Professor BG Muhn at his September 9 lecture at The Art League
We had a great turnout for the most recent lecture in our Visiting Artist Series! BG Muhn, painter and art professor at Georgetown, spoke at The Art League September 9, sharing his research on contemporary art and artists in North Korea.
We followed up with a few questions afterward, and here are BG’s responses:
Is there an art “underground” in North Korea?
BG Muhn: No, I doubt it. The concept of “underground” is what the people in a liberal society would hope to happen in North Korea. It’s a romantic idea that we anticipate, but yet to come.
Do fine crafts, such as ceramics and fiber, have an equally revered role with painting and sculpture?
All art forms are considered important and all art is VERY active in production; however, fine art such as painting in oil or Chosonhwa is more valued. Hand embroidery is not widely practiced in America, but it is a cherished, traditional art form in North Korea. I’ve seen a Mona Lisa done in embroidery and it looked so fabulously attractive.
Did you have a “minder” and could you have any private conservations with the artists?
Although I had some moments when I could have engaged in a private conversation with an artist, I did not try. I know the system well, and didn’t want anyone to get in trouble.
There appears to be an amazing amount of collaborative artwork. What lessons did you take from your time with these artists? Have they increased you own interest in collaborative artwork?
I thought it would be really wonderful if I can do a collaborative project here. It would be perfect for gigantic wall murals. Imagine that several professional artists work together on a street wall!
We’ve got lots to cover in this edition of Artful Links, so let’s jump right in. Happy clicking!
Art-world news
Many big-name artists employ assistants and others in their studios — Jeff Koons, Ai Weiwei, and Takashi Murakami, to name a few. Glass artist Dale Chihuly has never been shy about hiring teams of artists to work for him. Now, a court faces the question: “Who is Really Making ‘Chihuly Art’?” (New York Times)
Black Iron Ursa, a sculpture made with Singularity Black paint by Jason Chase. (gif via)
Have you heard of Vantablack? That’s the “world’s blackest black” that makes objects appear super-flat (and dark). While it’s often called a paint or a pigment, Vantablack can’t be used like one — not to mention the fact that only one artist is allowed to use it. But now there’s a black almost as black that can be used as a paint (with a brush or sprayed on) and is available to artists. You can get a 20 ml sample for $50. (Hyperallergic)
Artist Maija Tammi has created a series of photographic portraits with a twist: none of the subjects are human. One of her android portraits (One of Them is a Human #1) is now a finalist in an international portrait competition, whose rules require portraits “from life and with a living sitter.” (New York Times)
(Psst: Judy Chicago will be at NMWA September 17 for a talk in conjunction with that second exhibit. It’s sold out, but you can try your luck at standby seats.)
Closer to home
Contemplating Calder by Art League instructor Peter Ulrich depicts the National Gallery of Art’s East Wing.
This Fall’s your chance to become a volunteer docent at the National Gallery of Art here in DC. It’s (naturally) a competitive process with a two-year training program, and we know some of you out there are perfect for it. Attend one of these info sessions to get started.
Also at the National Gallery, here’s a behind-the-scenes look at a little-noticed part of putting on exhibitions. At least, it’s little-noticed if the job’s done right. (Washington Post)
Over in Anacostia, here’s an exhibit we want to visit: Black Magic: AfroPasts/AfroFutures at Honfleur Gallery. (Review: “Art is a Form of Survival.”) Included in this exhibit is artwork by Charles Jean-Pierre, who is the juror for this month’s “Mark” exhibit at The Art League. (DCist)
And finally, there’s an overnight art festival happening in DC September 23–24. Any night owls out there?
Artwork from “Mark,” including Sin of Innocence by Elaine Qiu
A flash of charcoal, crumbling its way across the paper. A splash of watercolor, bleeding into unpredictable shapes. Or a blast of spray paint, making its statement on a brick wall.
A mark represents a moment in time, recorded by the artist using any number of tools. Below, you’ll see marks created by a 3D pen, a camera, ceramic glaze, and rust. All these artists, artworks, and statements are in The Art League’s September exhibit, “Mark,” juried by Charles Jean-Pierre. Join us for the opening reception on Thursday, September 14, 6:30–8:00 pm in the gallery.
By Charles Jean-Pierre, the juror for “Mark.” He said in our juror’s dialogue that “In my own work, I make crude marks. My signature lines are intended to show movement–they denote delineation from one side to the other. … Marks can be traced back to the earliest recesses of history. When I think of marks I think of our prehistoric ancestors crawling through dark caves with flickering torchlights creating amazing images that would last the test of time. I think marks reveals our magical urge and need to create.” Read more here.
A mark is … multidimensional
Sheba in Fractional Dimensions, 3D drawing with cast shadows, by Sam Miller
“The black marks were made in air with a 3D pen. They suggest the figure of a live model including surfaces at different depths. The piece can be rotated to observe different aspects of the figure. The marks cast varied shadows on the gallery wall.” — Sam Miller
… movement
Taking Flight, clay, by Sylvia Brown
“When I drip or squirt glaze over my base glaze I like to dance with my pot moving both the pot and the gaze dispenser at the same time, then placing the dots as precisely as I can once I decide where they belong.” — Sylvia Brown
R&B2GO, Group of Six, acrylic, by Marsha Staiger
“Each of the cradles is an opportunity to make a mark. Each mark relates to the format of the cradle by harmonizing or opposition. Together they create movement and relationships by proximity.” — Marsha Staiger
… statement
Messenger of Spring, oil, by Jade Xia
“My marks are brush strokes. Each brush stroke carries out simultaneously color, value, shape and form. The branches of the tree are marks quite unlike the gestural Asian ink and brush calligraphy that also convey emotion through their dance like movement.” — Jade Xia
… evidence of a human hand
Design & Creation (and detail), acrylics, paper, graphite & wax crayon on wood, by Jennifer Allevato
“I treasure the connection of my hand to the brush and the brush to the canvas. My process involves first drawing every composition and then starting to layer in the paint. … There are always edits that happen in the moment as the color is being applied. I love this part of the practice, and I don’t erase any unused guidelines: it’s all a part of the process and becomes essential to the creation and completion of the piece. My hand and my mark are visible all over my paintings, and that’s where the humanity is evident.” — Jennifer Allevato
Saturday Afternoon; oil, lyntex house paint, rags, plaster wrap, wool, hair on canvas; by Zipporah Lee Norton
“Saturday Afternoon embodies the extreme of what my mark could achieve by incorporating various mediums and techniques. Each mark holds a piece of my physical gesture and being, from throwing paint, slathering it on with my hands and even with the traditional brush application.” — Zipporah Lee Norton
… language
Nostalgia Vol. 2, Sumi ink on Washi paper, by Ohana Murao
“For me, marks are my own language that have an infinite number of characters coming from the well of my subconscious. It encompasses all emotions and inspirations which normal languages can’t. The only rule for this language is that it has to be aesthetic.” — Ohana Murao
From the Depths, mixed media, by Suzanne Yurdin
“Mark making for me is like telling a story. This painting uses marks made from paint, charcoal and oil pastel along with drips applied throughout the the entire process. Some marks appear from the beginning, some are excavated towards the end but they’re always there to add to the story.” — Suzanne Yurdin
… self-portrait
Night Owl (and detail), oil and acrylic, by Sarah Dax Solano
“My literal marks by palette knife are rapid to create a mood of solitude and focus. This mood is further achieved by the direction and color of my marks. I didn’t want this self-portrait to just be a physical representation of myself but to share information of who I am, mark myself.” — Sarah Dax Solano
… history
Growth Marks, photograph, by Blair Jackson
“How familiar it is to mark the growth of one’s family tree over the decades. As children become adolescents and adults, the process continues and the art of the family evolves over time.” — Blair Jackson
A Heap of Broken Images – R, drawing and collage, by Barbara Warden.
“I am looking at marks and a drawing process that tells a story of a broken world. A landscape that was once a familiar village has been changed forever, perhaps never to reappear in its earlier, recognizable form. I chose drawing and collage to represent a dramatically altered landscape that is now ‘a heap of broken images’ – a line that comes from T.S. Eliot’s ‘The Wasteland.’ ” — Barbara Warden
… process
She Just Changes Her Mind, acrylic, by Charlene Nield
“The very essence of this painting is its marks, some hidden treasures that provide an under layer of texture, others masked, and then the bold and obvious. To me the nature of abstract is heavily dependent on mark making.” — Charlene Nield
What is Lost Honor, acrylic, by Martin de Alteriis
“I paint [my] backgrounds swiftly and spontaneously. … Then I add my marks, first the lines and then the dots, applying them carefully with fine brushes. These marks are simple, but by ordering and stacking them, I seek to create a complex whole. I think about marks on stone or tree bark: primitive communication. What message am I sending? What questions am I answering? Sometimes the marks are lean and spare. In this painting, they overlap and grow. I imposed a linear design on this painting, using masking tape to arrange the lines and dots into overlapping shapes, sometimes a shield, somewhere a cross…” — Martin de Alteriis
… clarity
Oysters, oil, by Deborah Taylor
“Using thick ‘marks,’ I attempted to limit my number of marks keeping the colors and image clean and crisp.” — Deborah Taylor
Simplicity Within #17, photograph, by Meryl Silver
“I work with reflections of grasses and reeds in the water and focus on the geometric ‘marks’ they make in both the sky and the water make as they intersect.” — Meryl Silver
… starting point
Threads of Life, oil, by Rich Moore.
“The inspiration for this painting started from a single painted orange strand. This initial “mark” led to many threads of varying thicknesses, colors and movements that grew and wove to interact with other shapes and life events. Every varying thickness, color and movement show the unique threads of life.” — Rich Moore
Rust, mixed media, by Suzanne Tillman.
“I used iron paint and rust activator on some metal hardware and pieces of screen. The marks left on the newspaper used during the rusting process were more interesting than the rusted pieces. I made more marks with ink, pencil, and thread.” — Suzanne Tillman
There is more in an ice cream bowl than ice cream when you purchase yours, September 16–17. You’ll enjoy the sweetness of knowing you’ve encouraged artists to experiment with creative ideas they might not have dared to try.
Madeline Nossiff hasn’t thrown on the wheel since she left college over a year ago. “Finding the time, space and excuse to do what you love is a challenge,” she said.
Because Madeline works in the office at The Art League school, she was able to take time off on slower hours to ride her bike to the Madison Annex, where the Ceramics studio is located. Her goal was to throw 100 pots for the fundraiser. As of this interview, she was well on her way, with 80 pots created for this special event.
“Clay is physical work yet requires a calm and meditative state,” she said. As she centered her thoughts and clay on the wheel, Madeline honed her skills and technique to make a variety of shapes for bowls that will hold just the right amount of ice cream.
Madeline’s perfected ice cream bowl shapes, right after being trimmed
Her personal preference for glaze colors are earth tones, but for this event she decided to use bright color combinations to complement flavors of ice cream. Because of her time on the wheel, she’s now thinking about making more pots for friends and creating an Etsy account.
An annual undertaking
Ceramicists affiliated with The Art League school are encouraged to donate 25 pots to the fundraiser each year. Each $15 bowl directly supports the expenses associated with running the ceramics department, which is considerable, with Old Town rents, three huge kilns that are constantly in use, and all the “furniture” that comes with a ceramic studio.
Blair Meerfeld, director of The Art League’s ceramics department, makes over 300 pots each year for this event. “My biggest fear is that I’ll run out of pots and the event won’t be over,” Blair noted, with a calm in his demeanor that is prevalent throughout the studio. Last year’s Ice Cream Bowl Fundraiser sold over 1,600 bowls. Blair is aiming to be ready this year with 2,000 bowls.
Creative experiments
To help with that volume, David Flohr and Carla Amerau work on hand-built clay pieces. For this fundraiser, David experimented with the glazes. “It took me six different tries before I got the combination of glazes just right,” he said.
David uses a rounded plaster mold to press the clay onto. He then uses a blowtorch until the clay can hold its own shape. Just a few seconds with the blue flame and he’s ready to press another form. His bowls look more like small curved plates with a beautiful rust trim, and a warm creamy colored center.
David applies a red iron oxide wash to the bowls
“The Ice Cream Bowl Fundraiser is an opportunity for me to experiment with glazes I might not otherwise venture to try,” Carla said. Carla made her own mold with a leaf. She pressed the clay into the plaster mold and uses the microwave to set the clay. She tried seven new combinations of underglazes and overglazes to come up with a new look that she likes and will use in her personal art.
What fits in a bowl
The Art League’s IMPart program (Injured Military Personnel + art) includes a familiar face in the studio. Rich works with his support dog, April May. When I asked what he got out of donating to the Ice Cream Bowl Fundraiser, he was sitting inside a kiln helping to fix a broken coil.
“I just really appreciate the program and wanted to support The Art League for all it’s done for me,” he said. The dog wasn’t comfortable with Rich being in the kiln, but when he’s throwing on a wheel she is contented to sleep close by on her blanket.
Carla’s hand built leaf bowls and glaze experiments
The fundraiser is an opportunity for The Art League Ceramics Department to be financially supported by the surrounding community. Underneath that support are the creative ideas, experiments and constant learning that The Art League provides and is what enriches the community.
The artists who work to donate bowls have an opportunity to take creative risks which improve their craft. Patrons get more than a bowl with ice cream, they get all the great, calm energy and enthusiasm baked right into the clay. I will be purchasing my ice cream bowls on September 16, and I look forward to you joining me in a creative combination where everyone wins.
If, after you purchase your bowl, you find art is inspiring, The Art League’s ceramic classes begin the week after the fundraiser. Whether you prefer weekdays, weekends, mornings or evenings, working with clay is always fun, centering and innovative. Perhaps someone next year will be scooping ice cream into one of your creations.
Deadline: October 20. Gallery Underground in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia, invites artists working in all media to submit to “This Is America,” a national juried exhibition. Submit works depicting what you love – or don’t love – about America today. Works should be a reflection upon or expression about some aspect of America and how you see it. Juror: Marsha Staiger.
NC public art
Deadline: October 23. Madison County is pleased to announce a unique opportunity for artists to design a sculpture to be part of a permanent collection on the expanding greenway in Mars Hill, NC. Read the call for artists.
Matador Review
Deadline: November 30. Alternative art and literature magazine The Matador Review is now accepting submissions for the Winter 2018 publication. We publish poetry, fiction, flash fiction, and creative non-fiction, inviting all unpublished literature written in the English language (and translations that are accompanied by the original text) as well as many forms of visual art.
Northern Virginia Festival
Deadline: December 10. 27th Annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival: Every spring the Greater Reston Arts Center invites over 200 artists to showcase their best, original, contemporary fine art and craft in this competitive, juried outdoor event.
Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!
Photography competition
Deadline: September 13. The Chelsea International Photography Competition is organized by Agora Gallery in New York City. This competition provides a great opportunity for the exposure of work by amateur as well as professional photographers alike.
Functional art
Deadline: September 15. “Tabletop” at The Art League (Alexandria, VA) will showcase the artistry of various functional wares associated with the table: acceptable media include ceramic, metal, fiber, wood, and glass. All works must be functional. For this exhibit, artists do not need to be members to submit.
Artists aged 40+
Deadline: September 15. Franz and Virginia Bader Fund Grants for Artists 2017: To be eligible for consideration for an award, you must be a visual artist, work in any medium except film, video, and performance, be 40 years of age or older, and live within 150 miles of Washington, DC.
Outdoor functional art
Deadline: September 15. Dance Place (Washington, DC) is seeking design submissions for artistic picnic tables, seating and/or bistro sets that will serve as seating for the 8th St Arts Park.
Miniatures
Deadline: September 16. The Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers Society of Washington, DC is holding its annual exhibit this fall. Artists do not need to be members to submit.
Shino ware
Deadline: September 22. The District Clay Gallery (Washington, DC) will hold its 2017 Shino Splendor Exhibition from October 29 to November 26. This exhibition celebrates one of the most exciting and historic ceramic glazes in all its amazing variation and beauty.
Solo exhibits @ The Art League
Deadline: September 23. The Art League (Alexandria, VA) seeks artists who have a strong, cohesive, and exciting body of work expressing an aesthetic concept for our prestigious solo artist exhibitions. Artists must be members to submit. Exhibit applications are reviewed two years ahead of time, so jurying takes place now for exhibits in 2019.
Smithsonian Craft Show
Deadlines: September 17–24. The annual Smithsonian Craft Show is a juried exhibition and sale of contemporary American crafts and design. Artists are selected on the basis of the originality, artistic conception, and quality of their work.
Target Gallery: unfinished works
Deadline: September 24. Target Gallery, contemporary exhibition space of the Torpedo Factory Art Center, invites national and international artists working in all-media to apply to Interlude: Unfinished Works. This exhibition gives the spotlight to the artistic process. Curator Betsy Johnson of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is the juror.
Contemporary craft
Deadline: September 29. The Greater Denton (Texas) Arts Council proudly presents the 31st Annual Materials: Hard + Soft National Contemporary Craft Competition and Exhibition.
Public art: Prince George’s
Deadline: September 29. The Hyattsville (MD) Community Development Corporation is accepting artist proposals for the design and fabrication of two sculpturally-devised bus shelters for placement on Rhode Island Avenue in the Prince George’s County Gateway Arts & Entertainment District.
Foundry Gallery
Deadline: September 30. Foundry Gallery is seeking a few established or emerging artists in the greater Washington, DC area. The oldest cooperative in Washington, the gallery holds monthly solo and members’ group shows.
SC exhibit proposals
Deadline: September 30. Spartanburg Art Museum in Spartanburg, SC recently opened a Call for Artists for 2018-19. It is open to all contemporary artists nationally and internationally ages 18+.
Crafty Bastards
Deadline: October 4. Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair will be held outdoors at Nationals Park on Saturday, November 11 and Sunday, November 12, 2017 in Washington, DC.
Washington Award
Deadline: October 5. S&R Foundation invites emerging artists including musicians, dancers, and visual artists to apply for the 2018 Washington Award. Winners receive $5,000 and the opportunity to showcase their work during the Washington Award Ceremony in the spring of 2018.
King Street mural in Leesburg
Deadline: October 6. The Leesburg (VA) Commission on Public Art is seeking submissions for murals to be painted on each side of the King Street bridge that crosses over Town Branch in Leesburg.
Virginia fellowships
Deadline: November 3. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship Program is a vital source of funding for the visual arts and art history in Virginia. VMFA is committed to supporting professional artists as well as art and art history students who demonstrate exceptional creative ability in their chosen discipline.
Show proposals
Deadline: Ongoing. ArtSpace Herndon (Herndon, VA) invites submissions for solo shows and thematic group shows from artists 18 years and older.
F.O.M.A. (noun): “fear of missing art”; the nagging feeling that cool art events are passing you by. (Cover image: painting detail by Peter Ulrich.)
With so many cultural events going on around DC, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed! F.O.M.A. can be particularly acute during the fall festival season.
Here are our picks for your September art events around DC — so you can be sure you’re in the know.
DC Shorts Film Festival
September 7–17: Over 170 short films will be screened over 10 days, online and around DC, for the DC Shorts Film Festival. These films come here from all over the world, so be sure to grab them while you can! Ticket prices vary.
202 Arts and Music Festival
September 9: From 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, you can see visual and performing artists at work at the 202 Arts and Music Festival. We spy a few Art Leaguers among the plein air painters! Tickets are free.
BG Muhn with his recent work, Awaiting Dawn. Acrylic on linen, 60 x 111 inches, 2014.
BG Muhn Talk
September 9: As part of our Visiting Artist Lecture Series, The Art League is excited to host professor BG Muhn, an expert on contemporary North Korean art. Space is running out, so be sure to RSVP! Tickets are free.
Through September 10: There are only a few days left to catch “Revival” at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. It’s been getting rave reviews. Admission: $8–10.
The 2016 Ice Cream Bowl Fundraiser
Alexandria King Street Art Festival
September 16–17: The King Street Art Festival, now in its 15th year, brings 200 artists from near and far — and the Ice Cream Bowl Fundraiser! Be sure to stop by The Art League’s booth at the corner of King and Fairfax for your choice of handmade bowl and scoop of ice cream. Entrance to the festival is free. Ice cream bowls are $15, with proceeds benefiting The Art League.
Dawson City: Frozen Time screening
September 17: The National Gallery of Art is screening Dawson City: Frozen Time. This 2016 film by artist Bill Morrison (who will be in attendance) is actually stitched together from archival film reels, found frozen in the Yukon in the 1970s. This is the film’s Washington premiere. Free; seats are first-come, first-served.
Edvard Munch exhibit
Through January 28: The exhibit “Edvard Munch: Color in Context” at the National Gallery of Art has just opened. It explores Munch’s work in light of the contemporary scientific and philosophical writings on color. Free.
Here’s an idea for a party: get together over two days with your friends, some food and drinks, and a printing press.
We can’t take all the credit for the idea: monotype parties hit the scene back in the 19th century, bringing artists together to try what was then a new medium. (It’s sometimes called “the painterly print.”)
Why a party?
The Monotype Party remains the perfect setting to dive into what can be an experimental, unpredictable process.
Everyone can share supplies — most importantly, a heavy and expensive printing press
Monotypes create only 1–2 prints each, so there’s not the pressure that comes with printing an edition
It’s fun to share and compare artwork
Here in the 21st century, artists can try their hand at different monotype techniques with instructors Mike Francis, Thomas Hipschen, and Pattee Hipschen. They’ll also throw in a gourmet lunch each day, and you can see what other participants are up to in an informal setting.
The Monotype Party is coming up September 16–17 in 2017, so register now to join us! Here are some photos from the last party, courtesy of Pattee Hipschen:
Deadlines: September 10–24. The annual Smithsonian Craft Show is a juried exhibition and sale of contemporary American crafts and design. Artists are selected on the basis of the originality, artistic conception, and quality of their work.
SC exhibit proposals
Deadline: September 30. Spartanburg Art Museum in Spartanburg, SC recently opened a Call for Artists for 2018-19. It is open to all contemporary artists nationally and internationally ages 18+.
Crafty Bastards
Deadline: October 4. Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair will be held outdoors at Nationals Park on Saturday, November 11 and Sunday, November 12, 2017 in Washington, DC.
Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!
All painting
Deadline: September 5. Strokes of Genius is Maryland Federation of Art’s 6th annual all-painting competition. Original 2-D work created through any painting media (inc. oil, pastel, acrylic, watercolor, encaustic, etc.) and following entry guidelines, will considered.
Portraiture
Deadline: September 6. Artists 18 years or older residing in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, West Virginia, and Delaware are invited to submit original 2D or 3D portrait art for the 9th annual Expressions Portrait Competition at ArtSpace Herndon.
DC residency
Deadline: September 6. The CHAW Gallery Residency (Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, Washington, DC) offers six weeks of time and space to an artist or team of artists each year to experiment and realize new work. In 2018, CHAW will host the Gallery Resident Artist or Artist Team from March 1 through April 14.
Poster contest
Deadline: September 8. Picturing Freedom is a nationwide poster contest to focus attention on the global and local crime of human trafficking and modern slavery.
Torpedo Factory residency
Deadline: September 10. The Torpedo Factory Post-Graduation Residency (Alexandria, VA) is a competitive juried program that provides meaningful support and 3-6 month term solo studio space. This residency is open to recently-graduated students who earned a bachelor’s or master’s art degree from an accredited university.
Charles County, MD
Late deadline: September 10. For Express Charles County in Art at Mattawoman Creek Art Center, artists are invited to submit artwork portraying Charles County, MD. Each entry must have been created in 2017. Open to all artists 18 and older.
Photography competition
Deadline: September 13. The Chelsea International Photography Competition is organized by Agora Gallery in New York City. This competition provides a great opportunity for the exposure of work by amateur as well as professional photographers alike.
Functional art
Deadline: September 15. “Tabletop” at The Art League (Alexandria, VA) will showcase the artistry of various functional wares associated with the table: acceptable media include ceramic, metal, fiber, wood, and glass. All works must be functional. For this exhibit, artists do not need to be members to submit.
Artists aged 40+
Deadline: September 15. Franz and Virginia Bader Fund Grants for Artists 2017: To be eligible for consideration for an award, you must be a visual artist, work in any medium except film, video, and performance, be 40 years of age or older, and live within 150 miles of Washington, DC.
Outdoor functional art
Deadline: September 15. Dance Place (Washington, DC) is seeking design submissions for artistic picnic tables, seating and/or bistro sets that will serve as seating for the 8th St Arts Park.
Miniatures
Deadline: September 16. The Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers Society of Washington, DC is holding its annual exhibit this fall. Artists do not need to be members to submit.
Shino ware
Deadline: September 22. The District Clay Gallery (Washington, DC) will hold its 2017 Shino Splendor Exhibition from October 29 to November 26. This exhibition celebrates one of the most exciting and historic ceramic glazes in all its amazing variation and beauty.
Solo exhibits @ The Art League
Deadline: September 23. The Art League (Alexandria, VA) seeks artists who have a strong, cohesive, and exciting body of work expressing an aesthetic concept for our prestigious solo artist exhibitions. Artists must be members to submit. Exhibit applications are reviewed two years ahead of time, so jurying takes place now for exhibits in 2019.
Target Gallery: unfinished works
Deadline: September 24. Target Gallery, contemporary exhibition space of the Torpedo Factory Art Center, invites national and international artists working in all-media to apply to Interlude: Unfinished Works. This exhibition gives the spotlight to the artistic process. Curator Betsy Johnson of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is the juror.
Contemporary craft
Deadline: September 29. The Greater Denton (Texas) Arts Council proudly presents the 31st Annual Materials: Hard + Soft National Contemporary Craft Competition and Exhibition.
Public art: Prince George’s
Deadline: September 29. The Hyattsville (MD) Community Development Corporation is accepting artist proposals for the design and fabrication of two sculpturally-devised bus shelters for placement on Rhode Island Avenue in the Prince George’s County Gateway Arts & Entertainment District.
Foundry Gallery
Deadline: September 30. Foundry Gallery is seeking a few established or emerging artists in the greater Washington, DC area. The oldest cooperative in Washington, the gallery holds monthly solo and members’ group shows.
Washington Award
Deadline: October 5. S&R Foundation invites emerging artists including musicians, dancers, and visual artists to apply for the 2018 Washington Award. Winners receive $5,000 and the opportunity to showcase their work during the Washington Award Ceremony in the spring of 2018.
King Street mural in Leesburg
Deadline: October 6. The Leesburg (VA) Commission on Public Art is seeking submissions for murals to be painted on each side of the King Street bridge that crosses over Town Branch in Leesburg.
Virginia fellowships
Deadline: November 3. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship Program is a vital source of funding for the visual arts and art history in Virginia. VMFA is committed to supporting professional artists as well as art and art history students who demonstrate exceptional creative ability in their chosen discipline.
Show proposals
Deadline: Ongoing. ArtSpace Herndon (Herndon, VA) invites submissions for solo shows and thematic group shows from artists 18 years and older.
Discussion Sunday is a weekly blog post that invites The Art League community to share their thoughts. Each week features a different subject of interest to student artists and working artists alike.
Do you have a system for pricing? Does size have anything to do with it? Subject matter? How meticulous are you about keeping track of the materials you use?
Beginners, do you have questions for more established artists? Ideas from photographers, printmakers, and other multiples-creators are especially welcome. Let’s get the discussion started in the comments, below!
Soon we’ll celebrate the start of Fall classes, which begin the week of September 18 and typically run for nine weeks. We also have a huge number of one-, two-, and three-day workshops this month — for those quick shots of creativity.
Healing cloth by instructor Julie Booth
Fiber arts
In our fiber arts studio, there are three different kinds of felting going on: wet felting, needle felting, and nuno felting. (For more on fiber arts terms, see this blog post.) You can also try your hand at weaving while you create your first tapestry, or a variety of surface design techniques in our Healing Cloth workshop.
Here’s another great place to start: Crash Course in Drawing, a foundational course for anyone who wants to get started in art. You can also refine your drafting skills in Linear Perspective and take things in a more abstract direction.
Why not take home something to wear? In addition to a couple of jumpstart workshops in metal clay (which is kind of what it sounds like), you can try your hand at a couple of other materials: Acrylite and Argentium Sterling Silver.
Photograph by Robin Reid, who teaches the Portrait Photography workshop.
Photography
Bring your laptop to learn the basics of two photography powerhouses: Adobe’s Lightroom and Photoshop. You can also visit a professional portrait artist’s studio to learn the tricks of the trade.
Painting by Susan Herron, who teaches Landscape in Acrylic.
Painting
We cover every medium under the sun here at The Art League, from the ancient medium of encaustic (beeswax and pigment) to acrylic paint, which wasn’t invented until the last century. Delna Dastur teaches Stretching the Limits, an opportunity to try out new media and techniques without a big investment of time and money. We’re also offering two different jumpstarts in water media: watercolor and sumi-e.
A monotype by Art League instructor Mike Francis (click for full size)
Printmaking
Explore two different processes this month in the form of gelli plates and monotypes, either in a party setting or a more traditional workshop format. (What is a monotype? That’s answered here.)
Relief sculpture by instructor Thanasi Papapostolou
And more
Take things a little bit 3-D in relief sculpture, get a modern take on the ancient medium of mosaic, and learn how to best present your work with a framing workshop:
Our juror for this month’s exhibit was Stephanie Midon, curatorial assistant at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC.
The exhibit is unthemed, but Midon did spy lots of flora, fauna, landscapes — and three seashells. (See if you can find them on our walls.) Here’s what else she had to say in our juror’s dialogue:
Drawings and watercolors made a strong showing in the submissions this month.
Globalism reappeared among different artists, who created images both inside and outside the United States.
Color played a role in the show’s most successful works. Far Away by Deron Decesare, the best-in-show pastel, stood out with an unexpected blue tone in the subject’s skin, and Rouge Retro by M.M. Panas brought a powerful red statement as Best in Show.
If this show had a theme, it would be “community.” Because each artwork is a reflection of the artist, Midon said, even this unthemed show became a collection of self-portraits.
Deadline: September 6. Artists 18 years or older residing in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, West Virginia, and Delaware are invited to submit original 2D or 3D portrait art for ArtSpace Herndon’s 9th annual Expressions Portrait Competition.
Functional art
Deadline: September 15. “Tabletop” at The Art League (Alexandria, VA) will showcase the artistry of various functional wares associated with the table: acceptable media include ceramic, metal, fiber, wood, and glass. All works must be functional. For this exhibit, artists do not need to be members to submit.
Solo exhibits @ The Art League
Deadline: September 23. The Art League (Alexandria, VA) seeks artists who have a strong, cohesive, and exciting body of work expressing an aesthetic concept for our prestigious solo artist exhibitions. Artists must be members to submit. Exhibit applications are reviewed two years ahead of time, so jurying takes place now for exhibits in 2019.
Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!
Alternative Art and Literature Magazine
Deadline: August 31. The Matador Review is an online literature and art quarterly. We invite all unpublished literature written in the English language (and translations accompanied by the original text) as well as many forms of visual art. All work must be electronically submitted to [email protected] with “Submission: Name, Title” in the subject line (for example, “Submission: Jane Smith, 5 Poems”). More information here.
DC exhibit proposals
Extended deadline: September 1. The Arts Club of Washington continues its support for the visual arts with the Call for Entries for the 2018–2019 gallery season. Exhibitions are scheduled monthly from September 2018 through May 2019. Two-dimensional works in all media, styles, and techniques are acceptable.
All painting
Deadline: September 5. Strokes of Genius is Maryland Federation of Art’s 6th annual all-painting competition. Original 2-D work created through any painting media (inc. oil, pastel, acrylic, watercolor, encaustic, etc.) and following entry guidelines, will considered.
Portraiture
Deadline: September 6. Artists 18 years or older residing in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, West Virginia, and Delaware are invited to submit original 2D or 3D portrait art for the 9th annual Expressions Portrait Competition at ArtSpace Herndon.
DC residency
Deadline: September 6. The CHAW Gallery Residency (Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, Washington, DC) offers six weeks of time and space to an artist or team of artists each year to experiment and realize new work. In 2018, CHAW will host the Gallery Resident Artist or Artist Team from March 1 through April 14.
Poster contest
Deadline: September 8. Picturing Freedom is a nationwide poster contest to focus attention on the global and local crime of human trafficking and modern slavery.
Torpedo Factory residency
Deadline: September 10. The Torpedo Factory Post-Graduation Residency (Alexandria, VA) is a competitive juried program that provides meaningful support and 3-6 month term solo studio space. This residency is open to recently-graduated students who earned a bachelor’s or master’s art degree from an accredited university.
Charles County, MD
Late deadline: September 10. For Express Charles County in Art at Mattawoman Creek Art Center, artists are invited to submit artwork portraying Charles County, MD. Each entry must have been created in 2017. Open to all artists 18 and older.
Photography competition
Deadline: September 13. The Chelsea International Photography Competition is organized by Agora Gallery in New York City. This competition provides a great opportunity for the exposure of work by amateur as well as professional photographers alike.
Artists aged 40+
Deadline: September 15. Franz and Virginia Bader Fund Grants for Artists 2017: To be eligible for consideration for an award, you must be a visual artist, work in any medium except film, video, and performance, be 40 years of age or older, and live within 150 miles of Washington, DC.
Outdoor functional art
Deadline: September 15. Dance Place (Washington, DC) is seeking design submissions for artistic picnic tables, seating and/or bistro sets that will serve as seating for the 8th St Arts Park.
Miniatures
Deadline: September 16. The Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers Society of Washington, DC is holding its annual exhibit this fall. Artists do not need to be members to submit.
Shino ware
Deadline: September 22. The District Clay Gallery (Washington, DC) will hold its 2017 Shino Splendor Exhibition from October 29 to November 26. This exhibition celebrates one of the most exciting and historic ceramic glazes in all its amazing variation and beauty.
Target Gallery: unfinished works
Deadline: September 24. Target Gallery, contemporary exhibition space of the Torpedo Factory Art Center, invites national and international artists working in all-media to apply to Interlude: Unfinished Works. This exhibition gives the spotlight to the artistic process. Curator Betsy Johnson of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is the juror.
Contemporary craft
Deadline: September 29. The Greater Denton (Texas) Arts Council proudly presents the 31st Annual Materials: Hard + Soft National Contemporary Craft Competition and Exhibition.
Public art: Prince George’s
Deadline: September 29. The Hyattsville (MD) Community Development Corporation is accepting artist proposals for the design and fabrication of two sculpturally-devised bus shelters for placement on Rhode Island Avenue in the Prince George’s County Gateway Arts & Entertainment District.
Foundry Gallery
Deadline: September 30. Foundry Gallery is seeking a few established or emerging artists in the greater Washington, DC area. The oldest cooperative in Washington, the gallery holds monthly solo and members’ group shows.
Washington Award
Deadline: October 5. S&R Foundation invites emerging artists including musicians, dancers, and visual artists to apply for the 2018 Washington Award. Winners receive $5,000 and the opportunity to showcase their work during the Washington Award Ceremony in the spring of 2018.
King Street mural in Leesburg
Deadline: October 6. The Leesburg (VA) Commission on Public Art is seeking submissions for murals to be painted on each side of the King Street bridge that crosses over Town Branch in Leesburg.
Virginia fellowships
Deadline: November 3. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship Program is a vital source of funding for the visual arts and art history in Virginia. VMFA is committed to supporting professional artists as well as art and art history students who demonstrate exceptional creative ability in their chosen discipline.
Show proposals
Deadline: Ongoing. ArtSpace Herndon (Herndon, VA) invites submissions for solo shows and thematic group shows from artists 18 years and older.
Discussion Sunday is a weekly blog post that invites The Art League community to share their thoughts. Each week features a different subject of interest to student artists and working artists alike.
This week’s question:
What’s been your biggest creative failure, and what did you learn from it?
If you’ve failed at some point in your art career, that puts you in good company. Failure is an important part of the creative process, if you let it be. (Just read how painter Cristy West takes old failed paintings and reworks them into award-winners.)
So what’s ended up in your studio dustbin? How did you know it wasn’t going to work out? Did it make a recovery? What did you learn for the next attempt? Let’s get the discussion started (photos optional) in the comments, below!
Rouge Retro, mixed media, by M.M. Panas. Winner of the Shayna Heisman Simkin Award for Best in Show.
“Monochrome” in art means a work executed in one color or values of one color. It’s an approach that can focus the viewer’s attention, create a specific mood, or, as in the above painting, grab attention with line, texture, and an eye-popping red.
Maria Marguerita (M.M.) Panas is the artist. She took home the Shayna Heisman Simkin Award for Best in Show for Rouge Retro, a mixed-media painting that measures five feet across. It’s inspired by architecture, furniture, and a specific upholstery fabric.
Here’s what the artist had to say about the piece:
What was your goal for Rouge Retro?
M.M. Panas: The boldness of mid-century architecture and furniture design have always inspired me. My ambition was to create a work of art that I thought would look fantastic in a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Eero Saarinen, Richard Neutra or any of the other great architects I have lovingly admired.
Rouge Retro (detail) by M.M. Panas.
Why red?
In particular, a Knoll fabric called “Cato in Fire Red” is one of my all time favorites. I love the way light changes the reds of the three elements in this fabric. My plan was to work on canvas but add texture, to be bold but also subtle. It was a challenge to create something that was monochromatic but interesting.
I tried all kinds of reds and settled on what became my three favorite red paints: Lascaux Pyrolle Red, Cadmium Red Medium, and Cadmium Red Light. I used these colors and added line and texture to the piece by adding fabrics that were soaked in the paints, wrapping and twisting them across the canvas. I started with small canvases (20” x 24”), joined these together to create a larger piece. It was extremely messy and time consuming but oh! What fun!
Knoll Cato in Fire Red fabric was my inspiration:
Is this part of your “Wraps” series?
Yes, this is one of my “Wraps.” I have done pieces in yellow, blue, and others in red.
What materials did you use to make this painting?
Canvas, linen, cotton, gauze, baby wipes (yes — baby wipes), and acrylic paint.
Chain Lightning (right) by M.M. Panas, part of our November 2016 “MiniMAX” exhibit
How does the process of creating a “Wraps” painting compare to your more action-oriented paintings?
Surprise is always a big element in my work. Starting with a loose plan, I work at what I am doing and use whatever happens to create a pleasing end product. When creating an “action” painting, I have several canvases in front of me that I work on at the same time, applying paint with a brush.
Black and White by M.M. Panas
The “Wraps,” because of the mess caused by the amount of paint applied with a large spatula, made me work outdoors, on a table, over drop cloths. I stretched and twisted the extra fabric and stapled it to the smaller canvases. Afterwards, I combined the small canvases in a pleasing way, bolted them together, put the (now) larger piece on a wall and did any finishing touches needed.
Sarsens, mixed media, by M.M. Panas
What are you working on now?
I have seven blank canvases waiting for me at my studio. My plan is to use a monochromatic or very limited palette. I’d also like to do a “Wrap” in black.
The August Open Exhibit, juried by Stephanie Midon, is open through Sunday, September 2.
The National Gallery of Art (Washington, DC) is recruiting a new class of docents in fall 2017. After a selection process, a two-year training program will begin in September 2018 and will focus on museum education and art history related to the permanent collection. Workshops, in-gallery sessions, lectures, and readings will be used to advance docent learning. Docents become part of a community of learners and continue their education beyond the initial two-year training period, both formally and informally.
Torpedo Factory residency
Deadline: September 10. The Torpedo Factory Post-Graduation Residency (Alexandria, VA) is a competitive juried program that provides meaningful support and 3-6 month term solo studio space. This residency is open to recently-graduated students who earned a bachelor’s or master’s art degree from an accredited university.
Artists aged 40+
Deadline: September 15. Franz and Virginia Bader Fund Grants for Artists 2017: To be eligible for consideration for an award, you must be a visual artist, work in any medium except film, video, and performance, be 40 years of age or older, and live within 150 miles of Washington, DC.
Outdoor functional art
Deadline: September 15. Dance Place (Washington, DC) is seeking design submissions for artistic picnic tables, seating and/or bistro sets that will serve as seating for the 8th St Arts Park.
Miniatures
Deadline: September 16. The Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers Society of Washington, DC is holding its annual exhibit this fall. Artists do not need to be members to submit.
Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!
Politically engaged art
Deadline: August 22. The 2017 5th Annual FL3TCH3R Exhibit (Johnson City, TN) is an international juried exhibit focused on socially and politically engaged art.
Photography at Del Ray
Deadline: August 26. For Captured Beauty, Del Ray Artisans and Union 206 Studio are seeking fine art photography that showcases artists’ visions of beauty.
Alternative Art and Literature Magazine
Deadline: August 31. The Matador Review is an online literature and art quarterly. We invite all unpublished literature written in the English language (and translations accompanied by the original text) as well as many forms of visual art. All work must be electronically submitted to [email protected] with “Submission: Name, Title” in the subject line (for example, “Submission: Jane Smith, 5 Poems”). More information here.
DC exhibit proposals
Extended deadline: September 1. The Arts Club of Washington continues its support for the visual arts with the Call for Entries for the 2018–2019 gallery season. Exhibitions are scheduled monthly from September 2018 through May 2019. Two-dimensional works in all media, styles, and techniques are acceptable.
All painting
Deadline: September 5. Strokes of Genius is Maryland Federation of Art’s 6th annual all-painting competition. Original 2-D work created through any painting media (inc. oil, pastel, acrylic, watercolor, encaustic, etc.) and following entry guidelines, will considered.
Portraiture
Deadline: September 6. Artists 18 years or older residing in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, West Virginia, and Delaware are invited to submit original 2D or 3D portrait art for the 9th annual Expressions Portrait Competition at ArtSpace Herndon.
DC residency
Deadline: September 6. The CHAW Gallery Residency (Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, Washington, DC) offers six weeks of time and space to an artist or team of artists each year to experiment and realize new work. In 2018, CHAW will host the Gallery Resident Artist or Artist Team from March 1 through April 14.
Poster contest
Deadline: September 8. Picturing Freedom is a nationwide poster contest to focus attention on the global and local crime of human trafficking and modern slavery.
Charles County, MD
Late deadline: September 10. For Express Charles County in Art at Mattawoman Creek Art Center, artists are invited to submit artwork portraying Charles County, MD. Each entry must have been created in 2017. Open to all artists 18 and older.
Photography competition
Deadline: September 13. The Chelsea International Photography Competition is organized by Agora Gallery in New York City. This competition provides a great opportunity for the exposure of work by amateur as well as professional photographers alike.
Shino ware
Deadline: September 22. The District Clay Gallery (Washington, DC) will hold its 2017 Shino Splendor Exhibition from October 29 to November 26. This exhibition celebrates one of the most exciting and historic ceramic glazes in all its amazing variation and beauty.
Target Gallery: unfinished works
Deadline: September 24. Target Gallery, contemporary exhibition space of the Torpedo Factory Art Center, invites national and international artists working in all-media to apply to Interlude: Unfinished Works. This exhibition gives the spotlight to the artistic process. Curator Betsy Johnson of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is the juror.
Contemporary craft
Deadline: September 29. The Greater Denton (Texas) Arts Council proudly presents the 31st Annual Materials: Hard + Soft National Contemporary Craft Competition and Exhibition.
Public art: Prince George’s
Deadline: September 29. The Hyattsville (MD) Community Development Corporation is accepting artist proposals for the design and fabrication of two sculpturally-devised bus shelters for placement on Rhode Island Avenue in the Prince George’s County Gateway Arts & Entertainment District.
Foundry Gallery
Deadline: September 30. Foundry Gallery is seeking a few established or emerging artists in the greater Washington, DC area. The oldest cooperative in Washington, the gallery holds monthly solo and members’ group shows.
Washington Award
Deadline: October 5. S&R Foundation invites emerging artists including musicians, dancers, and visual artists to apply for the 2018 Washington Award. Winners receive $5,000 and the opportunity to showcase their work during the Washington Award Ceremony in the spring of 2018.
King Street mural in Leesburg
Deadline: October 6. The Leesburg (VA) Commission on Public Art is seeking submissions for murals to be painted on each side of the King Street bridge that crosses over Town Branch in Leesburg.
Virginia fellowships
Deadline: November 3. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship Program is a vital source of funding for the visual arts and art history in Virginia. VMFA is committed to supporting professional artists as well as art and art history students who demonstrate exceptional creative ability in their chosen discipline.
Show proposals
Deadline: Ongoing. ArtSpace Herndon (Herndon, VA) invites submissions for solo shows and thematic group shows from artists 18 years and older.
Roses, Peonies and Bee, by Patricia Uchello. Courtesy the artist.
This column is to share news from Art League members about what they’re up to: exhibits, awards, residencies, and the like. We hope hearing from your peers is inspiring and motivating to you! To submit your own news for the next edition, contact us using this form by the 15th of the month.
Let’s hear it for …
Patricia Uchello
Patsie has been an Art League member for over 27 years. She’s now exhibiting at River Farm in Alexandria, headquarters of the American Horticultural Society:
Patsie‘s one woman show is entitled Floralia, as it shows primarily floral paintings plus a few landscapes and horticulture, such as fruit. The large exhibit of 86 oil paintings will remain on display through January 2, 2018. For more information, please call the artist at 703-768-6983. Hours at River Farm are 9:00 am-5:00 pm, Mondays through Fridays and 9:00 am-1:00 pm on Saturdays. River Farm is closed Sundays and holidays.
“Themes & Variations” explores how an image changes when depicted in different media or with different techniques. The show will display prints (monotypes and etchings) and paintings (oils and watercolors) in pairs or trios that depict the same image in different media (e.g., oil and etching) or different techniques (e.g., line etching and aquatint or prints with and without the addition of other media). The show, at Gallery Underground, will run from August 28 through September 29, with a reception on Friday, September 1, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm, with live jazz performed by Mike and Dave Gassmann.
Delna Dastur
Delna is an Art League member and an instructor. You can see her art in a national juried show, closing soon in DC. From the gallery’s press release:
Touchstone Gallery, located less than a mile away from The White House and Capitol Hill, presents its second national juried exhibition on the state of the political and social climate. Last year at the height of the presidential election season we focused on “Art as Politics.” This year our exhibit, “Art of Engagement,” reflects artists reacting to the new national reality. Race, women’s rights, environmental issues, immigration, refugee crises, possession of power and social media influence are only a few of the topics that inspire the artwork. Artists standing up and speaking out create a critical discussion through the lens of visual scrutiny. We hope this exhibit, using the universal language of art, will engage us all in a conversation about today’s important issues and concerns.
Discussion Sunday is a weekly blog post that invites The Art League community to share their thoughts. Each week features a different subject of interest to student artists and working artists alike.
This week’s question:
In the past year, what exhibit have you seen that influenced your work in some way?
Of course, we’ve had plenty of exhibits here at The Art League that we hope have been inspirational to you. We also covered big-news exhibits like Artomatic and Yayoi Kusama.
What exhibit (any exhibit, anywhere!) made the biggest impact on you? Were there any smaller, quieter exhibits that might have flown under our radar? Or did you see an exhibit outside the DC area that stuck with you? Feel free to provide a mini-review and get the discussion started in the comments, below!
“For a cosmic event of such rarity and strangeness, an artist’s eye seems like a useful tool indeed.” — The Atlantic
On Monday, August 21, 2017, the moon’s shadow will pass over North America in the middle of the day.
Find the specific times and more general info on this page. While you plan, consider how you’ll want to capture the event. Your unaided smartphone probably won’t take a satisfying photograph, so it’s time to get creative.
Here are some basic safety tips along with some ideas we’ve brainstormed to get you started. How will you capture the solar eclipse? Do you have any eclipse art to share? Let us know in the comments, below!
A Pueblo rock carving, possibly depicting a total eclipse in the year 1097. Read the story here. (Image: University of Colorado)
Don’t hurt your camera: Direct sunlight can also damage your camera’s sensor or shutter. Buy the appropriate filter for your camera, or hold an extra pair of glasses in front of your phone camera. And don’t look at the sun through your viewfinder!
Turn around: For every awe-inspiring event in front of you, there is an awestruck crowd behind you wearing funny glasses. (Photographer’s rule.)
Plan ahead: After Monday’s event, the next solar eclipse will hit the continental United States April 8, 2024. That gives you a few years to prepare — like painter Howard Russell Butler, who practiced a shorthand sketching system in preparation for painting the 1918 solar eclipse.
The Moon’s shadow on Earth during a 1999 eclipse. (NASA)
Ideas
Lots of people are going to be photographing the eclipse. Here are some ideas for making your own memories of the event:
Create pinhole art: An ephemeral approach, but also a safe one if you struck out on finding viewing glasses. Each pinhole creates its own image of the sun — try watching the scene unfold with multiple pinholes in a fun pattern. NASA has a quick guide here (they call it a pinhole camera, but it lacks film.)
Sketch the scene: For this one, you’ll just need paper and a drawing tool. Capture the landscape, the crowd, and the sky above them. With your viewing glasses on, you can’t actually see anything but the sun, so be careful as you put them on and take them off.
Capture the flow of time: One of the coolest parts of an eclipse is watching the shape of the sun change with the minutes. You could create sequential art, like a comic, or collapse the time span into a single landscape with multiple suns.
Shadow selfie with the sun: Things like trees can create natural pinholes, throwing tiny sun images all over. See if you can capture a shady self-portrait like Claudia Welsh’s.
The Jumpstart in Ceramics workshop is coming up August 26.
We don’t want to ruin your day and say that summer’s almost over.
So instead, we’ll phrase it like this: there’s still time for more creativity before Labor Day! We have 15 different workshops going on in the next couple of weeks, starting as soon as this Friday.
One- and two-day workshops take place over the weekend, while the handful of longer workshops take place during the week: perfect for a relaxing staycation. (Are you ready for Fall already? Find the full catalog on this page.)
Photograph by Robin Reid, who teaches the Photographic Lighting Tools workshop in her studio
Creative Encounter: The 30 in 30 (August 26): The day starts with 30 drawing in 30 minutes, then progresses into critique and longer (but still intuitive) pieces.
Jewelry: Fold Forming For Beginners (August 26): Produce sample pieces with each of the folding techniques, with an eye toward creating future finished pieces.
Jumpstart in Ceramics (August 26): Have (supervised) fun in the pottery studio and try something new.
Pastel by Lisa Semerad, who teaches Creative Encounter: The Birth of Whimsy
Creative Encounter: The Birth of Whimsy (August 27): For the other workshop in our Creative Encounter series, students can work in any medium as they think outside the box.
With a new school year starting soon, we’re excited for all our new classes to get underway — and even more excited for you to meet our newest instructors!
See these nine new additions to our faculty below, along with their websites and what classes you can take with them. As always, you can browse the full catalog online.
You can take Throwing/Handbuilding Ceramics with Rakhshan on Sundays this school year. You can see an example of his gorgeous porcelain-slipped stoneware in the photo above, and plenty more of his work on Instagram.
You’ll find Burris in our Jewelry studio this Fall, teaching Mokume Gane on Thursday evenings. Here’s his description of the process:
Mokume Gane, or wood grain metal, is a traditional Japanese technique in which two or more different metals are meticulously cleaned, alternately stacked, compressed and heated to a high temperature. The result is the fusing of all layers into a solid block or billet. The billet can be made into sheet metal with a variety of patterns by repeatedly carving through layers and reducing the thickness. Ring stock can be made by twisting a thick piece to re-orient the layers and removing material to reveal a hidden pattern.
Participants will learn a low tech, low cost, but efficient method to making Mokume Gane-using a refractory brick mini furnace and soldering torch to fire the billet. Participants will start by making their own billet and finish with a seamless forged band ring.
Lopata — who is a visiting artist at the Torpedo Factory this summer — will be teaching Fast Track to Jewelry: Wax Casting and Multiples as well as Wax Carving in the Jewelry studio this year. In her artist statement, Lopata writes: “I’m fascinated by rusty things, the mark of the hand joined with the machine, and how our past shapes our future. My jewelry is my story, whispers from our past and talisman and the amulet. Jewelry can have power in the imagination of the viewer.”
A new addition to our youth department, Vacca will be teaching two printmaking classes: Printmaking for Teens and Printmaking for Young People (ages 9–12). She is a printmaker, book artist, and educator who recently moved here from Los Angeles.
We’re thrilled to have Noorigian joining our team to teach Clay Sculpture for Teens. This eight-week class teaches teenagers anatomy, proportion, and structure as they sculpt a self-portrait bust.
Check out that ibis! If you want to learn to create beautiful lithographs like that, you’re in luck: Lyla Shlon is joining our printmaking faculty to teach Lithography on Sundays this fall. Shlon studied printmaking at MICA and the Tamarind Institute, and is currently involved with founding Two Birds One Stone, a collaborative lithography studio in Baltimore.
Also joining our printmaking faculty, Jennifer Dunbar will be teaching Woodblock Printmaking on Monday evenings: a class for beginners and artists with some experience.
Deadline: September 5. Strokes of Genius is Maryland Federation of Art’s 6th annual all-painting competition. Original 2-D work created through any painting media (inc. oil, pastel, acrylic, watercolor, encaustic, etc.) and following entry guidelines, will considered.
Portraiture
Deadline: September 6. Artists 18 years or older residing in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, West Virginia, and Delaware are invited to submit original 2D or 3D portrait art for the 9th annual Expressions Portrait Competition at ArtSpace Herndon.
King Street mural in Leesburg
Deadline: October 6. The Leesburg (VA) Commission on Public Art is seeking submissions for murals to be painted on each side of the King Street bridge that crosses over Town Branch in Leesburg.
Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!
Beer vessels
Deadline: August 15. The District Clay Gallery (Washington, DC) will hold its first Annual Beer Drinking Vessels Invitational from September 29 to October 25. Ceramic artists are invited to apply to the invitational by sending up to four photos.
DMV artists
Deadline: August 15. The Central Virginia Justice Initiative (Fredericksburg, VA) are sending out an Open Call to artists from Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia for an upcoming exhibit: “People Are Not Products.” CVJI is a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate, equip and mobilize their Central Virginia community to be a force in the movement to end human trafficking.
Artist trading cards
Deadline: August 15. Artist trading cards are small, baseball-card sized works of art that can be traded with other artists as a way to get creative, connect with other artists, make contacts, and collect great art! This on-going by-mail exchange is hosted by Jennifer Hines. There are three deadlines per year.
Maryland exhibit proposals
Deadline: August 15. The Chesapeake Gallery at Harford Community College (Bel Air, MD) invites artists, artist groups and curators working in any medium or format to apply for our 2018-2020 exhibition seasons. There is no application fee or commission on sold work.
Human trafficking
Deadline: August 15. Central Virginia Justice Initiative is accepting entries for the People Are Not Products benefit exhibition which will be held at Verizon Gallery in the The Ernst Community Cultural Center, Annandale Campus, NOVA. Artists must be residents of the District of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia. Artwork relating directly or indirectly to human trafficking (slavery in the form of labor or sex trafficking) is encouraged. Please do not submit work that is sexually graphic in nature.
DC projection
Deadline: August 15. Canal Park DC in Capitol Riverfront is looking for artwork to be projected on the Canal Park Cube with some connection to the theme of “Art and the Environment”. Video, gifs, cinemagrams or other digital media with movement are preferred but still images in rotation would be considered as well.
Solar photographers
Deadline: August 17. The Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative is looking for the best solar energy technology photos from across the United States.
Politically engaged art
Deadline: August 22. The 2017 5th Annual FL3TCH3R Exhibit (Johnson City, TN) is an international juried exhibit focused on socially and politically engaged art.
Photography at Del Ray
Deadline: August 26. For Captured Beauty, Del Ray Artisans and Union 206 Studio are seeking fine art photography that showcases artists’ visions of beauty.
Alternative Art and Literature Magazine
Deadline: August 31. The Matador Review is an online literature and art quarterly. We invite all unpublished literature written in the English language (and translations accompanied by the original text) as well as many forms of visual art. All work must be electronically submitted to [email protected] with “Submission: Name, Title” in the subject line (for example, “Submission: Jane Smith, 5 Poems”). More information here.
DC exhibit proposals
Extended deadline: September 1. The Arts Club of Washington continues its support for the visual arts with the Call for Entries for the 2018–2019 gallery season. Exhibitions are scheduled monthly from September 2018 through May 2019. Two-dimensional works in all media, styles, and techniques are acceptable.
DC residency
Deadline: September 6. The CHAW Gallery Residency (Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, Washington, DC) offers six weeks of time and space to an artist or team of artists each year to experiment and realize new work. In 2018, CHAW will host the Gallery Resident Artist or Artist Team from March 1 through April 14.
Poster contest
Deadline: September 8. Picturing Freedom is a nationwide poster contest to focus attention on the global and local crime of human trafficking and modern slavery.
Charles County, MD
Late deadline: September 10. For Express Charles County in Art at Mattawoman Creek Art Center, artists are invited to submit artwork portraying Charles County, MD. Each entry must have been created in 2017. Open to all artists 18 and older.
Photography competition
Deadline: September 13. The Chelsea International Photography Competition is organized by Agora Gallery in New York City. This competition provides a great opportunity for the exposure of work by amateur as well as professional photographers alike.
Shino ware
Deadline: September 22. The District Clay Gallery (Washington, DC) will hold its 2017 Shino Splendor Exhibition from October 29 to November 26. This exhibition celebrates one of the most exciting and historic ceramic glazes in all its amazing variation and beauty.
Target Gallery: unfinished works
Deadline: September 24. Target Gallery, contemporary exhibition space of the Torpedo Factory Art Center, invites national and international artists working in all-media to apply to Interlude: Unfinished Works. This exhibition gives the spotlight to the artistic process. Curator Betsy Johnson of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is the juror.
Contemporary craft
Deadline: September 29. The Greater Denton (Texas) Arts Council proudly presents the 31st Annual Materials: Hard + Soft National Contemporary Craft Competition and Exhibition.
Public art: Prince George’s
Deadline: September 29. The Hyattsville (MD) Community Development Corporation is accepting artist proposals for the design and fabrication of two sculpturally-devised bus shelters for placement on Rhode Island Avenue in the Prince George’s County Gateway Arts & Entertainment District.
Foundry Gallery
Deadline: September 30. Foundry Gallery is seeking a few established or emerging artists in the greater Washington, DC area. The oldest cooperative in Washington, the gallery holds monthly solo and members’ group shows.
Washington Award
Deadline: October 5. S&R Foundation invites emerging artists including musicians, dancers, and visual artists to apply for the 2018 Washington Award. Winners receive $5,000 and the opportunity to showcase their work during the Washington Award Ceremony in the spring of 2018.
Virginia fellowships
Deadline: November 3. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship Program is a vital source of funding for the visual arts and art history in Virginia. VMFA is committed to supporting professional artists as well as art and art history students who demonstrate exceptional creative ability in their chosen discipline.
Show proposals
Deadline: Ongoing. ArtSpace Herndon (Herndon, VA) invites submissions for solo shows and thematic group shows from artists 18 years and older.
If you’re just starting out as an exhibiting artist, congratulations! You’ve taken an important step in your artistic growth, and we wish you the best of luck.
At The Art League, we operate a membership gallery, which means artist members can enter juried shows and, hopefully, have artwork accepted into an exhibit. (That part’s up to the juror.)
Since a new exhibit year just started, we wanted to put together an overview of how the juried exhibit process works. We’ve also compiled lots of links to other articles that will help you through the process. If you have any questions, please let us know in the comments below!
The June 2016 Open Exhibit, juried by Jeff Huntington
Step 1: Join as an exhibiting artist and pay your dues
This part is pretty straightforward. You can join as an artist on this page. The membership year runs from July 1 to June 30. Toward the end of the year, the cost of a membership is prorated.
There are two options for how to pay:
Traditional: pay the membership fee (currently $95) and pay $5 each time you enter an artwork
All-Inclusive: pay the membership fee (currently $144) and entry fees are included
Which one is right for you depends on how many exhibits you plan on entering.
Step 2: Take a look at our schedule of upcoming exhibits
Stay on top of those deadlines! We have new exhibits every month.
For digital-entry exhibits, the deadline is typically the 15th of the month before the exhibit. For traditional entry (where you drop off the physical artwork to be juried), there are two “receiving” days at the beginning of the month. Some months are digital, and some are traditional. It’s all on our calendars:
You’ll also want to look out for any potential awards for specific exhibits. All months have cash awards for best-in-show; some months have cash awards for specific media as well, like pastel, watercolor, or collage.
January 2012 juror Allen Beland. In traditional receiving, the juror is presented each artwork in turn (or in pairs, if by the same artist). At the end, the accepted pieces are reviewed again for awards (above).
Step 3: Choose what you want to enter
Artists may enter multiple artworks, but jurors may only select up to one artwork by each artist. For digitally juried shows, you can typically submit up to three artworks. For traditional receiving, the limit is two.
Some exhibits are Open Exhibits, which means there is no limitation on theme, medium, process, or content. Other exhibits have themes, which may suggest different subject matters, sizes, or other guidelines.
(Note there is always one limitation on size: artwork must fit through our doors, and must be installed by the artist if it weighs over 60 pounds.)
Settle on a title and price for each artwork ahead of time so you’re ready to fill out the entry form when the time comes!
Don’t Move They Might Be Watching (detail), mixed media, by Chris Malone
Step 4: Submit
You’ll submit artwork one of two different ways, depending on the exhibit.
For digital entry: All our online exhibits can be found at theartleague.submittable.com. You’ll need to create a free account first, then enter the information for each piece of artwork you’re entering: title, medium, price, and so forth. You also need to submit a digital image of your artwork! Give yourself plenty of time to get the best photograph you can, since this is how the juror will judge your artwork.
For traditional receiving: Bring in framed, ready-to-hang artwork during the designated time. You’ll tape a tag to each artwork with the relevant information. Leave your artwork in the designated spot, marked with a sign: Works on Canvas, Works Under Glass, Photography, etc. Important: If you are entering two artworks, keep them together, even if they fall under different categories. The juror will be shown both artworks together.
You won’t be around for this part, but it’s important to know what happens.
Exhibits at The Art League are blind juried, meaning the juror doesn’t see the artist’s name. Online, the software withholds the artist’s name from the juror. In person, volunteers present the artwork to the juror with the label not visible. (The juror may ask for information like the title of the piece.)
Each juror goes at their own pace, but generally this is how it works: each piece gets a Yes, No, or Maybe from the juror during the first go-round. (Remember that a single artist may only have up to one artwork selected.) Nos are set aside immediately. Yeses are accepted into the show. Maybes will get another pass.
Jurors are instructed to select around 100 pieces for the show, because that’s roughly what can fit, but their decisions are theirs alone. After selections are made, the juror goes back to award any cash prizes and honorable mentions.
What happens after jurying? For digital entry exhibits, you’ll get an email with the results and instructions for bringing in your artwork, if applicable.
For traditional receiving, here’s what’s next:
On Monday night, you can check the results online on the appropriate exhibit page.
Pick up any unaccepted artwork as soon as possible, during normal gallery hours. A late fee of $20 per week will be assessed beginning one week after the Monday of jurying. (Note that, if you submitted more than one artwork, you will have at least one to pick up.)
If you’re accepted to the exhibit, congratulations! We’ll notify you if you were selected for any awards. During the exhibit, we’ll also notify you if your artwork is sold! Please pick up any unsold artwork at the end of the exhibit.
The print catalog is on its way to mailboxes and our offices as we type this. While you wait to flip through it, you can browse to your heart’s content online.
Deadline: August 15. The Central Virginia Justice Initiative (Fredericksburg, VA) are sending out an Open Call to artists from Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia for an upcoming exhibit: “People Are Not Products.” CVJI is a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate, equip and mobilize their Central Virginia community to be a force in the movement to end human trafficking.
DC residency
Deadline: September 6. The CHAW Gallery Residency (Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, Washington, DC) offers six weeks of time and space to an artist or team of artists each year to experiment and realize new work. In 2018, CHAW will host the Gallery Resident Artist or Artist Team from March 1 through April 14.
Howard County exhibit proposals
Deadline: October 1. Artists who wish to be considered for a future exhibit in the Howard County (MD) Arts Council galleries are invited to submit a general exhibit application. Artists, ages 18 and older, working in all media and styles including time-based and installation artists, are encouraged to apply either individually or as a group. Proposals from curators and organizations are also welcome.
Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!
Monthly exhibit opportunities
The Art League’s (Alexandria, VA) new exhibit year runs July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018. All artists are welcome to join and enter monthly juried exhibits. For more information about joining as an exhibiting artist member, visit our website.
2-D art
Deadline: August 14. The National Juried Art Show at Larkin Arts (Harrisonburg, VA) is a national juried visual art competition and exhibition that is open to any artist who is a resident of the United States and is over the age of 18, working in two-dimensional media.
Beer vessels
Deadline: August 15. The District Clay Gallery (Washington, DC) will hold its first Annual Beer Drinking Vessels Invitational from September 29 to October 25. Ceramic artists are invited to apply to the invitational by sending up to four photos.
Artist trading cards
Deadline: August 15. Artist trading cards are small, baseball-card sized works of art that can be traded with other artists as a way to get creative, connect with other artists, make contacts, and collect great art! This on-going by-mail exchange is hosted by Jennifer Hines. There are three deadlines per year.
Maryland exhibit proposals
Deadline: August 15. The Chesapeake Gallery at Harford Community College (Bel Air, MD) invites artists, artist groups and curators working in any medium or format to apply for our 2018-2020 exhibition seasons. There is no application fee or commission on sold work.
Human trafficking
Deadline: August 15. Central Virginia Justice Initiative is accepting entries for the People Are Not Products benefit exhibition which will be held at Verizon Gallery in the The Ernst Community Cultural Center, Annandale Campus, NOVA. Artists must be residents of the District of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia. Artwork relating directly or indirectly to human trafficking (slavery in the form of labor or sex trafficking) is encouraged. Please do not submit work that is sexually graphic in nature.
DC projection
Deadline: August 15. Canal Park DC in Capitol Riverfront is looking for artwork to be projected on the Canal Park Cube with some connection to the theme of “Art and the Environment”. Video, gifs, cinemagrams or other digital media with movement are preferred but still images in rotation would be considered as well.
Solar photographers
Deadline: August 17. The Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative is looking for the best solar energy technology photos from across the United States.
Politically engaged art
Deadline: August 22. The 2017 5th Annual FL3TCH3R Exhibit (Johnson City, TN) is an international juried exhibit focused on socially and politically engaged art.
Photography at Del Ray
Deadline: August 26. For Captured Beauty, Del Ray Artisans and Union 206 Studio are seeking fine art photography that showcases artists’ visions of beauty.
Alternative Art and Literature Magazine
Deadline: August 31. The Matador Review is an online literature and art quarterly. We invite all unpublished literature written in the English language (and translations accompanied by the original text) as well as many forms of visual art. All work must be electronically submitted to [email protected] with “Submission: Name, Title” in the subject line (for example, “Submission: Jane Smith, 5 Poems”). More information here.
DC exhibit proposals
Extended deadline: September 1. The Arts Club of Washington continues its support for the visual arts with the Call for Entries for the 2018–2019 gallery season. Exhibitions are scheduled monthly from September 2018 through May 2019. Two-dimensional works in all media, styles, and techniques are acceptable.
Poster contest
Deadline: September 8. Picturing Freedom is a nationwide poster contest to focus attention on the global and local crime of human trafficking and modern slavery.
Charles County, MD
Late deadline: September 10. For Express Charles County in Art at Mattawoman Creek Art Center, artists are invited to submit artwork portraying Charles County, MD. Each entry must have been created in 2017. Open to all artists 18 and older.
Photography competition
Deadline: September 13. The Chelsea International Photography Competition is organized by Agora Gallery in New York City. This competition provides a great opportunity for the exposure of work by amateur as well as professional photographers alike.
Shino ware
Deadline: September 22. The District Clay Gallery (Washington, DC) will hold its 2017 Shino Splendor Exhibition from October 29 to November 26. This exhibition celebrates one of the most exciting and historic ceramic glazes in all its amazing variation and beauty.
Target Gallery: unfinished works
Deadline: September 24. Target Gallery, contemporary exhibition space of the Torpedo Factory Art Center, invites national and international artists working in all-media to apply to Interlude: Unfinished Works. This exhibition gives the spotlight to the artistic process. Curator Betsy Johnson of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is the juror.
Contemporary craft
Deadline: September 29. The Greater Denton (Texas) Arts Council proudly presents the 31st Annual Materials: Hard + Soft National Contemporary Craft Competition and Exhibition.
Public art: Prince George’s
Deadline: September 29. The Hyattsville (MD) Community Development Corporation is accepting artist proposals for the design and fabrication of two sculpturally-devised bus shelters for placement on Rhode Island Avenue in the Prince George’s County Gateway Arts & Entertainment District.
Foundry Gallery
Deadline: September 30. Foundry Gallery is seeking a few established or emerging artists in the greater Washington, DC area. The oldest cooperative in Washington, the gallery holds monthly solo and members’ group shows.
Washington Award
Deadline: October 5. S&R Foundation invites emerging artists including musicians, dancers, and visual artists to apply for the 2018 Washington Award. Winners receive $5,000 and the opportunity to showcase their work during the Washington Award Ceremony in the spring of 2018.
Virginia fellowships
Deadline: November 3. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship Program is a vital source of funding for the visual arts and art history in Virginia. VMFA is committed to supporting professional artists as well as art and art history students who demonstrate exceptional creative ability in their chosen discipline.
Show proposals
Deadline: Ongoing. ArtSpace Herndon (Herndon, VA) invites submissions for solo shows and thematic group shows from artists 18 years and older.
