Welcome to Artful Weekend

-our listing of area art exhibits and events-

This weekend: April 2024 Open Exhibit and And Sew It Goes by Susan Lapham at the League; Blooms and Brushstrokes: The Language of Flowers at Bethesda Fine Art; BIG DRAW at the National Building Museum; and Same But Different at Del Ray Artisans Gallery.

April 2024 Open Exhibit

Diverse artworks by member artists are the feature of Open Exhibits at The Art League. This month, 99 artworks—painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, fiber art, ceramics, and mixed media—are on view. The April 2024 Open Exhibit was juried by Margaret Winslow, Head Curator and Curator of Contemporary Art at the Delaware Art Museum, and is on view in The Art League Gallery through May 6.

And Sew It Goes by Susan Lapham

In her solo exhibit, And Sew it Goes, Susan J. Lapham displays a collection of large-scale sewn collages, playfully constructed from dozens of small bits of fabric. Inspired by eclectic architecture, complex machinery, and outlandish arrangements, her work pushes the limits of balance, proportion, and symmetry to evoke delight, humor and joy within its viewers. And Sew It Goes is on veiw in The Art League Gallery through May 6.

Blooms and Brushstrokes: The Language of Flowers

Modern artists have long used flowers as a means of exploring color, form and emotion. Whether depicted in representational or abstract form, flowers offer endless possibilities for artistic expression. From the geometric to the gestural, Blossoms and Brushstrokes: The Language of Flowers, an exclusive online show presented Bethesda Fine Art, explores floral forms by modern artists of the last century. It’s on view through May 29.

National Building Museum BIG DRAW

The National Building Museum hosts BIG DRAW, a free day-long festival that invites visitors to discover the world we design and build through drawing on Saturday, Aprill 20 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. The event is a complement to the Museum’s recently opened long-term exhibition Building Stories that explores the world of architecture, engineering, construction, and design through the lens of children’s books. Caldecott Medal award-winning author and illustrator David Macaulay, who has a special gallery within Building Stories, will engage with visitors and will lead two drawing workshops using the Museum’s historic home to teach visitors how to understand scale and perspective. Throughout this day of drawing, visitors of all ages can engage in quick drawing prompts, contribute to a community mural, contribute to Positive Chalk’s “Chalk Walk,” and attend lightning talks with engineering, architecture, and design professionals who will share how drawing is used as a tool to create. Visitors are welcome to bring their own sketchbooks or use materials provided by the Museum. BIG DRAW is free with registration—register here. The National Building Museum is located at 401 F Street NW.

Same But Different

In the spirit of Celebrate Diversity Month, this art exhibit highlights the beauty and richness of diversity through artists’ interpretations of the concept Same But Different. This Del Ray Artisans members showcase explores notions of identity, distinctions and similarities in our natural and manmade world. Through a variety of mediums, styles, and perspectives, the Same But Different exhibit, at Del Ray Artisans Gallery, invites the viewers to look at the interconnectedness of humanity by examining the uniqueness of things that may appear to be the same. It is on view through April 27; 2704 Mount Vernon Avenue,
Alexandria, Virginia.

Enjoy the weekend!