Arlington Arts Center

Listings

Classes: Arlington Arts Center

We offer a wide variety of classes for all different age groups. Classes are another excellent way to perfect your artistic skills. Inquire about times and dates for classes by clicking the "Send Inquiry" button.

Camps: Arlington Arts Center

Camps are a great way for kids to get introduced to the basics of art and drawing. Inquire about times and dates by clicking the "Send Inquiry" button.

Parties: Arlington Arts Center

There is nothing better than hosting a group of friends for your next party at our studio. Inquire about times and dates for your next party by clicking the "Send Inquiry" button.

Details

Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 248-6800
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Business Overview

Arlington Arts Center (AAC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit contemporary visual arts center dedicated to presenting and supporting new work by regional artists in the mid-Atlantic States. Through exhibitions, educational programs, and subsidized studio spaces, AAC serves as a bridge between artists and the public. The goal is to increase awareness, appreciation of, and involvement in, the visual arts in Arlington County VA and the region. AAC was established in 1974 and has been housed since 1976 in the historic Maury School. Our facility includes nine exhibition galleries, working studios for thirteen artists, and three classrooms. At 17,000 square feet, we are one of the largest non-federal venues for contemporary art in the Washington metropolitan area The exhibitions program at AAC supports the work of emerging contemporary artists in the Mid-Atlantic region in our SOLOS exhibitions. Once a year, AAC announces a call for exhibition proposals. The submissions are reviewed by our exhibitions committee, which includes notable artists, critics, curators, and collectors. Our final roster of selected artists, hailing from the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, is then featured in one or two SOLOS exhibitions. Each artist mounts a self-contained show in one of seven separate gallery spaces, resulting in a sampler of exceptional, cutting edge art in a variety of media. The Clarendon Elementary School was built in 1910 to serve the growing Clarendon neighborhood. The two-story symmetrical building was designed with a central hall and four classrooms on each floor. The school was renamed in 1944 to honor Matthew Fontaine Maury (1806-1873), known as the "pathfinder of the seas." He was a native Virginian, naval officer, geographer, and oceanographer. Prior to the Civil War, he was head of the Naval Observatory. In 1861, he resigned from the US Navy to become a Commander in the Confederate Navy. The school closed in 1975. The building became home to the Arlington Arts Center in 1978. After an extensive renovation in 2005, it now boasts Tiffany Windows. The Maury School is a designated Arlington County Landmark and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places: for a detailed description of the school building and its history, read the Registration Form. The primary goal of the Resident Artist Program is to provide a space in which artists can work and grow, and to bring them together with the community in an environment that encourages interaction, dialogue, and exploration. Selection criteria include artistic merit, potential for collaborative outreach to the community, and diversity of artist representation. Read more