An Intersection of Color and Material in Sculpture
Presented by Washington Sculptors Group and the Northern Virginia Fine Art Association at the ATHENAEUM
LOCATION: The Athenaeum, 201 Prince Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
DATES: June 6 – July 21, 2019
JUROR: Mollie Berger Salah
APPLICATION DEADLINE:
Sunday, April 14, 2019 (11:59pm EST) received through the submission site Entrythingy
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Notes of Color is an exhibition exploring the materials of both the painter and the sculptor, as inspired by the unique multi-media practice of Hilda Shapiro Thorpe, Color Field painter turned sculptor, 1919 – 2000.
Painter turned sculptor, Hilda Thorpe (1919 – 2000) was a fixture of the Alexandria and Washington, DC arts scene. Her studio was on the third floor of the old "Why Not" store on the corner of King and Lee Streets for over thirty years. The Athenaeum, located on the same block as Thorpe's former Old Town Alexandria studio, is a suitable exhibition space for area sculptors to explore color and materials within their artistic process, just as Thorpe did. Thorpe’s work demonstrates her lifelong interest in the visual and visceral properties of color, a trait she shared with her contemporaries such as Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, and Anne Truitt. While the study of color remained constant throughout her artistic career, it was her bold use of conventional and unconventional materials that set her apart from other artists of her time. Not only an abstract expressionist and color field painter, Thorpe was a sculptor using a wide variety of materials such as, balsa wood, piping, sheet metal, and gauze. She later worked in textiles and handmade paper works. Her practice is a challenge to artists today who wish to push the boundaries of how they use materials, while retaining one of the most critical elements of artmaking: color. WSG would like to extend an invitation to its members to participate in this exhibition with sculptural work that investigates color as an integral part of the sculptural process while rethinking the ways in which they use materials.
ABOUT THE JUROR: Mollie Berger Salah
Curatorial Assistant: Prints and Drawings, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Mollie Salah has worked in the Prints and Drawings department at the National Gallery since graduating from George Washington University with a Master of Arts in Art History in 2014. While at GWU she held internships in the Prints and Drawings departments of the National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery of Art. Mollie has also worked at the Fleming Museum of Art, Burlington, VT, Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT, and the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, ME. An adapted version of her graduate qualifying paper on Kenneth Noland’s circle paintings and the psychoanalytic therapy of Dr. Wilhelm Reich was recently published for Refiguring American Art, a research project organized by Tate, London. She has also published essays on Thomas Downing and Mary Pinchot Meyer. Mollie’s research interests include artists who have lived and worked in Washington, DC, early twentieth century American landscape painting, and the cultural impact of the Cold War.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Sunday, April 14, 2019 (11:59pm EST)
Participating artists can upload submissions through Entrythingy (https://www.entrythingy.com/login.html). NOTES OF COLOR will be juried from digital images submitted through Entrythingy site, and there is a $5 processing fee for uploading images. No entries will be accepted by mail or email.
ELIGIBILITY
The exhibition is open to members of the Washington Sculptors Group. Artists who are not already members may join WSG by paying annual dues of $45 ($15 for full-time students). New members may join by downloading a membership form from the web site, www.washingtonsculptors.org and making payment by mailing a check or through PayPal online. WSG members must renew their dues for 2019 to be eligible to apply to participate in this exhibition. The mailing label should read 2019 to show your membership is up to date.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
- Artists may submit three-dimensional sculptures or mixed media installations that fit the theme. New media works are acceptable as long as they do not require an external power source.
- ALL work must be able to be wall hung using simple hooks. Works must weight less than 15 lbs and protrude no more than 12 inches from the wall.
- Each artist may submit up to five (5) works, with two images per work (maximum of ten images).
- Submissions MUST be anonymous—please remove any identifying labels from titles, file names, images, etc. Submissions that are not anonymous will be disqualified.
- Gallery has 22-foot high ceilings, steps and standard double door to enter the gallery. All work accepted and exhibited must remain on display for the full duration of the show.
- Accepted work must be delivered in person on Sunday, June 2, 2019 from 4-6pm or Monday, June 3, 2019 from 10am-2pm at the Athenaeum (201 Prince Street, Alexandria, VA 22314). Work must be picked up in person at the same address on Sunday, July 21, 2019 from 4-6pm. The Athenaeum can neither receive nor return entries by mail.
- Artists are solely responsible for delivery of their accepted work on the installation date, and de-installation of their work on the pick-up date as specified above. Staff will be solely responsible for installations. The gallery cannot receive shipments of artwork and is unable to store work not picked up by the pickup date.
INSURANCE/COMMISSION
The Athenaeum will insure the pieces for the duration of the show but work in transit and work left at the Athenaeum after the closing date is the responsibility of the artist. A 40% commission will be taken on sales by the Athenaeum. Interested buyers will be directed to the artist or agent.
CALENDAR
EXHIBITION DATES: Thursday June 6 – Sunday July 21
CALL FOR ENTRY POSTED: Thursday, February 21, 2019
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Sunday, April 14, 2019 (received by 11:59pm EST)
JURY PERIOD: Monday, April 15 – Sunday, May 5, 2019
ARTIST NOTIFICATION: Wednesday, May 8, 2019
DROP OFF DATES: Sunday, June 2, 2019 (4:00pm – 6:00pm) &
Monday, June 3, 2019 (10:00am – 2:00 pm)
Work must be delivered through the main gallery entrance at 201 Prince Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
EXHIBITION INSTALLED: June 4-5 2019
OPENING RECEPTION: Sunday, Jun 9, 2019 (4:00pm – 6:00pm)
CURATORS DISCUSSION: Sunday, June 23, 2019 (2:30pm – 4:00pm)
ARTIST MEET AND GREET: Sunday, July 21, 2019 (2:00pm – 4:00pm)
DEINSTALL & PICK UP: Sunday, July 21, 2019 (4:00pm – 6:00pm)
Exhibition directors can be contacted for dropping off and picking up work.
- Laura Jamroz
- Judith Pratt
The Washington Sculptors Group is a volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting awareness of sculpture and fostering exchanges among sculptors, sculpture enthusiasts and the public. Organized in 1984, membership has grown to almost 400; WSG sponsors frequent public programs and organizes professional sculpture exhibitions juried by prominent curators. Visit www.washingtonsculptors.org to join WSG, to view the Web Gallery of members’ work, and to subscribe to the WSG newsletter.
About the Athenaeum
The building now known as the Athenaeum was constructed in 1851- 1852 as the Bank of Old Dominion. Robert E. Lee banked here, as did many other prominent Alexandrians. During the Civil War occupation of Alexandria, the building was commandeered by Federal troops and used as the Chief Commissary Office of the U.S. Commissary Quartermaster. An authentic Civil War site, the Athenaeum is on both the Virginia Trust and National Register of Historic Places. The building is part of the Virginia Trust and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980
About the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association (NVFAA)
The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in all forms of art, and to establishing programs that will enrich the cultural life of Northern Virginia and the surrounding metropolitan area. As the primary site for these activities, the NVFAA own, and maintains the historic building called the Athenaeum. For additional information on the organization, please visit www.nvfaa.org.
WSG Contact for Exhibits: exhibits@washingtonsculptors.org
Help with Entries: entries@washingtonsculptors.org