Rik Freeman at GRACE

Last weekend when I was in Reston I had an opportunity to look at the current GRACE exhibition, the Chittlin' Circuit Review which features the gorgeous paintings of DC area artist Rik Freeman at the Greater Reston Arts Center.

They are powerfully painted, sensual imagery of dancing, singing, sweating, moving, shouting... in a sort of visual musical African American experience.


And on Wednesday May 21 from 7:30 - 9pm (Free and no reservations required) you can join artist Rik Freeman for an insightful and very personal evening of discussion about his work, the Chittlin' Circuit Review.

Participants will be taken on an imaginative journey of blues history and treated to a recitation of his original spoken-word poem The Ballad of the Grit Gal.

I like this course

The course "Gallery and Museum Resources for Contemporary Art" is being offered on both a credit and non-credit basis in the School of Art + Design at Montgomery College, Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus in MD. It will be taught by Dr. Claudia Rousseau.

It will meet on Wednesdays, 7/9/08 - 8/06/08, all day. Mornings will meet in the new Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Arts Center at 930 King Street (just off Georgia Ave) for a lecture, followed by field trips to galleries in the afternoon.

Here's the course description in the non-credit tab:

Gallery and Museum Resources for Contemporary Art

Field trips to Washington DC and Montgomery County galleries, museums and art centers will provide a working laboratory for this course which will expose students to contemporary art in the area and to the extraordinary range of resources available for viewing contemporary art. The course will focus on developing a critical approach to modern and contemporary art through understanding of its recent history and current trends. The goal is to make students more confident about individual encounters with contemporary art, especially in gallery settings. Tuition waiver applies; seniors pay fee only.

Course: ART041, 5 sessions, Wed., 7/9-8/6.

For credit the course is listed under ART, School of Art + Design
AR285L Individual Workshop Art History, 3 credits.

Early Look Peek

Here's another early peek at another student whose work I've selected for the "Early Look" student exhibition at the Long View Gallery in DC next month.

His name is Aaron Miller and he's a student at George Mason University in Virginia. Below is "Banana," which will be in the show:

Banana, oil on canvas by Aaron Miller
The show opens at Long View Gallery DC on June 7 from 5-8PM.

2008 International Peace Corps Show

Deadline: May 29, 2008

A national juried exhibition of photographs created by current and former Peace Corps Volunteers. No entry fee. Submission is completed online. For more information, contact:

The Center for Fine Art Photography
400 N. College Ave.
Fort Collins, CO 80524

Phone: (970) 224-1010; or check website: www.c4fap.org.

Grants for Artists

The George Sugarman Foundation makes grants available for artists in need of financial assistance. Award amounts are open, but the artist must provide a budget for the amount requested. For information, contact:

George Sugarman Foundation
448 Ignacio Blvd.
Novato, CA 94949

Phone: 415/713-8167

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Fulbright grants are available for artists for 2-6 week lecturing and research abroad. No application fee, stipends are available. Contact:

Fulbright Senior Specialist Program
Council for International Exchange of Scholars
3007 Tilden St NW, Suite 5L
Washington, DC 20008-3009

phone: 202/686-7877; email: apprequest@cies.iie.org; website: www.cies.org

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The Charles A. Lindbergh Fund - Deadline: June 12, 08. Offers grants for research and educational projects in various subjects, including the arts and humanities. Grant amounts up to $10,580 awarded. Application deadline: June 12, 2008. For more information, contact:

The Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation
2150 Third Ave. North, Ste. 310
Anoka, MN 55303-2200

Phone: (763) 576-1596; email: info@lindberghfoundation.org; or website:
www.lindberghfoundation.org

Artists' Websites: Ana Maria Cortesão

Three of a Kind by Ana Maria Cortesão
Ana Maria Cortesão is a Portuguese street photographer and her work captures a really cool portrait of that European nation. Visit her website here.

Jennifer Lea Hall in Alexandria

I get a trillion gallery opening postcards every week, and every once in a while one catches my eye above the rest.

So is the case with Jennifer Lea Hall's Thesis exhibition (from VCU) at the Del Ray Artisans' Nicholas A. Colosanto Center in Alexandria, VA.

The opening is Friday, May 23 from 7-10PM.

Lorton Artists

This week I will judging the Lorton Arts Foundation exhibition at the University of Phoenix, Reston, VA (11730 Plaza American Drive, Suite 200, Reston, Virginia 20190).

The opening for the show will be on Friday, May 23rd from 7 - 9pm.

Opportunity for Sculptors

Deadline: June 30, 2008

The Polk Museum of Art is now accepting submissions from North American sculptors for their annual public art exhibition, Sept 2008 - Aug 2009. Three artists will be selected to exhibit 4-5 works each (depending on size). Each artist will receive a $5,000 honorarium.

Only completed, maintenance-free works will be considered. Work must be able to be anchored to concrete. Submit slides or digital images of 5-10 available works, 1-3 views each, resume, and artist statement to:

Polk Museum of Art
Lakeland Sculpture Invitational
800 E Palmetto St
Lakeland FL 33801

Or call 863-688-7743x241 or email Tbehrens@PolkMuseumofArt.org

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: August 1, 2008

The Art Renewal Center's International 2008 ARC Salon 5th Annual Competition. Over $44,000 in cash awards with $10,000 Best in Show. Jury of Awards: Nelson Shanks, Gabriel P. Weisberg, Paul W. McCormack and Fred Ross.

Have your work seen by 5.5 million yearly visitors. Visit: www.artrenewal.org for a prospectus, or send a #10 SASE to:

Art Renewal Center
Box 837
Glenham NY 12527

Or inquiries may be addressed to Katie O'Hagan at arcprograms@artrenewal.org

Food & Friends

On Monday, June 16th Food & Friends will be hosting its 18th Annual Chef’s Best charity auction and dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC.

Throughout the evening, more than 1,500 guests will enjoy culinary tastings from local chefs, as well as participate in live and silent auctions, which help raise thousands of dollars to help support Food & Friends clients.

Please consider becoming a vital part of this year’s event through donation of an item to their auction (I will). For more information on auction donations, or to contribute to either the live or silent auction, please contact Dorota Porawska, Development Coordinator, at (202) 269-2277 or dporawska@foodandfriends.org.

Along with nutrition counseling, Food & Friends prepares, packages and delivers meals and groceries to more than 1,400 people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging illnesses throughout Washington, DC, seven counties of Maryland and seven counties and six independent cities in Virginia. Since 1988, Food & Friends has provided food and companionship to their clients, their loved ones and caregivers.

Please donate.

Santa Fe

As the official Tim Tate cheerleading site, it would be remiss of me not to mention that Tate received this really good review in Santa Fe during his gallery debut there.

Read the review by Hollis Walker here.

James Marshall (Dalek) at Irvine

I've been hearing good things about Irvine Contemporary's current exhibition of James Marshall (Dalek) in his only 2008 solo exhibition, Overweight. The show opened last weekend in DC and sold out on opening night!

A new limited edition print published by Irvine Contemporary accompanies the exhibition, but it also sold out on opening night!

It’s the biggest hit by an international-level artist in a solo DC show in a long time, and I can't think of a recent DC gallery show that has done this well in recent memory. This is James Marshall’s only 2008 solo show, and a terrific coup for a DC gallery to host it. Congrats to Martin and the Irvine staff.

James Marshall (Dalek), Untitled (2008.4). Acrylic on panel, 30 x 30 in.

This Wednesday night at AOM

The Pink Line Project will be presenting a series of panel discussions to educate the emerging and experienced art collector at the soon to open a Art-O-Matic. Click on the image below for details.


I will part of a panel which will be held this coming Wednesday, May 21 at 7 pm in the 7th Floor Education Room. It is the "Information Overload: Finding Reliable and Useful Information About Art Collecting."

It will be moderated by DC ubercollector Dr. Fred Ognibene and will include JW Mahoney, Sharon Burton, Martin Irvine and yours truly.

See ya there!

Back

I was at an art fair all weekend long... 300 plus emails to deal with, so loads to post soon. More later...

Today: Glass party and open house

The Washington Glass School is having their big annual open house and 7th Anniversary Party today. Tons of glass sculpture and bowls for sale.

This annual event is always a load of fun and a great way to grab some real bargains! Over two dozen artists from the DC area will be participating... so you don't want to miss this one!

Saturday, May 17th from 12noon to 5pm! Details here.

Early Look Peek

Here's another early peek at another student whose work I've selected for the "Early Look" student exhibition at the Long View Gallery in DC next month.

Her name is Lauren Albert and she's a senior at Moore College of Art & Design in Philly. Below is an animated video which will be in the show. See some of her 2D artwork here.

The show opens at Long View Gallery DC on June 7 from 5-8PM.

Wanna go to a DC opening tomorrow?

Corpus by Jason Horowitz at Curator's Office (through June 21, 2008). Gallery Reception: Saturday, May 17th, 6 - 8 pm (in conjunction with the gallery receptions at 1515 14th Street NW, Washington, DC).

Artists' Talk: DC

Christine Gray's "Spring Thaw" exhibition ends on May 4, but there's a closing reception at Project 4 in DC and an artist's talk this coming Saturday, May 17 at 3:00pm.

DCist on Janis

DCist's pops in with a really good profile of DC area sculptor Michael Janis.

Because of Janis’ strong architectural background, he works with industrial glass, giving it new meaning, context and function. Much of Janis’ work deals with self identification, and how luck and chance have influenced his life, work, and how one views oneself. Drawing with crushed glass powder, he uses static electricity to take away the powder and reveal the desired image

Read it here. Michael Janis (whom I now represent in my new art venture) has been on my "Buy Now" list for a long while and he's in my own collection; buy Michael Janis now.