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The River Road Unitarian Church has for many years supported the local artists in our community by providing a venue for artists' shows. Displaying art at the church provides beauty and spiritual enrichment for our members and others using the church while also supporting the development of artists in the local community. Because both artists and the church benefit from sales at shows, the majority of works of art on display should be for sale.
Shows are held in the church's fellowship room, and pictures may also be hung in the church foyer. The fellowship room has two full walls and one short wall space, some of which is wood paneled and some is white painted brick. Skylights and focus lights provide added illumination in the fellowship room. There is approximately 55 feet of available wall space in the Fellowship Room and additional space in the foyer. The space accommodates roughly 20-30 framed pictures, depending on size and ability to double-hang smaller pictures. If you are unfamiliar with RRUC and would like to see the exhibit space, you may visit the church on Sunday morning or during the week. Contact the church office (301-229-0400) if you wish to speak with someone about the venue.
At present, the church does not have cases to safely exhibit free-standing pieces such as pottery, jewelry, or sculpture. Such pieces may be displayed and sold at the opening, and you must remove them immediately after the opening.
RRUC encourages both new and experienced artists to show their work, especially artists who are local to the Washington area. Artists do not have to be church members. Several artists may wish to have a group show. If your work is unknown to the Fine Arts Committee, you should be prepared to present a sampling of original or reproduction art to the Committee as slides, via your Web site, etc.
The first step is to contact the church office (301-229-0400). The office will contact the Fine Arts Committee, and a representative will call you to arrange to see your work and, once you are accepted, to schedule the dates of your show. The best months for shows are Sept.-Oct., and Jan.-June. November is reserved for the group show of RRUC members and friends, and December is not advisable because of the all-church bazaar and the Christmas and New Year's holidays. Shows may be held during the summer months, if desired.
In addition to setting the month when you will have your show (shows are traditionally up for three or four Sundays out of the month), you will be scheduling the dates and times when you will hang your work in the church and when you will take it down. In addition, we recommend that you schedule an opening reception, for the first (if possible) or the second weekend that the show is up.
You will fill out an agreement form with the dates for the hanging, opening, and taking down of the show. Sign and return the agreement to the Fine Arts Committee representative. The Fine Arts Committee representative will send you the form, or you may download it here (PDF).
The agreement also lays out the responsibilities of the artist and of the church. The agreement will be finalized by the Fine Arts Committee and a copy of the agreement will be provided to the artist and the church office.
RRUC does not charge a fee for showing your art. The church receives 20% of the sales total. (Most galleries now take 40-50% of sales.)
Although the subject matter of the work is completely up to you, artists should remember that this is a church and works should be appropriate for a wide range of ages and audiences, including young children and people of various religions.
Works of art should be attractively matted and/or framed, as appropriate to the medium, and must be wired for hanging. The church supplies rods with hooks.
A member of the Fine Arts Committee will be present to assist you in hanging your show. Most shows are hung on Saturday morning, but other times can be arranged. (The time will have been arranged early, when you set the date.) Allow a minimum of two hours for the hanging.
Artists are encouraged to hold a reception, as this is the occasion in which most sales take place. The reception — including invitations, refreshments, and servers — is your responsibility as the artist, and should be arranged well in advance with the church office. Artists have use of the foyer, Fellowship Room, and kitchen. Tthe Fellowship Room has tables that may be arranged as needed for the reception. Sunday afternoons are strongly recommended as the most suitable and available times for openings. A member of the Fine Arts Committee will assist with sales at the reception.
No later than the time of the opening, you must make a list of each piece of art displayed and its price, both for the church office and the Fine Arts Committee, and for those viewing the show.
All sales must be accompanied by a check made out to RRUC (not to the artist; RRUC will issue you a check for 80% of this amount after your show closes), either at the time of sale or soon thereafter. Standard forms developed by the Fine Arts Committee are used for sales, and include the name of the artist, name of artwork, price, and purchaser. These can also be used for those sending in checks after the opening. The Fine Arts Committee member handling sales at the reception will notify the church office of the works sold.
RRUC will publish notice of your show and opening in the church newsletter and in the Fine Arts area of the RRUC Web site. (For an example, see the announcement of next month's show.)
Please provide brief biographical information to the Fine Arts Committee representative so that this information can be included in the newsletter and on our Web site. You are encouraged to produce a professional invitation that you can circulate widely order to promote your show and assure participation in your opening reception. For details, see our artist information guide.
Once the show has been completed and all checks or payments have been received, the church will send a check for 80% of the total sales to the artist. Checks to artists are generally processed within 7 to 10 days of receipt of the request. If you have questions on payment, contact the church office (301-229-0400).
Good luck with your show!
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