E.E. McCollum will be showing images from his “Shadow Series.” Strong graphically, his black and white images explore the sculptural qualities of the nude figure and the interplay of shadow and form. Set against a white background, the figure seems suspended, without context to guide our understanding, and we are left to encounter the body in its most elemental expressive elements of shadow, form and gesture. McCollum is a member of Multiple Exposures Gallery at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria,VA. He has exhibited nationally and has been published in Lenswork, PH Magazine and Adore Noir. McCollum lives in Northern Virginia.Danny Conant's “French Impressions” images are influenced by her recent trip to the French countryside of the Dordogne region and an exhibit at the Musee d' Orsay in Paris. The photos are often manipulated in Photoshop and other programs and printed on watercolor paper. Some are additionally colored with pastels and then the watercolor paper is adhered to a wooden panel and covered with encaustic paint. Conant’s work has been shown both nationally and internationally via galleries and Sotheby’s and Art Net auctions. Two books on Tibet have been published and her work has appeared in magazines and photography books. She is a member of Multiple Exposures Gallery in Alexandria and lives in Maryland.
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Danny Conant “French Impressions” and E. E. McCollum “Shadow Series”
Friday, July 18, 2014
The DMV at AU this summer
Passion for Prints
Passionate Collectors: The Washington Print Club at 50 features almost 150 prints selected from Washington collections. The collection reveals a diversity of techniques from relief printing by celebrated masters Durer, van Dyck, Carracci, Pissarro, Picasso and Chuck Close to monoprints by contemporaries Richard Estes, Ventura Salimbeni, Thomas Frye, Adolphe Appian, Reinhard Hilker and Keiko Hara. Among the contemporary works is a print involving buckshot, and one created with 4,225 small black dots.
“Viewers will be surprised there are no dominating genres or periods or artists represented in this show, but rather a huge range of works that are national, international and local,” said AU Museum Director and Curator Jack Rasmussen. “We share our location in the nation’s capital with most international diplomatic missions to the United States. Washington is a community with diverse interests and affiliations and may well provide the most diverse group of collectors in the country.”
The show will also feature “Midwest Matrix,” a film study of post-World War II printmaking to present, produced and directed by Susan Goldman.
The Washington Print Club was established in 1964 as an independent, nonprofit volunteer organization consisting of both collectors and practicing artists. This biennial exhibition celebrates the club’s 50th anniversary.
Lives Devoted to Art
The Franz and Virginia Bader Fund: Second Act features paintings, sculptures and works on paper by Richard Cleaver, Emilie Brzezinski, Fred Folsom and other artists who received grants totaling $670,000 over the last 13 years from the Bader Fund. Legendary Washington art dealer Franz Bader and his wife, Virginia, started the fund, which continues to support the arts long after the couple’s deaths in 1994 and 2001, respectively. The fund committee awards grants for artists 40 and older who live within 150 miles of the U.S. Capitol.
The first exhibition of Bader Fund artists took place a decade ago. “Second Act” provides another viewing of the range and quality of work supported by the grants.
Franz Bader was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1903. Bader and his first wife, Antonia, were fortunate to escape Vienna after the takeover of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938, arriving in Washington in early 1939 with few possessions and little money. But, as is true of so many émigrés from Hitler’s Europe, their arrival was America’s good fortune—Washington's, in particular. Working at first with the Whyte Bookstore and Gallery and then, from 1953 to 1985, at his own art and book shop, Bader was a pioneer and creator of a vibrant art scene in his adopted city.
Personal Drifts of Culture
Continental Drift surveys the work of Washington artist Judy Byron, and invites the viewer to consider the visual and auditory environment that informs identity. The exhibition acknowledges the artist’s drifting of visual influences between three specific countries: Brazil, China, and Ghana. From 2010 through 2012, Byron traveled abroad and photographed details of sidewalks, toys, products, netting, foliage, clothing and detritus. Images from her travels formed the point of departure for 18 color pencil drawings.
Accompanying the drawings are the voices of three women from Brazil, China, and Ghana who now live in the Metro D.C. area and have established roots while maintaining strong identification with their places of birth. Three smaller drawings — Memories of Home — are based on photos Byron took of objects in their homes that remind the women of the homes they left behind. The sound of ocean waves lapping the shore can be heard throughout the exhibition space.
Rasmussen observed: “I don’t think any artist has communicated so beautifully the interaction of community and environment in the construction of culture.”
Nature’s Fleeting Beauty
Syzygy, William Newman’s series of 19 oil paintings and digital images, and two metal sculptures, is a vibrant investigation of temporality, subjective freedom, and natural splendor. The photographs, photorealist paintings and stainless steel sculptures present striking natural forms and places holding personal resonance for Newman, including Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Canyon and the cosmos.
For his sculptures, Newman had natural artifacts from his farmhouse in Shenandoah County duplicated in welded, polished stainless steel by craftsmen in Beijing. The resulting forms gracefully blend elements of abstraction with Newman’s mastery of representational expression.
This tactile sensibility is also evident in Newman’s conjunction of paintings and photographs. The central subjects of his paintings are round forms from nature, which Newman and his assistants meticulously recreated from photographs that he took himself or appropriated from NASA’s public archives. Newman then conjoined the objects with photographs using rare-earth magnets. Photographs that took just a click to create and paintings that took years to make join to represent nature’s fleeting beauty, its life through memory and desire, and its timeless eternal renewal.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Like the poet said...
"Cuando los habitantes de un pueblo emigran, no son ellos los que debian emigrar, sino sus gobernantes."
"When the people of a country emigrate and leave their country, it isn't them who should leave their country, but the people who govern their country"
Jose Marti
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Community Gateway Arch
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Scam Alert
Monday, July 14, 2014
Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award
- Non-Classical Music: Composition
- Non-Classical Music: Solo Performance
- Playwriting
- Visual Arts: Crafts
- Visual Arts: Photography
All applications must be submitted online. Applicants can click here to access the application, guidelines and technical assistance resources.
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Saturday, July 12, 2014
The fly and the wedding ring
I've transited through the Suez Canal several times, and as anyone who has done this knows, the place is often abuzz with tons of very slow-flying tse-tse flies, ready, willing and able to bite anyone who stands still for more than a nanosecond.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Proof that aliens are amongst us
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Wednesday, July 09, 2014
Congrats to Argentina
So the final for the World Cup is set: the Germans from Europe vs the Germans from South America... Cough, cough...
Tuesday, July 08, 2014
"Deutschland, Deutschland über Brazil"
Was that the real Germany versus Brazil game or a replay of the last Super Bowl?
Monday, July 07, 2014
Rita Moreno at the NPG
Sunday, July 06, 2014
Alexandria Art Market
Held on the 2nd Saturday of the month from May-October in Colasanto Park (2704 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria).
Shop from local artists (painting, photography, pottery, jewelry, glasswork, woodworking and more) from 10-4pm, rain or shine; enjoy live music from 12-2pm.
Musical performances by Mike Durham (8/9/2014), Janna Audey (9/13/2014), Snakehead Run (10/11/2014). Details at: TheDelRayArtisans.org/ArtMarket
Saturday, July 05, 2014
Artists' Websites: E.E. McCollum
Check out his work here.
Friday, July 04, 2014
Happy 4th!
Today I'm going to thank my parents who had the foresight, strength, and courage to escape the Castro brothers' brutalized island; leave everything behind; leave everything they knew, and raise me as an American.
Wednesday, July 02, 2014
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship program
Tuesday, July 01, 2014
An old friend returns
Frida Kahlo in a Picasso Style. Oil on wood, 1980 by F. Lennox Campello |
I honestly can't recall when it was eventually sold, but I think it was in my show at Georgetown's Fraser Gallery a decade ago, as that show chronicled what was then 27 years of my obsessive interest in Kahlo (read the Washington City Paper review here)
Anyway, this work just made an appearance, as I was contacted by the new owners, who acquired it at an auction in Florida recently!
Monday, June 30, 2014
The Strathmore Fine Artists in Residence initiative
There is not enough that I can say to recommend The Strathmore Fine Artists in Residence initiative (Fine AIR) to all emerging artists.... I have been lucky enough to have been a mentor twice, and can therefore testify what a boost to an artist's career this program is... and it deals and teaches so many diverse areas.... there is nothing even close to it in the DMV, maybe even the nation.
It was established to help cultivate local visual arts talent by connecting established professionals in all aspects of the field with up-and-coming artists. Emerging artists will be in residence in the Mansion at Strathmore from January – August 2015. During this time, each artist will have the opportunity to develop an audience in the DC metropolitan area, perfect their craft, create and implement an outreach, educational, or special event proposal for Strathmore’s consideration, and premiere a new body of artwork, including a collaborative piece with one’s mentor, commissioned by Strathmore in a culminating exhibition.
The exhibition of new work will take place in August of 2015 and will reflect the artistic growth of the artist in residence. Throughout the residency artists meet with a professional artist mentor for career guidance and artistic critique; attend career development workshops; and have the opportunity to teach, lecture, volunteer, exhibit or otherwise participate in Strathmore visual arts programming. Apply here: http://www.strathmore.org/education/series/view.asp?id=10102314
Eligibility:
The Strathmore Fine Artist in Residence Program is open to all emerging visual artists. All media accepted.
Fine AIR Program Timeline
• September 8, 2014 Deadline for application
• September 15 – 18, 2014 Select applicants invited to interview
• September 29, 2014 Notification of acceptance
• October 2014 Fine AIR contracts finalized
• November 2014 Incoming Fine AIR class announced to the public
• January 2015 Official start of the Fine AIR program
• August 2015 Exhibition of new work
A Residency at Strathmore includes:
• An exhibition of new work at the Mansion at Strathmore, Summer 2015
• Strathmore’s consideration of an outreach, educational, or special event proposal
• A professional artist mentor throughout the residency
• Career Development workshops and experiences provided by Strathmore
• A stipend of $1,000 (Studio space and housing are not available with this residency)
Artist responsibilities include:
• Mandatory attendance at a Fine AIR welcome event, scheduled meetings with artist mentor, and career development workshops provided by Strathmore.
• Creation of a new body of saleable work, including a collaborative piece created with one’s mentor, to debut at the 2015 Fine AIR Exhibition at the Mansion at Strathmore.
• Creation of an outreach, educational, or other visual arts event proposal for Strathmore’s consideration for future seasons.
• Volunteering at “Discover Strathmore” and “Strathmore Arts Festival” events and by providing an artist demonstration, pop- up of artwork for exhibition and/or sale, or related artistic presence.
• Volunteer to teach, lecture, and/or demo for the visual art department at least once during residency. Strathmore charges admission for these programs and all proceeds go toward supporting the Fine AIR program.
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Jacobson on Sislen
Louie The J tends to focus on photography, but every once in a while he flexes his writing muscles in other genres, and puts most of the other DMV art scribes to shame...
He's also the master of the "mini-review," a "WCP goes yard" concept that I sold the WaPo into a couple of decades ago... as a means to spread out their anemic visual arts coverage.
Read his most excellent review of Alan Sislen's show at Multiple Exposures Gallery (by now the key photography gallery in the DMV) here.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Mary Armstrong at Cross MacKenzie
Cross MacKenzie Gallery is pleased to present a solo show of paintings by distinguished artist Mary Armstrong. Her ethereal landscapes-which shift between the ground, water, and air-explore the symbiotic relationship between the earth and it's atmosphere, evoking both a sense of serenity and turmoil.
Armstrong's abstract interpretations of a landscape and views of a distant horizon are informed by 19th century painting approaches. Yet the artist's method of scraping through luscious wax and oils on panel in order to reveal hyped-up colors from underneath, lend her work a decidedly contemporary vibe. A self-proclaimed "student of light and collector of air", Armstrong's fascination and deep appreciation for the world outside her studio has led her to translate both the physical and metaphysical elements of nature with a certain type of reverence; her palette delicate and harmonious, her work gracefully hovers in between the earthly and the airy worlds.
Her depictions of water emphasize the mutability and interplay of light and color, effectively creating striking landscapes of the sea and the sky. It is, however, her interest in our constantly altering relationship to the earth itself that has caused her to develop feelings of anxiety and worry, which she conveys in the subtly turbulent overtones of her paintings. The dichotomies of the natural world that Armstrong explores ultimately lead her to inhabit a still undefined space, a realm of beauty filled with ambiguity and uncertainty, where the focus is on the general sensations and impressions, rather than the concrete physical elements of the environment she/we inhabit(s).
Mary Armstrong, a professor at Boston College, has been teaching painting since 1989. She began showing her paintings and drawings at Victoria Munroe Gallery in New York and Boston in 1985, and has since been featured in dozens of group exhibitions and been lauded with multiple awards.
Friday, June 27, 2014
DC Art Bank
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Major moves
WPA will move into 1,500 square feet in the main Atlantic Plumbing building at 8th and V Streets NW - adjacent to the 9:30 Club, DC's renowned music venue - by early fall of 2015, which coincides with the launch of the organization's 40th anniversary celebration.
"We are thrilled to offer our artists and the community a dedicated exhibition space. Combining WPA's administrative offices with new galleries in such a visible, flexible, contemporary space will greatly enhance our programming capabilities," said WPA Executive Director Lisa Gold. "We are imagining exciting new possibilities for our artists, partners, and supporters to experience art and engage in dialogue. And, as we approach this important anniversary milestone, this new space is a transformative step towards an illustrious future for WPA."
"WPA is a perfect fit with our vision for Atlantic Plumbing," said Robin Mosle, a JBG Executive Vice President. "We are pleased to partner with this inspiring and longstanding arts organization to bring new access to a wide range of art - not only to Atlantic Plumbing, but to the immediate community recognized for its rich arts heritage."
The WPA space fronts 8th Street NW and will include a gallery to house exhibitions and events, staff offices, and retail space for original artists' works. The space will operate Monday through Saturday from 12 p.m. until 6 p.m. with occasional evening events.
"The U Street corridor is an ideal home for WPA, given its artistic spirit, history, and diversity," said Kim Ward, chair of the WPA Board of Directors. "Since its founding, WPA has programmed and presented exhibitions in a variety of spaces - remaining versatile and responsive to the art of the times, while acting as a leader in creating partnerships with other arts organizations and institutions. We will continue to do that from a location that will provide a strong community hub for the arts with expanded room for programming and exhibitions."
Also moving are art entrepreneurs Leigh Conner and Jamie Smith, who have announced they are seeking the next DC home for their powerhouse CONNERSMITH gallery and the (e)merge art fair office. Recently, Smith and Conner accepted an offer from the Capital Fringe Festival to purchase their art space in NE Washington, DC.
Smith and Conner moved their business from Dupont Circle NW to the Trinidad neighborhood in NE DC in 2007 when they purchased an auto body shop at 1358 and 1360 Florida Avenue, NE. The art entrepreneurs converted the two-story building and courtyard into an arts space at a time when the area was known for multiple homicides and police checkpoints.
In the renovated space, CONNERSMITH presented, free to the public, 56 solo exhibitions and 10 group shows of art by established, mid-career, and emerging artists, including Leo Villareal, Zoë Charlton, and my former mentoree, the immensely talented Wilmer Wilson IV. A gallery hub formed with the arrival of neighboring galleries, demonstrating the transformative power of art within a resilient community. While based in Trinidad, CONNERSMITH supported its artists’ exhibitions in museums and biennials nationally and abroad and made over 32 presentations at international art fairs. In 2011, Smith and Conner launched (e)merge, DC’s own international contemporary art fair.
“This transition is a natural evolution for us,” said Conner, “We programmed the Dupont Circle space for eight years and our Northeast space for seven years. Now, we are excited to expand our international presence and digital reach while establishing a new exhibition base in DC.”
“Strengthening our international relationships will advance the missions of CONNERSMITH and (e)merge,” explained Smith. “The gallery and the fair are competitive in the global art market and both strive steadily to contribute to DC’s growth into a world destination for contemporary art.”
Smith and Conner are very enthusiastic about Capital Fringe’s acquisition of the property and look forward to the space’s continued arts usage with the realization of Fringe’s vision for their festival’s new permanent home.
CONNERSMITH will celebrate its last exhibition in the Florida Avenue, NE space with the opening of the annual student show, Academy 2014, and pre-fair party for (e)merge, on July 12, 6-9 pm. WaPo story with some
Monday, June 23, 2014
Ai Weiwei The Fake Case
The documentary explores Ai Weiwei’s life under house arrest, where he is restricted by the Chinese Communist authorities in everything he does – but he does it anyway.
The director Andreas Johnsen gained intimate access to Ai’s environment after the unlawful 81-day detainment, exploring how China’s one-party political system (kinda like the Soviet Socialist Republic of Maryland's) impacts the life and work of an artist who would not stop speaking out.
Ai Weiwei has always been an outspoken Freedom of Expression advocate, effectively utilizing social media to spread his message and reach the new generation both in China and abroad. See the trailer video here.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Gallery B Call for Artists
This gallery, located at 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E in downtown Bethesda, is available to interested artists and arts organizations for one-month rentals. All media including, but not limited to, painting, photography and sculpture is eligible to use the space. Gallery B does not take a commission on any artwork sold during the exhibition.
To be considered for a solo or group exhibition, and to review the gallery requirements, please complete this application.
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Friday, June 20, 2014
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Strathmore Fine Artists in Residence initiative (Fine AIR)
It was established to help cultivate local visual arts talent by connecting established professionals in all aspects of the field with up-and-coming artists. Emerging artists will be in residence in the Mansion at Strathmore from January – August 2015. During this time, each artist will have the opportunity to develop an audience in the DC metropolitan area, perfect their craft, create and implement an outreach, educational, or special event proposal for Strathmore’s consideration, and premiere a new body of artwork, including a collaborative piece with one’s mentor, commissioned by Strathmore in a culminating exhibition.
The exhibition of new work will take place in August of 2015 and will reflect the artistic growth of the artist in residence. Throughout the residency artists meet with a professional artist mentor for career guidance and artistic critique; attend career development workshops; and have the opportunity to teach, lecture, volunteer, exhibit or otherwise participate in Strathmore visual arts programming. Apply here: http://www.strathmore.org/education/series/view.asp?id=10102314
Eligibility:
The Strathmore Fine Artist in Residence Program is open to all emerging visual artists. All media accepted.
Fine AIR Program Timeline
• September 8, 2014 Deadline for application
• September 15 – 18, 2014 Select applicants invited to interview
• September 29, 2014 Notification of acceptance
• October 2014 Fine AIR contracts finalized
• November 2014 Incoming Fine AIR class announced to the public
• January 2015 Official start of the Fine AIR program
• August 2015 Exhibition of new work
A Residency at Strathmore includes:
• An exhibition of new work at the Mansion at Strathmore, Summer 2015
• Strathmore’s consideration of an outreach, educational, or special event proposal
• A professional artist mentor throughout the residency
• Career Development workshops and experiences provided by Strathmore
• A stipend of $1,000 (Studio space and housing are not available with this residency)
Artist responsibilities include:
• Mandatory attendance at a Fine AIR welcome event, scheduled meetings with artist mentor, and career development workshops provided by Strathmore.
• Creation of a new body of saleable work, including a collaborative piece created with one’s mentor, to debut at the 2015 Fine AIR Exhibition at the Mansion at Strathmore.
• Creation of an outreach, educational, or other visual arts event proposal for Strathmore’s consideration for future seasons.
• Volunteering at “Discover Strathmore” and “Strathmore Arts Festival” events and by providing an artist demonstration, pop- up of artwork for exhibition and/or sale, or related artistic presence.
• Volunteer to teach, lecture, and/or demo for the visual art department at least once during residency. Strathmore charges admission for these programs and all proceeds go toward supporting the Fine AIR program.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
We will be at (e)merge this year again...
We will be once again showing in the DMV's only world-class fine arts fair.
We will be exhibiting the work of Judith Peck, Tim Vermeulen, Elissa Farrow-Savos and moi of course!
Details later...
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Hidden Picasso found in Washington, DC
A hidden portrait has been unearthed beneath Pablo Picasso’s masterpiece “The Blue Room”.Details here.
Monday, June 16, 2014
Pop Up in DC
Part Cindy Sherman, part Amélie (Audrey Tatou), and a little bit Phoebe Philo, our own "that girl" has just moved flats dans le ville (city) of political movers and shakers, and she's making some moves of her own in the art world. Our chic girl Laila, just got a new pad and is looking to meet some new friends in town and share the best art secrets of a native Washingtonian. But in between her job at International Arts & Artists examining the world of Fakes and Forgeries in the Art World and the Ebony Fashion Fair, Laila along with Adah Rose Gallery is excited to present the works of some our favorite D.C. area artists in her "petite maison."The Petite Maison et Adah Rose Pop Up Gallery @ Laila's will be located at:
On Saturday June 21, Laila is partnering with her friends at Adah Rose Gallery for a pop-up at her new “petite maison” in Woodley Park. They've chosen some fab artists to hang on her walls and invite only the most happening crowd to stop by. Included in our pop-up are super chouette, et brilliante, works on paper, including photography, painting, graphite, prints and mixed media works—only the most daring and brilliant will be allowed. Laila, along with her entourage from the gallery, will be creating a site specific installation, hanging art and hanging out all night long, so pop by.
2401 Calvert Street NW, Apt. 812
Washington, DC 20008
The Opening is Saturday June 21 7:00-9:30..Be There or be L-7!
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Mayor's Arts Awards
Artists and organizations will be recognized in five categories: Excellence in an Artistic Discipline; Excellence in Service to the Arts; Innovation in the Arts; Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education and Outstanding Emerging Artist. The awards are limited to individuals and nonprofit organizations that reside in the District of Columbia.
The Mayor's Awards for Arts Teaching are limited to full-time arts teachers who are employed by a District of Columbia elementary, middle or high school. The three categories for arts teaching are Excellence in Teaching Performing Arts, Excellence in Teaching Visual Arts and Excellence in Teaching Language Arts. Teachers in all artistic disciplines (visual arts, music, theatre, dance or humanities-based) are eligible for nomination.
Nominations are submitted only via online entry using the same application portal as its grants programs. The application portal is here. Individuals and organizations may nominate themselves or another individual or organization. All nominees must reside or have a street address in the District of Columbia to be considered eligible. In addition to completing information about the nominee, work samples, support materials and a resume of bio of the nominee is required along with a 750-word support narrative are included with the online application.
The deadline for submissions is Friday, 11 July 2014 at 5:00 p.m.
For questions about the application or application portal, please contact Steven Scott Mazzola at T# 202.724.5613.
Friday, June 13, 2014
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Monday, June 09, 2014
Congrats!
Sunday, June 08, 2014
Want a free sculpture?
My good friend and über talented DMV area artist Joe Barbaccia is offering the below sculpture at no cost to whoever claims it first. Drop him a note...
Saturday, June 07, 2014
Pan de Guineo y Chocolate con Cascaras de Naranja
Friday, June 06, 2014
Art Scam Alert!
From: Roosevelt Nunn (rseveltnunn@gmail.com)
Sent: Fri 6/06/14 6:52 AM
Good Day,
How is everything with you? I picked interest in your artwork and
deemed it necessary to write you immediately. I will like to know if
you have shipped internationally before and if you have a merchant
that enables you to accept Visa Card or Master Card for payment?.
Could you please respond with your recently updated website so we can
proceed from there
Best Regards
Mrs Roosevelt Nunn
Thursday, June 05, 2014
Cuban Gothic
They were both immigrants to Cuba from Galicia, the ancient Celtic kingdom in Northern Spain; he was from some village up in the mountains and she was from Lugo. He was a stowaway on a Spanish ship, and arrived in Cuba with his brother (both penniless) in the 1920s. They both started out as ditch diggers, saved money, bought a cow, sold milk, bought more cows, saved more money.
They started a milk farm and lost everything in the market crash of the 1930s and then started again from scratch... by 1959 he was one of the largest milk producers in the country, and then he lost everything again, this time to the Communists of Fidel Castro's Workers Paradise... within a few years, there was no milk available to anyone in the area.
He had 11 children with my grandmother!