2020 – Page 4 – The Art League

Artful Weekend At Home April 23-25

April 24, 2020

Welcome to Artful Weekend At Home, our guide to fun and interesting ways to enjoy and engage in art as you shelter-in-place.

This weekend: An illustrator talks maps, artists chronicle the pandemic, transporting art books for kids, and more!

Remapping the Familiar

Illustrator and League instructor Chris Bonnell at work on our first interactive installation.

Visitors became artists for “Outside the Lines.”

Back in March, Art League illustration instructor Chris Bonnell was commissioned to create Outside the Lines, a 19-foot coloring book style map of Washington, D.C. and Alexandria landmarks on the wall of The Art League Gallery. The map reimagined these familiar places taken over by trees, plants, and wild animals, creating a whimsical interactive experience that allowed viewers to color on the map and make real and imagined animals to add to it. Watch Bonnell’s artist talk where he explains his process for this mammoth undertaking, and a Q & A where he discusses his career as an illustrator. The closure of our gallery prevented many from seeing this major map, but you can help Chris and the League complete his vision with these fun coloring pages that you can download here. Share your completed masterpieces on the social media platform of your choice: @theartleague #artfulweekend.

Art in the Time of Coronavirus

Christine Sun Kim is one of the artists featured in “Artist Diaries.”

As cultural institutions began to close due to Coronavirus precautions, Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden director Melissa Chiu asked artists to share how they are living and working during the global pandemic. “We felt a responsibility to respond to an unprecedented historical moment by giving a voice to our community of artists,” she told Artnet. The result: Artist Diaries, a living archive of diary-style video shorts noted artists share their creative practices views of the world.

Kid Relief

This period of sheltering-in can be tough on school-aged children who no longer get be around classmates or play with friends. Keep them upbeat and inspired with an art-themed book or two. Staff members at the Modern Museum of Art compiled this list of classic and newer works, for tots to teens, that are among their favorites.

Takeout From the Barnes

Paul Gauguin’s “Mr. Loulou (Louis Le Ray)”

The Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia is producing Barnes Takeout, a series of YouTube shorts featuring the organization’s curators, scholars, and educators giving off-the-cuff musings about some of their favorite works in the collection. See a recent episode on Paul Gauguin’s Mr. Loulou with Gund Family curator Nancy Ireson.

Virtual Judd

Installation view of the exhibition “Judd” online at the MoMA.

Sculptor Donald Judd’s revolutionary approach to form, materials, working methods, and display changed the language of modern sculpture. Judd, an exhibition of his work, is currently part of the Museum of Modern Art’s “Virtual Views” series. It features the artist’s work and legacy through conversations with MoMA curator Ann Temkin, the artist’s own writings, audio from contemporary artists reflecting on the impact of his work, and more.

Artist Opportunties #514

April 21, 2020

"Smithsonian Art Tree" by Gaetana Ebbole

Every week, 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.

Even during difficult times, creativity persists. Throughout this period of social distancing, we will begin our listing with opportunities that uniquely address the coronavirus pandemic—be they calls for art that specifically speaks to it, or virtual exhibits that are cropping up as a result of it. Some have definitive deadlines and others are more flexible, so be sure to check guidelines carefully. We encourage you to share these and other opportunities with your creative circle.

Opportunities in Response to COVID-19

Bloom + Grow Brilliant Botanicals Call For Artists

Deadline: May 8 Bloom & Grow is a lush, colorful, and wide-ranging celebration of floral and botanical art. From biblical depictions of the Garden of Eden, to the plein air art of the Impressionists, to the bold stylized motifs in pop culture, depictions of flowers are plentiful throughout art history and visual culture. Due to the current COVID-19 pubic closures, we have altered our schedule and developed a two-part plan. We will start with an online show on our website and social media accounts, and then move to a physical gallery show once the public gathering restrictions have been lifted. Learn more here.

Athenaeum Call For Entries for A Very Weird Time

Deadline: August 14 Artists are invited to submit works that represent the full gamut of how the global coronavirus pandemic and its associated social distancing has affected them. Fear, uncertainty, anger and doubt are certainly typical responses but we are also interested in evidence of the creative benefits of solitude and reflection and the time to process them. For more information click here.

Las Laguna Gallery

Deadline: September 31 In response to COVID-19, Las Laguna Gallery has launched its first online exhibition of art in all media, “A Light in the Darkness.” All submissions will be accepted and posted in an online gallery. Click here to learn more.

Downtown Baltimore Partnership Call For Artists – Baltimore

The #ArtOfBaltimore campaign was launched to help support local artists and spark positive energy as we adjust to the economic and cultural impact of the COVID-19 virus. Selected works by local artists will appear on digital signage throughout Downtown Baltimore, and artist will receive a licensing fee and additional promotion of their work on DPOB social media channels. For more information click here.

Insider Art Fair Call For Submissions

In response to our extraordinary circumstances, the Willow Street Gallery is seeking artwork from local artists to showcase on our digital platforms for an online exhibition titled “Insider Art Fair.” This exhibition allows us at the WSG to continue our mission to provide a platform for local and emerging artists, and make meaningful connections while the community remains indoors and isolated. Click here to learn more.

Social Distance Gallery For Thesis Exhibitions

Social Distance Gallery is posting BFA and MFA thesis exhibitions that are canceled or limited in access due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The digital exhibitions will be hosted on Instagram at @socialdistancegallery. Click here for submission instructions.

Amplifier’s Global Open Call For Art

In response to COVID-19, Amplifier is launching an emergency campaign with top art curators and public-health advisors from around the world. They are looking for public health and safety messages that can help flatten the curve through education, and symbols that help promote mental health, well-being, and social change work during these stressful times. Click here for more information.

Other Opportunities

Baltimore County Public Library Artist-in-Residence Program – Hereford, MD

Deadline: April 30 Are you an artist or maker? Do you want to share your skills and artistic vision with the Baltimore County community? The Hereford Branch is now accepting applications for its 2020 Artist-in-Residence program. Residency terms are one or two months in duration between June and December. Artists-in-Residence will receive a monthly stipend, along with additional resources for supply costs. For more information click here.

Salisbury University Here/Not Here Call For Artists – Salisbury, MD

Deadline: May 1 Beyond the many beautiful vistas of sandy beaches and bucolic farm land along Maryland’s Eastern Shore, there is also suburban sprawl, filled with strip malls and chicken houses. The art depicting our area often captures our picturesque beaches, birds, barns, and boats but rarely do we see images of the forgotten and overlooked spaces which are equally a part of this place. HERE/NOT HERE calls on artists to capture, explore, and depict those unscrubbed and often unseen places. For more information click here.

Site: Brooklyn In the Abstract Call For Artists – Brooklyn

Deadline: May 4 Abstraction still presents the possibility of enchantment. It is the limb of 20th century modern art, stretched out into the present day. Not trying to represent visual reality but instead using the colors, shapes, and processes that create its effect, abstraction invokes questions of space, order, simplicity and the limits of art itself. Site:Brooklyn is looking for work across all media. For more information click here.

Site: Brooklyn Video/New Media Call For Artist – Brooklyn

Deadline: May 4 Site:Brooklyn’s Video/New Media exhibition is seeking artwork that explores artistic applications of new media and technologies as well as work that examines the relationship between media, technology, and culture. This includes video, digital, sound, animation, virtual reality, and all other new technologies. We are looking for work that does not conform to traditional boundaries of form, medium, or genre. Click here to learn more.

Site: Brooklyn Realism: Encountering the Real – Brooklyn

Deadline: May 5 Realism is the art of everyday life. Historically, realism heralded a move away from the historical and academic modes of art making and towards a concern with both naturalist styles and realistic subjects. Now, realism’s position in the art world is more complex. Once considered dated, more and more artists are using realist techniques in incisive and original ways. Site:Brooklyn is looking for works across all media that engage with the renewed importance of realism today. For more information click here.

Innovative Grant Call For Artists

Deadline: May 7 Innovate Grant is a new initiative that supports artists and photographers through quarterly grants. We believe that new ideas come from sparks of inspiration and aim to provide just that, access to small and mighty bursts of financial support so that you can focus on making your important and innovative work. They are now accepting applications for the Spring 2020 cycle. Learn more here.

Shop 53 Board Game Call For Submissions – La Plato, MD

Deadline: May 18 Virginia, D.C., Maryland, and Pennsylvania artists, age 16 and older, are invited to go old-school and doe a twisted version of your favorite board game character; redo a piece or card from a game; or make something new with old games. Paintings, illustrations, drawings, sculpture, photography, digital media,mixed media etc are all acceptable. For more information click here.

Glen Echo Park Partnership Gallery Request for Proposals 2021 – Glen Echo, MD

Deadline: June 12 The Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture requests proposals from individuals, groups of artists or curators to present exhibitions in the Popcorn Gallery, Stone Tower Gallery and Park View Gallery venues at Glen Echo Park for the calendar year 2021. Learn more here.

Call for Proposals, Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site – Philadelphia

Deadline: June 17 We seek installations that will explore Eastern State Penitentiary’s history and evoke a broad range of emotions. We seek installations that will make connections between the complex history of this building and today’s criminal justice system and corrections policies. Click here for more information.

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

Call For VisArts Studio Fellowship – Rockville, MD

Deadline: April 22 VisArts invites applications and proposals from local, national, and international artists for a six-month Studio Fellowship at VisArts at Rockville. The Studio Fellowship provides a unique opportunity for a dynamic individual artist or collaborative artist team to create a new body of work, evolve an existing body of work, or develop a project in a stimulating, supportive environment. Learn more here.

OCA Mocha Call to Artists: Non-Figurative Portraiture – Arbutus, MD

Deadline: April 22 Portraiture is a way of studying others, whether it focuses on the fleeting moments we share of encapsulating people’s essence whole. This online exhibit highlights portraiture through a non-figurative lens that depicts subjects through means other than physical features, forms, or visage. Learn more here.

Doylestown Art Festival Call for Submissions – Doylestown, PA

Deadline: April 24 In its 29th year, the Doylestown Arts Festival, September 12th-13th, is a vibrant scene of art and creativity that attracts tens of thousands of visitors. Submissions are reviewed by a volunteer jury of artists, curators, and local residents.To learn more and apply, click here.

Target Gallery Call For Artists

Deadline: April 26 Target Gallery invites artists working in all visual media to apply to Mythos, an all- media group exhibition that presents work by artists who illustrate contemporary interpretations of mythology, folklore, and legends. This exhibition takes the symbolism and allegory of mythology and recontextualizes them in terms of current perspectives. For more information click here.

2020 Aperture Summer Open – New York

Deadline: April 29 The curators of the 2020 Aperture Summer Open, Information, seek new bodies of work by photographers and lens-based artists who seek to portray experiences of globalization, technology, and politics, and the dynamic changes to personal and social identity charted by mass media today. Inspired by the Museum of Modern Art’s 1970 exhibition Information, in which artists directly engaged with pressing global issues, this year’s Summer Open seeks exciting works that broadcast new ways of viewing our present—and our future. Click here for more information.

The Beacon Celebration of the Arts 2020

Deadline: April 30 The Beacon invites new and veteran artists over age 50 to submit works in our online art competition “Celebration of the Arts.” Categories include painting, drawing, sculpture/carving, ceramics,/pottery, mixed media/textile, stained glass/jewelry, and film and digital photography. Learn more here.

Create! Magazine Open Call

Deadline: April 30 Artists, 21 and older, from any country are welcome to apply with works that include painting, sculpture, digital, printmaking, fiber, photography, mixed media, installation and more. Learn more here.

Women’s Jewelry Association 2020 Student Scholarship

Deadline: April 30 (apply by April 10th and your application fee will be waived)

The Women’s Jewelry Association Foundation provides scholarships to female and female-identifying students enrolled in jewelry or metalsmithing programs at an accredited college, university, or training school between August 1, 2020 and July 31, 2021. Recipients are awarded scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $7,000. Learn more here.

Call For Mural Proposals, Baltimore County Public Library – Towson, MD

Deadline: April 30 The Towson Chamber of Commerce, working with The Towson Creative Partnership, seeks proposals for the design and production of a large scale mural to cover the west facing facade of the Baltimore County Library located in Towson MD. The mural is a unique opportunity for an artist to merge creative vision into classic modern architectural elements. To apply click here.

Call For Women Artists: Why I Vote – Gaithersburg, MD

Deadline: April 30 The City of Gaithersburg and the Washington Women’s Art Caucus invite women artists to submit work for a juried exhibition titled “Why I Vote.” This exhibit commemorates the one-hundredth anniversary ratification of the Constitution’s 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote, while exploring the contemporary topics that galvanize women voters and drive them to the polls. For more information click here.

2020 Project for Empty Space 2020 Artist in Residence Program – Newark, NJ

Deadline: May 1 The PES Artist In Residence Program is an annual initiative that invites four visual or multidisciplinary artists to Newark, NJ, to create work around social impact. The mission of the program is multifaceted and is intended to benefit both artists-in-residence and a larger audience or public. Additional details can be found here.

2020 Hamilton Artists Fellowship

Deadline: May 15 The Hamiltonian Artists Fellowship serves as a steppingstone for visual artists who have an active studio practice and are seeking assistance in creating a sustainable professional art career. The fellowship program seeks to create a stimulating environment for continued artistic and professional growth. Click here to apply.

Women’s Studio Workshop Residency – Rosendale, NY

Deadline: June 1 The Studio Workspace Residency is an opportunity for artists to create new work and fully immerse themselves in WSW’s supportive environment. We invite applications from artists at any stage of their careers. This residency gives artists the gift of time, an uninterrupted period to live and work away from the stresses of daily life. Artists may choose to work in any one or more of our studios: intaglio, letterpress, papermaking, screenprinting, darkroom photography, or ceramics. For more information click here.

MPAartfest Call For Submissions – McLean, Virginia

Deadline: June 15 McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) currently seeks submissions for MPAartfest. Artists from throughout the mid-Atlantic region are encouraged to apply. Artists retain 100 percent of sales. Additional details can be found here.

Sculpture Center 2021 In Practice Call for Artist Proposals – New York

Deadline: June 15 The Sculpture Center invites artists to submit proposals each spring for new projects to be presented in January 2021. Artists selected for the In Practice exhibition will receive an honorarium and production support. The level of production support will depend on the scope of accepted works and available funding. Click here for more information.

Sea of Change Mid-Atlantic 2020 Call For Submissions Extension Virginia Beach, VA

Deadline: August 3 There is beauty in all the waterways that surround us, but our climate is changing and perhaps our lives as well. The Virginia Beach Art Center invites artists from South Carolina to Pennsylvania to submit to our a showcase of all media artwork from the Mid-Atlantic that celebrates our present and warns of our future. For more information click here.

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Ongoing: These opportunities have rolling deadlines.

Exhibit at Hotel Indigo Downtown Baltimore — Baltimore, MD

The Maryland Art Place (MAP) is working with Hotel Indigo in downtown Baltimore to offer rotating exhibitions in the hotel’s library and Poets Modern Cocktails and Eats restaurant. This opportunity is open to visual artists living or working in Maryland. ’s public art partnership projects (MAP), in partnership with Hotel Indigo, is pleased to announce an open call to artists. MAP will curate four exhibitions a year based on submissions entered through a rolling basis. Click here to learn more.

Solo or Group Shows in Athenaeum Gallery – VA

The Athenaeum Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia exhibits visual arts created solely by artists living or working in the region (DC, Maryland and Virginia) and strives to present visitors with a wide variety of excellent art and unique experiences. In addition to the shows curated by the Gallery Director, the Athenaeum Gallery invites artists and curators to submit show proposals. For more information, visit https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=6876.

The Creativity Grant Program State of Maryland (MD)

Deadline: Rolling. The purpose of the Creativity Grant Program is to strengthen the vitality and sustainability of artists and small organizations to maintain a strong and stable arts infrastructure in the State of Maryland. The Creativity Grant also provides opportunities to serve the growing needs of relevant arts projects and collaborations within Maryland communities. For more information regarding eligibility and funding timelines, please review the Creativity Grants Guidelines. For more information about the program, and to apply visit the Creativity Grant Program State of Maryland website.

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.

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.

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.

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].

Artful Weekend April 17-19

April 17, 2020

Welcome to Artful Weekend At Home, our guide to fun and interesting ways to enjoy and engage in art as you shelter-in-place.

This weekend: The League’s online bounty, Degas on your screen, artist ah-ha! moments, and more!

Art League Online Offerings

Drawing Animals, taught by Milena Spasic, is a family-friendly online art course.

Spend some downtime this weekend checking out the cool things that we are doing online. To keep your creativity flowing, we now have online classes—drawing, painting, weaving, and more— that you can take from home. There is even a prompt for ordering the supplies you’ll need. Several of our instructors are creating short video demos in their areas of expertise. Here’s one by ceramics chair Blair Meerfeld. Stay tuned for more! Haven’t viewed our April Open Exhibit yet? You can see it in its entirety on our Flickr album. After you are done, read juror Dana Self’s comments about her award-winning picks, and Teresa Oaxaca’s explanation of her best-in-show painting. Stave off at-home boredom with fun and interesting art projects devised by our Creative Minds Squad. The latest one, Mapping Your Day, was created by gallery director Ali Wunder. Keep abreast of the latest open calls, fellowships and residencies on our weekly Artist Opportunities listing.

Artists at Work

Jack Whitten, Daniel Gordon, Shahzia Sikander, Marina Abramović, and Eleanor Antin are featured in the six-series digital documentary “Artist Pivots.”

Art21’s digital documentaries reveal the working lives of today’s most innovative artists. Tune in for Artist Pivots, which captures the “big pivot” moments of six individual artists as they bounce between mediums, experiment with techniques, and introduce new approaches to their creative practices. Artist Pivots airs at 11:30, 3:30, and 7:30 Eastern Time daily on Art21.live through April 22.

Degas Virtually

Edgar Degas, The Orchestra of the Opéra, 1870, oil on canvas, Musée d’Orsay, Paris

The much anticipated Degas at the Opera was open for less than two weeks before the National Gallery of Art closed. Fortunately, the museum has gathered a selection of opportunities to experience the first show dedicated to Edgar Degas’s fascination with the Opéra—its spaces, the music, and the people involved with the thriving theatrical life of 19th-century Paris. The online presentation includes research on the Gallery’s collection of works by Degas (the world’s third-largest), a video discussion with curator Kimberly Jones, and footage of the exhibit captured on the last day the Gallery was open.

An Artist Rediscovered

“Ave de paraiso florecido (Flowering bird of paradise)” by Feliciano Centurión

The colorful works of the late Paraguayan textile artist Feliciano Centurión have been largely overlooked until recently. He created textile works engaging with folk art and queer aesthetics in 1990s South America. Through the embroidery and painting of vernacular objects such as blankets and aprons, Centurión rendered poetic readings of his youth in the tropics, his love experiences in the metropolis, and his spiritual reflections before his untimely death of AIDS-related illness in 1996. See Abrigo, the first U.S. solo exhibition of his work, on virtual display at Americas Society.

Stay safe, stay home, and enjoy your weekend.

Mapping Your Day

April 17, 2020

By Gallery Director Ali Wunder

This creative exercise is all about mapping. Not maps in the conventional sense, but a map of your day to day experience in a time when there is no clear path to normal.

What would a map of your daily movements look like now that you are confined to one place? Do you find yourself moving more, or less? This exercise is a process oriented visualization of how you, and your family members move around your space.

Materials:

Sketchbook or blank sheets of paper

Favorite drawing or painting materials

A ruler (or not)

Draw a blueprint style schematic of your home, or where you are sheltered, including any outside spaces you have access to on a daily basis.

Select a different color for every person and or animal living in your space.

Create a key that displays the colors designated to each person.

Start with yourself at the beginning of your day and draw a continuous line that represents the path you make in, and around your space each day.

Continue by adding the other members of your household, overlapping lines and colors. Or you could draw your path over the course of a week, with a different color representing each day.

I ended up choosing different colors to represent parts of my day. I find that my time is very compartmentalized now. My mornings are full of kid-centered activities and my afternoons are a flurry of work tasks and domestic chores. This exercise could potentially be the start of an abstract painting, or just a way to reflect on your day.

And while we’re on the subject of maps…

Here are some inspiring, unconventional maps that other artist are making:

Mark Bradford

Mark Bradford creates lush abstract paintings that closely resemble maps of his hometown Los Angeles. Bradford constructs his works from signage and other materials found in his old neighborhood that create a physical manifestation of his memories of the place.

Paula Scher

Renowned graphic designer Paula Scher has a series of painted maps that synthesize large bodies of information. In one she creates a map of the united states made entirely of the median home prices of each area and in another, counties and zip codes. She uses text and other typographic elements to construct these massive maps, each giving a different informational lens through which to view the country.

Chris Bonnell

Finally, our very own Chris Bonnell, who teaches illustration at the League School, makes fascinating illustrated maps that plot out historical events.

Juror Q & A With Dana Self

April 17, 2020

Dana Self’s love of the arts has led her to careers where she promotes them in some form or fashion. Currently, she directs marketing at the esteemed University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory. Before that she spent over a decade as a contemporary art museum curator at the Kemper Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, where she resides, as well as museums in Wisconsin, Kansas, and Tennessee.

During her stint as a curator she organized about 100 exhibitions of emerging and mid-career artists. “Just working with art, and finding out what artists are thinking and talking about, whether it’s commentary on a general zeitgeist or a commentary on something internal that they are struggling with, is my passion,” Self says. Writing about art is another passion. She’s been a critic for the weekly alternative newspaper The Pitch, a reviewer for The Kansas City Star, and now covers art for KC Studio magazine.

Self says when she received artwork for the April Open Exhibit, “I thought, ‘Wow! There are a lot of submissions.’ There was good work in all media, so it was hard to narrow down.” In addition to Journey of Life, her best-in-show pick by painter Teresa Oaxaca, she selected ten works for honorable mentions. She spoke with blog editor Julia Chance about curating, writing, art in the time of corona, and what delighted her about April’s show.

The Art League: You were a museum curator for a number of years. What did you enjoy about it?

DS: I was a museum curator for about 15 years in contemporary institutions for the most part. I just love the process of working with living artists—getting to sit and talk to them and organize an exhibition of their work, then interpreting that work for the museum audience.

TAL: And now you write about art. What’s that like?

Dana Self: I love to think about what artists are trying to communicate and how whatever media they’re using and whatever message that they are trying to convey resonates with me and the greater culture.

TAL: Is there a particular art topic that you consider your specialty?

DS: What interests me most are artists who deal with, identity—their own identity, cultural identity, any kind of identity. How that is understood, how it’s interpreted, how people interpret an artist’s own self-identity has always fascinated me.

TAL: It is still early, but are you noticing any emerging art trends during this period of social distancing?

DS: I have noticed more positive imagery on a couple blogs that I follow. I don’t know if I can identify that as a trend. Maybe that’s just the people I pay attention to.

TAL: Do you think that this period will change or affect how we engage with art?

DS: I don’t know. I worry about lots of things with regard to the economy, but if we’re solely talking about art, I certainly worry about how any kind of arts institution is going to be able to go forward unless they’re an arts institution with a giant endowment, but we’re not talking about those. We’re talking about smaller museums, smaller galleries, smaller nonprofit arts spaces. How are they going to survive this economic problem created by this virus and how are the artists going to carry on? The main goal is to survive economically and physically, and then [figure out] how you move forward. I don’t know if everything will be different. I can’t help but think it will be, but how it’s going to be different is a big question.

TAL: What did you think about the artwork submitted for the April Open Exhibit?

DS: My general impression was that people were doing really good work. There was a lot of really passionate landscape that I enjoyed. I was really blown away by people’s watercolor skills. Watercolor is not easy. There was a lot of good in all media. Overall, the quality was quite high and that made me happy.

My process was just going through all of [the submissions] many, many, many times and thinking about media. I wanted to make sure that I was inclusive of three dimensional objects and try to get a good representation of all the various media because nobody wants to come in and see all [of one kind of medium]. You want a really holistic, well-rounded representation across the field.

TAL: What should artists be mindful of when submitting their work for exhibition?

DS: The main thing is make sure that you have excellent photography. You don’t have to hire a professional photographer because most people can’t afford that. But make sure you have taken excellent photos of your work, that you’ve cropped them nicely, that the lighting is good, the colors are as true as they can be, and images are crisp and not blurry at all. Be very careful about how you submit your images because people like me are just looking at photos on our screens and if they’re not good then that makes a difference.

Aside from that, keep working at your craft and keep the faith. It sounds cliché, but it is important for everybody to keep working at what they love and submitting their work to shows everywhere that they can.

Best-in-Show Award winner Journey of Life by Teresa Oaxaca

“This painting is very unusual and has a level of wild imagination that really struck me. She packed so much in to it, so much imagery that didn’t seem to be there just randomly. It is very deliberate. I like what she has said about her painting. I thought, wow, there’s something extra going on here, and that’s what made it extra special for me.”

Honorable Mentions:

Tidal Reflections by Kathleen Best Gillman

“I love the perspective. I thought the color was really good and I thought it was really well executed. It has an emotional moodiness that I responded to.”

Gazelle by Stephanie Chang

“I have always loved drawing, and you don’t see a lot of just straight up drawing. This is really sophisticated and beautiful, and I loved the way she did the face and how the rest of the body just sort of faded away but it’s still there.”

Round-About by Octavia Frazier

“I love the dynamic quality of this painting. It’s very strong. The composition is really exciting to me, and I like the color palette too.”

Blue Corner by Janet Hakeen

“This also has a very strong composition. I love the snappy little size, a giant abstraction on a small scale. It’s only 12″ by 12.” That’s what attracted me to it, and that little blue corner. That was clever.”

Ghost Ship by Dave Mann

“It’s print making, which I never see enough of. It’s an intaglio etching, so I liked that because I think it’s really well done, and it had an interesting story to it. There is something very haunting about it.”

Here and Always by Marta Nammack

Though Nammack described what was happening, just looking at it you don’t know what’s happening. You can only guess at what’s happening. I found that really intriguing because it could be something really good or it could be something kind of frightening. I like the way that the triangle of light goes across the top third of the image and the darkness behind the trees.

Steel Town by Craig Nedrow

“If you know anything about steel in this country, you already know part of this story. You can just feel the grittiness of the whole scene, and then apply what you know about steel in this country to it, and it tells a very interesting story. I love the color palette, the black and white and the power lines.”

Desi by Jacqueline Saunders

“Portraits are hard to do. I love that with a few of these minimal strokes of watery paint and some pencil or charcoal, the artist completely shows me who this person is.”

Roofs of Rome Florence Setzer

“Here’s another watercolor, but very controlled, completely the opposite [of the previous one]. It is a very good drawing and the control that Setzer has with her watercolor and the whole composition is very pleasing. Obviously she loves Rome. It’s a like a little love letter.”

Moving Forward by Jan Sherfy

“Excellent composition. I love the colors and the detail in this work. I love there’s a whole lot of different textures. I think Sherfy really nailed it.”

A Painting Inspired by Two Masters and a Dose of Anxiety

April 15, 2020

Artist Teresa Oaxaca hanging out at The Art League Gallery.

By Haven Ashley

Teresa Oaxaca’s The Journey of Life is charming as it is brutal, a visual confection with layers of silk and ribbon in tones of taffy, petal, and pearl. A realist painter with a surrealist sensibility, her work is often sherbet-sweet but never saccharine. Ever the innovator, she discards the mantle of tradition, imbuing her luxurious visions with symbolic narrative, historical reference, and contemporary significance.

“Journey of Life” is the Best-in-Show Award winner in the April Open Exhibit.

Oaxaca’s best-in-show winning painting in our April Open Exhibit began as a still life chronicling the four ages of man, which are represented on the table-turned-ship as impish 19th-century dolls and a human skull. It is a reference to Thomas Cole’s four painting series The Voyage of Life whose subject journeys through life’s stages from childhood to old age while riding on a boat. As Oaxaca’s painting evolved, she chose to set the composition in the open ocean, rather than a closed interior. The artist out at sea—at the mercy of the tides, the moon, Posiden’s hand—is a metaphor of the unknowingness of life.

“The Voyage of Life: Manhood” by Thomas Cole

Oaxaca combines the follies of Rococo excess with the fearsome form of two great whites to create an allegory for human anxiety. “In this painting, the sharks represent what it feels like to be anxious,” she says, describing it as a feeling of nebulous danger lurking behind you. “Fear can be logical, but it shouldn’t control your life.” Oaxaca demonstrates this mindset in her self portrait by directing her gaze confidently to her viewers (and perhaps her former self, too) rather than the serrated mouths of the sharks. “I’ve always been interested in sharks,” Oaxaca continued, “They’re beautiful and ancient. They’re part of a world we don’t fully understand, the ocean, so they’re mysterious creatures as well.”

Oaxaca’s The Journey of Life takes inspiration from another nautical painting: Watson and the Shark by John Singleton Copley. It depicts a young man seemingly doomed to death by teeth and terror, and is viewed by many as a reference to salvation. The subject, Brook Watson, not only survived the attack, he went on to have a successful business career and it is believed he even commissioned the painting. To Oaxaca, Watson’s likely commissioning of Copley’s painting was an act of resilience, proof of what the human spirit can endure and overcome.

The Journey of Life was not a commissioned piece and holds great personal significance to Oaxaca as a representation of her career’s progress. Here, her blue gown and butterscotch-blonde wig recall her own Jester Self Portrait, a painting that she considers one of her most iconic. “I’ve been requested to make so many versions of that portrait over the years,” she commented. The treasured totems and present-day references in The Journey of Life are many, from the harrowing image of Notre Dame aflame to the pert goldfinch (an allusion to Donna Tartt’s 2013 novel The Goldfinch) to the decadent flower arrangements. “I always paint live flowers, but these particular ones are even more special, more personal,” She remarked on the saffron and lychee hued blooms, which were painted from her own garden’s bevy of David Austin roses, peonies, and tea roses.

Despite these insights into Oaxaca’s sumptuous, candy-colored world, much of her work maintains its veil of ambiguity. To demand answers from her oeuvre would be asking an alchemist to reveal their secret chemistry. “Bring your own experiences, play with your imagination,” the artist instructed her audience, with a note of mischief. “Art should still be mysterious, even realist art. I think we’ve become a bit too literal. You can’t understand everything. Maybe I don’t even understand my own work completely.”

Artist Opportunities #513

April 14, 2020

Opportunities in Response to COVID-19

Bloom + Grow Brilliant Botanicals Call For Artists

Athenaeum Call For Entries for A Very Weird Time

Las Laguna Gallery

Downtown Baltimore Partnership Call For Artists – Baltimore

Insider Art Fair Call For Submissions

Social Distance Gallery For Thesis Exhibitions

Amplifier’s Global Open Call For Art

Other Opportunities

Washington Sculptor’s Group Call For Entry – Sandy Spring, MD

Deadline: April 20 For LIGHT: A Sculptural Solar Dance, artists will use renewable energy sculptures to represent a need for better environmental responsibility. Work proposed for this exhibition will re-imagine solar energy as an art form. For more information click here.

Call For VisArts Studio Fellowship – Rockville, MD

OCA Mocha Call to Artists: Non-Figurative Portraiture – Arbutus, MD

Call For Mural Proposals, Baltimore County Public Library – Towson, MD

Call For Women Artists: Why I Vote – Gaithersburg, MD

__________________________________________________________________________

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

15th ARC Salon Call For Entries

Deadline: April 14 The Art Renewal Center is now accepting entries to the 15th International ARC Salon Competition. Categories include: figurative, portraiture, imaginative realism, landscape, still life, drawing, sculpture, fully from life, plein air painting, animals, and a special category for teens. For more information click here.

Filmmakers, Video, and Projection Artists Call For Concepts – Alexandria, VA

Deadline: April 17 The Alexandria Film Festival and the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra are partnering to produce “Homegrown: American Stories in Music and Film,” a unique blend of orchestral music and original film. Both organizations will commission five new films to be screened “live to picture” with American orchestral pieces performed by the symphony at its November 7 and 8 concerts, and then screened during the 14th annual film festival November 12–15. For more information click here.

Call For Graffiti and Aerosol Muralists – DC

Deadline: April 17 The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH), in partnership with the DC Department of Public Works (DPW), seeks graffiti and aerosol mural artists and artist teams to design, create and install aerosol murals as part of the MuralsDC program. Selected artists will be expected to engage designated youth (ages 14-18) to help them understand the art of aerosol graffiti mural painting and provide youth with opportunities to assist in activities such as site preparation and mural outlining. This is an International Call for Graffiti and Aerosol Mural Art Artists and Artist Teams (selection preference will be given to artists that are residents of the District of Columbia). Click here to learn more.

The Harpo Foundation Grants For Visual Artists

Deadline: April 17 The Harpo Foundation seeks to stimulate creative inquiry and to encourage new modes of thinking about art. Applications are evaluated on the basis of the quality of the artist’s work, the potential to expand aesthetic inquiry, and its relationship to the foundation’s priority to provide support to visual artists who are under-recognized by the field. To apply click here.

Contemporary Art Gallery Online 2020 Art Competition

Deadline: April 19 Contemporary Art Gallery Online is proud to announce their 2nd Annual “ALL Planet Earth Theme” Online Art Competition for 2020. Contemporary Art Gallery Online encourages entries from all 2D and 3D artists regardless of their experience, education in the art field or where they may reside. Learn more here.

Doylestown Art Festival Call for Submissions – Doylestown, PA

Target Gallery Call For Artists

2020 Aperture Summer Open – New York

The Beacon Celebration of the Arts 2020

Create! Magazine Open Call

Women’s Jewelry Association 2020 Student Scholarship

Deadline: April 30 (apply by April 10th and your application fee will be waived)

2020 Project for Empty Space 2020 Artist in Residence Program – Newark, NJ

2020 Hamilton Artists Fellowship

Women’s Studio Workshop Residency – Rosendale, NY

MPAartfest Call For Submissions – McLean, Virginia

Sculpture Center 2021 In Practice Call for Artist Proposals – New York

Sea of Change Mid-Atlantic 2020 Call For Submissions Extension Virginia Beach, VA

__________________________________________________

Ongoing: These opportunities have rolling deadlines.

Exhibit at Hotel Indigo Downtown Baltimore — Baltimore, MD

Solo or Group Shows in Athenaeum Gallery – VA

The Creativity Grant Program State of Maryland (MD)

Artist/Writers: Cover Art for Academic Medicine

The Awesome Foundation Accepting Applications for Art Projects

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

Peripheral ARTeries – Biennial Contemporary Art Publication

Exhibit at Hotel Indigo (VA)

The New Project Studio – Ongoing Opportunity (VA)

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.

Residency: Maryland

Looking for artists: Foundry Gallery (DC)

Looking for artists: Printmakers (DC)

Artful Weekend At Home April 10-12

April 11, 2020

"Blue Corner" by Janet Heekin, received an Honorable Mention Award in The Art League April Open Exhibit.

Welcome to Artful Weekend At Home, our guide to fun and interesting ways to enjoy and engage in art as you shelter-in-place.

This weekend: Our April Open Show online, Easter eggs to dye for, a virtual Hockney exhibit, and more!

April Open Exhibit Online

“Gazelle” by Stephanie Chang, an Honorable Mention awardee in our April Open Exhibit.

As we do our part to follow social distancing guidelines, we will continue to present great art by our member artists. Exhibiting now online: our April Open Show juried by art writer Dana Self of KC Studio magazine.

Artful Easter Eggs

Tie-dye easter eggs courtesy of Crouton and CrackerJack.

In lieu of their annual Easter egg hunt, our friends at Anthenaeum Gallery shared this tutorial for making groovy tie-dye Easter eggs that are bound to be an Easter basket standout!

Don’t have dye or food coloring? Make some from pantry staples. The digital food magazine Kitchn shows you how to dye eggs naturally using things like onion skins, purple cabbage, ground turmeric and good old Red Zinger tea.

Insta Art Games

“JeopARTy,” hosted by The Student Art League of NY

Test your art knowledge and have fun playing these art-themed games on Instagram: The the Brooklyn Museum’s Art History Pop Quiz, appearing on their Instagram story every Friday, features questions about the museum’s famed collection. For “JeopARTy,” hosted by The Student Art League of NY on Sunday, April12 at 7 p.m., contestants who are selected from their Instagram Live audience compete for prizes.

A Virtual Hockney Exhibit

This portrait of pop sensation Ed Sheeran is one of 18 charcoal, crayon, and acrylic on canvas portraits featured in David Hockney’s latest exhibit.

Octogenarian artist David Hockney’s investigations into how to depict more truly how we ‘see’ is unwavering. His latest exhibit, Video Brings Its Time to You, You Bring Your Time to Paintings and Drawings, includes the two two multiple perspective videos, portraits on canvas of Hockney’s friends and associates, from fellow artists to well-known musicians, as well as images and items from his studio. Catch it on GalleriesNow, an online guide with installation and virtual reality views.

Support Student Artists

A sampling of MFA thesis submissions from MICA on @SocialDistanceGallery.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought another in-person art activity to a halt: student thesis exhibitions. Artist and adjunct professor Benjamin Cook is helping to fill the void and giving young artists a wide-reaching platform with his increasingly popular @SocialDistanceGallery on Instagram. It’s a great way to see work by emerging artists from around the globe.

Masks Made Easy

With face coverings now a social-distancing requirement in the DMV, here’s an easy, no-sew version you can make with a bandana or any other tightly woven fabric. Once your mask is finished, follow these instructions for wearing and caring for it.

Stay safe, stay home, and enjoy your weekend.

Artist Opportunities #512

April 7, 2020

Even during difficult times, creativity persists. Throughout this period of social distancing, we will begin our listing with opportunities that uniquely address the current pandemic—be they calls for art that specifically speaks to it, or virtual exhibits that are cropping up as a result of it. Some have definitive deadlines and others are more flexible, so be sure to check guidelines carefully. We encourage you to share these and other opportunities with your creative circle.

Opportunities in Response to Covid-19

Bloom + Grow Brilliant Botanicals Call For Artists

Downtown Baltimore Partnership Call For Artists – Baltimore

Insider Art Fair Call For Submissions

Social Distance Gallery For Thesis Exhibitions

Las Laguna Gallery Call For Artists

Deadline: September 31 In response to COVID-19, Las Laguna Gallery has launched its first online exhibition of art in all media, “a light in the darkness.” All submissions will be accepted and posted in an online gallery. Click here to learn more.

Amplifier’s Global Open Call For Art

Other Opportunities

First Street Gallery Call For Submissions—NY

Deadline: April 7 This exhibit is open to U.S. resident artists at least 18 yeas of age, except artists currently represented by First Street Gallery. Eligible works include original oils, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, drawings, prints, photography, mixed media, and sculpture in any medium. For more information click here.

2020 Hamilton Artists Fellowship

Sea of Change Mid-Atlantic 2020 Call For Submissions Extension Virginia Beach, VA

__________________________________________________________________________

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

Halcyon Arts Lab Fellowship – DC

Deadline: April 8 At the intersection of art and social change, this five-month residential fellowship is designed to provide support and resources to emerging artists working on projects which address issues of social justice, civic engagement, and community building. Arts Lab fellows strive to expand their practices and grow as leaders in their respective fields. For more information click here.

Biblio Spectaculum Call For Entries – Clifton Springs, NY

Deadline: April 11 Main Street Arts seeks entries for a national juried exhibition of artist books and text-based visual works. Submissions must be visual in nature. Written text passages must be part of an artist book, painting, photograph, drawing, print, collage, sculpture, or other visual art form. Submissions may be text art, concrete/visual poetry, any of the afore mentioned disciplines, or a combination thereof. Submissions may or may not contain text or type. For more information click here.

15th ARC Salon Call For Entries

Filmmakers, Video, and Projection Artists Call For Concepts – Alexandria, VA

Call For Graffiti and Aerosol Muralists – DC

The Harpo Foundation Grants For Visual Artists

Contemporary Art Gallery Online 2020 Art Competition

2020 Aperture Summer Open – New York

Doylestown Art Festival Call for Submissions – Doylestown, PA

Target Gallery Call For Artists

The Beacon Celebration of the Arts 2020

Create! Magazine Open Call

Women’s Jewelry Association 2020 Student Scholarship

Deadline: April 30 (apply by April 10th and your application fee will be waived)

2020 Project for Empty Space 2020 Artist in Residence Program – Newark, NJ

Women’s Studio Workshop Residency – Rosendale, NY

MPAartfest Call For Submissions – McLean, Virginia

Sculpture Center 2021 In Practice Call for Artist Proposals – New York

__________________________________________________

Ongoing: These opportunities have rolling deadlines.

Exhibit at Hotel Indigo Downtown Baltimore — Baltimore, MD

Solo or Group Shows in Athenaeum Gallery – VA

The Creativity Grant Program State of Maryland (MD)

Artist/Writers: Cover Art for Academic Medicine

The Awesome Foundation Accepting Applications for Art Projects

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

Peripheral ARTeries – Biennial Contemporary Art Publication

Exhibit at Hotel Indigo (VA)

The New Project Studio – Ongoing Opportunity (VA)

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.

Residency: Maryland

Looking for artists: Foundry Gallery (DC)

Looking for artists: Printmakers (DC)

Artful Weekend At Home April 3-5

April 3, 2020

Three artworks in "Flora/Fauna," from left to right: "Eventide Escape" by Richard Moore; "Piero's Table" by Maureen Rabinovitz; and "Landscape" by Daiva Balkus; floral arrangement by The Enchanted Florist.

Welcome to Artful Weekend At Home, our guide to fun and interesting ways to enjoy and engage in art as you shelter-in-place.

This weekend: Tour our Flora/Fauna exhibit, rise to some creative challenges, brush up on your art history, and more!

Spring Fling

Here’s a sampling of what you’ll see in our “Flora/Fauna” video tour.

Didn’t get to see our March exhibition Flora/Fauna in The Art League Gallery? No problem! Check out this video walk through with commentary by juror Carol Fabricatore!

Join the Club

“Odd Little Lifes,” a still-life exercise created by our assistant gallery director Haven Ashley, requires using common and unique household objects.

Virtual art clubs—aka #quarantineartclubs—and art challenges are connecting artists on social media. As reported on MyModernMet.com, “The general structure of these coronavirus clubs is that each day there is a prompt. Based on the day and inspiration, you’ll create a drawing, painting, or collage and share it on social media (most commonly Instagram) using the appropriate hashtag.” Get started with Art in Your Inbox, our series of lighthearted, staff-curated exercises to give you a boost of creative endorphins. Be sure to tag us @theartleague, and use the hashtag #createsomethingmore.

Parents’ Time Out

Are you a frazzled parent juggling working from home and keeping your young ones occupied and engaged? These illustrators, who have created free art classes for kids, parents and anyone else in need of a creative break, have got your back!

Get the Picture?

Nothing gets an idea across like visual communication. Case in point: graphic designers and artists who are creating COVID-19 PSAs. Here are ten with advice to heed.

Higher Learning

Take a break from dire news reports and immerse yourself in art studies. Smarthistory offers free courses on the elements of art, art history and movements, noted artists, and more.

Art Watch

From Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, that looks at the dissident Chinese artist’s practice and social activism, to The Art of the Steal, which reveals how the Philadelphia Museum of Art attempted to steal the collection of art patron Albert Barnes, there is no shortage of interesting art documentaries. Here are some to add to your streaming queue.

Stay safe, stay home, and enjoy your weekend.

Artist Opportunities #511

April 3, 2020

"The Verdant Surface of a Quaking Bog" by Ann Steele

New:

Amplifier’s Global Open Call For Art

Define American Immigrant Artist Fellowship

Deadline: April 5 Define American created this fellowship to support immigrant artists who engage their communities as they further develop their artistic practice and shape narratives of American identity. Selected artists receive a stipend and resources, and gain national exposure as they work with community-based organizations, build their capacity as cultural change-makers and demonstrate how art can catalyze positive and lasting narrative change. For more information click here.

15th ARC Salon Call For Entries

Contemporary Art Gallery Online 2020 Art Competition

2020 Aperture Summer Open – New York

Create! Magazine Open Call

Women’s Jewelry Association 2020 Student Scholarship

Deadline: April 30 (apply by April 10th and your application fee will be waived)

2020 Project for Empty Space 2020 Artist in Residence Program – Newark, NJ

Women’s Studio Workshop Residency – Rosendale, NY

MPAartfest Call For Submissions – McLean, Virginia

Sculpture Center 2021 In Practice Call for Artist Proposals – New York

__________________________________________________________________________

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

Arlington Arts Center Seeks Instructors – Arlington, VA

Arlington Arts Center is looking for instructors for their upcoming art classes. This is a contracted position starting at $32/hour for instructors with a BA/BFA and $35/hour for instructors with an MA/MFA. They are looking for art instructors interested in teaching onsite at AAC and/or offsite classes in partnership with local elementary schools. For more information click here.

Portico Gallery and Studios Call: Pride LGBTQ Exhibition – Brentwood, MD

Deadline: April 5 Portico Gallery will host an exhibition by artists who self-identify as LGBTQ, but the artwork does not need to be explicitly LGBTQ-focused. All artistic perspectives are welcome. Learn more here.

Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District Call For Muralists – Bethesda, MD

Deadline: April 6 The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, in partnership with Montgomery County, Maryland, announces a new public art mural project at the Montgomery County’s Public Park Garage located at 8216 Woodmont Avenue in downtown Bethesda, MD. Artists are invited to submit proposals that are transportation-themed including, but not limited to artwork depicting cars, bicycles, walking, public transportation and more. Learn more here.

Halcyon Arts Lab Fellowship – DC

Biblio Spectaculum Call For Entries – Clifton Springs, NY

Filmmakers, Video, and Projection Artists Call For Concepts – Alexandria, VA

Call For Graffiti and Aerosol Muralists – DC

The Harpo Foundation Grants For Visual Artists

Doylestown Art Festival Call for Submissions – Doylestown, PA

Target Gallery Call For Artists

The Beacon Celebration of the Arts 2020

__________________________________________________

Ongoing: These opportunities have rolling deadlines.

Exhibit at Hotel Indigo Downtown Baltimore — Baltimore, MD

Solo or Group Shows in Athenaeum Gallery – VA

The Creativity Grant Program State of Maryland (MD)

Artist/Writers: Cover Art for Academic Medicine

The Awesome Foundation Accepting Applications for Art Projects

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

Peripheral ARTeries – Biennial Contemporary Art Publication

Exhibit at Hotel Indigo (VA)

The New Project Studio – Ongoing Opportunity (VA)

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.

Residency: Maryland

Looking for artists: Foundry Gallery (DC)

Looking for artists: Printmakers (DC)

Odd Little Lifes: a creative still life exercise

April 2, 2020

by Assistant Gallery Director Haven Ashley

For our series “Art in your Inbox,” Art League staffers are sharing lighthearted exercises to give you a boost of creative endorphins. Dive into fun and informal, quick projects—an apéritif to your greater artistic pursuits.

My creative exercise, Odd Little Lifes, is an example of “leaning in,” because life feels odd at the moment. Join me in one of these moments to consider the objects that now surround us 24/7, and make a still life out of this odd life.

Set up your surface and background.

To begin, make your background crisp, white, and unobtrusive; think—rice cracker. You can accomplish this by using a bedsheet, a few pieces of mat board, foam core, or thick white paper. I used a scrap of drywall, which I wouldn’t recommend. (As it threw off the white balance.)

Gather your materials.

Sort through your sundries following my four-part formula:

Something edible

Citrus fruits and bottles of hot sauce always deliver visually, as do canned goods with great packaging. Labels add the graphic interest of text. I choose two jalapeños and a tin of anchovies. Beautiful to look at and, technically, edible.

Something meaningful

There are lots of options here: family photos, old birthday cards, jewelry. Reference a memento mori by using your child’s baby teeth or something with visible mold. Anything you collect will do: river rocks, sea glass, ticket stubs. If it smacks of an heirloom, use it. My choice was a family photo (Sarasota, circa 1993.)

Something colorful

We creatives are always drawn to color. Pick something whose hue alone brings you sheer satisfaction, regardless of its form. A color you’d like to dive into, to bite into. My selection was an old reliable: a vase and a rose.

Something mysterious

What makes an object mysterious? Perhaps it’s the act of taking an object out of its context, removing its purpose, and making it sit pretty. A mysterious object is one that feels nice in the palm; something that would please a pickpocket or a bowerbird. It should reflect light or add texture. Find something that makes you ask yourself, “why do I even have this thing?” I choose a copper marble and a pair of crystal ornaments. When you know, you know.

Experiment with placements.

When arranging your still life, space objects in varying distances from each other to add depth to the visual plane. Change the compositions often, swap out different items, scrutinize the lighting. I used this as an opportunity to experiment with photography, but Odd Little Lifes plays well as a subject for drawing and painting.

Share your Odd Little Lifes.

Please share your experiments with Odd Little Lifes on our Instagram: tag us @theartleague, and use the hashtag #createsomethingmore.

The Enchanting Garden: How a scene from a travel photo became an award-winning painting

March 30, 2020

Painter Angela Lacy won the "March Flora/Fauna" Best-in-Show Award for her painting "Lismore Flowers."

by Haven Ashley

Lismore Flowers, the March Flora/Fauna Best-in-Show Award-winning painting by Angela Lacy, is like a postcard scene beckoning you to step inside inside. In effortless watercolor, Lacy delights us with a charming parcel of Irish countryside. Lovingly pruned and abundant with blooms, the garden feels exuberant with life. White chrysanthemums, cheerful as pinwheels, reach toward northwest sunlight, leading our eyes along the garden path. One can imagine the hum of its passing visitors—bees, beetles, the occasional waxwing—flitting in and out of view as they, too, enjoy the delights of the garden.

Lacy painted Lismore Flowers from a personal photograph taken on a trip to Ireland’s Waterford County. “I was touched by how the residents and shop owners appreciated nature and took wonderful care of their flowers,” she recalls. As she snapped photos of the town, an image of the painting blossomed in her mind. “I wanted to capture the essence of this garden, lovingly cared for by people.”

When she was ready to create her painting, she used a special method of “pouring and tilting the paper to allow diluted colors to blend.” The method, she says, is influenced by her childhood growing up in Tokyo, where she was inspired by the unique composition and harmonious colors of Japanese woodblock paintings. It is both well-planned and improvisational—much like the circuition of a wild country garden.

Lacy’s pursuit and passion for watercolor began shortly after her retirement from the federal government, where she was a program analyst, in 2008. Currently, she is working on Northern Italy cityscapes—including Milan and Bergamo—from areas that she visited last year. “Now their suffering is unbearable,” she remarked on the COVID-19 pandemic’s assault on the region. “As I paint, I pray for the safety and protection of the people in Italy and all around the world.”

Lismore Flowers is an image of life in coalescence. As Lacy walked down the shop-lined Lismore road, she witnessed two intertwined ecosystems, a humble balancing act of flora and fauna. While climbing vines travel up the shop’s stone walls, proffering their pollen, the proprietors inside sell their own goods.

Below the honeyed garden blooms, Lacy has added deep, shadowy contrast—the places of earthy darkness where roots grow low, reaching down like grasping fingers. Where seeds are sewn, stitching their roots into the soil to form nature’s floral quilt. The artist reminds us that there is life in darkness and among stillness—cyclical, instinctual, and determined to thrive.

Artful Weekend At Home March 28-29

March 27, 2020

"Jasper's Dilemma" by Frank Stella is featured in the Whitney Museum of Art's online exhibit for children.

Welcome to Artful Weekend! With area museums and galleries temporarily closed as a COVID-19 precaution, we will now guide you to fun and interesting exhibits and more that you can enjoy from home. Increasingly, art institutions are devising new ways of engaging with art lovers from afar, and we will do our best to keep you informed about them. In the meantime, here are some artful activities for adults and children to enjoy this weekend and beyond.

Online Exhibits

Women’s History Month may be drawing to an end, but it’s not too late to take in some exhibits featuring works by women artists. Two to see: No Man’s Land: Women Artists From the Rubell Family Collection is an immersive online tour featuring 37 of the brightest female contemporary artists working today. Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists, the first major thematic show to explore the artistic achievements of Native women, features artwork and videos on view at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art’s online gallery.

Mini Curator Talks

Throughout 2013, The Metropolitan Museum of Art invited 100 curators from across the Museum to talk about 100 works of art that changed the way they see the world, and eleven Museum photographers to interpret their vision. See their selections and hear their insightful commentary on 82nd and 5th, two-minute video episodes linking historical art and culture to a broader conversation.

Kids’ Corner

In her award-winning children’s book Tar Beach, noted quilter, painter, and mixed media sculptor Faith Ringgold recounts the dream adventure of eight-year-old Cassie Louise Lightfoot, who flies above her apartment-building rooftop, the ‘tar beach’ of the title, looking down on 1939 Harlem. Ringgold herself hosts an online story time, reading from her famed book in this YouTube video.

Over at the Whitney Museum of Art, guided online tours introduce children 6-10 years of age to the works of famous artists like Stewart Davis, Edward Hopper, Jacob Lawrence, and Georgia O’Keefe, as well as works from the Whitney Biennial.

Artist Opportunities #510

March 27, 2020

New:

“A Hug Or Something Like It” Call For Miniature Art

Deadline: March 28 Artist Amy Wike is collecting miniature visual interpretations of hugs from DC-area artists to send as care packages. She will sell reproductions of the submitted artwork as Hug Packets, consisting of a set of five randomly selected ‘hugs’ for $20, and will also handle logistics and delivery. Profits will be split evenly among the contributing artists. For more information click here.

Maryland State Arts Council Arts & Entertainment Districts Assistance Grants

Deadline: April 1 The Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) encourages and invests in the advancement of the arts for all Marylanders. Its grants and programs support artists and arts organizations in their pursuit of artistic excellence, ensure the accessibility of the arts to all citizens and promote statewide awareness of arts resources and opportunities. This program supports organizational development for Maryland Arts & Entertainment Districts. Eligible activities must begin or take place prior to July 1, 2020. Click here for more information.

Request For Qualifications: Langley Park Traffic Box Art Wraps

Deadline: April 13 This call is open to all artists, graphic designers, illustrators, and photographers who currently live or work within the State of Maryland. Submitted designs must be original artwork and can be created in any medium, so long as it can be represented in, and is submitted as, a high-resolution digital image without loss of integrity or quality. Learn more here.

Social Distancing Artist Residency

Deadline: April 30 As the COVID-19 pandemic develops over the next few months, we are facing substantial effects on our social lives. As social gatherings and events are being cancelled, and public spaces are closing, we may find ourselves in solitude more than ever over the coming months. With that in mind, Brooklyn-based artist Patricia Kalidonis, whose own artwork centers around social connections, solitude, loneliness, and familial bonds, is seeking artists who are interested in collaborating on an evolving, artist-driven idea titled Social Distancing Artist Residency. Click here for more information.

University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center Call For Proposals – Maryland

Deadline: May 1 Qualifications are requested from local artists interested in proposing artwork for the interior of a large-scale healthcare facility: University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center. Due to the number of locations planned throughout the facility, there is opportunity for a variety of wall-mounted media at various budgets levels. Learn more here.

2020 Visiting Curator Exhibition Call For Entries – Philadelphia

Deadline: May 4 The Center for Emerging Visual Artists invites you to submit images of your artwork for review by our guest curator, Naima J Keith, of LACMA in Los Angeles, CA. Of the applicants, 10 to 25 artists will be asked to present a digital portfolio of approximately  ten images. One to three of those artists will be selected for an exhibition in CFEVA’s Felicity R. “Bebe” Benoliel Gallery. Artists within a 150 mile radius of Philadelphia may apply. For more information click here.

Juliet Art Museum Regional MFA Juried Exhibition – Charleston, West, Virginia

Deadline: May 4 The Juliet Art Museum invites all MFA student artists graduating from schools in the Appalachian Region (spanning southern New York to Northern Alabama and Georgia) to enter the Juliet Art Museum MFA Exhibition. This exhibit serves as an opportunity for emerging artists throughout Appalachia, highlighting the incredible work coming out of MFA programs accross the region. Artists are encouraged to apply with the MFA thesis work. Work selected will be on display in the Juliet Art Museum from August 8th– November 29th, 2020. For more information click here.

__________________________________________________________________________

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

Arlington Arts Center Seeks Instructors – Arlington, VA

2020 Annual Digital Student Slide Show For Metalsmithing and Jewelry

Deadline: March 29 Educators, this annual conference component showcases the creativity, skill and hard work of students studying metalsmithing and jewelry in institutions across North America. It will be shown as a digital presentation in one or more parts at the 2020 SNAG Conference in Philadelphia, “Grit to Gold: Future Fifty.” SNAG is seeking powerful and inspirational images of the work of your students. For more information click here.

The Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Grant

Deadline: April 1 The Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Grant is awarded annually to under-recognized American painters over the age of 45 who demonstrate financial need. The mission of this grant is to promote public awareness of and a commitment to American art and to encourage interest in artists who lack adequate recognition. Click here to apply.

Women’s Studio Workshop Residency – Rosendale, NY

Deadline: April 1 The Studio Workspace Residency is an opportunity for artists to create new work and fully immerse themselves in WSW’s supportive environment. We invite applications from artists at any stage of their careers. This residency gives artists the gift of time, an uninterrupted period to live and work away from the stresses of daily life. Artists may choose to work in any one or more of our studios: intaglio, letterpress, papermaking, screen printing, darkroom photography, or ceramics. Learn more here.

Gloucester Arts Festival Call for Entry – VA

Deadline: April 3 The Gloucester Arts Festival committee is pleased to announce an open call for an exhibition that will be the focal point of their 2020 arts festival. The theme is water, both in nature and in human experience (e.g., industrial settings, conservation efforts, community life, spiritual dimensions, etc.). Artists will be juried into the show with digital images of original 2D or 3D work completed in the last two years. For details, click here.

Portico Gallery and Studios Call: Pride LGBTQ Exhibition – Brentwood, MD

Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District Call For Muralists – Bethesda, MD

Halcyon Arts Lab Fellowship – DC

Biblio Spectaculum Call For Entries – Clifton Springs, NY

Filmmakers, Video, and Projection Artists Call For Concepts – Alexandria, VA

Call For Graffiti and Aerosol Muralists – DC

The Harpo Foundation Grants For Visual Artists

Doylestown Art Festival Call for Submissions – Doylestown, PA

Target Gallery Call For Artists

The Beacon Celebration of the Arts 2020

__________________________________________________

Ongoing: These opportunities have rolling deadlines.

Exhibit at Hotel Indigo Downtown Baltimore — Baltimore, MD

Solo or Group Shows in Athenaeum Gallery – VA

The Creativity Grant Program State of Maryland (MD)

Artist/Writers: Cover Art for Academic Medicine

The Awesome Foundation Accepting Applications for Art Projects

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

Peripheral ARTeries – Biennial Contemporary Art Publication

Exhibit at Hotel Indigo (VA)

The New Project Studio – Ongoing Opportunity (VA)

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.

Residency: Maryland

Looking for artists: Foundry Gallery (DC)

Looking for artists: Printmakers (DC)

Mini Makers At-Home: Artful Nature Walk and Painting Project

March 26, 2020

By Ali Wunder

Hi, Mini Makers families! It has been quite a while since we had an in-person meeting. I hope you are all safe and healthy. I have really missed making art with you! Since we will be closed to the public for the next several weeks, here is a kid’s art project for you to do at home.

Like a lot of parents out there, I recently found myself juggling work and my children at home full time. We have not settled into our quarantine “routine” just yet. I have been at a bit of a loss trying to juggle the role of mom, teacher, playmate while also processing the anxiety I’m feeling about the current state of the world.

Here is a multi-step activity that I did with my kids last week that left us feeling refreshed, and produced some exciting artwork. All of the materials I used aside from a bit of paint and paper, were basic household materials and things we found outside. I spaced the activities out over a full day, which worked really well for us. Enjoy!

What you will need:

Materials for making handmade paintbrushes:

Sticks
Pine needles, grass, or some other kind of “bristle”
Masking or duct tape
Wire (Floral wire, pipe cleaners or some other easy to twist wire works best)
Wire cutters
Scissors

Other materials:

Paint
Paint container
Drop Cloth
Paper or other painting surfaces

Step 1: Go on a collecting adventure!

We grabbed a few bags and headed outside for a walk in the woods. If you don’t have a wooded area nearby, any place you might find some stray sticks, leaves and pine needles will work. Spend some time engaging your kids in becoming explorers on a search for treasures. We picked up rocks, acorns, sticks, grass, and just about anything else that had treasure potential. You will need sticks of varied sizes and a substantial amount of whatever material you choose for bristles if you want to make paintbrushes. I like pine needles the best, but the options are limitless!

Step 2: Sort your treasures.

We sorted our sticks by size first. My kids really enjoyed doing this and it gave us some time to closely observe what we had found and discuss it.

Step 3: Assemble your paintbrushes and mark makers.

I started by choosing a stick and gathering a large handful of pine needles. Then I taped the needles to the base of the stick and then wrapped it several times with green floral wire to make sure the needles were secure. Depending on your kid’s age you may end up doing the bulk of this step.

Step 4: Set Up your workspace.

This is a bit on the messy side! I forgot to put down a drop cloth on my table and immediately regretted it. Make sure you cover your workspace with one—or even newspaper—so you will not spend a lot of time scrubbing afterward.

Step 5: Experiment with your tools.

Have your kids experiment with different kinds of mark-making: slapping marks, long slow marks, thick and thin marks, fast marks, dragging marks, or dancing marks.

Step 6: Make a painting!

Here are some discussion questions to further engage your Mini Maker(s):

What was surprising about your mark maker?
What do you like best about it?
How might you use the same materials to make a different kind of mark?

Juror Q & A With Carol Fabricatore

March 24, 2020

March Flora/Fauna Exhibit juror Carol Fabricatore

Illustrator and School of Visual Arts drawing instructor Carol Fabricatore likes to be out and about where she can observe things, be they fleeting moments in a cityscape or the abundant spectacles found in nature. “A lot of my work is done on location, so it is very in-the-moment and energetic,” she says from her Westchester, New York home where a sabbatical from The School of Visual Arts in Manhattan has also become an uncertain period of social distancing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ultimately, she says, it all boils down to storytelling. “It’s about finding what’s important to me, what I’m curious about, and then exploring that in a series of works where each piece tells a certain part of the story. It’s very narrative.”

Fabricatore had plenty to observe, and possible narratives to ponder, as the juror of our nature inspired exhibition March Flora/Fauna. “I really didn’t know what to expect,” she admits. “I thought it was going to be mostly painting and drawing, and I was pleasantly surprised and very pleased with the variation [of artwork]—sculpture and even photography. It was all really interesting and really strong.”

Here, she talks to our blog editor Julia Chance about what inspires her, why she loves teaching, and which works in March Flora/Fauna struck an emotional chord.

The Art League: How do you describe your work?

Carol Fabricatore: I am an artist who has always worked on location in urban, and semi-rural settings. I love the diversity and energy of New York in all its ways, and that there’s always a story, everywhere. I love being a visual storyteller. I also love working in botanical gardens and locations with landscapes.

I work in several sketchbooks at the same time and they can include figure drawing and people in subways or cafes, animals, or different personal projects. Then I have a couple that are specifically themed, like one for a series of personal work revolving around landscapes and another dedicated to a series of drawings inspired by Coney Island. I use my drawings from my sketchbooks to work up and create larger paintings in my studio for galleries. I also do illustration for editorial and books.

TAL: What mediums do you like to work in and why?

CF: I like to use a lot of different mediums depending on what the circumstance is, whether it’s on-site or in my studio or how I’m feeling that day. Sometimes I use a single medium or in conjunction together with others. I use watercolor, gouache, acrylic and different inks. I’ve also been making monoprints lately. When I work on-site, I need mediums that are portable that I can manage. When I’m in my studio I can spread out and use paints like acrylic and gouache. I don’t work digitally.

When she’s not documenting the constant hustle and bustle of New York City, Fabricatore makes flora and fauna the subject of her narrative style of drawing.

TAL: What is narrative drawing?

CF: Narrative drawing is art that tells a story, either as a moment in an ongoing story or as a sequence of events unfolding over time. Narrative storytelling and working in a series allows me to visually consider and capture moments that succeed and are replaced by other moments, to explore themes, and to bring out more intimate depictions of mood, atmosphere, passages of time, personal insights and complex thoughts.

TAL: You have taught narrative drawing for an MFA program at the School of Visual Arts for quite a while. What do you enjoy about teaching?

CF: Teaching makes me revisit everything I’ve ever learned and want to share with my students. I teach observational drawing in the studio and on location. It’s endlessly fulfilling and challenging. I love to introduce students to new ways of seeing and have them find a personal connection to what they want to draw. It’s important to recognize what they are curious about and to trust their intuitive response.

I have students do a lot of experimenting with different approaches and drawing instruments. I love having conversations about what’s really important to them, and to help them see the surprising and positive discoveries they make in their work. I like being a guide in their journey of finding their personal voice. Rewarding, exciting, invigorating, gratifying and a great learning experience for me, as well, teaching is all of those things.

TAL: What was your overall impression of the works submitted for March Flora/Fauna?

CF: I was very impressed with the work and extremely happy with the overall level of talent. I examined each entry for its artistry and how well it fit the chosen theme, ultimately selecting my favorites for exhibition. It’s so fascinating to see how artists saw the flora and fauna theme.

TAL: Describe your process selecting the best-in-show winner and honorable mentions.

CF: I took great care with my selections, and I really enjoyed the process. I pored over digital images of artists’ submissions for several days before narrowing the field to 100 artists, the best-in-show, and ten honorable mentions. Each artist portrayed flora and fauna in their own unique way, including representations of animals, flowers, gardens, and insects. This is such a lovely topic for which to create imagery. I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen in the entries. Selecting the best-in-show was very difficult. It was down to two images, both were strong, beautifully created and powerful. I ultimately went with the one that I kept coming back to, right from the first time I saw it, for best-in-show. This is a really strong exhibit because there are so many different takes on the theme, and artists range from using painting, collage, photography, drawing, and even 3D work.

TAL: Was there anything about the submissions that surprised you?

CF: The many different ways of expressing what the artist felt about the theme, using many varied approaches and mediums.

TAL: What advice do you have for artists submitting work for exhibition?

CF: When you photograph or scan your work, make sure it is a really good picture or scan. Refrain from submitting a photograph of work in a frame because it is usually difficult to light in an ideal manner. Choose the pieces that mean something to you and that you feel are the strongest. I know you can sometimes enter up to three artworks in a show, but don’t just add others because you can. Bring your passion and your voice to your imagery. Love what you do. Trust your intuition.

Best-in-Show Award winner Lismore Flowers by Angela Lacy

“This really struck me right away in an emotional way and made a deep impression, especially with the harmonious colors and striking composition. It has the feeling of a Japanese woodblock the way the artist used the light and shadow to create dramatic graphic shapes, depth and contrasts. I loved the use of specific bright colors that lead the viewer into the image in a graceful way from the largest white flower meandering up and around the red, yellow and vermillion flowers diagonally up to the top. The organic shapes of the flowers, leaves, and vines, juxtaposing the architectural structure of the building is striking. This image for me has a deep underlying evocative quality of things hidden underneath as well. It’s not simply what you are seeing on the surface but what you’re feeling.”

Honorable Mentions:

Eye To Eye by Gloria Spellman

“I loved all of the patterns, textures, and the camouflaged quality of the subject. I felt my adrenalin kick up a bit looking into the leopard’s eyes staring back at me. The confrontation with the viewer creates tension. The image has so much movement, from the blur of the grasses to the different directions of the pattern of markings on the leopard as it moves into the frame. It’s beautifully composed.”

Landscape by Daiva Balkus

“I found this three dimensional piece of different colored glasses exceptionally minimal and abstract. The choices of color combinations and composition are exquisite. It really felt like a landscape to me with the balance of economic shapes, forms, angles and curves. It’s aesthetically gorgeous.”

Looking for Lunch by Eva Lanyi

“This is a whole circle of life moment. What great storytelling, humor, surprise, drama and intense anticipation. The beautiful details in the spider, flower and the bee are incredible. It’s a perfect combination of fauna and flora!”

Morning Rose by Paul Seymore

“This image of roses is so sensitive and delicate. I love seeing the droplets of water on the pedals, like glistening pearls. It reminds me of the importance of the single rose in Beauty and the Beast, and suggests a fairytale story behind it. The way the central rose comes into focus and everything else melts away into a less important role is moving.”

New Sight by Stephen Procopio

“When I look at this piece I feel like I have a secret window into a dream of the artist. The central figure seems to be looking upwards towards a hidden face or muse in the garden. The garden seems very animated with a multitude of fauna and flora. There’s so much suggested storytelling and the artist invites the viewer to bring his or her own interpretations to it. I love traveling around the piece discovering all of the mark making within the vocabulary of line work. The balance between the contoured lines, the different textured marks and the more solid areas is lovely and exciting.”

Red-Bellied Beauty by Emily Piper

“This image was striking in a way that I just kept coming back to it again and again. I loved the droplets of ink around and behind the bird and how they grew and spread into beautiful forms and shapes, feeling very much like abstract flora. The relationship and interaction that the artist created between the organic ink shapes and the incredibly defined and meticulous patterns of the woodpecker is magical. The red accent color on the bird just makes the piece sing.”

Twilight by Leslie Chekin

“This image feels like the artist captured the special time of day where it feels enchanted. I love the small sliver of space between two of the trees showing the subtle glow of light making the image very narrative. The repetition of the vertical trees and the way the artist uses the positive and negative spaces between them makes this a beautiful composition. The tree that I see first as a focal point with all of the “eyes” on it seems to have many secrets and adds to the mystery of the scene. The image is so sensitively drawn.”

The Verdant Surface of a Quaking Bog by Ann Steele

“This artist creates a whole garden of delights with the delicacy of the gorgeous complementary color palette and lacy leaf shapes. It feels like you can write a whole fairy tale about the luxuriant miniature world within this photograph. The grasses and vines punctuate the image with repetition and movement. It has a charmed quality.”

White Roses In A Hornet’s Nest by Michaela Borghese

“The title alone talks about the contrasts of the subject matter of the image. It’s such a delicate use of different elements coming together. Everything seems very frail but together make a strong, powerful and thought-provoking image steeped with many layers. You can make many connections between the roses with thorns that can prick and a hornet’s nest that once housed creatures that can sting. The main amorphous transparent white shape that holds the roses juxtaposed against the swirling lines of the hornet’s nest are stunning.”

Piero’s Table by Maureen Rabinovitz

“I feel like I am sitting in the artist’s chair looking through an intimate view of her drawing table from her perspective. She has recreated the early Renaissance artist, Piero della Francesca’s painting of horses and riders in her own personal way. The full watercolor painting is elegantly crafted with a fresh and a gorgeous palette of complementary and harmonious colors that are stunning. She uses a collection of warm interesting shapes and forms that creates a fanciful composition and lovely use of space.”

Artist Opportunities #509

March 20, 2020

New:

Arlington Arts Center Seeks Instructors – Arlington, VA

2020 Annual Digital Student Slide Show For Metalsmithing and Jewelry

Portico Gallery and Studios Call: Pride LGBTQ Exhibition – Brentwood, MD

Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District Call For Muralists – Bethesda, MD

Biblio Spectaculum Call For Entries – Clifton Springs, NY

Filmmakers, Video, and Projection Artists Call For Concepts – Alexandria, VA

Call For Graffiti and Aerosol Muralists – DC

The Beacon Celebration of the Arts 2020

____________________________________________________________________________

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

Montgomery College Call For Exhibition Proposals – Silver Spring, MD

Deadline: March 22 The Department of Visual and Performing Arts is calling for exhibition proposals for the Open Gallery in The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Arts Center that address the theme of “Transcending Borders.” We invite artists to work with real or perceived restrictions, containments, rules, or labels in such a way as to push beyond their limitations. These borders could be self-imposed, cultural, societal, physical, or natural divisions. This exhibition would be an opportunity to challenge, question, conform, or break these constraints. For more information click here.

Call for Entry, Prince Street Gallery – NY

Deadline: March 22 Open to artists 18+ living in the USA. Original paintings, drawings, prints, and mixed media only. No giclees, digital prints, videos or photographs will be accepted. For more information, click here.

Call For Entry, Hand Drawn: A Juried Exhibition of Drawings – St. James, NY

Deadline: March 24 Mills Pond Gallery invites artists to submit works for a juried drawing exhibition. The exhibition is open to drawing in any medium. All subjects, styles, and genres are encouraged, i.e. fine art, illustration, design, conceptual, realism, digital, expressive, abstract, etc. Learn more here.

The Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Grant

Women’s Studio Workshop Residency – Rosendale, NY

Gloucester Arts Festival Call for Entry – VA

Halcyon Arts Lab Fellowship – DC

The Harpo Foundation Grants For Visual Artists

Doylestown Art Festival Call for Submissions – Doylestown, PA

Target Gallery Call For Artists

__________________________________________________

Ongoing: These opportunities have rolling deadlines.

Exhibit at Hotel Indigo Downtown Baltimore — Baltimore, MD

Solo or Group Shows in Athenaeum Gallery – VA

The Creativity Grant Program State of Maryland (MD)

Artist/Writers: Cover Art for Academic Medicine

The Awesome Foundation Accepting Applications for Art Projects

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

Peripheral ARTeries – Biennial Contemporary Art Publication

Exhibit at Hotel Indigo (VA)

The New Project Studio – Ongoing Opportunity (VA)

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.

Residency: Maryland

Looking for artists: Foundry Gallery (DC)

Looking for artists: Printmakers (DC)

Artful Weekend March 13 – 15

March 13, 2020

"March Flora/Fauna Exhibition" at The Art League

Welcome to Artful Weekend, our weekly listing of area art happenings! Check it out every Friday for fun and interesting exhibits and events occurring throughout the DMV. Share your experience at these and other weekend art destinations by tagging us (@theartleague) and including the hashtag #artfulweekend on social media.

This weekend: An artistic ode to Spring, an exhibit you can color, portraiture created from glass, and more!

Check with venues beforehand for possible closings.

March Flora/Fauna and Outside the Lines

Artwork form left to right: *Eventide Escape* by Richard Moore; *Piero’s Table* by Maureen Rabinovitz; and *Landscape* by Daiva Balkus. Floral arrangement by The Enchanted Florist.

*Outside the Lines*, Chris Bonnell’s wall-size coloring installation.

The Art League is ushering in Spring with two exciting exhibits guaranteed to delight the senses and inspire creative fun: March Flora/Fauna features art work from our members that explores plant and animal life, and the delicate balance of the natural world. Complimenting this exhibit are exquisite floral arrangements from The Enchanted Florist, that are for sale, with ten percent of the proceeds going to support our Outreach programming. Outside the Lines is a dynamic, interactive exhibit created by illustrator and Art League instructor Chris Bonnell. For it, he reimagines popular D.C. and Alexandria landmarks taken over by lush plants and fantastical animals. Step into our solo gallery and add to his vision by coloring on a wall-size Illustrated map. Saunter over to the Wild Animal Selfie Wall and strike a pose, then visit the Creature Tree where stickers and drawing supplies await you for making mini creatures of your own to add to the installation; on view through April 5 at The Art League in the Torpedo Factory, 105 North Union Street, Old Town Alexandria.

March150

Target Gallery’s popular annual exhibition and art sale, March150, returns to the Torpedo Factory Art Center for the 10^tth year. This yearly all-media exhibition features over 200 works created and donated by artists local to Alexandria and the greater D.C. region. Emerging and established artists are shown together displayed a wide variety of styles and media. The only requirement to be on view in the exhibition is that artists use the gallery-supplied 10” x 10” panel. All work in the show is priced at $150. Proceeds benefit future exhibitions and programs at Target Galley and the Torpedo Factory Art Center; on view through March 31 Target Gallery in the Torpedo Factory, 105 North Union Street, Old Town Alexandria.

Intersections: Select New Works by MFA Artists

Morton Fine Arts presents Intersections, a kaleidoscope of works by nine of their artists—Julia Mae Bancroft, Victor Ekpuk, Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann, and Vonn Sumner among them—at Gallery B; on view through March 28 at Gallery B, 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E, Bethesda, MD.

Broken Beauty: The Crushed Glass Collection

“Beauty can be found even in the broken things,” says artist Simone Agoussoye. Broken Beauty marks a shift from her usual portraiture mediums—sketching and painting—to crushed glass. “My goal with this collection is to inspire others to not only be artistically bold and challenge themselves to use non-traditional materials and techniques in their work,” says Agoussoye; on view through March 27 at Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (THEARC), 1901 Mississippi Avenue, SE.

The Art of Color

Bethesda Fine Art presents The Art of Color, an exhibition celebrating the use of color as subject in abstract art. Featuring paintings, sculpture, works on paper, and mixed media, this exhibition explores how contemporary artists—Kenneth Victor Young, Sam Gilliam, Mimi Herbert, Paul Reed, Cynthia Bickley, Irene Rice Periera, and Sibel Kocabasi—experiment with geometry, form, and pattern to create color compositions that are powerfully expressive; on view by appointment through June 26 at Bethesda Fine art, 4931 Cordell Avenue, Bethesda, MD.

Artful Weekend March 6 – 8

March 6, 2020

Photograph of the U.S. synchronized swimming team practices in Indianapolis, by David Bowman, is featured in "Women: A Century of Change" at the National Geographic Museum.

Welcome to Artful Weekend, our new weekly listing of area art happenings! Check it out every Friday for fun and interesting exhibits and events occurring throughout the DMV. Share your experience at these and other weekend art destinations by tagging us (@theartleague) and including the hashtag #artfulweekend on social media.

This weekend: homages to women, provocative prints, jazz-inspired pastels, and more!

Women: A Century of Change

Two actresses strike a pose in costumes from ancient Greece during the Delphi Festival; photo by Maynard Owen Williams.

A powerful exhibition of photographs spanning nine decades, Women illuminates, celebrates and reflects on where the world’s women have been, where they are now and where they are going; on view through May 17 at 145 17th Street, NW.

Women of Progress: Early Camera Portraits

Journalist, editor, critic, and women’s rights advocate Margaret Fuller, by photographer John Plumbe

The growing presence of women in public life coincided with the rise of portrait photography during the mid-nineteenth century. This exhibition of daguerreotypes and ambrotypes from the 1840s and 1850s features portraits of early feminist icons, women’s rights advocates Margaret Fuller and Lucy Stone, abolitionist Lucretia Mott and best-selling author Harriet Beecher Stowe; on view through May 31 at the National Portrait Gallery, 8th and F Streets, NW.

Agustina Woodgate: Facing Earth

“Cosmética,” various sizes, by Agustina Woodgate

This exhibition features a collection of 2019 Whitney Biennial Agustina Woodgate’s recent artworks in which she uses techniques of erasure using sandpaper to alter the surfaces of analog cartographic instruments and didactics such as maps, globes, and atlases; on view through March 28 at Mason Exhibitions, George Mason University School of Art, Art and Design Building, Suite 2050, 4400 University Drive Fairfax, VA.

Noise on the Walls

Detroit-based Artist Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. uses letterpress printing and bold type to stir up strong emotions through print. As printer and provocateur, his work asks uncomfortable questions about issues of race, equality, and artistic pretension. Meet the artist at an opening reception Friday, March 6 from 6:30–9 p.m.; on view through April 18 at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, 4318 Gallatin Street, Hyattsville, MD.

Urban Blues

Geoff Desobry’s Urban Blues consists of pastel works on paper completed in 2019 and early 2020. The city at night was the initial theme. Much like a jazz improvisation, the pieces expanded to embrace all that is blue. Meet the artist at an opening reception Friday, March 13, 6 – 9 p.m., or at the artist talk Sunday, March 22 at 1 p.m.; on view through April 4 at Waverly Street Gallery, 4600 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD.

An American Story: Jewish & Muslim Perspectives

“Arc of the Moral Universe” by Betsy Miller

Jews and Muslims Making Art Together (JAMMART), a group of unaffiliated artists that formed in 2008, presents an exhibit exploring America’s ideals of freedom, justice, and equality, all of which are being challenged in today’s political and social climate. Meet the artists at a reception Sunday, March 8 from 1-3 p.m. (registration required); on view through May 31 at Sandy Spring Museum, 17901 Bentley Road, Sandy Spring, MD.

Artist Opportunities #508

March 6, 2020

New:

Decay Corrosion Rust 2020 Call for Entry

Deadline: March 8 There is amazing beauty in the decayed, the corroded, the rusted, making images of them more compelling and interesting than those of brand new items. The New York Center for Photographic Art (NYC4PA) invites photographers world-wide to submit images for the theme “Decay, Corrosion, Rust” using any photographic process (print, image transfer, emulsion transfer, encaustic, black and white, color etc.). Winners will receive over $4,000 in cash awards, be featured in the NYC4PA Online Gallery and Award Winners Catalog. The Grand Prize winning image will be posted on the NYC4PA home page. Learn more here.

Asian Women Giving Circle RFP For Grant Proposals 2020 – New York City

Deadline: March 13 The Asian Women Giving Circle (AWGC) believes culture can play an essential role in any strategy for social change. We support Asian American female artists and women-led organizations in NYC that are using arts and culture to bring about social transformation that prioritizes equity; raise awareness and catalyze action around critical issues that affect Asian American women, girls and families; and highlight and promote women’s central role as leaders, creators, developers and managers of these projects. In this grant cycle, we anticipate awarding up to $15,000 individual grants to 5-8 projects, contingent on available funding. For more information, click here.

Annual Studio Jury Competition 2020 – Laurel, MD

Deadline: March 15 Join a thriving community of professional artists in the Montpelier Resident Artist Program. These artists work in a diverse variety of media and styles, maintain studio hours for the public to visit, and participate in community events. These artists are selected by an annual jury panel and exhibit their work in the Montpelier Arts Center’s Resident Artist Gallery on a revolving basis. Interested artists are encouraged to visit the Arts Center, located on the beautiful grounds of Montpelier Mansion in Laurel, MD. Fore more information click here.

Greater Reston Arts Call For Submission – Reston, VA

Deadline: March 15 Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) and Baltimore’s ‘Sindikit project space invite artists to submit a proposal for the exhibition An Excellent Thought About a Quality Idea. Artists are invited to make a new project referencing an artwork they’ve made in the past. We are specifically interested in the complexity of identity. Based on the prompt, each artist will make an entirely new artwork using a new genre or new medium. Learn more here.

Montgomery College Artist in Residency Program – Silver Spring, MD

Deadline: March 16 The Artist In Residence (AIR) program provides artists with studio space for up to one semester in duration. Studios provided are highly visible and placed in an interactive academic setting. To maximize interaction with academic programs, residency dates will align with the academic calendar. Learn more here.

Call For Entry, Hand Drawn: A Juried Exhibition of Drawings – St. James, NY

The Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Grant

Women’s Studio Workshop Residency – Rosendale, NY

Halcyon Arts Lab Fellowship – DC

The Harpo Foundation Grants For Visual Artists

Deadline: April 17 The Harpo Foundation seeks to stimulate creative inquiry and to encourage new modes of thinking about art. Applications are evaluated on the basis of the quality of the artist’s work, the potential to expand aesthetic inquiry, and its relationship to the foundation’s priority to provide support to visual artists who are under-recognized by the field. To apply click here.

Doylestown Art Festival Call for Submissions – Doylestown, PA

Target Gallery Call For Artists

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

The Capitol Hill Art League “Perspectives” Open Juried Exhibition – DC

Deadline: March 9 People see the world differently based on experiences and perceptions. Viewpoints are influenced by people, places, emotions, and thoughts. Please share your artistic and unique “perspective” for this juried show. Learn more here.

Montpelier Arts Center Call For Artists – Laurel, MD

Deadline: March 15 Montpelier Arts Center is holding a competition for exhibitions that will be held in the Library Gallery September 2020 – July 2021. To be eligible, artists must be at least 18 years of age and reside in Maryland. For more information click here.

Wintertude Rustic Retreat & Self-Directed Residency, The Millay Colony for the Arts – NY

Deadline: March 15 Introducing Wintertude, a retreat and self-directed paying residency (no jury process) for those needing or wanting time and space in an inspirational setting. Stays range from four days to four weeks, includes private bedroom and private studio, shared living and kitchen space (fully equipped, meals not included), bedding and linens, washer/dryer, WiFi, desktop computer and printer. The Millay Colony is in the upper Hudson Valley nestled in the Berkshire foothills. For details, visit here.

Montgomery College Call For Exhibition Proposals – Silver Spring, MD

Call for Entry, Prince Street Gallery – NY

Gloucester Arts Festival Call for Entry – VA

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Ongoing: These opportunities have rolling deadlines.

Exhibit at Hotel Indigo Downtown Baltimore — Baltimore, MD

Solo or Group Shows in Athenaeum Gallery – VA

The Creativity Grant Program State of Maryland (MD)

Artist/Writers: Cover Art for Academic Medicine

The Awesome Foundation Accepting Applications for Art Projects

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

Peripheral ARTeries – Biennial Contemporary Art Publication

Exhibit at Hotel Indigo (VA)

The New Project Studio – Ongoing Opportunity (VA)

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.

Residency: Maryland

Looking for artists: Foundry Gallery (DC)

Looking for artists: Printmakers (DC)

Artful Weekend February 28 – March 1

February 28, 2020

"Student/Faculty Show" at The Art League

This weekend: A Leap Day opening, photography from a master, geo-political street art, and more!

The Art League Student/Faculty Show

The Art League Student/Faculty Show is a celebration of the amazing work created by the students and faculty of our school. This year’s show is a fantastic representation of our various courses and workshops including painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry, and fiber work. Come for the closing reception Sunday, March 1, 2:00–4:00 p.m., at the Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 North Union Street, Alexandria, VA.

Riffs and Relations: African American Artists and the European Modernist Tradition

Riffs and Relations: African American Artists and the European Modernist Tradition is a pioneering exhibition expanding the narrative of modern art in America by exploring the rich and complex history of 20th– and 21st–century African American artists and their responses to European modernism. The contributions of 54 artists will be on view including Romare Bearden, Robert Colescott, Renee Cox, Leonardo Drew, Hank Willis Thomas, Wangechi Mutu, and more, shown alongside pieces by Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and other European modernists. The 72 works include paintings, photographs, prints, mixed media, and sculpture drawn from private and public collections in the US and Europe; on view February 29 through May 24 at the Phillips Collection, at 1600 21st Street NW.

Graciela Iturbide’s Mexico

As one of the most influential contemporary photographers of Latin America, Graciela Iturbide transforms ordinary observation into personal and lyrical art. Her signature black-and-white gelatin silver prints present nuanced insights into the communities she photographs, revealing her own journey to understand her homeland and the world. This exhibit is her most extensive in the U.S. exhibition in more than two decades; on view through May 25 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Avenue, NW.

Reflections on Climate Change – E Street Artists

“Elegy for the Vanishing Birds” by Leslie Harris

This exhibition is a collection of artwork by the E Street Artists inspired by our planet’s climate and the effects of our collective human impact on the earth. The artists express their fears and hopes for the future with works that highlight our planet’s unique beauty. Meet the artists at an opening reception Saturday, February 29 at 7:30 p.m.; on view through April 11 at Watergate Gallery, 2552 Virginia Avenue, NW.

14th to Lost Origins: The Street Art of Charif Mamadou & Gus

Gus and Cherif are the definition of street artists. Perhaps you’ve seen them selling their art in front of Target on 14th Street in North West Washington D.C. Now, in their first gallery showing, they are presenting their brand of “independent public art” that reflects geo-political, cultural, and abstract subjects; on view Saturday and Sunday, 12-5pm (all other times by appointment) at Lost Origins Gallery, 3110 Mount Pleasant Street, NW.

Artist Opportunities #507

February 28, 2020

New:

61 New Commissions for Permanent Site Specific Work in Washington, DC Government Buildings and Parks Call For Submissions – Washington, D.C.

Deadline: February 29 Apply online for 61 (yes, 61!) new works of public art for seven new District of Columbia Government buildings in Washington, DC. Works include two and three-dimensional sculpture, murals, mixed-media, mosaics, graphics, glass, suspended, art furniture, and more. Why so many commissions? Our architects, agency clients and stakeholders have really appreciated the value that artists have brought to our building modernization program over the past six years and have increased the number of artworks in this year’s commissions. Apply here.

Creative Alliance Resident Artist Program – Baltimore

Deadline: March 6 Creative Alliance is accepting applications for its live/work studio Residency Program beginning in Summer 2019. This long-term program, founded in 2003, is open to artists of all media who would like to deepen their practice in a supportive, dynamic environment, and interact with colleagues who thrive in a lively cross-cultural, multi-disciplinary live/work environment. Learn more here.

Inspired by Malcolm: A Passion For Shino Call For Atists – Sandy Spring, MD

Deadline: March 20 Sandy Spring Museum, along with co-sponsors Judith Davis, Baltimore Clayworks, District Clay, The Clay Co-Op, and Montgomery Potters, will honor the life and work of Malcolm Davis with the juried exhibition Inspired by Malcolm: A Passion for Shino. Malcolm Davis, a major contributor to 20^th century ceramic world, experimented with Japanese Shino recipes until he perfected his Malcolm Davis Shino, a ground breaking development and a glaze now found in clay studios around the world. That spirit of discovery is encouraged in this exhibit. For more information click here.

Made In New York Call For Submissions – Auburn, NY

Deadline: March 31 Made in NY is an annual exhibit at the Schweinfurth Art Center located in Auburn, New York that features work by New York artists. The exhibit is an opportunity for artists residing in New York State to showcase their work in a competitive, juried exhibition. Prizes will be awarded, including $1000 for Best of Show. The exhibit is open to all media, such as photography, sculpture, ceramics, painting, drawing, fiber, installation, and video. Applicants may submit up to 2 works completed in the last three years. Click here for more information.

Art Expo New York 2020 Call For Submission – New York City

Deadline: April 5 Miami’s newest project K-Art Projects USA, a subsidiary of Contemporary Art Projects USA, will give the opportunity to national and international emerging artists to enter and win a chance to exhibit at Art Expo New York 2020 Art Fair located at Pier 34 in New York City, April 23-26|2020. Unlike many other fine art shows and fairs, it is a magnet to trade buyers with more than 5,000 professional trade buyers expected to attend. Learn more here.

Sea of Change Mid Atlantic Call For Submissions – Virginia Beach, VA

Deadline: May 5 The Virginia Beach Art Center invites you to submit to our showcase of all media artwork from the Mid-Atlantic states. There is beauty in all the waterways that surround us, but our climate is changing and perhaps our lives as well. Artists from South Carolina to Pennsylvania celebrate our present and warn of our future. Click here for more information.

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

Art Speaks Juried Exhibition Call For Artists – Matthews, VA

Deadline: March 1 This eighth annual juried exhibition is open to artists at least 18 years of age living in, or with a working studio in, Virginia. Eligible media include: painting and drawing all media; mixed media and printmaking; fine art photography; ceramic, glass, wood or metal functional ware; sculpture in any media; non-wearable fiber art. For more information click here.

Call For Mural Proposals – Takoma Park, MD

Deadline: March 2 The City of Takoma Park is seeking submissions from artists for a mural covering sections of a concrete retaining wall stretching three blocks along Lincoln Avenue. The theme of the design is up to the artist or artist teams, but should reflect the historical or cultural character of Takoma Park in some way. For more information click here.

2020 Sidewalk Art Show Call For Submissions – Roanoke, VA

Deadline: March 6 Celebrating 62 years of fine art, the Sidewalk Art Show infuses downtown Roanoke with energy, excitement and creativity! All of the works exhibited are for sale, including original paintings, prints, watercolors, etchings, mixed media, fine art photographs, fine crafts, and sculpture. Click here for more information.

The Capitol Hill Art League “Perspectives” Open Juried Exhibition – DC

Montpelier Arts Center Call For Artists – Laurel, MD

Wintertude Rustic Retreat & Self-Directed Residency, The Millay Colony for the Arts – NY

Montgomery College Call For Exhibition Proposals – Silver Spring, MD

Call for Entry, Prince Street Gallery – NY

Gloucester Arts Festival Call for Entry – VA

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Ongoing: These opportunities have rolling deadlines.

Exhibit at Hotel Indigo Downtown Baltimore — Baltimore, MD

Solo or Group Shows in Athenaeum Gallery – VA

The Creativity Grant Program State of Maryland (MD)

Artist/Writers: Cover Art for Academic Medicine

The Awesome Foundation Accepting Applications for Art Projects

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

Peripheral ARTeries – Biennial Contemporary Art Publication

Exhibit at Hotel Indigo (VA)

The New Project Studio – Ongoing Opportunity (VA)

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.

Residency: Maryland

Looking for artists: Foundry Gallery (DC)

Looking for artists: Printmakers (DC)

52nd annual Patrons’ Show Fundraiser Collector’s Choice Awards

February 27, 2020

The Patrons’ Show Fundraiser is The Art League’s biggest event of the year, making it possible for us to meet our mission: by nurturing the artist, we enrich the community. Our success depends on our generous artist donors!

Thousands of dollars in prize money is available for donating artists. In addition to the juried awards, artists are eligible to receive a Collector’s Choice award for being one of the first three pieces chosen by attendees during the night of the drawing. Artists also have the opportunity to win the Geri Gordon Award for being chosen in the First Choice Raffle.

The winners of the 52nd annual Patrons’ Show Fundraiser Collector’s Choice and Geri Gordon Awards are…

Geri Gordon Award First Choice Raffle Winner ($250) Color Study by Danni Dawson

Collector’s Choice Award ($3,000) City Shower by Peter Ulrich

Collector’s Choice Award ($3,000) George Washington Masonic Temple by Nancy Reinke

Collector’s Choice Award ($3,000) Rocky Coast by Marion Dawson