Answer Web by Beverly Ryan, winner of the Cora J. Rupp Memorial Award for Large Works (click to view larger image)
Believe it or not, the painting above started with a photograph of a vine. The color, structure, and text were added layer by layer over a period of months before Answer Web was finished.
Artist and Art League instructor Beverly Ryan has been featured on this blog for her paintings, encaustics, and installations, and we encourage you to read our previous interview for some insight into her creative process and evolution as an artist. With her latest award for the “MiniMAX” exhibit, we asked her about working large and how this painting emerged on the canvas:
How did Answer Web come to be – what was the process?
Beverly Ryan: Answer Web was inspired by a previous painting, Memory Web, done in 2015. In both cases I referenced a photograph of a winter, leafless, entangled vine which I loosely drew with ink on the canvas. I then collaged canvas pieces onto the negative spaces between the drawn branches in some areas of the composition.
The web developed in the next layer. Painting in acrylic, I explored scale changes and color variations. Text was added in acrylic paint then camouflaged – “I Ching” readings provided the content.
It sounds like a logical plan but was not. The nuances make the painting, I think. Enriching color, varying the clarity of the text, creating dynamic line movement – the painting emerged intuitively, as I returned to it and changed it over a period of months.
Memory Web by Beverly Ryan
Where did the web motif come from and what keeps it coming back?
The web motif comes from my fascination with triangles used in manmade structures – steel trusses, tetrahedrons in geodesic domes, oil derricks, construction crane frameworks. I stumbled onto a way of creating a dynamic painted web structure while working on my painting Salamander Mandala and have continued to explore it in later works (The Bridge, Memory Web, Answer Web). In Memory Web there is a painted web as well as a textile web sewn to the canvas. This interest in metal structure inspired me to take an Art League metal sculpture class with Brian Kirk.
Answer Web (detail) by Beverly Ryan
This is the second year in a row you’ve won Best in Show for large works. What is different about painting large? What makes a large work successful?
Painting large excites me. It provides space for big moves, and requires a confident approach. There’s a sense of commitment in working large that appeals to me.
A large painting is successful, in my opinion, when it embodies a cohesive, compelling message. This message can be ambiguous but needs to hold the viewer’s attention. I look for energy, freshness, interesting use of materials, and a result that brings the viewer new discoveries each time the painting is seen. A large painting can surround you, can become a transforming experience.
Willing Suspension of Disbelief by Beverly Ryan
What can you tell us about your 2018 solo exhibit at The Art League?
The solo proposal addresses my interest in drones – photography / surveillance, weaponry, privacy issues, related map imagery, their characteristics as objects.
Curiosity about the subject was my starting point. The visual forms expressing my questions first appeared in paint but have since expanded into collage, soft sculpture, steel sculpture, printmaking, drawing, and machine embroidery. The exhibit will be an installation. The ideas are flowing. The final form is yet to be known, even to me.
Deadline: November 30. The Taubman Museum of Art (Roanoke, VA) is pleased to announce its first juried triennial Homeward Bound, a major exhibition presenting work in all media by artists living in Virginia.
Spectacular Skies
Deadline: January 4, 2017. For “Spectacular Skies” at Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center (Solomons, MD), artwork should seek to fill viewers with a sense of wonder and mystery. All media welcome; small to large-scale installations; new media encouraged; indoor and outdoor works accepted; cash awards to be presented.
Fine art photography
Deadline: January 9, 2017. ArtSpace Herndon invites photographers from Virginia, DC, Maryland, and West Virginia to participate in the 2017 ArtSpace Herndon Fine Art Photography Competition.
Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!
Matador Review
Deadline: November 30. The Matador Review, an online literature and art quarterly based in Chicago, publishes poetry, fiction, flash fiction, creative non-fiction, and visual art. Art submissions for the Winter 2017 issue are now being accepted.
Shelter
Deadline: December 1. For “Shelter: Creating a Safe Home,” Contemporary Craft (Pittsburgh, PA) is currently seeking artists whose work reflects an interest in topics related to home, shelter, homelessness and displacement.
Call for collaborative proposals
Deadline: December 1. Evolve at Current Studio (Oklahoma City, OK) encourages teams of artists to propose ideas of work they would make in collaboration. Open to any artists, regardless of geographic location.
Join Printmakers, Inc.
Deadline: December 1. Printmakers Inc at the Torpedo Factory Art Center invites printmakers to submit their portfolios for consideration as they jury for new members. Printmakers was established in 1975 as a workshop where professional printmakers would share facilities, materials and ideas with each other and the public.
Artist as Activist fellowship
Deadline: December 5. US-based artists and artist collectives are invited to apply to the Rauschenberg Foundation’s Artist as Activist fellowship. The 2017 fellowship’s theme is racial justice with a particular focus on mass incarceration.
The figure
Deadline: December 5. This is an open call for submissions from artists for an exhibition at Site:Brooklyn. The Figure: Interpreted Through Contemporary Mediums is an exhibition that reflects the ambitious, innovative and contemporary practices in painting, printmaking and mixed media today.
Migrations
Deadline: December 9. The Maryland Federation of Art seeks conventional and unconventional renderings of migrations that can make viewers see the changing world in a new light.
Animals
Deadline: December 11. For Gimme Shelter at Ciel Gallery (Charlotte, NC), artists are invited to show the souls of the animals they love, whether feathered or furred, realistic, whimsical, or imaginary. All US artists working in any medium are eligible to enter.
Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival
Deadline: December 11. The Greater Reston Arts Center invites artists to showcase their best contemporary art and craft in the 26th annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival, to be held in May 2017.
Emerging curators
Deadline: December 12. Applications for the 2017 VisArts Emerging Curator program are now open. VisArts (Rockville, MD) invites applications from emerging curators to work with an experienced mentoring curator to develop and present an exhibition.
Fellowship: Center for Emerging Visual Artists
Deadline: December 15. The 2017 CFEVA Visual Artist Fellowship application is now available. Emerging, mid-career, and established visual artists are encouraged to apply. The Visual Artist Fellowship is designed to help artists within 150 miles of Philadelphia reach new levels in their careers.
Habits
Deadline: December 16. Open to Art League exhibiting artist members only. For “Habits” at The Art League, artists are encouraged to examine habits, patterns, routines, and rituals – either in the context of their own lives, their own artwork, different cultures, or humanity as a whole. Juror: Rebecca Chaperon.
Vessels
Deadline: December 18. Capitol Hill Art League presents its 6th Annual Metro DC Open Juried Call with “Vessels,” open to 2-D and 3-D art around that theme. The juror this year is Chris Cooley.
Attachments
Deadline: December 21. For “see attached,” VAE (Raleigh, NC) will be accepting submissions through email and printing out the attachments to hang. Alongside the attachments will hang the corresponding emails as artist statements, website, and label information.
Stormy Weather
Deadline: December 28. Stormy weather is the theme of the Maryland Federation of Art’s 2nd annual exhibition.
Facing Our Fear
Deadline: January 4, 2017. The prospectus for Facing Our Fear, to be exhibited in Norfolk, VA, is now live. Artists may apply the student, amateur, or professional category.
NoVa Mini Maker Faire
Deadline: January 15, 2017 (early bird November 21). The NoVa Mini Maker Faire brings together an amazing collection of tech enthusiasts, engineers, woodworkers, metal workers, auto hackers, artists, teachers, and craftspeople from all over the northern virginia, Metro DC area and beyond.
Deadline: February 4, 2017. Fantastic Fibers at Yeiser Art Center (Paducah, KY) is an international competitive exhibition that seeks to showcase a wide range of outstanding works related to the fiber medium.
France residency
Deadline: February 28, 2017. The BAU Institute residency in Cassis, France supports the development of work in the Visual Arts (including photography, video and new media), Creative Writing, Dramatic Writing, Performance and Musical Composition.
Harrisonburg juried exhibit
Deadline: March 15, 2017. All artists residing in the U.S. are invited to enter artwork completed after January 1, 2015 into the 14th annual VMRC Juried Art Exhibition (Harrisonburg, VA). No commission is charged on sales.
Nine frames from “The Artistic Frame: An Inquiry into the Enhancement of Paintings,” curated by William Adair and juried by Clarice Smith.Crowned with Golden Acorns by Susan O’Neill, best-in-show in the exhibit. (click for a larger image)
When it comes to frames, store-bought isn’t the only option.
In fact, there’s a long tradition of artist-made frames, protecting and complementing the artwork inside. An exhibit on view now at The Art League highlights the little-celebrated techniques that have been decorating frames for centuries.
What techniques can we see in the frames in this exhibit?
Susan O’Neill: The frames on view here use primarily the sgraffito and granito techniques explained in a previous blog post. These century-old techniques enhance and decorate the artist’s frame.
In this exhibition, look for examples of sgraffito — areas where the design has been scratched into the frame to reveal the gold or clay-colored layer (bole) beneath the gold — or granito: areas that are embossed with a stamp or an image. This exhibition shows magnificent examples of these techniques with artwork created especially for these frames, perhaps the opposite of what one might expect.
Detail of Susan O’Neill’s frame.
These frames required much patience and attention to detail, from the preparation and application of the frame’s base surface (the gesso and bole), to applying the delicate gold leaf, then burnishing the gold to a brilliant, mirror-like quality, and finally (but optionally), creating an antique patina.
Often the charm and character of the frame are due to years of accumulated dust and dirt, or patina. This patina usually indicates “great age” and can be imitated with various pigments and age enhancing effects — “One man’s dirt is another man’s patina.”
Which came first for you, the frame or the painting? How did your creative process differ from the usual?
In this case, the frames came first. That is not usually how I paint, but I believe that I will now change my methods. I actually placed the canvas in the frames and created the paintings. This was especially important because elements in the frame “play off” or respond to what happened in the painting, and thus the decision-making process was altered by the details, at times subtle, in the frame. This allows the eye to move seamlessly between the frame and the work of art, hopefully working in harmony.
“The Artistic Frame: An Inquiry into the Enhancement of Paintings”
What makes a good frame, in your opinion?
In my opinion a good frame considers the elements in the artwork. Texture, theme, color, and rhythms that appear in the artwork should also be reflected in the frame. A good frame should enhance and compliment the artwork without taking away from the art or distracting the viewer.
If framing a portrait painting, in most cases the width of the frame should be the same as the width of the face. Take note of this next time you are in a museum looking at classical artwork. The size of objects, such as in a still life or landscape, should also be considered when choosing the width and texture of a frame.
Painting and frame (detail below) by James Abbott McNeill Whistler
What do you hope people get out of this exhibit?
I hope that viewers come away with a with more enlightened understanding of the importance the frame holds for the artist, along with how it enhances the work of art. I hope that they will enter a museum to notice and consider the frame as well as the art. Very often the artist themselves have designed the frame specifically for the artwork. Notice the images above by James Abbott McNeill Whistler. He designed and painted this frame himself. He even signed the frame. Observations like this will open up an entirely new and inspired viewing experience. Enjoy!
Sometimes you run into a scene like this one, a scene that — as photographer Gloria Spellman put it — “screamed to be photographed.”
Dark Shadows is in the “mini” portion of “MiniMAX,” this month’s exhibit of large and small works, but its small size didn’t prevent it from catching the juror’s eye: Spellman won the Eleanor Boudreau Jordan Award for the best small work in the show. We asked the photographer to tell us this image’s story:
What was your goal with Dark Shadows?
Gloria Spellman: I like creating a photo that evokes a story. Although the house in Dark Shadows has been neglected over the years, I found beauty in its structure, and the shadows amplify mystery. During the post processing of this photo I wanted to augment these features and rouse the imagination of the viewer.
The Door by Gloria Spellman
What location is depicted?
While on a photography road trip with a couple of friends, we happened to pass this old abandoned house on a road in North Carolina. I had to stop. There was something about that house that screamed to be photographed! We pulled over and I got out and walked around the grounds and inside the house – taking it all in. There were definitely stories within its walls and its yard.
Many aspects of this house spoke to me, but I was not sure of what the house was saying. Since I was unable to pinpoint what I wanted to convey, finding the right composition was challenging. I shot several angles of the house and this is what I know: The house reminded me of my great grandparents’ house which was built in North Carolina in the 1850s. Also, the shadows from the large trees were very prominent and intriguing.
Abandoned by Gloria Spellman
What gear did you use to shoot this?
The software I use includes Lightroom, Photoshop, Nik and Topaz Labs. My camera is a Nikon D7100 and I usually carry a few lenses with me when I am photographing to ensure I can shoot several different compositions.
What is your creative process like? Do you typically have the final product in mind when you shoot, or does it emerge during editing?
When something catches my eye to photograph, I seldom have a clear vision of the final product. It usually becomes clear as I review the photograph days or even months later and begin my post processing. In this photo, it was the shadows that directed my vision to the final product. Since I use several photographic software applications, I usually test a few of them until a result emerges that somehow pulls together the initial feelings I experienced when I first encountered the subject.
Broken Window by Gloria Spellman
What are some of your favorite subjects as a photographer?
I find that I enjoy shooting a wide range of subjects using various applications: in particular, wildlife, nature, and still life, using compositing and digital manipulation. My choice of subject is inspired by my fascination and love of color, shapes, and texture.
What’s the best part of being a photographer?
As a photographer I have the opportunity to capture and share the beauty around us that many just don’t have the time – or take the time – to really “see.” Another aspect of my work as a photographer is the ability to take an image and create a feeling or stir the imagination.
Someone you love loves art. And whether they want a new class to try, original artwork to take home, or supplies for their studio, there’s one gift to cover it all: an Art League gift card!
Help your friends and family create something more:
What can I buy with an Art League gift card?
It works just like a MasterCard, so your gift card’s recipient can pay for anything we offer at The Art League:
Stoneware vessels by Duke Davis, Tommy Elliott, and Rich McAfeeForeground: I Am My Brother’s Keeper by Mike Goodrich
IMPart = Injured Military Personnel + Art
If you’ve read about The Art League’s IMPart outreach program before, you know that participants have had lots of success with clay. Did you know that we’ve also partnered with Resilience Forge to offer bladesmithing?
IMPart connects recent Injured Military Personnel with visual arts experiences created for personal enrichment, relaxed social engagement, the improvement and redevelopment of fine motor skills, and expressive catharsis. The program has been recognized by Michelle Obama and the National Endowment for the Arts. And now you can see what these artists make each week!
Ceramics by IMPart participants
The IMPart Ceramics and Bladesmithing Exhibit is open to the public through Wednesday, November 30, 2016. That means you have one week left to see the amazing sculptures, vessels, and blades created in this unique partnership! You can find the exhibit in studio 8 of the Torpedo Factory Art Center (105 N. Union St, Alexandria, VA).
For more about the program and how you can support it, visit our website.
Deadline: November 22. Tryst Gallery (Leesburg, VA) is accepting submissions for the Twelfth Night exhibition opening December 2.
The figure
Deadline: December 5. This is an open call for submissions from artists for an exhibition at Site:Brooklyn. The Figure: Interpreted Through Contemporary Mediums is an exhibition that reflects the ambitious, innovative and contemporary practices in painting, printmaking and mixed media today.
Animals
Deadline: December 11. For Gimme Shelter at Ciel Gallery (Charlotte, NC), artists are invited to show the souls of the animals they love, whether feathered or furred, realistic, whimsical, or imaginary. All US artists working in any medium are eligible to enter.
Inauguration art
Deadline: January 4, 2017. The prospectus for Facing Our Fear, to be exhibited in Norfolk, VA, is being finalized.
France residency
Deadline: February 28, 2017. The BAU Institute residency in Cassis, France supports the development of work in the Visual Arts (including photography, video and new media), Creative Writing, Dramatic Writing, Performance and Musical Composition.
Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!
Virginia artists
Deadline: November 27. Virginia artists are invited to submit works for the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art’s annual juried exhibition, New Waves 2017. Work in all artistic mediums and made between the years of 2013-2016 is accepted for review.
Matador Review
Deadline: November 30. The Matador Review, an online literature and art quarterly based in Chicago, publishes poetry, fiction, flash fiction, creative non-fiction, and visual art. Art submissions for the Winter 2017 issue are now being accepted.
Shelter
Deadline: December 1. For “Shelter: Creating a Safe Home,” Contemporary Craft (Pittsburgh, PA) is currently seeking artists whose work reflects an interest in topics related to home, shelter, homelessness and displacement.
Call for collaborative proposals
Deadline: December 1. Evolve at Current Studio (Oklahoma City, OK) encourages teams of artists to propose ideas of work they would make in collaboration. Open to any artists, regardless of geographic location.
Join Printmakers, Inc.
Deadline: December 1. Printmakers Inc at the Torpedo Factory Art Center invites printmakers to submit their portfolios for consideration as they jury for new members. Printmakers was established in 1975 as a workshop where professional printmakers would share facilities, materials and ideas with each other and the public.
Artist as Activist fellowship
Deadline: December 5. US-based artists and artist collectives are invited to apply to the Rauschenberg Foundation’s Artist as Activist fellowship. The 2017 fellowship’s theme is racial justice with a particular focus on mass incarceration.
Migrations
Deadline: December 9. The Maryland Federation of Art seeks conventional and unconventional renderings of migrations that can make viewers see the changing world in a new light.
Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival
Deadline: December 11. The Greater Reston Arts Center invites artists to showcase their best contemporary art and craft in the 26th annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival, to be held in May 2017.
Emerging curators
Deadline: December 12. Applications for the 2017 VisArts Emerging Curator program are now open. VisArts (Rockville, MD) invites applications from emerging curators to work with an experienced mentoring curator to develop and present an exhibition.
Fellowship: Center for Emerging Visual Artists
Deadline: December 15. The 2017 CFEVA Visual Artist Fellowship application is now available. Emerging, mid-career, and established visual artists are encouraged to apply. The Visual Artist Fellowship is designed to help artists within 150 miles of Philadelphia reach new levels in their careers. Three artists will receive a full range of career support during the two-year Fellowship period, including a $1,000 stipend and up to $3,000 for project expenses. Applicants are also eligible for CFEVA exhibitions, sales, and teaching opportunities.
Habits
Deadline: December 16. Open to Art League exhibiting artist members only. For “Habits” at The Art League, artists are encouraged to examine habits, patterns, routines, and rituals – either in the context of their own lives, their own artwork, different cultures, or humanity as a whole. Juror: Rebecca Chaperon.
Vessels
Deadline: December 18. Capitol Hill Art League presents its 6th Annual Metro DC Open Juried Call with “Vessels,” open to 2-D and 3-D art around that theme. The juror this year is Chris Cooley.
Attachments
Deadline: December 21. For “see attached,” VAE (Raleigh, NC) will be accepting submissions through email and printing out the attachments to hang. Alongside the attachments will hang the corresponding emails as artist statements, website, and label information.
Stormy Weather
Deadline: December 28. Stormy weather is the theme of the Maryland Federation of Art’s 2nd annual exhibition.
NoVa Mini Maker Faire
Deadline: January 15, 2017 (early bird November 21). The NoVa Mini Maker Faire brings together an amazing collection of tech enthusiasts, engineers, woodworkers, metal workers, auto hackers, artists, teachers, and craftspeople from all over the northern virginia, Metro DC area and beyond.
Deadline: February 4, 2017. Fantastic Fibers at Yeiser Art Center (Paducah, KY) is an international competitive exhibition that seeks to showcase a wide range of outstanding works related to the fiber medium.
Harrisonburg juried exhibit
Deadline: March 15, 2017. All artists residing in the U.S. are invited to enter artwork completed after January 1, 2015 into the 14th annual VMRC Juried Art Exhibition (Harrisonburg, VA). No commission is charged on sales.
First, though, we want to share some of the creations students posted from classrooms in the last nine weeks. Prints were made, paintings were painted, clay was thrown, and — well, you can see for yourself below. Check out the class catalog here, and share your own photos on Instagram with the hashtag #theartleague!
“American Arabesque: a Celebration of Culture” is coming to Alexandria on December 3, and the Office of the Arts is looking for volunteers to help set up at these times:
check-in: Tuesday, November 29, 10:00 am–12:00 noon;
check-in: Wednesday, November 30, 5:00–8:00 pm; or
American Arabesque: A Celebration of Culture will fill the Durant Arts Center in Alexandria, VA with the music, food, and arts and crafts from diverse Arab countries on December 3, 2016 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Foty Fusion, the Huda Asfour Quartet, and Ramy Adly are among the professional musicians providing music throughout the festival. Saudi Arabian, Egyptian, Jordanian, and Palestinian cuisine will be available for purchase from local restaurants and caterers.
Beautiful holiday gifts made by Arab American artists and artisans from Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, and Yemen will be available. Arabic calligraphy, henna designs, and interactive activities for children will also be featured. Several Arab embassies will be showcasing their countries’ culture and an art exhibition will be featured throughout the Durant Arts Center.
Entry fee is $5 per person. Children under 5 are free.
Art League instructor Dan Thompson is one of three artists demonstrating live on Facebook on the evening of Monday, November 28. You can watch online (and ask questions) on Facebook.
↑ There’s a new installation in the Torpedo Factory, and it’s pretty hard to miss, no matter which floor you’re on.
If you’ve been followingalong with the creation of Highest Honor, you know that it’s a monumental version of the “E” award presented to the workers here during World War II. Artist Andy Yoder, who specializes in site-specific sculpture, conceived and spearheaded the project — his first experience with papermaking, as he revealed Friday night.
Highest Honor was unveiled that night as part of our Veterans Day events, which also recognized the IMPart participants and their exhibit open through November 30. Many IMPart artists also volunteered time to contribute to the banner. (IMPart stands for Injured Military Personnel + Art.)
A worker at the Naval Torpedo Station lubricates a torpedo propeller during World War II. (Photo from the collection of George L. Dant, copyright the Naval History and Heritage Command.)
Highest Honor was as much about the process as the finished installation. It brought together dozens of collaborators, including veterans, artists, and passersby — which was the point. It was intended to bring the collaborative spirit of the wartime factory to our present-day community. Veteran collaborators also contributed personal materials to the banner: the wreath, for example, is made from Stars & Stripes newspapers from the first Gulf War.
Here’s Highest Honor by the numbers:
914 squares of handmade paper (made from military hospital scrubs)
over 30 volunteer collaborators
25 feet tall
six months from start to finish
Catch the installation in the main atrium of the Torpedo Factory through November 30!
Deadline: February 4, 2017. Fantastic Fibers at Yeiser Art Center (Paducah, KY) is an international competitive exhibition that seeks to showcase a wide range of outstanding works related to the fiber medium.
Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!
Video art
Deadline: November 15. Videos not in excess of 15 minutes are requested for inclusion in Frame & Frequency 3, an international video art exchange, presented as a series of screenings and exhibitions held concurrently in Medellin, Colombia at the PLECTO Galeria and at VisArts in Rockville, MD in November and December of 2016.
Digital creations
Deadline: November 15. From photography to filmmaking, computers have forever expanded ways for artists to capture and produce their work. MFA celebrates this disruption by changing our annual photography show, “Focal Point,” to an exhibition examining artistic use of digital media. Eligible artwork may be either 2-D or 3-D work that is created and/or produced through the use of software, whether purchased or artist-created, including photography, graphic design, digital painting, video, projection, and limited only by the artist’s imagination.
Reimagine Dada
Deadline: November 17. Are you a dada enthusiast and looking to show your work to celebrate the 100th anniversary of dadaism? The Hugo Ball is looking for artists that work in the visual arts, burlesque, sideshow, poetry, performance, music, etc. to submit their proposal for the show.
Drawing
Deadline: November 20. As part of an ongoing commitment to promote drawing practices in the visual arts, the University of North Carolina Asheville invites artists to submit entries to a Juried International Exhibition of contemporary drawing.
Virginia artists
Deadline: November 27. Virginia artists are invited to submit works for the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art’s annual juried exhibition, New Waves 2017. Work in all artistic mediums and made between the years of 2013-2016 is accepted for review.
Matador Review
Deadline: November 30. The Matador Review, an online literature and art quarterly based in Chicago, publishes poetry, fiction, flash fiction, creative non-fiction, and visual art. Art submissions for the Winter 2017 issue are now being accepted.
Shelter
Deadline: December 1. For “Shelter: Creating a Safe Home,” Contemporary Craft (Pittsburgh, PA) is currently seeking artists whose work reflects an interest in topics related to home, shelter, homelessness and displacement.
Call for collaborative proposals
Deadline: December 1. Evolve at Current Studio (Oklahoma City, OK) encourages teams of artists to propose ideas of work they would make in collaboration. Open to any artists, regardless of geographic location.
Join Printmakers, Inc.
Deadline: December 1. Printmakers Inc at the Torpedo Factory Art Center invites printmakers to submit their portfolios for consideration as they jury for new members. Printmakers was established in 1975 as a workshop where professional printmakers would share facilities, materials and ideas with each other and the public.
Artist as Activist fellowship
Deadline: December 5. US-based artists and artist collectives are invited to apply to the Rauschenberg Foundation’s Artist as Activist fellowship. The 2017 fellowship’s theme is racial justice with a particular focus on mass incarceration.
Migrations
Deadline: December 9. The Maryland Federation of Art seeks conventional and unconventional renderings of migrations that can make viewers see the changing world in a new light.
Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival
Deadline: December 11. The Greater Reston Arts Center invites artists to showcase their best contemporary art and craft in the 26th annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival, to be held in May 2017.
Emerging curators
Deadline: December 12. Applications for the 2017 VisArts Emerging Curator program are now open. VisArts (Rockville, MD) invites applications from emerging curators to work with an experienced mentoring curator to develop and present an exhibition.
Fellowship: Center for Emerging Visual Artists
Deadline: December 15. The 2017 CFEVA Visual Artist Fellowship application is now available. Emerging, mid-career, and established visual artists are encouraged to apply. The Visual Artist Fellowship is designed to help artists within 150 miles of Philadelphia reach new levels in their careers. Three artists will receive a full range of career support during the two-year Fellowship period, including a $1,000 stipend and up to $3,000 for project expenses. Applicants are also eligible for CFEVA exhibitions, sales, and teaching opportunities.
Habits
Deadline: December 16. Open to Art League exhibiting artist members only. For “Habits” at The Art League, artists are encouraged to examine habits, patterns, routines, and rituals – either in the context of their own lives, their own artwork, different cultures, or humanity as a whole. Juror: Rebecca Chaperon.
Vessels
Deadline: December 18. Capitol Hill Art League presents its 6th Annual Metro DC Open Juried Call with “Vessels,” open to 2-D and 3-D art around that theme. The juror this year is Chris Cooley.
Attachments
Deadline: December 21. For “see attached,” VAE (Raleigh, NC) will be accepting submissions through email and printing out the attachments to hang. Alongside the attachments will hang the corresponding emails as artist statements, website, and label information.
Stormy Weather
Deadline: December 28. Stormy weather is the theme of the Maryland Federation of Art’s 2nd annual exhibition.
NoVa Mini Maker Faire
Deadline: January 15, 2017 (early bird November 21). The NoVa Mini Maker Faire brings together an amazing collection of tech enthusiasts, engineers, woodworkers, metal workers, auto hackers, artists, teachers, and craftspeople from all over the northern virginia, Metro DC area and beyond.
Harrisonburg juried exhibit
Deadline: March 15, 2017. All artists residing in the U.S. are invited to enter artwork completed after January 1, 2015 into the 14th annual VMRC Juried Art Exhibition (Harrisonburg, VA). No commission is charged on sales.
Arts instructors
Deadline: ongoing. Arts on a Roll, a program of the Prince George’s County (MD) Department of Parks and Recreation is a mobile, on-demand arts service that can be booked for events and recurring workshops. The goal of this program is to provide engaging and affordable arts services to people of all ages. The program is currently seeking teaching artists in the areas of Visual Arts, Dance, Digital Media, Poetry/Spoken Word/Storytelling, and Theatre.
A woodcut by Printmakers, Inc. member Patrick Sargent, a leader of many art workshops for service members.
This post has been updated from last year’s list.
Here at The Art League, we’re very proud of our IMPart program, which provides hands-on art experiences to injured military personnel. (More about IMPart and the IMPart exhibit on view through November 30, 2016.)
On Veterans Day, we wanted to share other organizations and programs that do similar work, locally and across the country. In addition to the visual arts, there are programs in writing and performing arts serving varying groups including veterans, current service members, their families, and caregivers.
The Armed Services Art Partnership is based in Virginia but works all over the country with programs in writing, music, and comedy.
The Veterans Writing Project, based in DC, provides no-cost writing seminars and workshops for veterans, active and reserve service members, and military family members.
GI Film Festival, based in Alexandria, is a film festival dedicated to sharing the military experience. Anyone can submit a short or feature-length film.
Combat Paper holds traveling papermaking workshops where veterans use their uniforms worn in service to create works of art.
The Vet Art Project provides opportunities for veterans, family, and friends to work with expressive arts therapists and creative media.
CAMMO (the Center for American Military Music Opportunities) out of Fort Belvoir provides music-related services including career development and auditions for veterans and service members.
Warrior Writers is a national nonprofit with programs including workshops, performances, and art exhibits.
The Veteran Artist Program “takes artists who are also veterans, and propels their works and careers into the mainstream creative arts community through networking, mentorships, collaborations with professional artists, and original productions.” It’s based in New York City but holds programs nationwide.
The Arts and The Military in Takoma Park, MD, holds exhibits, workshops, and educational programs. Their goal is to provide a transition from military-provided arts and recreation programs to lifelong art-making.
The Telling Project is a national performing arts non-profit that employs theater to deepen our understanding of the military and veterans’ experience.
MiniMAX
Juried by Susan Ashworth
November 8–December 4 Opening reception: December 10, 6:30–8:00 pm
This month’s group exhibit is really two in one: very small works and very large works. “MiniMAX” asks viewers to consider scale, and how large works differ from small works in ways other than size.
Martyr and Hero by Julia Dzikiewicz and other artwork in “MiniMAX.” Top of post: Desert Night by Sylvia Browne and Chain Lightning by M M Panas.
Are small works necessarily cute? Do large works have to be monumental? We have both, but also much more, in “MiniMAX.”
Artwork by Peter Ulrich, Cindi Lewis, Pattee Hipschen, and Min Park.
This exhibit also marks the first time we’ve invited a juror from overseas. Susan Ashworth, the celebrated UK-based painter, juried both the large and small works.
Dark Shadows by Gloria Spellman, winner of the Eleanor Boudreau Jordan Award for Best in Show for small works.Answer Web by Beverly Ryan, winner of the Cora J. Rupp Memorial Award for Large Works.
Power by Robyn Straub and Answer Web by Beverly Ryan.Number 888 by Tory Cowles and Embodiment by Catherine Toulsaly
24 photos from the “Frozen Moment” series by Soomin Ham.
Sound of Butterfly
by Soomin Ham
November 9–December 4, 2016 Opening reception: November 10, 6:30–8:00 pm
(Read the DCist review: “The Art League is an intimate space for this affecting, gut-wrenching work, and I highly recommend making the trip to Alexandria to see it.”)
When you’re in a reflective mood, an art exhibit can be the perfect place to find some peace and quiet.
This month, the solo room in our gallery is hosting a deeply personal exhibit of photography, video, and sound pieces that tell the story of the artist’s mother’s life, depression, and death. Soomin Ham’s “Sound of Butterfly” is composed of four series:
Frozen Moment: This photography series, pictured at the top of the post, started with photographs of objects and places related to Ham’s mother. Those original photographs were frozen under ice and re-photographed on a lightbox, resulting in the prints you see in the exhibit.
Back to Heaven: This photography series, including The Shy Girl, below, follows a similar progression, tying together process, memory, and subject matter. Family photos were printed onto rice paper, repeatedly washed and dried, and finally placed outside and rephotographed during snowfall. These soft, faded images are the result.
The Shy Girl by Soomin Ham
Sound of Butterfly: In this titular video and sound piece, Ham combines her happiest childhood memories — in the form of family movies and ancestral Korean rituals — with music, for a dreamlike, contemplative piece.
Silent Echo: This counterpart to the happy memories of Sound of Butterfly focuses on Ham’s mother’s depression and how it affected her family. It centers around the voices of Ham and her family, both in narration and in recordings from Ham’s mother’s answering machine.
Still from Sound of Butterfly by Soomin HamStill from Silent Echo by Soomin Ham
Deadline: November 15. Videos not in excess of 15 minutes are requested for inclusion in Frame & Frequency 3, an international video art exchange, presented as a series of screenings and exhibitions held concurrently in Medellin, Colombia at the PLECTO Galeria and at VisArts in Rockville, MD in November and December of 2016.
Digital creations
Deadline: November 15. From photography to filmmaking, computers have forever expanded ways for artists to capture and produce their work. MFA celebrates this disruption by changing our annual photography show, “Focal Point,” to an exhibition examining artistic use of digital media. Eligible artwork may be either 2-D or 3-D work that is created and/or produced through the use of software, whether purchased or artist-created, including photography, graphic design, digital painting, video, projection, and limited only by the artist’s imagination.
Drawing
Deadline: November 20. As part of an ongoing commitment to promote drawing practices in the visual arts, the University of North Carolina Asheville invites artists to submit entries to a Juried International Exhibition of contemporary drawing.
Matador Review
Deadline: November 30. The Matador Review, an online literature and art quarterly based in Chicago, publishes poetry, fiction, flash fiction, creative non-fiction, and visual art. Art submissions for the Winter 2017 issue are now being accepted.
Migrations
Deadline: December 9. The Maryland Federation of Art seeks conventional and unconventional renderings of migrations that can make viewers see the changing world in a new light.
Attachments
Deadline: December 21. For “see attached,” VAE (Raleigh, NC) will be accepting submissions through email and printing out the attachments to hang. Alongside the attachments will hang the corresponding emails as artist statements, website, and label information.
Stormy Weather
Deadline: December 28. Stormy weather is the theme of the Maryland Federation of Art’s 2nd annual exhibition.
Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!
Ipseity
Deadline: November 13. “Ipseity” is defined as individual identity or selfhood. This all-media exhibition at Target Gallery (Alexandria, VA) invites national and international artists to submit work that explores this concept of individual identity through works that contextualize themes of race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, religion, disability and all other ‘labels’ we might use to identify ourselves.
Reimagine Dada
Deadline: November 17. Are you a dada enthusiast and looking to show your work to celebrate the 100th anniversary of dadaism? The Hugo Ball is looking for artists that work in the visual arts, burlesque, sideshow, poetry, performance, music, etc. to submit their proposal for the show.
Virginia artists
Deadline: November 27. Virginia artists are invited to submit works for the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art’s annual juried exhibition, New Waves 2017. Work in all artistic mediums and made between the years of 2013-2016 is accepted for review.
Shelter
Deadline: December 1. For “Shelter: Creating a Safe Home,” Contemporary Craft (Pittsburgh, PA) is currently seeking artists whose work reflects an interest in topics related to home, shelter, homelessness and displacement.
Call for collaborative proposals
Deadline: December 1. Evolve at Current Studio (Oklahoma City, OK) encourages teams of artists to propose ideas of work they would make in collaboration. Open to any artists, regardless of geographic location.
Join Printmakers, Inc.
Deadline: December 1. Printmakers Inc at the Torpedo Factory Art Center invites printmakers to submit their portfolios for consideration as they jury for new members. Printmakers was established in 1975 as a workshop where professional printmakers would share facilities, materials and ideas with each other and the public.
Artist as Activist fellowship
Deadline: December 5. US-based artists and artist collectives are invited to apply to the Rauschenberg Foundation’s Artist as Activist fellowship. The 2017 fellowship’s theme is racial justice with a particular focus on mass incarceration.
Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival
Deadline: December 11. The Greater Reston Arts Center invites artists to showcase their best contemporary art and craft in the 26th annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival, to be held in May 2017.
Emerging curators
Deadline: December 12. Applications for the 2017 VisArts Emerging Curator program are now open. VisArts (Rockville, MD) invites applications from emerging curators to work with an experienced mentoring curator to develop and present an exhibition.
Fellowship: Center for Emerging Visual Artists
Deadline: December 15. The 2017 CFEVA Visual Artist Fellowship application is now available. Emerging, mid-career, and established visual artists are encouraged to apply. The Visual Artist Fellowship is designed to help artists within 150 miles of Philadelphia reach new levels in their careers. Three artists will receive a full range of career support during the two-year Fellowship period, including a $1,000 stipend and up to $3,000 for project expenses. Applicants are also eligible for CFEVA exhibitions, sales, and teaching opportunities.
Habits
Deadline: December 16. Open to Art League exhibiting artist members only. For “Habits” at The Art League, artists are encouraged to examine habits, patterns, routines, and rituals – either in the context of their own lives, their own artwork, different cultures, or humanity as a whole. Juror: Rebecca Chaperon.
Vessels
Deadline: December 18. Capitol Hill Art League presents its 6th Annual Metro DC Open Juried Call with “Vessels,” open to 2-D and 3-D art around that theme. The juror this year is Chris Cooley.
NoVa Mini Maker Faire
Deadline: January 15, 2017 (early bird November 21). The NoVa Mini Maker Faire brings together an amazing collection of tech enthusiasts, engineers, woodworkers, metal workers, auto hackers, artists, teachers, and craftspeople from all over the northern virginia, Metro DC area and beyond.
Harrisonburg juried exhibit
Deadline: March 15, 2017. All artists residing in the U.S. are invited to enter artwork completed after January 1, 2015 into the 14th annual VMRC Juried Art Exhibition (Harrisonburg, VA). No commission is charged on sales.
Arts instructors
Deadline: ongoing. Arts on a Roll, a program of the Prince George’s County (MD) Department of Parks and Recreation is a mobile, on-demand arts service that can be booked for events and recurring workshops. The goal of this program is to provide engaging and affordable arts services to people of all ages. The program is currently seeking teaching artists in the areas of Visual Arts, Dance, Digital Media, Poetry/Spoken Word/Storytelling, and Theatre.
Artist Andy Yoder putting the final touches on the Highest Honor banner (see below)
Did you think Art on Tap was all we had going on this month? Next week is a big one at The Art League, and we hope you’ll join us:
November 7 Monday Winter registration opens
Winter classes start in January, and you can register for them starting this Monday! See the full catalog here.
November 10 Thursday Opening reception
New exhibits open this week! There are three in our gallery: “MiniMAX,” juried by Susan Ashworth, Soomin Ham’s “Sound of Butterfly,” and “The Artistic Frame,” a special exhibit curated by William Adair. The opening reception for all three, including a talk by Adair, is November 10 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm.
November 11 Friday Veterans Day events
Finally, on Friday, we’re marking Veterans Day with two special events: the unveiling of the Highest Honor site-specific banner project and the opening reception for the IMPart Ceramics & Bladesmithing Exhibit.
Save the date! December 2–4 Holiday Ceramics Sale
A can’t-miss shopping weekend featuring wares from our ceramics artists! The Holiday Ceramics Sale returns the first weekend of December.
This Friday at the third annual Art on Tap, you can try six combinations of art, beer, and food and vote for your favorite. There are some pretty exciting match-ups going on — here are all six:
Also in store Friday: live music by The Sea Life and Go Cozy, and a video art screening!
It’s not too late to join the fun. Tickets are $45 at the door and online:
Event: November 7 at 12:00 noon. The lecture at the Library of Congress, “The Unacknowledged History of Black Creators and Black Characters in Comic Books,” (PDF flier) is free and open to the public.
Call for collaborative proposals
Deadline: December 1. Evolve at Current Studio (Oklahoma City, OK) encourages teams of artists to propose ideas of work they would make in collaboration. Open to any artists, regardless of geographic location.
Emerging curators
Deadline: December 12. Applications for the 2017 VisArts Emerging Curator program are now open. VisArts (Rockville, MD) invites applications from emerging curators to work with an experienced mentoring curator to develop and present an exhibition.
Harrisonburg juried exhibit
Deadline: March 15, 2017. All artists residing in the U.S. are invited to enter artwork completed after January 1, 2015 into the 14th annual VMRC Juried Art Exhibition (Harrisonburg, VA). No commission is charged on sales.
Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!
Deadline: November 1. The LUX Center for the Arts in Lincoln, Nebraska is currently accepting applications for an artist-in-residence. One residency is available in painting, drawing, metals, fibers, or mixed media. A Master of Fine Arts is preferred, but not required. A desire to teach is a must.
Under $500
Deadline: November 1. Maryland Art Place is seeking artists for “Under $500”, our upcoming winter benefit exhibition. On Friday, December 9 and Saturday, December 10, 2016, this two-day event will promote the sale of artwork by artists in the Maryland region.
Women’s Caucus for Art
Deadline: November 3. The Women’s Caucus for Art, District of Columbia Chapter has issued a call for entries for a juried show at Artists and Makers Galleriesin Rockville, MD. Rebecca Cross, owner of the Cross MacKenzie Gallery in Georgetown, will jury the show. Women artists working in all 2D and 3D media may submit up to three works of art.
Fellowships for Virginia artists
Deadline: November 4. In summer 2016, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is accepting applications for 2017–2018 fellowships. Professional artists, graduate and undergraduate art students, graduate art history students, and college-bound high school seniors may apply.
Ipseity
Deadline: November 13. “Ipseity” is defined as individual identity or selfhood. This all-media exhibition at Target Gallery (Alexandria, VA) invites national and international artists to submit work that explores this concept of individual identity through works that contextualize themes of race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, religion, disability and all other ‘labels’ we might use to identify ourselves.
Reimagine Dada
Deadline: November 17. Are you a dada enthusiast and looking to show your work to celebrate the 100th anniversary of dadaism? The Hugo Ball is looking for artists that work in the visual arts, burlesque, sideshow, poetry, performance, music, etc. to submit their proposal for the show.
Virginia artists
Deadline: November 27. Virginia artists are invited to submit works for the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art’s annual juried exhibition, New Waves 2017. Work in all artistic mediums and made between the years of 2013-2016 is accepted for review.
Shelter
Deadline: December 1. For “Shelter: Creating a Safe Home,” Contemporary Craft (Pittsburgh, PA) is currently seeking artists whose work reflects an interest in topics related to home, shelter, homelessness and displacement.
Join Printmakers, Inc.
Deadline: December 1. Printmakers Inc at the Torpedo Factory Art Center invites printmakers to submit their portfolios for consideration as they jury for new members. Printmakers was established in 1975 as a workshop where professional printmakers would share facilities, materials and ideas with each other and the public.
Artist as Activist fellowship
Deadline: December 5. US-based artists and artist collectives are invited to apply to the Rauschenberg Foundation’s Artist as Activist fellowship. The 2017 fellowship’s theme is racial justice with a particular focus on mass incarceration.
Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival
Deadline: December 11. The Greater Reston Arts Center invites artists to showcase their best contemporary art and craft in the 26th annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival, to be held in May 2017.
Fellowship: Center for Emerging Visual Artists
Deadline: December 15. The 2017 CFEVA Visual Artist Fellowship application is now available. Emerging, mid-career, and established visual artists are encouraged to apply. The Visual Artist Fellowship is designed to help artists within 150 miles of Philadelphia reach new levels in their careers. Three artists will receive a full range of career support during the two-year Fellowship period, including a $1,000 stipend and up to $3,000 for project expenses. Applicants are also eligible for CFEVA exhibitions, sales, and teaching opportunities.
Habits
Deadline: December 16. Open to Art League exhibiting artist members only. For “Habits” at The Art League, artists are encouraged to examine habits, patterns, routines, and rituals – either in the context of their own lives, their own artwork, different cultures, or humanity as a whole. Juror: Rebecca Chaperon.
Vessels
Deadline: December 18. Capitol Hill Art League presents its 6th Annual Metro DC Open Juried Call with “Vessels,” open to 2-D and 3-D art around that theme. The juror this year is Chris Cooley.
NoVa Mini Maker Faire
Deadline: January 15, 2017 (early bird November 21). The NoVa Mini Maker Faire brings together an amazing collection of tech enthusiasts, engineers, woodworkers, metal workers, auto hackers, artists, teachers, and craftspeople from all over the northern virginia, Metro DC area and beyond.
Arts instructors
Deadline: ongoing. Arts on a Roll, a program of the Prince George’s County (MD) Department of Parks and Recreation is a mobile, on-demand arts service that can be booked for events and recurring workshops. The goal of this program is to provide engaging and affordable arts services to people of all ages. The program is currently seeking teaching artists in the areas of Visual Arts, Dance, Digital Media, Poetry/Spoken Word/Storytelling, and Theatre.
