Alexandria, VA – “Whoever said orange is the new pink was seriously disturbed.” ~ Elle Woods
The pink-possessed Elle Woods character in the film Legally Blonde breaks the Ivy ceiling at Harvard Law School with poise and a perspicacity that leaves jaws dropped in her wake. Pink isn’t just a color or a shade. It’s an attitude. It’s powerful.
Women Artists of the DMV: A Survey, curated by Florencio Lennox (Lenny) Campello and presented by the Alper Initiative for Washington Art, opened last month showcasing over 400 artists from nearly 4,000 submissions at 18 art spaces across the region. Much like the color pink within the context of breast cancer awareness, this expansive exhibition punches with empowerment, themes of resilience, and imposing strength in its diverse aesthetic vision.
PINK POWER
Campello is a veteran curator with over 200 exhibitions to his credit spanning four decades. Lenny is pink at heart. His ambition undertaking this monumental show is not a demurely blushing rose. The artwork narrative expresses 50 metaphorical shades of power in pink—from playful bubblegum and fanciful flamingo to boldly magenta and fuchsia sassy.
Campello’s concept was to structure the collaboration across vastly diverse venues and artist representation via a threefold pyramid: gallery established/nationally recognized names (such as Renee Stout and Barbara Januszkiewicz), those who exhibit around the DMV in the numerous pop-up and cooperative art spaces, and emerging artists just getting their brushes wet.
BE A FLAMINGO IN A FLOCK of EAGLES
In response to Mark Jenks’ review in the Washington Post of the art on view at the Katzen Center, Lenny teased, “I’ve made it clear to WaPo that I’m expecting more than one review, since there are 18 venues!” Among them are the nearby Athenaeum in Old Town, the McLean Project for the Arts, and Nepenthe Gallery. Artists with Alexandria connections include Andrea Cybyk, Wendy Jones Donohoe, Amy Perlman Gura, Barbara Januszkiewicz, Teresa Oaxaca, and Karen Schmitz.
BELIEVE IN PINK
Women Artists of the DMV: A Survey is the most expansive fine art exhibition of regional female artwork ever curated in the United States. It’s also the first time a perspective of female visual art has been exhibited in the greater National Capital region. Such a unifying stage of talent speaks to the breadth of artistry among a segment of the art metaverse largely marginalized throughout art history.
This MUST-SEE, rose-colored, glass-ceiling-smashing survey show continues on exhibit at evolving locations through December 2025 when it can be viewed at Nepenthe, opening December 4.
Be there or be blue!
ON EXHIBIT IN AND AROUND PORT CITY:
Spooktacular Ghoulies and Ghosties
It’s the 30th anniversary of Art on the Avenue. Be sure to visit Del Ray Artisans Gallery where curator Morgan Parr presents Things That Go Bump in the Night, on exhibit through October 25.
When a Rose Is Not a Rose
October at the Principle Gallery has two exhibits to calendar: First, Mixed Reality, a group exhibition encompassing a dazzling range of contemporary Realist painting, from Hyperrealism and Magic Realism to Trompe l’Oeil. Following is Instinct and Order, a solo exhibit of allegorical portraiture by Russell Gordon; opening reception is October 10 from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
At the Green Spring Garden Horticultural Center atrium, Jay Ryan is proud to announce In Trees We Trust, his first solo show of acrylic landscape paintings in collaboration with the Studio 213 artists exhibit, Inspired by Nature. The art is on view from October 7 to November 23, 2025. All are invited to attend the artists reception October 12 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
New at Nepenthe
October at Nepenthe Gallery is ablaze with hot happenings in the gallery and beyond. This fall season another MUST-SEE is the pop-up sculpture garden that was unveiled during the September 20 American Horticultural Society Gala at River Farm. The diverting sculptural- works excitement culminates with reveling in one of the elephants from The Great Elephant Migration Project that travelled across the country from Newport, Rhode Island, to NYC and all the way to LA. On view at River Farm only through October 20, 2025, M-F 9 a.m.-5 p.m. & Fri-Sat 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Color Galore
Meet Marsha Staiger, a fave of ALX art aficionados, October 9, 6-7:30 p.m. Marsha is a studio artist and teacher at the Torpedo Factory. Painting for more than 35 years, she loves color. Come see how much—now through December 5, 2025.
Robert Murray of the Von Brahler Gallery Ltd. presents the impressionist art of Otari Shiuk in partnership with Nepenthe. Hear Bob and Otari’s former daughter-in-law Eugenia Chester sharing stories about this remarkable 20th century painter on October 16 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
October 30’s ART + WINE + CHEESE, 6-7:30 p.m., brings two Philadelphians to Alexandria. Keith Breitfeller and Brian Davis share an eclectic studio; Keith painting vibrant layered color and movement in oil while Brian creates intimate and immersive multimedia experiences via small collages and large installations.
Lily Pulitzer, OG of the Palm Beach pink set, once said, “Anything is possible with sunshine and a little pink.” We think so too!
