SPOTLIGHT

16th Annual Holiday Market - This Weekend!

With Thanksgiving behind us, it is time to think about the holidays! Bring your holiday shopping list down to the Del Ray Artisans gallery this weekend for our 16th annual Holiday Market! The Holiday Market offers unique handmade fine arts and crafts from 20 local exhibitors (including pottery/ceramics, photography, jewelry, cloth, paper crafts, and glass) and delicious Bake Sale items to benefit Rebuilding Together Alexandria. The Market opens Friday, December 2 (Reception from 6 – 9pm) with hot food from a local restaurant and continues on Saturday, December 3 (10am – 4pm) and Sunday, December 4 (12 – 4pm).

It's All About the Little Things Opening Reception, December 9, 7–10pm

Tiny, diminutive, miniature, but not quite microscopic. Some would say it's a small world – a very small world. Smaller can, in fact, be better. The challenge to our artists was to see what they could create in 8" x 10" or smaller, in two- or three-dimensional format. Come by and see the results. Show runs through December 18.

Art Drop Off – It's All About the Little Things

• Sunday, December 4 (6:30 – 8:30pm)
• Monday, December 5 (6:30 – 8:30pm)

Tiny, diminutive, miniature, but not quite microscopic. The challenge is to create artwork that is 8" x 10" or smaller, in two- or three-dimensional format. Call for Entry at: DelRayArtisans.org/shows/calls/

Partners in Art Group

• Monday, December 5, (2pm – 4pm)

Looking for a chance to get together with other creative people to discuss art and exchange ideas? Then come to a meeting of our cooperatively led Partners in Art group. You may find us engaged in a creativity exercise, enjoying a short demonstration or having in a lively art–related discussion. This program is free of charge and open to all. Visit the DRA website for details and upcoming dates. Contact Millie Mateu (milaenartes@gmail.com) or Katherine Rand (katherine@katherinerand.com) with questions.

Open Life Drawing Sessions

• Wednesday, December 7 (11am-1pm Gestures; 2pm-5pm Poses)
• Wednesday, December 14 (6:30pm-9:30pm Long Pose)

These sessions operate on a drop–in basis so there is no need to register in advance. Bring your supplies and join us at the gallery to draw or paint our live models. The fee for each three–hour session is $8 for DRA members and $10 for non–members. Two–hour sessions are $6 for members and $8 for non–members. For questions, please contact Katherine Rand at LifeDrawing@DelRayArtisans.org

Bring Your Scraps and Come Have Fun with Collage Cut Ups

• Tuesday, December 13 (1pm – 4pm)

Do you feel overwhelmed with the deluge of junk mail and magazines that come in the mail? Well here's your chance to beat the paper avalanche. Come play with the Collage Cut Ups in a supportive environment that promotes an exchange of ideas, creativity and networking with beginner and experienced collage artists. Collage Cut Ups is an informal group where everyone works on individual projects. This is not a workshop. For more information, contact Millie Mateu at (milaenartes@gmail.com)

The Gallery will be closed December 19, 2011 – January 1, 2012.

The Del Ray Artisans wishes everyone a Happy Holiday Season.

Holiday Market Volunteers

To successfully run the Holiday Market every year, we rely on members, neighbors and friends to help out in various ways. Please consider helping out where you can! Here's what's needed:

• Opening reception helper – this Friday night from 6-9pm – help keep the food flowing during the Reception
• Bring some food to the opening reception – since the local restaurant is providing the hot food, we need some finger foods (cheese & crackers, veggies, fruit), desserts, drinks (non-alcoholic) and ice
• Saturday lunch delivery – pick up the vendors' lunches from Del Ray Pizzeria and deliver them to the vendors at the gallery
• Bake some goodies for the Bake Sale – all Bake Sale proceeds benefit Rebuilding Together Alexandria
• Bake Sale helpers to sell goodies at the Bake Sale – Two 2-hour shifts remain: Sunday from 12-2pm and 2-4pm

Contact Tracy Wilkerson at 703-501-1736 or HolidayMarket@DelRayArtisans.org for additional information and to sign up for one (or more) of the above activities!

Seeking DRA Members for...

• Gardening: Have you got a green thumb? Are you interested in using it to fulfill your volunteer hours? Join Garden Committee Chair Pamela Underhill in the garden.
• Fundraising: Help organize or assist with fundraising activities. We have a few goals to meet including new gallery lighting.
• Facilities: Interested in helping around the gallery? The Facility Committee is looking for committee members.

Interested members should contact Lesley Hall at Volunteers@DelRayArtisans.org for details. There are many fun ways to meet the 10 volunteer hours per year minimum!

Call For Artist Vendors: The Gallery at Bloombars

Saturdays and Sundays, December 12-13 and December 19-20. The Gallery at Bloombars is seeking craft artists to vend at a Holiday Bazaar on Saturdays and Sundays December 12-13 and December 19-20. If you are interested in this vending opportunity please email john@bloombars.com and request a vendor application form. The Gallery is located at 3222 11th Street, NW, in the Columbia Heights neighborhood.

Call For Artists: The Gallery at Bloombars

The Gallery at BloomBars seeks visual and performance artists to exhibit and perform their work. Pieces' themes should explore, confront, and interpret personal, social, political, or economic issues. The artwork should also inform, challenge, expose, uplift, and transform the viewer.

If you are interested in an exhibition or performance please email john@bloombars.com and request an exhibition proposal or vendor application form. The Gallery is located at 3222 11th Street, NW, in the Columbia Heights neighborhood.

All DRA events, unless otherwise noted, are held at the DRA gallery:

Del Ray Artisans gallery at the Nicholas A. Colasanto Center
2704 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22301-1124 | Directions
Phone: 703-838-4827 | DelRayArtisans.org

©2011 Arts Resource Foundation. Special thanks to the City of Alexandria, Alexandria Commission for the Arts, Virginia Commission for the Arts, and National Endowment for the Arts for their continued support of Del Ray Artisans, a 501(c)(3) organization.

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