McLean Project for the Arts

Call for Submissions: MPAartfest 2020

Thu, 12 Mar 2020 00:30:00 GMT

DEADLINE: June 15, 2020

Exhibition: MPAartfest 2020 on Sunday, October 4, 2020 from 10:00am – 4:00pm. MPAartfest is a one-day juried fine art and craft show and sale featuring the work of more than 35 local and regional visual artists.

Location: McLean Central Park (approx. 10 miles from Washington, DC)

Additional rules and submission instructions available here.

MPA Spring Benefit 2020: Meet Our Co-Chairs

Fri, 07 Feb 2020 18:45:00 GMT

Mark your calendar for this year’s MPA Spring Benefit on May 7th, co-chaired by Heidi Narang and Priscilla Stanzel. Our Spring Benefit raises critical funds supporting MPA’s contemporary art exhibitions and art classes, as well as ArtReach, MPA’s award-winning art education and outreach program.

Sincere thanks to Heidi and Priscilla for their work on behalf of MPA!

Meet Our Co-Chairs
MPA is thrilled to introduce this year’s SpringBenefit Co-Chairs, Priscilla Stanzel (left) and Heidi Narang (right).

Priscilla Stanzel began her career in Washington, DC, working at the U.S. Capitol for two Speakers of the House of Representatives. She continued her government service at The White House when she joined the Executive Office of the President. Priscilla then pursued a career in law, serving as an Assistant Attorney General of South Carolina, where she prosecuted sex offenders in the Crimes Against Children Division. Now as a mother to three daughters, Priscilla enjoys supporting their numerous activities, volunteering at their schools, and participating in numerous community organizations.

An Interior Designer and avid art collector, Heidi Narang brings a passion for the arts and philanthropy to MPA. She earned a Master of Arts in Interior Architecture and Design from the Corcoran School of Art & Design in Washington, D.C. and spent time in Italy studying Hospitality and Retail Design. After working for a couple of large and small design firms, Heidi has been at home taking care of her family and being involved as an active supporter of organizations serving children, including Reading is Fundamental and No Kid Hungry.

Call for Submissions: MPAartfest 2019

Mon, 14 Jan 2019 21:51:00 GMT

DEADLINE: September 21, 2019

Exhibition: MPAartfest 2018, a one-day juried fine art and craft show and sale featuring the work of more than 35 local and regional visual artists.

Location: McLean Central Park (approx. 10 miles from Washington, DC)

Additional rules and submission instructions available here.

Call for Submissions: MPAartfest 2018

Wed, 18 Apr 2018 21:46:00 GMT

DEADLINE: June 8, 2018

Exhibition: MPAartfest 2018, a one-day juried fine art and craft show and sale featuring the work of more than 35 local and regional visual artists.

Location: McLean Central Park (approx. 10 miles from Washington, DC)

Additional rules and submission instructions available here.

Call for Entries: “Too Much of Too Much”

Thu, 22 Feb 2018 20:13:00 GMT

MPA seeks works by artists who explore the idea of overstimulation, excessiveness and bombardment, be it through too much information, activity, expectation, or by any other means.

DEADLINE: April 13, 2018 at midnight

EXHIBITION: Too Much of Too Much: Overstimulated, Overexposed and Overextended

JUROR: Laura Roulet, independent curator and writer specializing in contemporary and Latin American art.

LOCATION: MPA@ChainBridge (1446 Chain Bridge Road, McLean)

Additional rules and submission instructions available here.

MPA Announces “Methods of Inquiry” Exhibition Opening

Wed, 03 Jan 2018 21:34:00 GMT

McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) will open Methods of Inquiry: Fields of Discovery on January 11, 2018 at MPA@ChainBridge. This curated exhibition features pieces by six artists whose work is influenced by science. The Opening Exhibition Reception will be held Thursday, January 11, 2018 from 7:00 until 9:00 pm .

Methods of Inquiry features work by Michele Banks, Atsuko Chirikjian, Spencer Dormitzer, Leslie Holt, Susan Main, and Mark Robarge .

Referencing both the methods of discovery as well as images and concepts related to scientific fields such as chemistry, microbiology, neuroscience, physics and genetics, Methods of Inquiry embraces the commonalities that exist between science and art. Exhibited together, the works of these six artists offer varied views of the wonder found in the natural world—both inner and outer—and the processes human beings employ in order to gain a greater understanding of these wonders.

MPA to Feature Site-Specific Dance Performance, Panel Discussion

Thu, 14 Dec 2017 21:26:00 GMT

Presented in complement to its current exhibition, Nature as Prototype , McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) will offer a one-time, site-specific dance performance and panel discussion on December 19, 2017 at 7:00 pm .

Performed by choreographer Sarah Beth Oppenheim , the dance will take place at MPA@ChainBridge (1446 Chain Bridge Road, McLean). Ms. Oppenheim’s piece will be immediately followed by a panel discussion featuring Jade Garrett , former director of the Maker Space at George Mason University, and the general manager of TechShop maker space in Crystal City; as well as exhibition co-curators Elsabé Johnson Dixon and Betsy Johnson ; and exhibition artists Adam Nelson and Yoko K .

Click here to read more about Ms. Oppenheim’s dance performance. Learn more about Nature as Prototype on our exhibitions page .

MPA Receives NEA Grant to Support Upcoming Exhibition

Mon, 23 Oct 2017 15:56:00 GMT

Save Save

McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) has been awarded a $10,000 Arts Engagement in American Communities grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support its upcoming exhibition, “Nature as Prototype”.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support the excellence and diversity of arts programs across the country, including organizations like McLean Project for the Arts that make the arts accessible to people in McLean and the greater Washington D.C. area and further enhances the vitality of their community,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu.

MPA will present an exhibition of works by three contemporary artists from the Mid-Atlantic region whose work explores how art, science and nature can be integrated or re-mixed through digital formats. The work will serve as an opportunity for experimentation and for developing conversation and partnerships between artists, engineers and scientists.

“Nature as Prototype” opens November 9, 2017.

Call for Submissions: “MPA Classworks Exhibition”

Fri, 07 Jul 2017 17:13:00 GMT

WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED:

Thursday, July 27 ^th , 10:00 am until 4:00 pm
Friday, July 28 ^th , 10:00 am until 4:00 pm
Saturday July 29 ^th , 10:00 am until 4:00 pm
Monday July 31 ^st , 10:00 am until 4:00 pm

Work will be accepted at the MPA front desk. For further information please contact Natalie Archer at narcher@mpaart.org, or contact your instructor.

Please pick up your work the week of October 30, 2017 : Work cannot be stored at MPA, and prompt pick up of work is appreciated.

Save Save Save Save

Call for Submissions for the MPA Classworks Exhibition: Art Produced by Participants in the MPA Studio Education Program.

MPA’s Classworks Exhibition will be held August 10 through October 30, 2017 (extended date) at MPA@ChainBridge, in the McLean Community Foundation Studio Gallery.

Submission Guidelines:

Submissions are open to students from Summer 2016 – Summer 2017 MPA classes and MPA Open Studio sessions. Two submissions per student will be accepted. We will hang at least one piece, but the second piece will be hung upon the discretion of MPA.
Work must be TWO-DIMENSIONAL.
Work must be paper, canvas, or panel.
Work must be LABELED ON BACK. Include the following information: your name, address & phone, your class name, the work’s title, medium, date of completion, and price (if for sale) or insurance value.

“Strictly Painting 11” Opens June 15, Continuing Decades-Long Tradition

Wed, 31 May 2017 16:35:00 GMT

McLean Project for the Arts will open its eleventh iteration of Strictly Painting on June 15, 2017 at its new location, MPA@ChainBridge (1446 Chain Bridge Road, McLean). A juried biennial exhibition presenting the work of artists from throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, Strictly Painting 11 runs through August 12, 2017. The Opening Exhibition Reception will be held Thursday, June 15, 2017 from 7:00 until 9:00 pm .

This year’s guest juror for the show is Anne Reeve, Assistant Curator at Glenstone , a private museum near Washington, DC, devoted to Modern and Contemporary art.

Featured artists include: John Adams, Nancy Bruce, Thomas Bunnell, Delna Dastur, Kimberly DiNatale, Steven Dobbin, Susana Fields, Andy Foster, Heidi Fowler, Cianne Fragione, Janis Goodman, Maggie Gourlay, Susan Grace, Sarah Hardesty, Paul Hrusa, Sally Kauffman, Joanne Kent, Sun Sook Kim, Betsy Packard, Alison Powers, Judith Pratt, Carol Reed, Sharon Shapiro, Alexandra Sherman, Casey Snyder, Monica Stroik, Daniel Sullivan, Kim Thorpe, Lisa Tubach, Jessica van Brakle, Jenny Walton and Ann Marie Williams.

Strictly Painting began as a show in 1995, when Andrea Pollan, MPA’s exhibitions director at the time, wanted to show a survey of what local artists were painting. Now in its eleventh iteration, the show has evolved to a highly anticipated exhibition of the best regional painting.

“ Strictly Painting is one of the Mid-Atlantic’s most important regional exhibitions, and MPA is delighted to present it again this year—and for the first time in our new location, MPA@ChainBridge,” said Nancy Sausser, MPA’s Exhibitions Director. “Our juror has done a fantastic job of choosing a broad sampling of very strong works that demonstrate the depth and quality of our art community.”

Call for Entries: MPAartfest 2017

Tue, 02 May 2017 17:00:00 GMT

DEADLINE: June 30, 2017 (EXTENDED!)

Exhibition: MPAartfest 2017, a one-day juried fine art and craft show and sale featuring the work of more than 50 local and regional visual artists.

Location: McLean Central Park (approx. 10 miles from Washington, DC)

Additional rules and submission instructions available here.

SUBMIT NOW!

Call for Entries: Strictly Painting 11

Tue, 14 Mar 2017 18:07:00 GMT

DEADLINE: April 14, 2017 (midnight). Online submissions accepted via Submittable

Exhibition: Strictly Painting 11, June 15 through August 12, 2017 at MPA@ChainBridge
Presented by McLean Project for the Arts

Juror: Anne Reeve, Assistant Curator at Glenstone, a private museum near Washington, DC devoted to modern and contemporary art.

Additional rules and submission instructions available here.

Submit now.

MPA Receives Dominion ArtStars Grant to Support Arts Education

Sat, 28 Jan 2017 00:33:00 GMT

The McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) recently received a Shining Star ArtStars Award of $10,000 from the Dominion Foundation. The award recognized MPA’s ArtReach program, which offers underserved students a field trip to experience contemporary art exhibitions and hands-on art projects exploring STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) topics.

“ArtStars is about recognizing arts and cultural organizations that are making communities and schools more vibrant through theater, art, music, and other artistic forms,” said Hunter A. Applewhite, president of the Dominion Foundation, the charitable arm of Dominion Resources. “Dominion is proud to support these five winners as they continue their efforts to enrich students’ education through the arts.”

Led by veteran artist-educator Sharon Fishel, ArtReach is a standards-based, two-part lesson that combines a field trip to MPA’s exhibition gallery with a related classroom session featuring hands-on art projects that explore STEAM and other concepts through an arts perspective. In 2016 alone, the program conducted more than 90 ArtReach tours.

“MPA is honored and excited to receive this recognition of our ArtReach program,” said Lori Carbonneau, Executive Director of MPA. “The ArtStars grant encourages and supports MPA in our work creating and delivering our SOL-based arts and cultural literacy partnership with Fairfax County Public Schools, and expanding visual arts education throughout our community.”

Presented at the 2017 Art Works for Virginia Conference in Richmond, the Dominion ArtStars Awards celebrate arts organizations in Virginia that best demonstrate the ability to advance the synergy between arts and education for the benefit of students and their communities. Additional winners included Light House Studio, The HARPS Foundation of Richmond, The Pro-Art Association, and The Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra.

Kehinde Wiley: Impressions of an Artist by Karen Getty of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Tue, 06 Sep 2016 13:50:00 GMT

MPA’s special lecture about Kehinde Wiley’s exhibition “A New Republic” took place on Tuesday, July 19th, and featured guest speaker Karen Getty of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) in Richmond, Virginia. Getty is the Assistant to the Curator of African Art, and also works within the museums Education and Development Department. As an active participant in development, presentation, and education of Kehinde Wiley’s exhibition, she has in depth knowledge of the artist’s beginnings, influences and artistic processes.

VMFA’s Wiley exhibit consist of over 60 works, including paintings, sculptures, and stained glass. Pieces of “A New Republic” are separated into several series with various topics, including Women, Saints and Icons, World View and more.

MPA eagerly welcomed Getty to our galleries to discus one of the world’s most prolific and current artists. Getty took our MPA audience on a detailed “tour” of VMFA’s exhibit, noting Wiley’s more popular works, and explaining the historical and symbolic impression they have made on modern art. She began her lecture by discussing Wiley’s early life. She stressed the importance of his need to connect with his African heritage and Nigerian roots. He began submerging himself in the arts as a child, when his mother sent him to art school where his natural talent flourished. Growing up in the rough neighbourhoods of Los Angeles, Wiley’s mother made an effort to keep Kehinde out of trouble, and participate in productive, artistic endeavours.

Wiley’s works clearly exemplify the importance of the modern minority race male and female figures, but what makes his art particularly intriguing is his fresh approach to recreating the works of history’s greatest artists. Wiley is influenced by works from all over the world, and various periods of art, from French Neoclassical sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon, to Italian Renaissance painter Titian. Getty went on to explain the symbolism and meaning that is infused in the towering 6-foot plus, larger than life works. The intricately painted decorative floral patterns boast African colour palates and world prints, while proudly posed figures gaze directly out at viewers. Wiley’s art is meant to represent the faces and bodies of our vast and unique world, and celebrate humanity in equal measure.

Celebrating and observing modern prolific art at MPA has never been more interesting and insightful, be sure to visit our website for oncoming events and art lectures!

(Tiffany Green, MPA Intern)

Calling MPA Art Students: MPA ClassWorks Exhibition

Wed, 25 May 2016 18:35:00 GMT

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
for the
MPA ClassWorks Exhibition: Art Produced by Participants in the MPA Studio Education Program Adult Classes

To be held in the
McLean Project for the Arts’ Ramp Gallery
McLean Community Center
McLean, Virginia

JUNE 16 – July 30, 2016

GUIDELINES:

Submissions are open to students from Summer 2015, Fall 2015 and Winter/Spring 2016 MPA classes and MPA Open Studio sessions. Two submissions per student will be accepted. We will hang at least one piece, but the second piece will be hung upon the discretion of the Exhibitions Director.
Work must be TWO-DIMENSIONAL
Work must be READY TO HANG with WIRE. Simple frames are fine, as long as they are WIRED AND READY TO HANG.
Work must be LABELED ON BACK. Include the following information: YOUR NAME, ADDRESS & PHONE, YOUR CLASS NAME, THE WORK’S title, medium date of completion, and price (if for sale) or insurance value.

WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED: Friday, June 3, 10AM – 4PM; and Saturday June 4, 11AM – 1PM. Work will be accepted in the MPA main gallery, upstairs in the community center. For further information please contact MPA Exhibitions Director, Nancy Sausser at nsausser@mpaart.org or contact your instructor.

Art Classes for Adults: Spring and Summer 2016

Wed, 20 Apr 2016 15:25:00 GMT

New!
Botanical Illustration Session 2
Some drawing experience is necessary. Hone in on your drawing skills as you work with shading, perspective, 3-dimensionality to draw botanic subjects. Render accurate and realistic flowers, fruits, and other plant materials as we further explore color, light, shadow and composition. Instructor: Caroline Hottenstein
3 lessons @ 3 hrs, $141/$126 MCC district residents
Register online: 6639.316
F, 5/6, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Tu, 5/10 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
F, 5/13 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Continuing Painting
A class designed for the continuing painting student at the beginning and intermediate level. Continued practice with paint application, color mixing and composition with a focus on thematic development. Subject matter will vary as students paint from imagination, memory, photographs, or direct observation.
5 lessons @ 3 hrs, $195/$180 MCC district residents
Register online: 6638.316 W, 4/27-5/25 1-4pm

2-Day Photoshop Workshop
For beginners and those with some experience. Photoshop is a fabulous tool for artists for editing and correcting their images but also for special effects, making art and animation. The first half of this workshop will go over the basics of Photoshop. Part two will focus on ways artists can use Photoshop to push the boundaries of their creative expression. Bring your laptop with Adobe Photoshop CC loaded (either with Adobe’s Creative Cloud free trial or a purchased plan or software of the most updated version) images of your work, and let’s play! Instructor: Kristin Reiber Harris
16 years – Adults
2 lessons @ 3 hrs, $100/$85 MCC district residents
Register online: 6607.416 Sa, Su, 6/11 – 6/12 1-4 pm

Watercolor: Evening Alfresco
Work directly from the landscape and surrounding nature in this outdoor watercolor class. We will explore how the later afternoon light transforms our subjects, and hone in on different inspirations we find in the summer evening setting. For a portion of each class when it gets dark, we will bring our work into the studio and continue to work and critique inside. This class is led by MPA exhibiting artist Carol Barsha, who has much experience teaching watercolor outdoors, and employs this medium and setting in her own work.
16 years-Adults
5 lessons @ 3 hrs, $190/$175 MCC district residents
Register online: 6601.416 W, 6/8–7/6 4:30 – 7:30 pm

Line, Color, Pattern, Motif: From Coloring Book to Art
Open to artists of all levels. Inspired by the coloring book craze, this class is designed to lead artists through an exploration of line as a guiding force in art. Referencing sources as diverse as textile designs, old master drawings, 17th Century emblem books, and coloring books, we will go from simple to complex designs using colored pencils. Beginning students with no drawing experience can begin making designs using abstract patterning and transfer techniques; intermediate and advanced students can develop complex pictures through composite methods. Along the way we’ll touch upon color theory, tonality, line quality and pencil techniques. Instructor: Aletha Kuschan
16 years- Adults
6 lessons @ 2.5 hours, $190/$175 MCC district residents
Register online: 6603.416 Sa, 7/9–8/13 1-3:30 pm

Supplies List

Drawing into Painting
For beginning and intermediate students. Hit the refresh button this summer and get your skills and confidence up! You will bring your drawing skills up to speed with measuring, composition, shading, and gesture through exercises to help you loosen up as well as hone in your technical and observational skills. Students will select either acrylic or oil, and we will explore mixing, different applications, and using color in the composition as we build our paintings. The materials list will include choices for basic acrylic or oil. Model fee extra. Instructor: Naomi Chung
16 years – Adults
6 lessons @ 2.5 hrs, $190/$175 MCC district residents
Register online: 6602.416 M, 7/11–8/15 7-9:30 pm

I’ve Never Held a Pencil: Beginning Drawing for Adults
For the true beginner. If you’ve wanted to take a drawing class but found it intimidating, this is the place to start. We will fall in love with our drawing tools by exploring all the different media available to us, including different pencil weights, woodless pencils, graphite, charcoal, ink, and more. Each student will find a variety of drawing material with which they are comfortable. Your skills and confidence will grow as you learn to work with line, texture, shading and simple forms. This series of beginning drawing classes is taught by a different instructor each semester, so each session is slightly different. Instructor: Jessica Linnenkamp
5 lessons @ 2 hrs, $130/$118 MCC district residents
Register online: 6608.416 W, 7/13-8/10 6-8 pm

Intermediate Acrylic Painting
For students with some background in painting and drawing. We will practice the technical and expressive fundamentals of painting in acrylic as we work from still life, figure, subjects from memory and photographs, and exploring the abstract. We will explore the possibilities of technique and surface and challenge ourselves to improve our painting in new ways. Model fee extra. Instructor: Arthur Kwon Lee
16 years-Adults
6 lessons @ 2.5 hrs, $190/$175 MCC district residents
Register online: 6604.416 Th, 7/14–8/18 7-9:30 pm

Supplies List

Open Studio: Uninstructed open drawing sessions with a model

Saturday sessions feature long poses (minimum one hour). Save when you register for the series!

Winter/Spring 2016

Tuesdays

10 sessions @ 2.5 hrs, $65/$60 MCC district residents
Individual sessions, $9.
Register Online: 6631.316 Tu, 1/12-3/15 7-9:30 p.m.

9 sessions @ 2.5 hrs, $60/$55 MCC district residents
Individual sessions, $9.
Register Online: 6632.316 Tu, 3/29-5/24 7-9:30 p.m.

Thursdays

10 sessions @ 3 hrs, $80/75 MCC district residents
Individual sessions, $10.
Register Online: 6633.316 Th, 1/14-3/17 1-4 p.m.

9 sessions @ 3 hrs, $75/70 MCC district residents
Individual sessions, $10.
Register Online: 6634.316 Th, 4/7-6/2 1-4 p.m.

Saturdays

8 sessions @ 3 hrs, $65/60 MCC district residents
Individual sessions, $10.
Register Online: 6635.316 Sa, 1/23-3/19 4-7 p.m.
No session on 2/13.

7 sessions @ 3 hrs, $60/$55 MCC district residents
Individual sessions, $10.
Register Online: 6636.316 Sa, 4/2-5/14 4-7 p.m.
No session on 5/21.

Summer 2016

7 sessions @ 2.5 hrs, $50/$45 MCC district residents
Individual sessions, $9.
Register online: 6605.416 Tu, 6/21–8/9 7-9:30 pm
No session on 7/5

7 sessions @ 3 hrs, $60/$55 MCC district residents
Individual sessions, $10.
Register online: 6606.416 Sa, 6/25–8/13 4-7 pm
No session on 7/2

Abrakadoodle Classes Summer 2016

Wed, 20 Apr 2016 15:08:00 GMT

Twoosy Doodlers

This is a special art class for toddlers and parents (or helpers). Little fingers will experiment with painting, gluing, sticking, printing, and creating while developing fine motor, language, and self-help skills. Saturday classes are held in the professional Susan B. Duval Studio.
20-36 months
6 lessons @ 45 mins, $91/$81 MCC district residents
Materials fee: $24, make check payable to Abrakadoodle. Fee is due to the instructor on the first day of class.

6301.416 Tu, 7/12-8/16 4:30–5:15pm

6302.416 Sa, 7/9-8/13 10:15-11am

6303.416 Sa, 7/9-8/13 11:15-noon

Mini Doodlers

Children develop their creativity through lessons carefully designed to ignite their imaginations and develop skills. Using real artists’ materials, including watercolors, tempera paints, oil pastels, creative tools and more, your child will create truly unique masterpieces.
3-6 years
6 lessons @ 45 mins, $91/$81 MCC district residents
Materials fee: $24, make check payable to Abrakadoodle. Fee is due to the instructor on the first day of class.

6304.416 Th, 6/30-8/4 4:30–5:15pm

6305.416 Tu, 7/12-8/16 5:30–6:15pm

6306.416 Sa, 7/9-8/13 10:15-11am

6307.416 Sa, 7/9-8/13 11:15-noon

Young Rembrandts Drawing Classes

Wed, 20 Apr 2016 15:05:00 GMT

Explore and Register for Upcoming Events

MPA Art Classes for Kids

Wed, 20 Apr 2016 14:45:00 GMT

Drawing Fundamentals: Spring Session

All skill levels welcome. Young artists will learn the basics of drawing in this new spring session, including elements of line, proportion, perspective, foreshortening, value and more. We will explore different drawing materials including pencil, charcoal, and ink as we hone our observation skills and learn principles of design and composition. Supplies fee is included, and all materials are provided. Instructor: Arthur Kwon Lee
8-12 years
5 lessons @ 2-hrs, $140/$125 MCC district residents
Register online: 6257.316 Th, 4/28-5/26 4:30-6:30 p.m.

New Title

iPad Art Explora tion

Children and their parents, grandparents or helpers are welcome, or children may attend by themselves. You are welcome to bring your own iPad or rent one during the class for $10. Both workshops are taught by Kristin Reiber Harris, an MPA exhibiting artist, animator, and media producer. Workshops can be taken alone or in conjunction with the other.
8-12 years

Curate Your Own Exhibit
Explore MPA’s current exhibits using iPad apps for animation. Through an interactive lesson that incorporates images and ideas from the contemporary art on the gallery walls, we will design our own exhibitions to share!
1 lesson @ 3 hrs, $40/$30 MCC district residents
6501.416 Sa, 7/9 1-4 p.m.

Create Your Own Art and Exhibition
This workshop will focus more on the creation of original artwork. Inspired by MPA’s current exhibit, participants will use iPad apps to create their own original art and animation. Using a variety of apps, you will curate a show of the art you just created to share with others!
1 lesson @ 3 hrs, $40/$30 MCC district residents
6502.416 Sa, 7/23 1-4 p.m.

To The Drawing Board!

Students will learn and practice the fundamentals of drawing in this short course. It is meant to be a fun and dynamic skill-building class to hone observational skills and drawing techniques. We will cover the fundamentals of drawing through different exercises and venture into different mediums such as charcoal and pastels. Weather permitting, we will even practice drawing outside! Students are encouraged to bring a sketchbook to class and use to practice outside of class. Instructor: TBA
Materials fee $15 due to instructor on first day of class made out to McLean Project for the Arts.
9-12 years
5 lessons @ 2 hours, $125/115 MCC district residents
Register online: 6252.416 Th, 6/30 -7/28 4:30-6:30 pm

Art Classes for Kids @ MPA

Tue, 19 Apr 2016 20:02:00 GMT

Abrakadoodle Art Classes for kids 20 months-6 years
See classes
This popular series of imaginative art classes for children is based on the learning principles of Jean Piaget. Children create wonderful “masterpieces” using innovative art materials while exploring artistic styles and techniques. Each series of lessons offers unique experiences designed to foster creativity. Instructors are Abrakadoodle Staff.
www.abrakadoodle.com

Young Rembrandts Drawing Classes and Workshops for kids 6-12 years
See classes
Students learn and develop drawing skills and art appreciation through our progressive, open-ended approach to drawing. We use stepwise instruction to inspire students’ independent drawings, including seasonal, realistic and abstract images. Our curriculum is varied and challenging, with new, engaging drawing lessons every week, and every session. Our goal is to provide children with the skills and confidence to create fun and rewarding artwork in and out of our class
.www.youngrembrandts.co

Art classes for kids 8-12 years through McLean Project for the Arts
See classes
Taught by MPA’s professional art faculty, these classes take art learning and creation to the next level. MPA offers classes to this age group in drawing fundamentals, painting fundamentals, mixed media, sculpture, and more. These classes are designed to challenge students to develop their observational skills, craft different approaches in the creative process, apply art historical contexts, and hone their technical skills and vocabulary in the fine arts.

Call for Entries – MPAartfest 2016

Thu, 31 Mar 2016 14:09:00 GMT

Click here to learn more about how you could be a featured artist at this year’s MPAartfest!

Submittable Link to apply: https://mpa.submittable.com/submit

Spring Break at McLean Project for the Arts

Wed, 16 Mar 2016 13:59:00 GMT

FCPS Spring Break and spring student holidays are fast approaching! If you are planning to stay in town, MPA has some excellent art offerings to keep your kids busy and creative during the day:

1. New! Artistic Engineering | On Student Holiday, Friday April 22

This one-day workshop is a fun introduction to architectural forms and exploring spatial problem solving skills. We will focus on creating and building structures that test and teach some of the basic principles of architecture and engineering. who can build the tallest tower? Who can make the strongest bridge? Which structure stands the longest without crashing down? You will want to show and teach your friends and family what you learn in this class! All supplies provided. Instructor: Jessica Granda Bonness

8-10 years

1 lesson @ 3 hrs, $60/50 MCC district residents

2. Transform Your Room: Design Basics | During FCPS Spring Break

Grades 7-10

1 lesson @ 4 hrs, $75/$65 MCC district residents

3. Spring Break Art Camp with Abrakadoodle | Monday – Friday, March 21 – 25

Please send snack and drink with your children each day. (No NUTS please ). Your child must be fully potty trained and able to handle bathroom breaks independently.

Life is a Stage Puppet Camp

Learn how to draw, design, build and sculpt a variety of different puppets. Be your own stage director while designing you very own puppet theatre. Bring out your looney side and put on a show with unique puppet characters created by YOU!

3-6 years

5 lessons @ 3-hrs, $170/$160 McLean district residents.

Materials fee: $30, make check payable to Abrakadoodle. Fee is due the first day of class to the instructor.

Whether your style is eclectic, preppy, or anywhere in between, join us for a one-day workshop on how to turn your space into a true reflection of your personal style. We will talk about color, accessories, scale (finding furniture that is the right size for your space), and learn how to measure and draw our spaces. The workshop’s final product will be creating a mood board of how you want your room to look and feel. Please bring any materials that inspire you that you may want to include on your mood board (for example: sports memorabilia, magazine clippings, etc.) Instructor: Jessica Granda Bonness

This Friday: Art + Crafts Event with Helen Frederick

Wed, 09 Mar 2016 17:02:00 GMT

Art + Crafts: Artist Talk & Craft Beer | May

Papel Amate: Making Paper in Mexico | A Talk by Helen Frederick

Friday, May 20, 6:30 PM

FREE EVENT. Please RSVP here .

Join us for a special edition of Art + Crafts last part of MPA’s ArtFocus series!

George Mason University Printmaking Professor, Helen Frederick, will speak at McLean Project for the Arts describing her recent trip to San Pablito, Mexico to learn about the traditional Papel Amate papermaking technique practiced for centuries there by the Otomi community.

Reception: From 6:30-7 PM, enjoy Mexican beers and Latin American tacos and appetizers provided by Taco Bamba, located in Falls Church, Virginia. Artist Talk will begin at 7 PM.

Tickets: $8 admission for tacos and beer. Non alcoholic drinks will also be available. Must be 21+ for beer. Please RSVP here .

Location: MPA’s Emerson Gallery, 1234 Ingleside Avenue, McLean, VA 22101 (upstarts of the McLean Community Center)

Helen Frederick is recognized as a distinguished artist, curator, educator, coordinator of international projects, and as founder of Pyramid Atlantic. As an advocate for and an active participant in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area arts scene, she has served on the directorial boards of alternative art spaces, various local and national boards and national peer-review panels. She has and fulfilled speaking engagements around the world, always emphasizing collaboration across disciplines. Throughout her life her passion for diverse cultures and histories has led her to travel to observe the material cultures of many societies, their skills. and ideas and to make connections among disparate cultural traditions.

Spring Art Classes – Sign up today!

Mon, 07 Mar 2016 21:02:00 GMT

How are those New Year’s resolutions looking? How about trying something new and creative, or broadening your portfolio this spring at MPA? There are many new classes that we are excited to share with you as we get into the warmer months! Classes begin the last week of March. Questions, call Christina at 703-790-1953.

Youth Classes

Abrakadoodle Classes

Artistic Engineering Workshop (During FCPS Teacher Workday)

* NEW* Drawing Fundamentals: Spring Session

Painting Fundamentals

Rodin: Studio of a Genius – March 24th

Tue, 09 Feb 2016 15:33:00 GMT

Join Jeffrey Allison, Paul Mellon Collection Educator and Manager, Statewide Programs and Exhibitions as he explores the life and work of Auguste Rodin, the greatest sculptor of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Rodin completely revitalized the very language of sculpture with his passion for the creative act. Allison will discuss Rodin’s techniques, materials, models, assistants, and the extraordinary working process behind some of the artist’s greatest works. Allison will also focus on the life and work of Rodin’s greatest love, Camille Claudel.

Thursday, March 24, 7pm

This event is free and open to the public. RSVP here, on Facebook, or call 703.790.1953.

This lecture is offered in connection with the VMFA Major exhibition, Rodin, which runs through March 13, 2016.

3 Reasons YOU Should Become an MPA Member

Mon, 01 Feb 2016 19:57:00 GMT

Monday, February 1

Love art? Love your community?

How are you not an MPA member yet?

As an MPA member, you have the power to support art education, exhibits, and arts events in your community year-round. Help us build a sustainable, supportive, and artistic community today.

Here are three reasons why you should become an MPA member:

1. Connect to Your Community

Be a part of something exciting! Join a thriving and supportive community dedicated to art, sharing it with others, and using it as a force for good. Meet new people, families, and artists who all share a similar interest in creating a thriving and inspiring community.

2. Tap into Your Creativity

Look no further for ways to engage you and your family’s artistic side. MPA’s exciting workshops and art courses are sure to help get the creativity flowing, and there is something cool for any age! Each year, MPA offers over 150 classes for all levels from kids to adults including a top-notch summer camp. And the best part is, MPA members receive a 10% discount on one of these classes every quarter.

3. Inspire Others

If you care about art and community, you probably care about arts education too. ArtReach is a highly successful MPA arts education and outreach program that reaches thousands of Fairfax County students every year. MPA successfully brings hands on workshops, in-gallery tours, and a dynamic arts education because of the support of our members.

Join us today as an Individual, Individual (65 Plus), Family, Artist, or Student Member!

More information.

We can’t wait to welcome you to our MPA community!

Camp Abrakadoodle 2016

Thu, 28 Jan 2016 21:09:00 GMT

Week 1: Mad About Movies

Ages 3-6 years (to attend children must be fully potty-trained)

You will LOVE this camp if you love movies and the kooky characters, animations and illustrations in them…from minions to dinosaurs to out-of-this-world environments! Campers learn how movies are made, tell movie stories, and recreate favorite movie characters! We will discover animation, storyboards, and more while exploring creative abilities.

5 days @ 3 hrs, $185/175 MCC district residents

Materials fee: $35, make check payable to Abrakadoodle and due to the instructor on the first day of class.

Week 2: Under the Sea

Ages 3-6 years (to attend children must be fully potty-trained )

Make a big splash and join us for adventures in our Under the Sea Art Camp! Campers will learn all about jellyfish, octopuses, dolphins, whales and even mermaids. There’s nothing fishy about using cool tools and materials to create fun paintings, collages, sculptures and more. Campers will have oceans of fun designing cool art projects. Dive in for tons of fun under the sea!

Materials fee: $28, make check payable to Abrakadoodle and due to the instructor on the first day of class.

4 days @ 3 hrs, $150/$140 MCC district residents

No camp on 7/4 (Independence Day)

Week 3: Artists You Know and Love

Ages 3-6 years (to attend children must be fully potty-trained )

The world has many great artists and wonderful art including the drawings of Da Vinci, the colorful collages of Matisse, the light drenched paintings of Monet and the well-loved portrait of Whistler’s Mother. …. These are the artists we know and love! Your favorite little artist gets a chance to drip, print, cut, arrange, dab, mold and paint while exploring these artists and others. But in the end, these little artists will create their own masterpieces that are as unique as they are!

Materials fee: $35, make check payable to Abrakadoodle. Fee is due to the instructor on the first day.

5 days @ 3 hrs, $185/175 MCC district residents

Week 4: Buzz, Ribbit, Roar

Ages 3-6 years (to attend children must be fully potty-trained)

Let’s get into nature with fish, frogs, bugs, turtles and dinosaurs! Create your own wild and wacky world with these fun lessons while practicing your technique in scratchboard art, watercolor, sand painting, drawing and more.

5 days @ 3 hrs, $185/175 MCC district residents

Materials fee: $35, make check payable to Abrakadoodle and due to the instructor on the first day of class.

Week 5: Ready, Set, Create!

Ages 3-6 years (to attend children must be fully potty-trained)

In these camps, Abrakadoodle artists will practice Bull’s Eye painting. We also create interesting effects that disappear then magically re-appear when we paint! We will study Natasha Westcoat while using colorful swirls, Paul Klee and his unusual self-portraits, Wolf Kahn and his “bands of color,” and more!

5 days @ 3 hrs, $185/175 MCC district residents

Materials fee: $35, make check payable to Abrakadoodle and due to the instructor on the first day of class.

Week 6: Impress Me

Ages 3-6 years (to attend children must be fully potty-trained)

Want to make an impression? Get into the excitement of creating art with impressionist styles and techniques and wow your family and friends. We will study a variety of artists from the Impressionist Period while learning techniques that include watercolor, pastels, pointillism and more.

5 days @ 3 hrs, $185/175 MCC district residents

Materials fee: $35, make check payable to Abrakadoodle and due to the instructor on the first day of class.

Week 7: Off the Wall

Ages 3-6 years (to attend children must be fully potty-trained)

Let’s have some Off the Wall fun! We’ll create interesting sculptures and hanging kinetic art that are anything but flat! Our Off the Wall creations include interactive 3D designs, textiles, and mobiles in the style of world-famous American sculpture artist, Alexander Calder. We will learn about the age-old tradition of designing Chinese opera masks and create whimsical architecture inspired by the clever Pop Art of James Rizzi.

5 days @ 3 hrs, $185/175 MCC district residents

Materials fee: $35, make check payable to Abrakadoodle and due to the instructor on the first day of class.

Week 8: Pirates Return

Ages 3-6 years (to attend children must be fully potty-trained)

Sail away with us for an art adventure! We will explore the crystal blue oceans searching for artsy treasures while studying cartooning, sand painting, sculpture, and more.

5 days @ 3 hrs, $185/175 MCC district residents

Materials fee: $35, make check payable to Abrakadoodle and due to the instructor on the first day of class.

Sign Up for Summer 2016 Art Camp!

Thu, 28 Jan 2016 20:40:00 GMT

Summer at McLean Project for the Arts

Join us this summer for 10 different weeks of exciting, creative and colorful camps! There is something for every child and teen from age 3 – 18 years at McLean Project for the Arts.

Summer 2016 Camp Registration begins February 1. The first session begins on Monday, June 27, 2016.

To Register, click on the More info links below:

MPA Summer Art Camp 2016 | AM session for ages 6 – 8 years, PM session for 8 – 12

8 weeks offered | June 27 – August 19

MPA Summer Studios for Teens | PM session for ages 12 – 16 years

2 weeks offered | week of July 11 and July 25

New: Vosler Young Artists’ Studio at McLean Project for the Arts | for ages 13 – 18 years

1 week offered | August 8 – 12, 9:15 am – 4:15 pm

Young Rembrandts Mini Arts @ MPA | For ages 3.5 – 5 years

1 week offered | June 20 – 24, AM and PM

Camp Abrakadoodle | For ages 3 – 6 years

8 weeks offered June 27 – August 19, 9:15am – 12:15pm

Young Rembrandts Drawing Camp | For ages 3 – 6 years

8 weeks offered | June 27 – August 19, 1 – 3pm

Young Rembrandts Drawing Camp 2016

Thu, 28 Jan 2016 20:14:00 GMT

Young Rembrandts Drawing Camp

For ages 3 to 6 years. Little artists learn drawing skills, develop kindergarten readiness and create rewarding works of art, in weekly Summer Fun-themed camps. Teachers use familiar images, stepwise instruction and positive direction to encourage the joy of art in independent colorful drawings. Your child will develop artistic, visual-motor and learning skills in a fun, creative environment.

Children must be fully potty-trained. Please remember to send a snack and a drink each day (NO NUTS, please).

Week 1: Eric Carle

Explore the wonderfully creative world of Eric Carle.

Ages: 3-6 years (to attend children must be fully potty-trained)

5 days @ 2 hrs, $160/$150 MCC district residents

Week 2: Fourth of July Party

Celebrate our country’s Independence Day with party-themed art.

Ages: 3-6 years (to attend children must be fully potty-trained)

4 days @ 2 hrs, $130/$120 MCC district residents

No camp on 7/4 (Independence Day)

Week 3: In Your Own Backyard

Explore drawing through fun ideas and images inspired from close to home.

Ages: 3-6 years (to attend children must be fully potty-trained)

5 days @ 2 hrs, $160/$150 MCC district residents

Week 4: Sun and Surf

Explore Oceanside and underwater themes.

Ages: 3-6 years (to attend children must be fully potty-trained)

5 days @ 2 hrs, $160/$150 MCC district residents

Week 5: Space Monsters

Astronauts and space ships meet monsters and aliens.

Ages: 3-6 years (to attend children must be fully potty-trained)

5 days @ 2 hrs, $160/$150 MCC district residents

Week 6: Fur, Feathers and Fins

Animals from near and far come to life with art!

Ages: 3-6 years (to attend children must be fully potty-trained)

5 days @ 2 hrs, $160/$150 MCC district residents

Week 7: Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Rev up your pencils for different types of vehicles and transportation-inspired art!

Ages: 3-6 years (to attend children must be fully potty-trained)

5 days @ 2 hrs, $160/$150 MCC district residents

Week 8: Fun on the Farm

Farmers and animal friends find a home in our barnyard art.

Ages: 3-6 years (to attend children must be fully potty-trained)

5 days @ 2 hrs, $160/$150 MCC district residents

Young Rembrandts Mini Arts @ MPA 2016

Thu, 28 Jan 2016 20:11:00 GMT

Young Rembrandts provides fun and educational drawing classes for children, to give them the technical skills and confidence to express their creativity. Lessons are new every week, every session, and include a variety of realistic and abstract images, themes, and styles, designed to engage students and encourage art appreciation and knowledge. Learn more about the Young Rembrandts Vision here.

Young Rembrandts Mini Arts @ MPA

3.5 to 5 years (to attend children must be fully potty-trained)

A week-long pre camp for little ones held in the light-filled setting of MPA’s professional Susan B. DuVal Art Studio! Your child will enjoy exploring art through colors, different drawing materials and applications, and seeing how it connects to the world around them.

5 days @ 90 mins, $123/$113 MCC district residents

Vosler Young Artists’ Studio at McLean Project for the Arts

Thu, 28 Jan 2016 19:54:00 GMT

For any young artist with the desire to learn classical drawing. No previous experience is necessary.

A new classical art program created by professional artist Kerry Vosler for young art students. In an Atelier environment held in the beautiful light-filled Emerson Gallery, students will study and draw from life with a master instructor. As students master core concepts and show understanding through their drawings, they will be given more complicated concepts to master; students will draw a variety of pictures in charcoal throughout the week including copy work from the late nineteenth century, Bargue-Gérôme Drawing Course, culminating in a session with a live model on Friday afternoon. Students will have at least two portfolio drawings by the end of the week, and parents and families are encouraged to attend the closing certificate ceremony on Friday at 4:15. Students bring a bag lunch and drink each day. Tuition includes all materials costs.

13-18 years

5 days with 1 hour lunch each day @ $390/$370 MCC District Residents

Schedule:

One hour Lunch (Students need to get off their feet and feel fresh when they get back to the easel)

We will try to bring in professional guest artists affiliated with our school several days to have lunch with our students and talk about their personal experience. This is a casual and fun part of the learning experience. To be announced at a later date. Students are asked to bring their own bag lunch and drink. We provide bottled water throughout the week.

First and Second Day:

Short concise demonstrations will be done throughout the day to guide students through copy work from the Bargue Drawing Course. This Bargue drawing will become a portfolio piece and most students will finish one by the end of the second day. Additionally we will send another copy of a different Bargue home with them to complete at their own pace. Students will keep a packet of drawing reference material from this course. This is the phase of our program that propels students drawing skills forward and sets them up for success through the rest of the workshop.

Third & Fourth day:

We dive right into drawing with the instructor. Typically we teach them to draw the anatomy of the head to understand the bone structure of the human skull. Students will be taught how to draw the human head and face during this time frame. Our students love to learn to draw faces!

Friday (Shorter or earlier lunch)

We reserve the morning to finish drawings from the previous day and/or add more content. After lunch we bring in a costumed model and provide a themed drawing event with music. This is where we allow our students to practice their learned skills. They feel very confident by Friday and are ready for this fun experience. This is a non-instructed time but teachers continue to assist students at their easels throughout the afternoon.

Friday Afternoon | 4:15 pm

Certificate of Completion and closing comments.
Parents and families are encouraged to attend!

Learn more about the Vosler Young Artists’ Studio here

MPA Teens 2016

Thu, 28 Jan 2016 19:39:00 GMT

New this Summer! – Just for Teens | Afternoon Sessions 1 – 4 pm | For ages 12 – 16 years

Teen summer offerings are held in and around MPA’s galleries, the McLean Community Center, and the Dolley Madison Library.

Exploratory Sketchbook

Join us for this new one-week outward-bound drawing and observational experience! We will meet in the DuVal Studio and use the McLean Community Center, Dolley Madison Library, and many things in-between, as our source of drawing subjects: we will explore perspective, contrast, shading, color, and more as we investigate the different environments, nature, and hidden corners of this rich corner of McLean!

12-16 years
5 days @ 3 hrs, $195/$180 MCC district residents
Register 6219.116 M-F, 7/11- 7/15 1-4 p.m.

Art Fusion

A one-week mix-up of all sorts of mediums and media for teens who want to meet up and try out different forms of art that they can apply to their everyday creative expression. We will explore drawing, photos, video, and even how the theatre plays into visual art within The Alden. We will meet in the DuVal Studio, and explore the McLean Community Center, the Dolley Madison Library, the current shows installed at MPA, and more for our inspiration.

12-16 years
5 days @ 3 hrs, $195/$180 MCC district residents
Register 6220.116 M-F, 7/25-7/29 1-4 p.m.

Vosler Young Artists’ Studio at McLean Project for the Arts

For any young artist with the desire to learn classical drawing. No previous experience is necessary.
A new classical art program created by professional artist Kerry Vosler for young art students. In an Atelier environment held in the beautiful light-filled Emerson Gallery, students will study and draw from life with a master instructor. As students master core concepts and show understanding through their drawings, they will be given more complicated concepts to master; students will draw a variety of pictures in charcoal throughout the week including copy work from the late nineteenth century, Bargue-Gérôme Drawing Course, culminating in a session with a live model on Friday afternoon. Students will have at least two portfolio drawings by the end of the week, and parents and families are encouraged to attend the closing certificate ceremony on Friday at 4:15. Students bring a bag lunch and drink each day. Tuition includes all materials costs.

13-18 years
5 days with 1 hour lunch each day @ $390/$370 MCC District Residents
Register 6221.116 M-F, 8/8-8/12 9:15 – 4:15

Schedule

MPA Art Camp 2016

Thu, 28 Jan 2016 19:11:00 GMT

Each week, summer students will discover new, inspired ways to approach their art making, and gain a solid understanding of the fundamentals of art from a creative approach. Taught by MPA’s experienced art educators, students will learn about and create art in the beautiful and professional Susan B. DuVal Studio located in the McLean Community Center.

What to bring: Please bring a snack ( no nuts please! ) and a painting smock or an old, oversized shirt. Parents and siblings are invited to an art show the last 20 minutes of class each Friday.

All materials are included in the cost of the camp.

Morning Sessions: 9:15 am -12:15 pm Ages 6-8

Week 1: Color Week! Printing & Painting

In celebration of color, we will learn about hue, shade, tint, and completely remake the “color wheel.” We will experiment with different types of 2-D printing and use pencil, pen, watercolor, acrylic, and mixed media.

5 days @ 3 hrs, $195/$180 MCC district residents

Week 2: Recycle, Reinvent, Reimagine

Create sculptures, creatures, and imaginary machines with up-cycled materials in this fun “green” art studio! We will learn how to reimagine uses for many household things we throw away everyday, recognize how to conserve our artist materials, and experiment with different materials and textures in mixed media.

4 days @ 3 hrs, $158/$144 MCC district residents

No camp on July 4 (Independence Day)

Week 3: Let’s Celebrate the 60s & 70s!

We will have fun and get messy this week learning about the vibrant, groovy art from this iconic period! We will be inspired by the famous artists from the time and their artwork such as Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns, which will be updated from nostalgia to inspire the paintings and drawings of your own- including a day of tie-dye!

5 days @ 3 hrs, $195/$180 MCC district residents

Week 4: Patterns, Symbols, and Op Art

What symbols can we discover right in our backyard in Washington, DC that have an impact on art? Discover the world of creating illusions through geometric shapes and colors, the different interpretations of symbols, and how contemporary artists use them today. We will be inspired by all this to create our own symbols and optical art!

5 days @ 3 hrs, $195 /$180 MCC district residents

Week 5: American Vistas

What are some of the most exciting and beautiful landscapes you’d like to visit? We will focus on the colorful works of Wayne Thiebaud, Edward Hopper, and Georgia O’Keefe this week to inspire our own creations and experiment with color techniques.

5 days @ 3 hrs, $195/$180 MCC district residents

Week 6: Once Upon a Time: Mythical Creatures

Dragons, fairy tales, legends, and imagination will rule during this week of 2D and 3D art. Draw, paint, collage, and sculpt your way through a world of real animals and imaginative creatures!

5 days @ 3 hrs, $195/$180 MCC district residents

Week 7: Animal Adventures: Land and Sea

We will learn how to draw our favorite animals in charcoal, graphite, colored pencil, watercolor, and mixed media collage. Explore how shading, color, texture, detail, and observation can make your drawings and paintings come alive! Children may be accompanied by a special stuffed animal from home to share in the experience!

5 days @ 3 hrs, $195/$180 MCC district residents

Week 8: Mixed Media Remix

Do you love to collage, and use different materials to create your art projects? You will learn a variety of techniques of mixed media construction in this class, and we will explore color, patterns, layering, and applications of materials- get ready to remix your imagination!

5 days @ 3 hrs, $195/$180 MCC district residents

Afternoon Sessions: 1-4 pm | Ages 8 – 12

Week 1: Silkscreen

This week is all about the art of silk-screening on different materials: t-shirts and clothing, paper, and more. We will be inspired by Andy Warhol and other modern artists, even up to street artists today who use stencils, and adopt the innovative techniques of this colorful and versatile type of print-making.

5 days @ 3 hrs, $195 /$180 MCC district residents

Week 2: STEAM Week

Join us for a week of hands-on projects that merge Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. We will use creative cross-disciplinary ways to problem-solve and create projects that are both beautiful and functional.

4 days @ 3 hrs, $158/$144 MCC district residents

No camp on 7/4 (Independence Day).

Week 3: Pop Art!

Drawing inspiration from the art of the 60s and 70s, we will create our own pop works using found objects, commercial packaging (save those candy wrappers and soup can labels!) and other contemporary commercial symbols we see everyday. We will learn about color, composition, and drawing, painting, and collage techniques.

5 days @ 3 hrs, $195 /$180 MCC district residents

Week 4: Crazy Comic Books

This week, create your own unique comic books! Look back at famous heroes, heroines, and villains in comic book history for inspiration. Beginning with pen and ink drawings for our storyboards, we will add distant and close-up images as a part of the creation of our own compositions. In addition to classic comic books, we will explore other projects such as flipbooks.

5 days @ 3 hrs, $195 /$180 MCC district residents

Week 5: Art Sense!

Tied to MPA’s Sensory Themed Exhibition: Gathering Sense: See, Smell, Hear, Taste, Touch

We will use the current show installed at MPA as inspiration for our art-making this week. The show, which will feature multiple artists from the Mid-Atlantic region, deals with sensory perception. We will explore the senses and how that plays into color choice, composition, texture, and choice of medium.

5 days @ 3 hrs, $195 /$180 MCC district residents

Week 6: Ancient to Modern Myths

We will explore Greek, Native American Indian, and Celtic myths and legends as we travel through time this week. Looking at the figures, their stories, and similar trends, as we illustrate and create works around the beautiful colors, patterns, and imagery that go hand-in-hand with these lores.

5 days @ 3 hrs, $195 /$180 MCC district residents

Week 7: So Real Surreal

Looking at surrealist artists and themes, we will learn to twist and turn our art into fun imaginary landscapes, and combine imagery to create fantastical humans and creatures. You will explore your dreams, your favorite activities, and draw and paint your personal expression using a variety of materials and new art techniques!

5 days @ 3 hrs, $195 /$180 MCC district residents

Week 8: Marvelous Mobiles

From Alexander Calder to the present-day, we will be inspired by these delicate and durable moving sculptures, to create our own constructions. We will explore color, shape, materials, and movement during this fun week of artistic engineering!

5 days @ 3 hrs, $195 /$180 MCC district residents

Art + Crafts: Art Making and Craft Beer

Thu, 28 Jan 2016 16:38:00 GMT

Thursday, January 28

Will your art be inspired by the hops and malts of selected craft beers? Come find out!

This month’s event will be lead by one of our own MPA faculty artists, Arthur Kwon Lee , who will fearlessly lead us through the dynamic theme of human movement inspired by Jackson Pollock abstraction. There will be paint. There will be ink. And there will be a whole lot of creativity. Of course, all harmoniously paired with four different craft beers.

Come prepared to get a little messy. In fact, better bring an old shirt or paint smock to wear because when you combine beer, paint, and Jackson Pollock, who knows what can happen!

Friday January 29

7:30-9:30 PM

$25/ person

$45/ two tickets

Must be 21yrs+

RSVP here and find the event on Facebook .

*Note FCPS schools are closed and other MPA art classes are not being held at the McLean Community Center, however, we will still be holding this Art + Crafts Workshop!

One Friday a month, our Art + Craft Workshop takes over our studio for an evening of beer tasting, art making, music, and socializing. Think “Paint and Sip,” but with beer and more artistic autonomy.

First ArtReach Program of the Year!

Wed, 20 Jan 2016 21:14:00 GMT

Wednesday, January 20th

Despite the arctic temperatures, today the gallery is warm and inviting as we eagerly await the arrival of 46 4th graders from Belvedere Elementary School. These students are the first ArtReach participants of the year and we can’t wait to get started!

Months of planning and hard work by our ArtReach Director, Sharon Fishel, and our Director of Education Programs, Christina Girardi, will finally pay off. Sharon Fishel’s favorite aspect of ArtReach is “getting to work as a team with other staff members to research and design new programming based on exciting topics in our galleries.” Christina Giraridi is especially excited to “fill the gallery with kids who may have never been in a contemporary art gallery before and to share that experience with them.” By the end of this school year, thousands of students will have joined us in our MPA galleries for innovative arts programming.

It’s 11 o’clock and the students and their teachers have arrived. It’s time to begin!

In the Atrium Gallery, Christina Girardi encourages the students to outline their own stories prompted by the themes of story telling and memory portrayed in the exhibit, “Hushed Revolt: Works by Nasrin Navab and Nahid Navab.”

In the Emerson Gallery, where “Absence and Presence: Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here” is on display, students select their favorite piece of work, draw a simple sketch, and write one word that describes the piece. The discussion that follows is especially poignant for a group of elementary school students. Inspired by their own personal stories and experiences, these students share complex interpretations of the power expression. To them, books represent knowledge, imagination, and freedom. It is clear these students are not afraid to dive into profound topics. Two students even share their knowledge of Arabic with the group and help translate a few phrases. After much discussion, students put their creativity to work constructing miniature books with designs as varied as the books in the exhibits.

Time flies and now the students must return to school with their new ideas about expression and their homemade books in hand. If the first day of ArtReach is any indication of the what’s to come, then we can continue to expect much more learning and creativity in our galleries this year.

ArtReach is McLean Project for the Arts’ highly successful annual educational outreach program for local preschool, elementary, middle, and high school students, as well as senior citizens. ArtReach programs include docent-led tours of exhibitions, after-school workshops, in-school lectures and classroom art projects, art installation workshops, program with teens at the Teen Center in McLean, parent-child workshops, and programs for students with special needs.

Today’s ArtReach programming centers on the theme that ties together all of our current exhibitions: books. In the Ramp Gallery, students encounter works of “Les Fleur de Livre: Works by Carol Barsha.” These large works of watercolor, ink, and pastel, playfully explore the role of the book as an entryway into the world, especially through nature.

New Exhibitions – Make Plans to Visit!

Wed, 06 Jan 2016 19:27:00 GMT

These new exhibitions are on view at McLean Project for the Arts through March 5, 2016.

From Absence and Presence, Anita Klein, Reading Under the Covers, linocut

Emerson Gallery : Absence and Presence:  Al Mutanabbi Street Starts Here

Artists worldwide have created work in response to the 2007 bombing of Baghdad’s historic book- selling street, exhibiting in venues all around the world as part of the Al Mutanabbi Street Starts Here project.

This exhibition features a selection of prints, broadsides and artists books from the project that commemorate this event and celebrate the free and creative exchange of ideas and knowledge everywhere. This exhibition is part of a diverse coalition of DC-area universities and arts and literary organizations taking part in the project. Other exhibition sites include the George Mason University School of Art Gallery, the Gelman Library and the Corcoran School of Art and Design at the George Washington University, the Brentwood Arts Exchange, Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, Olly Olly Gallery, and the Smithsonian American Art/Portrait Gallery Library.

Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here DC 2016

Atrium Gallery : Hushed Revolt: Works by Nasrin Navab and Nahid Navab

Sisters Nasrin and Nahid Navab have collaboratively produced this exhibition as an exploration of the social and cultural spaces they have occupied as two Iranian-Ameri- can artists. In homage to the mythological sisters Shahrezad and Shahrnavaz, Nasrin and Nahid embarked on an intimate journey of sharing their stories and creating art that captures those experiences in the form of drawings, prints, artist books, and installations. The many-textured and multi- layered array of influences and interests leading on this body of work include Persian calligraphy and miniature painting, mythology from around the world, contemporary spatial and urban experiences, and individual and communal identity.

Exhibition Announcement (PDF)

Press Release (PDF)

Ramp Gallery: Les Fleurs du Livre: New Paintings by Carol Barsha

In this exhibition, artist Carol Barsha shows paintings that playfully explore the role of the book as an entry- way into the world. Executed in a dynamic combination of mediums, including watercolor, ink, pastel, oil paint and pencil on paper, this exhibit features a series of works, both large and small, that situate the book within the landscape. In this way, the complexity and exuberance of the natural world is thereby considered along with the open territory of the imagination and the age-old practice of storytelling.

New Exhibitions Open January 14, 2016

Wed, 30 Dec 2015 20:29:00 GMT

January 14 – March 5, 2016

Reception and Gallery Talk, 7 = 9 PM, Thursday, Janurary 14

Emerson Gallery :

Absence and Presence: Al Mutanabbi Street Starts Here

Artists worldwide have created work speaking to the issue of freedom of expression in response to the 2007 bombing of Baghdad’s historic bookselling street, exhibiting in venues all around the world as part of the Al Mutanabbi Street Starts Here project.

This exhibition will feature a selection of prints, broadsides and artists books from the project that commemorate this event and celebrate the free and creative exchange of ideas and knowledge everywhere. This exhibition is part of a diverse coalition of DC-area universities and arts and literary organizations taking part in the project. Other exhibition sites include the George Mason University School of Art Gallery, the Gelman Library and the Corcoran School of Art and Design at the George Washington University, the Brentwood Arts Exchange, Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, Olly Olly Gallery, and the Smithsonian American Art/Portrait Gallery Library.

Atrium Gallery:

Hushed Revolt: Works by Nasrin Navab and Nahid Navab

This exhibition will feature explorations on the themes of time, space and social concerns by two Iranian artists, Nasrin and Nahid Navab, who are sisters. Using the opportunity of this exhibition to start a shared journey of exchanging memories, they have told each other stories in the tradition of Shahrezad and her sister Shahrnavaz, culminating in collaborative works which include drawings, prints, artist books and installations. The many-textured and multi-layered array of influences and interests leading to this work includes Persian calligraphy and miniature painting, global mythology, contemporary urban life, architecture and urban design, and individual and communal identity.

Ramp Gallery: Les Fleurs de Livre: New Paintings by Carol Barsha

In this exhibition, artist Carol Barsha shows paintings that playfully explore the role of the book as an entryway into the world. Executed in a dynamic combination of mediums, including watercolor, ink, pastel, oil paint and pencil on paper, this exhibit features a series of works, both large and small, that situate the book within the landscape. In this way, the complexity and exuberance of the natural world is thereby considered along with the open territory of the imagination and the age-old practice of storytelling.

A STEAM Victory!

Fri, 20 Nov 2015 17:37:00 GMT

Art Education had a breakthrough moment this week. U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) offered an amendment to integrate the arts into the nation’s STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs.

On November 19, Rep. Bonamici’s amendment to integrate the arts into STEM and promote a well-rounded education was approved unanimously. This amendment advances the arts in the nation’s K-12 education system with a tremendous impact. The final votes of the bill will take place the first week of December.

Learn more about STEAM education

2015 MPAartfest Artists

Mon, 28 Sep 2015 19:14:00 GMT

McLean Project for the Arts is pleased to present the outstanding artists who have been selected to participate in MPAartfest.

Visit their tents at MPAartfest from 10:00 am through 5:00 pm on Sunday, October 4th in McLean Central Park. Learn more about their work and shop for truly wonderful artwork.

Jill Banks
Michele Banks
Ann Barbieri
Barbara Bayne
Leda Black
Kathleen Brady
Laurie Breen
Steven Brehm
Mary Champion
Lisa Cimino
Jacqui Crocetta
Margaret Dickerson
Laura Edwards
Joseph English
Elissa Farrow-Savos
Chris Fedderson
Laurie Fields
Amy Flatten
Bruce Fransen
Betty Ganley
Courtney Gillen
Robert Glebe
Hilary Hachey
Kristin Herzog
Sandra Iafrate-Trivieri
Karen Jabo
Carolee Jakes
M. Jane Johnson
Wiwat Kamolpornwijit
Barbara Koffer& Sam Schmer
Trix Kuijper
Maria Paul Kyros
Julie Lansaw Warin
Joyce McCarten
Michael McConnell
Begona Morton
Linda Neel
Teresa Parent
Matthew Parker
Alison Powers
James Rehak
Loren Rosenstein
Nick Serratore
Missy Stockton
Natacha Thys
Marina Troy
Karen Watson
Brian Walker Williams
Ann Marie Williams

The post 2015 MPAartfest Artists appeared first on McLean Project for the Arts .

Join us for Soirée at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, Sunday, September 20

Sat, 29 Aug 2015 01:38:00 GMT

MPAartfest Soirée is Sunday, September 20, 2015

Make plans to join McLean Project for the Arts supporters for this truly special visual arts event!

Each year McLean Project for the Arts hosts Soirée, a fun-filled party to celebrate the visual arts and honor the artists participating in MPAartfest, this year on Sunday, October 4, 2015.

Great food, interesting company, and the exhibition of the artists’ work make Soirée one of the community’s most unique events.

Proceeds from Soirée, and its Luck of the Draw event, support MPA’s contemporary arts exhibitions, art education, and ArtReach programs.

Tickets are $250 per person and are available for purchase. Please complete RSVP form and email, fax, or mail it to MPA (instructions are on the form).

Soirée Information

For more information about Soirée, call (703) 790-1953 or email Soiree@mpaart.org

For information about business sponsorship of Soirée and MPAartfest, contact Susan Corrigan , MPA Executive Director, (703) 790-1953 or scorrigan@mpaart.org

Registration NOW Open for Winter/Spring 2016 Classes

Thu, 13 Aug 2015 00:56:00 GMT

McLean Project for the Arts is offering a wide variety of art classes — for novices through master levels. Art classes are offered for adults , teens and children .

You can now view and register for all art classes directly through MPA’s website! Registration for Winter and Spring 2016 art classes begins on Monday, December 7, 2015 for McLean Community District residents and on Monday, December 14 for all other residents.

See the Winter/Spring 2016 course offerings

MPA receives funding from Arts Council of Fairfax County

Thu, 06 Aug 2015 19:09:00 GMT

McLean Project for the Arts is proud to be one of the 17 nonprofit arts organizations in Fairfax County receiving a Project Support Grant from the Arts Council of Fairfax County , which was announced in The Washington Post today.

Project Support grants are non-recurring grants used to support arts organizations in providing activities that engage new audiences in the arts and contribute to the vibrancy and quality of life in Fairfax County. These grants do not fund operating expenses. The funding was made possible through a one-time grant from the National Endowment for the Arts .

The funds will help support the presentation a multi-media exhibition featuring works by DC-based artist and musician Robin Rose . Corresponding public performance/experiences by the artist will also be scheduled in association with the exhibition, which opens September 10, 2015 in the MPA Emerson and Atrium Galleries at McLean Project for the Arts

“The Arts Council of Fairfax County was awarded a one-time Global Arts Initiative grant from the National Endowment for the Arts which has enabled the Arts Council to reach out to Fairfax’s diverse communities, identifying over 50 new ethnic and immigrant arts organizations and programs, providing many new grants for FY16,” said Linda. S. Sullivan, president and CEO of the Arts Council of Fairfax County.

Make a Mural at the OFTC Block Party! Saturday, Aug. 22

Mon, 03 Aug 2015 11:06:00 GMT

MPA Art Class Registration Table at the Block Party

While you are at the Block Party, be sure to sign up for our Fall Art Classes for kids, teens, and adults at the MPA information table.

Collecting Used Bikes for a Cause

The Old Firehouse Teen Center also invites Block Party attendees to bring their used or outgrown bikes to be donated to Wheels to Africa onsite.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Old Firehouse Teen Center on Facebook

McLean Project for the Arts on Facebook and on Twitter

Need More Info?

For more information about McLean Project for the Arts, art classes, and MPA Artfest, visit the McLean Project for the Arts website , or call (703) 790-1953.

McLean Project for the Arts is thrilled to join the Old Firehouse Teen Center for their 25th Anniversary Block Party , Saturday, August 22nd, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The free event, held at the Old Firehouse Teen Center on 1440 Chain Bridge Road in McLean, Virginia, offers fun activities for the whole family, including live entertainment, amusements, and food concessions by McLean High School Boosters.

“Find Your Place in McLean” Mural Activity

McLean Project for the Arts staff will present an arts activity that participants of all ages will enjoy — “Find Your Place in McLean.” Attendees will be invited to pick up a paintbrush or stencil and create an image of their favorite place in McLean on a huge canvas mural. This crowd-sourced art “map” will be displayed at the Block Party and also at MPA Art Fest on Sunday, October 4. Come make your mark on the mural and show off your favorite place in McLean!

Register for Fall Family Art Workshops August 17, 24

Wed, 29 Jul 2015 18:47:00 GMT

Two Fall Family Art Workshops for you to make art — and memories — together!

Family Art Workshop – Sound Drawings: Colored Rhythms

Saturday, October 17
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
$10/family

Family Art Workshop – “New Nature” Collage Workshop (STEAM Focus: Art & Science)

Tuesday, November 17
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
$10/family

How closely do you observe the world around you? Instructor Sharon Fishel helps your family learn how to use shape, color and written words to describe what we see using our powers of scientific observation!

Bring in pictures of your favorite plants, fall leaves, and other natural materials to use in a collage you make together.

Try something different and have fun as a family! Meet for a brief, guided tour of McLean Project for the Arts exhibitions, “Scriptronics: An Art for the Future” and “Color Riffs,” then create a one-of-a-kind artwork with your family to take home.

Inspired by these exhibitions, this unique Family Art Workshop combines visual art and music! Draw to the sounds of instruments; make cool rhythms while you draw! Instructor Sharon Fishel will show you how to use crayons, watercolor paints, markers, and chalk to create fantastic artwork containing colorful, rhythmic patterns.

This workshop is geared to children four to eight years old, and their families.

Cool off at Summer Art Camp!

Mon, 20 Jul 2015 16:55:00 GMT

It’s a hot one out there…come cool off with McLean Project for the Arts and sign up for summer art camp!

It’s still not too late — art camp is in session weekly through August 14. Sign up today!

MPA Art Camp Schedule

Ages six through eight: 9:30 am – noon
Ages eight through eleven: 1 pm – 3:30 pm

Week of 7/27
Magical and Mythical Creatures (AM)
Cartooning & Claymation (PM)

Week of 8/3
The Artist Within (AM)
Drawing & Painting with Color (PM)

Week of 8/10
Outer Space Art (AM)
STEAM Week (PM)

Camp Abrakadoodle (for ages 3-6)

Offered 9:30 am – noon or 1:30 pm – 4 pm

Week of 7/27

Camp Build It : Kids are natural builders and this camp is all about building really cool stuff like sculptures, imaginative creatures and more. (AM full, PM open)

Week of 8/3

Paws, Claws and Hooves: From pets to dragons, we will have a ROAAARing camp experience! If you LOVE animals, nature and art, you will LOVE this camp! (AM and PM open)

Week of 8/10

Sporty Artists: Race on over to Abrakadoodle Sporty Artist’s Art Camp. Learn about a variety of artists that love sports and love to make art that is about sports! (AM and PM open)

New Exhibitions Open to the Public November 21

Wed, 01 Jul 2015 09:16:00 GMT

Three new exhibitions are opening at McLean Project for the Arts on Saturday, November 21. Make plans to attend the exhibitions’ opening reception on Thursday, December 3 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The exhibitions and reception are free and open to the public.

The exhibitions are on view through December 23, 2015.

Emerson Gallery : The Same but Different: Creative Morphology

A curated exhibition featuring works by Richard Dana, Susan Eder and Craig Dennis, Tom Green, and Laurel Lukaszewski who make use of the scientific processes of observing, sorting and classifying as a prelude to creating shape, structure and color. The exhibit will highlight the inherent conceptual and procedural similarities between scientific and artistic process.

Atrium Gallery : Wanderer: The Travel Journals, Works by Maria Karametou

Mixed media works based on visual observations collected while wandering in different parts of the world as a way of interpreting experience.

Ramp Gallery : McLean Art Society Juried Exhibition

Works in multiple mediums and styles by members of the McLean Art Society.

Image credit: Ephemeral Protozoa Chart, Richard Dana

MPA’s Summer 2015 Instructors

Fri, 19 Jun 2015 14:06:00 GMT

Naomi Chung will teach 3 classes this summer: Drawing into Painting for 8-12 year olds (Saturdays 10am-12:30pm), Introduction to Drawing for 16 years-adults (Thursdays 7-9:30 pm), and Painting for 16 years-adults (Saturdays 1-4pm). Naomi teaches drawing and painting at Marymount University and Montgomery College. She began teaching at MPA last fall and already has many friends and fans here. You can see her work on her website www.naomichung.net.

Sharon Fishel will teach both morning and afternoon sessions of MPA Summer Art Camp. She is our ArtReach Director and conducts workshops in schools and senior centers, and leads school tours in our galleries. Sharon completed an MFA degree from Queens College, CUNY and an MA from New York University. She was an adjunct professor at the Corcoran College of Art + Design for 11 years and at American University for 14 years. Prior to that, Sharon was Principal Instructor in the Education Department at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City for 5 years.

Paul Glenshaw will teach the afternoon sessions of MPA Summer Art Camp on Mondays and Wednesdays Weeks 3 through 8. He earned his degree in painting at Washington University in St. Louis and is a studio arts instructor for the Smithsonian Associates, a STEAM educator, author, and filmmaker. He has been a working artist for more than 30 years. You can view some of his drawings and paintings on his website www.glenshawcreative.com.

Barbara Januskiewicz will teach both morning and afternoon sessions of MPA Summer Art Camp Weeks 6 through 8. She will also teach Painting with Watercolor and Mixed Media for 16 years-adults on Mondays 7-10pm. Barbara came to MPA as an instructor from the Corcoran College of Art + Design. She has been an instructor in MPA’s Summer Art Camp, the Art League’s Summer Camp, and an art teacher in a number of elementary schools and preschools. She is an artist, filmmaker, and television producer. She has exhibited extensively throughout the Washington, DC area. See her work at www.barbaraj.info.

Theresa Martin has many friends and fans here at MPA. This summer she will be teaching two classes: Drawing Fundamentals Tuesdays 4:30-6:30 pm and Mixed Media Masterpieces on Wednesdays 4:30-6:30 pm, both for 8-12 year olds.

Tom Morris will teach Figure Drawing Wednesdays 7-10 pm. Tom was one of the original instructors placed to teach at MPA by the Corcoran College of Art + Design and he has been one of our most popular instructors. He is an adjunct professor at George Mason University. Tom completed his MFA at the University of Chicago and his work has been shown throughout the U.S. He has also exhibited through the Art in Embassies programs in Cuba, Costa Rica, and Tanzania.

Photos: Spring Benefit 2015

Mon, 18 May 2015 15:34:00 GMT

Gorgeous setting (and weather) for our annual Spring Benefit. So grateful for our generous supporters — especially our hosts, Selwa and David Rutchik and our co-chairs, Jen Graham, Kitty Dove and Maria Kelly.

Click here for MPA photos

Click here for MPA Spring Benefit Photos by Sean Shanahan
U se PW dswaak, if necessary

Meditate with David Carlson in the gallery this Wednesday!

Fri, 24 Apr 2015 14:24:00 GMT

Join us in the Emerson Gallery!

May 6, 11:30 AM: WATER MEDITATION
Water Unspoken artist David Carlson will lead a guided meditation in the gallery based on mindfulness practice.
A journey through water imagery, this will be a regenerative experience towards peace and flow.
Free and open to the public.

New Exhibitions Open Thursday, April 16!

Tue, 14 Apr 2015 18:17:00 GMT

Gallery talk and reception is Thursday, April 16, 7 – 9 PM. Free, and all are welcome!

Arts Night Out Sponsored by New Dominion Women’s Club

Tue, 07 Apr 2015 20:10:00 GMT

Friday, April 24, 7-9 p.m.
Fundraiser and Gallery Tour at MPA

Please join us for this FUN and CASUAL night out featuring appetizers, wine and desserts and a SILENT AUCTION with fabulous themed baskets

Come out and support NDWC’s local charities: McLean Project for the Arts, Share, Safe Community Coalition and Claude Moore Colonial Farm

For more information and tickets, CLICK HERE !

Click here to learn more about NWDC

Roxy Vaughn is retiring after 27 years at MPA!

Tue, 07 Apr 2015 16:52:00 GMT

McLean Project for the Arts seeks an experienced art education professional to provide quality services that will continue to enhance and expand MPA’s educational programs including classes for children and adults, workshops, summer programs and art camps, and coordination of the MPA Art Studio adult education program. The Director, Education Programs is responsible for the development and implementation of MPA’s educational programming, providing leadership and vision and ensuring that programs are consistent with MPA’s overall educational mission.

See full job description here

On Exhibit: Strictly Painting 10

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 19:05:00 GMT

Artists

1. Alattar, Lina
2. Amour, Nathaniel
3. Arkin, Sondra
4. Bonica, Dorothy
5. Braun, Greg
6. Brock, Anthony
7. Bullock, Shante
8. Cowles, Tory
9. Flick, Jeremy
10. Garner, Eric
11. Godfrey, Jane
12. Grunwell, John
13. Haden, Josephine
14. Hendrick, Jay
15. Hill, William
16. Hoover, Lillian
17. Hoysted, Jackie
18. Ilchi, Hedieh Javanshir
19. Kermes, Sanzi
20. Kirkland, JT
21. Kung, Chee-Keong
22. Leslie Nolan
23. Levi, Corwin
24. Maher, Megan
25. Marchand, Anne
26. McCulloch, Lindsay
27. Milgrom, Lillianne
28. Minah, Greg
29. Nassikas, Georgia
30. Pollock, Maryann
31. Ringwald, Marie
32. Sausele-Knodt, Jean
33. Stout, Mary Gallagher
34. Szczepaniak, Diane
35. van Helden, Silvie
36. Weiblinger, Richard Paul
37. Weiss, Michael
38. Whealin, Alice

MPA’s biannual exhibition of the best regional painting continues through August 1st, 2015

Strictly Painting is a juried exhibition of contemporary art by Mid-Atlantic regional artists.

Guest Juror

Special thanks to exhibition guest juror Vesela Sretenovic, Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Phillips Collection

Exhibition Award Winners

Marie Ringwald, Shante Bullock, Sanzi Kermes, Jean Sausele-Knodt, Tory Cowles, Liliane Milgrom, Josephine Haden, Nathaniel Amour, Chee-Keong Kung, and Corwin Levi.

Register Now for MPA Summer Art Camps!

Wed, 25 Feb 2015 11:09:00 GMT

Held in our beautiful Susan B. DuVal art studio, MPA art camps offer the ultimate in scheduling flexibility. Weekly morning or afternoon sessions feature a wide variety of artful themes that will ignite your child’s creativity!

Click here for info and registration for MPA Summer Art Camps
More art education information here.

Meet MPA’s New Executive Director, Susan Corrigan

Wed, 07 Jan 2015 20:06:00 GMT

Pictured above, Susan Corrigan with MPA Board Chair, Joe Wetzel

Click here to read the article about Susan in the Sun Gazette

The Board of Directors of the McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) is pleased to announce that Susan Corrigan has been appointed as MPA’s new Executive Director. Ms. Corrigan, a respected leader in the national and international nonprofit sector has provided her organizational development and management skills to nonprofit organizations to help improve performance, increase resources, and plan for sustained growth. Her career has included serving as the Executive Director, American Art Therapy Association, and the volunteer Board President of the Torpedo Factory Art Center, an Alexandria, Virginia community art center. From 1983 through 2005, Ms. Corrigan was the President, Founder, and Chief Executive Officer of Gifts In Kind International, the world’s leading charity in product philanthropy. Launched by Corrigan in 1983 with grant support from Lilly Endowment, Gifts In Kind International grew under her leadership to its ranking as the third largest charity in the United States with operations in more than 20 countries. She has held leadership positions at the United Way of America, Mental Health America, and the YWCA. In addition to her professional organizational development experience, Ms. Corrigan is a Carnegie Mellon University trained visual artist who began her artistic career as a filmmaker at the U. S. Department of Labor’s Media Resource Center. Ms. Corrigan continues to create art, to learn new media and to explore art galleries around the world.

Register Now for Winter Art Classes!

Thu, 18 Dec 2014 22:57:00 GMT

Art Classes for Adults
Click here for Adult Art and Interior Design Classes flyer (winter 2015)

Art Classes for Children and Teens
Click here for Children and Teen Art Classes flyer (winter 2015)
Click here for Family Art Workshop flyer (winter/spring 2015)

Open Studio/Figure Drawing
Click here for Adult Art and Interior Design Classes flyer (winter 2015)

Click here to go to class registration on the McLean Community Center website

Watch Video: Rachel Rotenberg Working on “Rayne”

Wed, 10 Dec 2014 19:53:00 GMT

Exhibition closes DEC 20. Don’t miss it!

Help Us Continue to EXHIBIT, EDUCATE and INSPIRE in 2015!

Tue, 09 Dec 2014 19:16:00 GMT

Click here for PDF of Annual Giving Letter

Click here for PDF of response form

It may be Wednesday, but you can still give!

Fri, 21 Nov 2014 18:55:00 GMT

Help MPA continue to EXHIBIT, EDUCATE AND INSPIRE in 2015!

WHAT IS #GIVINGTUESDAY ? We have a day for giving thanks. We have two for getting deals. Now, we have #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back. In its third year, #Giving Tuesday is a one-day-only on-line campaign for charitable giving. MPA is using this special event as a kick-off for our own Annual Giving campaign: “Access to art education: You can make it happen with MPA”

In 1962, when a group of local artists founded the McLean Project for the Arts, there was no gallery space for professional exhibitions of contemporary art in Northern Virginia and little arts education in the schools. More than 50 years later, MPA is the longest-serving visual arts center in the region, reaching 20,000 residents a year with exhibitions and providing educational offerings to the public and to public school students who would otherwise have limited exposure to the arts. The McLean Community Center is home to MPA’s three galleries and teaching studio, where visitors enjoy the work of both established and emerging Mid-Atlantic artists. An official partner with Fairfax County Public Schools, MPA’s signature ArtReach program serves kids at 39 different schools, including 19 Title I schools. By providing free admission to its gallery, as well as talks, school tours, and off-site arts education programs, MPA reaches at-risk students in area schools, students with developmental disabilities, and low-income seniors.

Click here to go to MPA’s special #Giving Tuesday page via the Catalogue for Philanthropy.

PS: Did we mention that MPA is honored to be accepted into the Catalogue for Philanthropy as one of the “best community based non-profits in the region”?

The post It may be Wednesday, but you can still give! appeared first on McLean Project for the Arts .

We Are Honored!

Wed, 19 Nov 2014 22:40:00 GMT

We were honored this year by the following organizations:

Selected by Virginians for the Arts and the Dominion Foundation as a 2014 Dominion ArtStars Awards winner in the Regional Shining Star – Northern VA category

Accepted into the Catalogue of Philanthropy: Greater Washington as one of the best community-based nonprofit organizations in the region.

Received the Fairfax County Public Schools Blue Ribbon Community Partner award, the highest award for nonprofit partners.

The post We Are Honored! appeared first on McLean Project for the Arts .

JUST ANNOUNCED! DEC 2 Lecture & Lunch with Rachel Rotenberg

Tue, 18 Nov 2014 20:04:00 GMT

Tuesday, DEC 2, Noon – 1 PM
Join us in the Emerson Gallery for a lecture by exhibiting artist Rachel Rotenberg. Rotenberg’s sculptures are imposing yet warm and her methods of creating them are intriguing. A light lunch will be provided during the talk. A $5 donation to MPA is greatly appreciated.
Please RSVP to info@mpaart.org

Exhibitions Open Through DEC 20

Thu, 30 Oct 2014 02:18:00 GMT

November 6 – December 20, 2014

Reception and Gallery Talk, 7 – 9 PM, November 6

Emerson Gallery: Sculpture by Rachel Rotenberg
Rachel Rotenberg’s sculptures beautifully encompass a myriad of contradictory forces. Monolithic and strong in bearing, they are created organically and intuitively from wood and other natural materials. Imposing and warm at the same time, each piece stands firm and true to its own form, yet also winds and twists to follow unexpected turns that lead to secret and surprising interior spaces. Abstract, yet echoing the fundamental familiarity of nature, these human- scale works exude a confidence and clarity that gives them a naturalistic yet distinct authority.

Atrium Gallery: Remember Me as I Was: Paintings by Ryan Carr Johnson
Maryland artist Ryan Carr Johnson makes paintings that live in the intersection between surface and shape. Created by building layer upon layer of paint, one on top of another, through a slow and time-consuming process, the paintings become evolutionary versions of their original selves. Time is an active component, both in the creation and in the visceral experience instinctually understood by the viewer. Color, or the lack thereof, is added to the mix, furthering the visual understanding of the artists’ process.

Ramp Gallery: Cheap Heat: New Work by JD Deardourff
Deriving both imagery and energy from the world of comic books, JD Deardourff creates explosive collaged silk-screen prints that burst into space with uncommon exuberance. Abstracted space is constructed through drawing together visual fragments with color. Works that humm with movement and draw the viewer into an open storyline are the end result.

Click to read articles in
The McLean Connection (page 8)
Viva Tysons Magazine
The Sun Gazette (inside NoVa)

TONIGHT!! VMFA Forbidden City Talk

Mon, 20 Oct 2014 17:49:00 GMT

Space is limited to 100 and going fast – reserve your space today!

Forbidden City: Imperial Treasures from the Palace Museum, Beijing

Monday, OCT 27, 7 PM
McLean Community Center, Community Hall
1234 Ingleside Avenue, McLean

Reservations required, Limited to first 100 people
Suggested donation $10
Please contact Sandy Treanor for your reservation: streanor@mpaart.org or 703-790-1953

A slide/lecture by Lulan Yu, Adult Programs Coordinator of The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts will discuss this major exhibition now open at the VMFA in Richmond.

“Forbidden City: Imperial Treasures from the Palace Museum, Beijing will present nearly 200 works of art drawn from the collection of the Palace Museum. Featured works include paintings, sculptures, costumes, furniture, gold and silver, jade, lacquer, and other decorative arts. These artworks represent the imperial collection from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties with a focus on the mid-Qing dynasty. In addition, the exhibition features a number of works drawn from VMFA’s collection. Forbidden City addresses how Qing rulers incorporated their Manchu nomadic traditions, adopted cultural elements from ethnic groups, and endeavored to create a diverse government and maintain societal harmony” – Virginia Museum of Fine Art

Click here for information on the Forbidden City exhibition at the VMFA

Two Art Talks in OCT at MPA

Thu, 09 Oct 2014 14:21:00 GMT

Carmon Colangelo, Visiting Artist at George Mason University to speak at MPA

Psychogeographies: Jack Kerouac, Sputnik & Disney World
Wednesday, OCT 15, 7 PM
MPA’s Emerson Gallery
FREE

Forbidden City: Imperial Treasures from the Palace Museum, Beijing

Monday, OCT 27, 7 PM
McLean Community Center, Community Hall
1234 Ingleside Avenue, McLean

Reservations required, Limited to first 100 people
Suggested donation $10
Please contact Sandy Treanor for your reservation: streanor@mpaart.org or 703-790-1953

Click here for information on the Forbidden City exhibition at the VMFA

A widely exhibited artist known for large mixed-media prints that combine digital and traditional processes, Carmon Colangelo’s work has been featured in more than 20 solo shows and dozens of group exhibitions in Argentina, Canada, England, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and across the United States. His work has been collected by many of the nation’s leading museums, including the National Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C., the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University, and the Saint Louis Art Museum.

Colangelo is featured as the eighth residency artist in the series of the George Mason University School of Art’s Distinguished Visiting Artist for the Navigation Press Printmaking Program. The Friends of Art at George Mason University have generously supported the residency series affording students the opportunity to work with artists of national reputation at Navigation Press. Through lectures, exhibits, critiques and workshops the students and invited community learn from contemporary masters.

A slide/lecture by Lulan Yu, Adult Programs Coordinator of The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts will discuss this major exhibition now open at the VMFA in Richmond.

MPAartfest Pictures and Thank Yous!

Tue, 07 Oct 2014 19:12:00 GMT

What a fantastic day: gorgeous fall weather, talented artists, rockin’ musical groups, dee-lishus food, wine and beer, and a chance to be creative yourself! MPAartfest is a blast – even if we do say so ourselves.

Click here to see all the pictures (or LIKE our facebook page)

Thank you, thank you, thank you to our artists, sponsors, musicians, vendors and to all thousands of you who came.

EVENT PARTNER
Fairfax County Park Authority
McLean Community Center

EVENT CO-SPONSOR
Capital One
McLean Community Foundation

CHAIRMAN
The New York Community Trust – Wallace Special Projects Fund
TTR Sotheby’s International Realty
Windows Catering Company, Julie & Andrew Gerstel

LEADERSHIP
Cortina Productions
Dominion
HITT Contracting, Inc.
Seward & Kissel LLP-Laura & Paul Miller
Venable

MAJOR BENEFACTOR
495 Express Lanes
Barclays, John Vogt
Deirdre J. Maull, DMD, MS
Lola C. Reinsch for Dorchester Apartments and Dorchester Towers on Columbia Pike, Arlington
J. Gilbert’s
McLean Properties, LLC
PNC Financial Services Group
Ellen Yanuck Rosenblum / Prime Staffing, Inc.
RedPeg Marketing
The JBG Companies ®
Bill DuBose, Vintage Wealth
Wells Fargo

BENEFACTOR
Axiom Consulting Partners
Montessori School of McLean
New Dominion Women’s Club
Scott Ramminger and the Crawstickers

PATRON
Bank of Georgetown
BOWA
Anne DiBenedetto, Washington Fine Properties
The Kalis Companies
Monarch Title, Inc.
Gregory Polk -TE Connectivity
Woman’s Club of McLean

SPONSORS
Citizen Creative
Pat & Lexa Reuter of Compass, Inc.
Cox Business Services
Harrison Design
Interstate Worldwide Relocation Services
Metro 29 Diner
PartnerMD
Renewal By Andersen
Your Retirement Pathfinder

Individual Donors

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE
Howard Forman
Frances Sells Grimes
Marcia MacArthur
Alice & Ken Starr
Susan & John Ulfelder
Leslie Willard

MAJOR BENEFACTOR
Jean Baderschneider & Pat MacArevey
Dan D. Cameron Family Foundation, Charlotte Cameron & John Marshall
Catherine Day & Joe Wetzel
Lee & Peter DiCenso
Karen & Dan DuVal
Ann & David Flanagan
Sylvia Garfinkle & Kevin B. Huff
Lorna & David Gladstone
Anne & Mark Hansen
Arezu & Ed Ingle
Debbie & Leo Jardot
Leslie Kerman & Jeff Bialos
Bari & Keith Levingston
Sophia Lynn & David Frederick
Mary & Gary Monferdini
Georgia & John Nassikas
Debbie & Robert Penenburgh
Louise Nelson & David Smith
Michelle & Chris Olson
Tricia & Chad Quinn
Angela Santini & William Sullivan
Jean Schiro-Zavela & Vance Zavela
Sally & John Simms
Sylvija Strikis & Miguel Browne
Dr. & Mrs. Robert Wallace
Julie Lansaw Warin & F. Joseph Warin
Lori & Ken Wiseman
Jill & Paul Young

BENEFACTOR
Colin Atkins
Elizabeth & Robert Huffman
Anne Kanter
Charlotte & Bob Kettler
Devereux & James Socas

PATRON
Martin V. Bloom
Lynda & Tom Campbell
Ashley & Alan Dabbiere
Ann & Matt Desch
Mary & Lou Fisher
Ann & Jeff Goettman
Kitty & Juan Pablo Gonzalez
Anjali & Arun Gupta
Drs. Gary G. Kaihara & Benjamin O. Watkins
Kathy & Ken Kies
Margaret & Paul Kincheloe
Kathleen & Dan Knise
Candace Kovacic-Fleischer & Walter Fleischer
Marlene & Fred Malek
Anne Marie & Jerry Marenburg
Michele & Doug McCormick
Laura & Kevin Miller
Lynne & Greg O’Brien
Kim Clark Pakstys & Christopher Pakstys
Nancy & Steve Perry
W. Russell & Norma Ramsey Foundation
Selwa Masri Rutchik & David Rutchik
Ann Seaman Szwarckop
The Honorable Margaret Vanderhye & Robert Vanderhye
Desi & Clyde Woltman

SPONSORS
Charles M. Brock, Jr and the Brock Family – In Honor of Nancy Perry’s many years of service to MPA
Pamela & David Danner

MPA is a Regional Shining Star!

Tue, 07 Oct 2014 15:52:00 GMT

The Virginians for the Arts and Dominion have announced that MPA is one of five Regional Shining Stars for 2014! On Sunday, October 5 at MPAartfest, Tim Sargeant with Dominion and Linda Sullivan, President and CEO of the Arts Council of Fairfax County and a member of the Board of Directors of Virginians for the Arts presented MPA with this prestigious award and a check for $5000.

These awards “celebrate arts and education in the community, recognizing arts organizations that best demonstrate and advance the synergy of arts and education. These awards emphasize the contributions of arts organizations through their partnership and collaboration with schools across the Commonwealth.”

In photo: Krista Vita, MPA Development Director; Tim Sargeant, Dominion; Bill DuBose, Chair, MPA Board of Directors; Linda Sullivan, President and CEO of the Arts Council of Fairfax County.

Watch MPA in Action!

Wed, 24 Sep 2014 18:42:00 GMT

The post Watch MPA in Action! appeared first on McLean Project for the Arts.

Volunteers Needed on OCT 5!

Tue, 23 Sep 2014 12:56:00 GMT

Volunteer at MPAartfest — Do Good AND Have Fun! (It really is the best gig in town!)

Click here for the link to select duties and times

MPA Executive Director Position Available

Wed, 10 Sep 2014 19:36:00 GMT

Click here for PDF version

McLean Project for the Arts

Executive Director

Position Description:

McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) has an immediate need for an innovative, strategic leader with a demonstrated record of success in the not-for-profit world to serve as its Executive Director. The Executive Director will lead and grow the organization at a time of tremendous excitement and momentum in the DC metropolitan area’s burgeoning art scene.

MPA is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) visual arts center founded in 1962 with a mission to exhibit the work of emerging and established artists from the mid-Atlantic region; to promote public awareness and understanding of the concepts of contemporary art; and to offer instruction and education in the visual arts. MPA enriches a community hungry for high quality visual arts by providing museum quality exhibitions and creating a cultural destination. MPA’s beautiful 2,000 square foot Emerson Gallery provides one of the few spaces available in the DC metropolitan region for large sculpture and installations. MPA offers a wide variety of professionally taught art classes for adults, teens and children including Family Art Workshops, artist talks and workshops, and tours to area museums and galleries. MPA’s award winning ArtReach program takes art instruction into Fairfax County Public Schools and senior centers, and brings students, seniors, and those with special needs into our galleries for exhibition tours and hands-on art activities. MPA currently has a staff of 10 full and part-time professionals, hundreds of volunteers, an annual operating budget of approximately $800,000. MPA also benefits from an actively engaged Board of Directors comprised of community members, business leaders and arts professionals.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will be responsible for the organization’s achievement of its mission through innovative strategies in fundraising and programming. The Executive Director will ensure that the financial, administrative, and operational activities of MPA, including its galleries and studio, function at the highest levels and in accordance with the organization’s mission and values.

The Executive Director of MPA will be expected to maintain a strong, visible presence in the community, strengthen current funding relationships and develop new, diverse sources of funds that ensure the organization will achieve sustainable growth and financial stability. This position offers the opportunity for an entrepreneurial leader to have a true impact on the DC area’s cultural landscape while ensuring that MPA will be a national leader in its field.

Requirements:

A minimum of five years experience as a non-profit executive with fundraising and management responsibility.
Demonstrated success in fundraising with foundations, corporations, government entities and individuals.
Knowledge of, or keen interest in, the visual arts.

Familiarity with the Washington D.C. metropolitan area including potential funding sources in the market.
Strong organizational skills and the ability to leverage limited resources through effective delegation in order to manage multiple, competing priorities.
A creative, innovative, and strategic thinker with extraordinary interpersonal skills who enjoys building relationships across stakeholder groups.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.

Able to create and lead a vibrant team environment with staff, Board and other stakeholders to achieve organizational objectives.
Desire to participate actively in MPA’s lively schedule of activities and events weekdays, evenings and weekends.
Bachelor’s Degree

Compensation:
This is a full time, on-site position. Compensation in the range of $55,000 – 70,000, depending on the qualifications and experience of the candidate.

Applications:
Please send letter, resume and references to:
Executive Director Search Committee
jobs@mpaart.org

McLean Project for the Arts is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values workplace diversity.

Website: www.mpaart.org

How to get a free MPA membership this Sunday!

Mon, 14 Jul 2014 12:57:00 GMT

#1 Bring the MPAartfest ad to the galleries on Sunday! (There is no #2 because it is that easy!)

Just bring the ad (or a copy of the ad — link below — see how easy we make it?) to the MPA galleries or the info tent at MPAartfest and receive a basic MPA membership good for one year! If you’d like to join at a higher level, just take $25 off.

MPAartfest newspaper ad (Connection Newspapers – McLean, Arlington, Great Falls and Vienna editions w/o 9/23; Sun Gazette — McLean edition w/o 9/30)

MPA basic memberships make great gifts — and on MPAartfest Sunday it won’t cost you a penny! Click here for more info on MPA memberships

Click here for your printable MPAartfest brochure!

MPAartfest is McLean’s much-loved outdoor arts festival held in McLean Central Park. Featuring art, art activities, music, food and wine, MPAartfest is a day of fun (and culture!) for the whole family. Make sure you visit our MPAartfest webpage for all the latest updates!

Congratulations to all our new and returning MPAartfest artists!
Click on each name to be taken to the website.

Jill Banks , oil painting
Michele Banks , water color and collage
Ann Barbieri , acrylic and collage (mixed)
Nancy Bass , oil painting
Barbara Bayne , jewelry
Saya Behnam , painting
Ray Bogle , clay and ceramics
Amy Browning-Dill , watercolor and acrylic on glass
Cynthia Burke , oil
Mary Champion , oil
Lisa Cimino , jewelry
Charlene Clark , oil
Donna Clark , oil
Andrea Cybyk , acrylic and mixed media painting
Meg Dickerson , clay
Julia Dzikiewicz , encaustic
Joseph Craig English , laquer stencil serigraph
Mary Exline , oil on linen/acrylic on canvas
Laurie Fields , 2D mixed media
Amy Flatten , acrylic on paper
Elizabeth Floyd , oil
Bruce Fransen , wood
Courtney Gillen , jewelry
Robert Glebe , metal
Hilary Hachey , jewelry
Arlie Hammons , UV-cured ink on mylar
Carol Huddleston , Archival Pigment Printed Photography
Sandra Iafrate , oil, acrylic mixed media
Carolee Jakes , hand pulled prints: screenprints, etchings, monographs
M. Jane Johnson , mixed media painting
Kim Jones , metal
Kadri Kallikorm-Rhodes , digital painting and printmaking
Ben Keys , painting
Barbara Koffer and Sam Schmer , fused glass
Maria Kyros , jewelry
Julie Lansaw , acrylic and oil
Christiane Lavin, oil
Allen Levy , painting
Linda Lorndale , jewelry
Mike McConnell , acrylic on panels and wax oil crayon and ink on paper
Mary Ellen Mogee , acrylic and mixed media
Begona Morton , oil on linen and acrylic on canvas
Susan Moskow , acrylic on canvas
Matthew Parker , photo collage
Jenny Reeves , oil
Jim Rehak , acrylic, drawing, watercolor
Connie Slack , painting
Austin Titus , jewelry
Marina Troy , acrylic on canvas
Karen Watson , mixed media

The post How to get a free MPA membership this Sunday! appeared first on McLean Project for the Arts .

MPA Receives FCPS Blue Ribbon Award

Sun, 01 Jun 2014 18:16:00 GMT

On May 29, McLean Project for the Arts received the Fairfax County Public Schools Blue Ribbon Community Partner award (its highest award for nonprofit partners) for our work with the schools! We were presented the award by the Karen Garza, the Superintendent of Schools; Ed Long, the County Executive; Jay Garant, FCPS Community Partner office and Patti Stevens, County’s Office of Public Private Partnership office. Janie Strauss, FCPS board member, George Sachs, MCC Executive Director, and Chad Quinn, Chair of MCC Governing Board, were there to accept the award along with MPA ArtReach Director Sharon Fishel, MPA Development Director Krista Vita and MPA Executive Director Nancy Perry.

MPA takes our ArtReach program into the schools reaching every member of the student body, including special education students. Our resident artist in the schools focuses on special programs and extended learning activities. January through March, MPA also features docent-led gallery tours for elementary school students, including hands-on art activities. Both in-school and in-gallery programs demonstrate art principles and incorporate many of the concepts included in the SOLs. We provide free bus transportation to MPA’s galleries to Title 1 schools, schools designated by Fairfax County Public Schools as “at-risk” schools with large numbers of English as second language students or students who qualify for free or reduced lunches. Click here to learn more about MPA’s ArtReach program

L to R: FCPS board member Janie Strauss, MPA ArtReach Director Sharon Fishel, MPA Executive Director Nancy Perry and MPA Development Director Krista Vita

Adult Art Classes at MPA!

Mon, 19 May 2014 16:51:00 GMT

For example…Drawing Studio
For both beginners and experienced students seeking to improve their skills. Using a variety of media, you will learn to draw the clothed figure, still life, and subjects of your own choice. View Adult Art Classes here.

TONIGHT! The Phillips Collection Art Talk: Made in the USA at The Alden

Mon, 19 May 2014 10:05:00 GMT

RSVPs are a must! Click here for your free ticket via Eventbrite . MPA greatly appreciates your $10 donation at the door.
Tickets are general admission. Doors will open at 6:30 PM

McLean Project for the Arts and The Alden will welcome Dr. Susan Behrends Frank, the curator of Made in the USA at 7:00 pm in The Alden theatre. Dr. Frank will give a presentation on Made in the USA, American Masters from The Phillips Collection, 1850-1970 , currently on exhibit at The Phillips Collection from March 1 – August 31, 2014.

RSVPs are a must! Click here for your free ticket via Eventbrite . MPA greatly appreciates your $10 donation at the door.
Tickets are general admission. Doors will open at 6:30 PM

For ADA accommodations for this event, please email evelyn.verdon@fairfaxcounty.gov by June 1.

Made in the USA is the most comprehensive on-site installation of The Phillips’s American collection ever undertaken; it follows the success of a major touring exhibition of 100 of the museum’s American masterworks. From 2010 to 2013, that exhibition traveled to Italy, Spain, and Japan, then to Nashville, Fort Worth, and Tampa, and was seen by more than 300,000 people. This expanded version of that presents a thematic journey that reveals the breadth of America’s modernist vision. The collection presents the rich diversity and multiplicity of voices assembled by Phillips, who relied on his eye for good work, distinctive talent, and great promise.

The Phillips Collection has celebrated American art and artists since it opened to the public in 1921 as America’s first museum dedicated to modern art. From the outset, museum founder Duncan Phillips intended that this gallery in the nation’s capital was to be a champion for the country’s artists. He devoted his life to finding, fostering, and collecting the very best of American art, particularly the work of living artists guided by their individual visions, rather than by popular trends.

Opening Thursday, June 12th!

Sun, 18 May 2014 12:30:00 GMT

Transformations: From One Thing to Another

Opening Reception and Gallery Talk is this Thursday, June 12, 7 – 9 PM
The exhibition runs through August 2
Emerson and Atrium Galleries
A juried exhibition of Mid-Atlantic artists exploring the theme of transformation.
Juror: Jack Rasmussen, Director and Curator of the American University Museum at the Katzen Center, Washington, DC

Artists selected for Transformations: From One Thing to Another:

Karin Birch
Nancy Bruce
Sabine Carlson
Travis Childers
Paul Daniel
Linda DePalma
Debra Diamond
Dorothy Fall
Jo Fleming
Stephanie George
Gordana Gerskovic_
Kurt Godwin
Bill Hill
Rebecca Kamen and Peggy Feerick
Barb Januszkiewicz
Angelika Kirkland
George Kochev
Kate Kretz
Chee Kung
Dalya Luttwak
Megan Maher
Timothy Makepeace
Mike McConnell
Betsy Packard
Matthew Pinney
Marie Ringwald
Jo Smail
Karen Spierling
Kathy Stratton
Alex Tolstoy
John Williams
Andrew Wodzianski

McLean Project for the Arts Student Exhibition
Ramp Gallery
Exhibition featuring works by adult student artists who have taken classes at MPA during

MPAartfest Entries Due TODAY, May 12

Mon, 12 May 2014 13:20:00 GMT

Hurry! MPAartfest Entries are due TODAY, May 12!

We’ve gone digital! Artists’ call for entries this year is at Submittable.com.

Sponsor an Artist Tent at MPAartfest!

Thu, 24 Apr 2014 18:12:00 GMT

PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!
AF14 - Tent - Sponsor - Form - KV

Inside/Outside Architectural Constructions Family Art Workshop, JUN 14

Wed, 23 Apr 2014 18:22:00 GMT

Do you like to make models? We will create our own architectural models of futuristic cities, using cardboard, special papers and cellophane. We will identify basic geometric shapes and tour the exhibition Transformations:From One Thing to Another for exciting sculptural ideas. 4-8 years with a parent. Saturday, June 14, 10-11:30 AM

Family Art Workshop: Painting & Drawing Under the Trees on May 3

Mon, 14 Apr 2014 12:54:00 GMT

May 3, 10:00 – 11:30 am
For ages 4–8
Join us on a field trip outside the McLean Community Center and find your special landscape spot. Make a drawing that tells us a story about what you see around you. What parts of the landscape do you notice most? We will take drawing boards, colored pencils, paper and watercolors outside with us after looking at the dramatic drawings of the landscape by Elzbieta Sikorska for inspiration.
#6503.314 $10 per family

Spring Benefit on May 15th! Buy your tickets here.

Sun, 13 Apr 2014 23:31:00 GMT

Thank you for your generous support! The ever-popular annual MPA Spring Benefit is the centerpiece of MPA’s 2014 growth! Join us to see what’s in bloom for MPA this year. Please note that advanced reservations are required. For more info, please contact us at 703-790-1953 or email eface@mpaart.org.

Click here for your invitation

The party is awesome, but what really counts is how your ticket and sponsorship purchases help MPA.
Here are just a few ways your support helps:

$300 provides a an after-school workshop for 25 school children
$750 provides 100 school children an interactive tour of the MPA galleries and lessons linked to the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs)
$1,500 provides 10, 3-hour sessions of in-school art education linked to Science
$2000 provides 5, 2-hour workshops for 20 low-moderated income seniors and/or developmentally disabled adults
$2,500 pays for 8 buses to bring 480 “at-risk” students to MPA’s galleries
$5,000 supports MPA exhibitions and ArtReach curriculum development linked to the Virginia SOLs

Click links below to see photos from MPA Spring Benefit 2013

Spring Benefit 2013: MPA on Smug Mug

Spring Benefit 2013 Photos by Shanahan Photography

More information about how you can support MPA.

Don’t Cook Dinner!

Mon, 07 Apr 2014 12:11:00 GMT

Dine in OR Carry out and MPA receives 70% of your bill!

If you are a little hesitant about coming alone, don’t be! We will have a big MPA table just for fun people like you!

Bring a copy of this with you to Pucinella’s Tuesday night.

Learn Something New! Register Now for MPA’s Fall Art Classes

Fri, 04 Apr 2014 14:33:00 GMT

Registration for MPA art classes begins Monday, August 18 for McLean Tax District Residents and Monday, August 25 for all others.

McLean Project for the Arts offers a wide variety of professionally taught art classes for adults, teens and children including Family Art Workshops, artist talks and workshops, and tours to area museums and galleries. Classes and workshops are held in our beautiful Susan B. DuVal Studio. See below for links to class listings.

While the McLean Community Center’s website is temporarily down,

please click here for all class information and registration

Abrakadoodle Cl asses

Art Classes for Adults

Art Classes for Teens

Art Classes for Y outh

Open Studio/Figure Drawing
Click here for Open Studio Fall Flyer (PDF)

5 Great, Easy Ways to Help Keep MPAartfest a Free Event!

Tue, 04 Mar 2014 15:27:00 GMT

Please note: Information coming soon about MPAartfest 2015!

1. MPAartfest Soirée! Tuesday, September 23, 2014, 7 – 9 PM

Help support McLean’s much loved MPAartfest by sponsoring MPAartfest and/or buying tickets to the MPAartfest Soirée.

Buy your tickets here!

For more information about MPAartfest Soirée please contact Sandy Treanor 703-790-1953 / streanor@mpaart.org

2. MPAartfest Corporate and Community Sponsorships

Click here to learn about and purchase sponsorships

Click here for the MPAartfest Sponsorship form (pdf)

For information about MPAartfest sponsorships please contact Krista Vita
703-790-1953 / kvita@mpaart.org

3. Sponsor an Artist Tent

#4 Volunteer at MPAartfest — Do Good AND Have Fun!

Click here for the link to select duties and times

And Last, But Not Least:

#5 Come to MPAartfest on Sunday, OCT 5, 2014, 10 – 5 — We’d Love to See You!

A $5 donation at MPAartfest

Click here for other ways to support McLean Project for the Arts

Pay Pal - The safer, easier way to pay online!

SURPRISE!! Exhibitions open through tonight!

Sat, 01 Mar 2014 19:04:00 GMT

Click here for complete exhibitions information

Emerson Gallery:
Voyage of Discovery: Michele Banks, Jessica Beels and Ellyn Weiss

Atrium Gallery:
alienweeds: Works by Patterson Clark

Ramp Gallery:
Intimate Feasts: Paintings by Sally Kauffman

McLean Project for the Arts

Call for Submissions: MPAartfest 2020

MPA Spring Benefit 2020: Meet Our Co-Chairs

Call for Submissions: MPAartfest 2019

Call for Submissions: MPAartfest 2018

Call for Entries: “Too Much of Too Much”

MPA Announces “Methods of Inquiry” Exhibition Opening

MPA to Feature Site-Specific Dance Performance, Panel Discussion

MPA Receives NEA Grant to Support Upcoming Exhibition

Call for Submissions: “MPA Classworks Exhibition”

“Strictly Painting 11” Opens June 15, Continuing Decades-Long Tradition

Call for Entries: MPAartfest 2017

Call for Entries: Strictly Painting 11

MPA Receives Dominion ArtStars Grant to Support Arts Education

Kehinde Wiley: Impressions of an Artist by Karen Getty of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Calling MPA Art Students: MPA ClassWorks Exhibition

Art Classes for Adults: Spring and Summer 2016

Abrakadoodle Classes Summer 2016

Young Rembrandts Drawing Classes

Explore and Register for Upcoming Events

MPA Art Classes for Kids

Drawing Fundamentals: Spring Session

New Title

To The Drawing Board!

See also: Young Rembrandts ® Cartooning

See also: MPA Summer Camps

Art Classes for Kids @ MPA

Call for Entries – MPAartfest 2016

Click here to learn more about how you could be a featured artist at this year’s MPAartfest!

Spring Break at McLean Project for the Arts

1. New! Artistic Engineering | On Student Holiday, Friday April 22

2. Transform Your Room: Design Basics | During FCPS Spring Break

3. Spring Break Art Camp with Abrakadoodle | Monday – Friday, March 21 – 25

This Friday: Art + Crafts Event with Helen Frederick

Art + Crafts: Artist Talk & Craft Beer | May

Papel Amate: Making Paper in Mexico | A Talk by Helen Frederick

Spring Art Classes – Sign up today!

Youth Classes

Adults – Drawing

Adults – Painting

Adults – Design and More…

Rodin: Studio of a Genius – March 24th

Thursday, March 24, 7pm

3 Reasons YOU Should Become an MPA Member

Camp Abrakadoodle 2016

Sign Up for Summer 2016 Art Camp!

Summer at McLean Project for the Arts

Young Rembrandts Drawing Camp 2016

Young Rembrandts Mini Arts @ MPA 2016

Vosler Young Artists’ Studio at McLean Project for the Arts

MPA Teens 2016

New this Summer! – Just for Teens | Afternoon Sessions 1 – 4 pm | For ages 12 – 16 years

Exploratory Sketchbook

Art Fusion

Vosler Young Artists’ Studio at McLean Project for the Arts

Schedule

MPA Art Camp 2016

Art + Crafts: Art Making and Craft Beer

First ArtReach Program of the Year!

New Exhibitions – Make Plans to Visit!

New Exhibitions Open January 14, 2016

A STEAM Victory!

2015 MPAartfest Artists

Join us for Soirée at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, Sunday, September 20

MPAartfest Soirée is Sunday, September 20, 2015

Registration NOW Open for Winter/Spring 2016 Classes

See the Winter/Spring 2016 course offerings

MPA receives funding from Arts Council of Fairfax County

Make a Mural at the OFTC Block Party! Saturday, Aug. 22

MPA Art Class Registration Table at the Block Party

Collecting Used Bikes for a Cause

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Need More Info?

“Find Your Place in McLean” Mural Activity

Register for Fall Family Art Workshops August 17, 24

Two Fall Family Art Workshops for you to make art — and memories — together!

Family Art Workshop – Sound Drawings: Colored Rhythms

Family Art Workshop – “New Nature” Collage Workshop (STEAM Focus: Art & Science)

Cool off at Summer Art Camp!

New Exhibitions Open to the Public November 21