Author: Blackstone Valley Art Association

The Blackstone Valley Art Association is sponsoring its annual BVAA Spectacular Spring Show – this is our 64th year! The show is open to all BVAA members. If you’re not yet a BVAA member, now’s the time to join us!

When:
April 8 to June 3, 2023

Where:
BVAA / Open Sky Uxbridge Community Art Gallery
5 South Main Street
Uxbridge, MA 01569

About the Show:
The Blackstone Valley Art Association celebrates its 65th year with its annual Spectacular Spring show. This open-themed extravaganza features the very best artwork from its diverse membership. We explore stunning black and white photography, soaring landscapes, delicate watercolors, swirling acrylics, precisely detailed oil paintings, and much, much more. Our members range from teens to retirees, from those just starting out to award-winning Putney Painters. We warmly invite you to our opening reception where you can enjoy insightful conversations with the artists and infuse inspiration into your life!

Entering the Show
The entry fee for the Spectacular Spring show, open to all styles of artwork, is $8/piece or $20 for three. You can submit up to three pieces. The theme is wide open. You can submit a portrait, landscape, still life, abstract, seascape, you name it. Your imagination is the limit. Because this show is judged, you cannot enter anything which has previously been submitted for a BVAA judged show. It’s fine to enter works which have been in non-judged BVAA shows.

All artwork must be family friendly. Any hanging artwork MUST BE properly wired for hanging. The gallery will not accept non-wired wall-hanging artwork. If you are new to preparing hanging artwork for shows, read our page on How to Mat and Frame Artwork. Please also check out our Show Terms and Conditions

Submissions
To submit your entries use our BVAA Online Submission Form. The deadline to submit the online form is midnight on Saturday, April 8th, 2022. Work should be dropped off that Saturday, April 8th from 10am to 3pm. All work which is brought in will be hung (as long as it is properly wired and is family-friendly).

We will have a sign-in sheet. Please make sure you sign your art in so we can track what is in the gallery.

The show will be hung on Wednesday, April 13th from 5-7pm. We’d love to have you come participate! Hanging is easy and fun now that we have the wall hanging system. It’s all about figuring out which artwork styles go together.

Judging
This show awards cash prizes based on the number of entries received. The judge for this show is to be determined.

Opening Reception
The opening reception for the show is:
Friday, April 15th, 2023 5-7pm

There’ll be music, fun, and lively conversation! Bring a snack to share – just how creative can you get? Lisa might bring her ladybug-tomato-on-mozzarella! That is nice and springy!

Please invite family and friends – all are welcome!

Viewing Hours
Mondays through Saturdays 10am-3pm. If coming during the week, note that Open Sky uses this space for their work with clients. Call ahead to make sure someone will be there.

Pick Up
Pick up for this show is:

Saturday June 3rd, 2023 10am-3pm

If you aren’t able to make that, contact us for other arrangements. Address any questions via our BVAA Contact Information

Ask with any questions! We look forward to seeing your entries!

Here’s the show from 2022 to get an idea of what this is like!

Open Critique Session

It’s time for a critique session! We all bring in our latest works or images and then offer each other suggestions and advice. You can bring the works in in person or bring JPG images on a thumb drive for us to view on a laptop. You can bring in paintings, drawings, or sculptures. Whatever you wish! It’ll be fun, relaxed, and conversational.

If you aren’t able to bring the physical item in, and don’t have a thumb drive, you can email the image to our normal info@bvaa.org address sometime before Tuesday and we’ll handle it for you. Lisa Shea will be on laptop duty for the night :).

Our March 2023 monthly meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 21st from 6:30-9pm.

This critique will be moderated by the talented award-winning painter Carol Arnold!

https://www.carolarnoldfineart.com/

Location:
BVAA Open Sky Uxbridge Community Gallery
5 South Main Street
Uxbridge, MA 01569

This meeting and session is free and open to the public. No experience is necessary. The fun of our workshops is that we all learn new things we’ve never done before.

Our meetings cover BVAA organization business from 6:30-7:00pm and then go into the workshop part of the evening. Feel free to come for whichever half interests you the most. In general, our monthly meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month unless otherwise announced.

All are welcome – this workshop is open to members and non-members. Feel free to bring along a friend! We’d love to see you there to learn some new things and explore your creativity!

Ask with any questions!

Some samples of Carol Arnold’s work:

This Uxbridge gallery is supported in part by BVAA member dues, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and by ValleyCAST. The space use is kindly donated to us by ValleyCast, the community outreach department of Open Sky Community Services. Open Sky uses this space for special-needs client activities during daytime weekdays. They allow the BVAA use of the space – and its gallery walls – on evenings and weekends. We actively support their inclusive mission. All are welcome to all of our events and activities!

Enjoy this full walkthrough of the BVAA’s 2023 “Anything Goes” photography show! This community show was open to the public. It was held at our Uxbridge art gallery from January 7 to March 4, 2023.

Winners:
1st place: Al Weems “Bert”
2nd place: Heather Cassano “Sunlight on a Yellow Wall”
3rd place: Adam French “Highland Cattle”
honorable mention: Lucia Hackett “Courting Great Blue Herons”
honorable mention: Al Weems “Onion Field”
honorable mention: Lisa Shea “Ukraine”

More about the 2023 Anything Goes photography show:

2023 11th Annual Anything Goes Photography Show

Glass painting is a beautiful, luminous way to express creativity! Come join us to explore the world of glass painting with talented instructor Pam Schwartz.

Our February 2023 monthly meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 21st from 6:30-9pm.

Location:
BVAA Open Sky Uxbridge Community Gallery
5 South Main Street
Uxbridge, MA 01569

The space is fully handicapped / disability accessible with no stairs. It is immediately next to a large free parking lot.

This meeting and workshop is free and open to the public. No experience is necessary. The fun of our workshops is that we all try new things we’ve never done before.

Our meetings cover BVAA organization business from 6:30-7:00pm and then go into the workshop part of the evening. Feel free to come for whichever half interests you the most. In general, our monthly meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month unless otherwise announced.

All are welcome – this workshop is open to members and non-members. Feel free to bring along a friend! We’d love to see you there to try some new things and explore your creativity!

Here are a few images of glass paintings by Pam to give you a sense of this lovely art form.

Ask with any questions!

Our meetings are supported in part by grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Here is the proposed schedule for the BVAA Uxbridge Gallery for the year 2023. Please note that this schedule could adjust or shift based on weather issues or other issues. Please always look for a show’s specific page to get its final details.

“Anything Goes” Community Photography Show:
Drop-off Sat Jan 7
Reception Fri Jan 13
Pickup Sat Mar 4
“Anything Goes” Show Details

Teen “Self Expression” Community Show:
Drop-off Sat Mar 4
Reception Fri Mar 10
Pickup Sat Apr 8
Teen Show Details

Members-Only Spring Show (open theme):
Drop-off Sat Apr 8
Reception Fri Apr 15
Pickup Sat June 3

Members-Only Series Show:
Drop-off Sat June 3
Reception Fri June 9
Pickup Sat July 8

Members-Only Carbon Copies Show:
Drop-off Sat July 8
Reception Fri July 14
Pickup Sat Aug 5

“Show of Hands” Community Anything-But-Photography Show:
Drop-off Sat Aug 5
Reception Fri Aug 11
Pickup Sat Sept 9

Members-Only Fall Show (open theme):
Drop-off Sat Sept 9
Reception Fri Sept 15
Pickup Sat Oct 21

“Diversity” Community open theme show:
Drop-off Sat Oct 21
Reception Fri Oct 27
Pickup Sat Nov 18

Members-Only “Great Gifts” show:
Drop-off Sat Nov 18
Reception Fri Nov 24
Pickup Sat Jan 6

Again, all of these dates are estimates. Be sure to watch for the event-specific full detail page for all details about a show!

Spring beauty is coming at the Milford TV Station!

Every two months we rotate the art show at the Milford TV Station. We arrange our drop-offs on the last Thursday of the month preceding the show. The drop-off for the upcoming March-April 2020 show on the theme of “Spring Joy” is Thursday, March 9th 2023 from 6-8pm. ** NOTE NEW DATE **

This date is also the take-down for the existing “Winter Magic” show. If you’re not able to make it for this pickup date, please wait until after the reception to stop by and retrieve your art. That way the show is up for its full publicized period.

Drop-Off (and previous show pick-up)
Thursday, March 9th, 2023 ***NOTE NEW DATE**
6-8pm
The public is warmly welcome and encouraged to attend the drop-off, to chat with the artists. Many artists hang out to chat during this period. Artists – please bring food or drink to share!

Location
Milford TV Station
138 South Main Street
Milford, MA
https://www.milfordtv.net/

Show Details for the Artists
The Milford TV Station employees create the labels and perform the hanging for us. There is no need to use the BVAA online submission form to indicate what you’re bringing. Simply be sure to label the back of each piece with its title, your name, contact info, and the price. This show is for BVAA members only and is free to participate in.

The Milford TV station does not take any commission on sales. Neither does the BVAA. This is an ideal sales venue, and we do see sales regularly at this venue.

Most artists bring in three to four items but if you have more which match the current theme that’s great! The items can be any size or shape – Milford has a great hanging system which can accommodate pretty much anything.

Ask with any questions! Share the news!