Seventh Annual Bethesda Painting Awards

Deadline: Friday, February 25, 2011

The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District is currently accepting applications for the seventh annual Bethesda Painting Awards, a juried competition honoring four selected painters with $14,000 in prize monies. Deadline for submission is February 25, 2011. Up to nine finalists will be invited to display their work at a Bethesda gallery.

The competition will be juried this year by Philip Geiger, an art instructor at the University of Virginia; Evelyn Hankins, associate curator at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. and Jinchul Kim, a painting professor at Salisbury University.

The first place winner will be awarded $10,000; second place will be honored with $2,000 and third place will be awarded $1,000. A “young” artist whose birth date is after February 25, 1981 may also be awarded $1,000.

Artists must be 18 years of age or older and residents of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. All original 2-D painting including oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, encaustic and mixed media will be accepted. No reproductions.

Each artist must submit five digital files or slides, application and a non-refundable entry fee of $25.

Applications are available online at www.bethesda.org.

The Bethesda Painting Awards were established by my good friend and Bethesda philanthropist, art collector and community activist Carol Trawick in 2005.

Dawson leaving the WaPo

The WaPo's Galleries critic Jessica Dawson, who for about 10 years has freelanced the Galleries column for the Washington Post (and who prior to that used to freelance art reviews for the Washington City Paper) will be departing the Washington Post as that newspaper's visual art critics' bleeding continues and Jessica is heading to a new gig at the Hirshhorn Museum, where she will join the museum's staff working on the Hirshhorn's Bubble.

We wish Jessica the best at her new job.

More later...

The Dynamics of the DC Art Scene

The Art Dealers Association of Greater Washington, in partnership with The Kreeger Museum, are putting together a panel discussion on how Art Dealers, Collectors, Curators and Museum Directors interact to support the visual arts in the DC area.

The Kreeger Museum,
2401 Foxhall Road NW
Washington, DC 20007

Thursday, February 24, 2011
6:30pm - 9 pm

Tickets: $20 / The Kreeger Museum Members: $15
Includes a cheese and wine reception.

Preceding the panel discussion, guests will have an opportunity to view In Unison: 20 Washington, DC Artists, the culmination of a project initiated by artist Sam Gilliam, consisting of monoprints by 20 artists from the DC community, who typically work in different styles and mediums.

For reservations, call 202-338-3552.

Panelists include:
- Juliette Bethea, Collector
- Dr. Johnnetta Cole, Director, National Museum of African Art
- Judy A. Greenberg, Director, The Kreeger Museum
- Gisela Huberman, Collector (and proud owner of my work)
- Jack Rasmussen, Director and Curator, American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center
- and moderator Bill Dunlap, Artist and Art Critic and TV talking head, and one of the 100 in my book about DC artists.

Considering the focus of the panel, am I the only one who finds it odd that missing from the panel are any art dealers?

Grouchoquotin'

"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."

- Groucho Marx

Sacred Heart Of Healing


I am often asked by collectors about Tim Tate's former signature pieces, his series of hearts. The above is Sacred Heart Of Healing (about 16 x 8 x 4 in. or 40.6 x 20.3 x 10.2 cm) and this is the sister piece to the one in the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

The Tate hearts are only available in the secondary art market, as is this one. If you are interested and would like details, send me an email to lenny@lennycampello.com.

Select


The Washington Project for the Arts (WPA), the mid-Atlantic's premier alternative arts organization, has announced the dates for its Annual Art Auction Exhibition and Gala, SELECT. The curated exhibition will be on view Saturday, February 19 through Saturday, March 12, 2011.

Saturday, March 12, 2011 marks the 30th anniversary of the organization's well-known arts gala that includes a curated silent auction of more than 100 contemporary works by top contemporary artists, formal dinner, and performance art. Tickets to the auction gala start at $300. I have been selected to participate in this auction for the second year in a row.

The event will be held at 700 Sixth Street, an Akridge-managed property, in northwest Washington; it is expected to draw over 500 art enthusiasts.

In advance of the March 12 event, WPA will host an exhibition opening reception on February 19 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm and Curators' View on March 1 from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm. These two events are free and open to the public. At the Curators' View, each Select curator will present and discuss their exhibition selections. In addition, WPA's prized Alice Denney Award will be presented by Robert Lehrman to Washington-based artist William Christenberry for his support of WPA and sustained commitment to the DC arts community.

The SELECT exhibition will be on view 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, Wednesdays-Saturdays, through March 12th. For a complete list of participating artists or images, please contact Kristen DeMarco at auction@wpadc.org.

Rattner Museum theft

"Bronze sculptures stolen from a Bethesda museum and vandalized were reportedly worth about $90,000. The thief allegedly sold them to a scrap dealer for $150.

The artworks are back at the Dennis and Phillip Ratner Museum, after a worker at Montgomery Scrap in Rockville realized he had bought stolen goods. But most were "damaged beyond repair," Montgomery County police said Wednesday."

The cops had issued an arrest warrant Wednesday for Daniel Conticchio, 27, of the 4500 block of Ninth Street NW. Read the WaPo story here.

According to a later story in The Gazette, "Jessica Rivas, 22, listed on court records as living on the 9300 block of Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda — about a mile from the museum — was arrested Thursday at the same time as Daniel Conticchio, 27, of Washington, D.C., police said."

According to the Gazette, "Police issued a warrant for Conticchio's arrest Wednesday and found him and Rivas asleep in Conticchio's car in the Wildwood Shopping Center parking lot at Old Georgetown Road and Democracy Boulevard in Bethesda Thursday."

Makes my head hurt.

Early Campello

They have this computer program display at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum where you line up your face on the screen and it takes a shot and then transforms you into what you may have looked like as one of pre Homo Sapiens species. At the risk of opening myself to a million jokes (such as my wife: "You don't look that much different"), below is the Lenster as a Neanderthal.


By the way, read this fascinating NYT article on Neanderthal mating with modern homo sapiens and leaving his DNA on Europeans.

Torpedo Factory Art Center Visiting Artist Program

Deadline: February 28, 2011.

The Torpedo Factory Art Center invites emerging and experienced artists to apply for one, two, or three-month residencies between June 1 and August 31, 2011.

The Torpedo Factory Art Center (www.torpedofactory.org) in Alexandria, Virginia is home to more than 140 visual artists working in 82 studios. Artists create in a wide variety of media including painting, fiber, jewelry, ceramics, printmaking, cast and stained glass, and sculpture. The Torpedo Factory is open to the public every day; visitors are invited and welcomed into studios to watch artists at work, ask questions, and purchase original art – allowing the public an opportunity to share in the excitement and fascination of the creative process.

The projects undertaken by Visiting Artists for this self-directed, creative residency must be compatible with available working studio spaces and facilities.

Visiting Artists will be provided with studio space and will be able to display and sell original work.

Finalists will be selected by yours truly. There is no application fee.

Download the Prospectus and Application Form from www.torpedofactory.org/vap.

Annual Jury for TF Artists

The Torpedo Factory Art Center has announced the 2011 Annual Jury for Artist Members (February 28-March 3, 2011).

The application form, submission requirements and instructions are available at this website. Please direct inquiries to Michele Hoben, jury chair.

Next at the Arts Club

There are three openings coming up at the Arts Club of Washington (2017 I Street, N.W.), but the one that I'm really looking forward to is the one of new paintings by the superbly talented Michal Hunter.

The reception is Friday, February 4th, 6:30 to 9 PM, in the Monroe Gallery. (There are three shows opening same night in different galleries).

Opportunities for Artists

On-line gallery. AddictionAndArt.Org is seeking artworks addressing the complexities of addiction and recovery to post/share with a worldwide audience - for the good of mankind. Works in any media, completed in any year are eligible. www.addictionandart.org - go to "Share Your Art" in the menu. Questions: editor@addictionandart.org or call 301-639-3520 for submission information.

By the way, Big Think just listed the Addiction and Art book as one of the top 10 art books of 2010!

Artist talk tonight

Newly minted Baltimorean and realist artist Hyeseung Marriage-Song has been invited to speak at the Charcoal Club of Baltimore’s monthly meeting on Thursday, January 20, 2011, at 7 pm at the Meadow Mill Building, Studio 213, 3600 Clipper Mill Road.

Marriage-Song, 32, is a realist artist represented by the Eleanor Ettinger Gallery in New York City, located in Midtown and Chelsea. She studied at the prestigious Water Street Atelier and Grand Central Academy in New York under Jacob Collins and recently moved to Baltimore with her husband who is on the faculty of Physics and Astronomy at Johns Hopkins University in Homewood. Marriage-Song primarily works in oil, creating portraits, nudes, still lifes and landscapes from life, eschewing photographic references. On Thursday, she will be speaking about her work and techniques as well as demonstrating her alla prima technique with the help of a live model chosen from the audience.

Marriage-Song has shown in numerous group shows in New York City, Atlanta and Houston. She is an Elizabeth Greenshields Recipient and an Art Renewal Center Competition Finalist and award recipient in the Figure Painting Category. Her studio is in School 33 Art Center, in Federal Hill, which is a program of the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts.

The Charcoal Club was established in 1883 and is the country’s second oldest art club. The club provides a nude model for a small fee and encourages art appreciation through group shows and speakers.

Next at Brentwood

Resonant Forms An exhibition featuring artwork by Martha Jackson-Jarvis (who is one of the 100 artists in my book), Alonzo Davis, and Frank Smith.

The show is co-presented by the Brentwood Arts Exchange and the Prince George's African American Museum and Cultural Center.

Dates: February 1 - April 9, 2011.
Opening Reception: Friday, February 11. 5-8pm

Brentwood Arts Exchange @ Gateway Arts Center
3901 Rhode Island Avenue
Brentwood, MD 20722

Open mouth

I had one of the most shocking, unexpected meetings - ever - today. I am still dumbfounded by the news, and the only reason that I am not pulling my hair out is because the person on the other side who told me the shocking news is someone I trust and consider a friend.

Still... Feh!

At Civilian

"Civilian Art Projects presents climate, control, a three-person exhibition curated by Kristina Bilonick and Karyn Miller featuring J.J. McCracken, Jan Razauskas, and Millicent Young. The name climate, control refers to the artists' response to their immediate surroundings, as well as the exacting nature of their practice. The artists in this exhibition work in drastically different materials - from clay and horsehair to drawing and paint - but in each of their works, there is an intense focus on the precision of artistic production, and a sense of significance in the medium they chose to work in. The artists cull the fodder for their work and in some cases their materials from their immediate surroundings. Miller points out though, that, "at the same time there is an openness to chance which gives it a kind of negative tension." The exhibition opens to the public on January 21, 2011 and will be on view through February 19, 2011 at Civilian Art Projects in downtown Washington, DC."

Exhibition on view: January 21 - February 19, 2011
Opening Reception for the artists: Friday, January 21, 7-9 p.m.
Artist Talk: Saturday, February 19, 4p.m.

Judkis reporting Maura Judkis has a really cool report on the temper-flaring effects of my Che Guevara video drawing at the MIA art fair last week. Read that here.

Judkis also has a really terrific interview/report on the very talented Victoria F. Gaitán, who is easily developing into one of the brightest new stars of the DMV art scene. Read that here.

Bit of a quandary

One of the positive "wake" effects of exhibiting at good art fairs is that one's artwork is not only exposed to a lot of collectors, but also to a lot of other gallerists and curators.

For example, at the just finished Miami International Art Fair, and as I related in this blog in the last few days, my Che Guevara video drawing obtained a lot of attention and a good share of uninformed threats.

An Argentine gallery approached me yesterday, interested in bringing the piece to Buenos Aires for an exhibition on Guevara. This sounds like a terrific opportunity, doesn't it?

However, it also puts me in the difficult position of having to make a decision. And that decision is driven by the point that I'd like to have at least three video drawings ready for the next art fair later this year in New York.

As they are quite expensive to produce (mostly due to the electronics), and because the Che piece has proven to be so wildly successful, I am leaning to declining the invitation so that I can keep it with me and exhibit it later this year in New York alongside two other new video drawings.

The subject of the next video drawing will also be an icon-like figure, and either her open heart (or perhaps her forehead) will be the window into her soul where the video will be playing.

The third subject will also be an icon-like drawing of yet another iconic figure, although this one may not be a "real" person.

But I need at least three for NYC and I don't want to ship away the most controversial one!

What to do?

Miami International Art Fair video

Here's a quick walk-through the fair...

Airborne - Things I didn't know

I'm flying back home today and I was a little shocked when I checked into my flight back to DC from Ft Lauderdale; shocked because I discovered that American Airlines has a direct flight to Guantanamo, Cuba.

Not Gitmo the Naval Base, but Guantanamo, the Cuban city made famous by the song Guajira Guantanamera.

Who knew?