Georgetown University is hosting a "Festival of Fine Art." Below are some interesting panels and performances - unless otherwise noted, they are all at:

New South Building, Riverside Lounge
Georgetown University
37th & O St.
Georgetown, Washington DC

Monday, April 19th - 6:30-9pm

Panel Discussion
6:30-7:30pm
“Georgetown University and its Relationship with the Washington DC Art Scene”

Panel
Dr. John Brough, Professor, Philosophy
Calvin Custen, Professor, Studio Art
Kathryn Cornelius, Graduate Student, Artist
Jessica Eagan, Graduating Senior, Fine Art
Martin Irvine, Assistant Professor, Gallery Owner
Stoff Smulson, Alumnus, Artist

Performance 8-9pm
“Mythology Machine / Chain Value” Kathryn Cornelius and collaborators

Art Exhibit
Monday April 19th – Friday April 23rd, 2004 12-6pm
Work by Students, Faculty and Alumni

"Theory Will Eat Itself: Notes on Postmodernity from A - Z." A performance by Kathryn Cornelius.

Thursday, April 29, 2004
7:30-9pm
Georgetown University
Reiss 103 Lecture Hall

Some comments: In the decade that I have been writing about the DC art community, owning two galleries, being a member of the Art Dealers Association of Greater Washington, been a local artist, a member of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Advisory Panels and generally deeply involved in our arts community, I cannot recall ever hearing, dealing, being involved, or reading anything dealing with Georgetown University and art.

In fact, if it hadn't been for the initiative of Kathryn Cornelius, who emailed me - I wouldn't have heard about this "Festival of Art." In fact there's nothing in the University's website about it (at least that I can find).

I applaud the panel “Georgetown University and its Relationship with the Washington DC Art Scene” - but .... who in that panel is not from Georgetown? Shouldn't there be someone in the panel from... "the Washington DC Art Scene?" Seems to me that by having an all-Georgetown panel discuss the university's relationship with the art scene around it, and not really having a couple of outsiders to discuss it from an outsider perspective, and hopefully provide some constructive criticism, that the panel is a bit tunnel-visioned.

In fact (and I could be wrong since I do not know anyone else on the panel), the only people in that panel that (I am aware) are in some sense "involved" in the DC arts scene are Kathryn Cornelius, who currently serves as a Contemporaries Steering Committee Member for the Phillips Collection and also works at G Fine Art Gallery in Georgetown (the neighborhood - not the University), and Martin Irvine, who serves on the Board of Directors of the Contemporary Museum in Baltimore and on the Board of the Friends of the Museum of the Americas in Washington, DC and recently opened a nice gallery in the larger front room of Troyer, and Stoff Smulson, who was one of the key founders of Decatur Blue, which unfortunately folded from its location in the Shaw neighborhood, although they remain a vibrant presence in DC (In fact, another one of the founding members (Jose Ruiz) was the winner of our "Young Artist" award which is part of the Trawick Prize).

But they are all "Georgetowners."

Anyway - I am glad that Georgetown is doing this - and, from an outsider's perspective: This university needs to kick-start its "relationship with the Washington, DC art scene." It doesn't really exist now. If it does, then I am not aware of it, and that by itself - especially since I've co-owned a gallery in the University's neighborhood since 1996, is an alarming issue.

This is not just a slam against Georgetown - in fact one can practically fill in any of our area's universities art programs and the discussion on what they all do for our area's art scene could probably be generalized as marginal, although some are better than others. A while back I suggested a way in which our area's universities could become a driving force in our art scene.

Nobody asked me, just my opinion....

P.S. - For all in Georgetown.... tonite is the Georgetown Canal Square Gallery openings... come by and I'll buy you all one a glass of our world-famous Sangria.