Daily News

Springfield Museums Issues Community Call for Portraits for New Exhibit

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Museums issued a community call for portraits that will result in the exhibit “This Is Us: Regional Portraiture Today” at the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts from Oct. 24 through April 4, 2021.

In conjunction with the exhibition “The Outwin: American Portraiture Today” (on view at the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts from Oct. 3 through April 4), the Springfield Museums invite submission of original portraits by artists of all ages residing in the Connecticut River Valley and Hartford County, Conn.

“Since its opening in 1933, the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts has proudly showcased artworks by our exceptional community,” said Heather Haskell, director of Art Museums and vice president of the Springfield Museums. “We are especially excited about ‘This is Us: Regional Portraiture Today’ and look forward to sharing the submissions and backstories with our visitors.”

Artists are invited to use their own art materials, or to pick up a 16-by-20-inch canvas, free of charge, at the Museums’ Welcome Center during regular open hours. The Museums request only one submission per artist of a portrait created within the last two years. The Museums are especially interested in works that complement the themes explored in “The Outwin: American Portraiture Today,” including identity, human connection, and responses to the current political and social environment.

“Of any artwork, portraiture is the most personal, and in this time of social distancing, the show will provide all of us with the opportunity to ‘meet’ our neighbors through vicarious interaction,” Haskell said.