An Invitation to Shine
Emerging visual artists find confidence and support at Strathmore’s Invitational Gallery
By Jessica Gregg
For close to a decade, a special space inside the Mansion at Strathmore has served as both a gathering place and a launchpad for future artists.
The Invitational Gallery, located on the second floor of the Mansion, is an intimate, light filled space. In the height of wedding season, when the Mansion hosts two or three ceremonies a week, brides prepare for their milestone day in the Invitational Gallery. During the week, the room is also used for meetings. Nearly 10 years ago, Strathmore staff decided this space needed something more—that rather than blank walls, the room should welcome its guests with art, explains Lesley Morris, director of Mansion and Galleries.
Because this is Strathmore, the mission of supporting local artists and their creative lives quickly became central to the gallery’s outreach.
“Specifically, we wanted the Invitational Gallery to highlight emerging artists,” Morris says. “We wanted to create a space that allowed an artist to create a body of work for an early career, solo or two-person show.”
The Invitational Gallery hosts about five shows a year, each lasting 8 to 10 weeks, giving artists a strong opportunity to be seen. While other galleries at the Mansion explore diverse themes and mediums, the work featured in the Invitational Gallery can be more commercial to take advantage of sales opportunities, according to Morris. Emerging artists also benefit from the network of art enthusiasts who come out to support established shows at Strathmore.
Jordann Wine was one such artist. A Bethesda native, she remembers catching fireflies as a kid at Strathmore’s outdoor concerts. She was thrilled when the Invitational Gallery hosted her first solo show, Infinite Glitter, in 2018. Wine created 13 works of overlapping geometric shapes—large-scale paintings that invited introspection and shone with glitter. She and her brother Kenny Wine, a woodworker, also built two benches for gallery visitors to sit and take their time with the art.
Wine’s work earned a mention from a Washington Post reviewer who wrote, “Whether mystical, mathematical, or practical, all the forms shimmer in Jordann Wine’s Infinite Glitter.” That recognition was meaningful to Wine, who had created murals and other public art, as well as participated in group exhibitions, but had only had one solo show before being invited to exhibit at the Invitational Gallery.
After Infinite Glitter, Wine participated in three more solo shows and dozens of group shows. “I just felt so supported with this show, and it really helped my career,” she says. “It’s wonderful how much Strathmore does for the local art community” by creating a gallery specifically for emerging artists and instilling in them the confidence to pursue other opportunities.
In 2022, the Invitational Gallery hosted Rashad Ali Muhammad’s first solo show, LIBERATED, which featured 10 mixed-media collage pieces exploring authenticity and the concept of freeing one’s inner self—an undercurrent in much of his work. The show also marked the first time Muhammad used flower petals in his art, a motif he continues to use.
Like Wine, Muhammad says exhibiting at the Invitational Gallery was a pivotal moment. “A lot of people know Strathmore as a cultural center, so you get a lot of foot traffic. I definitely felt like people recognized my work and my artistry more after that show,” he says.
In November, Wine and Muhammad returned to the Strathmore for a show together—this time in the Mansion’s main gallery. Intersections was a “conversation between art,” says Muhammad, who was excited for the collaboration and saw the show as a chance to “expand my style and try something new.” Once again, he used flowers in several pieces but also created portraits of “everyday deities,” ancestors, and guardians keeping watch and sending messages for those they protect to decode.
Wine, who took time off before the show to recuperate from burnout, worried she would not complete her work in time and spoke with Morris about potentially dropping out. Morris encouraged her to stick with the show. And Wine decided that, in addition to her glitter work, she would try some less intensive sculptural pieces, including faux stained glass. All of the work showcased geometric shapes. That conversation with Morris reminded Wine of the many ways Strathmore uplifts its artists.
“It’s quite lovely actually that there is so much support for artists at all seasons of their career,” Wine says.
Generous support for the Invitational Gallery exhibitions is provided by HelenLouise Pettis.
Visit the Invitational Gallery in the Mansion at Strathmore.