Wednesday, January 01, 2020

Happy new decade

My son was born in 2009 - that means that he has now lived in three decades... sounds weird uh?

Let me start 2020 with some questions:

Dear artists who read this blog: this is the year to stop whining about lack of opportunities and do something! For art sake's! (Your art) - if you live in the DMV then come to one of my free seminars (thank you PG County) and revolutionize how you make sure that your artwork ends up in other people's walls! The next free seminar is April 18 - details here.

Dear Art League, Greater Reston Art Center, Rockville Art League, Fill-in-the-blank artists' group/league: I keep giving you hint after hint: When are you guys gonna reach out to me and ask: "Hey Lenster, how do we take this artist group to the next level in this new century?" (instead of still operating in the 20th century model). 

Dear DMV museum directors and curators (except for the Katzen): I've been asking this question since 1992: "When are you going to look at your own backyard for some museum shows for area artists?" Does anyone recall that last time that a DMV area art museum (other than the Katzen) had a full museum show for a DMV artist?

Dear art fair organizers: Thank you for trying to make an art fair work in the DMV - in the last decade the people who run Art Miami and the Superfine! people, as well as the (e)merge art fair stint, all tried to make a successful art fair around the DMV - after all, this area is the second highest concentration of wealth on the planet... and yet. But there are a few key things to try which no art fair organizer has ever tried.

"What about you Lenster?", you might be asking... "whatcha got goin' in 2020"?

For 2020 I'm planning to be doing the Art on Paper fair in NYC, then one of the two Affordable Art Fairs also in NYC, and then the Pulse Art Fair in Miami Beach during Art Basel week.  I've also got two major curatorial projects brewing - one will revisit the theme of Superheroes in art, and the second one (to open during January 2021 actually) will curate a three-gallery show on the 20th anniversary of my Survey of Washington Artists show that I organized in 2001 and which was one of the most popular shows of that year and one which marked a key point in my curatorial trajectory.

More on both of those later... meanwhile, have a great 2020!