Celebrating local contemporary women artists.

Raw Form: Call for Art

Raw Form is a captivating exhibition showcasing the dynamic works of two Pittsburgh contemporary women artists, Mary Mastren-Williams and Samantha Cortese. The exhibition offers art enthusiasts a unique opportunity to delve into the vibrant world of expressive painting through their artwork and artwork of other local women artists.

Pittsburgh and Western PA contemporary women artists are invited to join Mary and Samantha in showing their work in Raw Form. Two artists will be selected to exhibit 5-10 artworks each for a two week period

CALL FOR ART

Raw Form: A celebration of local contemporary women artists.

Atithi Studio is thrilled to announce Raw Form, a captivating exhibition showcasing the dynamic works of two Pittsburgh contemporary artists, Mary Mastren-Williams and Samantha Cortese. Pittsburgh and Western PA contemporary women artists are invited to join Mary and Samantha in showing their work in Raw Form. Two artists will be selected to exhibit 5-10 artworks each for a two week period during the Raw Form exhibition.

The exhibition opens on March 21, 2025 and runs through April 19, 2025 at Atithi Studios, 1020 N Canal St., Pittsburgh, PA, offering art enthusiasts a unique opportunity to delve into the vibrant world of expressive painting and contemporary art.

Mary Mastren-Williams and Samantha Cortese are recognized for their bold approaches to contemporary art, utilizing vibrant colors, gestural movements, and evocative textures to create visually stimulating and emotionally charged experiences.

  • Mary Mastren-Williams delves into the human form with layers of line, color, and textures, creating narratives that spark dialogue and introspection.

  • Samantha Cortese’s work explores themes of memory and imagination through a flurry of color and shapes as she explores and discovers her creative self.

Raw Form brings together these distinct artistic voices, along with highlighting other local  contemporary women artists, creating a dynamic dialogue between their individual styles and artistic processes. The juxtaposition of their works allows viewers to appreciate the diverse ways in which contemporary artists utilize expression through paint to explore their chosen themes and evoke emotional responses.

Call for Art: 

Mary and Samantha are in search for two (2) contemporary women artists from the Pittsburgh area to be featured within Raw Form. Each artist will have a 2 week feature within the Raw form exhibition.

Entry Requirements: 

  1. Artist statement and bio

  2. Three to five (3-5) digital images of actual or proposed work. Proposed work must be consistent in style with submitted images.  Images should be presented in JPEG format and labeled as LASTNAME_TITLEOFWORK.jpeg

  3. Art must be 2-D and ready to hang. No 3-d work.

  4. Looking for establish or emerging artists

Timeline: 

October 1, 2024: submission deadline, entries due

October 25, 2025: Acceptance announcements via email

March 21, 2025 - April 19, 2025:  Raw Form exhibit at Atithi Studios

March 21, 2025 - April 6, 2025: 1st artist feature

April 6, 2025 - April 19, 2025: 2nd artist feature

Fee: $25 entry fee payable via venmo @Mary-Mastren-Williams or @samcortese144

Selection Process: Two (2) Featured artists to be selected by Mary Mastren-Williams and Samantha Cortese. Each artist will have an apx. two (2) week feature during the Raw Form exhibit at Atithi Studios. Artists must be a female contemporary artist working in painting, drawing, printmaking, or any other 2-D media, and reside in Pittsburgh, PA or Western PA. 

Notification to artist: 

Artists will be notified of acceptance by October 25, 2025 via email.

Accepted Artwork: 

Two (2) artists will be accepted to exhibit 5 - 10 artworks, depending on size, as part of Raw Form at Atithi Studios, 1020 N. Canal St., Pittsburgh, PA. Each artist will exhibit for a two week period. Artwork needs to be framed and ready for hanging. All works should be for sale. Artist 1 will exhibit from March 21, 2025- April 6, 2025. Artist 2 will exhibit from April 6, 2025- April 19, 2025.

Delivery: 

Artworks will be delivered to Atithi Studios, 1020 N. Canal St., Pittsburgh, PA 15215. Artist 1 will deliver artwork on or before March 21, 2025. Artist 2 will deliver work on or before April 6, 2025. 

Pickup Artwork by: 

Artworks will be picked up from Atithi Studios, 1020 N. Canal St., Pittsburgh, PA 15215. Artist 1 will pick up artwork on April 6, 2025 or no later than April 8, 2025. Artist 2 will pick up work on April 19, 2025 or no later than April 21, 2025.

Sales: 

All works must be for sale. Atithi Studios reserves a 30% commission on sold artworks.

Contact: 

For questions or more info contact:

Mary Mastren-Williams at hello@marymastrenwilliams.com or 

Samantha Cortese at info@samanthacorteseart.com 


Meet the Artists


  • Nature's constant dance of creation and transformation ignites a quiet joy within me, a feeling I translate onto through paint. My lifelong passion for artmaking is a sanctuary, a place where I find solace in the beauty and simplicity of nature's forms.

    I work primarily with watercolors, their unpredictable nature mirroring the wild grace of the natural world. Letting go of control becomes a core element of my process, allowing the blooms and bleeds of color to dictate the final composition.

    For Raw Form, I delve deeper into the essence of the feminine. This series explores the idea of femininity through this fluid medium, capturing the organic dance of creation and nurturing embodied by nature.

  • Mary holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts, Masters of Science in Art Curriculum K-12 from Edinboro University of PA and is a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania certified Art K-12 teacher. Mary’s 18+ years of experience includes showing her work in galleries and businesses in the area including:

    Atithi Studios

    Manos Gallery

    Scotland Yards Greenhouse

    Mel's Petit Cafe

    Workshop Pittsburgh

    Mercyhurst University

    Panza Gallery

    Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

    Born and raised in Washington, PA, Mary’s passion for art began in high school when she filled her schedule with every art elective allowed. In college, Mary emersed herself in ceramics, drawing, art history, and printmaking. She found her passion for art thrive when she shared her talents and knowledge with others. She has been teaching and making art ever since. In addition to teaching, Mary spends her time in her own studio creating expressive landscape and floral watercolor paintings, coaching other creatives in therapeutic arts, showing her own work in galleries, and spending time with her children, family, and friends in Pittsburgh, PA.

  • Somewhere in the space between imagining and remembering is where I find my inspiration. My abstract paintings are expressions of what my mind sees when I close my eyes: a flurry of shapes and colors billowing up from the blackness. By painting, I bring those concepts to life. For me, creative expression is the balance of an inspired idea and intuition. So that inspiration is the spark but I must always let go and allow my intuition take over.

    Everyday I'm scanning the world for inspiration and beauty in the world I encounter. I draw from those small daily moments as well as past travel memories to bring to life the emotion of those experiences. With each new piece I learn something new about art and myself. I hope that honesty and raw emotion of awe and wonder is what my audience connects with and can relate to. I paint from a place of joy and I want those positive feelings to bleed onto the canvas with each brushstroke.

    I believe artistic growth comes from fearlessly experimenting with colors, techniques and by using any tools at my disposal. I typically paint on canvas with acrylics but I love to create on wood panels and utilize other mediums to create thick touchable texture or subtle collaged layers.

    When I discovered my passion for painting, I also found my purpose. Despite being a creative, I never felt that I fit into the traditional artist's mold. Now I know that’s because I needed to find my own way; my own artistic process. It was only when I picked up a paintbrush in the long, lonely winter of 2020 that my creativity found its path. As an abstract expressionist I am discovering the beauty of now and sharing that joy in the homes of my collectors.

  • Samantha Cortese is a contemporary expressionist in South Western, Pennsylvania. Focusing her attention on abstract expressions and abstract landscapes she uses paint to explore her intuitive art process.

    Samantha graduated from University of Pittsburgh. As an emerging artist she entered into the Pittsburgh art scene in late 2020. In less than 18 months her artwork has been exhibited in local galleries and commissioned pieces can be found adorning the walls of Pittsburgh restaurants and homes. She loves to connect clients with pieces for their spaces that speak to their desired ambiance.

    Samantha lives in Washington, Pennsylvania with her husband and two young children.