Welcome to Artful Weekend, our guide to fun and interesting ways to enjoy art in person or virtually.

This weekend: May exhibits PLUS the Student/Faculty Show Award Ceremony at The League; Baltimore Museum of Art’s new acquisitions; game-inspired art at Pyramid; and more!

The Art League May Open Exhibit

Our May Open Exhibit, juried by Audrey Miller of Workhouse Arts Center, is on view through Sunday, June 7. Open exhibits are a great way to view the breath of mediums and styles of our member artists. This month’s show features Amanda Fletchersmith’s Enclosure (above), and Tatyana Shramko’s  Deconstructed, sculptures made from unconventional materials; John Gosling’s linocut print Old Town Waterfront, a scene of Old Town Alexandria from the Potomac River; I Remember Goldblatt’s, Dede Faller’s vintage style black-and-white photograph of what’s left of a beloved Chicago store chain; and much, much more. See it in-person in the Gallery, Wednesday-Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday noon-5:00 p.m., or  view it online.

Jennifer Allevato: Seated

Seated, Jennifer Allevato’s solo exhibit, welcomes the viewer to sit, rest, and explore the spaces around them. Her mixed media paintings of interior spaces with unoccupied chairs are at once warm, complex, and welcoming, and offer the viewer an open invitation to sit and rest with the beckoning of an open chair; on view at in the Solo Gallery through Sunday, June 7, and online.

The Art League Student/Faculty Show 2021

The Student/Faculty Show is back! This year it is virtual. Visit our website to view that many diverse works created by students who took classes at The Art League School during 2020-2021, as well as works by several of our instructors. We will celebrate both during a virtual opening reception and award ceremony on Sunday, May 30, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. EDT. To attend, register here.

Now is the Time: Recent Acquisitions to the Contemporary Collection

In 2018, the Baltimore Museum of Art deaccessioned seven artworks from its contemporary holdings to create an acquisition fund for purchases of works by artists underrepresented in its collection and within broader art historical narratives. Now Is The Time features 22 of the 125 new works, most on view for the first time since their acquisition. It includes established figures such as Betye Saar, Valerie Maynard, Benny Andrews, Jaune Quick-To-See Smith, and Virginia Jaramillo alongside emerging voices such as Firelei Báez, Laura Ortman, Jerrell Gibbs, and Theresa Chromati, creating dialogues across generations; on view through July 8 at the Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore, MD.

Helen Zughaib & J. Ford Huffman: Inside Looking Out

Saturday is the final day to see Inside Looking Out, an exhibit of works by DC-based artists Helen Zughaib & J. Ford Huffman. Through her colorful gouache and ink paintings of Arab women—some wearing hijabs and niqabs and others in contemporary garments—Zughaib considers the notion of otherness.

J. Ford Huffman creates tiny worlds to peer into. His mixed media assemblages, contained in small shadow boxes, are at once theatrical and architectural; on view at Watergate Gallery and Frame Design, 2552 Virginia Avenue, NW.

Mazes and Maps

For many, playing games has been a much needed source of entertainment and socialization during the pandemic. Mazes and Maps, opening Saturday in-person and online at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, celebrates the importance of the game while putting focus on a particular aspect: cartography. In this eight person exhibition, each artist has uniquely interpreted game maps through a balance of projection, labeling, and symbology. The first weekend’s in-person viewings are by appointment only. Starting June 2, the public is welcome during regular gallery hours without appointment; on view through July 11, 4318 Gallatin Street, Hyattsville, MD.

Enjoy the long weekend!