"Key Bridge," a watercolor painting by Angela Lacy, is one of the many artworks for sale in Gallery 75.
Welcome to Artful Weekend, our guide to fun and interesting ways to enjoy art in person or virtually.
This weekend: Makers Mile in Old Town; Iké Udé’s visions of Nollywood at the National Museum of African Art; new insights on Picasso’s Blue Period at The Phillips; Resilience and Uncertainty at CAH; and Pantone Black at 11:Eleven Gallery.
Makers Mile in Old Town Alexandria
Grab your tote and start making!
Come out to Old Town Alexandria this weekend and get creative at Makers Mile! Learn a new skill, or enjoy those you know, by participating in a bevy of craft activities taking place at shops and businesses throughout Old Town. Experience everything from paper and paint to fabric, yarn and more. Tickets are $30 and are good for the entire weekend. Register here and pick up your tote bag (which serves as your ticket at participating vendors), map, and schedule at The Lorien Hotel & Spa on February 26 or 27 between 10:00am & 4:00pm. All activities and crafts will be available from 11am – 4pm on Saturday and Sunday, February 26 and 27, unless otherwise indicated in the schedule. We encourage you set appointments or sign up for session slots in advance at businesses where applicable.
Iké Udé: Nollywood Portraits
Iké Udé, Genevieve Nnaji, 2014–16, (44 x 48 x 2 1/4 in.); Pigment on satin rag paper, collection of the artist.
In Nollywood Portraits, multimedia artist Iké Udé celebrates the luminescent beauty and mystique of Nigerian visionaries by turning his lens on the talented people who drive Nollywood, Nigeria’s $3 billion film industry. Known for his performative and iconoclastic style and vibrant sense of composition, Udé’s photographs use color, attire and other markers to make elegant yet unexpected portraits. His photographs make a bold statement about the power of African identities, despite centuries of attempted erasure by Eurocentric art history and notions of beauty. It is on view at the African Art Museum, 950 Independence Avenue, SW, through Sunday, February 17. You may also view Nollywood Portraits here, and see Udé and some of the Nollywood A-listers who are his subjects in a conversation about art, cinema, and the power of beauty here.
Picasso: Painting the Blue Period
Picasso: Painting the Blue Period, at The Phillips Collection, is a groundbreaking exhibition that provides new insight into the creative process of Pablo Picasso at the outset of his career. It is the first exhibition in Washington, DC, in 25 years to focus on the early works of this 20th century icon, just as he was beginning to define himself on the international stage. The exhibition features works from 30 international collections, including more than 70 paintings, sculptures, and works on paper by Picasso along with works by French and Spanish artists that he studied before and during the Blue Period. It opens Saturday, February 26 and is on view through June 12; 1600 21st Street, NW.
Resilience and Uncertainty
Images from left: Eric Finzi, She Jess Works fer Pleasure, 2019, Epoxy resin on wood, 42 x 66 in. | Patricia Encarnacion, Por la sombrita, 2019, Digital collage, 30 x 40 in.
Resilience and Uncertainty brings together the work of six contemporary artists from Washington, DC and New York City—Felix Angel, Dominie Nash, Eric Finzi, Patricia Encarnacion, Mildor Chevalier, and Ezequiel Taveras—whose works express how essential art can be in overcoming adversity and difficult times. Working in printmaking, textiles, photography, ceramic installation and painting, their work addresses notions of resilience and uncertainty, both in the Caribbean and the United States. Resilience and Uncertainty is presented by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and is on view through April 14 at the 200 I Street Galleries, and virtually here. You may also view the catalogue here.
Pantone Black
Charles Jean-Pierre, The Necessity of Remembering I, 2021. Acrylic collage on canvas 36” x 36”. Image courtesy of 11:Eleven gallery.
11:Eleven gallery in partnership with Artfinder presents Pantone Black, a group show that highlights and celebrates the diversity of Black culture in history and fine art. The exhibition features works by Charles Jean-Pierre,Marly McFly, Mark Clark, Mekia Machine, Qrcky, and xplorefreedom, and is on view through March 20; 10 Florida Avenue, NW.
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.
Opportunities
Call for Entry, The Women’s Club of Chevy Chase 46th Art Show and Sale — Chevy Chase, MD
Deadline: March 1 The Woman’s Club of Chevy Chase is proud to host the 46th Annual Community Art Show and Sale! Following the virtual show in 2021, the club is returning to an in-person format for 2022. This 3-day event will include 375 pieces of artwork from local community artists. The types of artwork to be shown include: Oils, Pastels, Watercolors, Portraits, Prints & Drawings, Acrylics, Mixed Media, Photography, Smalls (formerly called Minis), and Other Media (new this year). For more information, click here.
Call for Entry, VisArts Solo Exhibitions 2023 — Rockville, MD
Deadline: April 8 VisArts invites artists working in all media to apply for 2023 Solo Exhibitions in the Gibbs Street Gallery, Common Ground Gallery, and Concourse Gallery. Exhibitions in each of the galleries explore the breadth of contemporary art featuring emerging to mid-career artists. Exhibits reflect a wide range of media and experimental approaches that offer the viewer unexpected interactions with art. For more information, click here.
Call for Entry, NextGen 9.0, VisArts — Rockville, MD
Deadline: April 10 VisArts welcomes artists ages 17 – 27 in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area to submit their application for NextGen 9.0. This exhibition will be presented in the VisArts Kaplan gallery from June 3 – August 7, 2022. This will present a unique opportunity for aspiring artists with little to no experience to exhibit their work in a professional gallery. Programming for this exhibition will include conversations with other emerging artists, critiques with local curators/arts administrators who work with young artists, along with other professional development opportunities. For more information, click here.
Call for the VisArts Studio Fellowship 2022-2023 — Rockville, MD
Deadline: April 10 VisArts invites applications and proposals from local, national, and international artists for a six month Studio Fellowship at VisArts in Rockville, MD. 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. Studio space is provided free of charge. Artists receive a $500.00 per month stipend. The Studio Fellowship offers the gift of time and space to two artists and/or collaborative artist teams each year to experiment and realize new work. The VisArts Studio Fellows will present their work in solo exhibitions at the end of their respective fellowships. For more information, click here.
Re-runs: These were previously posted, but it’s not too late to enter!
Studio Internship Summer 2022, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center — Hyattsville, MD
Deadline: February 18, 2022 Pyramid Atlantic offers internship opportunities for enthusiastic, engaged, and serious-minded college or post-college artists. Our interns assist resident artists, renters, artistic staff, with printmaking, papermaking, and book arts projects, and in outreach education programs. In addition to hands-on experience with artistic projects, interns gain an understanding of the day-to-day operation of a non-profit art center and gallery. For the Summer 2022 season, Pyramid will accept two interns for this program. Click here to apply.
Call for Exhibition Proposals, Pyramid Atlantic art Center — Hyattsville, MD
Deadline: February 18 Pyramid is currently interested in proposals for exhibitions to run between July 2022 to June 2023. While the call is open to all media, Pyramid is particularly interested in exhibitions that tie to one of its core art forms: printmaking, papermaking, and book arts. Proposals may come from curators, individual artists, or artist groups. For more information, click here.
2022 Summer Internships, Pyramid Atlantic art Center — Hyattsville, MD
Deadline: February 18 Pyramid Atlantic offers studio internships for enthusiastic and serious-minded college or recently graduated art students. Our interns assist resident artists, renters, artistic staff, with printmaking, papermaking, and book arts projects, and in outreach education programs. In addition to hands-on experience with artistic projects, interns gain an understanding of the day-to-day operation of a non-profit art center and gallery. For more information, click here.
Vita Paper Arts Residency, Pyramid Atlantic art Center — Hyattsville, MD
Deadline: February 18 Created in honor of artist Gregory Vita, this artist residency offers a competitive opportunity for emerging and seasoned artists alike who hope to gain more knowledge, improve their skills, and explore new techniques in papermaking. For more information, click here.
Call for Entries, Persistence IV: d’Art Center’s Annual National All Women’s Exhibition — Norfolk, VA
Deadline: February 20Persistence is an annual exhibition that features work from female artists from across the country to celebrate Women’s History Month. This exhibition is open to functional, non-functional, 2D, 3D, fine art, and fine craft in all mediums. In honor of Women’s History Month, this exhibition is only open to female artists, and is held at the d’Art Center in Norfolk, Virginia. This exhibition is open to all female artists living in the United States. For more information, click here.
Peter Bullough Foundation Fall 2022 Artist Residency — Winchester, VA
Deadline: February 22 The Peter Bullough Foundation in downtown historic Winchester, Virginia provides residencies to emerging artists and scholars, including those elevating voices and topics relevant to the LGBTQIA2S+ community. Applications are now being accepted for fall 2022 residencies to work in the private studios and enjoy the garden and former homes of Dr. Peter Bullough. The ideal applicant will be self-directed and able to work independently. For more information, click here.
Call for Proposals, F.E.A.S.T. at VisArts 2022 Mutual Aid – Rockville, MD
Deadline: March 4 Throughout the pandemic individuals have participated in supporting their community through actions spanning from helping a neighbor to creating a new free grocery delivery service. F.E.A.S.T. 2022 encourages artists, thinkers, and organizations to expand their everyday practice and create project proposals that address the theme of MUTUAL AID. Imaginative, sustainable, and provocative projects that explore mutual aid are welcome! F.E.A.S.T. 2022 advocates for proposals that join art with social, cultural, political, economic, historic, and environmental dynamics. For more information, click here.
Brentwood Arts Exchange Open Call for Exhibitions – Brentwood, MD
Deadline: March 4 Brentwood Arts Exchange is seeking proposals from artists and curators to present exhibitions for available dates: September 2022 – January 2023. Solo and group exhibitions are welcome. We support art in all media and forms. Proposals may be for the Main Gallery, Lab Gallery, or both. Proposals will also be considered exhibitions curated in-house. For more information, click here.
Capitol Hill Art League 11th Annual Metro Open Call – DC
Deadline: March 5 Capitol Hill Art League invites Artists in the Washington Metropolitan Region to enter this Juried Exhibition: Untitled. The theme for this exhibit is completely “Untitled” and open to artists to explore uncharted territory, to share their favorite themes, to work in new ways or refine their preferred medium through their own personal process and any 2D and 3D media, including photography. The artwork can have a title though! This call is open to artists, 18 years and older, residing in the DC/VA/MD area.
Call for Entry, Sculpture NOW 2022, Washington Sculptors Group – D.C.
Deadline: March 6Sculpture NOW 2022 is a non-thematic exhibition of new works, finished within the last two years. Three-dimensional freestanding sculpture, wall-hung and ceiling-hung sculpture, and installations as well as multimedia and performance-based works are welcome. For more information, click here.
Deadline: March 28 The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District invites local artists to submit work to the 18th annual Bethesda Painting Awards. This juried art competition awards $14,000 in prizes to four selected winners. Up to eight finalists will be chosen to display their work at Bethesda’s Gallery B in June 2022. Artists must be 18 years of age or older and residents of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. For more information, click here.
National Portrait Gallery Teen Portrait Competition — D.C.
Deadline: March 29 The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery’s “call for entries” for its Teen Portrait Competition is open for 2022. Artists between the ages of 13 and 17 are invited to submit portraits to the juried competition in the medium of photography. For more information and to enter, click here.
Honfleur Artist in Residency 2022 Program, Honfleur Gallery — D.C.
Deadline: March 31 Honfleur Gallery is delighted to announce the invitation to apply for its 2022 Artist-in-Residence program. This program is open to emerging or professional artists in any artistic discipline, including (but not limited to) visual, performing, spoken word, literary arts, film as well as curation of an exhibition. The artist must live in Ward 7 or 8 pursuing research or in the development stage or production of artistic project/exploration. Learn more here.
Call for Entries, Future Places 7th Annual Juried Exhibition — Harrisburg, PA
Deadline: May 4 What does a better future look like to you as an artist? Susquehanna Art Museum is challenging artists to render their vision of a promising future for its exhibition Future Places. We believe that artwork addressing this theme will bring the viewer one step closer to imagining a better world. Allow your unique creativity to describe a place where artist and viewer can thrive. Applicants areencouraged to depict spaces where innovation is valued and essential. Submissions may illustrate imaginative landscapes, technology, ecology, and architecture, as well as demonstrate concepts and values that are important in the social systems of the future. The exhibition is meant to inspire viewers to consider the state of humanity while incorporating hope of what may come. Learn more here.
H2O National 2022 — Virginia Beach, VA
Deadline: May 10 The Virginia Beach Art Center presents a nation-wide showcase which features water, water, everywhere! It has no taste, no smell, no color, yet we can’t live without it. Artists from Alabama to Wyoming are invited to show our relationship to water through visual media. All media welcome! For more information, click here.
Call for Entries, Potomac River Life, Athenaeum — Alexandria, VA
Deadline: May 26 In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Clean Water Act, The Athenaeum Gallery invites DC, Virginia, and Maryland artists to explore concepts related to the Potomac River, its vital role in the regional ecosystem, and the importance of working toward a clean, healthy river. We are looking for a wide variety of interpretations on the theme – but everything accepted will be a plausible fit to “Potomac River Life.” Work can be literal or abstract. Learn more here.
Call for Artists, The Delaware Contemporary’s Artist Registry – Wilmington, DE
Deadline: August 1, 2022 The Delaware Contemporary’s Artist Registry promotes working artists of our region through exhibitions, residencies, and commissioned projects. The Artist Registry is available to artists within a 250 mile radius of Wilmington, DE and will be the tool by which The Delaware Contemporary will collect, review and select artists for juried and curated exhibitions and projects. By submitting an application for the Artist’s Registry, The Delaware Contemporary will have access to an artist portfolio for the 2021 – 2022 season. During each season, artist portfolios will be regularly reviewed for upcoming opportunities including exhibitions, programs, and special events, as well as selected to be highlighted on the museum’s social media platforms. Learn more here.
Instructors Wanted at The Art League — Alexandria, VA
Deadline: Until filled The Art League is looking for skilled instructors in all visual arts disciplines. We’re particularly keen to recruit new hires for our sculpture, stained glass, and watercolor departments. Preferred applicants will have a personable and patient disposition, excellent communication skills, and the ability to teach their medium to groups of beginning, intermediate, and/or advanced level students. Class sizes range, depending on enrollment, from around 5 to 30 students. Experience teaching is helpful but not an absolute requirement. To apply, send a cover letter with statement of intent, resumé, and 6-10 tiffs or jpegs of current work to Ariane D’Souza via email at [email protected].
Call for Instructors, Falls Church Arts
Deadline: Until filled Falls Church Arts is looking for instructors to offer classes, workshops, or even demonstrations of their work. All art media (except large-scale sculpture, glass, or ceramics) and art history presentations are welcome. They have some instruction space in the gallery, but instructors also offer outdoor and online classes. Instructors set the price of classes. Falls Church Arts receives 20% of the fees paid. They to accommodate the artists’ preferred date(s) and time of instruction. For more information about Falls Church Arts and classes currently offered go to FallsChurchArts.org. To submit a proposal, click here.
Ongoing: These opportunities have rolling deadlines.
Call for Artists, Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council
Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council (PGAHC) is featuring county artists at its newest art space Arts’tination at National Harbor, the premier arts and entertainment destination in our regions Located at 162 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, MD. Arts’tination is dedicated to supporting local artists and curating immersive creative experiences. PGAHC is recruiting artists to show and sell their work and/or to conduct arts related workshops for the public. Artists should submit work samples and inquires to [email protected]. For more information please visit https://www.pgahc.org/artstination.
Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grants
These monthly grants range from $500–$3,000, with the average amount being $1,700. Visual and performing artists whose work is of a contemporary, experimental nature and who have a US Tax ID Number can apply. For more information, click here.
Call for Art, Links Bridge Vineyards—Thurmont, MD
Links Bridge Vineyards, a small artisan style winery located just outside of Frederick, Maryland, is looking to feature the artwork of various artists on the walls of their tasting barn for two weeks at a time. To learn more, call Joan Cartier 301-602-5733 or email her at [email protected].
Pyramid Atlantic offers year-round workshops in printmaking, papermaking, book arts, and hybrids thereof. We offer multi-week, daytime, evening, and weekend intensives for adults in our fully equipped studios. As part of a robust and diverse schedule of offerings, we welcome unsolicited workshop proposals, and hope that you will consider applying! Workshop proposal reviews are ongoing, but for best consideration, submit class proposals by the following dates: 1/15 for Summer Workshops; 4/1 for Fall Workshops; 7/1 for Winter Workshops; 10/1 for Spring Workshops. Questions? Email Gretchen, Artistic Director, [email protected]
Call For Stories About Women in the Arts, Maryland State Arts Council
2020 has been dedicated to the Year of the Woman in Maryland. Do you have an inspiring story about vital contributions of women-identifying people who are artists, arts administrators, or cultural workers? Perhaps an exhibition, performance or project featuring women? Share it with the Maryland State Arts Council for potential use in marketing and communications! Send your ideas to [email protected], and include “Year of the Woman” in the subject line. Satff will contact senders whose stories are selected for inclusion in future newsletters, eblasts, or social media postings. Learn more about Maryland’s year of the Woman here.
Call For Artists, Busboys and Poets
Busboys and Poets is looking for submissions from Maryland and Virginia artists as it expands to new locations in both areas. Submissions can include drawings, painting, photography, sculpture, mixed media, assemblage, fiber, quilts, etc. Art images reflecting life in the city, family, portraits, whimsy, abstraction, social uplift and life experiences within diverse cultures are encouraged for submission. For more information, click here.
Alterwork Studios Online Residency
This residency was designed to give emerging contemporary artists an online platform to create new work and explore their practice. Over the course of four weeks, artists will be encouraged to experiment and explore their concepts and move their work forward in the contemporary art world. Learn more here.
Accepting Artwork for Curatorial Review by AIWA
The Alper Initiative for Washington Art features five exhibitions per year in the newly constructed first floor space in the American University Museum. We accept submissions, on a rolling basis, from Washington artists of all ages and backgrounds, and working in diverse media. The museum’s Director and Curator, Jack Rasmussen, will select curators who will review these submissions for potential use in Alper Initiative exhibitions. For more information click here.
Call For Entry Hamilton Arts Collective Guest Artist Exhibition – Baltimore, MD
The Hamilton Arts Collective (HAC) and the Hamilton Gallery seek applications from artists for month-long Guest Artist exhibitions at Hamilton Gallery located at 5502 Harford Road, Baltimore, MD. The selected guest artists will be invited to exhibit a selection of their current work in Gallery I of the Hamilton Gallery. The Guest Artist exhibition is featured in Hamilton Gallery communications and will be promoted by the HAC and Hamilton Gallery. This is an open call to artists residing within 60 miles of Baltimore City. Baltimore residents are encouraged to apply. Click here to learn more.
Howard County Arts Council Quarterly Call For Artists – Ellicott City, MD
The Howard County Arts Council gallery program was established to enhance the public’s appreciation of the visual arts, provide a venue to exhibit the work of local, regional, and national artists in a professional space, and provide leadership in the arts by presenting a broad spectrum of arts in all media from both emerging and established artists. Artists, ages 18 and older, working in all media and styles including time-based and installation artists, are encouraged to apply either individually or as a group. Proposals from curators and arts organizations are also welcome. Click here to learn more.
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, click here.
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, click here.
Public Arts Grants & Opportunities (VA)
Ongoing. The City of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts provides grants for nonprofit arts organizations as well as individual artists. See all current opportunities and online applications here.
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].
Lisa Roberson slowly moved through The Art League’s gallery, filled floor to ceiling with art inside Old Town Alexandria’s Torpedo Factory. She considered each of the 500-plus artworks. With the aid of an app on her phone, she rated the pieces, knowing soon she and her husband would be going home with one of their favorite pieces of art among them. The couple had tickets to The Art League Patrons’ Show, an arts fundraiser like none other.
The couple, who have won several prized pieces of art they have attended the Patrons’ Show, wondered how they and the other regulars can seemingly do that year after year. In 2021, COVID provided a path to gather insight into the unique event, its attendees, and their tastes in art.
Background
The 52-year-old Patrons’ Show is a unique event, perhaps the only one of its kind. Members of The Art League, several notable local artists among them, donate their work to the event. The Art League Gallery is filled from floor to ceiling with the donated art that is on view three weeks before the show. Images of the artworks are also accessible on the League’s website and via The Art Thief, a purpose-built iOS app for the Patrons’ Show.
The event typically occurs in February at the Torpedo Factory, where a crowd of attendees packs in for several hours in anticipation of the excitement ahead. The Patrons’ Show is not an auction. There’s no bidding. Instead, the names of ticket holders are randomly selected. The emcee calls the first person’s name, they choose their favorite piece of art, and the art is theirs to keep for the ticket’s cost. The following person called then picks their favorite of the remaining artworks, and so on throughout the night.
The lively crowd cheers for some of the more unusual pieces and lets out the occasional sigh of disappointment when a particularly popular artwork is chosen. There’s also the booing. Occasionally the crowd will boo when someone requests works that others have already claimed. While it’s good-natured ribbing, it also encourages everyone to pay attention. After all, having hundreds of people boo you, even if it is just in jest, is something most people try to avoid. Of course, none of that could happen during a pandemic.
Pandemic Planning
Preparing for the 2021 Patrons’ Show started in the summer of 2020. While it was clear that packing in hundreds of people into a building in the winter wasn’t going to happen, the fundraiser was more critical than ever, given The Art League’s regular revenue streams like art classes and programs had been majorly impacted by the pandemic. An online Patrons’ Show seemed like it could be the answer.
Rob Spewak hosted the video stream for the 2021 Patrons’ Show. The event followed a similar format to previous years, with pandemic modifications and enhancements.
Most years, the game is for ticket goers to order the pieces of artwork in the show from their most to least favorite. Because ticket holders are called in a random drawing, they don’t know what artwork will still be available when their name is called. Out of necessity, the 2021 Patrons’ Show was different. Participants submitted their list of art before the drawing via the event website or The Art Thief app. The drawing occurred via video stream, and when someone’s name was called, their top available pick of art was automatically assigned to them by software that kept track of all the lists submitted. Consequently, there was a record of both the art that participants received and what they wanted to receive in the specific order they preferred. This data painted a fascinating picture of the event.
And with that came the opportunity to investigate why this event is so successful for the participants like Lisa.
The Patrons’ Lists
Looking at the lists of art submitted shows that participants put a lot of time and effort into rating and ordering the artwork. The median list had 112 artworks on it, with all but a handful of lists having at least 20 artworks. In fact, more than 10% of the population had close to all of the artworks on their list. This may have resulted from the app making it easy for people to organize art into broad buckets assigning one to five stars. We don’t know if the people with more than 500 artworks on their list precisely ranked each piece.
Individual lists by the number of artworks rated.
The Goods
The most important thing the data can tell us is how well the event worked out for the people participating. Has Lisa just been a lucky outlier, or do people commonly get a piece of art that they love? Spoiler alert: it turns out that it’s freakishly common for people to go home with a piece of art near the top of their list. Nearly one in five people went home with their top pick. Let that sink in. After surveying over 500 artworks, 19.6% of people got to keep their favorite piece. And the numbers only get better from there.
More than half the participants went home with one of their top five choices.
Another way to say it is that 54.3% of people got to keep something they judged as in the top 1% of the show. From my personal experience, people are typically over the moon to get something from their top five.
The data show that two-thirds of people received artwork in their top 10 and 80% of people received artwork in their top 20.
Participants Received Art That Was:
Their Top Pick
19.6%
In Their Top 5
54.3%
In Their Top 10
67.1%
In Their Top 20
80.2%
In Their Top 50
93.3%
Diversity of Taste
So why are so many people getting a good outcome? Could there be some magical artificial intelligence optimizing the outcome? Nope, it turns out that people don’t universally agree upon the desirability of pieces of art. Aside from personal taste, there may be all sorts of factors involved: size, style, media, subject matter, connection to the artist, available wall space at home. It’s difficult to know, but we can look at the art and see how people ranked it.
A natural place to start is with the top picks, the highest-ranked pieces that, given the opportunity, a person would take home before any others. There’s every reason to think that a good deal of consideration goes into top picks.
Of the 515 artworks in 2021, 192 of them were at least one person’s top pick. That’s right: 37% of the art at the show ranked as the best one for at least one person. Over 100 works each rated as the favorite for precisely one person. The graph below illustrates that while a few pieces ranked as top picks for many people, the curve drops quickly and flattens out.
Times a particular artwork ranked as a participant’s top pick.
Looking at the most frequently top-rated art, we see that, The Dress, by Susan O’Neill, was chosen by 24 people, followed by George Washington at Gadsby’s Tavern, by Patrick Kerwin with 17 top picks. Clouds Over Prime Hook, by Tess Olsen, was the top pick for 15 people.
Taking that to the next step, we can look at how common it is for an artwork to show up at the top 5, 10, or 20 of someone’s list. This helps us understand if interest in the art is concentrated among a small subset of pieces. As you can see from the chart below, it’s the opposite. People’s interest in owning a particular piece is spread across almost all of the art. In fact, 75% of the art shows up in at least one person’s top five, and almost all, 96.7% of the art, shows up in at least one person’s top 20.
Artworks Show Up in at Least One List:
As a Top Pick
37.3%
In The Top 5
75.0%
In The Top 10
89.5%
In The Top 20
96.7%
Finally, we can look at how often an artwork shows up on a person’s list. As you can see from the chart below, nothing is universally liked nor disliked. In fact, the piece most frequently listed only showed up on 350 lists meaning that even the most popular artwork, for this definition of popular, more than 150 people didn’t want it at all. Even the art that showed up on the least number of lists was on a list 62 times.
The number of times an artwork appeared in a participants list.
So how did our heroine, Lisa, ultimately fare? She and her husband have participated in the Patrons’ Show for the last seven years, and while some years were disappointing, at least three of those years, 2021 included, they went home with the top artwork on their list, 10,000 Maniacs by Joyce McCarten. It’s perhaps fitting that they received that particular piece of art as they were the only two people who had placed it at the top of their list.
10,000 Maniacs; acrylic and collage by Joyce McCarten; One of the 515 artworks in the 2021 Patrons’ Show.
Beyond Art
As for big-picture conclusions that we can draw following the 2021 Patrons’ Show, the data can potentially provide insight into all sorts of situations like dating, hiring, buying a home, or any other instance where a multitude of factors are involved, and you’re looking for the best fit for you as opposed to some absolute notion of best. It’s a reminder that there are plenty of times that someone else doesn’t have to lose for you to win.
Of course, it’s possible that 2021 was an anomaly in some way or that gods of random number generation happen to pick people in the best possible order to make everyone as happy as possible, but all that seems highly unlikely. All the evidence seems to point out that people want different things. In situations like this, that’s a beautiful thing.
If we can gather data in the same way next year, I think it will lead to the same conclusion. Regardless, I know I’ll be participating in future Patrons’ Shows along with my wife, Lisa.
About the Author
Steve Roberson and Zurka Interactive, the company he works for, provide pro-bono support to The Art League for its annual Patrons’ Show. They created the free app Art Thief and the website that made the virtual version of the Patrons’ Show possible in 2021.
"Peaches in a Chinese Bowl," by Brent Erickson, is among the hundreds of artworks currently on view in the Patrons' Show Exhibit 2022.
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.
Opportunities
Call for Proposals, F.E.A.S.T. at VisArts 2022 Mutual Aid – Rockville, MD
Deadline: March 4 Throughout the pandemic individuals have participated in supporting their community through actions spanning from helping a neighbor to creating a new free grocery delivery service. F.E.A.S.T. 2022 encourages artists, thinkers, and organizations to expand their everyday practice and create project proposals that address the theme of MUTUAL AID. Imaginative, sustainable, and provocative projects that explore mutual aid are welcome! F.E.A.S.T. 2022 advocates for proposals that join art with social, cultural, political, economic, historic, and environmental dynamics. For more information, click here.
Brentwood Arts Exchange Open Call for Exhibitions – Brentwood, MD
Deadline: March 4 Brentwood Arts Exchange is seeking proposals from artists and curators to present exhibitions for available dates: September 2022 – January 2023. Solo and group exhibitions are welcome. We support art in all media and forms. Proposals may be for the Main Gallery, Lab Gallery, or both. Proposals will also be considered exhibitions curated in-house. For more information, click here.
Capitol Hill Art League 11th Annual Metro Open Call – DC
Deadline: March 5 Capitol Hill Art League invites Artists in the Washington Metropolitan Region to enter this Juried Exhibition: Untitled. The theme for this exhibit is completely “Untitled” and open to artists to explore uncharted territory, to share their favorite themes, to work in new ways or refine their preferred medium through their own personal process and any 2D and 3D media, including photography. The artwork can have a title though! This call is open to artists, 18 years and older, residing in the DC/VA/MD area.
Call for Entry, Sculpture NOW 2022, Washington Sculptors Group – D.C.
Deadline: March 6Sculpture NOW 2022 is a non-thematic exhibition of new works, finished within the last two years. Three-dimensional freestanding sculpture, wall-hung and ceiling-hung sculpture, and installations as well as multimedia and performance-based works are welcome. For more information, click here.
Deadline: March 28 The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District invites local artists to submit work to the 18th annual Bethesda Painting Awards. This juried art competition awards $14,000 in prizes to four selected winners. Up to eight finalists will be chosen to display their work at Bethesda’s Gallery B in June 2022. Artists must be 18 years of age or older and residents of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. For more information, click here.
National Portrait Gallery Teen Portrait Competition — D.C.
Deadline: March 29 The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery’s “call for entries” for its Teen Portrait Competition is open for 2022. Artists between the ages of 13 and 17 are invited to submit portraits to the juried competition in the medium of photography. For more information and to enter, click here.
Re-runs: These were previously posted, but it’s not too late to enter!
Call for Submissions, World Illustration Awards 2022
Deadline: February 14 Presented by the Association of Illustrators (AOI), in partnership with the USA-based Directory of Illustration, the World Illustration Awards 2022 are now open for submissions. The World Illustration Awards showcase the great work being made by illustrators all over the world today. In 2022, we will focus on supporting creativity and connecting illustrators to their peers and the industry. Learn more here.
2022 Floyd Plein Air Biennial — Floyd, VA
Deadline: February 14 Artists juried into this event will enjoy painting plein air the Blue Ridge Parkway, the famed Buffalo Mountain, unique sites along the beautiful Little River, local farms and vistas, as well as the Town of Floyd. Events include artist demonstrations, collector educational talks, Juried Artist Collector Preview Exhibition, Artist/Patron Welcome Reception including Wet Paint Sale, Artist/Patron Cocktail Party, Quick Draw Contest at the Historic Floyd Country Store & Friday Night Jamboree, Gala Reception and Art Sale. The top cash prize for this exhibition is $1000, as well as other cash prizes for “Best of” themes and manufacturer awards and gifts. Learn more here.
The Chelsea International Photography Competition – NYC
Deadline: February 15 The Competition is an ideal way to exhibit your talent to a wider international audience. With a distinguished panel of jurors and more than $55,000 in valuable prizes, it is open to photographers from around the world at any stage of their careers. To learn more and enter, click here.
Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program 2022–2023 Residencies — Brooklyn, NY
Deadline: February 15 Now accepting applications for its 2022–2023 residency period, the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program awards rent-free studio space to 17 visual artists for yearlong residencies in Brooklyn, New York. For more information, click here.
Studio Internship Summer 2022, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center — Hyattsville, MD
Deadline: February 18, 2022 Pyramid Atlantic offers internship opportunities for enthusiastic, engaged, and serious-minded college or post-college artists. Our interns assist resident artists, renters, artistic staff, with printmaking, papermaking, and book arts projects, and in outreach education programs. In addition to hands-on experience with artistic projects, interns gain an understanding of the day-to-day operation of a non-profit art center and gallery. For the Summer 2022 season, Pyramid will accept two interns for this program. Click here to apply.
Summer 2022 Denbo Fellowship, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center — Hyattsville, MD
Deadline: February 18 The Denbo Fellowship is designed to offer artists, from a range of artistic disciplines, an environment conducive to individual and collaborative creative practice. This Fellowship will provide a unique opportunity to complete a new body of work at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center. Selected artists will receive access to Pyramid’s printshop, paper studio or bindery; technical assistance; a locker and flat file for tools and materials; use of standard shop supplies; and a stipend for travel, materials, housing, etc. ($250 two weeks, $350 three weeks, or $500 one month). For more information, click here.
Call for Exhibition Proposals, Pyramid Atlantic art Center — Hyattsville, MD
Deadline: February 18 Pyramid is currently interested in proposals for exhibitions to run between July 2022 to June 2023. While the call is open to all media, Pyramid is particularly interested in exhibitions that tie to one of its core art forms: printmaking, papermaking, and book arts. Proposals may come from curators, individual artists, or artist groups. For more information, click here.
2022 Summer Internships, Pyramid Atlantic art Center — Hyattsville, MD
Deadline: February 18 Pyramid Atlantic offers studio internships for enthusiastic and serious-minded college or recently graduated art students. Our interns assist resident artists, renters, artistic staff, with printmaking, papermaking, and book arts projects, and in outreach education programs. In addition to hands-on experience with artistic projects, interns gain an understanding of the day-to-day operation of a non-profit art center and gallery. For more information, click here.
Vita Paper Arts Residency, Pyramid Atlantic art Center — Hyattsville, MD
Deadline: February 18 Created in honor of artist Gregory Vita, this artist residency offers a competitive opportunity for emerging and seasoned artists alike who hope to gain more knowledge, improve their skills, and explore new techniques in papermaking. For more information, click here.
Call for Entries, Persistence IV: d’Art Center’s Annual National All Women’s Exhibition — Norfolk, VA
Deadline: February 20Persistence is an annual exhibition that features work from female artists from across the country to celebrate Women’s History Month. This exhibition is open to functional, non-functional, 2D, 3D, fine art, and fine craft in all mediums. In honor of Women’s History Month, this exhibition is only open to female artists, and is held at the d’Art Center in Norfolk, Virginia. This exhibition is open to all female artists living in the United States. For more information, click here.
Call for Entries, Persistence IV: d’Art Center’s Annual National All Women’s Exhibition — Norfolk, VA
Deadline: February 20Persistence is an annual exhibition that features work from female artists from across the country to celebrate Women’s History Month. This exhibition is open to functional, non-functional, 2D, 3D, fine art, and fine craft in all mediums. In honor of Women’s History Month, this exhibition is only open to female artists, and is held at the d’Art Center in Norfolk, Virginia. This exhibition is open to all female artists living in the United States. For more information, click here.
Peter Bullough Foundation Fall 2022 Artist Residency — Winchester, VA
Deadline: February 22 The Peter Bullough Foundation in downtown historic Winchester, Virginia provides residencies to emerging artists and scholars, including those elevating voices and topics relevant to the LGBTQIA2S+ community. Applications are now being accepted for fall 2022 residencies to work in the private studios and enjoy the garden and former homes of Dr. Peter Bullough. The ideal applicant will be self-directed and able to work independently. For more information, click here.
Peter Bullough Foundation Fall 2022 Artist Residency — Winchester, VA
Deadline: February 22 The Peter Bullough Foundation in downtown historic Winchester, Virginia provides residencies to emerging artists and scholars, including those elevating voices and topics relevant to the LGBTQIA2S+ community. Applications are now being accepted for fall 2022 residencies to work in the private studios and enjoy the garden and former homes of Dr. Peter Bullough. The ideal applicant will be self-directed and able to work independently. For more information, click here.
Honfleur Artist in Residency 2022 Program, Honfleur Gallery — D.C.
Deadline: March 31 Honfleur Gallery is delighted to announce the invitation to apply for its 2022 Artist-in-Residence program. This program is open to emerging or professional artists in any artistic discipline, including (but not limited to) visual, performing, spoken word, literary arts, film as well as curation of an exhibition. The artist must live in Ward 7 or 8 pursuing research or in the development stage or production of artistic project/exploration. Learn more here.
Call for Entries, Future Places 7th Annual Juried Exhibition — Harrisburg, PA
Deadline: May 4 What does a better future look like to you as an artist? Susquehanna Art Museum is challenging artists to render their vision of a promising future for its exhibition Future Places. We believe that artwork addressing this theme will bring the viewer one step closer to imagining a better world. Allow your unique creativity to describe a place where artist and viewer can thrive. Applicants areencouraged to depict spaces where innovation is valued and essential. Submissions may illustrate imaginative landscapes, technology, ecology, and architecture, as well as demonstrate concepts and values that are important in the social systems of the future. The exhibition is meant to inspire viewers to consider the state of humanity while incorporating hope of what may come. Learn more here.
H2O National 2022 — Virginia Beach, VA
Deadline: May 10 The Virginia Beach Art Center presents a nation-wide showcase which features water, water, everywhere! It has no taste, no smell, no color, yet we can’t live without it. Artists from Alabama to Wyoming are invited to show our relationship to water through visual media. All media welcome! For more information, click here.
Call for Entries, Potomac River Life, Athenaeum — Alexandria, VA
Deadline: May 26 In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Clean Water Act, The Athenaeum Gallery invites DC, Virginia, and Maryland artists to explore concepts related to the Potomac River, its vital role in the regional ecosystem, and the importance of working toward a clean, healthy river. We are looking for a wide variety of interpretations on the theme – but everything accepted will be a plausible fit to “Potomac River Life.” Work can be literal or abstract. Learn more here.
Call for Artists, The Delaware Contemporary’s Artist Registry – Wilmington, DE
Deadline: August 1, 2022 The Delaware Contemporary’s Artist Registry promotes working artists of our region through exhibitions, residencies, and commissioned projects. The Artist Registry is available to artists within a 250 mile radius of Wilmington, DE and will be the tool by which The Delaware Contemporary will collect, review and select artists for juried and curated exhibitions and projects. By submitting an application for the Artist’s Registry, The Delaware Contemporary will have access to an artist portfolio for the 2021 – 2022 season. During each season, artist portfolios will be regularly reviewed for upcoming opportunities including exhibitions, programs, and special events, as well as selected to be highlighted on the museum’s social media platforms. Learn more here.
Instructors Wanted at The Art League — Alexandria, VA
Deadline: Until filled The Art League is looking for skilled instructors in all visual arts disciplines. We’re particularly keen to recruit new hires for our sculpture, stained glass, and watercolor departments. Preferred applicants will have a personable and patient disposition, excellent communication skills, and the ability to teach their medium to groups of beginning, intermediate, and/or advanced level students. Class sizes range, depending on enrollment, from around 5 to 30 students. Experience teaching is helpful but not an absolute requirement. To apply, send a cover letter with statement of intent, resumé, and 6-10 tiffs or jpegs of current work to Ariane D’Souza via email at [email protected].
Call for Instructors, Falls Church Arts
Deadline: Until filled Falls Church Arts is looking for instructors to offer classes, workshops, or even demonstrations of their work. All art media (except large-scale sculpture, glass, or ceramics) and art history presentations are welcome. They have some instruction space in the gallery, but instructors also offer outdoor and online classes. Instructors set the price of classes. Falls Church Arts receives 20% of the fees paid. They to accommodate the artists’ preferred date(s) and time of instruction. For more information about Falls Church Arts and classes currently offered go to FallsChurchArts.org. To submit a proposal, click here.
Ongoing: These opportunities have rolling deadlines.
Call for Artists, Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council
Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council (PGAHC) is featuring county artists at its newest art space Arts’tination at National Harbor, the premier arts and entertainment destination in our regions Located at 162 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, MD. Arts’tination is dedicated to supporting local artists and curating immersive creative experiences. PGAHC is recruiting artists to show and sell their work and/or to conduct arts related workshops for the public. Artists should submit work samples and inquires to [email protected]. For more information please visit https://www.pgahc.org/artstination.
Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grants
These monthly grants range from $500–$3,000, with the average amount being $1,700. Visual and performing artists whose work is of a contemporary, experimental nature and who have a US Tax ID Number can apply. For more information, click here.
Call for Art, Links Bridge Vineyards—Thurmont, MD
Links Bridge Vineyards, a small artisan style winery located just outside of Frederick, Maryland, is looking to feature the artwork of various artists on the walls of their tasting barn for two weeks at a time. To learn more, call Joan Cartier 301-602-5733 or email her at [email protected].
Pyramid Atlantic offers year-round workshops in printmaking, papermaking, book arts, and hybrids thereof. We offer multi-week, daytime, evening, and weekend intensives for adults in our fully equipped studios. As part of a robust and diverse schedule of offerings, we welcome unsolicited workshop proposals, and hope that you will consider applying! Workshop proposal reviews are ongoing, but for best consideration, submit class proposals by the following dates: 1/15 for Summer Workshops; 4/1 for Fall Workshops; 7/1 for Winter Workshops; 10/1 for Spring Workshops. Questions? Email Gretchen, Artistic Director, [email protected]
Call For Stories About Women in the Arts, Maryland State Arts Council
2020 has been dedicated to the Year of the Woman in Maryland. Do you have an inspiring story about vital contributions of women-identifying people who are artists, arts administrators, or cultural workers? Perhaps an exhibition, performance or project featuring women? Share it with the Maryland State Arts Council for potential use in marketing and communications! Send your ideas to [email protected], and include “Year of the Woman” in the subject line. Satff will contact senders whose stories are selected for inclusion in future newsletters, eblasts, or social media postings. Learn more about Maryland’s year of the Woman here.
Call For Artists, Busboys and Poets
Busboys and Poets is looking for submissions from Maryland and Virginia artists as it expands to new locations in both areas. Submissions can include drawings, painting, photography, sculpture, mixed media, assemblage, fiber, quilts, etc. Art images reflecting life in the city, family, portraits, whimsy, abstraction, social uplift and life experiences within diverse cultures are encouraged for submission. For more information, click here.
Alterwork Studios Online Residency
This residency was designed to give emerging contemporary artists an online platform to create new work and explore their practice. Over the course of four weeks, artists will be encouraged to experiment and explore their concepts and move their work forward in the contemporary art world. Learn more here.
Accepting Artwork for Curatorial Review by AIWA
The Alper Initiative for Washington Art features five exhibitions per year in the newly constructed first floor space in the American University Museum. We accept submissions, on a rolling basis, from Washington artists of all ages and backgrounds, and working in diverse media. The museum’s Director and Curator, Jack Rasmussen, will select curators who will review these submissions for potential use in Alper Initiative exhibitions. For more information click here.
Call For Entry Hamilton Arts Collective Guest Artist Exhibition – Baltimore, MD
The Hamilton Arts Collective (HAC) and the Hamilton Gallery seek applications from artists for month-long Guest Artist exhibitions at Hamilton Gallery located at 5502 Harford Road, Baltimore, MD. The selected guest artists will be invited to exhibit a selection of their current work in Gallery I of the Hamilton Gallery. The Guest Artist exhibition is featured in Hamilton Gallery communications and will be promoted by the HAC and Hamilton Gallery. This is an open call to artists residing within 60 miles of Baltimore City. Baltimore residents are encouraged to apply. Click here to learn more.
Howard County Arts Council Quarterly Call For Artists – Ellicott City, MD
The Howard County Arts Council gallery program was established to enhance the public’s appreciation of the visual arts, provide a venue to exhibit the work of local, regional, and national artists in a professional space, and provide leadership in the arts by presenting a broad spectrum of arts in all media from both emerging and established artists. Artists, ages 18 and older, working in all media and styles including time-based and installation artists, are encouraged to apply either individually or as a group. Proposals from curators and arts organizations are also welcome. Click here to learn more.
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, click here.
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 informationhere.
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, click here.
Public Arts Grants & Opportunities (VA)
Ongoing. The City of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts provides grants for nonprofit arts organizations as well as individual artists. See all current opportunities and online applicationshere.
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].
"Beach Triptych," by Sally Davies, is just one of hundreds of works on view in the Patrons' Show 2022 Exhibit.
Welcome to Artful Weekend, our guide to fun and interesting ways to enjoy art in person or virtually.
This weekend: ThePatrons’ Show Exhibit at the League; The Colors of Forms and History at Zenith Gallery; test as imagery and Gallery Neptune & Brown; and Changing Perspectives at Gallery Underground.
Patrons’ Show 2022
Symbols by Jasper Knight Champion; Acrylic
The Patrons’ Show, The Art League’s biggest fundraiser, returns virtually on Sunday, February 20. This much-anticipated event allows ticket holders to acquire high-quality, original fine art—valued from $225 to upwards of thousands of dollars—while supporting a great non-profit organization and community of artists.
The Patrons’ Show Exhibit features 600+ works of original fine art donated by Art League and Torpedo Factory artists. On the day of the Patrons’ Show fundraiser, tickets are randomly drawn. When the name of each ticket holder is announced, the ticket holder gets to select a work of art from the Show. In addition to the artwork, ticket holders are eligible to win other valuable prizes donated by local businesses. We’ll be using Vimeo to bring the event and the event screen directly to ticket holders’ homes—all you need is a computer screen, some popcorn, and a competitive spirit! Get more information and purchase tickets here.
See the exhibit by registering for timed in-person viewing here. Artworks for the Show are coming in every day! Keep up with the latest submissions on our Flickr album. Our handy Art Thief app lets you pick and organize your favorite artworks on your iPhone, iPad, or iTouch.
See you (virtually) at the Show!
The Colors and Forms of History
For Black History Month Zenith Gallery presents The Colors and Forms of History, a group show featuring works by Doba Afolabi, Sheryll Cashin, Bernie Houston, and League member artist and instructor Chris Malone. There is an opening reception Saturday, September 5 from 2-6 p.m. (reserve tickets here). The exhibit will be on view through February 26 at Zenith Gallery, 1429 Iris Street, NW. You can also view works here.
Txt me
Yes by Paul Villinski; Softground etiching with spitbite auatint
Over the last sixty years text as imagery and text with associated imagery has expanded the artist’s ability to communicate with the viewer. In txt me, prints and drawings by Jennifer Bartlett, Jenny Holzer, R.B. Kitaj, David X Levine, Elizabeth Murray, Adam Pendleton, Ed Ruscha, and Paul Villinski, represent a cross-section of the creativity that has been brought to this medium. The works included use text as a central theme and draw inspiration from literature, poetry, advertising, and the built environment. It is on view at Gallery Neptune & Brown through March 5; 1530 14th Street, NW.
Changing Perspectives
Stairway to Hell #3 by Karol Murray; Photography
Gallery Underground’s Focus Gallery presents Changing Perspectives, a National juried show with works from 32 artists from across the United States. Artists for this exhibition were invited to present art depicting literal interpretations of a changed perspective: unusual, off-kilter or innovative perspective as seen by the viewer, or figurative or symbolic changes to our collective perspectives. On view through February 25; 2100 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA (in the Crystal City Shops).
Make Alexandria Number 1!
What’s good for Alexandria is good for The Art League! Vote for Alexandria as “excellent” across nine categories in Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Survey in the “Cities” category before midnight February 28. . (Please also show your support for hotels The Alexandrian, Hyatt Centric Old Town, Lorien Hotel & Spa, and Morrison House.) By taking part, you’ll be given a chance to win a $15,000 dream trip. Enter here.
Call for Entries, The Photographic Process, The Art League — Alexandria, VA
Deadline: February 15 The Photographic Process is a special exhibit that highlights the wide scope of photographic techniques and the unique approaches that photographers use to create their work, from hand developed negatives to digital photography, tintypes, cyanotypes, and more. This exhibit is open to all artists within the United States: non-members are welcome to submit their work! For more information, click here.
Wheaton Art Parade 2022 Poster Contest — Wheaton, MD
Deadline: February 27 The WAP22 Poster Contest is accepting applications from Montgomery County high school and college students. Submit your original design for the 6th Annual Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival poster. Applications must be received by midnight on Sunday, February 27, 2022. The winning student also gets to work with a professional graphic artist to turn their artwork into the image that will be used for the poster, t-shirt, and program. Thanks to Los Chorros Restaurant and IHOP Wheaton, the winner will receive a cash prize of $300, and the winning student’s school will get $100 for art supplies. Click here for details and the application form.
Call for Entries, Art in Bloom, Martha Spak Gallery — D.C.
Deadline: February 28 Martha Spak Gallery invites artists to submit their art for this themed exhibition Art in Bloom. Enter work that is any interpretation of the call. Our goal is to discover unique artistic visions and showcase them. All mediums are welcome. A vital vehicle for many contemporary artists is to show their work to eager collectors and be recognized for their talents, this exhibition coincides with the National Cherry Blossom Festival in DC which attracts tens of thousands of visitors to the Wharf. We are located just steps from many Cherry Blossom events and the picturesque blossoms. Cash prizes will be awarded for Best in Show, Second Place and Third Place. There will also be the People’s Choice Award chosen by Wharf visitors. This exhibition will be both in the gallery and on the website. Learn how to enter here.
Deadline: February 28 The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District invites local artists to submit work to the 18th annual Bethesda Painting Awards. Artists must be 18 years of age or older and residents of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. All original 2-D painting including oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, encaustic and mixed media will be accepted. This juried art competition awards $14,000 in prizes to four selected winners. Up to eight finalists will be chosen to display their work at Bethesda’s Gallery B in June 2022. Learn more and apply here.
Open Call for Exhibitions 2022-2023, Brentwood Arts Exchange — Brentwood, MD
Brentwood Arts Exchange is seeking proposals from artists and curators to present exhibitions for available dates: September 2022 – January 2023. Solo and group exhibitions are welcome. We support art in all media and forms. Proposals may be for the Main Gallery, Lab Gallery, or both. Proposals will also be considered exhibitions curated in-house. This call is open to all artists and curators who are 18 years of age or older. There are no other restrictions. Learn more and apply here.
Re-runs: These were previously posted, but it’s not too late to enter!
Call for Entries, Wharton Esherick Museum 28th Annual Juried Woodworking Exhibition — Malvern, PA
Deadline: February 4 As the Wharton Esherick Museum celebrates its 50th Anniversary in 2022, we’re reflecting on how we’ve shared and interpreted Esherick’s remarkable self-portrait for thousands of people over half a century. In turn, we invite you to share innovative works of art, craft, and design that represent a self-portrait; wood must be part of your entry, but it doesn’t have to be the only material used. You might approach this call through traditional portraiture, an abstract interpretation, a functional work that represents your unique outlook on the world, or some other form of object making that captures who you are. Learn how to enter here.
Call for Artists, 40UNDER40 2022, Shenandoah Valley Art Center — Waynesboro, VA
Deadline: February 4 The 10th annual 40UNDER40 exhibition is seeking submissions from Virginia based artists age 40 and under. We are looking for works that will challenge viewers and push boundaries of themes, materials, and media. Accepting all media including visual, video, installation, and sound. This exhibit will take place in person and virtually. A printed catalog will be produced as well. For more information, click here.
Call for Entry, 2022 Floyd Plein Air Biennial — Floyd, VA
Deadline: February 4 Artists juried into this event will enjoy painting plein air the Blue Ridge Parkway, the famed Buffalo Mountain, unique sites along the beautiful Little River, local farms and vistas, as well as the Town of Floyd. Events include artist demonstrations, collector educational talks, Juried Artist Collector Preview Exhibition, Artist/Patron Welcome Reception including Wet Paint Sale, Artist/Patron Cocktail Party, Quick Draw Contest at the Historic Floyd Country Store & Friday Night Jamboree, Gala Reception and Art Sale. The top cash prize for this exhibition is $1000, as well as other cash prizes for “Best of” themes and manufacturer awards and gifts. Learn more here.
Request for Qualifications, DC Public Library — D.C.
Deadline: February 7 The District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL) is issuing this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to engage individual artists, designers, and art/design teams (Artists) to respond to this RFQ for Call to Artists. The Artists shall respond with professional qualifications in addition to proposals for the design of a permanent work of public art for an interior “Heritage Wall” in the entrance area of the newly constructed Lamond-Riggs Neighborhood Library, located at 5401 South Dakota Avenue, NE, Washington, D.C. For more information, click here.
Call for Submissions, World Illustration Awards 2022
Deadline: February 14 Presented by the Association of Illustrators (AOI), in partnership with the USA-based Directory of Illustration, the World Illustration Awards 2022 are now open for submissions. The World Illustration Awards showcase the great work being made by illustrators all over the world today. In 2022, we will focus on supporting creativity and connecting illustrators to their peers and the industry. Learn more here.
2022 Floyd Plein Air Biennial — Floyd, VA
Deadline: February 14 Artists juried into this event will enjoy painting plein air the Blue Ridge Parkway, the famed Buffalo Mountain, unique sites along the beautiful Little River, local farms and vistas, as well as the Town of Floyd. Events include artist demonstrations, collector educational talks, Juried Artist Collector Preview Exhibition, Artist/Patron Welcome Reception including Wet Paint Sale, Artist/Patron Cocktail Party, Quick Draw Contest at the Historic Floyd Country Store & Friday Night Jamboree, Gala Reception and Art Sale. The top cash prize for this exhibition is $1000, as well as other cash prizes for “Best of” themes and manufacturer awards and gifts. Learn more here.
The Chelsea International Photography Competition – NYC
Deadline: February 15 The Competition is an ideal way to exhibit your talent to a wider international audience. With a distinguished panel of jurors and more than $55,000 in valuable prizes, it is open to photographers from around the world at any stage of their careers. To learn more and enter, click here.
Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program 2022–2023 Residencies — Brooklyn, NY
Deadline: February 15 Now accepting applications for its 2022–2023 residency period, the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program awards rent-free studio space to 17 visual artists for yearlong residencies in Brooklyn, New York. For more information, click here.
Studio Internship Summer 2022, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center — Hyattsville, MD
Deadline: February 18, 2022 Pyramid Atlantic offers internship opportunities for enthusiastic, engaged, and serious-minded college or post-college artists. Our interns assist resident artists, renters, artistic staff, with printmaking, papermaking, and book arts projects, and in outreach education programs. In addition to hands-on experience with artistic projects, interns gain an understanding of the day-to-day operation of a non-profit art center and gallery. For the Summer 2022 season, Pyramid will accept two interns for this program. Click here to apply.
Summer 2022 Denbo Fellowship, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center — Hyattsville, MD
Deadline: February 18 The Denbo Fellowship is designed to offer artists, from a range of artistic disciplines, an environment conducive to individual and collaborative creative practice. This Fellowship will provide a unique opportunity to complete a new body of work at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center. Selected artists will receive access to Pyramid’s printshop, paper studio or bindery; technical assistance; a locker and flat file for tools and materials; use of standard shop supplies; and a stipend for travel, materials, housing, etc. ($250 two weeks, $350 three weeks, or $500 one month). For more information, click here.
Call for Exhibition Proposals, Pyramid Atlantic art Center — Hyattsville, MD
Deadline: February 18 Pyramid is currently interested in proposals for exhibitions to run between July 2022 to June 2023. While the call is open to all media, Pyramid is particularly interested in exhibitions that tie to one of its core art forms: printmaking, papermaking, and book arts. Proposals may come from curators, individual artists, or artist groups. For more information, click here.
2022 Summer Internships, Pyramid Atlantic art Center — Hyattsville, MD
Deadline: February 18 Pyramid Atlantic offers studio internships for enthusiastic and serious-minded college or recently graduated art students. Our interns assist resident artists, renters, artistic staff, with printmaking, papermaking, and book arts projects, and in outreach education programs. In addition to hands-on experience with artistic projects, interns gain an understanding of the day-to-day operation of a non-profit art center and gallery. For more information, click here.
Vita Paper Arts Residency, Pyramid Atlantic art Center — Hyattsville, MD
Deadline: February 18 Created in honor of artist Gregory Vita, this artist residency offers a competitive opportunity for emerging and seasoned artists alike who hope to gain more knowledge, improve their skills, and explore new techniques in papermaking. For more information, click here.
Call for Entries, Persistence IV: d’Art Center’s Annual National All Women’s Exhibition — Norfolk, VA
Deadline: February 20Persistence is an annual exhibition that features work from female artists from across the country to celebrate Women’s History Month. This exhibition is open to functional, non-functional, 2D, 3D, fine art, and fine craft in all mediums. In honor of Women’s History Month, this exhibition is only open to female artists, and is held at the d’Art Center in Norfolk, Virginia. This exhibition is open to all female artists living in the United States. For more information, click here.
Peter Bullough Foundation Fall 2022 Artist Residency — Winchester, VA
Deadline: February 22 The Peter Bullough Foundation in downtown historic Winchester, Virginia provides residencies to emerging artists and scholars, including those elevating voices and topics relevant to the LGBTQIA2S+ community. Applications are now being accepted for fall 2022 residencies to work in the private studios and enjoy the garden and former homes of Dr. Peter Bullough. The ideal applicant will be self-directed and able to work independently. For more information, click here.
Honfleur Artist in Residency 2022 Program, Honfleur Gallery — D.C.
Deadline: March 31 Honfleur Gallery is delighted to announce the invitation to apply for its 2022 Artist-in-Residence program. This program is open to emerging or professional artists in any artistic discipline, including (but not limited to) visual, performing, spoken word, literary arts, film as well as curation of an exhibition. The artist must live in Ward 7 or 8 pursuing research or in the development stage or production of artistic project/exploration. Learn more here.
H2O National 2022 — Virginia Beach, VA
Deadline: May 10 The Virginia Beach Art Center presents a nation-wide showcase which features water, water, everywhere! It has no taste, no smell, no color, yet we can’t live without it. Artists from Alabama to Wyoming are invited to show our relationship to water through visual media. All media welcome! For more information, click here.
Call for Entries, Potomac River Life, Athenaeum — Alexandria, VA
Deadline: May 26 In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Clean Water Act, The Athenaeum Gallery invites DC, Virginia, and Maryland artists to explore concepts related to the Potomac River, its vital role in the regional ecosystem, and the importance of working toward a clean, healthy river. We are looking for a wide variety of interpretations on the theme – but everything accepted will be a plausible fit to “Potomac River Life.” Work can be literal or abstract. Learn more here.
Call for Artists, The Delaware Contemporary’s Artist Registry – Wilmington, DE
Deadline: August 1, 2022 The Delaware Contemporary’s Artist Registry promotes working artists of our region through exhibitions, residencies, and commissioned projects. The Artist Registry is available to artists within a 250 mile radius of Wilmington, DE and will be the tool by which The Delaware Contemporary will collect, review and select artists for juried and curated exhibitions and projects. By submitting an application for the Artist’s Registry, The Delaware Contemporary will have access to an artist portfolio for the 2021 – 2022 season. During each season, artist portfolios will be regularly reviewed for upcoming opportunities including exhibitions, programs, and special events, as well as selected to be highlighted on the museum’s social media platforms. Learn more here.
Instructors Wanted at The Art League — Alexandria, VA
Deadline: Until filled The Art League is looking for skilled instructors in all visual arts disciplines. We’re particularly keen to recruit new hires for our sculpture, stained glass, and watercolor departments. Preferred applicants will have a personable and patient disposition, excellent communication skills, and the ability to teach their medium to groups of beginning, intermediate, and/or advanced level students. Class sizes range, depending on enrollment, from around 5 to 30 students. Experience teaching is helpful but not an absolute requirement. To apply, send a cover letter with statement of intent, resumé, and 6-10 tiffs or jpegs of current work to Ariane D’Souza via email at [email protected].
Call for Instructors, Falls Church Arts
Deadline: Until filled Falls Church Arts is looking for instructors to offer classes, workshops, or even demonstrations of their work. All art media (except large-scale sculpture, glass, or ceramics) and art history presentations are welcome. They have some instruction space in the gallery, but instructors also offer outdoor and online classes. Instructors set the price of classes. Falls Church Arts receives 20% of the fees paid. They to accommodate the artists’ preferred date(s) and time of instruction. For more information about Falls Church Arts and classes currently offered go to FallsChurchArts.org. To submit a proposal, click here.
Ongoing: These opportunities have rolling deadlines.
Call for Artists, Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council
Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council (PGAHC) is featuring county artists at its newest art space Arts’tination at National Harbor, the premier arts and entertainment destination in our regions Located at 162 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, MD. Arts’tination is dedicated to supporting local artists and curating immersive creative experiences. PGAHC is recruiting artists to show and sell their work and/or to conduct arts related workshops for the public. Artists should submit work samples and inquires to [email protected]. For more information please visit https://www.pgahc.org/artstination.
Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grants
These monthly grants range from $500–$3,000, with the average amount being $1,700. Visual and performing artists whose work is of a contemporary, experimental nature and who have a US Tax ID Number can apply. For more information, click here.
Call for Art, Links Bridge Vineyards—Thurmont, MD
Links Bridge Vineyards, a small artisan style winery located just outside of Frederick, Maryland, is looking to feature the artwork of various artists on the walls of their tasting barn for two weeks at a time. To learn more, call Joan Cartier 301-602-5733 or email her at [email protected].
Pyramid Atlantic offers year-round workshops in printmaking, papermaking, book arts, and hybrids thereof. We offer multi-week, daytime, evening, and weekend intensives for adults in our fully equipped studios. As part of a robust and diverse schedule of offerings, we welcome unsolicited workshop proposals, and hope that you will consider applying! Workshop proposal reviews are ongoing, but for best consideration, submit class proposals by the following dates: 1/15 for Summer Workshops; 4/1 for Fall Workshops; 7/1 for Winter Workshops; 10/1 for Spring Workshops. Questions? Email Gretchen, Artistic Director, [email protected]
Call For Stories About Women in the Arts, Maryland State Arts Council
2020 has been dedicated to the Year of the Woman in Maryland. Do you have an inspiring story about vital contributions of women-identifying people who are artists, arts administrators, or cultural workers? Perhaps an exhibition, performance or project featuring women? Share it with the Maryland State Arts Council for potential use in marketing and communications! Send your ideas to [email protected], and include “Year of the Woman” in the subject line. Satff will contact senders whose stories are selected for inclusion in future newsletters, eblasts, or social media postings. Learn more about Maryland’s year of the Woman here.
Call For Artists, Busboys and Poets
Busboys and Poets is looking for submissions from Maryland and Virginia artists as it expands to new locations in both areas. Submissions can include drawings, painting, photography, sculpture, mixed media, assemblage, fiber, quilts, etc. Art images reflecting life in the city, family, portraits, whimsy, abstraction, social uplift and life experiences within diverse cultures are encouraged for submission. For more information, click here.
Alterwork Studios Online Residency
This residency was designed to give emerging contemporary artists an online platform to create new work and explore their practice. Over the course of four weeks, artists will be encouraged to experiment and explore their concepts and move their work forward in the contemporary art world. Learn more here.
Accepting Artwork for Curatorial Review by AIWA
The Alper Initiative for Washington Art features five exhibitions per year in the newly constructed first floor space in the American University Museum. We accept submissions, on a rolling basis, from Washington artists of all ages and backgrounds, and working in diverse media. The museum’s Director and Curator, Jack Rasmussen, will select curators who will review these submissions for potential use in Alper Initiative exhibitions. For more information click here.
Call For Entry Hamilton Arts Collective Guest Artist Exhibition – Baltimore, MD
The Hamilton Arts Collective (HAC) and the Hamilton Gallery seek applications from artists for month-long Guest Artist exhibitions at Hamilton Gallery located at 5502 Harford Road, Baltimore, MD. The selected guest artists will be invited to exhibit a selection of their current work in Gallery I of the Hamilton Gallery. The Guest Artist exhibition is featured in Hamilton Gallery communications and will be promoted by the HAC and Hamilton Gallery. This is an open call to artists residing within 60 miles of Baltimore City. Baltimore residents are encouraged to apply. Click here to learn more.
Howard County Arts Council Quarterly Call For Artists – Ellicott City, MD
The Howard County Arts Council gallery program was established to enhance the public’s appreciation of the visual arts, provide a venue to exhibit the work of local, regional, and national artists in a professional space, and provide leadership in the arts by presenting a broad spectrum of arts in all media from both emerging and established artists. Artists, ages 18 and older, working in all media and styles including time-based and installation artists, are encouraged to apply either individually or as a group. Proposals from curators and arts organizations are also welcome. Click here to learn more.
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, click here.
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 informationhere.
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, click here.
Public Arts Grants & Opportunities (VA)
Ongoing. The City of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts provides grants for nonprofit arts organizations as well as individual artists. See all current opportunities and online applicationshere.
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].
