The 25 students in grades six through eight came to Open Space Arts at Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center on Wednesday, January 10. According to a press release from the art house, the students came to Woodbridge as part of their curriculum of growth, development, and a flourishing of their innate artistic talents in the New Year.”
“…Open Space Arts seeks to provide an inclusive environment for students to participate in enriching art events, fostering a widespread appreciation and engagement in the arts among our local youth,” states the release.
The students viewed the “Art, Literally” exhibition, which features contemporary multimedia artwork where the art house encouraged artists to challenge and push the boundaries of their artistic expression in their mediums of choice. The result is a colorful mix of abstract work and displays of certain personalities, such as Marilyn Monroe, painted on canvas.
Prince William Arts Council Chairwoman Alice Mergler spoke about valuing and developing their creative abilities.
The students who attended the field trip on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, are in grades six through eight. More field trips to the art house like this one are scheduled for schools in Manassas, Gainesville, and Woodbridge.
Open Space Arts is a multi-discipline arts center showcasing local creativity of all forms, from 30-day exhibitions to art installations, cultural shows, live performances, and programs, and is located at Stonebridge Shopping Center, between Ulta and Loft.
The center is funded, in part, by the Prince William County Government, which provided $193,000 for nonprofit arts organizations last year.
The show will be on display from February 1 – February 26, 2023, at the Open Space Arts Gallery at Stonebridge in Potomac Town Center. The exhibition is meant to showcase artwork surrounding African American Heritage, life, culture, and experiences.
Artists are invited to showcase how they would interpret different creative works in music, poetry, and monologues from different historical figures. All mediums are welcome based on the subject matter and historical figures named in the descriptive information below. All mediums of visual art are welcome. The collection selected for display will be curated by the Arts Recreation Specialist of Prince William County, Herb Williams.
The submission period closes Monday, January 16, 2023.
Music: Artwork based on Nina Simone’s song Mississippi Goddam and Mahalia Jackson’s song Keep Your Hand on the Plow
Monologue: Artwork based on Langston Hughes’s Negro Soldier and Freedoms Plow
Slave Narratives and Quotes: Selected moments in the lives of Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Mary McLeod Bethune, Cicely Tyson, Paul Robeson, James Baldwin (Selected information will be provided upon request.)
Poetry: Artwork based on Langston Hughes’s Mother to Son
Interested artists may apply online here. Selected artists will be notified by Jan. 20. For more information, visit the OSA gallery webpage at pwcartscouncil.org. For assistance, contact Herb Williams, at [email protected]
ARtsits will be notified by January 20 of they’re selected. The deadline to submit art is January 29, 2023
The artwork will be collected at Open Space Arts Gallery, Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center, 15000 Potomac Town Place, in Woodbridge.
