CURVES

an exhibit of artworks based on the human figure

May 5 - June 7, 2010

This exhibit is presented in conjunction with Minds Wide Open: Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts. The Curves exhibit will feature a sculpture by Art League and Torpedo Factory artist, Lisa Schumaier for visitors to "dress" with strips of paper. Each strip can be written with a remembrance or a victory over breast cancer for a small donation. Donations will be given to the Avon Foundation through the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer team, "The Traveling Sisterhood of Tata's."

Receiving is May 3, 6:30–8:30 pm and May 4,10:00 am - noon. We will be accepting donations from artists of pink paper (scrap, painted, printed, etc) to provide the strips. Please bring any pink paper donations to the front desk! Thank you!

The Art League has a APP!!!

Try out our new Art League application! Download it to your iPhone, Smartphone, or Droid!!!! Now you can follow The Art League's Tweets, Facebook Updates, Flickr Site, and our YouTube! Also, we have maps to our new location at National Harbor, as well as our Old Town location!

Click the Art League logo and save the page to your applications! We are still in the beginning stages. Please let us know how you like it and give us feedback!!

For Earth Day: Tips for the Environmentally Safe Disposal of Artist Materials

Kim Hall writing for Art Calendar magazine said it best: "Paints, solvents, or any art materials, for that matter, are not inherently dangerous. The dangers come from improper management of the materials. As artists, we often become complacent to the dangers of our studios because of deadlines, lack of safety equipment and resources, and lack of easily accessible information. However, in order to keep our families and us safe, learning about studio hazards and materials management needs to be a priority."

For Earth Day 2010, let's strive to remember the impact we have as artists on our health and on our environment and remember that it's our responsibility to dispose of our materials in an appropriate manner. Here are some helpful tips courtesy of Utrecht Art.

Introduction to Platinum/Palladium Printing

Introduction to Platinum/Palladium Printing with Scott Davis

June 26-27, 2010, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

	Art Reactor Studio
	5614 Baltimore Avenue
	Hyattsville, MD

This class is an intensive, two-day immersion. Students will walk away from the class with a solid foundation in pt/pd printing. Day one will cover:

• History of the technique.
• Historic/contemporary practitioners
• Technical basics – chemistry, equipment, paper
• Major controls – negatives, exposure, processing
• Fine controls – contrast control, process variations in the classroom. 

The discussion will be supported by extensive hands-on learning opportunities. Students will learn to choose subject matter and expose and process film to produce negatives suited for platinum/palladium printing. We will produce negatives for use the following day in the printing session.

On day two, we will walk through the entire process: we will set up the work area, choose materials, prepare chemical solutions, coat paper, expose and process prints, and discuss basic troubleshooting.  Advanced topics to include variations on the standard  platinum/palladium process will be touched on. We will also discuss the future of this beautiful process, and how it can be combined with new media, with some examples provided. Students will have several finished prints each to take home. Information will be provided on inexpensive options for making a home UV exposure unit.

A substantial discount can be arranged for buying materials at Bostick & Sullivan for students following the class if they wish to continue working in the process.

Instructor bio:

Scott Davis is an internationally recognized platinum printer and published author on the subject of platinum/palladium printing. He has been practicing the craft of fine

art photography for over 14 years, with extensive experience in silver based and alternative photographic processes. He received formal training at Maryland Institute College of Art and the Center for Alternative Photography in New York. His work has been exhibited nationally and locally, and published in magazines including Metropolitan Home and the online journal Creative Image Maker (www.creativeimagemaker.co.uk).

To order tickets please visit http://platinumprinting626-efbevent.eventbrite.com/

Another Great Review!

The Art League is featured in American Contemporary Art magazine thanks (again!) to Lenny Campello. Kudos on pg. 22 and 23.

http://americancontemporaryart.net/

Review of Fierce Sonia's Paper Dolls Exhibit

WOW! What a fantastic review by Lenny Campello of Fierce Sonia's Paper Dolls exhibit at The Art League.

"For "Paper Dolls", Sonia used her camera like a weapon; trained it onto her own body, put a focused mind to work on the photographs, and created a memorable set of images that make her solo debut one of the best, if not the best, photography shows that I’ve ever seen at the Art League."

Full article here: http://dcartnews.blogspot.com/

Art Whino Exhibit: The Gamies The Art of Jophen Stein

Art Whino Presents:

The Gamies

The Art of Jophen Stein

Entertainment has held a position of helping people cope with the everyday drudgery of life. The Game show, moreover, offers both the value of entertainment and a promise at a chance of making life better. Loosely based on Franz Kafka's The Trial Jophen Stein's latest series The Gamies explores the idea of systems that are in place but not fully understood. From the exhilaration of winning to the disappointment of losing The Gaimes is a look into the bipolar effects of game shows as entertainment.

Saturday, May 15th, from 6pm – Midnight Location: Art Whino Gallery 173 Waterfront St. National Harbor, MD 20745 Show end date: June 12th The event is FREE and open to the public.

April All-Media Membership Show

Found Show

Student Show at National Harbor!

Come see the strong and diverse work in our annual Student Show at our new National Harbor Gallery! 














Open through May 8, 2010. 
120 American Way, Oxon Hill, MD. 
Hours: Wednesday-Friday, 12:00noon-7:00pm,
Saturday-Sunday, 12:00noon-6:00pm.

YouTube Video from "Paper Dolls" Opening

Check out this awesome video from the "Paper Dolls" opening on April 8!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kubrEIoN2gQ

The Washington Post's Real Art D.C.

Competition for local artists - check it out! (click link above)

Real Art D.C. is seeking works by local artists
Friday, April 9, 2010; C08


Attention artists:

Jessica Dawson is hitting the studios to uncover Washington talent.

It's all part of Real Art D.C., the Washington Post's exciting new platform for contemporary art in the Washington region. There's also a related competition open to all area artists.

What is Real Art D.C.? An online virtual gallery of works by local artists that will allow Post readers to discover and connect with Washington's newest talents. Artists themselves will post their own work -- and so will dealers and teachers on their behalf -- and anyone can click through and see the spectrum of local creativity.

Here's how it works: Upload images at http://www.washingtonpost.com/real-art-dc. Next month our Galleries columnist will begin sifting through the uploads to Real Art D.C. and picking 10 artists from the virtual gallery to spotlight in a new online feature.

Throughout the spring and summer, she will choose a new artist-finalist every few weeks and visit the artist's studio, reporting about what she finds on the Real Art D.C. site. The 10th finalist will be selected sometime after Sept. 30, the last day of submissions to Real Art D.C.

Once the top 10 are chosen, we'll open up voting so that washingtonpost.com users can choose the finalist they like best. The winning artist will be profiled in our pages (and, of course, online).
Artists, surprise us. Challenge us. Corcoran, MICA and VCU students -- show us your work. (And self-taught talent, too!)

See you in the studio!

"Paper Dolls" Opens TONIGHT!

Fierce Sonia's show is installed and it looks amazing! The integration of photography, painting, and collage is fresh and inventive. This is a must see show!

Save the Date!

Teresa Oaxaca, "Classical Realism: New Works"
May 6 - June 7, 2010
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 13, 6:30-8:00 pm

Stay tuned for more info!

Opening for Fierce Sonia's "Paper Dolls" this Thursday!

This is an opening you definitely don't want to miss. We're anticipating a huge crowd to come out and support this emerging artist and to hear the Joe Chiocca band play. 


The Art League Gallery: Thursday, April 8, 6:30-8pm

Art in City Hall - New Exhibit

March 22-September 17, 2010
Opening Reception: Tuesday, May 25, 5:30-7:30 pm

Juror’s Statement by William Schran, Assistant Dean Fine Arts, NOVA, Alexandria Campus
It was my honor to be asked and my pleasure to serve as the juror of the 2010 Art in City Hall exhibition. I am very pleased to see that the Mayor and City Council recognize the importance of all the arts in Alexandria and, even in these tough economic times continue to support an important aspect of what makes the city a vibrant community.

I would like to thank each and every artist who submitted their work to the show and were willing to allow me to sit in judgment of what they have poured their heart and soul into. Submitting art work to a juried show means taking risk, a risk that may lead to a feeling of validation, or the disappointment of rejection. Artists should never take the outcome of a judging process as something personal. The juror doesn't know you, can't know your intention, but can only deal with a brief interaction between human & art.

Mixed media group shows are especially difficult to judge. Many jurors have a tough time comparing the merits of each media, especially if they are unfamiliar with a process. I find it a bit easier, being an educator and having explored and/or taught nearly all 2D and 3D mediums. I make a conscious effort not to compare one media to another, but accept each for what it offers.

What do jurors look for when they decide what will be included in a show, and what will be rejected? I believe much has to do with the initial reaction. Is there something, a color, a shape, a texture that captures the eye immediately and begs for additional viewing time? Is there a compelling image that draws one into the composition? Has the artist truly shown me another way to look at the world around us? These shout out to me and ask that I pause a moment longer, take a closer look, and then the art and I begin a visual dialogue.

-Bill

Awards:
Alexandria Commission for the Arts Award: Marsha Staiger (image shown above)
Del Ray Artisans Award: Nancy Monacelli
The Art League Award: Lynn Mehta
Torpedo Factory Artists Association Award: John Burgess
Honorable Mention: Susan Ellis, Susan Finsen, A Groedblred-Kroesen, Arlie Hammons, Robert Keating, Genevieve Lynn, Charlene Nield.

The Art League Opens at National Harbor!!!!

The Art League Opens at National Harbor

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our NEW gallery space at National Harbor across the Potomac from Old Town. We are excited to be a part of this developing attraction and thank National Harbor and the Peterson Company for their support.

Our National Harbor space is currently exhibiting large scale paintings and drawings by Art League instructor David Carter. We plan to use the space to promote the School by showcasing the work of our brilliant faculty, and in our next exhibit, our students.

The Art League at National Harbor is located at 120 American Way, Oxon Hill, MD 20745 and is currently open Wednesday-Friday, 12:00noon-7:00pm, and Saturday-Sunday, 12:00noon-6:00pm. Please visit our new space and spread the word!

The Library Gallery Exhibition Competition

The Montpelier Arts Center announces its biennial competition to select 8-10 two-month long exhibitions to be held in the Library Gallery. To be eligible, artists must reside in Maryland. The judge may elect to exhibit artist who apply for solo shows or artists who apply as groups. An honorarium of $300 will be presented for each exhibition to the artist or artists exhibiting.

For more information please contact The Montpelier Arts Center: 301-377-7800, 410-792-0664