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Arlington Public Library

Art News

2020 Scholastic Art Show

Photography, Painting, and Sculpture by Arlington Students

On exhibit at Central Library until April 1, 2020.

Each year, the Library hosts the Regional Scholastic Art Award, a competition that encompasses all Middle School and High School students in Arlington County. Teens in grades 7–12 can apply in 29 categories of art and writing for their chance to earn scholarships and have their works exhibited and published.

Over 3000 works of art are submitted for regional Scholastic awards each year. Judges award either a Gold or a Silver Certificate to approximately 300 pieces, which are then displayed on the first and second floors of the Arlington Central Library.

In 1923, Maurice R. Robinson founded this prestigious art exhibition for students with artistic talent. The Scholastic Art Awards have recognized the vision, ingenuity, and talent of our nation’s youth, and provided opportunities for creative teens to be celebrated

The Library Wants to Show Your Art!

Do you paint, take photos, weave, sculpt or make other works of art or craft?

Submit your work for an exhibit at the Library!

The Arlington Public Library is committed to displaying works of art and craft created by and/or of interest to the Arlington community.

We exhibit solo and group shows of local artists submitted through the online application process.

Learn More

Call for Artists: Day of the Dead Altars

Day of the Dead / Dia de los Muertos

Exhibit Dates: October 15 – November 30, 2017

Dia de los Muertos altar

The altars will be displayed at Central Library in closed, plexiglass vitrines.  Each vitrine measures  17¼”x 17¼” wide, and 13¾” high.

The theme for each altar is left to the imagination of the individual artist. It can be serious or humorous. It can honor a person, a group or an idea – or a variety of things and people. The goal is to simply make an altar honoring the dead.

Traditional imagery for altars can be found by searching Day of the Dead images online, but nontraditional imagery is welcome as well.

Deadline for Submission of Interest:

Send email by Sept. 30, 2017 to ikauff@arlingtonva.us.

 

2017 Scholastic Art Show

Photography, Painting and Sculpture by Arlington Students

On exhibit at Central Library, March 2017.

Scholastic 2017 header

Each winter, the Library hosts the Regional Scholastic Art Award, a competition which encompasses all Middle School and High School students in Arlington County.

Approximately 2000 works of art are submitted for regional Scholastic awards each year. Judges award either a Gold or a Silver Certificate to approximately 300 pieces, which are then displayed on the first and second floors of the Arlington Central Library.

The list of this year’s Arlington Public School award winners can be found on the APS website.

Astrid Henkle, "Youth"

Astrid Henkle, “Youth”

And each year, our Youth Services staff chose one piece of student work (depicting a teen) to add to our permanent art collection.

This year’s selection is Astrid Henkle’s “Youth.”

 

In 1923, M.R. Robinson founded this prestigious art exhibition for students with artistic talent. Each year, Regional Art Competitions across the nation select over 12,000 Gold Keys out of 100,000 submissions. These 12,000 Gold Key individual and portfolio works of art are then juried on a National Level in New York City. On a National Level, over 1,000 works of art are awarded as Gold and Silver Keys. In the past seven years, Arlington County alone has received between 7-11 National awards for both individual and portfolios works of art.

 

Learn more about Art at the Library.

CLOSED – "Art of Masks" Exhibit Submissions Due Sept. 20

Let Your Imagination Run Wild

Submission Deadline: September 20, 2016

Masks exhibit

The Arlington Public Library is seeking submissions of handmade masks for a group exhibit.

Masks can be made of any material, but using recycled materials is always encouraged. Entry is open to any local artist who, if selected, is able to hand deliver work to the Arlington Central Library.

All applications must include:

  • Completed Entry Form (if submitting electronicly, you may include submission information in body of email to ikauff@arlingtonva.us)
  • Photo or digital image (labeled “artistname.jpg”) of the work – 2 submissions per person

 

Mail or deliver hard-copy applications to:

Art Committee
Arlington Central Library
1015 N Quincy St
Arlington VA 22201

 

Explore World War II through Arlington's Memories

Artifacts from Life on the Homefront

On display at Central Library, April 2016.

26247377461_897c4ceef2

Just in time for Arlington Reads 2016, Central Library is hosting an artifact-rich exhibition on Arlington County in World War II.

It’s the story of a community undergoing rapid transition from fading farms to new homes to the Pentagon, all while sending its young men to fight in Europe and the Pacific.

The exhibition also highlights the often unheralded role of women who served essential roles in the war effort and maintained domestic life amid sacrifice.

“We’re stepping back to the 1940s with this exhibit and these visiting authors to show how quickly the world changed at home and overseas,” Library Director Diane Kresh said. “But ultimately the themes of human suffering and surprising courage appear timeless and seem to confront every generation.”

The displays at Central draw from the collection of the Library’s Center for Local History and items loaned by the Arlington Historical Society.

Scrapbooks from the Woman’s Club of Arlington document a number of local wartime enterprises, including the Arlington Recreation Center for Servicemen.

The displays range from poignant letters home, combat boots, banners, music albums and “Victory” cookbooks to sometimes-grisly Horrors of War trading cards meant as social commentary, folk art and propaganda. The exhibition also includes a listening station of Arlington-at-war recollections culled from the Center’s hundreds of recorded oral histories.

 

Arlington Read 2016

 

Arlington Reads is the Library’s one-theme, one-community reading initiative. It is made possible through the generous support of the Friends of the Arlington Public Library.

 

News release written by Peter Golkin, County Communications Office.

 

 

Yorktown High School Artist of the Month: Alaxira Huon-Dumentat

“Mad Hatter” – Digital Photography

On exhibit at the Westover Branch Library, March 2016.

Huon, Alaxira Mad Hatter copy

Artist Statement:

On Halloween, my friend wore this amazing Mad Hatter costume and I just had to take a picture. Mr. Fleischer allowed me to go into the studio, where I had her sit on a chair and added lighting so that one side was lit and the other was not. I didn’t like it when it was just plain so I found a book and a telescope type object to get that fantasy effect. Now it looks like she’s somewhere in Wonder looking through a telescope to read.

The Yorktown High School’s Artist of the Month competition is held throughout the school year. Student’s taking an art class at Yorktown are encouraged to enter, and their work is judged by a rotating committee of teachers, students, parents and guest judges. The winning artists then have their artwork displayed in the school library, the Westover Branch Library, and the Westover Wells Fargo Bank for a month in each location. They also receive a $15 gift certificate from Deli Italiano! 

 

2016 Scholastic Art Show

Photography, Painting and Sculpture by Arlington Students

Scholastic Art 2016

Each winter, the Library hosts the Regional Scholastic Art Award, a competition which encompasses all Middle School and High School students in Arlington County.

Almost 2000 works of art were submitted and judged by three jurors. Out of these, the judges awarded either a Gold or a Silver Certificate to approximately 300 pieces.. These works are on display on the first and second floors of the Arlington Central Library.

 

In addition, our Youth Services staff chose one piece each year to add to our own permanent collection:

Samantha Lewis, "Bringing Colors to Life"

Samantha Lewis, “Bringing Colors to Life”

 

In 1923, M.R. Robinson founded this prestigious art exhibition for students with artistic talent. Each year, Regional Art Competitions across the nation select over 12,000 Gold Keys out of 100,000 submissions. These 12,000 Gold Key individual and portfolio works of art are then juried on a National Level in New York City. On a National Level, over 1,000 works of art are awarded as Gold and Silver Keys. In the past seven years, Arlington County alone has received between 7-11 National awards for both individual and portfolios works of art.

 

Learn more about Art at the Library.

 

Yorktown Artist of the Month: Emily Villatoro

“Inner Life” – Acrylic Paint on Paper

On exhibit at the Westover Branch Library, November 2015.

Emily V

Emily’s Artist Statement:

My painting expresses the value of self-reflection and conveys what we might actually see when we look in the mirror. We are all so much more than just our appearance. Some people hate what they see, some love what they see and some just don’t see anything at all. My portrait shows that what we see on the outside is not what is within.

 

The Yorktown High School’s Artist of the Month competition is held throughout the school year. Student’s taking an art class at Yorktown are encouraged to enter, and their work is judged by a rotating committee of teachers, students, parents and guest judges. The winning artists then have their artwork displayed in the school library, the Westover Branch Library, and the Westover Wells Fargo Bank for a month in each location. They also receive a $15 gift certificate from Deli Italiano! 

 

Civil War Artifacts from the Arlington Historical Society

Our History on Display

On Exhibit at the Aurora Hills Branch Library, July – August 2015

Like most museums, the Arlington Historical Museum (located in the Hume School) has more artifacts than can be displayed at any one time.

So the Arlington Historical Society recently launched an effort to locate display areas in public spaces around the County in order to bring the history of Arlington to more people.

Arlington Historical Society exhibit at AH

The Aurora Hills Branch Library’s exhibit includes maps, photos and artifacts from the ring of Civil War forts – most of which would have been within firing distance of this library: 

 

The Historical Society currently has two other exhibits in the community:

  • The Center for Local History at Central Library – Artifacts from the Ball-Sellers House, the oldest building in the county, a farm house built around 1750.
  • Arlington Village Community Center – Toys and pictures reflecting the childhood memories of the early residents, in honor of the 75th anniversary of the apartments.

 

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