The North End Gallery, 41652 Fenwick St. in Leonardtown, is hosting a reception to kick off its Community Art Show tonight from 5 to 8 p.m.

The North End Gallery is an artists’ cooperative that is financed

Mary Crothers of Hughesville painted
Pearl in watercolors.

by members’ dues and sales of their work. Founded in l986 by Southern Maryland artists, the gallery features original and limited edition fine art including oil, acrylic and watercolor paintings, hand-pulled serigraphs, drawings, sculpture, pottery, jewelry, Decorative art, painted silk scarves, photography, stained glass and digital images. While the gallery exhibits its members’ work monthly, it displays work of non-member artists once a year.

“We hold the Community Art Show once a year,” said Kelley Keller, a photographer who joined the gallery in 2001, two years after displaying her work in the 1999 community exhibit. The show is for local artists who do not belong to the North End Gallery but are looking for ways to show their work.

The Community Show is a “good venue for artists who do not have a great deal of experience showing,” Keller said. “They get feedback from artists and cooperative members. The show also provides an opportunity for artists to investigate the North End Gallery to see if they would like to be a member.

The Community Art Show is not juried. Participants must be 18 years of age, and they pay $10 for each piece they exhibit. This year’s show has 30 participating artists and was chaired by Lara Rupinski. Visitors to the show are being asked to vote for their favorite artist. The winner will receive a $50 U.S. Savings Bond.

In addition to the Community Art Show, The North End Gallery hosts monthly art exhibits for its members. Exhibits are themed and feature a solo artist or a group of artists. In addition, the showroom in the all-member gallery is constantly refreshed with new work. The gallery’s monthly exhibits occur on the first Friday of each month and are part of the First Friday celebrations in Leonardtown.

For information about the gallery, its exhibits and its showroom call (301) 475-3130.The showroom, which features retail sales of its members’ art work, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.