301-953-1993, 410-792-0664; TTY 301-490-2329
montpelier.arts@pgparks.com
Directions To Montpelier Arts Center

Montpelier Arts Center is a dynamic multifaceted arts destination located on the grounds of historic Montpelier Mansion in northern Prince George's County. Montpelier Arts Center enriches the communities of central Maryland by providing quality visual, literary, and performing arts programs.

The Arts Center which opened in 1979 houses three galleries, artist's studios, and classrooms. Exhibitions include cutting edge work as well as more traditional approaches and feature both emerging and established regional, national and international artists. The Main Gallery is also the site for the performances of the Jazz, Folk/Blues and Classical music series. The gallery is also available on a limited basis for rental by community groups. Artist studios are open to the public, and offer insight into the process of creating artwork. Classes and workshops in the visual arts are offered throughout the year.

Read about our current programs below.

• Special Events
• Exhibitions
• Performances
• Recordings
• Classes, Workshops, Camps
• Rental Info
• Sponsorship Opportunities
• Studios & Resident Artists
• Competitions
• Arts Surveys

Saturday, May 3, 10 am-4 pm
Montpelier Festival of Herbs, Tea and the Arts
Montpelier Mansion and Montpelier Arts Center join forces to bring you a day that will delight all your senses. Enjoy a delicious cup of tea - complete with scones, jam and cream - inside the elegant mansion. Hear live music and see original artwork in the art center. Stroll through our herb garden to give your nose a treat. And shop among vendors of herbs, plants and fine hand-made items. You can also take in a lecture or workshop and sit down to a scrumptious lunch. There's plenty for the kids to do too, with colonial toys and games, a hands-on art tent, and a live animal exhibit. If you are interested in volunteering at the festival, please email montpelier.arts@pgparks.com or call the center at 301-953-1993.
All ages welcome. Free

Past Exhibitions: 2006 | 2007

Main Gallery
The spacious Main Gallery is used for invitational exhibitions as well as juried competitions and is the setting for the performance series. Work by artists of regional and national acclaim is featured. The Main Gallery may also be rented by the public for meetings, receptions, and performances.

An Asian-Pacific American Heritage month exhibition Fluidity, Asian American Artists: Del Kun Dave Chen, Shinji Turner-Yamamoto, and Gen Aihara Exhibition: April 10-May 30 Artist Reception: Saturday, May 3, 2-4 pm Main Gallery Press Release

27th Annual Montpelier Invitational Sculpture Exhibition Exhibition: June 12–August 16 Lecture/Luncheon: Thursday, June 12, 12 noon Reception for the artists: Friday, June 13, 7–9 pm Main Gallery Featuring MFA candidates from local universities. Slide talk by participating artists followed by a light lunch. Reservations required. Call 301-953-1993.

Library Gallery
The Library Gallery hosts one person and group exhibitions chosen by an outside juror through a competition open to all Maryland artists. The competition is held biennially. Congratulations to the winners of the 2007- 09 competition: Melissa Burley, Lynn Cazabon, Deborah Coburn, Symmes Gardner, Lee Goodwin, Suzanne Herbert-Forton, Traudis Kennedy, Allen Linder, Nancy McNamara, Marcella Morgese, Marcia Wolfson Ray, Renee van der Stelt,and Steven Williams. The first exhibition of this cycle of the competition will be Drawings by Alan Linder, January-February 2008.
The next competition will be held in 2010.

Lynn Cazabon, Discards (diluvian) March 6-April 25 Artist Reception: Sunday, March 9, 2-4 pm Library Gallery Unique Prints derived from photograms of discarded cell phones.

Montpelier Instructors Exhibition: May 1-27 Artist Reception: Saturday, May 3, 2-4 pm Library Gallery Exhibition of work by instructors in the Montpelier class program.

Marcia Wolfson Ray Exhibition: June 3–August 21 Artist Reception: Friday, June 13, 7–9 pm Library Gallery Unique sculptures from natural materials.

Carolyn Dutky Romano Exhibition: May 3-25 Artist Reception: Saturday, May 3, 2-4 pm Library Gallery New works by resident printmaker at Montpelier.

Melissa Burley Exhibition: June 5-July 27 Artist Reception: Friday, June 13, 7–9 pm Library Gallery New sculptures by Montpelier resident artist.

Resident Artists Gallery
The Resident Artists Gallery features the work of artists who have studios at the arts center.

Susan Howland April 4-27 Resident Artists Gallery New drawings and paintings by resident artist and instructor in the Montpelier class program.

Performances
The Montpelier Arts Center performance schedule includes a Fall and Spring Jazz Series, the spring Folk and Blues Series and Classical Recitals. All concerts are Fridays at 8 pm. Classical Music Recitals are Sundays at 3 pm in September and October.

Jazz Spring 2008
Members & Seniors receive a 10% discount. (The Senior discount applies only to those ticket holders who are 60 years of age or older.)

Concerts sell out quickly. To ensure seats, call us at 301-953-1993 to order tickets by Visa or MasterCard.
Series tickets ($120 for all 7 concerts) go on sale Tuesday, February 5 at 8:30 am.
Individual concert tickets ($20/concert) go on sale Tuesday, February 12 at 8:30 am.
All concerts begin at 8 pm.

Friday, April 25 Ron Holloway Quintet SOLD OUT Tenor saxophonist Holloway has remarkable flexibility and is at home playing all forms of jazz from hard bop to funk.

The Montpelier Folk and Blues Series
All concerts are Fridays at 8 pm.
Series tickets (All 6 concerts for only $100) go on sale Tuesday, March 4 at 8:30 am.
Individual concert tickets ($20/concert) go on sale Tuesday, March 11. Members & seniors receive a 10% discount.

Friday, May 2 Warner Williams & Jay Summerour Williams, the elder statesman of the Washington Blues scene, and harmonica player and percussionist Summerour form the duo, "A Little Bit O Blues".

Friday, May 9 Frank Schwartz and Teresa Whitaker Along with their rich vocal harmonies, Schwartz and Whitaker combine guitar, bass, banjo, percussion and Celtic harp to perform both original and traditional songs.

Friday, May 16 Odetta If you missed the legendary singer in 2006, here's your second chance! From the heyday of the Hungry I in San Francisco through the civil rights movement and beyond, Odetta is truly a national treasure.

Friday, May 23 Lea This young local musician is fast developing a national reputation. Called a cross between Odetta and Joni Mitchell, Lea has a magnificent voice and powerful insightful compositions.

Friday, May 30 Carolina Chocolate Drops These young African American string Band musicians bring rich traditional Carolinas’ Piedmont Fiddle and banjo music to the center for the first time.

Friday, June 6 David Cole Blues singer/ guitarist David Cole toured with the Delfonics and taught music in the DC public schools. He performs classic blues tunes and his own compositions.

The Montpelier Classical Recital Series
The classical music recitals are held Sundays at 3 pm in September and October. Recitalists are chosen through a biennial competition. Classical musicians are now being sought for the 2008-2009 Montpelier Arts Center Recital Competition. Winners will be presented in recital in the fall of 2008 or 2009. Deadline for submissions: May 28, 2008.

How to Apply: Submissions should be in the form of a ten-minute (or more) cassette or CD featuring material which best identifies your abilities, a completed application form and a one-page resume. Once recordings are submitted, they will become the property of the Arts and Cultural Heritage Division of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and may be used in conjunction with the Musicians’ Registry. The Musicians’ Registry is used to secure musicians for many of the Commission’s programs, as well as being available to the general public. If you would prefer to have your recording returned after the judging, please provide a self-addressed-stamped-envelope with your application. Musicians must be 18 or older to be considered, and there are no geographical restrictions. Each recitalist will receive a $400 honorarium. Accompanists will receive a $200 honorarium. Groups of three or more may receive up to $800. Download the application form. For questions, call the Arts Center at 301-953-1993 or email: Montpelier.Arts@pgparks.com.

Winners will be notified in early summer and the first four recitals will be held in September and October 2008. The complete schedule will be posted in August. Recitals are free (a $5 donation is suggested.) and reservations are requested. To make a reservation, please call 301-953-1993 or 410-792-0664.

JazzMont Records

Montpelier Arts Center's award winning record label is called JazzMont Records. Our CDs can be ordered over the telephone using a credit card, ordered by mail with a check payable to M-NCPPC, or bought in person at the Montpelier Arts Center, 10 am-5 pm seven days per week. The cost is $15 including tax.

JazzMont releases include:
(click a cover to see a larger image)

Royal Essence, an Evening of Ellington
featuring Sir Roland Hanna & Davey Yarborough
Click here to see album liner notes, song list and bios


Uh-Huh! Buck Hill Live at Montpelier
Click here to see album liner notes, song list and bios


Pinky's Waltz, Keter Betts Live at Montpelier
Click here to see album liner notes, song list and bios


Ron Holloway and Friends, Live at Montpelier
featuring Julia Nixon
Click here to see album liner notes, song list and bios

Ennis Anyone? - Ethel Ennis Live at Montpelier
Winner of the Best Jazz Recording of 2005!
Click here to see album liner notes, song list and bios

Classes, Workshops, Camps

Classes
Montpelier has two new classrooms and several new class offerings!
Art classes for children, teens and adults are offered year round at Montpelier in four sessions. Courses can be special one-day workshops addressing a particular theme or skill or six to eight week-long sessions.

New classes include Digital Photography and Digital Animation for both children (10 yrs+) and adults. Learn how to operate your camera properly as well as about the importance of lighting, depth of field and other camera controls. The course will also cover processing and printing with software programs such as Photoshop. In Animation students will learn how to create their very own short films using the computer.

Unique to Montpelier are courses in welding, raku-fired ceramics, and bronze casting. Also offered are beginning to advanced levels in painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, stained glass, darkroom photography, and rug hooking. Independent study opportunities are also available including an ongoing life drawing session. All instructors are practicing artists. Children's classes begin at age eight. They explore drawing and painting concepts, ceramics, and cartooning with working artists. These classes are available after school and Saturdays during the year and in weeklong classes from July through August. Opportunities are also available for home-schooled children. Interested groups should contact the Center. Descriptions of classes and registration information can be found online or in the Prince George's County Parks and Recreation Guide published three times a year. To view descriptions of offerings for each session or to sign up, visit SMARTlink, choose your language and browse classes under "visual arts."

Registration for spring classes is underway. Most spring sessions begin the week of April 13. Go to SMARTlink for listings, choose your language and browse classes under "visual arts."

Workshops
One- two day master workshops are offered for artists or students with some prior experience. Upcoming fall workshops include a welding workshop, polymer gravure printing (NEW!), advanced rug hooking, and collage. Montpelier also holds a self-directed life drawing class for artists looking for ongoing practice drawing the figure. For more information visit SMARTlink.

Camps
Montpelier Arts Center offers special summer camps in the visual arts for children and teens. Usually held throughout the summer, registration for these and other parks and recreation camps is Saturday, March 15, 2008. Camp booklets can be picked up from park facilities and county libraries beginning in February 2007.

The Main Gallery at Montpelier is available for rent by community groups and organizations for meetings, small performances, workshops and conferences. Brides and those wishing to host celebrations should visit Montpelier Mansion webpage. Interested groups or individuals must submit an application at least a month before the event and receive approval from Prince George's Parks and Recreation Department. To obtain an application or for more information, please contact, Ruth Schilling Harwood.

Sponsorship opportunities are available for our peformance and visual arts programming. Contact Montpelier Arts Center director, Richard Zandler for details.

The Resident Artist Program
Montpelier Arts Center has seventeen resident artists. They work in a diverse variety of media and styles. All are professional artists and several teach in the class program at Montpelier. Artists work in their studios throughout the week and can be visited by groups or individuals interested in purchasing their work or learning more about the artistic process. On a revolving basis, artists exhibit their work in the Center's Resident Artist Gallery. Find out more about our Resident Artists.

Jurying for Studio Space
Studios vary in size. The printmaking studio, which also has a darkroom, is a shared space. Current residents include painters, printmakers, fiber artists, sculptors and a jewelry artist. Space is rented to qualified artists at the rate of $8/ square foot per year ($9.60 for artists residing outside of Prince George's and Montgomery Counties.) Interested artists are encouraged to visit the Center. Resident artists who have studios at Montpelier are also eligible for solo exhibitions in the Resident Artists Gallery on a rotating basis and have access to the studios seven days a week.

Artists who wish to rent space at Montpelier are selected by jury. These juried competitions are held every May. If there is no space available at the time of selection, artists are put on a waiting list. Applications are available online or from the Center.

Download the Application
To receive the call for studio jurying, email montpelier.arts@pgparks.com with Artist in the subject line and your name, address and phone number in the body of the email.

• Arts Opportunities Monthly Newsletter
  To find out information on current calls for entry or special exhibits to visit, see our monthly newsletter, Artist Opportunties.
  
  

• Artists
  The Arts and Cultural Heritage Division is developing an inventory of Prince George's County performing artists including, but not limited to, musicians, actors, theatre professionals, dancers, etc. for a listing in a new County Registry of Performing Artists and Companies. The Registry will help the public locate performers for special events. Fill out our Artist Registry Form.
  
  
• Elementary and Middle School Teachers
  Arts Alive! has been a program of the M-NCPPC, Arts and Cultural Heritage Division for the past 20 years. We are seeking your input about the types of programs/performers that would support your classroom activities with an online survey. Please fill out the survey so we can better meet you needs, your input is most appreciated.

Harmony Hall Regional Center · Montpelier Arts Center · Publick Playhouse