By Jennie Crouch
MAA Member

Joey P. Mánlapaz--a noted contemporary realist painter, educator, and curator--will serve as judge of the 2021 Paint the Town Labor Day Show. With her many years of experience and impressive list of accolades, including being commissioned by the U.S. Library of Congress and First Lady Laura Bush for the 2003 National Book Festival, MAA is thrilled Mánlapaz will be lending her expert eye to our show. 

"I am honored to serve as judge for the upcoming Paint the Town exhibition at Montgomery Art Association,” she said. “After a year of jurying and attending virtual shows, I certainly look forward to viewing works and meeting artists in person once again!"

Those who frequent the Bethesda Metro Station, where a replica of one of her paintings is permanently installed, will be no strangers to Mánlapaz’s signature style--self-described as a combination “between the factual photorealism of Richard Estes and the deep psychological sensibility of Edward Hopper.”

Mánlapaz was born in the Philippines and has lived in the DC area for the majority of her life. It’s no surprise then that the sites and people of the region are her main subjects.  

In addition to being an accomplished painter, Mánlapaz is dedicated to providing art education to older adults at senior living and memory care facilities. She is also an associate faculty member at the Corcoran School of Art & Design and George Washington University and a lecturer at The Art League School in Alexandria, Virginia.

For more than 40 years, Paint the Town has been a hallmark art show in the region, and MAA is pleased to continue that tradition with our esteemed judge. 

Below are two of her pieces. You can see more of Mánlapaz’s work at joeymanlapaz.com.

Top: No Hands, oil on paper, 21x29.5"; bottom: Alienation (Loeb’s Deli), oil on linen, 30x40"