About Us
Authentic Contemporary Art (formally Authentic Art Consulting) was founded in 2005 and now serves as an alternative source for emerging and contemporary art. Based in the Metropolitan Washington, DC area, Authentic Contemporary Art (ACA) creates opportunities for art collectors and emerging contemporary artists to connect through exhibitions and through a juried online art gallery. We also work with a variety of design and art professionals to find the right artwork to fit the right space.
ACA also provides opportunities for individuals who are interested in visual art to learn more about collecting and conserving art through workshops, gallery visits and special events. ACA partners with a variety of art and interior design professionals and organizations to present contemporary art that is accessible and affordable to the novice collector and attractive to established art connoisseurs.
Mission
The mission of Authentic Contemporary Art is:
- To provide affordable and accessible original art for the public
- To provide unique opportunities for talented emerging artists to show their work
- To assist new art collectors in appreciating the value and beauty of original art in their homes and offices
- To provide an opportunity to give back to humanity through art sales generated by exhibitions and art events.
About the Founder
Sharon J. Burton
Founder, Owner and Creative Director
Sharon J. Burton is a Metro Washington, DC area visual artist and independent curator. She founded Authentic Contemporary Art in 2005 to provide beginning collectors an opportunity to learn more about art and to connect to emerging and undiscovered visual artists in the Metro DC area.
Sharon is the DC Fine Arts Examiner on Examiner.com. In this capacity she shares information about gallery/museum exhibition openings, conferences, special events and guidance on collecting art online to a variety of readers across the Metropolitan Washington, DC region. She also serves as a curatorial advisor to Space 7:10 at Kefa Cafe, an "organic art space exhibiting an evolving mix of local, outsider, visionary, and world cultural artwork" located in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland.
She has also served as an art curator, consultant, juror and intern to the former Ramee Art Gallery in Washington, DC, Creative Artisans Art Consultancy of Baltimore, Maryland, Overdue Recognition Art Gallery of Bowie, Maryland and the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, DC.
Sharon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration (with a concentration in Marketing) and a Master of Public Administration. She has also received a certificate in Art History from the Smithsonian Associates (Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC) and has taken studio art classes from The Torpedo Factory (Arlington, Virginia), Montpelier Arts Center (Laurel, Maryland), Maryland Institute College of Art (Baltimore, Maryland) and Harmony Hall Regional Arts Center (Fort Washington, Maryland).
She is active in the community and currently holds membership in the Millennium Arts Salon, Women Business Owners of Prince George's County, Maryland, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She serves as a volunteer "Reading Buddy" with the WVSA Arts Connection's School for the Arts in Learning program in Washington, DC and Teen Sircles, a teen mentoring program based in Prince George's County, Maryland.
Sharon’s office and studio are located in Prince George’s County, Maryland, outside of Washington, DC.
