Pennsylvania Masonic Art Exhibition 2023 Call for Entries

by Christopher Hodapp

Calling all Masonic artists! The Masonic Library & Museum of Pennsylvania is holding an open art competition and Grand Exhibition this year, with the theme "Embodying Masonic Values." The call for entries is now open.

All artwork entries must display a visual interpretation of some aspect of Freemasonry in Pennsylvania, whether it be philosophical, historical, scientific, social, fraternal, charitable, architectural, etc. Selected artwork will be exhibited in the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia.

Eligibility

Any amateur or professional artist or college art student may enter, but all will be judged as equals for competition purposes. Artists must be at least 18 years of age. All submissions must be original; they may have been created within the past two years and may have been previously exhibited. No work previously produced on a commission will be accepted. All submissions must be available for purchase.

Categories

Oil, Three-dimensional, Drawing and Print-making, Water-Based Medium, Digital Imagery

Awards
$200 Prize per winner, per category
$500 Grand Master’s Prize
$1,000 Best in Show Prize

Entrance Fee

First entry: $25; Second and Third Entry: $10 (Limit of 3 entries per artist)

Judges will be: Brother Travis Simpkins, Artist; John McDaniel, Artist; and Elaine Erne, Artist/Teacher

Auction

If the artists in the Grand Exhibition choose to participate, their entered works may be auctioned off at the Exhibition Gala, with 80% of the auction value going to them and 20% to The Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania. The artist may set a reserve price, as well as a direct purchase price for the original work to be revealed AFTER the auction.

Entry deadline: Thursday, Aug. 10, by midnight, E.D.T. Submissions must be made through www.callforentry.org

Judges' selections will be announced: Friday, Aug. 25

Opening Reception: The Grand Exhibition Gala will be held at the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia on Friday, Oct. 6, featuring a cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception, live music, announcement of winners and a silent auction of selected artwork.

Exhibition: The Grand Exhibition will be open to the public to view starting on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Tuesdays – Saturdays, until Nov. 11.

Venue: Masonic Temple, One N. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19107-2598

For more information, see the website HERE 

G. Washington's Masonic Pipe Found?

The Baltimore Sun is reporting today on a 7 year long archeological dig at the site of George Washington's boyhood home, Ferry Farm, on the Rappahannock River near Fredericksburg. According to the story, evidence suggests that Brother Washington was not born and raised in a humble log cabin as is sometimes presented in fanciful 18th century illustrations, but in a fairly comfortable 2-story house, with 8 rooms. Pretty posh for the period and area, apparently.

The find is important, because the exact site of Washington's childhood home was unconfirmed until this month. The stone foundation has been unearthed, which included evidence of a known fire in the home on Christmas Eve in 1740. Thousands of artifacts have been discovered, helping researchers to get a better physical and economic picture of young George's upbringing.

No hatchets have been found, for you Parson Weems fans out there. A few hoe blades, but no cherry tree felling equipment.

Among the most intriguing items recovered was a pipe bowl, decorated with Masonic symbols on four sides. Washington is known to have joined a Masonic Lodge in Fredericksburg in 1753 while living at Ferry Farm, when he was 21.

"One can't say this is George Washington's pipe, but we can certainly wonder about that," said David Muraca, director of archaeology at the George Washington Foundation, which sponsored the excavations with support from the National Geographic Society.

The Foundation plans eventually to recreate the Washington home on the site. The National Geographic Channel will air a documentary about the project, “The Real George Washington,” in November.