Art Department

Activities in this department are designed to stimulate the artistic interests of GFWC members with participation in arts and sculpture preservation; disabilities and the arts; and various contests including Photography, Painting, Short Story, and Poetry.

Arts in the Community

• Very Special Arts (VSA) 1-800-933-8721 Ext. 608

  (in Maryland contact: Elizabeth Grimaldis at 410-767-0173 or mail inquiries to: Very Special Arts of MD, 200 North Baltimore St, Baltimore MD 21201)

• Youth for Art
  • Participate and support Youth Art Month (YAM), administered by the Council for Art Education, In. YAM, observed each March, underscored the importance of youth art education and encourages public support for quality school programs.

  GFWC Maryland Federation of Women's Clubs, Inc. - Youth Art Program:

  • ELIGIBILITY:
  • All students from the sixth grade through the twelfth grade are eligible. Work will be judged in two categories:
  • Art Class 1-Grades 6, 7 & 8; Class 2-Grades 9, 10, 11 & 12.
  • Photography-Computer Art: Class 2 - Grades 9,10,11,& 12
  • Entries must be submitted through local MFWC Women's Clubs and judged at a District level before going on to State judging.
  • RULES:
  • All entries must be original, done by the student between 3/1/07 and 3/1/08.
  • Original work shall be done from life or purely from imagination. No copied work is acceptable. Reaarrangements of work to create new compositions are still considered copies of they derive directly from existin works in any media. Student's work from their own photographs are accepted.
  • Work may be of the following media: oil, lead pencil, pen and ink, charcoal, pastels, watercolors, acrylic, mixed media, photography/computer art. If necessary - the work should be sprayed with a fixative. Due to problems of logistics of transportation and weight, sculpture and ceramic entries will not be accepted.
  • All entries must have a firm backing of heavy cardboard or foam core.
  • Maximum size should not exceed 24" x 36"."
  • No frames or glass.
  • Each entry Must Have an Entry Card securely attached to the back with the following information: the student's name, E-mail, home address, zipcode,home phone, grade, school, type of media, and source of subject. Entries without cards will NOT be judged.
  • Each Local Club or District may establish rules to determine how many entries each student may submit to their program.
  • For the State Program, three (3) works will be accepted from Class 1 in ART and three (3) from Class 2 in ART and three (3) from Class 2 in Photography/Computer Art from each District.
  • AWARDS:
  • Local clubs and districts may set dates and present winners in their shows with ribbons and/or awards at their discretion.
  • At the State level, The GFWC Maryland Federation of Women's Clubs, Inc. offers two (2)$200 First Place Awards, two (2) $150 Second Place Awards, two (2) $100 Third Place Awards in the High School class 2 Division and one (1) $100 First Place Award, one (1) $75 Second Place Award, and one (1) $50 Third Place Award in the Middle School Class 1 Division.
  • DEADLINE:
  • All District winning entries must be in the hands of Jeannine Dufrene, MFWC Youth Art Chairmen before April 5, 2008 to enter the State Contest. Judging of this artwork will take place the first week in April. The winning artists will receive their awards at the MFWC State Convention, April 26-29, 2008 at the BWI Airport Marriott Hotel.

  Member Short Story and Poetry Contest

  General Contests Rules:

  • Writers must be dues paying members of active GFWC clubs.
  • Writers must be amateurs; earning from writing must not exceed $500 annually.
  • Entries may not have been published prior to the competition and must be original works of the author.

  Short Story contest for members:

  • Short stories are limited to 2000 words.
  • Entries must be written on word processors or typewriters, double spaced, with minimum margins of 1", one side only, on 8 1/2" by 11" paper.
  • Entries must be written during the contest year - Jan 1 - Dec 31.
  • Entries must have the following in the top right hand corner or each page: author's name, address, telephone number, name of local club/state and title of manuscript.
  • Manuscripts will not be returned. Authors should keep a copy. State entries will be returned only if accompanied by a self addressed stamped envelope.
  • Send all entries to: Lou Grumbach, 3008 Dunglow Road, Baltimore,MD 21222-5102 by March 1, 2007.

  Poetry Contest for members:

  • Entries of poems can be any style, with a minimum length of eight lines and a maximum length of 45-50 lines.
  • Entries must be written on word processors or typewriters, double spaced, with minimum margins of 1", one side only, on 8 1/2" by 11" paper.
  • Entries must be written during the contest year - Jan 1 - Dec 31.
  • Entries must have the following in the top right hand corner or each page: author's name, address, telephone number, name of local club/state and title of manuscript.
  • Manuscripts will not be returned. Authors should keep a copy.
  • Send all entries to: Lou Grumbach, 3008 Dunglow Road, Baltimore,MD 21222-5102 by March 1, 2007.

  YOUTH ART CONTESTS

  Short Story Contest for youth:

  • Short stories are limited to 2000 words or less.
  • Youth may enter one short story for club contest on the local level.
  • Entries must be written on word processors or typewriters,double spaced, with minimum margins of 1", one side only, on 8 1/2" by 11" paper.
  • Entries must be written during the contest year.
  • Entries must have the following in the top right hand corner or each page: author's name, address, telephone number, name of local club/state and title of manuscript.
  • Manuscripts will not be returned. Authors should keep a copy.
  • Send all entries to: Lou Grumbach, 3008 Dunglow Road, Baltimore,MD 21222-5102 by March 1, 2007.

  Poetry Contest for Youth:

  • Entries of poems can be any style, with a minimum length of eight lines and a maximum length of 30 lines.
  • Entries must be written on word processors or typewriters, double spaced, with minimum margins of 1", one side only, on 8 1/2" by 11" paper.
  • Entries must be written during the contest year.
  • Entries must have the following in the top right hand corner or each page: author's name, address, telephone number, name of local club/state and title of manuscript.
  • Manuscripts will not be returned. Authors should keep a copy.
  • Send all entries to: Lou Grumbach, 3008 Dunglow Road, Baltimore,MD 21222-5102 by March 1, 2007.

  Photography Contests

  The World in Pictures Contest

  • Categories:
  • Natural History: flowers, animals, insects, birds, trees, etc.
  • Scenic: Vistas, landscapes, seascapes, parks, mountains, farmland, etc.
  • Feature: Human interest including people, events, etc.
  • Rules:
  • Entries can be black & white or color.
  • Size (including matting) must be at least 10 inches by 12 inches and no larger than 14 inches by 16 inches. No frames or glass. Must be matted.
  • Back of each photo must have an arrow drawn indicating the top.
  • Each photo must have the following information on the back of the picture: photographer's name, address, phone number, name of state and club and a brief caption giving the location and situation of the photo with title.
  • Photos must be taken during the contest year - Jan 1- Dec 31.
  • States will send one entry in each of the three categories to GFWC for judging.
  • Contestants must be amateur photographers (earnings from photography must not exceed $500 annually).

  GFWC Volunteers in Action Contest

  • Photos should describe a club project, such as members reading to children. Judges will look for action shots (not posed), creativity and photo quality.
  • Each photo must have the following information on the back of the picture: photographer's name, address, phone number, name of state and club and a brief caption giving the location and situation of the photo with title.

  A Year in Pictures - New Calendar Contest

  • All entries (flowers, fauna, vistas, etc) will be considered.
  • Judges will look for photos suitable for calendars, such as photos relevant to particular months or seasons.
  • Photos must be horizontal.
  • Entries must be color prints.
  • Photographers must be dues paying members of active GFWC clubs.
  • All entries must be matted. Size of entry (including matting) must be at least 10" x 12", but no larger than 14" x 16". No frames or glass.
  • Each photo must have the following information on the back of the picture: photographer's name, address, phone number, name of state and club and a brief caption giving the location and situation of the photo with title.
  • Photos must be taken during the contest year - Jan 1- Dec 31.
  • Contestants must be amateur photographers (earnings from photography must not exceed $500 annually).
  • Photos will not be returned.
  • Photos may be taken using film or digital cameras.
  • The same image may be submitted to all GFWC photo contests, but separate photos must be entered into each contest.
  • Deadline: May 1, 2007 and 2008
  • Send entry directly to GFWC Headquarters, 1734 N Street, MW, Washington DC, 20036, attention Calendar Contest.