Twenty-two MAA artists are showing works at La Galleria at Ranazul, a restaurant in Fulton, Maryland. 

Join us for the opening reception of this summer-themed show on July 14 from 4-5 pm. The restaurant's owners will provide complimentary appetizers. The show runs from Sunday, July 7 to Saturday, August 3. La Galleria at Ranazul is at 8171 Maple Lawn Boulevard, Suite 170, Fulton, MD 20759.  

Participating artists and their works:

Laura	Aikman	Front Porch	Oil
Blandine	Broomfield	Lightning Bugs	Oil
Heather	Brugger	aquaholic	Acrylic
Sandra	Cane	Paddlers	Oil
Sandy	Cepaitis	Winged Fantasy	Watercolor
Mari	Craig	Melange	Acrylic
Jennifer	Eidson	Going to the Beach	Oil
Lawrence	Greenfield	Brookside Gardens Roses	Watercolor
Perry	Kapsch	Cupcakes	Acrylic
Carol	Leo	Big Red	Watercolor
Frankie	Lydon	Beach Day	Pastel
Debbie	Miller	Sitting Pretty	Oil
Gail	Neal	Mandarin Duck	Acrylic
Maria-Elena	Sayan	Red Pears	Oil
Ruja	Shemer	Fishalation	Watercolor
Diane	Shipley	Another Day in Paradise	Multi-Media
Mary Ellen	Simon	Shipping Creek	Pastel
Elizabeth	Stecher	Rainier Cherries	Watercolor
Nar	Steel	Fresh Fruit and Flowers	Oil
Judy	Stenger	Serendipity	Acrylic
Anastasia	Walsh	Haiku	Other
Jenny	Wilson	Bouquet	Acrylic

By Glen Kessler

If you’re an emerging artist, you likely have participated in any number of juried exhibitions. In this type of art show, a professional in your field is chosen to either accept/reject artwork for inclusion in a show and/or select prize-winners. While juried shows are common, there is still much mystery among artists about how jurors make their decisions and how an artist can increase their chances of success. There is also much discussion about the ability of jurors to stay impartial in the face of art or artists they know. In this article, I will shine a light on these topics offering a first-hand account of the process and my own strategy for removing some, if not all, of the mystery.

The 800-pound gorilla in the room is the accepted belief that art appreciation is subjective. While I agree with this statement in principle, I think that jurors can and should be held to a different standard. Many of you have been to a juror talk where the juror says something along the lines of “… and I like rabbits so that’s why I gave this rabbit painting a prize.” As an artist, there’s nothing more frustrating than hearing that a quirk like this was part of the decision-making process. Let that be their criteria for deciding whether they want a work to hang in their home, but we all want to believe that time, effort, thought, and execution are the most important qualities to a juror.

As an artist myself and a teacher of artists as well, THAT is why I chose years ago to codify five points that I’m looking for when jurying artwork. It is my hope that this rubric may provide guidance and confidence for other jurors to judge work with a minimum of subjectivity and a greater abundance of objective standards. I’ve lectured on this topic and been written up in Professional Artist Magazine as well (June/July 2016 issue). In order of value, the qualities I look for in judging artwork are the following:

1. Technique – how well-executed the piece is.

Whether realistic, abstracted, or completely non-objective there is an observable level of craftsmanship in the execution of the art that is evident. Sophisticated color, confident brushwork, and varied mark-making are just a few of the attributes of technically adept artwork.

2. Concept – the idea that gives purpose to the work of art.

Every work of art has a concept, from the everyday to the sublime—capturing the beauty of a sunset, revealing a sitter’s character, expressing one’s emotional state. The level of profundity of the concept is how I judge this category. Deeper meaning or multiple meanings will always garner higher praise than a simple or singular meaning.

3. Personal relevance – how the art may embody the essence of the artist.

The choice of which Concept and which Technique an artist uses can and should be informed by an artist’s personal life story. We are all products of our era, culture, and experiences. Being open and honest about letting those influences into the creative process makes for a more authentic and in-depth work of art. As a juror, knowing an artist and their work can often assist in understanding their personal story.

4. Innovation – the newness or uniqueness of the work.

Jurors have seen a lot of artwork. And while there is always something to be said for executing work well within a set of established tropes, work that steps outside the box to succeed will often get bonus points. Using a new method, an atypical composition, a unique concept can help to distinguish the work from its company, as long as it is still well-conceived and -executed. 

5. Presentation – how well is the work presented.

This includes framing, matting, glass, wet works, proper hanging materials, and even dings and scratches on the artwork’s surface. At the end of the jurying process, a juror has tied his/her name to the show. The professional presentation of the work does in some way reflect back on that juror. Dirty or dinged frames, poor mat color choice, improper hanging wire length, and smudged glass are a few areas that jurors may be sensitive to when making their final judgments. In addition to making the work look less impressive, they serve as warning signs to the juror that the artist did not care enough about their work to care for it properly.

Not only does following this set of criteria help unify exhibitions, but it gives the juror a defense against those who would say their choices might be arbitrary or nepotistic. I have in fact suffered many times the wrath of students and friends when they have not been awarded entry or prizes to exhibitions I’ve juried. It goes with the territory. But it is my sincere hope that all jurors abide by this or some other similar set of criteria spelled out before, during, and after the show so as to engender a level of trust between artist and judge.

Something artists may not realize is that the judge is also being judged. The better the exhibition and the more universal the agreement with the judge’s choices, the more trusted that juror will be. Consequently, they may be hired back by that organization or spoken highly of to other organizations. No juror I am aware of would choose the penny-smart-but-dollar-stupid tack of selecting artists only from their pool of friends, students, or clients.

I hope this may offer a reasoned insight into the juror’s mind and perhaps even assist some emerging jurors out there. No artist likes rejection, but no one who’s achieved anything in the arts has gone without their fair share of it. Understanding though, that amidst all of the other variables present in the success of a work of art, that nepotism or arbitrariness do not have to be additional barriers is hopefully something that can give all artists just a little bit more sleep at night.

Glen Kessler is a local artist and teacher. He has an MFA from New York Academy of Art & BFA from MICA. His work is internationally collected and has garnered top prizes such as a Maryland State Arts Council Grant, two Elizabeth Greenshields Grants, a Prince of Wales Fellowship, and winner of ‘The Artist’s Magazine’ annual international competition. You can find out more about Glen’s art and teaching at his and his school’s website GlenKessler.com & TheCompassAtelier.com.

by Judith Levine

This column is designed to provide you with art news and information about interesting shows at local art galleries and museums. If you are aware of an event, news or an exhibit 3 week or longer, large or small, that you think would be of interest, please email Judith Levine.

Museums

The Phillips Collection

1600 21st St. NW, Washington, DC; 202-387-2151; $12 -adults, $10 students and those 62 and over, free for members and visitors 18 and under; closed Mondays

·         The Warmth of Other Suns: Stories of Global Displacement, through September 22

·         Intersections: Ranjani Shettar- Earth Songs for a Night Sky, through August 25

Intersections is a series of projects that explores links between old and new traditions, modern and contemporary art practices, and the spaces within the museum and its display of new artistic interventions.

The National Gallery of Art

4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC; 202-737-4215

·         The Life of Animals in Japanese Art (East Wing), though August 18

·         Oliver Lee Jackson: Recent Paintings (East Wing), through September 15

·         The American Pre-Raphaelites: Radical Realists (West Wing), through July 21

·         Tintoretto: Artist of Renaissance Venice, through July 7

·         In the Library: Pageantry and Pyrotechnics in the European Fete Book, thought Sept 26

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden 

Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW, Washington, DC; 202-633-1000

·         Robert Jan van Pelt: The Evidence Room, through September 8

·         Manifesto: Art x Agency, though January 5, 2020

·         Enrico David: Gradations of Slow Release; through September 2

• This is the largest exhibit of this contemporary sculptor’s work to date. The Italian artist uses the human experience and human form in amazing circular forms. Being placed in the circular corridors of the Hirshhorn just enhances these elements.
  

·         Rirkrit Tiravanija: Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow, and Green, through July 24

• Hungry for Thai food?  Then this exhibit is for you. In each of the Hirshhorn galleries a dining room made of objects by this contemporary Thai artist will serve visitors a dish of curry. Eat up and enjoy a visual treat at the same time.

·         What Absence Is Made Of, through August 30. “What does absence look like? How can loss—of objects, of memory, of yourself—become a tool for artistic expression? In the face of today’s increasingly noisy consumer culture, What Absence Is Made Of answers these questions and more as it mines the Hirshhorn’s extensive collection in search of the mind-bending ways that artists surmount the limits of the material world.” (Hirshhorn catalog)

The Sackler & Freer Galleries

1050 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC; 202-633-1000

·         Japan Modern: Prints in the Age of Photography (Sackler)

·         A Glimpse of Ancient Yemen (Sackler), ongoing

·         The Way of the Kami (Freer), through November 11

·         Painting the Classics: Japanese Screens, November 11

National Museum of the American Indian

Fourth Street & Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC; 202-633-1000

• Section 14: The Other Palm Spring, California, through Jan 2020. Section 14 forms the heart of the reservation belonging to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. This exhibit is about the fight to maintain their land as the city grows around it.

·   Our Universes: Traditional Knowledge Shapes Our World, through late 2021

·         Americans, through 2022. Native American symbols and pictures have been used to represent a wide variety of products in the past. In some cases, such as the Indian Motorcycle, they were considered the epitome of the field. Others were demeaning, picturing Native Americans as picturesque savages. The visitor to this exhibit will experience the range and leave understanding how the people felt about these objects.

National Museum of African Art

950 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC; 202-633-1000

·         Good as Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women, through Sept 29

National Museum of African American History and Culture

1400 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC; 202-633-4751

·         Ella's Books; Visual Art and the American Experience, through June 30

Renwick Gallery

1661 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC; 202-633-7970

·         Best, the designer of at least 8 of Burning Man’s temples since 2000, brings his gift to the Renwick’s Main Salon, though January 5, 2020

National Portrait Gallery/Smithsonian American Art Museum

8th and F streets NW, Washington, DC; 202-633-1000

·         75th anniversary of D-Day, ongoing

·         Artists Respond: American Art and the Vietnam War, 1965–1975 (SAAM), through August 18

• ·         David Levinthal: American Myths & Memory, through Oct 14

·         Women of Progress: Early Camera Portraits (NPG), through May 30, 2020

·         Tiffany Chung: Vietnam, Past is Prologue (SAAM), through September 2

·         Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence (NPG), through Jan 5, 2020

·         Yun Suknam: Portraits of the World: Korea (NPG), through November 17

·         Recent Acquisitions (NPG), through November 3

·         Eye to I: Self-Portraits from 1900 to Today (NPG), though August 1

·         One Life: Marian Anderson (NPG), through May 17, 2020

National Museum of Women in the Arts

1250 New York Ave. NW, Washington, DC; 202-783-5000

·         More is More, through July 28

·         New York Avenue Sculpture Project: Betsabeé Romero, through Sept, 2020

·         Ursula von Rydingsvard: The Contour of Feeling, through July 28

Other Shows & Galleries

Walters Art Museum

600 North Charles St., Baltimore, MD; Wednesday–Sunday, 10 am-5 pm; annex: 1 West Mount Vernon Pl, Baltimore, MD; 410-547-9000

·         The 14th Annual Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize Finalists Exhibition, through August 11

·         Animal Tales, through August 11

·         Transformation: Art of the Americas, through October 6

·         Roberto Lugo at 1 West (Annex), through July 15

The Baltimore Museum of Art

10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore MD; 443-573-1700

• PDPS 50th Anniversary, through October 6
• Subverting Beauty: African Anti-Aesthetics, though Nov 17
• Oletha DeVane: Traces of the Spirit, though Oct 20
• Hitching Their Dreams to Untamed Starts: Joyce J. Scott Elizabeth Talford Scott, through December 1
• Expressions of Nature: Early 20^th Century Landscapes, though Sept 22

Goldman Art Gallery, Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington

6125 Montrose Rd., Rockville, MD; Sunday 1-5 pm; Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, 4-7:30 pm; 301-881-0100

No show this month

Blackrock Center for the Arts

12901 Town Commons Dr., Germantown, MD; 301-528-2260

• Susan Avis Murphy: Contemplation, through July 13
• 2019 Mid-Atlantic Watercolor Exhibition, through July 13

The Mansion at Strathmore

10701 Rockville Pike, N. Bethesda, MD; Wednesday 10 am-9 pm; Sunday noon-4 pm; all other days 10 am-4 pm; 301-581-5146.

·  32nd Biennial Exhibition of the Creative Crafts Council, through July 31

Art at Penn Place Gallery

4600 Waverly Ave, Garrett, Park, MD; 240-669-8549

• Tammy Trocki - June 24-July 20
• Ann Gordon - July 22 - August 17; Reception July 27, 3-5pm
• MAA’s own Ann Gordon’s work will grace the wall of this gallery in the small town of Garrett Park. Please drop in and visit.

Artists and Makers 1 & 2

Gallery 1: 11810 Parklawn Dr., Rockville, MD; Gallery 2 & Gallery 209: 12276, Wilkins Ave., Rockville, MD. 240-437-9573

·  A&M 1:  Black Artists of DC: Grass Roots; Reception July 5, 6- 9pm.  BADC Artist Talk, Saturday, July 20, 1-3PM

·   A&M 2:  National League of American Pen Women – Chevy Chase Branch; Reception-July 5, 6- 9pm

·  Gallery 209: Through July 30; Reception-July 5, 6- 9pm

Adah Rose Gallery

3766 Howard Ave., Kensington, MD, 301-922-0162; Tuesday 1-6 pm, Thursday–Sunday noon-6 pm, and by appointment

Gallery will remain dark until September

TAG of Frederick

216 North Market St., Frederick, MD; 301-696-8187; Friday-Saturday, noon–8 pm, Sunday noon–5 pm, and by appointment

·         Studio Scrub: TAG members show, through July 28

VisArts at Rockville

155 Gibbs Street, Rockville, MD; 301-315-8200

·       NONUMENT 01: McKeldin Fountain (Concourse Gallery), through Oct 20
·         NextGen 6.0 (Kaplan Gallery), through July 21
·         Jonathan Monaghan: A Trace Left by the Future (Gibbs Street Gallery), through August 11
·         Natasa Galecic: Wherever I go I take my clutter with me (Common Ground Gallery), through August 11
·         Cy Keener and Justine Holzman: Sea Ice 71.348778º N, 156.690918º W (355 POD), through September 22

Gallery Underground

2001 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Arlington, VA; 571-483-0652; Monday–Friday 10 am-6 pm, Saturday 10 am-2 pm

·         Members Work, through July 30

Kentlands Mansion Gallery

320 Kent Square Rd., Gaithersburg, MD; Monday–Friday, by appointment; 301-258-6425

·         Gaithersburg Fine Arts Association, through July 7

Bohrer Park Gallery/Activities Center

506 South Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg, MD, 301-258-6394; Monday–Saturday 8 am-8 pm, Sunday 8 am-5 pm

No show

Arts Barn Gallery

311 Kent Square Rd., Gaithersburg, MD, 301-258-6394; Monday–Friday 10 am–5 pm, Saturday 1:30 -5:30 pm;

·         Water, through July 14

Brookside Gardens Visitors Center

1800 Glenallan Ave., Silver Spring, MD; ; 301-962-1400; daily 9 am-5 pm, closed holidays

·         Brookside Gardens School – “Botanica” Exhibits, through July 20

·         Montgomery Art Association, July 20 through August 18

IONA Gallery

4125 Albemarle St, NW Washington, DC 20016-2105; 202-895-9448

Oasis Gallery

Montgomery Mall at the rear of Macy’s Home Store, second level, 7125 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda, MD; 10 am-4 pm, Monday -Friday; 301-469-6800, press 1 and x211

Simin Parvaz

Lives in: Potomac, MD

Website: www.parvazart.com

Media and subjects:  Oil, Watercolor, Mixed Media, Photography.

Projects you’re currently working on: "Walking Through the Garden" is a series of oil paintings capturing quiet, contemplative moments in some of the world’s most famous gardens. "Seeing Words" is another series of mixed-media encaustic works that draws inspiration from poetry and incorporates written text into engaging visual settings.

Why you joined MAA: To be part of the local artist community, learn, and share the creative experience with others.

Something fun about you: While traveling through Japan, I learned Roketsu indigo dyeing, a traditional method of dyeing cloth originating in Kyoto.

Artist Biography: Simin Parvaz holds a B.A. in sociology from UC Berkeley. She has always held an appreciation for fine art and photography. As a teenager, she was encouraged to pursue her creativity in art class when her colored pencil drawing was selected for display at her boarding school.

As a full-time mom, she kept up with her drawings and explored oil painting, watercolor, watercolor pencil, pen & ink and photography.  What she puts on the canvas or a paper is what she wants to see and bring into her world.  For her, art is therapeutic and brings inner peace and serenity. Her photos reflect her observations of different facets of life, colors, and patterns, providing an opportunity to share with others.

by Sara Maddox

Congratulations to Dulce Moreno, a fine arts student at Montgomery College and the recipient of the 2019 Montgomery Art Association Scholarship.

MAA sponsors the annual scholarship in cooperation with the Montgomery College Art Foundation, awarding it a deserving Montgomery College student.

Dulce, who lives in Rockville and is originally from Mexico, has lived in the DMV area for about six years and says she has always had a love of color. When she turned 17, she began taking painting classes, and in 2017 she began working toward her goal of earning a fine arts degree at Montgomery College.

Although Dulce said that she has enjoyed all of the classes she has taken during her time at Montgomery College, she has come to recognize that painting is indeed her passion, and she looks forward to continuing to develop and hone her painting skills. Dulce also envisions a future in the art world that would include earning an M.A. in Art Therapy and working as an art therapist. She said that knowing the therapeutic value of art and “how it helps people’s minds and souls,” she would find great satisfaction as an art therapist helping other people find the same happiness that she finds in her painting.

Upon being awarded the scholarship, Dulce expressed her gratitude and said that in addition to being an honor, the scholarship award would be a great help to her in pursuing her studies next semester.

In addition, Dulce emphasized that beyond the financial support provided, “winning this scholarship has motivated me very much as a student, but mostly, as an artist,” and that being recognized by MAA means the world to her.

And a bonus for us? Dulce is now an MAA member!

Here's a sampling of her artwork:

Congratulations to the award winners of our 2019 Creative Expressions Show. The blind judging was conducted by Gaby Mizes, director of registration at the Glenstone Museum in Potomac, Maryland, on June 2, with prizes awarded during the artists reception on June 9.

Landscape

Jan Rowland - The Road to Lake Toba - 1st place

Irina Koren – Sunset - 2nd place

Lilian Camio - A Corner in Malta - 3rd place

Paula Eiblum – Quietude - Honorable mention

Carolyn Avery - Early Autumn, Jackson Creek - Honorable mention

Portrait

Irina Koren - Animal Within - 1st place

Lily Kak - Joy! - 2nd place

Elizabeth Elgin - 3 Moos for You - 3rd place

Miguel  Mitchell - Superman - Honorable mention

Dora Patin – Transformation - Honorable mention

Still Life

Jennifer Barlow – Dejeuner - 1st place

Carolyn Avery - The Bent Stem - 2nd place

Lilian Camio - Delicate Beauty - 3rd place

Abstract

Sarah Renzi Sanders - Harmony - 1st place

Gloria Miotto - Web of Peace - 2nd place

Martina Sestakova - Two Souls Embracing - 3rd place

Judy Stenger - Aurora - Honorable mention

Miniatures

Nar Steel - The Cottage and the Fence - 1st place

Debbie Miller - Hidden Garden - 2nd place

Jennifer Barlow - Petite Macarons - 3rd place

Elizabeth Stecher - Pears - Honorable mention

By Gaby Mizes
Judge, 2019 Creative Expressions Show

It’s important to make art that will have an impact or power over the viewer. One needs that connection but, of course, it can be subjective. What I might like or feel emotional about could be very different for someone else.

When I examine works of art, I look for originality, creativity, composition, technique, color and meaning. How does the artist use all these qualities? Some of the pieces in this show were quite original and creative, especially those with applications of ready-made materials. Some of the abstract and landscape pieces had texture that was different in a good way.

Also important to me is the initial reaction. Sometimes you need time to like an artwork, like you would with an opera or a musical. In other instances, you need to hear the explanation of the work from the artist. In my case, I tend to listen to my first instinct and reaction. You are either captivated by a work of art or you are not. I try to look for something different from all the other art I have seen.

Art must touch the mind, the soul, and the heart. Feel the muse inside you, get inspired, and don’t stop working!

Thank you, MAA members, for the opportunity to see your work!

by Judith Levine

This column is designed to provide you with art news and information about interesting shows at local art galleries and museums. If you are aware of an event, news or an exhibit 3 week or longer, large or small, that you think would be of interest, please email Judith Levine.

Museums

The Phillips Collection

1600 21st St. NW, Washington, DC; 202-387-2151; $12 -adults, $10 students and those 62 and over, free for members and visitors 18 and under; closed Mondays

• The Warmth of Other Suns: Stories of Global Displacement, June 22, 2019-September 22, 2109
• Aliza Nisenbaum, MOIA's NYC Women's Cabinet (2016)
• Intersections: Intersections is a series of projects that explores links between old and new traditions, modern and contemporary art practices, and the spaces within the museum and its display of new artistic interventions.

The National Gallery of Art

4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC; 202-737-4215

• In the Library: Frederick Douglass Family Materials from the Walter O. Evans Collection (Library-East Building), April 22 – June 14, 2019

• The Life of Animals in Japanese Art (East Wing), June 2, 2019-August 18

• Oliver Lee Jackson: Recent Paintings (East Wing), through September 15
  

• The American Pre-Raphaelites: Radical Realists (West Wing), through July 21

• Tintoretto: Artist of Renaissance Venice, Venetian Prints in the Time of Tintoretto, and Drawing in Tintoretto’s Venice  (West Wing), through June 9. The curators of these exhibitions will provide an authoritative view of this time in Venice’s illustrious art history.

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden 

Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW, Washington, DC; 202-633-1000

• Manifesto: Art x Agency, June 15–January 5
• Enrico David: Gradations of Slow Release; through September 2. This is the largest exhibit of this contemporary sculptor’s work to date. The Italian artist uses the human experience and human form in amazing circular forms. Being placed in the circular corridors of the Hirshhorn just enhances these elements.
• Rirkrit Tiravanija: Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow, and Green, through July 24; artist talk: May 16, 6:30-7:30 pm, obtain free tickets. Hungry for Thai food?  Then this exhibit is for you. In each of the Hirshhorn galleries a dining room made of objects by this contemporary Thai artist will serve visitors a dish of curry. Eat up and enjoy a visual treat at the same time.
• What Absence Is Made Of, through August. “What does absence look like? How can loss—of objects, of memory, of yourself—become a tool for artistic expression? In the face of today’s increasingly noisy consumer culture, What Absence Is Made Of answers these questions and more as it mines the Hirshhorn’s extensive collection in search of the mind-bending ways that artists surmount the limits of the material world.” (Hirshhorn catalog)

The Sackler & Freer Galleries

1050 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC; 202-633-1000

• For Love of Place: Japanese Screens (Freer) May 11, 2019–November 11, 2019
• Japan Modern: Prints in the Age of Photography (Sackler)
• A Glimpse of Ancient Yemen (Sackler)
• Empresses of China’s Forbidden City, 1644–1912 (Freer)
• The Way of the Kami (Freer)
• Empresses of China’s Forbidden City, 1644–1912 (Sackler), through June 23, 2019.

National Museum of the American Indian

Fourth Street & Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC; 202-633-1000

• Section 14: The Other Palm Spring, California. Section 14 forms the heart of the reservation belonging to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. This exhibit is about the fight to maintain their land as the city grows around it. Through January 2022
• Americans. Native American symbols and pictures have been used to represent a wide variety of products in the past. In some cases, such as the Indian Motorcycle, they were considered the epitome of the field. Others were demeaning, picturing Native Americans as picturesque savages. The visitor to this exhibit will experience the range and leave understanding how the people felt about these objects.
• Our Universes: Traditional Knowledge Shapes Our World

National Museum of African Art

950 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC; 202-633-1000

• Good As Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women

National Museum of African American History and Culture

1400 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC; 202-633-4751

• Ella's Books; Visual Art and the American Experience, through  June 30

Renwick Gallery

1661 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC; 202-633-7970

• Best, the designer of at least 8 of Burning Man’s temples since 2000, brings his gift to the Renwick’s Main Salon

National Portrait Gallery/Smithsonian American Art Museum

8th and F streets NW, Washington, DC; 202-633-1000

• 75th anniversary of D-Day, ongoing
• Artists Respond: American Art and the Vietnam War, 1965–1975 (SAAM)
• Tiffany Chung: Vietnam, Past is Prologue (SAAM), June 14-May 31
• Mary Ann Meade / Meade Brothers Studio / c. 1850, Sixth-plate daguerreotype
• In Mid-Sentence (NPG)
• Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence (NPG)
• Yun Suknam: Portraits of the World: Korea (NPG)
• Recent Acquisitions (NPG)
• Eye to I: Self-Portraits from 1900 to Today (NPG)

National Museum of Women in the Arts

1250 New York Ave. NW, Washington, DC; 202-783-5000

• More is More
• New York Avenue Sculpture Project: Betsabeé Romero

Other Shows & Galleries

Walters Art Museum

600 North Charles St., Baltimore, MD; Wednesday–Sunday, 10 am-5 pm; annex: 1 West Mount Vernon Pl, Baltimore, MD; 410-547-9000

• The 14th Annual Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize Finalists Exhibition, June 15-August 11
• Animal Tales, through August 11
• Transformation: Art of the Americas
• Roberto Lugo at 1 West (Annex)

The Baltimore Museum of Art

10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore MD; 443-573-1700

• Subverting Beauty: African Anti-Aesthetics

Goldman Art Gallery, Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington

6125 Montrose Rd., Rockville, MD; Sunday 1-5 pm; Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, 4-7:30 pm; 301-881-0100

Blackrock Center for the Arts

12901 Town Commons Dr., Germantown, MD; 301-528-2260

• 2019 Mid-Atlantic Watercolor Exhibition, June 8, 2019 - July 13, 2019; Reception -June 23,, 2019, 2:00PM- 4:00 PM.

The Mansion at Strathmore

10701 Rockville Pike, N. Bethesda, MD; Wednesday 10 am-9 pm; Sunday noon-4 pm; all other days 10 am-4 pm; 301-581-5146.

• 32nd Biennial Exhibition of the Creative Crafts Council. June 1, 2019–July 31

Art at Penn Place Gallery

4600 Waverly Ave, Garrett, Park, MD; 240-669-8549

• Robert LeMar. May 20, 2019 - June 15, 2019; Reception: June 2, 3-5 pm

Artists and Makers 1 & 2

11810 Parklawn Dr., Rockville, MD, 240-437-9573

• A&M 1: Steven Durow: Sins of My Fathers. Bill Lawrence: The Figure in Time- Alternative Worlds. Barbara Januszkiewicz: Asymmetric Harmony
• A&M 2: Kelly Posey: Psychedelic Environs. Carol Carey: Pondering to Paper
• Gallery 209: June 7-26 reception, June 7, 6- 9 pm

Adah Rose Gallery

3766 Howard Ave., Kensington, MD; Tuesday 1-6 pm, Thursday–Sunday noon-6 pm, and by appointment; (301) 922-0162

TAG of Frederick

216 North Market St., Frederick, MD; 301-696-8187; Friday-Saturday, noon–8 pm, Sunday noon–5 pm or by appointment.

• Kim Klabe: Barflies
• Julie Maynard: No Trouble Exists, through June 30; reception: June 1, 5-9 pm

VisArts at Rockville

155 Gibbs Street, Rockville, MD; 301-315-8200

• NextGen 6.0 (Kaplan Gallery)

Gallery Underground

2001 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Arlington, VA; 571-483-0652; Monday–Friday 10 am-6 pm, Saturday 10 am-2 pm

• Thomas Mulczynski: Venice Show (Focus Gallery), June 1, 2019-June 30, 2019; Reception: June 7, 2019, 5:00-7:00 PM

Kentlands Mansion Gallery

320 Kent Square Rd., Gaithersburg, MD; Monday–Friday, by appointment; 301-258-6425

• Gaithersburg Fine Arts Association (GFAA), through July 7

Bohrer Park Gallery/Activities Center

506 South Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg, MD; Monday–Saturday 8 am-8 pm, Sunday 8 am-5 pm; 301-258-6394

Arts Barn Gallery

311 Kent Square Rd., Gaithersburg, MD; Monday–Friday 10 am–5 pm, Saturday 1:30 -5:30 pm; 301-258-6394

• Water, through July 14; Reception- June 9

Brookside Gardens Visitors Center

1800 Glenallan Ave., Silver Spring, MD; daily 9 am-5 pm, closed holidays; 301-962-1400

• Artists of the Atelier – Students of Glen Kessler, through June 22
• Brookside Gardens School – “Botanica” Exhibits, June 21-July 20

IONA Gallery

4125 Albemarle St, NW Washington, DC 20016-2105; 202-895-9448

Oasis Gallery

Montgomery Mall at the rear of Macy’s Home Store, second level, 7125 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda, MD; 10 am-4 pm, Monday -Friday; 301-469-6800, press 1 and x211

Our Creative Expressions show this year includes artwork from 31 members, including a few who are showing with MAA for the first time.

The annual show—one of two signature exhibitions each year—runs from June 2-29 at the Friendship Heights Village Center at 4433 S. Park Ave. in Chevy Chase, MD. The artists reception and prize ceremony will be Sunday, June 9 from 11:30 am-1 pm.

This show includes judging in five categories: Landscape, still life, portraits (people & animals), abstract and miniatures. Cash prizes will be awarded in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places, with honorable mention ribbons also awarded.

Gaby Mizes is serving as judge for the show, and will announce the winners at the June 9 reception. Gaby is the director of registration at the Glenstone Museum in Potomac, Maryland, and is the founder of Latin American ERA, a private consultancy company providing expertise in exhibitions and art management for national and international projects.

The MAA artists participating in Creative Expressions:

• Laura Aikman
• Carolyn Avery
• Jennifer Barlow
• Lilian Camio
• Paula Eiblum
• Elizabeth Elgin
• Pamela Gordimer
• Lily Kak
• Irina Koren
• Mary Kosterlitz
• Joanne Lamm
• Frankie Lydon
• Debbie Miller
• Gloria Miotto
• Miguel Mitchell
• Mary Morris
• Dora Patin
• Terry Pellmar
• Elissa Poma
• Sarah Renzi Sanders
• Alan Rich
• Louise Roth
• Jan Rowland
• Martina Sestakova
• David Sommers
• Elizabeth Stecher
• Nar Steel
• Judy Stenger
• Antonia Tiu
• Lea Truman
• Michelle Zugrav

By Judith Levine

An easy, infectious laugh and an interest in both animals and the natural world are among the first things one notices about Julie Smith. The artist was born in 1951 and grew up in New Orleans. She didn’t paint as a child but loved to draw. She majored in art in college. Following that, Smith went to work for the AFL-CIO, working in their political operations.

It was upon her 2001 retirement that Smith returned to the art world. She began by returning to her first love, drawing. At that time, she felt that “... painting was a good way to wreck a good drawing.”

It was one of her early teachers, Susan Herron, who showed her that a painting didn’t call for a destruction of the drawing. Herron taught her that the drawings could be done small with great attention to detail, enlarged to various sizes on a copier and using those copies to transfer to paper or canvas leaving the original drawing intact. Smith learned to paint in watercolor. From Herron, she learned the rules of working in watercolor.

We both agreed that while it is normal for artists to break rules, one has to know them first to successfully do so. Along the way, she took an acrylic workshop from Herron and fell in love with it.

“It was an entirely different way to paint than watercolor,” she said. Since she began to use acrylics and gotten the hang of it, Smith has not looked back. She admits the transition took a lot of work. 

In 2014, Smith took a workshop through the Baltimore Watercolor Society. This workshop, conducted by Nancy Barch, Philadelphia artist and teacher, offered some new insights to the artist. Barch’s class, “... opened my eyes not only to collage, but to abstraction.”

Some of the artists Smith named as favorites and influences included Vincent Van Gogh, Wolf Kahn, Nancy Barch, Susan Herron, and Richard Diebenkorn.

“It’s hard to say a primary influence. As artists, we are all influenced by each other,” she explained.

One thing her favorites do have in common is the use of a lot of blues, muted oranges and browns, something frequently found in her own work.  Smith finds the natural world which occurs in so much of her work is like a religion to her and fills her spirit.

Anyone who knows Smith’s work has also seen her animal paintings. “I paint animals because I love them and when I paint them ... I want for people to see they are not lesser beings.”

It is so easy to make animal paintings very sweet, but hers are not. They allow you to see the very souls of each one.

Smith said that when she first returned to the art world, she was painting every day. She has slowed down but her output is still large, and she continues to grow and explore. She is a current Artist in Residence at Sandy Spring Museum and is a member of Gallery 209 and MAA of course, along with being a signature member of the Potomac Valley Watercolorists and Baltimore Watercolor Society.

Will this be her life in 10 years? “I don’t have any idea how I’ll feel tomorrow.” Julie Smith doesn’t really plan ahead. “I respond to what comes.” And then she treated me to her beautiful laugh.