RAL ART CENTER EXHIBITS and SIGNATURE EVENTS
Monthly Themed Exhibits
The Stouffer Exhibit Room is the site of our monthly themed exhibits open to all RAL Art Center members. Up to two pieces of original art are accepted for each exhibit from any active member for a nominal fee. Each exhibit is judged with ribbons awarded.
2021 -- 2022 Exhibit Schedule
November 2021 -- Express Yourself
December 2021 -- Annual Holiday Shop
January 2022-- You Be the Judge
February 2022 -- Expressions of Love
March 2022 -- Slice of Life
April 2022 -- Flora and Fauna
May 2022-- Some Kind of Wonderful
June 2022 -- Great Art Heist
August 2022 -- Fins, Feathers, & Fur
September 2022 -- 61st Labor Day Art Show
October 2022 -- Abandoned: What Remains
November 2022 -- Anything Goes
December 2022 -- Holiday Shop
The Great Art Heist
June is the month for this very special ticketed event. Original artwork valued above the ticket price is donated by members and includes the work of our co-op artists. Each ticket is randomly drawn, giving the holder the chance to select the artwork of their choice to take home. A silent auction of donated artwork, craftwork and special items from local sponsors is part of this event as well.
Since 1961, RAL has staged this Art Exhibit in the month of September, transforming the entire Gallery into exhibit space. Again, this special show is open to all active members. Monetary awards and ribbons, monetary memorial awards and a Best-In-Show silver bowl are presented each year by a well-known judge.
The Holiday Shop
December sees the Stouffer Exhibit Room transformed into a wonderland of holiday gift items handmade by our members and co-op artists and priced at $100 or less. This is a popular place to "shop local" for special, original gifts for family and friends.
Holiday Shop
Nov 30 – Dec 31
RAL’s Annual Holiday Shop is an eagerly awaited event featuring one-of-a kind affordable gifts that make your shopping experience fun.
RAL member Artists and Artisans create a wonderful array of items that include jewelry, framed art of all kinds, baskets, ornaments, pottery, art glass, knitted and crocheted items, other fiber arts, holiday cards and many other gift items. Join us for our Holiday First Friday on December 3rd from 5 to 7PM.
Dates: Nov 30 – Dec 31
10am to 4pm
Reception: December 3: 5 – 7pm
Youth Art Show
November 9 - November 27
Talented artists, in grades 9 through 12, from Lancaster County Public High School, LHS Visual and Graphic Arts Program, will participate in this exhibit at RAL Art Center.
Sandy Manning, LHS Art Teacher, described the collection as classical drawings and illustration examples of Still Life, Portrait and Landscape Art. The Graphic Arts Design class will present Comic Strips and Poster Designs that demonstrate traditional and digital examples of persuasion and communication. The Art2 students will display 3D sculptures as well.
“Floral 2” by Quinn Mai
Labor Day Art Show
September 1 - 25, 2021
The RAL Art Center is pleased to announce that the Art Center’s major signature event, the Annual Labor Day Art Show (LDAS) will be held Sept. 1 through Sept. 25 at 19 N. Main St., Kilmarnock, VA 22482. The Awards Ceremony and Reception will be held Friday, September 3 from 5 to 7 pm at the Art Center. In addition to our usual Tuesday through Saturday 10am to 4pm days and hours, the show will be open Sunday and Monday of Labor Day weekend to accommodate visitors celebrating the end of summer.
The LDAS is widely recognized as one of the longest-standing visual arts shows in Virginia. Held in a variety of venues over its 60-year history, the show moved to RAL Art Center in 2014. Our attendance has increased to over 1,200 visitors.
ATTENTION ARTISTS: The LDAS is open to all RAL Art Center members in any medium. All work must be original. The show is not juried, but ribbons and monetary prizes will be awarded by a renowned judge.
Current Exhibiting Co-op Artists must remove their artwork from the main Gallery starting Tues. Aug. 24 and down by Sat. Aug. 28. These artists will be able to exhibit one piece in the Exhibit Room as the entire gallery area will be transformed into the Labor Day Art Show. That special Co-op Artists' Exhibit takes place concurrently with the LDAS.
Production of the LDAS requires the dedication of seasoned and new members both in orchestrating the event and creating prized pieces of art. Loyal sponsors are being solicited for their support and promotional material is being designed.
KEY DATES:
- Entry Forms/Fees Due Aug. 14 (no exceptions)
- LDAS Receiving - Sun. & Mon. Aug. 29 & 30
- Awards Ceremony and Reception - Fri. Sept. 3, 5 to 7pm
The Prospectus and Entry Form are available at RAL Art Center's website www.ralartcenter.com.
Mary Ellis & Barbara Kershner - Co-Chairs
Art by Patty Richards, "Best in Show" 2020 Labor Day Art Show
You Be the Judge
Jan 4 - Jan 29, 2021
RAL Art Center Artists are creating their entries for one of the best shows of each year. You, our visitors, get to choose the winner of the exhibit. The show opens January 4, 2022, and runs through January 29, 2022. Paintings in every medium, Photography, Pottery, Glass, Fiber Art, Sculpture and Jewelry will be represented. Expect to have to choose from multiple favorites!
Receiving: Monday, January 3 10AM to 12 pm
Exhibit Dates: January 4 – 29
Reception: Friday, January 7, 5 – 7pm
Express Yourself
November All-Member All Mediums Exhibit!
Visual arts offer a special opportunity for artists to tell their viewers what they feel about
their subject in their preferred medium, in their own style. This can be done in representational art, abstract art, or semi-abstract art, through paintings, photography,glass, pottery or sculpture.
This the challenge of November’s All-Member, All Medium Exhibit. What do you, the artist, want to convey to your audience? Is your art telling your story and grabbing the viewer’s attention? Is it sending your message?!
Go for it! EXPRESS YOURSELF!
Art by Laura Edwards
"Whimsy, Funk, and Fun"
September 28 - October 30, 2021
This is the month to have some fun with your art, and with the viewers. Almost anything goes—let your mind wander and your fingers fly. Tease the senses. Laugh a lot. Make someone else laugh. Communicate joy. Turn inside out; turn outside in. Try satire; invent the impossible. But you don’t have to be whimsical, funky and fun all at the same time, one or a bit of some will do. It’s your art, enjoy making it and sharing this month.
Exhibit Dates: Tuesday, September 28 to Saturday, October 30
Reception: October 1, 2021 5 PM to 7PM
Art by Ron Taylor, “Dance of the Flugle Horns”
Call of the Wild
August 2021 Exhibition – Call of the Wild
The RAL Art Center is wild for art! This first-ever exhibit is open to RAL members who are inspired by the animal kingdom – local, regional and worldwide. Let your imagination run free as you plan for and execute your work in any medium. Fur, feathers, fins and more we hope to see them all. From domestic pets, birds of the rainforest, creatures from the Serengeti bring us your best! This exhibit is sure to be a hit with visitors of every age. This show will be open to the public from August 3rd through 28th.
Art by Don Presnell
Small Works
Small Works – July 2021 Exhibit
July 2021 promises to be an exciting month in the Stouffer Exhibit Room as RAL unveils its Small Works Exhibit! This popular show is an art lovers’ favorite for gift-giving and the small spaces in your home. The exhibit is comprised of original “small works” of art that are NO LARGER than 154 square inches (including mat and frame). For 3-dimensional entries the work should be less than 154 square inches when multiplying the two longest sides. Entries are due on Monday, June 28 between 10:00am and 12:00pm. The show will hang from June 29th thru July 31.
Art by Cheryl Mihills
