Pyramid Atlantic Art Center showcases small, giftable artworks for $50 each
The nonprofit gallery is "gridded almost from floor to ceiling" with artsy stocking stuffers
Are you desperately seeking a last-minute gift? One affordable, original, and supportive of a good cause? If so, get thee to Pyramid Atlantic Art Center. The Hyattsville-situated nonprofit art gallery is currently showcasing small and varied works donated by artists as part of its fourth annual exhibition/fundraiser, the “10 X 10 Invitational.”
“The wall is gridded almost from floor to ceiling with works of art,” says Pyramid artistic director Gretchen Schermerhorn. “You’re going to find something that you like just by the sheer number of pieces.
The gallery puts out a request for works that are 10 inches by 10 inches. Apart from that guidance, artists are free to create what they want and how they want, whether it be a drawing, a painting, or some sort of mixed-media assemblage. “We have embroidery work, we have prints, we have pieces of wood,” says Schermerhorn. “There are even some multi-dimensional pieces — the only restriction being they can’t be more than 10 inches deep.”
The works are all priced at an affordable $50 each.
Schermerhorn enlisted nearly 100 artists who have collectively donated more than 150 works of art to the nationally known, printmaking-focused gallery. Proceeds benefit Pyramid’s internships for fledgling artists, as well as its work in youth outreach and artistic education.
The show also helps support the costs associated with the upkeep of the historic two-story building, constructed in 1890, that Pyramid moved into two years ago. Filled with workshops and community studios, Schermerhorn playfully refers to the downstairs level as “Santa’s workshop.”
What you might call Santa’s elves, meanwhile, are busy in the gallery space upstairs — especially during 10 X 10, with its continually changing display due to limited space and daily sales.
“There are some quirky pieces, there are some pieces that surprise you, and some subversive ones, too,” Schermerhorn says. “I’m just really impressed with the range of media and how people have attacked the idea of creating work in everything from cloth to wood. I think it’s the best ’10 X 10′ that we’ve ever had.”
The Pyramid Atlantic Art Center’s “10 X 10 Invitational” is on display daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. except Sundays (noon to 5 p.m.) and Mondays (closed) through Jan. 4 at 4318 Gallatin Street in Hyattsville. Call 301-608-9101 or visit pryamidatlanticartcenter.org.
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