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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#242: Fine Art

Museums are magical places. There’s something so special about admiring art in sacred, silent spaces, together with complete strangers. In museums, time is suspended; you can forget about the outside world and lose yourself in the paintings, sculptures, and other artwork around you.

This week, let’s write some stories inspired by art and museums. Think about some of your favorite galleries, or consider creating a brand-new museum the world has yet to see. Let your imagination run wild, and maybe even try writing in a new genre. For this contest, the sky’s the limit!

This week's prompts

Write about a gallery whose paintings come alive at night.

Fantasy – 66 stories

Write about someone who accidentally destroys a museum’s most valuable artifact.

Funny – 31 stories

Write about an art thief who is struggling to commit the perfect heist.

Adventure – 31 stories

Write about two characters who meet and/or fall in love in a museum.

Romance – 98 stories

Start or end your story with a character who gets trapped inside a museum overnight.

Thriller and Suspense – 38 stories

Stories

“Art Therapy” by Daniel Markov

Submitted to Contest #242

Art therapy...What in the world is that?"Art therapy is the use of art and creativity to help a person improve their health and well-being. The goal of art therapy is to provide a person with a safe and effective outlet for their thoughts and emotions. It also aims to foster self-awareness, improve problem-solving skills, and increase the ability to cope with stressful situations," I read from my phone.I guess it's a pretty good explanation.Anyway, here I am in front of this museum with several other people. They're all looking up at the lar...

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“Canvas Connections” by Jessie Garza

Submitted to Contest #242

“Did you know,” a tall blonde man walked up beside a short brunette woman looking intently at a painting, “the artist painted his cat into every painting he made? Sometimes it was obvious, in other instances not so much.” She looked up at him taking in the warmth of his charming grin, staring into his deep forest-green eyes. “For example” he continued, breaking eye contact with her to look back at the painting, “all you can see in this one is the cat tail peaking out from the window in the house in the background” She leaned in a littl...

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“Monkey Suit” by Naomi Atwood

Submitted to Contest #242

As a third-generation Japanese Canadian, Jayne was one of the younger members of the Nikkei Cultural Association in southern Alberta. Since she had some facility with technology, she had volunteered to be secretary and took the minutes for the meetings on her laptop. The main project of the organization was to collect, collate and edit personal and family histories for publication in a large book, to preserve the history of Japanese Canadians in southern Alberta.&nbs...

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“Alone at the museum ” by Gerardo Fierro

Submitted to Contest #242

Must be some mistake, when he read the museum's business hours on the internet this morning, Jesus was certain it closed at 8 pm. The paintings at the corner caught his eyes and attention; neither did he realize the time or it getting dark nor notice he was all alone, all other people having left. This is bad. Gee, his biggest concern an hour ago was being able to proclaim his love to Adele and now that chance is gone. She will be at the café across the street at 8:30 and think he stood her up. She will leave town on Sunday to start college ...

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“The Museum” by Wendy Rappeport

Submitted to Contest #242

Ron was derisive, mean, tormenting. He had been my husband, but I never dreamed he would find me again, as I had changed my name and moved three times since I had received his last abusive, angry letter. His re-entry into my life filled me with terror.I was shopping, in a large shopping centre near the Art Gallery and Museum. I had come to the city early, to see a new exhibit at the Museum, and after that I ate lunch at the Museum café and then returned to my shopping. The noise of a thousand voices filled the air, and people of all shapes a...

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“Field Trip” by Amanda Stogsdill

Submitted to Contest #242

Field Trip By Amanda Stogsdill Playground"Okay everyone, listen carefully. We'll meet at the cafe in two hours for lunch. Obey the museum rules, and have fun. Don't forget about your reports. One more thing, is everyone paired up?"Yes, Ms. Jackson.” Thirty kids said, all excited."Very well, you may explore."Squealing and giggling, the sixth graders pushed and shoved their way off the school bus in front of the museum. Two of the last to leave were Courtney and Jasmine. Tapping her cane, Jasmine made her way down the aisle behind Courtney."Th...

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“Arrr, pirates!” by Duncan Fletcher

Submitted to Contest #242

I’ve learnt that you really need to pick your exhibits carefully. Some times there can be unexpected consequences.My partner Steve and I opened the Olde Museum of Pirating And Smuggler Antiquities (I know, but it was a tourist seaside destination, what else could we do?) five years ago. We found a cheap building tucked away in the winding streets and alleys of the old town. There had been a tavern in that same location for hundreds of years, and smugglers and pirates would congregate there, sharing their plunder and drinking until the m...

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“A secret in the shed” by Anna Frederiksen-Washington

Submitted to Contest #242

Tom had not been long in the small town but had already established a name for himself as a skillful gardener. The skills he had learned on the mainland as a horticulturist came in handy here in the remote part of Tasmania and the customers appreciated innovative ideas for a more sustainable garden. A few of the old residents needed a hand, especially with the heavier tasks, and Tom was always happy to oblige. What his customers did not know was that he would take a photo of them which he kept on his computer in the shed, using them as a mod...

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“The Solfam Art Gallery” by Richard Ford

Submitted to Contest #242

The Solfam Gallery is intangible. As are the woods that surround it. The gallery consists of three portraits. Nothing more, nothing less. Each hangs by a rope from the boughs of a tree, facing one another. A gentle breeze would cause them to sway, to twist and to turn. But there is no breeze. There is no movement, no sound. No birds chirping in the branches, no fauna picking their way through the growth. A subliminal space for an artist to work. The Painter walks through the woods. They carry a frame in one hand, a rope in the other. Their f...

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“Art of Imperfection ” by Daniel Snyder

Submitted to Contest #242

I hated art. No, not myself. Well, not totally, at least. I’m Art Eldridge, a guy who could never understand what was so fascinating about a picture of something not moving or doing anything entertaining. “Lazy movies” is what I called them. She never thought so, and maybe for a moment, that’s why I liked it. My wife, Amelia, was always in art galleries, excited to tell me about all the new pictures she saw whenever she went. The way she talked about them was more interesting than the pieces themselves. She was enthusiastic and enc...

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“Sentient Masterpiece” by Bec Newton

Submitted to Contest #242

There was an appeal in a museum that I could never quite explain. The expanse of the stone structure, the quiet reverence a building such as this commanded. Everything about it was comforting and felt so permanent and reassuring. The atmosphere held a strange, cool mustiness despite its impeccable cleanliness, like an ancient tomb opened to the world for people to discover its treasures, and I was here to discover them all. My museum was the best. It combined both the treasures of the past with art. The best of both worlds in this ...

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“The Night in the Gallery” by Patrick McGinty

Submitted to Contest #242

It is a cool Saturday afternoon when the school bus makes its way to the Art Institute of Chicago. The bus if filled with students chatting away with either each other or their phones. One student with a keen eye uses his cell phone to take pictures of the outside at seemingly random points. Another reads a book, oblivious to the world around her. Charles absently watches the moving landscape out the window while his brother, Rick, chats up his classmates. Rick pulls out his phone. “You should check this out guys. This is the latest version ...

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“The Gallery” by Kai Serrins

Submitted to Contest #242

I have been in love with the woman across the hall since she came here. I don’t think she notices me though. I’ve never gotten the courage to talk to her. That is all going to change tonight though. Tonight is December 22nd, I heard the employees talking about it. December 22nd, the longest night of the year. I will have the most time for her tonight, as the daylight takes our movement away.I can see the sunset from my spot on the wall, so I watch as the sky turns to beautiful shades of orange and pink and blue. Once the sun slips past the h...

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“Going For Broke ” by Vesta Bartholomew

Submitted to Contest #242

Nervous, excited energy permeated every bone, fiber and nerve of Jean-Claude's body as he waited for Madame du Pompadour and her entourage to approach. He had assembled a stunning display of the finest Vincennes porcelain France would ever produce and desperately hoped Madame would find the sumptuous offerings to her taste. Jean-Claude poured his heart and soul into its manufacture and couldn't decide if the china or the mistress of Louis XV commanded the greater attention. &nb...

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“Who Watches The Rise” by David Fichtman

Submitted to Contest #242

Countless flatfooted boot wearers stand near 87 milky solid steps in the crisp fall air. Drones affixed with semiautomatic rifles hover above as they guard the sea of dull khaki and midnight blue garments. All eyes are looking at the tallest step, a pedestal, an 88th step. The leader, a confident, self-proclaimed freedom fighter standing tall with confidence at the cheering lot, clucking promises of freedom. “And that day my patriots, is today!” The leader licks his insatiable lips. Adoring the admiration of the crowd he picks from his pock...

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$250

Prize money

264

Contest entries

118

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 22, 2024 EST

Won by Niamh O'Dea 🏆

Title: Do Not Touch

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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