Submit your work for an exhibit at the Library!
A sample of previous art exhibits
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.
Exhibit Dates: October 15 – November 30, 2017
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.
Send email by Sept. 30, 2017 to ikauff@arlingtonva.us.
On exhibit at Central Library, March 2017.
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”
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.
Submission Deadline: September 20, 2016
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.
Mail or deliver hard-copy applications to:
Art Committee
Arlington Central Library
1015 N Quincy St
Arlington VA 22201
A Rock Is Lively
by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long
From the award-winning creators of An Egg Is Quiet, A Seed Is Sleepy, and A Butterfly Is Patient comes a gorgeous and informative introduction to the fascinating world of rocks. From dazzling blue lapis lazuli to volcanic snowflake obsidian, an incredible variety of rocks are showcased in all their splendor. Poetic in voice and elegant in design, this book introduces an array of facts, making it equally perfect for classroom sharing and family reading.
“A Rock is Lively” Text copyright © 2012 by Dianna Hutts Aston. Illustrations copyright © 2012 by Sylvia Long.
Permission arranged with Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA.
The Trail Tales’ squirrel logo was designed by Arlington student Annabella.
On display at Central Library, April 2016.
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 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.
On exhibit at the Westover Branch Library, March 2016.
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!
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”
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.
On exhibit at the Westover Branch Library, November 2015.
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!
Water Rolls, Water Rises / El Agua Rueda, el Agua Sube
by Pat Mora, illustrations by Meilo So, translation by Adriana Domínguez & Pat Mora
In an expressive celebration of the world’s waterscapes, verse and mixed-media illustrations swing from placid to tempestuous, creating an effective and fitting ebb and flow. A description of a peaceful river scene inspired by the Yangtze (“Slow into rivers/ water slithers and snakes/ through silent canyons at twilight and dawn”) contrasts with an evocation of a violent Patagonia sea (“In storms, water plunges/ in thunder’s brash roar,/ races through branches from lightning’s white flash”).
The palette also shifts to suit the vista: children in Finland play by a brook framed by brilliant fall foliage, while smoky grays dominate a hushed scene featuring the human and feline residents of Venice, enshrouded in fog. Some of the images and allusions suggest water’s life-sustaining power: men fish in India, Kenyan women fetch water from a well, and in the canals of Holland, “water streams, water slides,/ gliding up roots of tulips and corn.”
“Water Rolls, Water Rises / El agua rueda, el agua sube” Text copyright © 2014 by Pat Mora. Illustrations copyright © 2014 by Meilo So.
Spanish translation copyright © 2014 by Lee & Low Books Inc. Permission arranged with LEE & LOW BOOKS INC., New York, NY 10016
The Trail Tales’ squirrel logo was designed by Arlington student Annabella.
