When Everything is Art

Anything, no matter how silly or tasteless, becomes art. Read it here.

New DC Art Blog

Marsha Stein has a new art Blog. It's called Synergy.

Visit it here.

End of an era

Kodak has announced that all black and white silver gelatin photographic papers have been discontinued. They will sell what they have in stock until the end of 2005.

Roundup

Kirkland reviews a few shows around town.

Target Gallery Seeks New Director

The fair Claire Huschle, who'd done a spectacular job as the Director of the Target Gallery in Alexandria has accepted a new position and will soon become the Program Director at the Arlington Art Center. Congratulations to Claire!

And thus the Target Gallery is now looking for a new director!

Congratulations

To Kriston, who's getting a new BLOG gig with the Smithsonian. Read it here.

In California

I flew today from Dulles to San Diego - Boy are my arms tired! (Sorry - old Henny Youngman joke).

Reads like a good read

I'm going to get this book once I get to California and read it on the flight back.

Shafer on Bethesda Painting Prize

Karen Shafer of The Gazette discusses the inaugural Bethesda Painting Prize and the final eight. Read it here.

The opening of the show was last night, although the winners were announced two nights ago.

Some pictures...

Dr. Claudia Rousseau, one of the three jurors, discusses the jurying process.


Carol Trawick with the $10,000 winner (Joe Kabriel) and Catriona Fraser. The painting on the background that looks like it's about to deliver a knockout punch to Catriona is "Jacob" by Andrew Wodzianski.


And six foot five Andrew Wodzianski as the world's tallest Ninja.

The Weekly Reviews

In the City Paper, Louis Jacobson reviews our current Gabriela Bulisova at Fraser Gallery Georgetown.

In the WaPo, Michael O'Sullivan reviews Craig Doty at Strand on Volta. Earlier, Jonathan Padget discussed "Queering Sight -- Queer Insight," at the Warehouse Gallery.

The Weekend

I'll be away all weekend at an art fair, so posting will be done later on the day. Then on Monday I leave for a week on the Left Coast and return on Friday.

As usual, my trusty laptop will come with me and posting will continue for California.

Bethesda Art Walk Tonight

Tonite is Bethesda's time to showcase their galleries, as it is time for the Bethesda Art Walk, with 17 participating galleries and art venues.

Free guided tours begin at 6:30pm. Attendees can meet their guide at the Bethesda Metro Center, located at the corner of Old Georgetown Road and Wisconsin Avenue. Attendees do not have to participate in tours to visit Art Walk galleries.

We'll have the winners of the Bethesda Painting Prize.

See ya there!

Course in Art Appreciation

School of Art and Design at Montgomery College: Summer Session II 2005

This course format sounds like fun! One full day a week for five weeks; lecture in the morning and field trips to local galleries in the afternoon for on-site discussion.

Taught by Dr. Claudia Rousseau, Professor of Art History and Art Critic for the Gazette Newspapers in Montgomery County

Per the school news release, students will look at art from an art critic’s point of view. Topics will include looking at design, themes, subject matter, and historical context in drawings, paintings, sculpture, and other art media.

Open to credit and non-credit students

Wednesdays, June 22 – July 20
Montgomery College Summer Session II
AR 127 School of Art and Design -
CRN# for credit 14143; CRN# for non-credit 14146

9-12:30: Lecture at the Montgomery College Westfield South Center, Room 306E (at Wheaton Mall)
1:30 – 5:30: Discussions on site at local galleries.

For more information call the School of Art and Design 301-649-4454
(For non-credit registration, ask for Yvette).

Open Studios This Weekend

The Mid City Artists Open Studios will be held on the weekend of June 11 and 12. Many artist studios within walking distance of the Dupont/Logan Circles will be open for visitors. This is a unique opportunity to see some of DC’s most exciting artists in their home environment.

The Mid City Artists participating in June’s Open Studio weekend are Sondra Arkin, Kristina Bilonick, Tanja Bos, Robert Cole, Gary Fisher, Glenn Fry, Charlie Jones, Regina Miele, Byron Peck, Miguel Perez-Lem, Brian Petro, Peter Romero, Nicolas Shi, John Talkington, Kelly Towles, and Colin Winterbottom.

Details here.

Nobody Asked Me, But...

Am I the only one thinking that GM needs to hire the desperate Cuban genius who designed and built this water taxi?

Arts Beat

Jonathan Padget in the WaPo today covers "Queering Sight -- Queer Insight," at the Warehouse Gallery.

Padget also announces the winners of the Bethesda Painting Prize.

Read it here.

Mobile back up and moving

The Calder mobile is back up at the National Gallery of Art.

Read it here.

Winners

The winner of the Bethesda Painting Award and other prizewinners from that award's $14,000 prize package will be announced tonight.

These are the finalists.

LRA Show

Last Monday night I curated an exhibition for the League of Reston Artists... they had about 300 entries, and I selected 62.

Best of Show was awarded to Andrei Shoumikhin, whose work I had never seen before, but that showed that superb technical skill that a lot of Eastern European artists seem to acquire in their educational systems, and it was coupled with a very unusual and noticeable artistic vision.

There was $1,500 in cash awards that I distributed among several artists. I'll get a list of award winners posted here a bit later. The opening reception is June 19 from 2-4 PM. Details here.

Seven Update Four

The entries are pouring in for Seven; the deadline is June 10.

I really want to include in this show as many (in terms of number) WPA/C members as possible, with a healthy measure of those who are not seen too often around DC area galleries, and couple them with some well-known names like Manon Cleary, Sam Gilliam, and others. That seems to be working well so far, but expect a very large show.

The latest addee is Margaret Boozer, whose brilliant last solo show at Strand On Volta Gallery I reviewed here.

Boozer will be making a long, low shelf/trough that turns a corner somewhere, and pouring the liquid slip in it, and maybe letting it run out just a little at the end and puddle on the floor. She's thinking it might run along about 18 inches above the floor, and it seems like a logical progression to a similar idea of the "wet" piece that she had at her last solo show.