What Happens When a Museum Closes?

Richard P. Townsend was in Italy when he got the call. The director of New York’s Museum of Biblical Art, he was in the midst of preparing for an exhibition of Donatello’s sculpture that would go on to be the museum’s most well-attended and critically acclaimed.

It would also be its last. The caller, a member of the museum’s board, broke the news that the American Bible Society would soon be selling its Upper West Side building. The Museum of Biblical Art (MOBIA for short) had just 12 months to find another affordable home—a timeline that, in the end, proved too short. In June 2015, the institution closed its doors for good.

Read the whole story here. 

Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival is coming soon!

Presented in Reston Town Center, a suburb of Washington, DC, the festival attracts art lovers, affluent homeowners, corporate executives, and design professionals in addition to the broader community. This highly-anticipated cultural event draws up to 30,000 visitors and there is FREE garage parking all Festival weekend courtesy of Boston Properties. The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival is the Greater Reston Art Center’s (GRACE’s) largest annual fundraiser.

The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival as a long standing reputation for presenting high-quality work and now will become a three-day event, opening on Friday, from 10am-5pm! Making the very significant logistical investment in a Friday opening reflects our relentless focus on investing to grow our audience (and we typically draw tens of thousands of visitors already) and driving sales, explaining why ArtFairCalendar.com has described this as a festival where “the ‘art stars’ of the outdoor art fairs vie for spaces.”

I've done this show for several decades now... skipping a year here and there, but I will be back this year in booth 230 - so come by and say hi!

Check out the 2018 exhibiting artists here and also a festival map!

Montgomery County is buying art!

DEADLINE: FRIDAY APRIL 20, 2018

I'm not gonna take all the credit --- but, if you recall from multiple postings last year, I corresponded with all MoCo politicos last year and tried to shame one of the planet's wealthiest county's lack of support for its artists... And now: AHCMC and the Montgomery County Public Art Trust are proud to announce the 2018 Call for Art: The Contemporary Works on Paper Collection! This call seeks paper-based works including paintings in various media, drawings in various media, photographs, mixed media, and limited edition prints from artists in Montgomery county and the Greater Washington region.  These artworks should help create inspiring spaces that foster innovation, creative excellence and personal reflection. Artwork in this collection is owned by Montgomery County under the County’s Public Art Trust program and loaned to County agencies for display in public buildings. The Public Art Trust is especially interested in artworks that reflect the unique and diverse character of Montgomery County. The full call-for-art is available here: Montgomery County Contemporary Works on Paper Call for Art

Call for Solo Exhibition Proposals

Deadline: March 30, 2018.

VisArts invites artists working in all media to apply for 2019 Solo Exhibitions in the Gibbs Street Gallery and Common Ground Gallery. The Gibbs Street Gallery offers exhibitions that 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. The gallery is approximately 1,100 square feet with 16 ft. ceilings.

It is on the street level with floor to ceiling windows along one wall. International, national and local artists are welcome to apply.  The Common Ground Gallery features exhibitions that reflect the creative pursuits of artists from our community.

The gallery is located on the second floor and is approximately 300 square feet.

Artists must live in the Mid-Atlantic region to apply for a solo exhibition in this gallery. Applicants who have participated in a solo exhibition at VisArts within the past two years are not eligible to apply.

All application materials must be submitted online through their website no later than 11:59 pm EST on 03/30/2018.

Visit this link to apply.

Affordable Art Fair NYC opens tonight!

Call for Entries: The World of Frida at Bedford Gallery

The exhibition will feature art with Frida Kahlo as the subject as well as artworks inspired by her life and art. 

The deadline to apply is April 21, 2018.

Details here.

Free Art Lessons

In 2017, Lieu launched Art Prof, a website that offers a wide range of art classes, captured in videos. Taught by professional artists and university art teachers, courses range from the basics, like drawing, to more complex or niche mediums, like types of sculpture, printmaking, and animation. 

Read the Artsy article here.