MAA member Lori Lankford restored a beautiful Victorian home and garden in Middletown, Maryland. At this time of year, it’s bursting with brightly colored dahlias and other flowers. Lori has graciously invited MAA member artists to spend a few hours in the garden painting or drawing.

When: We have three sessions available: August 27, 8 am-noon; September 17, 8 am-noon; or September 17, noon-4 pm.

Number of participants: Due to limited space, the sessions are for MAA members only. Each of the three sessions is open to eight members.

What to expect: The house is centrally located in Middletown, a small town in Frederick County approximately 35-40 minutes from Rockville. A very pretty and healthy garden, the space is generally in full sun, but there are two patio areas with shade. Cool and comfortable dress is recommended. MAA will provide cold drinks and snacks, and a lower-level restroom in the house is available. Fresh-cut dahlia flower arrangements may be available to purchase from Lori, too.

Cost: $7 per member. Includes drinks and snacks. Fee is nonrefundable (unless your date is cancelled because of weather); the fee is transferrable to another date of this activity, if available, or to another MAA member.

What to bring: All artmaking supplies and equipment; hat, sun protection, insect repellent.

Address & Parking Info: Will be provided to registrants in your confirmation letter. If you're interested in arranging a carpool or getting a ride, please post a message on our members-only Facebook group. 

Rain date: Because of limited windows of time, if the weather is poor, the session will be cancelled altogether. Your fee will be refunded unless you want to transfer it to an open spot on another of the other dates, if available. 

Contact:  Frank Mancino, frankmancinofineart@gmail.com

Registration is closed.

The Paint the Town Labor Day Show is our marquis event of the year. The three-day event includes a judged art show of approximately 500 pieces, live demonstrations, a plein air competition, bin work and card sales, and a warm community reception. The Town of Kensington, a long-time MAA supporter, provides the beautiful, historic Armory building to us for this show. 

Membership Requirement: Annual membership (new or renewal) is required prior to registration for this show. Learn more. Your membership confirmation email contains the special code you need to register.

Submissions:

JUST UPDATED!  MAA members may submit up to three (3) entries in any of these judged categories: Kensington, Landscape (natural and urban), Still Life, Photography, Portraits (people and animal), Abstract, Sculpture.

The registration fee is $20.

The Saturday Plein Air Competition is also judged. 

Prizes (cash and gift certificates) are awarded in 1st, 2nd and 3rd places and honorable mention. The Kensington category has the first prize of the Clum award, the highest award at this show.

Health Safety: Masks are optional inside the building, and food & drink will not be permitted inside the exhibit area.

Prospectus: Please refer to the 2022 Prospectus for full information.

PTT FAQs for 2022: Answers to common questions in this document.

Show managers: Anastasia Walsh (maatreas@gmail.com) & Paula Zeller (paulakzellerart@gmail.com)

One of the special highlights of our annual Paint the Town Labor Day Show is our Plein Air Competition. "Plein air" means making art from life, and it generally happens outdoors.

During our competition, artists have from 7 am-3 pm to complete one (1) two-dimensional work of art within the boundaries of Kensington, Maryland, and turn it in for judging. Prizes will be awarded during a reception that evening at 6 pm in youth and adult categories.

Artwork may be priced for sale and left on display at the Kensington Armory through Monday's exhibition. 

This activity is open to members, non-members and children.

Registration: Register on this page in advance, or in person at the Kensington Armory on September 3.

Cost: The competition is free for MAA members in good standing and for children. Non-member adults pay $10 per person.

Competition rules:

• Your canvas or paper must be stamped on Saturday, September 3 by one of our volunteers at the Kensington Armory, 3710 Mitchell Street; doors open at 7 am. 
• You may have multiple pieces of substrate stamped, but you may only turn in one piece for judging and sale.
• You must complete your artwork anywhere within Kensington, Maryland (within the boundaries of ZIP code 20895).
• In order to be judged, your art must be dropped off and labeled by 3 pm sharp. If you miss the 3 pm deadline, you may still display your work and have it marked for sale, but it will not be judged. 
• Framing is optional. Framing requires that wiring (D-ring + wire) be attached.
  
• Art may be priced for sale and left on display at the Paint the Town Labor Day Show through Monday. If you do not wish to mark your piece for sale, you may note "Not for Sale"). 
• Artwork must be picked up on September 5 from 5-8 pm or September 6 from 9-11 am. 
• Artists whose works sell will receive a commission check by mail within 30 days. The artist retains 75% of the sale price and MAA receives a 25% commission, which goes to support our charitable mission.

Download the 2022 Plein Air Rules for complete details.

Competition Rules

The Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival is a fun annual event that celebrates our community and the creativity of our artists.

MAA is sponsoring two tents for up to 15 MAA members to bring prints & cards plus limited small art to sell.

Each participating artist handles their own sales and needs to be available to the entire event, or share with the other participating artists. MAA does not take a commission of the sales.

Each artist will also sign up for a specific two-hour timeslot to support the MAA booth, from set-up to event to take down.

Key dates

• Registration open: August 18 - September 1
• Juried selection: September 20
• Notification to artists of selected works: September 23
• Drop off: October 3,  10 am-1 pm (Fee of $10 is due at this time)
• Show opening: October 5
• Meet the Artists event: November 10, 5:00-8:00 pm 
• Art Pick up:  January16, 2023   10am - 1pm       

About the show: Windridge Vineyards in Darnestown will host the next MAA members quarterly exhibit,  Fall Art At Windridge in the Tasting Room.  

Prospectus: Please read the Show Prospectus in full for registration information and show requirements. 

Theme: Fall is a wondrous time for artists...Monet created his autumn view of the Seine -- perfectly conveying the feeling and beauty of light of the early days of autumn;  the wonderful charcoal, pen and ink work of Van Gogh's view of an orchard in Zweeloo, a village in the area of Coevorden; or the brilliant Autumn Leaves work by Georgia O'Keeffe. 

For the Fall Art Show at Windridge, please let these works be your inspiration to capture the Fall in all its brilliance.  

Submissions: member artists can submit up to 2 works per member for consideration in any of the following categories: 

• natural landscapes, maritime and seascapes
• cityscapes, townscapes, urbanscapes 
• still life 
• abstract art 
• Portraiture - people and animals 

Media eligible:  2 D works in oil, acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, pastel, encaustic, drawing/ink mediums and photography.  3D works not included in this show. 

Cost: There is no cost to submit your work to for consideration by Windridge for the show. If your artwork is selected by the curators, a fee of $10 will be required at the time of art drop off.  

Juried process: Submitted artwork will be juried by the vineyard owners. Approximately 18-20 selected work will be exhibited for a three-month period. All artwork must be for sale. Windridge will notify artists when work is sold. Sold works may be replaced by the artist with a similarly size piece. Replacement artwork will be managed by the MAA show manager not Windridge.  

Contact: Show manager Kathy Tynan, kftynan@gmail.com or maaartists@gmail.com.