Born 1976 in Massachusetts.
Resides and works in Washington, DC.
Bio
Paul Pietsch is a perceptual painter in Washington, DC, who values visual discovery and interpretation over distilled meaning. His work centers on people, places and things. Paul has shown his work throughout the Washington, DC, area and in New England for 25 nearly years.
Paul has an MFA in painting from American University and 10 years of experience teaching studio art courses at Montgomery College, Prince George’s Community College, and the Washington Studio School. In the studio-classroom, Paul facilitates opportunities for creative engagement through open, inclusive and accessible teaching designed to draw out the potential in everyone.
For more than 20 years, Paul has supported the visual arts through service to non-profit organizations and government arts agencies. This includes leadership of the boards of directors of the Washington Studio School and Art Enables; researching and writing nationally recognized reports on arts in healthcare, creative aging, rural creative economic development and other topics for the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies; serving as a subject matter expert for the Arts, Pain Management & Opioids Working Group organized by the National Endowment for the Arts; adjudicating grant applications for the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the Kentucky Arts Council; advising the Washington Project for the Arts; helping organize exhibitions for Pyramid Atlantic Art Center and CulturalDC; and running life-drawing and life-painting sessions for Hillyer Art Space and the Washington Drawing Center.
Paul is a member of the College Art Association, SECAC (Southeastern College Art Conference) and FATE (Foundations in Art: Theory and Education).
Teaching
Washington Studio School (Washington, DC)
Faculty Member and Certificate Program Student Advisor
2018 – Current
Montgomery College (Rockville, MD)
Adjunct Professor of Art
2025 – Current
Prince George’s Community College (Largo, MD)
Adjunct Professor of Art
Current; 2010 – 2011
Exhibitions
Sarah Silberman Art Gallery, Montgomery College, Rockville, MD
57th Annual Rockville and Germantown Faculty and Staff Exhibition
2026
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, Washington, DC
Commission
2026
Washington Studio School, Washington, DC
Faculty Exhibition
2024
Washington Studio School, Washington, DC
Faculty Exhibition
2023
Washington Studio School, Washington, DC
Faculty Exhibition
2019
Washington Studio School, Washington, DC
Drawn
2019
Washington Studio School, Washington, DC
Faculty Exhibition
2018
DC Arts Center, Washington, DC
Sip & Paint: van Gogh’s Starry Night
2016
Fieldwork Showing, Washington, DC
Memory Stories: A Presentation of Developing Work
2015
Washington Drawing Center, Washington, DC
Plain Sight / New Work (solo show)
2015
Studio Gallery, Washington, DC
Portrait of Self as Other
2015
DC Arts Center, Washington, DC
1460 Wallmountables
2014
Church of the Pilgrims Bird Room Art Gallery, Washington, DC
Dupont Drawing Group Members Exhibition
2014
Prince Georges Community College, Largo, MD
Approaches to Drawing
2013
AVA Gallery and Art Center, Lebanon, NH
Juried Show Award Winners 1993 – 2012
2013
DC Arts Center, Washington DC
1460 Wallmountables
2013
doris-mae, Washington, DC
Pat Goslee / Becca Kallem / Paul Pietsch / William Whitaker / Will Copps
2012
Prince Georges Community College, Largo, MD
Faculty Exhibition
2011
(e)merge Art Fair, Washington, DC
Washington Project for the Arts Flat File
2011
Arlington Arts Center, Arlington, VA
New Art Examined
2006
Prada Gallery, Washington, DC
2006
American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, Washington, DC
MFA Thesis Exhibition
2006
Warehouse Gallery, Washington, DC
Art Romp 18
2005
Katzen Arts Center, American University, Washington, DC
Seventeen Artists, A Project Curated by William Pope.L
2005
Watkins Gallery, American University, Washington, DC
First-Year MFA Student Exhibition
2005
AVA Gallery, Lebanon, NH
Eleventh Annual Juried Summer Exhibition
(received Juror’s Award)
2003
AVA Gallery, Lebanon, NH
Tenth Annual Juried Summer Exhibition
2002
Museo Katinamit, San Cristobal Verapaz, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
2001
Arts Management and Leadership
Washington Studio School
Treasurer, Board of Directors
2022 – 2024
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, Washington, DC
Research Manager
2012 – 2019
Hillyer Art Space, Washington, DC
Life Drawing Group Coordinator
2009 – 2020
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Washington, DC
Grant Reviewer: General Operating Support for Service Organizations Grant
2017
Kentucky Arts Council, Frankfort, KY
Grant Reviewer: Kentucky Arts Partnership Grant
2017
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Washington, DC
Artist Reviewer of Strategic Plan 2015-2020
2014 & 2015
Washington Drawing Center, Washington, DC
Associate Artist & Figure Model Coordinator
2013 – 2015
doris-mae, Washington, DC
Reading Group Facilitator
2013
Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, DC
Artists’ Advisory Council Member
2012 – 2014
Art Enables, Washington, DC
Member and President of the Board of Directors
2004 – 2008
Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center, Silver Spring, MD
Public Programming Intern
2006
Flashpoint Gallery of Cultural Development Corporation, Washington, DC
Gallery and Development Intern
2004
Community of Hope, Washington, DC
Artist-in-Residence
2004
Peace Corps, Chilasco, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala
Peace Corps Volunteer
1999 – 2001
Professional Membership and Service
College Art Association
Member
FATE (Foundations in Art: Theory and Education)
Member
SECAC (Southeastern College Art Conference)
Member
Washington Studio School, Washington, DC
Juror of “Art is Not Decoration: Juried Student Exhibition”
2026
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Washington, DC
Adjudicator of Grant Applications (General Operating Support for Service Organizations Grant Program)
2017
Kentucky Arts Council, Frankfort, KY
Adjudicator of Grant Applications (Arts Partnership Grant Program)
2017
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Washington, DC
Reviewer of Strategic Plan 2015-2020
2014 – 2015
Education
American University, Washington, DC
Master of Fine Arts, Painting
2006
American University, Washington, DC
Graduate Certificate in Arts Management
2004
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
Bachelor of Arts in History, Cum Laude
1999
Resides and works in Washington, DC.
Bio
Paul Pietsch is a perceptual painter in Washington, DC, who values visual discovery and interpretation over distilled meaning. His work centers on people, places and things. Paul has shown his work throughout the Washington, DC, area and in New England for 25 nearly years.
Paul has an MFA in painting from American University and 10 years of experience teaching studio art courses at Montgomery College, Prince George’s Community College, and the Washington Studio School. In the studio-classroom, Paul facilitates opportunities for creative engagement through open, inclusive and accessible teaching designed to draw out the potential in everyone.
For more than 20 years, Paul has supported the visual arts through service to non-profit organizations and government arts agencies. This includes leadership of the boards of directors of the Washington Studio School and Art Enables; researching and writing nationally recognized reports on arts in healthcare, creative aging, rural creative economic development and other topics for the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies; serving as a subject matter expert for the Arts, Pain Management & Opioids Working Group organized by the National Endowment for the Arts; adjudicating grant applications for the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the Kentucky Arts Council; advising the Washington Project for the Arts; helping organize exhibitions for Pyramid Atlantic Art Center and CulturalDC; and running life-drawing and life-painting sessions for Hillyer Art Space and the Washington Drawing Center.
Paul is a member of the College Art Association, SECAC (Southeastern College Art Conference) and FATE (Foundations in Art: Theory and Education).
Teaching
Washington Studio School (Washington, DC)
Faculty Member and Certificate Program Student Advisor
2018 – Current
Montgomery College (Rockville, MD)
Adjunct Professor of Art
2025 – Current
Prince George’s Community College (Largo, MD)
Adjunct Professor of Art
Current; 2010 – 2011
Exhibitions
Sarah Silberman Art Gallery, Montgomery College, Rockville, MD
57th Annual Rockville and Germantown Faculty and Staff Exhibition
2026
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, Washington, DC
Commission
2026
Washington Studio School, Washington, DC
Faculty Exhibition
2024
Washington Studio School, Washington, DC
Faculty Exhibition
2023
Washington Studio School, Washington, DC
Faculty Exhibition
2019
Washington Studio School, Washington, DC
Drawn
2019
Washington Studio School, Washington, DC
Faculty Exhibition
2018
DC Arts Center, Washington, DC
Sip & Paint: van Gogh’s Starry Night
2016
Fieldwork Showing, Washington, DC
Memory Stories: A Presentation of Developing Work
2015
Washington Drawing Center, Washington, DC
Plain Sight / New Work (solo show)
2015
Studio Gallery, Washington, DC
Portrait of Self as Other
2015
DC Arts Center, Washington, DC
1460 Wallmountables
2014
Church of the Pilgrims Bird Room Art Gallery, Washington, DC
Dupont Drawing Group Members Exhibition
2014
Prince Georges Community College, Largo, MD
Approaches to Drawing
2013
AVA Gallery and Art Center, Lebanon, NH
Juried Show Award Winners 1993 – 2012
2013
DC Arts Center, Washington DC
1460 Wallmountables
2013
doris-mae, Washington, DC
Pat Goslee / Becca Kallem / Paul Pietsch / William Whitaker / Will Copps
2012
Prince Georges Community College, Largo, MD
Faculty Exhibition
2011
(e)merge Art Fair, Washington, DC
Washington Project for the Arts Flat File
2011
Arlington Arts Center, Arlington, VA
New Art Examined
2006
Prada Gallery, Washington, DC
2006
American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, Washington, DC
MFA Thesis Exhibition
2006
Warehouse Gallery, Washington, DC
Art Romp 18
2005
Katzen Arts Center, American University, Washington, DC
Seventeen Artists, A Project Curated by William Pope.L
2005
Watkins Gallery, American University, Washington, DC
First-Year MFA Student Exhibition
2005
AVA Gallery, Lebanon, NH
Eleventh Annual Juried Summer Exhibition
(received Juror’s Award)
2003
AVA Gallery, Lebanon, NH
Tenth Annual Juried Summer Exhibition
2002
Museo Katinamit, San Cristobal Verapaz, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
2001
Arts Management and Leadership
Washington Studio School
Treasurer, Board of Directors
2022 – 2024
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, Washington, DC
Research Manager
2012 – 2019
Hillyer Art Space, Washington, DC
Life Drawing Group Coordinator
2009 – 2020
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Washington, DC
Grant Reviewer: General Operating Support for Service Organizations Grant
2017
Kentucky Arts Council, Frankfort, KY
Grant Reviewer: Kentucky Arts Partnership Grant
2017
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Washington, DC
Artist Reviewer of Strategic Plan 2015-2020
2014 & 2015
Washington Drawing Center, Washington, DC
Associate Artist & Figure Model Coordinator
2013 – 2015
doris-mae, Washington, DC
Reading Group Facilitator
2013
Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, DC
Artists’ Advisory Council Member
2012 – 2014
Art Enables, Washington, DC
Member and President of the Board of Directors
2004 – 2008
Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center, Silver Spring, MD
Public Programming Intern
2006
Flashpoint Gallery of Cultural Development Corporation, Washington, DC
Gallery and Development Intern
2004
Community of Hope, Washington, DC
Artist-in-Residence
2004
Peace Corps, Chilasco, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala
Peace Corps Volunteer
1999 – 2001
Professional Membership and Service
College Art Association
Member
FATE (Foundations in Art: Theory and Education)
Member
SECAC (Southeastern College Art Conference)
Member
Washington Studio School, Washington, DC
Juror of “Art is Not Decoration: Juried Student Exhibition”
2026
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Washington, DC
Adjudicator of Grant Applications (General Operating Support for Service Organizations Grant Program)
2017
Kentucky Arts Council, Frankfort, KY
Adjudicator of Grant Applications (Arts Partnership Grant Program)
2017
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Washington, DC
Reviewer of Strategic Plan 2015-2020
2014 – 2015
Education
American University, Washington, DC
Master of Fine Arts, Painting
2006
American University, Washington, DC
Graduate Certificate in Arts Management
2004
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
Bachelor of Arts in History, Cum Laude
1999