Gallery
The Athenaeum Gallery is dedicated to showcasing the wide variety of excellent work being created by artists in the DC/MD/VA region.
We endeavor to increase exposure for the region's many excellent artists in our light-filled gallery space. Our goal is to represent the widest range of media, style, and perspective.
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An average of eight shows are mounted per year. Each one with an opening reception and many with ancillary programs such as gallery talks, demonstrations, children's workshops, or even modern dance performances choreographed specially for the space and the art.
Call for Entries​

​The characteristics that define us can be physical such as a red hair or calloused hands – or intangible such as a generous heart or sharp wit. In this exhibition the Athenaeum Gallery intends to represent the wide manner that DMV artists capture a person’s (or persons’) essence.
Visual interpretations of the theme might range from traditional portraiture to abstract and conceptual artworks. We are looking for works that represent the gamut of qualities that define our understanding of particular individuals (both singly or in groups)— including behavioral characteristics and inner emotional life.
Aesthetic quality is always important to the Athenaeum Gallery – but sometimes the most poignant and telling work comes from unexpected sources. Career artists, emerging artists, and people who do not consider themselves an artist at all are encouraged to enter. If the work successfully conveys the essence of a person, it will be considered.
Submissions will be via the online Café system. The entry fee is $40 and artists may submit up to five images with each entry.
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Entries must be submitted by June 1, 2025
In the gallery now:
Jeff Bohlander
February 27 — April 6, 2025
Artist’s Talk: Sunday, April 6, 2 pm

Jeff Bohlander, Book for You, (detail), Mixed media, 46” x 36”
The Athenaeum Visual Arts Program is supported, in part, by an Arts Program grant from the City of Alexandria.

Apply to have an exhibit in the Athenaeum Gallery
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Rolling Review
Click the link below to be considered for a solo or group show. You can apply as a single artist, with several other artists if you have an idea for a small group show, or as a curator for a larger group show.
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Click the link below for more information and details.