Smithsonian Institution employees are used to working behind-the-scenes, but they have a chance to show off their own artwork to the public at Artists at Work: The Smithsonian Community Art Show 2008. The exhibit opened on March 27 and will be on display through May 18 at the S. Dillon Ripley Center Concourse.
Over 170 Smithsonian staff, volunteers, interns, and fellows submitted over 170 entries to a jury who picked 71 final pieces for exhibition. The entries include art of various media from fabric to clay to photography. Once the pieces were selected, OEC designer Bart McGarry came up with a layout for the gallery using the preliminary measurements supplied by the artists. OEC fabrication specialists Robert Perantoni and Richard Gould did a final measurement of the pieces and installed them in the Ripley Center.
This staff art show is sponsored by the Smithsonian Community Committee (SCC). Throughout the year, OEC collaborates with the SCC on various activities, including a photography contest and a summer picnic.
top photo: Gould, McGarry, and OEC project manager Betsy Robinson decide on the placement of a photograph.
left photo: Perantoni makes sure a piece of art is level.