Maryland Federation of Art Blog
Much more than Meets the Eye
At MFA we believe that visual art sparks conversations in communities – and that conversation makes the community stronger. Whether you see art in a gallery or on the street, the artist is conveying a thought, a meaning, a purpose to the viewer. Well conversations about public art went from a whisper to a roar … Continue reading The Art Among Us
We're thinking about Stormy Weather this week, as we close out the year, with just a few days left for entry to one of our favorite shows at the Annapolis Maritime Museum! Thus, we were particularly struck by the unique images of Nick Steinberg's exploration of fog in San Francisco and how this dynamic weather … Continue reading Thoughtful Thursday: Fogaholics Unite!
For today's Thoughtful Thursday, we turn to Ikeda Manabu and his incredibly intricate masterpiece, Rebirth. This extraordinary interpretation of the natural world is the type of artwork that we love to see in our annual Stormy Weather exhibit - take a moment to get inspired for your own entry, by December 28!
And now another piece of inspiration for those of you preparing your entries for Art on Paper! If you've spent any time on the internet in the last few months, you might have already stumbled across the work of Chinese paper artist, Li Hongbo. He is a sculptor whose work is rooted in the traditions … Continue reading Thoughtful Thursday: Watch Your Head
Getting ready for Art on Paper this year? This all-paper show has been a popular MFA exhibit for years now and to help jump start your entry take some inspiration from one of our favorite paper artists: Charles Young. So check this out. In 2014 Charles Young started Paperholm, a daily paper-only project on his tumblr page … Continue reading Thoughtful Thursday: Get a Fold of This
We love when art pushes societal boundaries and makes a statement. Nowhere is this more true than in the powerful show by Kehinde Wiley, recently featured by Public Radio International. "Wiley currently has a show at the Petit Palais in Paris called “Lamentation.” It features 10 monumental works in stained glass and oil on canvas. Each portrays … Continue reading Thoughtful Thursday: Reclamation of an Ancient Art
So what is Giving Tuesday and why should you care? Well....first there was "Black Friday" - a term popularized in the 1980s as the day businesses went from being in the "red" to being in the "black." Then came "Cyber Monday," a term first used in 2005 with the rise of online shopping. "Small Business Saturday" appeared in 2010 … Continue reading Why #GIVINGTUESDAY
Happy Thanksgiving! While you all are cooking, eating, and watching football today, we know you're also thinking about the things in your life that make you thankful - and so are we. Here are just a few of the things we're grateful for this holiday season: 1.The dogs that pass through our doors! Who wouldn't love … Continue reading Thankful Thursday: 5 Things the MFA is Thankful For
Have you seen this yet? This stunning .gif is apart of the fascinating film Loving Vincent, a biopic about the artist's life and death animated entirely using oil paintings. Considered the first (and maybe the last) of its kind, this film when brought to completion will contain 62,450 frames, each frame a new oil painting done … Continue reading Thoughtful Thursday: November 3rd
It's finally fall, which means PSL's, infinity scarves, and my favorite holiday: Halloween, the one holiday where it's socially acceptable to walk around in corsets and animal ears. The images we put on ourselves are, historically, supposed to scare one another. The practice of dressing up for Halloween was started by the Celts when on All Hallows … Continue reading Thoughtful Thursday: Can Art Be Scary?
It's been a week since Collector's Choice 2016, so now seems like the perfect time for a recap of all of our favorite moments from the event. If you made it out, relive the highlights with us - and if you couldn't make it, now's your chance to see what you missed! After a flurry of … Continue reading Collector’s Choice 2016…a 40th Anniversary to be remembered!
It takes money to run an organization – even a nonprofit organization. While art is at the heart of MFA, it isn't possible without sufficient income to keep the organization running. It's a puzzle fitting together the different income streams that keep MFA's doors open: Exhibition Fees, Membership Dues, Fundraising and Net Sales. For MFA, like … Continue reading How MFA Keeps the Doors Open
