Arlington Arts Center also known as AAC, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit contemporary visual arts center based in Arlington (

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

) and established in 1974. Housed since 1976 in the historic Maury School (formerly the

Clarendon School The Clarendon School is a historic school building located in the Virginia Square neighborhood of Arlington County, Virginia. The structure was built in 1910 based on a design by noted Virginia architect Charles M. Robinson. The school was renam ...

), it presents artworks from regional artists in the mid-Atlantic states. The center is composed of exhibitions, educational programs and subsidized studio spaces and wants to increase awareness and appreciation of, and involvement in, the visual arts in Arlington County VA and the region. At 17,000 square feet, the facility includes 9 exhibitions galleries, working studios for 12 artists and 2 classrooms and is one of the largest non-federal venues for contemporary art in the

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

metropolitan area.

Exhibitions

AAC organizes around 12 exhibitions a year. Exhibition proposals are announced and submissions are reviewed by the exhibitions committee, which includes notable artists, critics, curators, and collectors. After the selection of those artists, solos, juried and curated exhibitions are planned, resulting in a sampler of exceptional, cutting edge art in a variety of media. AAC also exhibits themed shows, usually twice per year. These shows are cutting edge and usually grab the attention of local arts publication writers and arts bloggers.

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

, Pink Line Project and DCistDCist
homepage usually cover the shows. Themed shows are generally accompanied by programming that helps explain the exhibition (sometimes they can be really theoretical) and gives the artist’s perspective to the audience.

Education

AAC offers classes for adults, teens and children to help the beginners or the professional to improve their artistic skills. The teachers are professional artists and many of whom have achieved the highest degrees in their field. The classes are about

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employe ...

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

or drawing. Moreover, the center offers classes for home-schooled children but also bilingual classes for students who want to learn and practice another language.

Studio Residency

AAC rents subsidized studio space for 12 artists where they can work and express themselves in an artistic community. The selection is based on artistic merit, potential for collaborative outreach to the community, and diversity of artist representation. The artists come from across the US and abroad for periods from one week to six weeks residencies.

References

{{Coord, 38.88174, -77.10207, format=dms, type:landmark_region:US-VA, display=title Arts centers in Virginia 1974 establishments in Virginia Art galleries established in 1974 Tourist attractions in Arlington County, Virginia