December Openings at Touchstone Gallery

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Opening Reception: Friday, December 9 from 6pm to 8:30pm

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Encore Reception: Sunday, December 11 from 1pm to 3pm

GALLERY A
Touchstone Gallery Member Show

GALLERY B
Accumulation by Elaine Florimonte
New work by Elaine Florimonte related to the concept of human connection and shared experience.

Human connection with the living and the inanimate is a central theme in Elaine Florimonte’s body of work on exhibit in her first solo show Accumulation at Touchstone Gallery. Using paint and canvas, she tackles the notion that the depth of our shared human experience is created by a layering of interaction with each other and our world. In these works Elaine uses surface and content as a metaphor for the accumulation of human interaction on the depth of identity.

A life is the “heaping up” of experience. Her paintings are like watching a dance. A brushstroke moves forward, runs behind, darts in and out. Florimonte creates lush compositions through layers of transparent and opaque paint, collage, color and line. Her thoughtfully painted expressions reflect sculptor and author Tim McCreight’s writings in which he speaks of the accumulation of things as part of the natural rhythm of life. (The Syntax of Objects).

In addition to being a veteran art educator with Fairfax County Public Schools, Florimonte has been a member of Touchstone Gallery for two years and exhibits her work locally and regionally most recently at The Bryne Gallery, The Greater Reston Arts Center and The Workhouse Art Center. She has been published in Elan Magazine, July 2015 and Home and Design: Sourcebook 2016.

GALLERY C
Handpicked III: Beyond Boundaries works from the studio artists of The Arc Presented by the Touchstone Foundation for the Arts and The Arc Prince George’s County.
The Touchstone Foundation for the Arts www.touchstonefoundationdc.org was created by the artists of the Touchstone Gallery, an artist-owned gallery for 40 years. The mission of the Foundation is to engage our community by creating opportunities for emerging and non-traditional artists to develop and exhibit professionally and by creating educational opportunities in the arts for families and children.

Like prior Handpicked shows, TFA invites an artist or artists who participate in community programs with well-developed art programs, and who might not otherwise have the opportunity to exhibit their work in a formal gallery, to exhibit at the Touchstone Gallery in downtown DC. For the third Handpicked show this December, the artists of The Arc of Prince George’s County will show their vibrant and exciting artwork.

The Arc Prince George’s County www.thearcofpgc.org provides life enriching community, employment, residential, and day services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Arc is committed to partnering with community organizations to encourage engagement with the larger public in an inclusive way. Among these partners are the Brentwood Arts Exchange, a program of MNCPPC, and The Prince George’s African American Museum and Cultural Center. The Arc participants have attended workshops held at both centers, where they were introduced to new art materials, principles, and methods. In time, participants began to explore their own creative voice or avenue for self-expression. This exhibit represents the fruits of their efforts.

The mosaic project was a collaboration with teaching artist Rachel Cross. The beads used are Mardi Gras beads that were donated from The Arc New Orleans.

This exhibition is supported by the family and friends of the late Rima Schulkind, a founding member of Touchstone Gallery.

Gallery Hours:

• Wednesday – Friday: 12pm to 6pm
• Saturday – Sunday: 12pm to 5pm

Touchstone Gallery is located at 901 New York Ave. NW. For more information, visit www.touchstonegallery.com.