Month: October 2018

Artist Opportunities #446

Artwork by Art League Instructor Milena Spasic

 

On Tuesdays, we gather a variety of artist opportunities from the DC area and beyond. Find one below and apply today — good luck! Click here for recent opportunities posts, and submit your opportunity listing here.

NEW:

Northern Virginia Conservation Trust’s Annual Nearby Nature Photo Competition (VA)

Deadline: October 31. The Northern Virginia Conservation Trust (NVCT) is a regional nonprofit land trust that forever conserves, manages and advocates for land that has natural, historical and cultural value to our Northern Virginia communities. NVCT works with conservation partners, local governments and private landowners to preserve, restore and steward land in Northern Virginia. NVCT’s service area includes 2.9 million residents in a fast-growing region that needs more outdoor recreation spaces. Since its founding in 1994, NVCT has protected nearly 7,000 acres in urban and rural areas. Every year, NVCT holds their annual Nearby Nature Photo Contest with both adult and youth categories. This fall, the three photo categories are as follows: Local Land and Water, Wildlife in Northern Virginia,  People Recreating in Nature. For more information, and to apply, visit the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust’s website.

Winterfest at Wunder Garten

Deadline: October 31. Local artisans are encouraged to apply to be a ventor at the Winterfest at Wunder Garten in DC. Participation fees range from $75 – $100 per day and will be collected at time of acceptance. This includes a 7′ x 18″ table underneath a heated tent (no need to bring your own tent).  *Note: There is no minimum on number of days required. Please select days that you wish to participate during the application process. In addition, apply to host your own Maker/DIY events! Maker/DIY events will limited and must be pre-approved. To learn more and apply, visit the Winterfest website form.

Taubman Museum of Art – Exhibitors wanted for 2019 Sidewalk Show Sale (VA)

Deadline: March 8, 2019. This annual benefit infuses downtown Roanoke with energy, excitement, and creativity, attracting 10,000 shoppers over the weekend! Don’t miss your opportunity to exhibit in this premier destination for fine art shopping, scheduled for June 1-2, 2018. Submission categories include: original paintings, prints, watercolors, etchings, mixed media, photography, fine craft and sculpture. To learn more and apply, visit the Taubman Museum of Art website.

Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!

Call For Artists / Request For Proposals for Sculptural Courtyard Art in Hyattsville, MD at Parkview Manor Apartments

Deadline: October 29. The Hyattsville Community Development Corporation, on behalf of Montgomery Housing Partnership, is accepting artist proposals for the design and fabrication of one sculptural shade structure and two  complementary sculptural courtyard art amenities, for placement at Parkview Manor Apartments, located in Hyattsville, within Prince George’s County, Maryland. For more information about the call, and to apply, visit the Hyattsville Community Development Corporation website.

Introductions 2019 (NY)

Deadline: October 31. “Introductions” is an annual open call hosted by Trestle Gallery. In support of their 2019 exhibition theme & focus, all applicants to 2019’s open call will be considered for a solo exhibition at Trestle Gallery. The only qualification is that artists may not have participated in a show at the Trestle Gallery before (previous open calls count, member salons do not count). The exhibit will be curated by Jason Andrew, an independent scholar, curator, and producer. A prominent figure in the Bushwick, Brooklyn art scene, Mr. Andrew is the co-founder and director of Norte Maar, a non-profit now celebrating its 10th anniversary encouraging, promoting, and presenting collaborative projects in the arts. To learn more and apply, visit the Trestle Gallery website.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum (DC)

Deadline: November 1. The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) and its Renwick Gallery invite applications for research fellowships in the art and visual culture of the United States. Fellowships are residential and support full-time independent and dissertation research. Recipients will be part of the premier residential fellowship program in American art—one that celebrates its fiftieth anniversary in 2020. The museum hosts a number of fellows each year through the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program (SIFP), and also awards its own named fellowships to candidates from this general pool. Only one application is necessary. All candidates should apply to the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program (SIFP). More information about the many opportunities and fellowships available at the SAAM website.

Call for Writing Submissions: Beyond Beautiful (MD)

Deadline: November 1. Maryland Art Place (MAP) is seeking writing submissions, love letters of all types, on behalf of “The One Thousand Love Letters Project” and the exhibition “Beyond Beautiful, created and curated by artist Peter Bruun. This exhibition is slated to open January 17, 2019 at Maryland Art Place, with a partner site for the exhibition located at Area 405. Beyond Beautiful focuses on eight topics –information and guidelines here. Peter Bruun, both curator and artist, will use these love letters to create 1,000 artistic responses to be displayed in the exhibition at MAP and Area 405. To date, Bruun has created over 600 drawings using excerpts from participant’s letters to contribute to “The One Thousand Love Letters Project.” Letters do not need to be submitted based on the listed topics and can be submitted digitally or physically.

CulturalDC Mobile Art Gallery

Deadline: November 1. CulturalDC is seeking artists of all kinds to submit new and engaging concepts for our Mobile Art Gallery. CulturalDC provides a platform for artists to obtain exposure with our network of arts organizations, audiences, and real estate developers. Artists will receive a stipend. CulturalDC staff also provides critical feedback as exhibitions are in development. Priority is given to artists and organizations who have not received program support from CulturalDC. For more information, and to apply, visit the CulturalDC website.

Celebrating You: Places of Personal Significance

Deadline: November 2, by 5:00 pm EST. Commonwealth Joe and Java Shack in Arlington, Virginia are seeking artwork for an upcoming art show, “Celebrating You: Places of Personal Significance.” All artwork must be: original and be on the subject of “places of personal significance,” must be 2D, and must be ready to hang (framed with hanging hardware). Accepted artwork that differs significantly from online submission will be disqualified. All artists must sign release form in order for work to be displayed. To submit, send digital images of your work with Name, Title of Work, Date, Materials used and a short description to [email protected] with “Java Shack Art Submission” as the subject line.

VMFA Visual Arts Fellowships (VA)

Deadline: November 2. 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 and, as such, has awarded nearly $5.5 million in Fellowships to Virginians. To learn more about the several fellowships available though the VMFA, visit the museum website.

Alexandria Office of the Arts First Friday: Season of Celebrations Call for Exhibitors

Deadline: November 12. The Office of the Arts will be trying something a little different for the December 7, First Friday: Season of Celebrations. If you are interested in being an exhibitor for this event, held in Alexandria, Virginia. Please exhibitor guide and sign-up form below to sign up.

Montgomery College, City of Rockville and Germantown Art Department – ArtWalk AIR Residency Program (MD)

Deadline: November 15. Montgomery College, Rockville and Germantown Art Department is seeking proposals for its ArtWalk/Artist-in-Residence Program (AIR), with a focus on arts initiatives for public, social, or community based outdoor visual arts projects. ArtWalk is a week to two weeks of public art in which art classes install outdoor public art or lead participatory art activities on the Germantown and Rockville Campuses. The Spring Artist in Residence (AiR) will work with students both inside and outside the classroom to create work that will engage students and AiR during the existing outdoor ArtWalk weeks on the Rockville and Germantown campuses. Professional artists or Artists Groups in all visual arts disciplines who are interested in working with students are encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to applicants whose work and proposal expand on the working range of foundation level teaching. ​To learn more and apply, visit the Montgomery College website.

Whitaker Art Scholarships for Spring 2019 Now Open

Deadline: November 15. The Frederic Whitaker and Eileen Monaghan Whitaker Scholarship Program was established in 2014 to assist art students whose undergraduate degree includes an emphasis on watercolor or art history/museum studies, in meeting those demands. Over the course of the application process, students will demonstrate their knowledge of Frederic Whitaker and Eileen Monaghan Whitaker’s paintings and history, by submitting a short essay or the applicant’s own watercolor paintings. Three scholarships are offered: Two awards of $2,000 Bachelor of Fine Art scholarships (watercolor emphasis), one award of $2,000 Bachelor of Art in Art History or Museum Studies. To learn more and apply, visit the Frederic Whitaker and Eileen Monaghan Whitaker Foundation website.

Torpedo Factory Target Gallery—2019 Solo Exhibition (VA)

Deadline: November 25. Target Gallery invites artists to apply for an open call for proposals for a solo exhibition for the summer of 2019. The individual or group associated with the chosen proposal will receive an exhibition at Target Gallery from June 14 through August 4, 2019. Proposals must be new bodies of work or works that have not been previously shown in the region. Individual works that have been previously shown can be entered if they are a part of new bodies of work and/or a new concept. The artist(s) will receive a $3000 stipend. To learn more and apply, visit the Torpedo Factory website.

Call for Submissions – Frame & Frequency IV Vol. 2 (MD)

Deadline: November 28. Frame & Frequency is an ongoing International Video and Sound Art Exchange program presented concurrently at VisArts In(Site) Project Gallery in Rockville, MD and at PLECTO Galeria in Medellín, Colombia, opening December 7, 2018. Video, sound art (up to 8 channels), film, and new media work will be accepted: experimental, documentary, animation, narrative, non-narrative, multimedia, virtual reality, augmented reality, net art, interactive media, etc. All foreign language moving image artworks must have English subtitles. To learn more, and apply, visit the VisArts website.

Women Artists Call — Pen and Brush Solo Exhibit (NY)

Deadline: December 31. Long-established contemporary art gallery and nonprofit seeking talented professional female artists for various opportunities. These opportunities include, but are in no way limited to: a solo exhibition in our ground floor space on 22nd street, group exhibition opportunities, inclusion in exhibition catalogues written by art historians and curators, and opportunities to expose work to influential curators. All work submitted must be contemporary art, submitted work must be complete, to be considered work must meet standards of quality, every work in a submission must be for sale. Artists must meet professional standards of composition and presentation of their work. To apply and learn more about this opportunity, visit the Pen and Brush website.

Fairfax, VA Artists: Apply to the ARTSFAIRFAX Artist Grant

Deadline: January 9. Artists working in all disciplines and residing in Fairfax County are eligible to apply for these $5000 grants.  This grant and workshop is geared toward experienced artists from all arts disciplines. Workshop participants will become familiar with the application process, grant writing best practices, and ARTSFAIRFAX’s online application system. To learn more and apply to the opportunity and learn more about the grant writing workshop, visit the ARTSFAIRFAX website.

Spark Box Studio Dawson Residency Award and Bursary (Canada)

Deadline: March 1, 2019. This award is open to residents of North America. Spark Box Studio is accepting applications from emerging, mid-career, and established artists. One artist will receive a month-long residency at our studio in Prince Edward County, plus the $1,000 Dawson bursary. The selected applicant will be granted a semi-private studio space and be given access to the Spark Box Studio equipment and resources. As well, the winner will be provided with living accommodations for their month-long stay. We support a range of disciplines including; drawers, illustrators, painters, writers, printmakers, film makers, performance artists, multidisciplinary artists, curators, book makers, musicians and photographers (digital)

Sunny Art Center International Art Prize

Deadline: June 30, 2019. The Sunny Art Prize is an international art competition hosted by Sunny Art Centre, London. This fine art award is a global platform, giving an opportunity to emerging and established artists to showcase their talents to a wider audience. We aim to display artistic and cultural diversity to the international art scenes of London, Beijing, Guangzhou and Macau. Sunny Art Award will promote an exchange in creativity between Western and Eastern cultures. We are looking for a variety of submissions which can range from two-dimensional works such as paintings, drawings and photographs, to three-dimensional sculptures, and ceramics. To learn more and apply, visit the Sunny Art Center website.

Ongoing:

Artist/Writers: Cover Art for Academic Medicine

Deadline: Rolling. Submit original works of art inspired by, but not necessarily representative of, an academic medicine experience from any perspective: caregiver, researcher, teacher, learner, or patient (for example, learning how to be a physician or scientist, caring for patients, exploring research questions, making a new discovery, being a research participant, teaching, or being cared for in a teaching hospital). The journal welcomes photography, sculpture, painting, textile work, and other visual media. Images may be cropped or resized to fit into the allotted cover space. Artists must also submit a related Cover Art essay as a narrative companion to the artwork, to explain the connection between the work and the “academic medicine experience.” The related narrative should be 250 to 600 words and is subject to editing. To apply for this opportunity, and to learn more, visit the Academic Medicine website.

Artist/Writers: Medicine and the Arts (MATA) Opportunity

Deadline: Rolling. This column is the journal’s longest-running feature. It is published on two facing pages. The left-hand page features an excerpt from literature, a poem, a photograph, etc. Literature excerpts generally run no more than 700 words and may include a very brief introduction as needed. The right-hand page presents an original commentary of about 900 words that explores the relevance of the artwork to the teaching, learning, and/or practice of medicine. Since submissions cannot be fully accepted for publication until Academic Medicine acquires permission to reprint literary excerpts or artworks (which often takes many months), authors should include all relevant information about the piece they are explicating (publisher, museum, dates, etc.) to enable staff editors to find and contact the copyright holder. Submissions undergo review and editing. To apply for this opportunity, and to learn more, visit the Academic Medicine website.

The Awesome Foundation Accepting Applications for Art Projects

Deadline: Open. The Awesome Foundation for the Arts and Sciences is a worldwide network of people devoted to forwarding the interest of “awesomeness in the universe.” Established in 2009, the foundation distributes $1,000 grants on a monthly basis to projects and their creators. The money is pooled from ten or more self-organizing “micro-trustees.” The chapters are autonomous and organized by the trustees around geographic areas or topics of interest. Apply on theAwesome Foundation website.

Call for Artists: Maryland Art Place Seeks Proposals for Rotating Exhibition Partnership with Baltimore’s Hotel Indigo (MD)

Deadline: rolling. Maryland Art Place (MAP), in partnership with Hotel Indigo is pleased to announce an open ‘Call to Artists’. As an extension of MAP’s annual IMPACT public art partnership projects, MAP is working with Hotel Indigo to offer rotating exhibitions in Hotel indigo’s library and Poets Modern Cocktails and Eats. This opportunity is available to visual artists living or working in Maryland. Maryland Art Place will curate four exhibitions a year based on submissions entered through a rolling basis. Guidelines and information here.

Peripheral ARTeries – Biennial Contemporary Art Publication

Deadline: Rolling. Peripheral ARTeries is looking for artists to be featured in the new special Biennial Edition of their art publication, that comes to its 10th edition. This opportunity is great for both established and early career artists who need a boost to their artist portfolio. The 10th edition will once again explore and show current trends and tendencies in Contemporary Art: Peripheral ARTeries cultivates a spirit of openness through a unique collaborative and participatory approach.Each artist may submit a maximum of three works or projects made in any technique: painting, drawing, video art, experimental cinema, fine art photography, experimental media, mixed media, installations, public art, performance. The call is open to all proposed kind of art and media capable of challenging the viewers’ traditional perspective on art itself. To submit, visit the Peripheral ARTeries website.

Exhibit at Hotel Indigo (VA)

Artists works will displayed in the hotel’s gallery (220 S Union St, Old Town Alexandria) for a six-month period. Two-dimensional, framed works only. Artists will install the work using the hotel’s mounting hardware. Labels will be provided by the hotel. All sales handled by artist, no commission. Preference for local or locally influenced selections but not required. The space measures approximately 7’10” by 8’3.″ If interested, contact Kate Ellis, General Manager, [email protected].

The New Project Studio – Ongoing Opportunity (VA)

Ongoing. Located in Studio 8, the New Project Studio is a community-focused arts incubator space that offers a short-term location to test new program ideas, spotlight underrepresented voices, and enhance community engagement. Projects rotate on a regular basis. For more information, clickhere.

Public Arts Grants & Opportunities (VA)

Ongoing. The City of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts provides grants for nonprofit arts organizations as well as individual artists. See all current opportunities and online applications here.

NYC volunteer opportunity (NY)

Introduce NYC school children to the world of art by giving tours at The MET Museum. Volunteer in this year-round program. Visit us at awnyc.org for more information.

Residency: Maryland

Deadline: ongoing. Montgomery College, Rockville and Germantown Art Department is seeking proposals for its Artist-in-Residence Program, encouraging proposals that cultivate collaborative work between artists and students.

Looking for artists: Foundry Gallery (DC)

Deadline: ongoing. Foundry Gallery is seeking a few artists in the greater Washington, DC area. If interested in applying for membership please send up to five images (jpg attachments) and an email letter to: [email protected]. The oldest cooperative in Washington, the gallery holds monthly solo and members’ group shows at its beautiful space north of Shaw near the 9:30 Club.

Looking for artists: Printmakers (DC)

Deadline: ongoing. Washington Printmakers Gallery is seeking artist members specializing in printmaking, photography and book arts. An active cooperative for over 30 years, the gallery holds monthly solo and members’ group shows in its lovely space in upper Georgetown. Distant and shared memberships are available. If interested in applying for membership please email [email protected].

Looking for artists: Multiple Exposures Gallery (VA)

www.sulfurstudios.org/function for more information and application instructions. Email [email protected] with any questions.

 

Artist Opportunities, News

What’s in a Self-Portrait?

Self Portrait in a Coat, Ephram Rubenstein
Self-Portrait in a Coat,Ephraim Rubenstein, oil on linen, 38×28
Does a self portrait have to be a visage of the artist? What makes a compelling self portrait in the selfie era?”The Self in Contemporary Self-Portraits,” an article by Art League instructor Ephraim Rubenstein,  written in 2008 for American Artist eloquently explains the role that self–portraiture can play in the life and career of an artist.

The self-portraits of most artists seem to congregate either around their youth or their old age, or in Shakespeare’s words, their entrances and their exits. The contemplation of death becomes increasingly pressing as we get older, as we prepare for our own exits…

Ephraim Rubenstein was born in Brooklyn New York in 1956.  He received his B.A. in Art History from Columbia University and his M.F.A. in Painting from Columbia University’s School of the Arts.  In addition, he attended classes at the Brooklyn Museum Art School, the National Academy School and the Art Students League.

Rubenstein has had eleven one-person exhibition in New York; seven at the Tibor de Nagy Gallery, one at Tatistcheff & Co., and three at George Billis Gallery in Chelsea. He has exhibited, as well, at the National Academy of Design, the Butler Institute of American Art, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Maier Museum of Art and the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. His work is represented in numerous public and private collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Exxon Corporation and Deloitte & Touche.

Rubenstein was Associate Professor of Art at the University of Richmond from 1987-1998, where he received the Distinguished Educator Award and the Outstanding Faculty Award from the Commonwealth of Virginia.  He has taught at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and the National Academy of Design School. He is currently on the faculty of the Art Students League of New York and Columbia University, where he teaches the Literature of Art Seminar and Life Drawing in the Department of Narrative Medicine.

Want to take a class with Ephraim? He will be teaching a workshop on Color Spot Painting  from January 5-6, 2019.

 

 

News

7 of our Favorite Mini-Maker Artful Halloween Costumes

To celebrate our inaugural Mini-Makers gallery program (a free guided art project for children 5 and younger on October 31st) The Art League has compiled seven of our favorite artful mini Halloween costumes, perfect for your little artist or to scale up for your own get up! From artists to famous paintings, these are our favorite pint-sized dress-up ideas.

Bob Ross (and a happy little tree)

Everyone’s favorite TV artist can be completed with a curly wig (or your kiddo’s own hair should they be lucky enough to have some of Ross’s signature curls) a little face paint, and a simple button down! Bonus points for brush or palette props, and a sibling can always dress as a “happy little tree” or “happy little cloud” and get in on the arty fun.

Frida Kahlo

Mexican artist Frida Kahlo’s bright style and signature unibrow make pulling off this costume easy. A floral summer dress, some fake flowers for a flower crown and some bright jewelry will transform your little one into the famously fashionable Kahlo.

Yayoi Kusama

Japanese Artist Yayoi Kusama (made a DC legend during her “Infinity Mirror” exhibit at the Hirshorn) has unique look that makes great use of that old Minnie Mouse costume you have laying around from last Halloween. If the outfit still fits your child, accessorize with a short red wig with bangs (Kusama’s signature cut), large sunglasses, and as many polka dots as you can get your hands on.

Andy Warhol

Nailing the Andy Warhol look is easy…jeans, a dark long sleeve top and dark sunglasses…followed by the artist’s signature mussed white hair. For extra credit, carry around a classic Campbell’s soup can, emptied out of course! This costume can easily be used next year as Steve Jobs getup.

“Son of Man” Rene Magritte painting

Get ready to go apple picking, because you’ll need an apple as big as your kiddo’s face for this one! A miniature suit and tie, and a bowler hat complete the outfit! Bonus points if your kid happens to be double jointed! 

Girl with the Pearl earring

This beautiful painting by Vermeer can be recreated with a series of draped fabrics and some costume jewelry. Have your little one pose against a dark background to complete the look for Halloween photos.

Van Gogh and Starry Night

Turn your little ones into Starry night and Van Gogh! For the painting (paint your own with fabric paint or get a print out of the painting and add some face paint for authenticity) add a frame or keep the outfit simple by just showing off the artwork. Some red beard face paint and a bandaged ear make for a perfect little Van Gogh, just add a palette you’re not using any more with lots of (DRIED) blues and yellows to complete the look. A great costume for siblings or friends.

There’s still time to sign up for our October 31 Mini-Makers program in the Gallery, but tickets are limited! To sign your kids up, and learn more, visit the Mini-Makers Eventbrite. See you there!

Events

Artist Opportunities #445

Photography by Robin Reid
Photography by Robin Reid

On Tuesdays, we gather a variety of artist opportunities from the DC area and beyond. Find one below and apply today — good luck! Click here for recent opportunities posts, and submit your opportunity listing here.

NEW:

CulturalDC Mobile Art Gallery

Deadline: November 1. CulturalDC is seeking artists of all kinds to submit new and engaging concepts for our Mobile Art Gallery. CulturalDC provides a platform for artists to obtain exposure with our network of arts organizations, audiences, and real estate developers. Artists will receive a stipend. CulturalDC staff also provides critical feedback as exhibitions are in development. Priority is given to artists and organizations who have not received program support from CulturalDC. For more information, and to apply, visit the CulturalDC website.

Celebrating You: Places of Personal Significance

Deadline: November 2, by 5:00 pm EST. Commonwealth Joe and Java Shack in Arlington, Virginia are seeking artwork for an upcoming art show, “Celebrating You: Places of Personal Significance.” All artwork must be: original and be on the subject of “places of personal significance,” must be 2D, and must be ready to hang (framed with hanging hardware). Accepted artwork that differs significantly from online submission will be disqualified. All artists must sign release form in order for work to be displayed. To submit, send digital images of your work with Name, Title of Work, Date, Materials used and a short description to [email protected] with “Java Shack Art Submission” as the subject line.

Alexandria Office of the Arts First Friday: Season of Celebrations Call for Exhibitors

Deadline: November 12. The Office of the Arts will be trying something a little different for the December 7, First Friday: Season of Celebrations. If you are interested in being an exhibitor for this event, held in Alexandria, Virginia. Please exhibitor guide and sign-up form below to sign up.

Whitaker Art Scholarships for Spring 2019 Now Open

Deadline: November 15. The Frederic Whitaker and Eileen Monaghan Whitaker Scholarship Program was established in 2014 to assist art students whose undergraduate degree includes an emphasis on watercolor or art history/museum studies, in meeting those demands. Over the course of the application process, students will demonstrate their knowledge of Frederic Whitaker and Eileen Monaghan Whitaker’s paintings and history, by submitting a short essay or the applicant’s own watercolor paintings. Three scholarships are offered: Two awards of $2,000 Bachelor of Fine Art scholarships (watercolor emphasis), one award of $2,000 Bachelor of Art in Art History or Museum Studies. To learn more and apply, visit the Frederic Whitaker and Eileen Monaghan Whitaker Foundation website.

Fairfax, VA Artists: Apply to the ARTSFAIRFAX Artist Grant

Deadline: January 9. Artists working in all disciplines and residing in Fairfax County are eligible to apply for these $5000 grants.  This grant and workshop is geared toward experienced artists from all arts disciplines. Workshop participants will become familiar with the application process, grant writing best practices, and ARTSFAIRFAX’s online application system. To learn more and apply to the opportunity and learn more about the grant writing workshop, visit the ARTSFAIRFAX website.

Peripheral ARTeries – Biennial Contemporary Art Publication

Deadline: Rolling. Peripheral ARTeries is looking for artists to be featured in the new special Biennial Edition of their art publication, that comes to its 10th edition. This opportunity is great for both established and early career artists who need a boost to their artist portfolio. The 10th edition will once again explore and show current trends and tendencies in Contemporary Art: Peripheral ARTeries cultivates a spirit of openness through a unique collaborative and participatory approach.Each artist may submit a maximum of three works or projects made in any technique: painting, drawing, video art, experimental cinema, fine art photography, experimental media, mixed media, installations, public art, performance. The call is open to all proposed kind of art and media capable of challenging the viewers’ traditional perspective on art itself. To submit, visit the Peripheral ARTeries website.

Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!

Call For Artists / Request For Proposals for Sculptural Courtyard Art in Hyattsville, MD at Parkview Manor Apartments

Deadline: October 29. The Hyattsville Community Development Corporation, on behalf of Montgomery Housing Partnership, is accepting artist proposals for the design and fabrication of one sculptural shade structure and two  complementary sculptural courtyard art amenities, for placement at Parkview Manor Apartments, located in Hyattsville, within Prince George’s County, Maryland. For more information about the call, and to apply, visit the Hyattsville Community Development Corporation website.

Introductions 2019 (NY)

Deadline: October 31. “Introductions” is an annual open call hosted by Trestle Gallery. In support of their 2019 exhibition theme & focus, all applicants to 2019’s open call will be considered for a solo exhibition at Trestle Gallery. The only qualification is that artists may not have participated in a show at the Trestle Gallery before (previous open calls count, member salons do not count). The exhibit will be curated by Jason Andrew, an independent scholar, curator, and producer. A prominent figure in the Bushwick, Brooklyn art scene, Mr. Andrew is the co-founder and director of Norte Maar, a non-profit now celebrating its 10th anniversary encouraging, promoting, and presenting collaborative projects in the arts. To learn more and apply, visit the Trestle Gallery website.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum (DC)

Deadline: November 1. The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) and its Renwick Gallery invite applications for research fellowships in the art and visual culture of the United States. Fellowships are residential and support full-time independent and dissertation research. Recipients will be part of the premier residential fellowship program in American art—one that celebrates its fiftieth anniversary in 2020. The museum hosts a number of fellows each year through the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program (SIFP), and also awards its own named fellowships to candidates from this general pool. Only one application is necessary. All candidates should apply to the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program (SIFP). More information about the many opportunities and fellowships available at the SAAM website.

Call for Writing Submissions: Beyond Beautiful (MD)

Deadline: November 1. Maryland Art Place (MAP) is seeking writing submissions, love letters of all types, on behalf of “The One Thousand Love Letters Project” and the exhibition “Beyond Beautiful, created and curated by artist Peter Bruun. This exhibition is slated to open January 17, 2019 at Maryland Art Place, with a partner site for the exhibition located at Area 405. Beyond Beautiful focuses on eight topics –information and guidelines here. Peter Bruun, both curator and artist, will use these love letters to create 1,000 artistic responses to be displayed in the exhibition at MAP and Area 405. To date, Bruun has created over 600 drawings using excerpts from participant’s letters to contribute to “The One Thousand Love Letters Project.” Letters do not need to be submitted based on the listed topics and can be submitted digitally or physically.

VMFA Visual Arts Fellowships (VA)

Deadline: November 2. 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 and, as such, has awarded nearly $5.5 million in Fellowships to Virginians. To learn more about the several fellowships available though the VMFA, visit the museum website.

Montgomery College, City of Rockville and Germantown Art Department – ArtWalk AIR Residency Program (MD)

Deadline: November 15. Montgomery College, Rockville and Germantown Art Department is seeking proposals for its ArtWalk/Artist-in-Residence Program (AIR), with a focus on arts initiatives for public, social, or community based outdoor visual arts projects. ArtWalk is a week to two weeks of public art in which art classes install outdoor public art or lead participatory art activities on the Germantown and Rockville Campuses. The Spring Artist in Residence (AiR) will work with students both inside and outside the classroom to create work that will engage students and AiR during the existing outdoor ArtWalk weeks on the Rockville and Germantown campuses. Professional artists or Artists Groups in all visual arts disciplines who are interested in working with students are encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to applicants whose work and proposal expand on the working range of foundation level teaching. ​To learn more and apply, visit the Montgomery College website.

Torpedo Factory Target Gallery—2019 Solo Exhibition (VA)

Deadline: November 25. Target Gallery invites artists to apply for an open call for proposals for a solo exhibition for the summer of 2019. The individual or group associated with the chosen proposal will receive an exhibition at Target Gallery from June 14 through August 4, 2019. Proposals must be new bodies of work or works that have not been previously shown in the region. Individual works that have been previously shown can be entered if they are a part of new bodies of work and/or a new concept. The artist(s) will receive a $3000 stipend. To learn more and apply, visit the Torpedo Factory website.

Call for Submissions – Frame & Frequency IV Vol. 2 (MD)

Deadline: November 28. Frame & Frequency is an ongoing International Video and Sound Art Exchange program presented concurrently at VisArts In(Site) Project Gallery in Rockville, MD and at PLECTO Galeria in Medellín, Colombia, opening December 7, 2018. Video, sound art (up to 8 channels), film, and new media work will be accepted: experimental, documentary, animation, narrative, non-narrative, multimedia, virtual reality, augmented reality, net art, interactive media, etc. All foreign language moving image artworks must have English subtitles. To learn more, and apply, visit the VisArts website.

Women Artists Call — Pen and Brush Solo Exhibit (NY)

Deadline: December 31. Long-established contemporary art gallery and nonprofit seeking talented professional female artists for various opportunities. These opportunities include, but are in no way limited to: a solo exhibition in our ground floor space on 22nd street, group exhibition opportunities, inclusion in exhibition catalogues written by art historians and curators, and opportunities to expose work to influential curators. All work submitted must be contemporary art, submitted work must be complete, to be considered work must meet standards of quality, every work in a submission must be for sale. Artists must meet professional standards of composition and presentation of their work. To apply and learn more about this opportunity, visit the Pen and Brush website.

Spark Box Studio Dawson Residency Award and Bursary (Canada)

Deadline: March 1, 2019. This award is open to residents of North America. Spark Box Studio is accepting applications from emerging, mid-career, and established artists. One artist will receive a month-long residency at our studio in Prince Edward County, plus the $1,000 Dawson bursary. The selected applicant will be granted a semi-private studio space and be given access to the Spark Box Studio equipment and resources. As well, the winner will be provided with living accommodations for their month-long stay. We support a range of disciplines including; drawers, illustrators, painters, writers, printmakers, film makers, performance artists, multidisciplinary artists, curators, book makers, musicians and photographers (digital)

Sunny Art Center International Art Prize

Deadline: June 30, 2019. The Sunny Art Prize is an international art competition hosted by Sunny Art Centre, London. This fine art award is a global platform, giving an opportunity to emerging and established artists to showcase their talents to a wider audience. We aim to display artistic and cultural diversity to the international art scenes of London, Beijing, Guangzhou and Macau. Sunny Art Award will promote an exchange in creativity between Western and Eastern cultures. We are looking for a variety of submissions which can range from two-dimensional works such as paintings, drawings and photographs, to three-dimensional sculptures, and ceramics. To learn more and apply, visit the Sunny Art Center website.

Ongoing:

Artist/Writers: Cover Art for Academic Medicine

Deadline: Rolling. Submit original works of art inspired by, but not necessarily representative of, an academic medicine experience from any perspective: caregiver, researcher, teacher, learner, or patient (for example, learning how to be a physician or scientist, caring for patients, exploring research questions, making a new discovery, being a research participant, teaching, or being cared for in a teaching hospital). The journal welcomes photography, sculpture, painting, textile work, and other visual media. Images may be cropped or resized to fit into the allotted cover space. Artists must also submit a related Cover Art essay as a narrative companion to the artwork, to explain the connection between the work and the “academic medicine experience.” The related narrative should be 250 to 600 words and is subject to editing. To apply for this opportunity, and to learn more, visit the Academic Medicine website.

Artist/Writers: Medicine and the Arts (MATA) Opportunity

Deadline: Rolling. This column is the journal’s longest-running feature. It is published on two facing pages. The left-hand page features an excerpt from literature, a poem, a photograph, etc. Literature excerpts generally run no more than 700 words and may include a very brief introduction as needed. The right-hand page presents an original commentary of about 900 words that explores the relevance of the artwork to the teaching, learning, and/or practice of medicine. Since submissions cannot be fully accepted for publication until Academic Medicine acquires permission to reprint literary excerpts or artworks (which often takes many months), authors should include all relevant information about the piece they are explicating (publisher, museum, dates, etc.) to enable staff editors to find and contact the copyright holder. Submissions undergo review and editing. To apply for this opportunity, and to learn more, visit the Academic Medicine website.

The Awesome Foundation Accepting Applications for Art Projects

Deadline: Open. The Awesome Foundation for the Arts and Sciences is a worldwide network of people devoted to forwarding the interest of “awesomeness in the universe.” Established in 2009, the foundation distributes $1,000 grants on a monthly basis to projects and their creators. The money is pooled from ten or more self-organizing “micro-trustees.” The chapters are autonomous and organized by the trustees around geographic areas or topics of interest. Apply on theAwesome Foundation website.

Call for Artists: Maryland Art Place Seeks Proposals for Rotating Exhibition Partnership with Baltimore’s Hotel Indigo (MD)

Deadline: rolling. Maryland Art Place (MAP), in partnership with Hotel Indigo is pleased to announce an open ‘Call to Artists’. As an extension of MAP’s annual IMPACT public art partnership projects, MAP is working with Hotel Indigo to offer rotating exhibitions in Hotel indigo’s library and Poets Modern Cocktails and Eats. This opportunity is available to visual artists living or working in Maryland. Maryland Art Place will curate four exhibitions a year based on submissions entered through a rolling basis. Guidelines and information here.

Exhibit at Hotel Indigo (VA)

Artists works will displayed in the hotel’s gallery (220 S Union St, Old Town Alexandria) for a six-month period. Two-dimensional, framed works only. Artists will install the work using the hotel’s mounting hardware. Labels will be provided by the hotel. All sales handled by artist, no commission. Preference for local or locally influenced selections but not required. The space measures approximately 7’10” by 8’3.″ If interested, contact Kate Ellis, General Manager, [email protected].

The New Project Studio – Ongoing Opportunity (VA)

Ongoing. Located in Studio 8, the New Project Studio is a community-focused arts incubator space that offers a short-term location to test new program ideas, spotlight underrepresented voices, and enhance community engagement. Projects rotate on a regular basis. For more information, clickhere.

Public Arts Grants & Opportunities (VA)

Ongoing. The City of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts provides grants for nonprofit arts organizations as well as individual artists. See all current opportunities and online applications here.

NYC volunteer opportunity (NY)

Introduce NYC school children to the world of art by giving tours at The MET Museum. Volunteer in this year-round program. Visit us at awnyc.org for more information.

Residency: Maryland

Deadline: ongoing. Montgomery College, Rockville and Germantown Art Department is seeking proposals for its Artist-in-Residence Program, encouraging proposals that cultivate collaborative work between artists and students.

Looking for artists: Foundry Gallery (DC)

Deadline: ongoing. Foundry Gallery is seeking a few artists in the greater Washington, DC area. If interested in applying for membership please send up to five images (jpg attachments) and an email letter to: [email protected]. The oldest cooperative in Washington, the gallery holds monthly solo and members’ group shows at its beautiful space north of Shaw near the 9:30 Club.

Looking for artists: Printmakers (DC)

Deadline: ongoing. Washington Printmakers Gallery is seeking artist members specializing in printmaking, photography and book arts. An active cooperative for over 30 years, the gallery holds monthly solo and members’ group shows in its lovely space in upper Georgetown. Distant and shared memberships are available. If interested in applying for membership please email [email protected].

Looking for artists: Multiple Exposures Gallery (VA)

www.sulfurstudios.org/function for more information and application instructions. Email [email protected] with any questions.

 

Artist Opportunities

Art on Film: “Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance”

Birdman review

In a series of blog posts, The Art League explores the intersection of film and art and what it means to be an artist, starting with the 2014 film, “Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance” starring Michael Keaton. 

Shot as one continuous, frenetic take which winds through the dark, labyrinthine back hallways of a Broadway theatre production, Birdman creatively explores the universal struggles of “art-making”. Apprehensive, anxious drums punctuate discussions of authenticity, success, personal insecurities and everything in between. Nearly every character in the film struggles in their own way to succeed, to “make it.” From the well-respected theatre critic to the stage crew behind the scenes, we see their attempts as creatives trying to legitimize themselves and establish themselves as masters of their craft. The energetic, asymmetrical beats bounce off the brick walls and tumble into small spaces, where we find these conversations.

And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on the earth.
~Raymond Carver

At the center of this production is Riggan Thomson, an older Hollywood actor made famous by his previous role as the popular action hero “Birdman.” He has chosen to produce, direct and star in his own adaptation of Raymond Carver’s series of short stories “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love”– an undertaking he has convinced himself, and perhaps only himself, will revive his career as an actor, but most importantly gain him legitimacy as an artist.

To interviewers and critics, Riggan unabashedly promotes this image of himself as a true auteur, the “real deal”, despite his internationally-known identity as a mainstream “celebrity”. He is desperately attempting to redefine himself in the art world, to distance himself as much as possible from his identity as a Hollywood superhero. Ironically, Riggan uses his celebrity “powers”, i.e. money and connections, to indulge himself in this project. Throughout the film, we come to understand that no amount of money can buy artistic legitimacy.

The greatest obstacle for Riggan to overcome both artistically as well as personally is his own self-doubt. He is plagued by an incessant inner dialogue between himself as Riggan Thomson, and the character of “Birdman” who is attempting to sow doubt throughout the process in an effort to pull Riggan back into the safer, more predictable world of mainstream popular culture, where success is easier to attain for him. He doubts that he will ever be able to pull this more meaningful production off, but there remains a side of Riggan that pushes through this critical voice and is able to keep working.

Drawings from the movie, Birdman
Drawings from the movie, Birdman

Nearly every artist has experienced a similar struggle. Regardless of the amount of support, both emotionally as well as financially, creating art can be a journey of hard truths and self-doubt. Artists or not, we all hope to connect with the world around us as we would like to be seen or understood. However, the human condition remains, confining our own hopes and aspirations only to what we are willing to embrace, as well as sacrifice, in order to achieve. This is at once both a motivating and daunting fact.

While we should all aim to challenge ourselves as artists and push the boundaries of what we think we are capable of achieving, we must also be willing to endure the growing pains of such a journey. This film is a microcosm of a much larger, shared experience. Perhaps we can find and share effective ways of quelling our fears and doubts if we are able to first address them.

How have you experienced self-doubt as an artist, and what methods have you used to overcome it?

Art on Film

Julia Dzikiewicz: Protests Past and Present

Women's March 2017
Women’s March 2017

Growing up with activist parents, Dzikiewicz learned to see injustice in the world from an early age. Her mother marched for the Equal Rights Amendment and participated in politics and human rights campaigns.

Dzikiewcz creates her work mostly in wax, from figurine hands to embellishment, to famous faces. However, in between all those haunting waxen figures and ornament, lies a ray of light—literally. Many of Dzikiewiczs’ works feature embedded miniature LED lights that give the 3D work even more dimensionality and an added element of interest.

wax encaustic detail of hands knitting one of the eponymous pink hats from the Women's March 2017
Wax encaustic detail of hands knitting one of the eponymous pink hats from Women’s March 2017

Reminiscent of Byzantine and early Christian art, Dzikiewcz focuses on female figures with extravagant embellishment, marrying whimsy and technology, with historical influences. She also mixes in a bit of humor, and always begs the viewer to take a closer look.

In Lucy Burns, Dzikiewz tells the story of suffragist and pacifist Lucy Burns, after she was arrested at a peaceful White House protest in 1917 and jailed at Occoquan Workhouse in Lorton, Virginia. The night of November 10, 2017, or “Night of Terror” as it became known, proved to be a harrowing night of imprisonment, brutality, and abuse for the 33 female suffragists who were arrested following the protest. Eventually, their imprisonment was ruled unconstitutional, and they were granted release after a Presidential plea.

Lucy Burns by Julie Dzikiewicz
Lucy Burns by Julie Dzikiewicz

“My work is about women coming together to show strength in the face of hate,” Dzikiewicz said. Many of Dzikiewicz’s pieces include the juxtaposition of hatred and evil, often depicted in reds and blacks, and strength and unity, often depicted in blues and pinks.

Detail of Womens March 2017
Detail of Womens March 2017

In Women’s March 2017, Dzikiewicz features the singer-songwriter Alicia Keys, one of the presenters at the Women’s March on Washington in January 2017, visually showcasing Alicia’s voice through musical notes. The painting dually depicts the importance of her voice pushing back against symbols of hatred that the Women’s March sought to fight against. The top corners of the piece feature the oldest speaker at the march (Gloria Steinem, the 83-year old feminist political activist), and the youngest (Sophie Cruz, a 6-year old immigration rights activist): showcasing the Women’s Movement’s strong past as well as its bright future.

“Pink Hat Protest Paintings” will be on view at The Art League Gallery from October 10—November 4, 2018. If you’d like to learn more about the artist and her work, RSVP for “Drawn In: A Look at Protest Paintings” on October 25.

News

Artist Opportunities #444

"Big Penguin" by Lisa Schumaier
“Big Penguin” by Lisa Schumaier

On Tuesdays, we gather a variety of artist opportunities from the DC area and beyond. Find one below and apply today — good luck! Click here for recent opportunities posts, and submit your opportunity listing here.

NEW:

GASP: Great Art, Small Prices – Artists in Middleburg (VA)

Deadline: October 19. Remember the saying, “great things come in small packages”? This is the inspiration for this upcoming exhibit. The prices of the art work is limited by a maximum price, $500. A perfect holiday theme when many are searching for the perfect gift for someone. To learn more and apply, visit the Artists in Middleburg website. 

Montgomery College, City of Rockville and Germantown Art Department – ArtWalk AIR Residency Program (MD)

Deadline: November 15. Montgomery College, Rockville and Germantown Art Department is seeking proposals for its ArtWalk/Artist-in-Residence Program (AIR), with a focus on arts initiatives for public, social, or community based outdoor visual arts projects. ArtWalk is a week to two weeks of public art in which art classes install outdoor public art or lead participatory art activities on the Germantown and Rockville Campuses. The Spring Artist in Residence (AiR) will work with students both inside and outside the classroom to create work that will engage students and AiR during the existing outdoor ArtWalk weeks on the Rockville and Germantown campuses. Professional artists or Artists Groups in all visual arts disciplines who are interested in working with students are encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to applicants whose work and proposal expand on the working range of foundation level teaching. ​To learn more and apply, visit the Montgomery College website.

Sunny Art Center International Art Prize

Deadline: June 30, 2019. The Sunny Art Prize is an international art competition hosted by Sunny Art Centre, London. This fine art award is a global platform, giving an opportunity to emerging and established artists to showcase their talents to a wider audience. We aim to display artistic and cultural diversity to the international art scenes of London, Beijing, Guangzhou and Macau. Sunny Art Award will promote an exchange in creativity between Western and Eastern cultures. We are looking for a variety of submissions which can range from two-dimensional works such as paintings, drawings and photographs, to three-dimensional sculptures, and ceramics. To learn more and apply, visit the Sunny Art Center website. 

Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!

Call For Artists / Request For Proposals for Sculptural Courtyard Art in Hyattsville, MD at Parkview Manor Apartments

Deadline: October 29. The Hyattsville Community Development Corporation, on behalf of Montgomery Housing Partnership, is accepting artist proposals for the design and fabrication of one sculptural shade structure and two  complementary sculptural courtyard art amenities, for placement at Parkview Manor Apartments, located in Hyattsville, within Prince George’s County, Maryland. For more information about the call, and to apply, visit the Hyattsville Community Development Corporation website.

Introductions 2019 (NY)

Deadline: October 31. “Introductions” is an annual open call hosted by Trestle Gallery. In support of their 2019 exhibition theme & focus, all applicants to 2019’s open call will be considered for a solo exhibition at Trestle Gallery. The only qualification is that artists may not have participated in a show at the Trestle Gallery before (previous open calls count, member salons do not count). The exhibit will be curated by Jason Andrew, an independent scholar, curator, and producer. A prominent figure in the Bushwick, Brooklyn art scene, Mr. Andrew is the co-founder and director of Norte Maar, a non-profit now celebrating its 10th anniversary encouraging, promoting, and presenting collaborative projects in the arts. To learn more and apply, visit the Trestle Gallery website.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum (DC)

Deadline: November 1. The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) and its Renwick Gallery invite applications for research fellowships in the art and visual culture of the United States. Fellowships are residential and support full-time independent and dissertation research. Recipients will be part of the premier residential fellowship program in American art—one that celebrates its fiftieth anniversary in 2020. The museum hosts a number of fellows each year through the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program (SIFP), and also awards its own named fellowships to candidates from this general pool. Only one application is necessary. All candidates should apply to the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program (SIFP). More information about the many opportunities and fellowships available at the SAAM website.

Call for Writing Submissions: Beyond Beautiful (MD)

Deadline: November 1. Maryland Art Place (MAP) is seeking writing submissions, love letters of all types, on behalf of “The One Thousand Love Letters Project” and the exhibition “Beyond Beautiful, created and curated by artist Peter Bruun. This exhibition is slated to open January 17, 2019 at Maryland Art Place, with a partner site for the exhibition located at Area 405. Beyond Beautiful focuses on eight topics –information and guidelines here. Peter Bruun, both curator and artist, will use these love letters to create 1,000 artistic responses to be displayed in the exhibition at MAP and Area 405. To date, Bruun has created over 600 drawings using excerpts from participant’s letters to contribute to “The One Thousand Love Letters Project.” Letters do not need to be submitted based on the listed topics and can be submitted digitally or physically.

VMFA Visual Arts Fellowships (VA)

Deadline: November 2. 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 and, as such, has awarded nearly $5.5 million in Fellowships to Virginians. To learn more about the several fellowships available though the VMFA, visit the museum website.

Torpedo Factory Target Gallery—2019 Solo Exhibition (VA)

Deadline: November 25. Target Gallery invites artists to apply for an open call for proposals for a solo exhibition for the summer of 2019. The individual or group associated with the chosen proposal will receive an exhibition at Target Gallery from June 14 through August 4, 2019. Proposals must be new bodies of work or works that have not been previously shown in the region. Individual works that have been previously shown can be entered if they are a part of new bodies of work and/or a new concept. The artist(s) will receive a $3000 stipend. To learn more and apply, visit the Torpedo Factory website.

Call for Submissions – Frame & Frequency IV Vol. 2 (MD)

Deadline: November 28. Frame & Frequency is an ongoing International Video and Sound Art Exchange program presented concurrently at VisArts In(Site) Project Gallery in Rockville, MD and at PLECTO Galeria in Medellín, Colombia, opening December 7, 2018. Video, sound art (up to 8 channels), film, and new media work will be accepted: experimental, documentary, animation, narrative, non-narrative, multimedia, virtual reality, augmented reality, net art, interactive media, etc. All foreign language moving image artworks must have English subtitles. To learn more, and apply, visit the VisArts website.

Women Artists Call — Pen and Brush Solo Exhibit (NY)

Deadline: December 31. Long-established contemporary art gallery and nonprofit seeking talented professional female artists for various opportunities. These opportunities include, but are in no way limited to: a solo exhibition in our ground floor space on 22nd street, group exhibition opportunities, inclusion in exhibition catalogues written by art historians and curators, and opportunities to expose work to influential curators. All work submitted must be contemporary art, submitted work must be complete, to be considered work must meet standards of quality, every work in a submission must be for sale. Artists must meet professional standards of composition and presentation of their work. To apply and learn more about this opportunity, visit the Pen and Brush website.

Spark Box Studio Dawson Residency Award and Bursary (Canada)

Deadline: March 1, 2019. This award is open to residents of North America. Spark Box Studio is accepting applications from emerging, mid-career, and established artists. One artist will receive a month-long residency at our studio in Prince Edward County, plus the $1,000 Dawson bursary. The selected applicant will be granted a semi-private studio space and be given access to the Spark Box Studio equipment and resources. As well, the winner will be provided with living accommodations for their month-long stay. We support a range of disciplines including; drawers, illustrators, painters, writers, printmakers, film makers, performance artists, multidisciplinary artists, curators, book makers, musicians and photographers (digital)

Ongoing:

Artist/Writers: Cover Art for Academic Medicine

Deadline: Rolling. Submit original works of art inspired by, but not necessarily representative of, an academic medicine experience from any perspective: caregiver, researcher, teacher, learner, or patient (for example, learning how to be a physician or scientist, caring for patients, exploring research questions, making a new discovery, being a research participant, teaching, or being cared for in a teaching hospital). The journal welcomes photography, sculpture, painting, textile work, and other visual media. Images may be cropped or resized to fit into the allotted cover space. Artists must also submit a related Cover Art essay as a narrative companion to the artwork, to explain the connection between the work and the “academic medicine experience.” The related narrative should be 250 to 600 words and is subject to editing. To apply for this opportunity, and to learn more, visit the Academic Medicine website.

Artist/Writers: Medicine and the Arts (MATA) Opportunity

Deadline: Rolling. This column is the journal’s longest-running feature. It is published on two facing pages. The left-hand page features an excerpt from literature, a poem, a photograph, etc. Literature excerpts generally run no more than 700 words and may include a very brief introduction as needed. The right-hand page presents an original commentary of about 900 words that explores the relevance of the artwork to the teaching, learning, and/or practice of medicine. Since submissions cannot be fully accepted for publication until Academic Medicine acquires permission to reprint literary excerpts or artworks (which often takes many months), authors should include all relevant information about the piece they are explicating (publisher, museum, dates, etc.) to enable staff editors to find and contact the copyright holder. Submissions undergo review and editing. To apply for this opportunity, and to learn more, visit the Academic Medicine website.

The Awesome Foundation Accepting Applications for Art Projects

Deadline: Open. The Awesome Foundation for the Arts and Sciences is a worldwide network of people devoted to forwarding the interest of “awesomeness in the universe.” Established in 2009, the foundation distributes $1,000 grants on a monthly basis to projects and their creators. The money is pooled from ten or more self-organizing “micro-trustees.” The chapters are autonomous and organized by the trustees around geographic areas or topics of interest. Apply on theAwesome Foundation website.

Call for Artists: Maryland Art Place Seeks Proposals for Rotating Exhibition Partnership with Baltimore’s Hotel Indigo (MD)

Deadline: rolling. Maryland Art Place (MAP), in partnership with Hotel Indigo is pleased to announce an open ‘Call to Artists’. As an extension of MAP’s annual IMPACT public art partnership projects, MAP is working with Hotel Indigo to offer rotating exhibitions in Hotel indigo’s library and Poets Modern Cocktails and Eats. This opportunity is available to visual artists living or working in Maryland. Maryland Art Place will curate four exhibitions a year based on submissions entered through a rolling basis. Guidelines and information here.

Exhibit at Hotel Indigo (VA)

Artists works will displayed in the hotel’s gallery (220 S Union St, Old Town Alexandria) for a six-month period. Two-dimensional, framed works only. Artists will install the work using the hotel’s mounting hardware. Labels will be provided by the hotel. All sales handled by artist, no commission. Preference for local or locally influenced selections but not required. The space measures approximately 7’10” by 8’3.″ If interested, contact Kate Ellis, General Manager, [email protected].

The New Project Studio – Ongoing Opportunity (VA)

Ongoing. Located in Studio 8, the New Project Studio is a community-focused arts incubator space that offers a short-term location to test new program ideas, spotlight underrepresented voices, and enhance community engagement. Projects rotate on a regular basis. For more information, clickhere.

Public Arts Grants & Opportunities (VA)

Ongoing. The City of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts provides grants for nonprofit arts organizations as well as individual artists. See all current opportunities and online applications here.

NYC volunteer opportunity (NY)

Introduce NYC school children to the world of art by giving tours at The MET Museum. Volunteer in this year-round program. Visit us at awnyc.org for more information.

Residency: Maryland

Deadline: ongoing. Montgomery College, Rockville and Germantown Art Department is seeking proposals for its Artist-in-Residence Program, encouraging proposals that cultivate collaborative work between artists and students.

Looking for artists: Foundry Gallery (DC)

Deadline: ongoing. Foundry Gallery is seeking a few artists in the greater Washington, DC area. If interested in applying for membership please send up to five images (jpg attachments) and an email letter to: [email protected]. The oldest cooperative in Washington, the gallery holds monthly solo and members’ group shows at its beautiful space north of Shaw near the 9:30 Club.

Looking for artists: Printmakers (DC)

Deadline: ongoing. Washington Printmakers Gallery is seeking artist members specializing in printmaking, photography and book arts. An active cooperative for over 30 years, the gallery holds monthly solo and members’ group shows in its lovely space in upper Georgetown. Distant and shared memberships are available. If interested in applying for membership please email [email protected].

Looking for artists: Multiple Exposures Gallery (VA)

www.sulfurstudios.org/function for more information and application instructions. Email [email protected] with any questions.

Artist Opportunities, News

Repost: How & Why to Sign Your Artwork

Famous artists' signatures
Signing artwork is an important part of the creative process that’s sometimes overlooked. Here are three signatures we’d all like to find in our attic! (via)

The Art League Blog is taking a trip down memory lane and reposting/updating some of our most popular resources. 

What’s the first thing you do after you’ve finished a piece of artwork? Frame it? Take a photo? Put it on your website?

Not so fast. Before you do anything else, you need to sign it.

Common mistakes in signing artwork

The most common mistake artists make with signatures is not signing artwork in the first place. Maybe you forgot, maybe you aren’t sure how, or maybe you don’t feel like a “real” artist.

This is no time to be shy — signing artwork is a must. It gives the work value and marks it as a finished, sellable piece of work. (We’re including examples from Art League artists throughout this post.)

Artichokes on a Crate by Brent Erickson, signed with the artist’s initials in a trompe l’oeil style.

There are some other mistakes you can make when signing your art:

  • Distracting from the artwork: Your signature should be small and unobtrusive. This is not the time to break out your glitter marker.
  • Signing illegibly: The signature is there to identify you as the artist, so make sure it’s legible.
  • Signing the matte: For photographs and other prints, we sometimes see artists sign the matte. You should sign the print itself — probably not on the image, but just outside, or on the back. This way, if the piece gets reframed, the signature goes where the art goes.
  • Using non-archival materials: Just like the artwork itself, your signature should be made to last. Don’t use ink that will fade over time, for example.
Blue Dot, Yellow Center by Marilyn Grelle. The signature is on the same paper as the monotype, printed neatly just below the image along with the piece’s title.

Where and how to sign

Where to sign is up to you: some artists do it on the back, some on the front in a corner. As you’ll see below, there are other places to “hide” a signature. Most artists, however, sign in a bottom corner, and that’s where a collector will look first.

Just be sure to sign on the artwork itself — not on the matte or a stretcher bar, for example.

#877 by Tory Cowles is signed on the side of the gallery-wrapped canvas.

How to sign depends on your medium: pen or pencil are good for works on paper. Painters should sign in paint (using a small brush) with a color that makes sense for the artwork. Again, your artist signature should be legible but not draw attention to itself.

Keep in mind this doesn’t have to be the same signature you use for signing checks: you can use your initials or a monogram, like Albrecht Durer’s at the top of this post.

Signing artwork with a chain stitch
Diane Blackwell signed her sculpture The Washington Football with a chain stitch.

What about three-dimensional work?

The same basic rules apply to sculptures and other three-dimensional work. That is, you should sign unobtrusively on the work itself and not, for example, on a detachable base.

For jewelry and ceramic works, you may want to create a unique maker’s mark. You can see Blair Meerfeld’s distinctive mark below:

Signing artwork with a maker's mark
Blair Meerfeld

Jewelry can be tricky when it’s very small. Whitney Staiger puts “UDOP,” the name of her jewelry business, on the inside of pieces when she can.

Creative solutions

As long as it doesn’t detract from the artwork, there’s no reason you can’t get creative with your signature! You are an artist, after all.

  • In this video, Sara Linda Poly shares a good tip for painters: you can sign with a color shaper by removing paint. It’s probably a little easier to write with, compared to a brush.
  • You can have a little fun by hiding your signature in the subject matter, like Joey Mánlapaz does in her painting below.
911 by Joey Mánlapaz features a signature built into the scene.

Artists, is there anything else you’d like to know about signing artwork? Let us know in the comments!

Artful Resources

Artist Opportunities #443

Still Life by Tania Karpowitz
Still Life by Art League Instructor Tania Karpowitz

On Tuesdays, we gather a variety of artist opportunities from the DC area and beyond. Find one below and apply today — good luck! Click here for recent opportunities posts, and submit your opportunity listing here.

NEW:

Blick Inktober Pen and Ink Challenge

Deadline: October 14. October is all about ink! Submit your pen and ink art, and you could be one of five artists to win a prize pack worth more than $400.  Open to US residents, ages 18 and older. Limit one entry per artist. For more information and to apply, visit the Blick website.

Call For Artists / Request For Proposals for Sculptural Courtyard Art in Hyattsville, MD at Parkview Manor Apartments

Deadline: October 29. The Hyattsville Community Development Corporation, on behalf of Montgomery Housing Partnership, is accepting artist proposals for the design and fabrication of one sculptural shade structure and two  complementary sculptural courtyard art amenities, for placement at Parkview Manor Apartments, located in Hyattsville, within Prince George’s County, Maryland. For more information about the call, and to apply, visit the Hyattsville Community Development Corporation website.

Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!

The Chelsea International Photography Competition (NY)

Deadline: October 9. The Chelsea International Photography Competition opens August 21, 2018. With a fierce dedication to promoting the arts and discovering and exposing new talent, the CIPC will honor selected artists with an exhibition at Agora Gallery, providing invaluable exposure to promote career growth and boost recognition. Competition awards are valued at over $55,000 and designed specifically to support Agora’s mission: to promote extraordinary and innovative art in the modern world, and enhance the careers of the selected artists. Visit the Agora Gallery website to enter.

Function: An exhibition of Contemporary Craft (GA)

Deadline: October 15. The Gallery at Sulfur Studios invites artists working in traditional craft media (ceramic, fibers, glass, metals, paper, and/or wood) to submit work to their fall juried exhibition, “Function”. Artists are encouraged to push the boundaries of what “functional” means, and work that is conceptual or satirical will be considered alongside more traditional craft forms. Visit www.sulfurstudios.org/function for more information and application instructions. Email [email protected] with any questions.

Arlington Arts Center: Spring Solos Open Call for Proposals (VA)

Deadline: October 15. AAC’s SOLOS exhibitions program supports the work of emerging contemporary artists in the Mid-Atlantic region. Each year, AAC accepts proposals from artists for solo exhibitions to take place in one of AAC’s seven separate gallery spaces or outside on the grounds. Artists who produce contemporary art in any media, and who live or work in the Mid-Atlantic region (defined as Virginia; Washington, DC; Maryland; West Virginia; Pennsylvania; or Delaware) may submit exhibition proposals. Any existing works must have been completed within the last three years in order to be considered. Proposals that specifically take into account AAC’s exhibition spaces are encouraged. To learn more and submit a proposal, visit the AAC website.

Call for Entries: Juried Exhibition Winter 2019 at Blue Mountain Gallery (NY)

Deadline: October 15. Blue Mountain Gallery invites mid-career and established artists to submit work for its 7th Bi-annual Juried Exhibition on January 2—26, 2019. The gallery’s exhibitions are frequently reviewed in both the New York and national press. Juror, Elisa Jensen, an American painter who currently teaches at the New York Studio School, exhibits widely in the US and Denmark and curates exhibitions. Entry forms must be completed and submitted online only. To apply, visit the Blue Mountain Gallery website. The prospectus can be found here.

VisArts In(Site) Project Gallery—Call for Video, Sound Art, and New Media (MD)

Deadline: October 15. “Frame & Frequency 4, Vol. 2” is an ongoing International Video and Sound Art Exchange program presented concurrently at VisArts in our In(Site) Project Gallery in Rockville, MD and at PLECTO Galeria in Medellín, Colombia, opening October 26, 2018. Video, sound art (up to eight channels), film, and new media work will be accepted, including: experimental, documentary, animation, narrative, non-narrative, multimedia, virtual reality, augmented reality, net art, interactive media, etc. All foreign language moving image artworks must have English subtitles. For more information, and to submit visit the VisArts website.

DC Arts Center: DCAC’s Curatorial Initiative (DC)

Deadline: October 15. The Curatorial Initiative reflects DCAC’s commitment to curatorial practice as an integral part of supporting emerging and under-recognized artists. Each year an apprentice curator is selected to gain experience in the process of planning and mounting an exhibition by working with an experienced mentor curator. The program results in two exhibitions each year: in the spring the mentor curator selects artists and plans the exhibition and accompanying catalog with the assistance of the apprentice; in the autumn, the roles are reversed and the apprentice plans and executes an exhibition with the assistance and advice of the mentor. By nurturing new curators DCAC hopes to bring fresh perspectives into our own programming while assisting a new generation of curators who will take the knowledge they gain into our arts community and beyond. To learn more and apply, visit the DC Arts Center website.

Sparkplug Artist Collective (DC)

Deadline: October 15. Sparkplug brings together artists from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences in the DC area to foster their development collectively. In 2007 Sparkplug was launched as DCAC’s artists collective. Around ten members participate for two years, meeting on a monthly basis to critique each other’s work, discuss exhibitions around the area, visit each other’s studios, and meet with arts professionals such as curators, collectors and established artists. Through this process they try to find common ground in their practice and work despite the diversity of their styles, mediums, background and education. The structure creates opportunities for camaraderie, friendly criticism, and artistic community. DCAC organizes two curated Sparkplug exhibitions for the group—one each year of the program. To learn more about the collective and apply, visit the Sparkplug website.

Introductions 2019 (NY)

Deadline: October 31. “Introductions” is an annual open call hosted by Trestle Gallery. In support of their 2019 exhibition theme & focus, all applicants to 2019’s open call will be considered for a solo exhibition at Trestle Gallery. The only qualification is that artists may not have participated in a show at the Trestle Gallery before (previous open calls count, member salons do not count). The exhibit will be curated by Jason Andrew, an independent scholar, curator, and producer. A prominent figure in the Bushwick, Brooklyn art scene, Mr. Andrew is the co-founder and director of Norte Maar, a non-profit now celebrating its 10th anniversary encouraging, promoting, and presenting collaborative projects in the arts. To learn more and apply, visit the Trestle Gallery website.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum (DC)

Deadline: November 1. The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) and its Renwick Gallery invite applications for research fellowships in the art and visual culture of the United States. Fellowships are residential and support full-time independent and dissertation research. Recipients will be part of the premier residential fellowship program in American art—one that celebrates its fiftieth anniversary in 2020. The museum hosts a number of fellows each year through the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program (SIFP), and also awards its own named fellowships to candidates from this general pool. Only one application is necessary. All candidates should apply to the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program (SIFP). More information about the many opportunities and fellowships available at the SAAM website.

Call for Writing Submissions: Beyond Beautiful (MD)

Deadline: November 1. Maryland Art Place (MAP) is seeking writing submissions, love letters of all types, on behalf of “The One Thousand Love Letters Project” and the exhibition “Beyond Beautiful, created and curated by artist Peter Bruun. This exhibition is slated to open January 17, 2019 at Maryland Art Place, with a partner site for the exhibition located at Area 405. Beyond Beautiful focuses on eight topics –information and guidelines here. Peter Bruun, both curator and artist, will use these love letters to create 1,000 artistic responses to be displayed in the exhibition at MAP and Area 405. To date, Bruun has created over 600 drawings using excerpts from participant’s letters to contribute to “The One Thousand Love Letters Project.” Letters do not need to be submitted based on the listed topics and can be submitted digitally or physically.

VMFA Visual Arts Fellowships (VA)

Deadline: November 2. 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 and, as such, has awarded nearly $5.5 million in Fellowships to Virginians. To learn more about the several fellowships available though the VMFA, visit the museum website.

Torpedo Factory Target Gallery—2019 Solo Exhibition (VA)

Deadline: November 25. Target Gallery invites artists to apply for an open call for proposals for a solo exhibition for the summer of 2019. The individual or group associated with the chosen proposal will receive an exhibition at Target Gallery from June 14 through August 4, 2019. Proposals must be new bodies of work or works that have not been previously shown in the region. Individual works that have been previously shown can be entered if they are a part of new bodies of work and/or a new concept. The artist(s) will receive a $3000 stipend. To learn more and apply, visit the Torpedo Factory website.

Call for Submissions – Frame & Frequency IV Vol. 2 (MD)

Deadline: November 28. Frame & Frequency is an ongoing International Video and Sound Art Exchange program presented concurrently at VisArts In(Site) Project Gallery in Rockville, MD and at PLECTO Galeria in Medellín, Colombia, opening December 7, 2018. Video, sound art (up to 8 channels), film, and new media work will be accepted: experimental, documentary, animation, narrative, non-narrative, multimedia, virtual reality, augmented reality, net art, interactive media, etc. All foreign language moving image artworks must have English subtitles. To learn more, and apply, visit the VisArts website.

Women Artists Call — Pen and Brush Solo Exhibit (NY)

Deadline: December 31. Long-established contemporary art gallery and nonprofit seeking talented professional female artists for various opportunities. These opportunities include, but are in no way limited to: a solo exhibition in our ground floor space on 22nd street, group exhibition opportunities, inclusion in exhibition catalogues written by art historians and curators, and opportunities to expose work to influential curators. All work submitted must be contemporary art, submitted work must be complete, to be considered work must meet standards of quality, every work in a submission must be for sale. Artists must meet professional standards of composition and presentation of their work. To apply and learn more about this opportunity, visit the Pen and Brush website.

Spark Box Studio Dawson Residency Award and Bursary (Canada)

Deadline: March 1, 2019. This award is open to residents of North America. Spark Box Studio is accepting applications from emerging, mid-career, and established artists. One artist will receive a month-long residency at our studio in Prince Edward County, plus the $1,000 Dawson bursary. The selected applicant will be granted a semi-private studio space and be given access to the Spark Box Studio equipment and resources. As well, the winner will be provided with living accommodations for their month-long stay. We support a range of disciplines including; drawers, illustrators, painters, writers, printmakers, film makers, performance artists, multidisciplinary artists, curators, book makers, musicians and photographers (digital)

Ongoing:

Artist/Writers: Cover Art for Academic Medicine

Deadline: Rolling. Submit original works of art inspired by, but not necessarily representative of, an academic medicine experience from any perspective: caregiver, researcher, teacher, learner, or patient (for example, learning how to be a physician or scientist, caring for patients, exploring research questions, making a new discovery, being a research participant, teaching, or being cared for in a teaching hospital). The journal welcomes photography, sculpture, painting, textile work, and other visual media. Images may be cropped or resized to fit into the allotted cover space. Artists must also submit a related Cover Art essay as a narrative companion to the artwork, to explain the connection between the work and the “academic medicine experience.” The related narrative should be 250 to 600 words and is subject to editing. To apply for this opportunity, and to learn more, visit the Academic Medicine website.

Artist/Writers: Medicine and the Arts (MATA) Opportunity

Deadline: Rolling. This column is the journal’s longest-running feature. It is published on two facing pages. The left-hand page features an excerpt from literature, a poem, a photograph, etc. Literature excerpts generally run no more than 700 words and may include a very brief introduction as needed. The right-hand page presents an original commentary of about 900 words that explores the relevance of the artwork to the teaching, learning, and/or practice of medicine. Since submissions cannot be fully accepted for publication until Academic Medicine acquires permission to reprint literary excerpts or artworks (which often takes many months), authors should include all relevant information about the piece they are explicating (publisher, museum, dates, etc.) to enable staff editors to find and contact the copyright holder. Submissions undergo review and editing. To apply for this opportunity, and to learn more, visit the Academic Medicine website.

The Awesome Foundation Accepting Applications for Art Projects

Deadline: Open. The Awesome Foundation for the Arts and Sciences is a worldwide network of people devoted to forwarding the interest of “awesomeness in the universe.” Established in 2009, the foundation distributes $1,000 grants on a monthly basis to projects and their creators. The money is pooled from ten or more self-organizing “micro-trustees.” The chapters are autonomous and organized by the trustees around geographic areas or topics of interest. Apply on the Awesome Foundation website.

Call for Artists: Maryland Art Place Seeks Proposals for Rotating Exhibition Partnership with Baltimore’s Hotel Indigo (MD)

Deadline: rolling. Maryland Art Place (MAP), in partnership with Hotel Indigo is pleased to announce an open ‘Call to Artists’. As an extension of MAP’s annual IMPACT public art partnership projects, MAP is working with Hotel Indigo to offer rotating exhibitions in Hotel indigo’s library and Poets Modern Cocktails and Eats. This opportunity is available to visual artists living or working in Maryland. Maryland Art Place will curate four exhibitions a year based on submissions entered through a rolling basis. Guidelines and information here.

Exhibit at Hotel Indigo (VA)

Artists works will displayed in the hotel’s gallery (220 S Union St, Old Town Alexandria) for a six-month period. Two-dimensional, framed works only. Artists will install the work using the hotel’s mounting hardware. Labels will be provided by the hotel. All sales handled by artist, no commission. Preference for local or locally influenced selections but not required. The space measures approximately 7’10” by 8’3.″ If interested, contact Kate Ellis, General Manager, [email protected].

The New Project Studio – Ongoing Opportunity (VA)

Ongoing. Located in Studio 8, the New Project Studio is a community-focused arts incubator space that offers a short-term location to test new program ideas, spotlight underrepresented voices, and enhance community engagement. Projects rotate on a regular basis. For more information, click here.

Public Arts Grants & Opportunities (VA)

Ongoing. The City of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts provides grants for nonprofit arts organizations as well as individual artists. See all current opportunities and online applications here.

NYC volunteer opportunity (NY)

Introduce NYC school children to the world of art by giving tours at The MET Museum. Volunteer in this year-round program. Visit us at awnyc.org for more information.

Residency: Maryland

Deadline: ongoing. Montgomery College, Rockville and Germantown Art Department is seeking proposals for its Artist-in-Residence Program, encouraging proposals that cultivate collaborative work between artists and students.

Looking for artists: Foundry Gallery (DC)

Deadline: ongoing. Foundry Gallery is seeking a few artists in the greater Washington, DC area. If interested in applying for membership please send up to five images (jpg attachments) and an email letter to: [email protected]. The oldest cooperative in Washington, the gallery holds monthly solo and members’ group shows at its beautiful space north of Shaw near the 9:30 Club.

Looking for artists: Printmakers (DC)

Deadline: ongoing. Washington Printmakers Gallery is seeking artist members specializing in printmaking, photography and book arts. An active cooperative for over 30 years, the gallery holds monthly solo and members’ group shows in its lovely space in upper Georgetown. Distant and shared memberships are available. If interested in applying for membership please email [email protected].

Looking for artists: Multiple Exposures Gallery (VA)

www.sulfurstudios.org/function for more information and application instructions. Email [email protected] with any questions.

 

Artist Opportunities

Update: How to Enter an Art League Exhibit

The Art League Blog is taking a trip down memory lane and reposting/updating some of our most popular resources. 

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:

  1. Traditional: pay the membership fee (currently $95) and pay $5 each time you enter an artwork
  2. 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 our new digital-entry-only exhibits, the deadline is typically the 15th of the month before the exhibit.

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. The Art League now only accepts digital entry.

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.

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.

Step 5: Jurying

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.

From the May 2016 Open Exhibit.

Step 6: After

What happens after jurying? For digital entry exhibits, you’ll get an email with the results (around the 25 of the month) and instructions for bringing in your artwork, if applicable.

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.

Other information

The Art League has a separate jurying process for solo exhibits, taking place two years ahead of time. The deadline for solo jurying has been extended to October 8, 2018! Read more about solo exhibits on this page.

Gallery hours:

  • Monday–Saturday: 10:00 am–6:00 pm
  • Thursday: 10:00 am–9:00 pm
  • Sunday: 12:00 noon–6:00 pm

Contact information:

Gallery location:

  • 105 N. Union St.
    Studio 21
    Alexandria, VA 22314

If you have any questions, you can also leave a comment below. Good luck to all our exhibiting artists!

Artful Resources, Exhibits

ART BITES: What Feeds Your Creativity?

Life: A Pandora's Box Linda Lowery Encaustic and mixed media
Life: A Pandora’s Box, Linda Lowery, Encaustic and mixed media

In the new blog series Art Bites, we serve up an artwork in our monthly exhibit that makes us hungry to learn more. This month, we highlight Linda Lowery, an artist who thinks outside of the box, while her artwork is, literally, inside of the box. You can find Lowery’s assemblage Life: A Pandora’s Box in the September Open Exhibit on view until October 7 at The Art League gallery.

Assemblage is a collage technique in which artists combine, group, and juxtapose objects not originally intended as art materials, often for their symbolic value. As a multimedia artist, Lowery enjoys assemblage for its interactive potential.

“I think it’s fun for a viewer to identify the various objects, and then see what the whole piece represents both visually and symbolically,” She says of her work.

Lowery’s mixed-media construction is an eerie composition of curios. Housed inside a wooden box, Lowery’s encaustic painting of a wailing baby is accompanied by a peculiar collection of found objects. These miniature oddities, ranging from a stack of pennies to a plastic human skull, represent money, death, addiction, misfortune, and the innocence of childhood. A dollop of molten wax has abstracted each trinket, shrouding them in translucent jackets of brown-tinted encaustic. According to Lowery, the wax drippings were used to unite the objects visually, tone down their colors, and add an air of concealment.

“[The wax] makes them more indistinct because the future is uncertain,” she remarked.

Lowery’s assemblage is uncomfortable to view, yet beautiful—an effective, jarring memento mori that spins a surreal narrative of the “pitfalls of life.” Feelings of unease or discomfort are heightened by Lowery’s adjacent arrangement of the crying baby’s face with the wax covered skull. Such discordant juxtapositions are a hallmark of many assemblage artists.

Untitled (The Hotel Eden) Joseph Cornell C. 1945 mixed media
Untitled (The Hotel Eden), Joseph Cornell, C. 1945, mixed media

While Lowery has worked in encaustic for many years, experimenting with assemblage is new territory for Lowery. “I do admire the work of Joseph Cornell,” Lowery noted while discussing her inspiration. A master of assembled art, American artist Joseph Cornell (1903-1972) often created box sculptures (or “constructions”) that merged painting and 3-dimensional objects that intrigue Lowery. Readers may be familiar with Cornell’s bemusing Untitled (The Hotel Eden) (c.1945) for its flashy tri-colored parrot.

The advent of collage—assemblage too—has allowed artists to push the boundaries of authorship, challenge the meaning of appropriation, and experiment with conceptual concepts. Lowery is enthusiastic about the mingling of assemblage and modern encaustic art.

“It seems like a lot of contemporary encaustic work incorporates found or made objects which are covered in wax,” She remarked. “This is a new direction for my art.”

Lowry’s piece and the September Open Exhibit is on view in the Art League Gallery now through October 7. Remember: The Art League Gallery is open late on Thursdays until 9 pm! 

Art Bites

Artist Opportunities #442

Wall Platter by Carlos Beltran Baldiviezo
Wall Platter by Art League Instructor, Carlos Beltran Baldiviezo

On Tuesdays, we gather a variety of artist opportunities from the DC area and beyond. Find one below and apply today — good luck! Click here for recent opportunities posts, and submit your opportunity listing here.

NEW:

DC Arts Center: DCAC’s Curatorial Initiative (DC)

Deadline: October 15. The Curatorial Initiative reflects DCAC’s commitment to curatorial practice as an integral part of supporting emerging and under-recognized artists. Each year an apprentice curator is selected to gain experience in the process of planning and mounting an exhibition by working with an experienced mentor curator. The program results in two exhibitions each year: in the spring the mentor curator selects artists and plans the exhibition and accompanying catalog with the assistance of the apprentice; in the autumn, the roles are reversed and the apprentice plans and executes an exhibition with the assistance and advice of the mentor. By nurturing new curators DCAC hopes to bring fresh perspectives into our own programming while assisting a new generation of curators who will take the knowledge they gain into our arts community and beyond. To learn more and apply, visit the DC Arts Center website. 

Sparkplug Artist Collective (DC)

Deadline: October 15. Sparkplug brings together artists from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences in the DC area to foster their development collectively. In 2007 Sparkplug was launched as DCAC’s artists collective. Around ten members participate for two years, meeting on a monthly basis to critique each other’s work, discuss exhibitions around the area, visit each other’s studios, and meet with arts professionals such as curators, collectors and established artists. Through this process they try to find common ground in their practice and work despite the diversity of their styles, mediums, background and education. The structure creates opportunities for camaraderie, friendly criticism, and artistic community. DCAC organizes two curated Sparkplug exhibitions for the group—one each year of the program. To learn more about the collective and apply, visit the Sparkplug website.

VMFA Visual Arts Fellowships (VA)

Deadline: November 2. 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 and, as such, has awarded nearly $5.5 million in Fellowships to Virginians. To learn more about the several fellowships available though the VMFA, visit the museum website.

Call for Submissions – Frame & Frequency IV Vol. 2 (MD)

Deadline: November 28. Frame & Frequency is an ongoing International Video and Sound Art Exchange program presented concurrently at VisArts In(Site) Project Gallery in Rockville, MD and at PLECTO Galeria in Medellín, Colombia, opening December 7, 2018. Video, sound art (up to 8 channels), film, and new media work will be accepted: experimental, documentary, animation, narrative, non-narrative, multimedia, virtual reality, augmented reality, net art, interactive media, etc. All foreign language moving image artworks must have English subtitles. To learn more, and apply, visit the VisArts website.

Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!

Dacia Gallery—Holiday Group Exhibition (NY)

Deadline: October 4. Exhibition Dates: December 10, 2018 – January 12, 2019. The only requirement is that all submitted artwork must be priced at $5,000 or less. Dacia Gallery invites emerging artists to submit artwork for an opportunity to participate in this Group Exhibition at Dacia Gallery for the Holidays. We are looking for a diverse body of artwork in all mediums and styles, this will be a group show comprised of artwork created by contemporary artists. For more information, and to apply please visit the Dacia Gallery website.

Prince Street Gallery National Juried Exhibition (NY)

Deadline: October 5. The Prince Street Gallery announces a National Juried Exhibition January 2—26, 2019. All two-dimensional artworks will be reviewed, the entry fee for this exhibition is $40. To enter and view the prospectus, view the Prince Street Gallery website.

2019 Post Graduation Residency Program (VA)

Deadline: October 7. Jurors: Nicole Dowd, program director of Halcyon Arts Lab and Leslie Holt, DC-based artist and co-director of Red Dirt Studios. The Torpedo Factory Post-Grad Residency is a competitive juried program that provides meaningful support and three-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. The program is unique for addressing the critical post-graduation juncture in an emerging artist’s career, offering an opportunity for professional development, and a chance to define their independent work process outside of the academic context. Submissions are open for both art school students in the region and nationwide, provided nationwide artists submit proof of their permanent residence in the area and/or commitment of contributing to the ongoing future of the DC/Maryland/Virginia arts scene. Please read and review Guidelines before applying.

Small Works 2018 (NY)

Deadline: October 8. Main Street Arts is now accepting submissions to our 5th annual Small Works exhibition. This national juried exhibition of small artwork (12 inches or smaller in any direction) is open to artists working in all media excluding video/sound and installation art. For more information and to submit, visit the Main Street Art Gallery website.

The Chelsea International Photography Competition (NY)

Deadline: October 9. The Chelsea International Photography Competition opens August 21, 2018. With a fierce dedication to promoting the arts and discovering and exposing new talent, the CIPC will honor selected artists with an exhibition at Agora Gallery, providing invaluable exposure to promote career growth and boost recognition. Competition awards are valued at over $55,000 and designed specifically to support Agora’s mission: to promote extraordinary and innovative art in the modern world, and enhance the careers of the selected artists. Visit the Agora Gallery website to enter.

Function: An exhibition of Contemporary Craft (GA)

Deadline: October 15. The Gallery at Sulfur Studios invites artists working in traditional craft media (ceramic, fibers, glass, metals, paper, and/or wood) to submit work to their fall juried exhibition, “Function”. Artists are encouraged to push the boundaries of what “functional” means, and work that is conceptual or satirical will be considered alongside more traditional craft forms. Visit www.sulfurstudios.org/function for more information and application instructions. Email [email protected] with any questions.

Arlington Arts Center: Spring Solos Open Call for Proposals (VA)

Deadline: October 15. AAC’s SOLOS exhibitions program supports the work of emerging contemporary artists in the Mid-Atlantic region. Each year, AAC accepts proposals from artists for solo exhibitions to take place in one of AAC’s seven separate gallery spaces or outside on the grounds. Artists who produce contemporary art in any media, and who live or work in the Mid-Atlantic region (defined as Virginia; Washington, DC; Maryland; West Virginia; Pennsylvania; or Delaware) may submit exhibition proposals. Any existing works must have been completed within the last three years in order to be considered. Proposals that specifically take into account AAC’s exhibition spaces are encouraged. To learn more and submit a proposal, visit the AAC website.

Call for Entries: Juried Exhibition Winter 2019 at Blue Mountain Gallery (NY)

Deadline: October 15. Blue Mountain Gallery invites mid-career and established artists to submit work for its 7th Bi-annual Juried Exhibition on January 2—26, 2019. The gallery’s exhibitions are frequently reviewed in both the New York and national press. Juror, Elisa Jensen, an American painter who currently teaches at the New York Studio School, exhibits widely in the US and Denmark and curates exhibitions. Entry forms must be completed and submitted online only. To apply, visit the Blue Mountain Gallery website. The prospectus can be found here.

VisArts In(Site) Project Gallery—Call for Video, Sound Art, and New Media (MD)

Deadline: October 15. “Frame & Frequency 4, Vol. 2” is an ongoing International Video and Sound Art Exchange program presented concurrently at VisArts in our In(Site) Project Gallery in Rockville, MD and at PLECTO Galeria in Medellín, Colombia, opening October 26, 2018. Video, sound art (up to eight channels), film, and new media work will be accepted, including: experimental, documentary, animation, narrative, non-narrative, multimedia, virtual reality, augmented reality, net art, interactive media, etc. All foreign language moving image artworks must have English subtitles. For more information, and to submit visit the VisArts website.

Introductions 2019 (NY)

Deadline: October 31. “Introductions” is an annual open call hosted by Trestle Gallery. In support of their 2019 exhibition theme & focus, all applicants to 2019’s open call will be considered for a solo exhibition at Trestle Gallery. The only qualification is that artists may not have participated in a show at the Trestle Gallery before (previous open calls count, member salons do not count). The exhibit will be curated by Jason Andrew, an independent scholar, curator, and producer. A prominent figure in the Bushwick, Brooklyn art scene, Mr. Andrew is the co-founder and director of Norte Maar, a non-profit now celebrating its 10th anniversary encouraging, promoting, and presenting collaborative projects in the arts. To learn more and apply, visit the Trestle Gallery website.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum (DC)

Deadline: November 1. The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) and its Renwick Gallery invite applications for research fellowships in the art and visual culture of the United States. Fellowships are residential and support full-time independent and dissertation research. Recipients will be part of the premier residential fellowship program in American art—one that celebrates its fiftieth anniversary in 2020. The museum hosts a number of fellows each year through the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program (SIFP), and also awards its own named fellowships to candidates from this general pool. Only one application is necessary. All candidates should apply to the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program (SIFP). More information about the many opportunities and fellowships available at the SAAM website.

Call for Writing Submissions: Beyond Beautiful (MD)

Deadline: November 1. Maryland Art Place (MAP) is seeking writing submissions, love letters of all types, on behalf of “The One Thousand Love Letters Project” and the exhibition “Beyond Beautiful, created and curated by artist Peter Bruun. This exhibition is slated to open January 17, 2019 at Maryland Art Place, with a partner site for the exhibition located at Area 405. Beyond Beautiful focuses on eight topics –information and guidelines here. Peter Bruun, both curator and artist, will use these love letters to create 1,000 artistic responses to be displayed in the exhibition at MAP and Area 405. To date, Bruun has created over 600 drawings using excerpts from participant’s letters to contribute to “The One Thousand Love Letters Project.” Letters do not need to be submitted based on the listed topics and can be submitted digitally or physically.

Torpedo Factory Target Gallery—2019 Solo Exhibition (VA)

Deadline: November 25. Target Gallery invites artists to apply for an open call for proposals for a solo exhibition for the summer of 2019. The individual or group associated with the chosen proposal will receive an exhibition at Target Gallery from June 14 through August 4, 2019. Proposals must be new bodies of work or works that have not been previously shown in the region. Individual works that have been previously shown can be entered if they are a part of new bodies of work and/or a new concept. The artist(s) will receive a $3000 stipend. To learn more and apply, visit the Torpedo Factory website.

Women Artists Call — Pen and Brush Solo Exhibit (NY)

Deadline: December 31. Long-established contemporary art gallery and nonprofit seeking talented professional female artists for various opportunities. These opportunities include, but are in no way limited to: a solo exhibition in our ground floor space on 22nd street, group exhibition opportunities, inclusion in exhibition catalogues written by art historians and curators, and opportunities to expose work to influential curators. All work submitted must be contemporary art, submitted work must be complete, to be considered work must meet standards of quality, every work in a submission must be for sale. Artists must meet professional standards of composition and presentation of their work. To apply and learn more about this opportunity, visit the Pen and Brush website.

Spark Box Studio Dawson Residency Award and Bursary (Canada)

Deadline: March 1, 2019. This award is open to residents of North America. Spark Box Studio is accepting applications from emerging, mid-career, and established artists. One artist will receive a month-long residency at our studio in Prince Edward County, plus the $1,000 Dawson bursary. The selected applicant will be granted a semi-private studio space and be given access to the Spark Box Studio equipment and resources. As well, the winner will be provided with living accommodations for their month-long stay. We support a range of disciplines including; drawers, illustrators, painters, writers, printmakers, film makers, performance artists, multidisciplinary artists, curators, book makers, musicians and photographers (digital)

Ongoing:

Artist/Writers: Cover Art for Academic Medicine

Deadline: Rolling. Submit original works of art inspired by, but not necessarily representative of, an academic medicine experience from any perspective: caregiver, researcher, teacher, learner, or patient (for example, learning how to be a physician or scientist, caring for patients, exploring research questions, making a new discovery, being a research participant, teaching, or being cared for in a teaching hospital). The journal welcomes photography, sculpture, painting, textile work, and other visual media. Images may be cropped or resized to fit into the allotted cover space. Artists must also submit a related Cover Art essay as a narrative companion to the artwork, to explain the connection between the work and the “academic medicine experience.” The related narrative should be 250 to 600 words and is subject to editing. To apply for this opportunity, and to learn more, visit the Academic Medicine website.

Artist/Writers: Medicine and the Arts (MATA) Opportunity

Deadline: Rolling. This column is the journal’s longest-running feature. It is published on two facing pages. The left-hand page features an excerpt from literature, a poem, a photograph, etc. Literature excerpts generally run no more than 700 words and may include a very brief introduction as needed. The right-hand page presents an original commentary of about 900 words that explores the relevance of the artwork to the teaching, learning, and/or practice of medicine. Since submissions cannot be fully accepted for publication until Academic Medicine acquires permission to reprint literary excerpts or artworks (which often takes many months), authors should include all relevant information about the piece they are explicating (publisher, museum, dates, etc.) to enable staff editors to find and contact the copyright holder. Submissions undergo review and editing. To apply for this opportunity, and to learn more, visit the Academic Medicine website.

The Awesome Foundation Accepting Applications for Art Projects

Deadline: Open. The Awesome Foundation for the Arts and Sciences is a worldwide network of people devoted to forwarding the interest of “awesomeness in the universe.” Established in 2009, the foundation distributes $1,000 grants on a monthly basis to projects and their creators. The money is pooled from ten or more self-organizing “micro-trustees.” The chapters are autonomous and organized by the trustees around geographic areas or topics of interest. Apply on the Awesome Foundation website.

Call for Artists: Maryland Art Place Seeks Proposals for Rotating Exhibition Partnership with Baltimore’s Hotel Indigo (MD)

Deadline: rolling. Maryland Art Place (MAP), in partnership with Hotel Indigo is pleased to announce an open ‘Call to Artists’. As an extension of MAP’s annual IMPACT public art partnership projects, MAP is working with Hotel Indigo to offer rotating exhibitions in Hotel indigo’s library and Poets Modern Cocktails and Eats. This opportunity is available to visual artists living or working in Maryland. Maryland Art Place will curate four exhibitions a year based on submissions entered through a rolling basis. Guidelines and information here.

Exhibit at Hotel Indigo (VA)

Artists works will displayed in the hotel’s gallery (220 S Union St, Old Town Alexandria) for a six-month period. Two-dimensional, framed works only. Artists will install the work using the hotel’s mounting hardware. Labels will be provided by the hotel. All sales handled by artist, no commission. Preference for local or locally influenced selections but not required. The space measures approximately 7’10” by 8’3.″ If interested, contact Kate Ellis, General Manager, [email protected].

The New Project Studio – Ongoing Opportunity (VA)

Ongoing. Located in Studio 8, the New Project Studio is a community-focused arts incubator space that offers a short-term location to test new program ideas, spotlight underrepresented voices, and enhance community engagement. Projects rotate on a regular basis. For more information, click here.

Public Arts Grants & Opportunities (VA)

Ongoing. The City of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts provides grants for nonprofit arts organizations as well as individual artists. See all current opportunities and online applications here.

NYC volunteer opportunity (NY)

Introduce NYC school children to the world of art by giving tours at The MET Museum. Volunteer in this year-round program. Visit us at awnyc.org for more information.

Residency: Maryland

Deadline: ongoing. Montgomery College, Rockville and Germantown Art Department is seeking proposals for its Artist-in-Residence Program, encouraging proposals that cultivate collaborative work between artists and students.

Looking for artists: Foundry Gallery (DC)

Deadline: ongoing. Foundry Gallery is seeking a few artists in the greater Washington, DC area. If interested in applying for membership please send up to five images (jpg attachments) and an email letter to: [email protected]. The oldest cooperative in Washington, the gallery holds monthly solo and members’ group shows at its beautiful space north of Shaw near the 9:30 Club.

Looking for artists: Printmakers (DC)

Deadline: ongoing. Washington Printmakers Gallery is seeking artist members specializing in printmaking, photography and book arts. An active cooperative for over 30 years, the gallery holds monthly solo and members’ group shows in its lovely space in upper Georgetown. Distant and shared memberships are available. If interested in applying for membership please email [email protected].

Looking for artists: Multiple Exposures Gallery (VA)

www.sulfurstudios.org/function for more information and application instructions. Email [email protected] with any questions.

 

Artist Opportunities, George's Artistic Adventure