Call for Artists: "Electric Cafe"

PONSHOP Studio is pleased to announce the call for entries for “Electric Cafe” , a community art exhibit focused artwork that explores ideas like robots, wires, gears, circuits, machinery, the digital. This co-exhibit invites University of Mary Washington students, alumni, and local artists from Fredericksburg and the DMV area to showcase their artwork inspired by the mechanical. Online submissions are due Sunday, September 21. There is no submission fee. 

“Electric Café” will be on display across two venues:

For Five Coffee Roasters located on the University of Mary Washington campus. Opening Reception will be Thursday October 2 (6pm)

Ponshop Studio and Gallery  712 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg. Exhibition runs from  Saturday October 11- Saturday November 1. Second Saturday Reception at PONSHOP, October 11 (6-9pm.) This reception will include a gallery talk focused on opportunities for emerging artists. Don’t miss this electrifying opportunity! 

“Electric Cafe” is organized by MacKenzie Martin, made possible with the support of the University of Mary Washington Dining Department, the Studio Art Department, and UMW Galleries in collaboration with PONSHOP Studio and Gallery.

For Five Coffee Roasters Exhibit (exclusive to UMW students)

Deadline for Digital Submissions: Midnight, Sunday September 21

Opening Reception: Date to be Determined

Exhibition Dates: TBD -  December 4, 2025

Artwork Retrieval: Friday December 5-6, 2025

PONSHOP Exhibit (Community Artists and UMW alumni))

Deadline for Digital Submissions: Midnight, Sunday September 21

Opening Reception: Second Saturday, October 11 (6-9pm)

Exhibition Dates: October 11-Saturday, November 1 2025

Artwork Retrieval: Sunday, November 2 – Tuesday, November 4

Submission Requirements:

PONSHOP Studio and Gallery is accepting original 2-dimensional artwork in any variety of media. All work must conform to the dimensional limits (no greater than) 36”x36”. Submit your best work! Artwork must be framed and ready to hang in accordance with gallery standards (see image below). The gallery reserves the right to reject artwork based on quality, uniqueness and creativity, craftsmanship, and execution. Entries must be original creations of the artist – no reproductions of others artwork.

Entry Conditions: All artwork must be for sale at the PONSHOP venue. Artwork must include a label with the title, medium, artist’s name as you’d like it to be displayed, and the retail price for the art. Retail Price is the price the art will be listed for sale, not the 50% consignment.

Artists are responsible for acquiring insurance on their own artwork. Although PONSHOP will take great care in the hanging and display of artwork, the gallery will not be held responsible for items on exhibit. Artwork delivered that is not dry, of poor assembly, or is incomplete will NOT be accepted.

Entry Procedure: The entry fee is free. Please use the corresponding Google form (button below) to digitally submit work for consideration.

Delivery: Artwork must be delivered between Sunday, October 5 through Tuesday, October 7. Work delivered outside of these time windows will not be accepted, unless shipping is delayed or you are given permission to deliver late (or early) by gallery staff. ent that you will receive after the conclusion of the exhibition.

Artwork Retrieval: Hand-delivered unsold artwork must be picked up between Sunday, November 2- Tuesday, November 4 2025.

Call For Artists: Remixed 10 Vinyl Record Show

It’s that time of year! PONSHOP Studio is excited to announce our “Remixed” exhibition for September 2025.  We’ve rescued stacks of old 12” vinyl records, wiped the dust off and, with the artists help, will turn them into something that people will continue to enjoy—a fun and original work of art. “Remixed 10” is the tenth annual vinyl album art show at PONSHOP and one of our most popular community exhibits. All ages and skill levels are invited to participate in this community show. This exhibition is limited to fifty (50) submissions.

“Sweet Season” Exhibit by Courtney Burke Announced

Opening Reception: First Friday, June 6 (5-9pm)

Exhibition Dates: June 6 - July 31

Gallery Talk: “Second Saturday”, July 11 (6pm)

PONSHOP is proud to present Sweet Season, a solo exhibition by Courtney Burke featuring new works in pyrography and oil. This deeply personal collection explores themes of fertility, femininity, and the shifting identity of motherhood with symbolic still lifes rendered in Burke’s signature process of wood burning and oil painting.

Courtney Burke is a Fredericksburg-based artist working at the intersection of traditional craft and fine art. Her distinctive technique combines drawing, pyrography (wood burning), and oils to build luminous surfaces full of warmth, texture, and memory. Sweet Season reflects on the artist’s own journey through early motherhood. This body of work marks the physical, emotional, and spiritual transitions that have unfolded through pregnancy, postpartum, and the quiet conclusion of her childbearing years.

From milk-filled shells and pearl-dotted fruit to collared shirts kissed in red and mirrored glasses of suspended sweetness, these works examine the body as both vessel and offering. Each painting invites the viewer into a space of intimate reflection-where tenderness and symbolism are rendered with tactile, deliberate beauty.

Learn more about Courtney’s work at courtneyburke.art

Summer Mural Camp at Fredericksburg Academy

PONSHOP Owner, Gabriel Pons is partnering with Fredericksburg Academy this summer to embark on a 36-foot long, 12-foot tall mural on their campus during the summer’s Camp FA Program.  Learn the planning and creative techniques required to turn an idea into a full-scale work of art that will adorn their school for years to come.  Campers will work as a team to help bring Pons’s creative vision to life. This year’s mural will be the largest ever attempted at Fredericksburg Academy, so big in fact it will span two weeks. You can sign up for either week, or both.

Cost: $275

Time: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

First Week (Week 8): July 21-25

Second Week( Week 9): July 28-August 1

Grade 6 to Grade 12

Walker-Grant Center Mural Project Announced

PONSHOP is excited to announce our latest mural collaboration with Sophiola, Rapp Arts, Fredericksburg City Schools, Cary Street Partners - Team Bayne/Pineda, and Sherwin-Williams. In the Spring of 2025, we are endeavoring in a 58-foot long (560 Square foot) mural to adorn the playground wall at the Walker-Grant Center (210 Ferdinand Street Fredericksburg).

Conceived in late 2024, the content of the mural was developed by Gabriel Pons and Sophia Pineda. Pons and Pineda embarked on a history lesson of Joseph Walker and Jason Grant, two key African American leaders in Education in Fredericksburg, and the namesake for the original Walker-Grant School, the first public African American High School in the city. The mural incorporates motivational language inspired by the school’s legacy as well as the historic class of 1950 student protest. They also included messaging for the next generation of students at Fredericksburg City Schools. This mural project is the fifth in the “Heart for Art” initiative that PONSHOP and Sophiola started in 2021 - a collaborative effort between students and faculty, artists, and community members.

Call for Volunteers

We are always happy to receive help from volunteers! If interested in pitching in to paint, Contact PONSHOP.

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"Happy Day" Mural at Embrey Mill - Stafford, Virginia

Gabriel Pons returned to Embrey Mill in Stafford, Virginia to incorporate additional graphics on the future Turning Point Restaurant location. Based on conversations with the client, Pons proposed incorporating farm animals such as a chicken and cow to the South Elevation as well as the slogan “A Happy Day Starts Here” on the East Elevation.

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First Friday Opening Reception: Paintings by Hayden Griffith

PONSHOP is excited to exhibit the paintings of Hayden Griffith for the month of February. Hayden is an Alum of The University of Mary Washington where she studied Studio Arts, graduating in 2024. She also works at PONSHOP, providing classes and sharing the process of their painting among the community.

Hayden’s work connects natural environments and animals with the home. This harmonization expresses feelings on environmentalism and childhood memories. Hayden emphasizes the process, organic form, and color scheme in these paintings. Done in oil, the works range in size (the largest is 36” x 36”) to emphasize the details.

View Hayden’s website Here

Follow Hayden’s Instagram