Are you gonna vote for Kamala Harris?

Then go see this show and buy some art! May become a historic piece in the years to come!

Margaret Dowell's new website

The amazing artist Margaret Dowell has a new website and it showcases her enviable talent! Visit it here: https://www.margaretdowell.com/

At BlackRock opening tomorrow

The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Montgomery County (HCCMC), in partnership with Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce (GGCC) & BlackRock Center for the Arts, is proud to announce the opening of Hispanic Heritage Month with Colores, an exhibition celebrating the vibrant talents of Latino artists residing in Montgomery County. Colores showcases the rich cultural heritage and eclectic creativity that the Hispanic community contributes to our local arts scene.

“We are thrilled to partner with BlackRock Center for the Arts and the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce to launch this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations,” said Dr. Mauricio Vásquez, Executive Director at HCCMC. “Colores is more than an art exhibition. It’s a celebration of the diverse stories, experiences, and perspectives of Latino artists in our community. We are grateful for the support of BlackRock Center for the Arts and the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce, and we invite everyone to join us in honoring the artistic achievements of our local talent.”

 

In the Kay Gallery

BLACKROCK CENTER FOR THE ARTS

12901 Town Commons Drive

Germantown, MD 20874

 

Reception

14 Sep, 4:00–7:00 PM 

As part of BlackRock’s ‘24–25 Season Launch festivities + followed by a concert from Cuban jazz group Dayramir Gonzalez Vicet (<<Buy One/Get One FREE tickets at this link). Catering by Rio Grande, Germantown.

 

On View
07 Sep–03 Nov

 

Artist Panel

05 Oct, 2:00–4:00 PM, during the Germantown Oktoberfest

 

Closing Reception

01 Nov, 5:00-7:00 PM, More details TBA

Vote for Pippi!

Pippi has been entered in the Partnership for Animal Welfare (PAW) 2025 Calendar photo contest. 

Please vote for Pippi and make a donation to PAW on her behalf. 

The contest ends at 9:00 pm on Sunday so not much time left (sorry). Please forward as you wish. Vote for the Pippinator!!!!

The URL for the website is https://www.gogophotocontest.com/pawrescue/entries/544809 

Lest we forget

 



"Studio View, 9/11"
Oil on Canvas c. 9/11/2001 by David FeBland

Zenith to host a show focused on Kamala Harris

 

Goodbye James Earl Jones

This story starts in the mid 1990s, while I was still on active duty in the US Navy and stationed in the DMV, which at the time was known mostly as the Greater Washington area and as the National Capital Region by the Navy.

As part of my job, I used to travel quite often and probably about half the time I used to sweet talk my way into a free upgrade to first class on most of the flights. 

Whenever I have free "wait" time in my hands, such as waiting to board at an airport,  I start drawing in a nice hardbound drawing book that I carry when I travel. It is a habit that I started in art school in the late 70s and carry to this day.

One summer day around 1995 or maybe 1996 I was flying back to National airport,  and had been already upgraded to first class and seated on a window sit.

Once seated, I pulled out the sketchbook and continued a drawing that I had started earlier that day at the terminal.

A bit later the gent that would be seating next me on the aisle seat arrived, nodded a hello, and sat down. I smiled and nodded back and went back to my drawing.

Suddenly I heard the voice of Darth Vader come from the sear next to me as my fellow traveler said: "That's a mighty nice drawing you're working on..."

Stunned, I turned in slow motion and instantly recognized James Earl Jones, who was smiling.

I nearly said, in what probably would have been a loud voice, "Darth Vader!", but I caught myself and didn't. 

The drawing was the ice breaker and we spent the rest of the flight chatting.  I recall that for some reason we both talked a lot about our grandparents?

It was a very pleasant flight, and at the end, I gave him the drawing as a gift and wrote my name and address on the back. He was very grateful and we shook hands and parted ways.

About a month later I received and old fashioned thank you card from Jones with a nice note. Inside was a Polaroid photo of the drawing, framed and hanging (I assume) on his wall.

Good bye, sir. It was an honor to share the planet for a while with you.

Tomorrow and Sunday

What? The Bethesda Row Arts Festival, which is the DMV’s largest outdoor fine arts festival.

When: September 7-8. 

Where: Streets of Bethesda Row

Over the last two decades I have written extensively about the phenomenon of gallery art fairs as the new salons of the 21st century, as art magnets where galleries congregate and collectors and curators, and celebrities, and the illuminati go to see and buy art. Furthermore, anecdotal figures from the major fairs seem to confirm that a lot of artwork is being sold by galleries at the fairs. My own experience in doing art fairs for the last 18 years confirms this fact - I have my own positive empirical evidence, albeit with the caveat that fairs still seem to be recovering from the Covidian monster..

There's another "art world" out there of fine art fairs that - because of the curious highbrow attitude of the "high art" cabal - never really gets any attention from the arts media, etc.

I’m talking about outdoor art fairs that some of us know well, and many more others think they know well even though they've actually never been to any of the good ones. I am talking about the outdoor art festivals that get ranked as the top ones by Sunshine Artist magazine and others; fairs such as the Cherry Creek Arts Festival in Denver, or the Ann Arbor Arts Festival (actually four separate art fairs that draw over half a million visitors), and of course, the Coconut Grove Arts Festival in Miami, which routinely attracts about 150,000 visitors in the Miami area.

Immediately the clueless “experts” who have never been to one of these top-of-the-line outdoor art festivals will think and imagine what they visualize as an outdoor art market: dried flowers, teddy bears and watercolors of barns. 

Don't get me wrong, there are thousands and thousands of these type "art" fairs around as well - but those are NOT the ones that I am talking about.

I am talking about the cream of the Sunshine Artist Top 100 list. These are shows where only original art, not reproductions, are allowed, and photography has very severe rules (must be done by the photographer, limited editions only, signed, archival processes only, etc.). These shows are highly competitive to get in (they're juried), and usually offer quite a lot of money in prizes for the artists. The jurors vary from museum curators, art center managers, art critics, artists (I’ve been a juror myself many times), etc.

I guess I'm saying that there's some curatorial legitimacy to them as well... for the elitists amongst you dear readers.

But the real point to which I am driving here is the mathematics of attendance: thousands.

Locally in our area, there are several of these exceptional fine art outdoor festivals: The Bethesda Row Arts Festival in Bethesda, the Tephra ICA Arts Festival in Reston, and the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival in the Woodmont Triangle area of Bethesda, also attract those numbers of people and are all highly competitive.

Consider the median income in either Bethesda ($185K) or Reston ($135K), and what you get out of it is a lot of people with a lot of disposable income. As a whole, the DMV itself has a median household income of around $100K – one that ranks among the highest among the U.S.'s 25 most populous metro areas.

Art price tags at these local fairs range from $100 to $20,000. As such, there's a somewhat comparable universe of prices to the DC area gallery market, as an example.

And I submit that a lot of the people who attend one of these outdoor fine art festivals do not have the "formation," as a Communist would say, to dare set foot in a white cube gallery... and have probably never heard of Art Base Miami Beach.

Nearly all of these huge and highly successful outdoor arts festivals (as far as I know) only allow individual artists to sell their work at the fairs, and their entry fees are about 1/100th of the entry fees of the “other” art fairs.

Wanna see one? The Bethesda Row Arts Festival, which is the DMV’s largest outdoor fine arts festival, and one of the best in the country, will take place September 7-8. The show will showcase 185 artists in 14 media categories: ceramics, drawing/pastels, fiber/decorative, fiber/wearables, glass, graphics/printmaking, jewelry, metalwork, mixed media 2D, mixed media 3D, oil/acrylic painting, photography/digital art, sculpture, watercolor, and wood. It is located essentially at the intersection of Elm Street and Woodmont Avenue, two blocks from the Bethesda Metro, and there are various public parking garages close to the show itself. 

Online here: https://www.bethesdarowarts.org

See ya there! I'll be in booth S104!

Trawick Prize winners

The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards folks have announced the 2024 winners. From over 400 applicants, Pedro Ledesma III of Alexandria, VA was awarded the prestigious Best in Show award, and the prize of $10,000. 

Scott Pennington of Baltimore, MD earned 2nd Place, James Stephen Terrell of Washington, DC was awarded 3rd Place, and Paloma Vianey of Washington, DC received the Young Artist Award. 

Congratulations to the winners!

The winners and finalists artwork is being shown in a group exhibit at Gallery B (the former Fraser Gallery) which will run from September 5th - September 29th. 

Gallery hours are: Thursday - Sunday, 12-5pm. An opening reception will be held on Friday, September 13th from 6pm-8pm.

Gallery B is located at 7700 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda. 

Mermeiding again...

The below mixed media painting will be at The Bethesda Row Arts Festival, which is one of the DMV’s largest outdoor fine arts festival, and one of the best in the country, and will take place September 7-8 on the streets of Bethesda Row. 

The show will showcase 185 artists in 14 media categories: ceramics, drawing/pastels, fiber/decorative, fiber/wearables, glass, graphics/printmaking, jewelry, metalwork, mixed media 2D, mixed media 3D, oil/acrylic painting, photography/digital art, sculpture, watercolor, and wood. 

It is located essentially at the intersection of Elm Street and Woodmont Avenue, two blocks from the Bethesda Metro, and there are multiple public parking garages nearby. 

Online here: https://www.bethesdarowarts.org

See ya there! I'll be in booth S104!!!

"Mermaid", mixed media painting, 16x20 inches

This weekend: Bethesda Row Fine Arts Festival!

 Over the last two decades I have written extensively about the phenomenon of gallery art fairs as the new salons of the 21st century, as art magnets where galleries congregate and collectors and curators, and celebrities, and the illuminati go to see and buy art. Furthermore, anecdotal figures from the major fairs seem to confirm that a lot of artwork is being sold by galleries at the fairs. My own experience in doing art fairs for the last 18 years confirms this fact - I have my own positive empirical evidence, albeit with the caveat that fairs still seem to be recovering from the Covidian monster..

There's another "art world" out there of fine art fairs that - because of the curious highbrow attitude of the "high art" cabal - never really gets any attention from the art media, etc.

I’m talking about outdoor art fairs that some of us know well, and many more others think they know well even though they've actually never been to any of the good ones. I am talking about the outdoor art festivals that get ranked as the top ones by Sunshine Artist magazine and others; fairs such as the Cherry Creek Arts Festival in Denver, or the Ann Arbor Arts Festival (actually four separate art fairs that draw over half a million visitors), and of course, the Coconut Grove Arts Festival in Miami, which routinely attracts about 150,000 visitors in the Miami area.

Immediately the clueless “experts” who have never been to one of these top-of-the-line outdoor art festivals will think and imagine what they visualize as an outdoor art market: dried flowers, teddy bears and watercolors of barns. 

Don't get me wrong, there are thousands and thousands of these type "art" fairs around as well - but those are NOT the ones that I am talking about.

I am talking about the cream of the Sunshine Artist Top 100 list. These are shows where only original art, not reproductions, are allowed, and photography has very severe rules (must be done by the photographer, limited editions only, signed, archival processes only, etc.). These shows are highly competitive to get in (they're juried), and usually offer quite a lot of money in prizes for the artists. The jurors vary from museum curators, art center managers, art critics, artists (I’ve been a juror myself many times), etc.

I guess I'm saying that there's some curatorial legitimacy to them as well... for the elitists amongst you dear readers.

But the real point to which I am driving here is the mathematics of attendance: thousands.

Locally in our area, there are several of these exceptional fine art outdoor festivals: The Bethesda Row Arts Festival in Bethesda, the Tephra ICA Arts Festival in Reston, and the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival in the Woodmont Triangle area of Bethesda, also attract those numbers of people and are all highly competitive.

Consider the median income in either Bethesda ($185K) or Reston ($135K), and what you get out of it is a lot of people with a lot of disposable income. As a whole, the DMV itself has a median household income of around $100K – one that ranks among the highest among the U.S.'s 25 most populous metro areas.

Art price tags at these local fairs range from $100 to $20,000. As such, there's a somewhat comparable universe of prices to the DC area gallery market, as an example.

And I submit that a lot of the people who attend one of these outdoor fine art festivals do not have the "formation," as a Communist would say, to dare set foot in a white cube gallery... and have probably never heard of Art Base Miami Beach.

Nearly all of these huge and highly successful outdoor arts festivals (as far as I know) only allow individual artists to sell their work at the fairs, and their entry fees are about 1/100th of the entry fees of the “other” art fairs.

Wanna see one? The Bethesda Row Arts Festival, which is the DMV’s largest outdoor fine arts festival, and one of the best in the country, will take place September 7-8. The show will showcase 185 artists in 14 media categories: ceramics, drawing/pastels, fiber/decorative, fiber/wearables, glass, graphics/printmaking, jewelry, metalwork, mixed media 2D, mixed media 3D, oil/acrylic painting, photography/digital art, sculpture, watercolor, and wood. It is located essentially at the intersection of Elm Street and Woodmont Avenue, two blocks from the Bethesda Metro, and there are various public parking garages close to the show itself. 

Online here: https://www.bethesdarowarts.org

See ya there! I'll be in booth S104!

From the Washington Post

The WaPo's Art editor, Jonathan Fischer, responds to my previous discussions on the end of the "Galleries" column:

“Thanks for reaching out. I’ve seen the coverage and understand why people are anxious and confused. 

We decided to end this specific column, but we will continue to cover the local art scene, including galleries, with criticism and more – including from Mark. 

As a general matter, it’s worth pointing out that we have an editor dedicated almost wholly to visual art – Steven Johnson, at steven.johnson@washpost.com – and he’s very eager to be kept in the loop on shows, events, news and more. I’m also here for questions, feedback, pitches and more.”

My current OTC article

 Read it here.

Many times over the last few decades I’ve used this column to send a shout out to hard working artists who do not wait to be “discovered”, but who are always on the move, taking advantage of opportunities both around the DMV and elsewhere – they follow the maxim that the best place for art that one creates in on someone else’s walls.