A BRUSH WITH OPPORTUNITY
Take home art and support Strathmore’s mission at Drawing for Art.
By Barbara Ruben
For the first time since the onset of the pandemic, Strathmore is presenting Drawing for Art, an exhibition and special event. Starting April 20, works generously donated by artists will be on display at the Mansion at Strathmore. During the special event on May 2, art enthusiasts who purchase a $100 ticket have the opportunity to select a piece, remove it from the exhibit wall, and take it home.
Proceeds from Drawing for Art support the visual arts at Strathmore, including funding for more than a dozen free exhibitions every year.
Potomac artist Jennifer Kahn Barlow has donated her oil paintings, featuring glossy fruit and macaroons that look delicious enough to eat. And she’s selected art as a patron of the special event—once using her ticket for a painting by Arlington artist Danni Dawson valued well over $100.
“Strathmore is such a welcoming place for artists, and I wanted to participate and be a part of [Drawing for Art],” Barlow says. “It’s super fun because it’s only $100. At the same time, what you’re getting in return is so worthwhile.”
Barlow explains that on the night of the event, ticket numbers are randomly selected. However, most patrons view the exhibition ahead of time and make a wish list of the works they most want. “You just sit there in anticipation and hope no one takes ‘my’ painting,” she says.
The event will showcase more than 100 paintings, with more pieces available compared to tickets sold, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to select something they love, explains Lesley Morris, Strathmore’s director of Mansion Galleries.
Artists also reap benefits from the event. “The work might be by someone who’s trying a new medium or working out something in a process, but it hasn’t found a home yet,” Morris says. “It’s appealing to emerging and mid-career artists. It gets their name out and lets them exhibit in a gallery.”