PHOTO GALLERY: A Multimedia Exhibit at UUCR

The Prince George's Art Association is showing oil, acrylic and watercolor paintings, photographs, textile art and mixed media sculpture in the galleries of through Oct. 30.

There are 34 pieces in the juried show, titled "Life's Pleasures and Challenges."
, the show's coordinator, is a member of UUCR and of the .

The group chose to exhibit at UUCR because of the church's outlook toward social justice, Tabakin-Laterner said.

"Our more senior PGAA members participated in Martin Luther King's Freedom Marches, as did some members of the UUCR," she said.

The church has a social justice committee, which has been engaged in fair housing, nuclear disarmament and civil rights advocacy since the 1950s. In recent years, it has supported local artist groups by providing exhibit space.

"Places like this, with so much space to show, are fantastic," said Nancy Winchester, a PGAA member and portrait artist.

UUCR has four gallery spaces. Group and solo shows are scheduled every two months, said Laura Huff, the gallery director who has been a UUCR member for five decades. The Washington Watercolor Association, the Colored Pencil Association and various photography groups have exhibited in the space.

Art shows at the UUCR receive exposure to the congregation's 500 members on any given Sunday, Tabakin-Latterner said.

Founded in 1964, the PGAA has 20 members from across the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Members meet at the New Carrollton Recreation Center in Prince George's County. Zenobia Rickford is the president. This is the group's first show in Montgomery County.

The PGAA has exhibited widely, including at Annie's Gallery in Prince George's County, in the courthouse and the Maryland Federation of the Arts in Annapolis and at the Sumner School, NBC Gallery and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C.

Bert Shankman, a PGAA member and fine art photographer, recently showed his limited edition archival pigment prints of flowers grown in his garden at exhibits in Lishui, China and at the Ratner Museum in Bethesda.

Other artists in the show include: Eileen Cave, David Cook, Allita Irby, Jean Magram, Samuel Mercer, Zenobia Rickford, Tabakin-Laterner, E.L. Whitley, Nancy Winchester and Cynthia York.

UUCR gallery hours are 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday and 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays. Saturday hours vary. Call Bonita Tabakin-Latterner at 301-762-8789 or Laura Huff at 301-762-8789 for more details and appointments. If you are visiting during the week, it is suggested to call 301-762-7666.