried art competition. All-media artists, sculptors, and photographers are invited to create visual works that portray the subject of a road trip – literally, figuratively, and metaphorically.
Delaplaine juried exhibit
Deadline: March 15. The Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center in Frederick, MD, announces a call for entry. All media are eligible. Artwork for exhibition must have been completed in last 2 years and not previously exhibited at the Delaplaine. More about the 2016 National Juried Exhibit →
Virginia artists
Deadline: March 16 (early bird February 16). Art Speaks on the Bay is held in Mathews, VA and is open to all Virginia artists age 18 and up.
City of Fairfax
Deadline: March 17. The City of Fairfax has two events for artists later this year: the Fall Festivaland the Holiday Craft Show.
Philadelphia craft show
Deadline: April 1. The 40th Annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, a juried exhibition and retail sale, will be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from November 10 to 13, 2016, with a Preview Party on November 9. The jury will accept 195 craft artists.
Alper Initiative
Deadline: none. The Alper Initiative for Washington Art accepts general exhibition submissions from Washington area artists and curators of all ages, medium, and backgrounds.
Exhibit proposals: Richmond
Deadline: ongoing. Artspace in Richmond, VA has an exhibition season running from January to December. The Exhibition Committee reviews proposals throughout the year. Proposals may be submitted at any time. Proposers will be notified whether they have been placed on the exhibition calendar for the coming year.
Who gets to choose first this Sunday at the Patrons’ Show?
The winner of the First Choice Raffle!
Buy one raffle ticket for $15 or two for $25 and you could win that piece you’ve been eyeing …
Tickets are for sale in the Gallery right up until the drawing on Sunday. You don’t need to have a Patrons’ Show ticket to purchase a raffle ticket (but you do have to have a Patrons’ Show ticket to attend the event).
To purchase your raffle ticket, come to the Gallery (studio 21 in the Torpedo Factory) from 10:00 am–6:00 pm Friday or Saturday, or 10:00 am–4:00 pm Sunday.
Monday, February 8 marks the official start of Looking Forward to Spring — it’s when registration starts for our Spring term of art classes. Take our quiz to find out what class is for you, and then register online!
But wait — there’s more! Monday is also the start of registration for Summer Art Camp for kids five and up.
Spring classes start the week of April 4 or later, and Art Camp runs weekly from June 20 to August 19. As always, if you have any questions or need help picking the class that’s right for you (or your child), give us a call at 703-683-2323.
Art Thief: Get a STEAL at The Art League’s Patrons’ Show
We’re THRILLED to have an amazing app for the 2016 Patrons’ Show Fundraiser. Steve Roberson of Zurka Interactive conceived the idea for Art Thief after participating in the Patrons’ Show as a ticket-holder. He took it upon himself to build and design a wonderfully user-friendly tool for iPhone and iPad to rate, sort, and keep track of all of the artwork before and during the drawing.
Deadline: February 19. The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District invites eligible artists to enter the Bethesda Painting Awards. Artists must be 18 years of age or older and permanent, full-time residents of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, DC.
National exhibition
Deadline: February 23. The Academy Center of the Arts (Lynchburg, VA) Annual National Juried Art Exhibition is open to U.S. residents, 18 years or older, working in the following disciplines; painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, fiber, glass, ceramics, wood, metal and mixed media. No photography accepted.
City of Fairfax
Deadline: March 17. The City of Fairfax has two events for artists later this year: the Fall Festival and the Holiday Craft Show.
Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!
Fiber arts
Deadline: February 8. Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center in Dowell, MD invites artists to submit works that reflect the best of contemporary fiber and textile art for Threads: A Sampling of Fiber Art.
Plein air competition
Deadline: February 14. The 8th Annual Mountain Maryland Plein Air event, June 11, is a juried exhibition and art competition organized by the Allegany Arts Council. Artists have two hours to paint and compete for cash prizes.
March150
Entry: Through February 15 (panels may run out earlier). Target Gallery (in the Torpedo Factory) is raising money for special exhibitions and programming with the 6th Annual Exhibition Fundraiser, March150! The exhibition includes 200+ pieces of original artwork on 10″ square panels created by local and regional artists.
Emulsion 2016
Deadline: February 15. The third annual Emulsion juried show at East City Art is open to all 18 and over within 50 miles of East City Art in SE DC.
Wearable art
Deadline: February 15. For “Any Portmanteau in a Storm” (Norfolk, VA), artists are invited to submit any wearable art created using unusual techniques or processes.
Food art
Deadline: February 16. This March, Capitol Hill Art League hosts its annual DC-metro area Open Call juried art exhibit based on the theme Appetite for Art. 2-D and 3-D work will be accepted.
Del Ray Artisans
Deadline: February 20. March Melee – An Art Bash at Del Ray Artisans is an opportunity to submit your best and brashest art — big or small.
Deadline: March 19. Artists are invited to submit original, two-dimensional photographic images for Surrealism at Del Ray Artisans.
Photography exhibit
Deadline: February 24. The Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, CO has issued a call for artists for Night, juried by Sean Corcoran.
I Eat Therefore I Am
Deadline: February 29. “I Eat Therefore I Am” will be at Sipma Contemporary in Trenton, NJ. Artists are invited to express their take on food, body image, need, nourishment, obsession, and compulsion, anything that pertains to the human condition in question.
Hamiltonian Artists Fellowship
Deadline: March 1. The 9th annual open call for the Hamiltonian Artists Fellowship is now open. Advancing the professional development of emerging visual artists, the two-year program serves as a steppingstone for the next generation of contemporary artists in Washington, DC.
Road Trip
Deadline: March 15. Gallery Underground announces “Road Trip,” a national juried art competition. All-media artists, sculptors, and photographers are invited to create visual works that portray the subject of a road trip – literally, figuratively, and metaphorically.
Delaplaine juried exhibit
Deadline: March 15. The Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center in Frederick, MD, announces a call for entry. All media are eligible. Artwork for exhibition must have been completed in last 2 years and not previously exhibited at the Delaplaine. More about the 2016 National Juried Exhibit →
Virginia artists
Deadline: March 16 (early bird February 16). Art Speaks on the Bay is held in Mathews, VA and is open to all Virginia artists age 18 and up.
Philadelphia craft show
Deadline: April 1. The 40th Annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, a juried exhibition and retail sale, will be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from November 10 to 13, 2016, with a Preview Party on November 9. The jury will accept 195 craft artists.
Alper Initiative
Deadline: none. The Alper Initiative for Washington Art accepts general exhibition submissions from Washington area artists and curators of all ages, medium, and backgrounds.
Exhibit proposals: Richmond
Deadline: ongoing. Artspace in Richmond, VA has an exhibition season running from January to December. The Exhibition Committee reviews proposals throughout the year. Proposals may be submitted at any time. Proposers will be notified whether they have been placed on the exhibition calendar for the coming year.
