A study in concentration, Pat Neuman adds finishing touches to a pastel work subsequently juried into the show. In all, more than 100 local artists are members of Great Falls Studios. The group has helped define Great Falls as a center of creativity in Fairfax County, with numerous shows, tours and other events. Photo by Dean Souleles
“A Sea of Sticks and Stones,” a juried exhibition of artworks by 34 members of Great Falls Studios, opens Sept. 3 at the U.S. Geological Survey National Center, taking the creative energy of Great Falls artists to neighboring Reston and awarding them $1,000 in prizes in the process.
“Great Falls Studios is a consortium of more than 100 artists who live or work in Great Falls,” says Robin Kent, the group’s president. “Over the past 11 years, we’ve established our village as an important center of creativity in Fairfax County, and this unusual exhibition further transports our artistic talents beyond the borders of our community. For us, this is a breakthrough event to help define our impact in the D.C.-area art world.”
The exhibition runs through Sept. 29 and includes an opening reception, free to the public, on Friday, Sept. 5, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the U.S. Geological Survey National Center, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive in Reston. Regular exhibit hours at the facility are 8 to 5 Monday through Friday. Visitors should go to Art Hall, adjacent to the Visitors Center. They must bring photo identification and pass through a metal detector. No packages or laptops are allowed.
The U.S. Geological Survey is a Federal scientific agency that monitors ecosystems and the environment, including natural hazards, such as earthquakes, that threaten people. The exhibit mirrors the agency’s interests and includes creations that are made of sticks or stones, or depict them or other natural subjects reflecting the Geological Survey’s mission.
“We’re thrilled with the quality of work and the variety of mediums represented,” says Silvia Gonzalez Roman, a photographer who served as co-chairman of the event and helped to organize it. “There are 87 pieces on display including paintings, photography, fiber arts, pottery, sculpture and jewelry. Each represents a distinct interpretation of the theme, from stark realism to three-dimensional abstraction.”
THE SHOW was juried by Walt Bartman, founder of the Yellow Barn Studio and Gallery at Glen Echo, Md., who picked a selection of top works consistent with the exhibit’s title. As a painter best-known for landscapes and figure drawings, Bartman has taught more than 9,000 students at the Yellow Barn facility, which operates in cooperation with the National Park Service and The Glen Echo Partnership for Arts & Culture.
Bartman will be on hand at the Geological Service reception to explain his selections and help to announce winners of nine cash prizes for top works in the exhibition. He will be speaking at 5:30 during the reception. The prizes are $300 for “Best of Show,” with second and third prizes of $150 and $100 respectively and four “Honorable Mentions” of $50 each, plus $150 for “Best Interpretation of Theme,” and $100 for “Viewers’ Choice.”
“This is the first juried exhibit held by Great Falls Studios outside of Great Falls, and it helps to raise the bar for Great Falls artists, whose work has improved markedly since the organization was founded,” says Dorry Emmer, a quilter, who served as the other co-chair of the exhibit. “It is yet another Great Falls Studios event to increase the professionalism of local artists and to help build an audience for their work.”
GREAT FALLS STUDIOS was founded in 2003 by four local artists in Great Falls, led by potter Laura Nichols, and has grown dramatically since, often partnering with other Great Falls groups and businesses, as well as local schools, to advance the visual arts in the community. It manages exhibits at local venues, runs a website that includes a themed virtual exhibit that changes monthly, and sponsors annual art sales, including one last year at the Barns of Wolf Trap and another in tents at the Great Falls Village Green. Its signature event is an annual Studio Tour each October, which, to date, has generated nearly 30,000 visits to home studios of Great Falls artists. This year’s tour is October 17-19. The group’s website is: www.GreatFallsStudios.com.