The Visual Artists' Alliance of Maryland (VAAM), founded in 1993 as The Howard County Art Guild, is a non-profit, volunteer organization promoting art education and appreciation in Howard County, Maryland.

Benefits and Activities

• Guest lecturers and demonstrations
• Newsletters
• Exhibits, judged shows, displays, receptions
• Scholarship program for Howard County High School students who plan to pursue advanced education in art
• Specialty workshops
• Paint "on location" outings
• Outdoor shows

Membership is open to art lovers, educators, students (minimum age 16 or through a family membership), and artists.

Artists do not need to have work juried as a requirement for membership.

VAAM Goals

The goals of the Visual Artists' Alliance of Maryland are to:

Educate: Guest artists and members demonstrate and explain specific technical or conceptual aspects of art in their specialized media. Specialty workshops and hands-on sessions are conducted for members to develop and enhance their skills. Art is critiqued by fellow members at general meetings.

Inform: Bi-monthly newsletters announce upcoming events and opportunities to exhibit art work and to volunteer, as well as report on recent VAAM and local art community events.

Encourage: VAAM promotes increased technical skills for artists and encourages students to develop professional skills through scholarships.

Network: Members share ideas, tips and techniques, resources for art materials, and friendship at the general meetings, receptions for judged shows and exhibits, and at special events.

Display: Members have the opportunity to show their art at local exhibits, judged shows, and mini-displays. Artworks are expected to conform to standards set by the exhibiting institution. Members can also display up to six images of their artwork on the website’s gallery page.

General meetings are held at (effective Sept. 2010):

The Gary J. Arthur Community Center at Glenwood
2400 Route 97, Cooksville, MD 21723
410-313-4840

Meetings are held on the fourth Mondays of January, March, May, July, September, and November. Contact Nancy Shields at 410-730-6257 for more information on meetings.