Current Exhibits

Shanye Huang

Indoor site-specific indoor installation June 18 – September 8, 2023

Outdoor installation July 6- November 30, 2023

Regeneration-Connection-Celebration is a conceptual showcase of cut paper installations, paintings on canvas, and indoor and outdoor sculptural pieces inspired by Chinese folklore traditions from local artist, Shanye Huang. The work explores the interconnectedness and resiliency of the human spirit amidst the transformation and regeneration experienced through the pandemic. The exhibit also examines human life on earth and its intricate relationship with nature through the artist’s personal reflections, observations, and meditations. Huang will transform the gallery spaces of the Museum into an immersive display of color and vibrancy with cut paper, paintings, and mixed media installation. Outdoors, he will display a new artwork that draws on elements of community and the passage of time through the seasons.

Shanye Huang was born and raised in an ethnic Zhuang family in Guangxi, Southwest China, a region known for its vibrant folk arts. His art connects his southern Chinese folkloric heritage with the disciplined skills of Chinese academic painting and Western contemporary concepts. Huang employs an experimental cross-media approach by integrating a bold lively spirit, embedded in a folk-art tradition through color and form. He uses simple craft material such as paper cutting with contemporary conceptual expressions to create large-scale vibrant installations that are filled with symbols and metaphors to facilitate meaningful conversions. The complex creation process, symbolizing a transformational human experience, expresses the aesthetic relationship between painting and paper-cutting.

Flowers- Messengers of Heaven studio pop up exhibit

April 30 – May 7, 2023, 10 am – 4pm each day, in the upper level of the art barn

A pop-up exhibit of artwork inspired by flowers, nature, and Bible verses, created by Sandy Spring Museum resident artists, Alla and Milana Borovskaia, a mother daughter artist duo. By using a variety of art mediums, such as wool fibers and resin, the artists have created many vibrantly colored and textured artworks that help viewers appreciate the preservation of nature and the link between flowers and scripture.

Artist reception: Sunday, April 30, 3-5 pm, light refreshments will be offered in studio

Beyond Traditions

January 9 – March 20, 2023

Beyond Traditions brings together seven multi-cultural women artists in a multimedia exhibit curated by Felisa Federman. Participating artists bring their diverse backgrounds and cultural histories that have led them to the art world. They each create textiles that reflect their individual connections to countries of origin, various educational paths, or other forms of expression.

Click to view the exhibit catalogue.

Beyond Traditions

January 9 – March 20, 2023

Beyond Traditions brings together seven multi-cultural women artists, curated by Felisa Federman. Participating artists bring their diverse backgrounds and cultural histories that have led them to the art world. They each create textiles that reflect their individual connections to countries of origin, various educational paths, or other forms of expression.

Fiber art is a branch of the fine arts that utilizes textiles as media. The word textile comes from the Latin textere, which means, “to weave, to braid or to construct.” There are many methods of textile production including, but not limited to, sewing, weaving, and embroidery.

Contemporary fiber art goes beyond craft. Fiber artists today pursue the unknown, creating new forms and expressions using old and new techniques and materials but emphasizing significance over utility. Artists explored the qualities of fibers to develop works that could be hung or freestanding, two or three dimensional, flat or volumetric, many stories high or miniature, nonobjective or figurative, and representational or fantastical and abstract.

Jan 29: Beyond Traditions Exhibit Reception

Feb 26: Beyond Traditions Artist Talk & Tour

March 5: Beyond Traditions Artist Demonstration

Participating Artists: Maria Barbosa, Alla and Milana Borovskaia, María Teresa Camacho-Hull, Felisa Federman, Cristina Montero, and Alison Lee Schroeder

Left: Felisa Federman, Embodiment

Fine Arts and Crafts Holiday Gift Show

Nov 25 – Dec 23, 2022

Treat everyone on your list to a one-of-a-kind gift, including jewelry, quilts, pottery, and other fine arts and crafts – all created by local artists.

The Fine Arts and Crafts Holiday Gift Show will be open during museum hours, which will be temporarily extended from Nov 25 to Dec 23 to:

Monday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Wednesday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Friday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sunday 11:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Creating Context for the Collection

On exhibit January 17 – March 13, 2022

Staff recently began inventorying the museum’s artifact collection and wants to share the excitement of discovery with you. On exhibit this winter will be assemblages of items as they were found upon opening storage boxes. Visitors will see objects that are rarely displayed and will learn how and why an inventory is conducted. The inventory is part of a three-year project generously funded by the Institute of Library and Museum Services with the long-term goal of redressing historical inequities in our collecting practices.

The Big Weave

On exhibit January 17 – March 13, 2022

from many diverse threads comes one vibrant, beautiful community

In 2015, we installed nine giant looms in the exhibit hall. A wide variety of weaving materials were provided by the museum, but visitors were invited to bring their own materials to incorporate into the woven works. They brought lanyards, scarves, medals hanging from ribbons, lockets, images of their grandchildren, a tie worn by someone’s father, and more. The final weavings were amalgams of yarn, fabric, ribbon, recycled materials, and found objects.

Artist Suzanne Herbert-Forton conceived of the giant looms when she was asked to create a project that used the theme of weaving that allowed for maximum community participation. The Museum became a metaphor for the exhibit’s theme: From many diverse threads comes one vibrant, beautiful community.

As we emerge from the chrysalis of the pandemic, we are sharing The Big Weave once again. Visitors can enjoy the original tapestries, as well as participate in the creation of a new one.

Register

Neurodiversity: Biodiversity

On exhibit March 21 – May 30

Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth. Greater biodiversity creates a stronger, healthier ecosystem. As more animal and plant species become extinct and disappear day by day, people are coming to appreciate the importance of diversity and the preservation of all life forms.

Within the human species is great biological diversity, especially in the human brain. The term neurodiversity encompasses the variation in the human brain regarding attention, learning, and mood. Just as society appreciates and celebrates biodiversity in an ecosystem, the concept of neurodiversity embraces individuals with neurodevelopmental and mental health conditions. It encourages us to see differences in the brain not as problems but as strengths and part of life.

In this exhibit, artist Trisha Gupta focuses on mental health conditions within neurodiversity. She argues that we must understand neurodiversity as we do biodiversity, where celebrating variety across the human brain can help us to build stronger and healthier communities.

Trisha Gupta’s work explores cultural biases, current treatment methods, and modern patient narratives, revealing the shortcomings of our mental health care system and society. This body of work asks how we can address, respect, and celebrate neurodiversity across our communities.

Space

On exhibit June 17 – August 28, 2022

Opening Reception June 17, 4 pm – 6 pm

“Space” is a versatile word. It can mean an area, distance, time, or even the cosmos. Over the pandemic, the term “space” primarily referred to the physical distance between people. We have seen how physical space impacts the intangible areas of our lives, including our mental health, relationships, and connections to the world around us. Space has become a mandate, a personal preference, and a source of constant reevaluation. In this exhibit, artists from Studio In-Sight consider the idea of space in many contexts. They explore the concept of emotional and physical space through their lived experiences of isolation, quarantine, conflict, relationships, self-discovery, and nature.

Left: Artwork by Joanne Dvorsky

About Studio In-Sight

Established in 2006, Studio In-Sight is a shared studio program that provides space and inspiration to artists who create outside the mainstream. The studio is part of Cornerstone Montgomery, a psychiatric rehabilitation facility in Montgomery County, Maryland that serves those living with chronic and persistent mental health disorders. Studio In-Sight artists are encouraged to pursue their own interests – photography, painting, sculpture, wood work, etc. Some use their artistic expressions to work through emotional struggles, while others simply relish in the freedom that creation brings.

The artists of the Studio In-Sight program are a diverse group of creators who produce together through the Foundations Day Program at Cornerstone Montgomery. The shared studio, instruction, and program itself celebrate neurodiversity and support artists who live with mental illness. This unique community program looks at how artists can pursue art as a vocation, and how shows, exhibitions, and craft fairs can help unconventional artists participate in meaningful work.

What is Ours?

September 7 – November 16, 2022

Get your free tickets for the opening reception on Sunday, September 25.

In a contemporary culture where womxn* artists are profoundly underrepresented in art institutions and women’s rights continue to be repealed, What is Ours? is an opportunity for womxn to reclaim space, authority and confidence in themselves, their communities and our collective future. This juried group exhibition by members of the Women’s Caucus for Art of Greater Washington, DC is a culmination of artistic expressions devoted to individual and shared experiences in present-day society.

*womxn is an inclusive term used to describe all people who identify as women.

Meet the juror:

Risikat ‘Kat’ Okedeyi is a curator, cultural architect, business owner, professor and connector. Her personal mission is to create and produce high-quality cultural events, digital media, and conversations on and around progressive global Black culture, identities and aesthetics. She has professional affiliations with Prince George’s Community College, Bowie State University, The Kennedy Center, The Reach, Pyramid Atlantic and STABLE Arts.

If you are interested in learning more about the local Women’s Caucus for Art, please see the link below:

https://www.wcadc.org/

ARTINA 2022: A Space in Place

ARTINA 2022: A Space in Place

The Washington Sculptors Group presents A Space in Place for an annual outdoor sculpture installation. This year, artists respond to the theme of sculpture being out of place.

For something to be out of place, one must question the relationship between the object and its surroundings. A Space in Place will be an immersive sculpture garden with site-specific sculptural disruptions on the museum grounds, for example, an oil rig amongst a rose garden or sculptures interrupting paved walkways. ‘Out of place’ may also refer to the object being located out of context or the contrast between the topic of the artwork and the place in which it resides. Although the friction of opposition may also exist within the object itself. Sculptures may resemble functional objects defying their functionality.

The dichotomy of space and place is presented for artists and viewers alike to engage with relationships to place. How might the placement and context of sculptures on the museum property effect our understanding of the sculptural work and the museum space?

About the Juror

Natalie Fulgencio-Turner is a curator who develops multicultural and multilingual exhibitions and art experiences. Her practice is rooted in sustainable partnerships, which she maintains with the International Monetary Fund, community galleries of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and through local DC Metro artists affiliated with the Arlington Arts Center and Black Market Art/Common Collective DC initiative.

For more information about the Washington Sculptors Group please refer to the website below:

https://washingtonsculptors.org/

Sharp Street United Methodist Church

Opened February 28, 2022

First formed in 1822 as Sharp Street Methodist Episcopal Church, Sharp Street United Methodist Church is the oldest Black church in Montgomery County. This exhibit honors this social and spiritual anchor of the Sandy Spring Community with a display of related artifacts and photos, many of which are on loan from church members.

Health & Safety

In an effort to keep you healthy, we are requesting that audience members provide proof of a COVID vaccine when attending scheduled programs, and that audience members wear masks unless they are eating or drinking. Under certain conditions, exemptions may be made for those who are not vaccinated. Please email us for more information.

This exhibit was on display in Summer 2013. This was an exhibit of oil and water color paintings that referenced the spirit of Sandy Spring and its history. Her work addressed the ways one occupies space and the ways one assigns color and graphics to various objects. Bellairs also explored the Museum’s collection and created new pieces inspired by what she saw. Her favorite objects were documented visually and organized and regrouped by color and pattern in the community. She enabled viewers to see the items in the collection in a new light and imagine what life was like in past times.

Exhibited from September 17 – November 17, 2021

Works of artists by currently or formerly incarcerated individuals. Visitors were asked to consider a human being’s intrinsic need for creative expression. One might assume that imagination and creativity cannot thrive within a system that was designed to strip individuals of their humanity, but the work of these artists reveals that even the most oppressive conditions cannot extinguish ingenuity and self-expression.

Even in a prison, where demoralization is a given and materials often come few and far between, both budding and established artists are creating bodies of work depicting their thoughts, dreams, feelings, and ideas — art that serves as a mode of communication, a vehicle for connection, and a source of freedom.

This exhibit was created in partnership with the Justice Arts Coalition.

Art can remind us of our shared humanity, of our common struggles and sacrifices, and that every one of us has unique gifts and a unique story to share. To create a work of art – a song, a dance, or a poem – within the barren confines of prison is truly a courageous and liberating act – a reclaiming of identity, of possibility, of worth, a demand to be visible.

Artists on exhibit:

Carole Alden, Valentino Amaya, Danny Ashton, Greg Bolden, Conor Broderick, William Brown, Michael Bryant, Lesley Rae Burdick, Jon Cashion, Joshua Earls, Harry Ellis, JaRoy Gilmer, Gary Harrell, Corey Hayes, Brian Hindson, William B. Livingston III, Robert Odom, Kid Wif Da Crayons (KW/DC), Henry David Potwin, James Sepesi, Mike Tran, R. Zumar, Alaska, Tomàs

Exhibit from August 4 – November 6, 2021.

A juried exhibit featuring 12 original works created by 10 local artists who are members of the Washington Sculptors Group.

In this exhibit, artists respond to the concept of balance, which is a dynamic force of nature and constantly in flux. The world is out of kilter, with natural as well as social systems listing to extremes. “What we need,” we say, “is balance; balance must be restored.” But what do we mean by “balance” and what is our relationship to it? What has the chaos of the past year taught us about the human need for balance? Can we ever achieve balance or is it an elusive chimera?

On Exhibit
Struggle (1) and Within a Dark Forest (2) by Adam Bradley; Dean (1) and Olympia (2) by Annie Farrar; Brae by Stephanie Garon; Unearthing the Roots by Dalya Luttwak; On the Edge by Mary Opasik; About to Fly by Sookkyung Park; Coextensive Coexistance by Marc Robarge; Mother Earth II by Belen Sorzana; Balance Counterbalance by Veronica Szalus; Accident by Ira Tattelman

About the Juror
Twylene Moyer, editor of Sculpture magazine, has published in a wide range of periodicals, monographs, and catalogues. She is the co-editor of five books on contemporary sculpture, including The New Earthwork: Art, Action, Agency. In addition to serving as a juror for a variety of shows, she curated “Insight Out” and “Disintegration,” two exhibitions of site-specific, outdoor works for the Arlington Arts Center.

Click here to view a map of the exhibit.

On exhibit August 2 to September 2, 2017

For many years, Sandy Spring Museum and the Olney Art Association have worked together to offer visitors new views of the surrounding area. In this year’s theme, “Celebrating Our Neighborhoods,” each artist has strived to capture that special something in our neighborhood, loosely defined as the 6-mile radius stemming from the Sandy Spring Meeting House – that gives him or her cause to celebrate.

With an exhibit of over 40 original works of art by members of the Olney Art Association in multiple media, they celebrated the everyday life in these communities – Ashton, Brighton, Brinklow, Brookeville, Burtonsville, Cloverly, Ednor, Norbeck, Norwood, Oakdale, Olney, Sandy Spring, Spencerville, Sunshine, Roslyn, Tridelphia and Unity.

Magic Moments: paintings by Roberta Staat

on display through January 15, 2024 in the Community Gallery

Our Creative Community

September 22 – November 15, 2023

ARTINA: Queering Nature

September 27 – November 12, 2023

Regeneration – Connection – Celebration

Indoor ceiling installations & Outdoor sculpture installation extended to the end of 2023!

Beyond Traditions

January 9 – March 20, 2023

January 9 – March 20, 2023

On exhibit January 17 – March 13, 2022

On exhibit January 17 – March 13, 2022

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