Monday, September 10, 2012

WPA Artists' Directory

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
EARLY BIRD DEADLINE: September 14, 2012, 5:00pm
FINAL DEADLINE: October 12, 2012, 5:00pm

Published bi-annually, this four-color, 8½ x 5½ inch directory is the definitive listing of established and emerging contemporary artists throughout the Washington region. It is widely used by galleries, curators, art consultants, and art patrons. Copies are distributed to selected art critics and other members of the press, and to museums both within and outside of the region. The 2013 - 2014 Artist Directory will be published in the spring of 2013, and will be available for sale on the WPA website and at select area retail locations at the price of $9.95.

Each participating artist will be featured on a full page (8½ x ½ inches). The page will include the artist's name, a color digital image of their work, their studio address and phone number, email address, web address, categories to describe their work and studio practice, and their gallery affiliation.

All current WPA members are eligible for publication in the Artist Directory. There is an additional participation fee that includes a copy of the Artist Directory. Participants who submit before September 14, 2012 can pay a discounted early registration fee of $65. After September 14, the registration fee increases to $75. The final registration deadline is October 12, 2012. No submissions will be accepted after this date. 

Registration for the 2013 - 2014 Artist Directory will be handled exclusively through WPA's website.

Each participating artist can upload one image to be featured on their page. Images must be submitted as .eps or .tif files in CMYK format. They must be 300dpi and as close as possible to, but no smaller than 6 inches on the longest side. If you have any questions regarding the 2013 - 2014 Artist Directory or any issues with registration, please contact Christopher Cunetto, Membership Manager, at ccunetto@wpadc.org or 202-234-7103 x 2.

Washington Society of Landscape Painters

While temperatures hit the 100-degree mark this summer, Washington, DC, area painters were donning hats and sunscreen and grabbing their outdoor easels in a quest to create paintings for their 100th birthday party celebration.

One of the oldest plein air painting groups in the USA, the Washington Society of Landscape Painters started out as an all male clubcalled "the Ramblers." Limited to 40 active members, it now includes both male and female artists who pursue their profession locally, nationally, and internationally.

Visitors will see both large and small oil, watercolor, pastel, and acrylic landscapes displayed by member artists at the McGuire Woods gallery at the Lorton Workhouse, at 9601 Ox Road in Occoquan, VA.  For more information: (www.workhousearts.org/visual-arts).

The public is invited to a free reception on Saturday, September 29, from 5-7 pm.  Come early (10-noon) to watch WSLP artists painting nearby in the historic town of Occoquan. The show runs from Friday, September 28 through Sunday, October 21, 2012.

Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday 11 am-7 pm, and Sunday from 12-5 pm.  For more information, send email to barbaranuss@wslp.org.

Courage Unmasked This Wednesday

On September 12th the second Courage Unmasked auction will take place at American University's Katzen Arts Center. For that event, together with several other artists from around the nation, I was invited to create a mask for the fundraising auction, and for quite a while I have been refining a three dimensional version of my embedded video drawings to make them jump into the fourth dimension with a mask.

In essence, more than 50 artists from all over the country created fine art by transforming radiation masks formally worn by HNC patients to position and immobilize their heads during treatment. These unique masterpieces will be auctioned at the Gala on the 12th. Money from mask sales and admissions will fund 9114 HNC, dedicated to helping those in financial need during and after treatment.

 911 4 HNC means “Help for Head and Neck Cancer.” This is a unique fund dedicated to granting financial aid directly to patients who have or had head and neck cancer (HNC). Unlike many other foundations, theirs does not give dollars to research.They support only individuals and their families in the locations where money is raised.

Improving the quality of life for those with head and neck cancer is the foremost goal of this endeavor. The 9114HNC fund receives money from the auction of fine art sculpture by artists who transform radiation masks worn by head and neck cancer patients. The money raised goes directly to individual patients who are struggling to make ends meet, whether it’s for taxi fare to the hospital or groceries.

Date: September 12, 2012at AU's gorgeous Katzen Art Museum.
Start Time: 6:30 pm
End Time: 9:30 pm
Buy your tickets here.

Below is my piece that you will see at the Katzen. This is titled "Eyes of  Frida Kahlo" and consists of an assembly of two small LCD screens embedded within the mask and each playing two separate Powerpoint presentations; each has 68 embedded images of Kahlo's self portraits.

The focus of the piece is to envision triumph over pain, as the brave people who have to undergo radiation therapy for head and neck cancer (HNC) have to do.

Eyes of Frida Kahlo (front view)

Eyes of Frida Kahlo, left view


Eyes of Frida Kahlo, right view

Eyes of Frida Kahlo, seen in a dim light

Eyes of Frida Kahlo, seen in the dark