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"Sam Gilliam first took his paintings off their stretchers in 1965, using the liberated canvases to transform gallery walls into three-dimensional abstractions. He has continued to experiment with the practice of painting and the line between painting and sculpture. For this exhibition, Gilliam will transform the 8,000 square foot space of the third floor of the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center into an exciting and colorful work of art."
April 2 to August 14, 2011.
Gilliam also broke my heart when he declined to be included in my 100 Washington, DC Artists book (in spite of a joint press front that included several artists who tried to convince Sam to join in the project). Anyway, do not miss this opening and exhibition of work by the DMV's leading artist and a true innovator.
In the late 1960s, the American artist Sam Gilliam started to make “drape paintings,” wherein he would cover canvases with paint and hang them from the wall without stretchers. The paintings became sculpture, and the paint itself—acrylic pigment mixed with resin—a type of construction material.
Much like the output of his contemporaries (Gilliam came a few years after Morris Louis, Helen Frankenthaler, and Kenneth Noland), his work falls in the Color Field genre of painting, an abstract, postwar movement that turned canvases into flat picture planes. But unlike those same contemporaries, Gilliam has been almost entirely neglected by the art market until fairly recently. This April, his work achieved its highest auction result ever, when a 1969 painting with a high estimate of $60,000 sold for $197,000 at Swann Auctions in New York. In contrast, Frankenthaler’s auction record is $2.8 million; Noland’s auction record is $2.1 million; and Louis’s is just under $3 million, or approximately 1,400 percent more than Gilliam's best.
Saturday, February 05, 2011
"In Unison: 20 Washington, DC Artists", presently on view at the Kreeger Museum through February 26th has been getting a lot of attention in the scant art press around the DMV.
In Unison: 20 Washington, DC Artists, is an exhibition derived from a monoprint project initiated by DC artist Sam Gilliam.
Gilliam "invited 19 established and respected painters, sculptors, printmakers, digital media and installation artists working in different styles, to join him in creating several print portfolios. Each made a set of five monoprints, one of which was chosen for the show by Sam Gilliam, Judy A. Greenberg, Director of The Kreeger Museum, Marsha Mateyka of the Marsha Mateyka Gallery and Claudia Rousseau, art critic and art historian."
As stated by Rousseau, “Creating a group portfolio and exhibiting together express the ideas of unity and identity that are underlying motives of the project, and which are vital to sustaining a thriving artistic community.”
Millennium Arts Salon is the exclusive sponsor of this major exhibition at the Kreeger
As far as coverage, most recently, TV Station WETA - DC in their "Around Town" segment, highlighted a film clip about the show. The clip features commentary by Corcoran School of Art Professor Janis Goodman, and artist Bill Dunlap (both of whom are in my 100 Washington, DC Artists book).
Mel Hardy, Chairman of Millennium Arts Salon has written a response commentary on the article by Kriston Capps, so read Capps' review first before you read the below response:
Kriston: Yours is a remarkable recitation of context for what you observed as the production of this sampling of a body of works of art created at GMU. What you could not have observed was the origination of vision of a major artist in Sam Gilliam, and its interplay under the sponsorship of a local arts-advocacy and arts-community building organization in Millennium Arts Salon, the fiscal convener of the exhibition.
Your attribution of the "patronage" of Kandinsky and Klee is a wonderful gift from you as an established art critic to each of the "In Unison" artists hanging at the Kreeger. It is lost on no one that Judy Greenberg's willingness to accept this exhibition represents a major advance in the careers of many of the artists.
In this, perhaps you may have missed the point with your focus on "looking back" to the restrictions imposed on innovation and creativity by our local Washington artists, by a less-than-assertive Washington cultural infrastructure. Your highlighting the preponderance of African American artists in the exhibition dismisses completely the sponsor's and project team's structured framework for persons across the spectrum of cultural, ethnic, aesthetic, experience, gender, and age identities to experiment with artistic and aesthetic dialogue whilst in the process of creation of works.
You could not have known Sondra Arkin's frustration with running her typical encaustics through a press only to work with the master printmakers to innovate in finding process to present her beautiful details. You could not have known the truly vanguard applications of tools by Akili Ron Anderson in the creation of his works, and for which each of the five "small paintings" he created are tour de force works of art.
To what many observers of this important exhibition, perhaps like yourself, might immediately attach to recent historical reference, "looking back" in your parlance, you may miss the prospective references to our national need for modeling how Americans, regardless of station, cultural, or ethnic identity, can find ways to interact in the spirit of innovation, in the finding of new ways to re-calibrate our national dialogue for building a sense a national identity, an American culture.
The project team was lead by: Sam Gilliam in identifying the artists who would inspire a new Washington signature in collaborative creativity; Juanita Hardy of Millennium Arts Salon who initiated and funded the enterprise; Helen Frederick and Susan Goldman who "mastered" the printmaking and counseled many of the artists in innovation; Claudia Rousseau, who provided art historical and critical context; and Judy Greenberg, who housed this new vision of the American experiment with American inter-culturalism.
Of course, none of this is possible without the creatives themselves, and we are all grateful that the artists would lend themselves to this highly managed strategy. It is refreshing to read your review of the exhibition, Kriston, as your "backward looking" perspective provides that essential balance that fuels those of us in the creative classes to look forward to our leadership in the better America that is to come.
REVIEW < - >RENEW: AN EXHIBITION IN CELEBRATION OF THE 25th ANNIVERSARY OF VISARTS
On View OCTOBER
28 – DECEMBER 29, 2012
25th Anniversary Celebration (tickets required)
Saturday, October 27 from 7:30 – 10:30 p.m.
(VIP Reception at 5:30 with Curators' Tour)
Public Opening Reception (free)
Friday, November 9 from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Manon
Cleary, Big J, 1977. Oil on canvas.
Twenty five years ago Judy
Greenberg and Jack Rasmussen teamed up to bring the highest quality
contemporary art found in the Washington Metro region to galleries and resident
artist studios located behind a strip mall in Rockville, Maryland.Rockville Arts Place (RAP) was born. Visitors
encountered compelling exhibitions that reflected the vibrant community of
artists living and working in the area. Offering arts education, studio and
exhibition spaces, RAP became an important addition to the cultural climate of
the Rockville community.
Now
renamed VisArts and housed in a glass walled building on three floors in
Rockville Town Square, the tradition of excellence in the arts continues.
VisArts presents Review <->Renew co-curated
by Judy A. Greenberg (Director of the Kreeger Museum) and Jack Rasmussen
(Director and Curator of the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts
Center) in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of VisArts. This group
exhibition brings together the renowned artists who brought critical regional
success to the fledgling organization, Rockville Arts Place (RAP). The artists
selected for the exhibition all exhibited at RAP while Greenberg was President
of the Board and Rasmussen was Executive Director.
In the Kaplan Gallery, paintings by Lisa Brotman, Manon Cleary,
Sam Gilliam, Tom Green, Margarida Kendall Hull, and Joe Shannon are on display.
Early and more recent works by the artists are exhibited alongside Paul
Feinberg’s photographs of the artists early and late in their careers. The
paintings and photographs are accompanied by interviews with the artists
conducted by Feinberg.
In the
Common Ground Gallery, Review <->Renew features more outstanding artists important to the
history of VisArts. Margaret Boozer, Robert Devers, Tim Tate, and Mindy Weisel,
working in glass and clay, have received wide acclaim for their exquisite sense
of material and rich, potent forms. They continue to push the boundaries of
ceramic and glass traditions with astonishing intelligence.
Review
<->Renew offers
a brilliant sample of the artists who helped shape the history of VisArts and
the region’s artistic excellence. Their work has found its way into
important collections, museums and exhibitions around the world. Rasmussen’s
and Greenberg’s choice of artists and art, past and present,embodies the idea that the practice of
making art, particularly art of the highest quality, is a process of patient
accumulations and provocations over time. The resilience of VisArts as a non-profit art
center is due in large part to its long list of exhibiting and resident
artists. This celebratory exhibition acknowledges the past and looks forward
with renewed vigor and relevance.
Review
<->Renewwill be on view in the Kaplan Gallery and Common Ground Gallery at VisArts
from Sunday, October 28 – Saturday, December 29. The public is invited
to attend a free Opening Reception
on Friday, November 9 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
VisArts is located three blocks from
the Rockville Metro station at 155 Gibbs Street, Rockville, MD. Gallery Hours
are Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., and on Saturday and
Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, please visit www.visartscenter.org,or
call 301-315-8200. Admission
is always free.
ABOUT
THE ARTISTS:
Manon Cleary (b. 1942 – d. 2012)Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Manon
Cleary earned her MFA from Temple University, spending her first year in Rome,
Italy. There, she studied the work of old masters, an experience to which she
credited her becoming a figurative artist. In 1970, she moved to Washington,
D.C., and began a teaching career at the University of the District of Columbia.
Her work has been displayed internationally and is in permanent collections at
the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New
York, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, Arizona, and National Museum of Women in the
Arts, Washington, D.C. Manon’s work has been exhibited at the Osuna Gallery,
Washington, D.C., Addison/Ripley Fine Art, Washington, D.C., Maryland Art
Place, Baltimore, Maryland, Jackson-Iolas Gallery, New York, New York, J.
Rosenthal Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, and Grand Palais in Paris, France.
Sam Gilliam (b. 1933)Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Gilliam
earned his MA in painting at the University of Louisville before moving north
to Washington, D.C. Absorbing the innovations of the Washington Color School,
Gilliam quickly moved beyond it, following his own original and radical impulse
to take over the exhibition space and not confine his painting to the picture
plane. His work is in important collections across the United States, and he
has had major retrospectives at Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., the
Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky, and the Contemporary Art Museum,
Houston, Texas.Gilliam’s work is
included in public collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of
Modern Art, and Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York,
Szépmüvészeti Múzeum, Budapest, Hungary, and Tate, London, England.
Tom
Green
(b. 1942 – d. 2012)After receiving
a BA and MFA from the University of Maryland, Green moved to Washington and
became a hugely influential artist and teacher. He has exhibited in numerous
solo and group shows, including Whitney
Biennial, New York, New York, and 19 Americans
at the Guggenheim Museum, New York, New York, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow,
Russia, and in the Washington, D.C. region, at the Kreeger Museum, the American
University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, Smithsonian Museum of American
Art, and The Corcoran Gallery of Art. He received two National Endowment for
the Arts Fellowships, a Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award,
and residencies at the Vermont Studio Center and the Virginia Center for the
Creative Arts. Green’s work is in public collections, including the Guggenheim
Museum, the Baltimore Museum of Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, and Smithsonian
American Art Museum.
Lisa
Montag Brotman(b.
1947)After graduating with a BFA
from the State University of New York at Buffalo, Brotman moved to Washington,
D. C. where she attended the Corcoran College of Art + Design and earned an MFA
from the George Washington University. Brotman has received two Individual
Artist Awards in the Visual Arts from the Maryland State Arts Council. Her work
has been exhibited in Europe and the United States, including the Washington,
D.C. area, at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the American University Museum at
the Katzen Arts Center, Saint Mary’s College of Maryland, The George Washington
University, Longwood University, Washington Project for the Arts, Rockville
Arts Place, School 33 Art Center, Arlington Arts Center, and Gallery Neptune.
Brotman’s work has been exhibited in five solo shows at Gallery K, London,
England and in a mid-career retrospective at the Maryland Art Place, Baltimore,
Maryland.
Margarida Kendall Hull (b. 1935)Born in Lisbon, Portugal, Kendall Hull
attended the University of Lisbon/College of History and Philosophy. After
moving to Washington, D.C., she graduated from the Corcoran School of Art +
Design in 1973 and earned her MFA in 1982 from the Catholic University of
America, Washington, D.C. Her paintings of alternative realities were shown
regularly in Washington, D.C., by the Osuna Gallery and Gallery K. For the past
ten years she has been represented by Galereia de Sao Mamede in Lisbon,
Portugal. Kendall Hull’s work has been in museum exhibitions at Gulbenkian
Museum, Lisbon, Portugal, Museum of Contemporary Art, Lisbon, Portugal, and the
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. Her works are in numerous public and
private collections in the United States and Portugal.
Joe
Shannon(b.
1933)Born in Puerto Rico, raised in
Washington, D.C., Joe Shannon studied art at the Corcoran School of Art, but he
was largely self taught. Looking at masterworks, lots of practice and
self-criticism revealed his direction. Shannon worked for the Smithsonian for
26 years as an exhibition designer and curator. He has organized world class
exhibitions, and written articles in major art magazines and newspapers, and
juried many shows. Shannon teaches currently at the Maryland Institute College
of Art in Baltimore; he lectures, and has taught at other universities. His
work has been shown in galleries and museums around the world and is in many
important collections, private and public, including Corcoran Gallery of Art,
Hirshhorn, and Brooklyn Museums.
Paul Feinberg (b. 1942)Paul Feinberg’s stories and photo
essays of Washington life have been appearing in the Washingtonian Magazine, the Washington
Post Magazine, and numerous national publications for over 30 years.
Focusing on portraits of city life and personal relationships, his stories have
included everything from “Days and Nights by the Bus Station” to “Mothers and
Daughters.” “Best Friends,” his Washingtonian
piece on long term friendships, was expanded nationally into his book Friends. Feinberg has had solo shows at
the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, the Washington Arts
Museum, Washington Project for the Arts, the Picker Gallery at Colgate
University, and University of the District of Columbia. He has been a part of
group shows at Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington Project for the Arts, Studio
Gallery, Tartt Gallery, Kathleen Ewing Gallery, Jack Rasmussen Gallery, Osuna
Gallery, and Arlington Arts Center.
Margaret
Boozer(b. 1966) Born in
Anniston, Alabama, Margaret Boozer lives and works in the Washington, DC metro
area. She received a BFA in sculpture from Auburn University and an MFA in
ceramics from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Her work
is included in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, The
Museum of the City of New York, The US Department of State, The Wilson Building
Public Art collection and in many private collections. Boozer taught for ten
years at the Corcoran College of Art and Design before founding Red Dirt Studio
in Mt. Rainier, Maryland where she directs a ceramics and sculpture seminar.
Recent projects include a commissioned installation at the US Embassy in
Djibouti and writing a chapter for U. S. Geologic Survey’s Soil and
Culture. Recent exhibitions include Swept Away: Dust, Ashes and Dirt at the Museum
of Arts and Design in New York.
Robert Devers (b. 1960)Born in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, Devers
received a BFA in Ceramics from the Kansas City Art Institute and an MFA from
the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He maintains a studio
in Mt. Rainier, Maryland and has taught at the Corcoran College of Art + Design
in Washington, D.C. since 1988. Devers is also the Visual Arts Coordinator of
the Amalfi Coast Music & Arts Festival. His work has been exhibited in the
Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery at
Scripps College, Claremont, California, and the Smithsonian American Art
Museum’s Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C. Devers work is in the permanent
collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery, the
International Monetary Fund, the Museo Artistico Industriale “Manuel
Cargaliero” in Vietri sul Mare, Italy and Museo Manuel Cargaliero, Castelo
Branco, Portugal, as well as numerous private collections.
Tim Tate(b. 1960)AWashington,
D.C. native, who has been working with glass as a sculptural medium for the
past 25 years, Tim Tate is Co-Founder of the Washington Glass School in Mt.
Rainier, Maryland. Tate’s work is in the permanent collections of a number of
museums, including the Smithsonian's American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery and
the Mint Museum. He was awarded the title of “Rising Star of the 21st Century”
from the Museum of American Glass and was also the recipient of the 2009
Virginia Groot Foundation award for sculpture. His work has been shown at the
Milwaukee Art Museum, the Fuller Museum, the Asheville Art Museum and the
Museum of Arts and Design in New York. He is a 2012 Fulbright Scholar recipient
and was Artist-In-Residence at the Institute for International Glass Research
(IIRG) in the UK.
Mindy Weisel(b. 1947) Born
in Bergen-Belsen, the only daughter of Auschwitz survivors, Weisel grew up in
New York and Los Angeles. She began painting at age 14, studied at California State University and received a BFA
from George Washington University in 1977. An acclaimed abstract artist,
working in paint and glass, Weisel has had numerous international commissions
and exhibitions. Her pieces are in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian
Institution, Hirshhorn Museum, National Museum of American Art, Baltimore
Museum of Art, The Israel Museum, and the United States House of
Representatives.
I had my say here a few days ago on the recent article in Washingtonian magazine on DC art galleries. Below is what former DMV art critic, artist, art historian, and curator John Anderson adds to my observations:
I’m going to argue your point about the halcyon days, Lenny, and say it was during the 1970s..There were about 120 galleries in DC (not DMV) at one point, and GREAT coverage in the Post and Star. (I can’t recall if Washington Daily News was still active, or the Virginia Morning Sun; the area had 4 dailies going into the 1960s, though). Hopps was absorbing DC artist works into the NCFA (now SAAM). Slade made the Corcoran healthy (and did so without breaking anyone’s nose). The Phillips was actively exhibiting local artists. The WPA opened and had three floors of crazy going on. The Hirshhorn opened. The NEA supported several area artists. There were the women’s artists conferences. The Bicentennial. Artists fighting for rights on The Hill. Rockne was shooting his lasers everywhere. The Art Now (1974) scandal. Yuri Schwebler’s Sundial. Exciting times! I won’t disagree that the 80s, 90s, 00s were all interesting, exciting, or brimming with potential. But I think the 70s was peak awesome in DC art history, and it was predicated by a scene that was growing in the 1950s and 1960s (something Andrew Hudson recognized in an exhibition he curated for the Edmonton Art Gallery in 1970, and something another curator in Baltimore recognized for a similar exhibition at the BMA: both opening in 1970, I believe). It’s unclear from Bourland’s historical synopsis if he deemed the 70s as the hay-day, since he folds the 50s-60s Color School (WCS) in with Protetch, Moyens, Henri, etc... However, the omission of the Jefferson Place Gallery (JPG) struck me as interesting. I mean, if he’s going to mention WCS, he may as well credit the gallery that, at one time, supported Noland, Davis, Downing, and Mehring (the latter of which exhibited at the JPG at least through 1971). If he is going to mention Gilliam, again he may as well mention the JPG since Gilliam showed there from 65-74. In fact, every artist Bourland mentioned had some connection to JPG, whether being represented by or, in the case of Louis, eschewing invitation to do so. The mention of “hard-edged abstraction of the Washington Color School anchored by Louis and Gilliam” also made me laugh. I mean, those are the two guys who are least hard edge (minus Gilliam’s first stripes). Come to think of it, Noland’s targets weren’t all that hard-edged, and Mehring’s best work—his dappled all-overs—also defied hard edges. The three who were most consistently hard edge were Downing, Davis, and most especially Truitt! Can’t get much harder-edged than the side of a rectangular prism. There are other issues with his historical truncation, which make me wonder if it was just slap-dash editing, or some concession to word count. For instance, why was Bill Christenberry lumped in with the Color School guys? His stuff seems charged by memory, place, nostalgia, and time. In other words: content... which is something that isn’t present in a lot of the WCS stuff (although, Paul Richard will argue that Noland was doing targets because he was driving around L’Enfant’s traffic circles in his cabs way too much… and I really like that read!). When I think of Christenberry I think of photographs that follow in the footsteps of Walker Evans (at times, literally), his haunting Klan stuff, and ink drawings of pear trees. Maybe his assemblages of license plates and tin roofs were informed by WCS, but I think such a connection is a big stretch. Also, Walter Hopps’ Washington Gallery of Modern Art? Hopps was the fourth director (5th if you count the hot minute Eleanor McPeck held down the fort between Breeskin’s resignation and Nordland’s appointment), and held the post for a smidgen over a year. Yes, he was doing great things. Great big expensive things. It’s partly why the Corcoran bought the property: WGMA couldn’t afford it any longer. Fortunately the Corcoran had the sense to let Hopps continue doing interesting things there through late 68 and into 69. But, while Hopps may have had the most interesting tenure as director, WGMA was doing interesting things from its founding… back in the days when Alice Denney and Julian Eisenstein took their bar napkin sketch for a museum in 1960 and turned it into a museum showing a Franz Kline memorial retrospective in 1962. And then the Popular Image show, and Pop Festival months later. And, were it not for the Stern Family Foundation, everything that came before, during, and after Hopps wouldn’t have been possible: where’s Leni Stern’s credit? What I think Bourland’s piece misses isn’t so much how a whimpering boom of three new galleries in the area can possibly excite the scene. Yes. It’s good they’re here. Quite possibly it creates an opportunity for a few area artists to show their stuff. Maybe, if those galleries are lucky, DC collectors will buy from them, too! And, while art is certainly a commodity, it is also one of the humanities. Art galleries are places that can ground us, give us insight into worlds unfamiliar to us, and spark meaningful changes in perception and opinion in the people who visit them. And that can lead to profound actual change in Washington. Were it not for the Jefferson Place Gallery, and the lectures and openings that John Brademus attended, perhaps he wouldn’t have been as successful whipping votes to make the NEA happen. Unfortunately, such touchy-feely things don’t pay the bills. But in a town experiencing such rapid change, having more galleries is a way to reconnect people to a variety of ideas in non-literary ways. Hopefully these three galleries, those that preceded them, and those that come to follow, will inspire. And, God-willing, they all sell some stuff to go over a bunch of couches so that they can keep the lights on.
In my opinion, there's really no formula - art for sale is a commodity; therefore, ECON 101 tells us about how prices in most cases is driven by supply and demand, but that doesn't work for 99.999% of us because it only works for that art that is very limited in supply but in high demand.
About a decade ago, you could pick up a painting by my good friend Sam Gilliam at a local DC area auction house for hundreds of dollars, because there was no "demand" and buyers were not willing to pay above a few hundreds for a Gilliam canvas from the past.
A couple of things happened driven by art galleries (not in DC) "discovering" Gilliam and suddenly there was a demand, and his prices skyrocketed and it couldn't have happened to a nicer person!
Or take the case of Carmen Herrera, for decades and decades her canvasses sold for practically nothing (if they even sold) - then a curator from the Tate "discovered" this artist who had an amazing pedigree (she showed alongside some of the greats of art in the 40x, 50s, etc.) and organized a retrospective for Herrera at the Tate, and suddenly the world art collectors discovered her work and rushed to buy it - creating the demand and thus a huge rise in prices.
More examples?
In the 60s Alice Neel was on welfare and traded her paintings to Lida Moser for Moser to take slides of her work so that Neel could try to get galleries interested in her work... then... go back to the top of this post and substitute "Neel" for those two artists... cough, cough...
Thursday, January 06, 2011
In Unison: 20 Washington, DC Artists
Next week the Kreeger Museum will open In Unison: 20 Washington, DC Artists, an exhibition derived from a monoprint project initiated by DC artist Sam Gilliam.
Gilliam "invited 19 established and respected painters, sculptors, printmakers, digital media and installation artists working in different styles, to join him in creating several print portfolios. Each made a set of five monoprints, one of which was chosen for the show by Sam Gilliam, Judy A. Greenberg, Director of The Kreeger Museum, Marsha Mateyka of the Marsha Mateyka Gallery and Claudia Rousseau, art critic and art historian."
As stated by Rousseau, “Creating a group portfolio and exhibiting together express the ideas of unity and identity that are underlying motives of the project, and which are vital to sustaining a thriving artistic community.”
The exhibition will be on view at The Kreeger Museum from January 15 – February 26, 2011. The invited artists are:
▪ bk.iamART.Adams ▪ Akili Ron Anderson ▪ Sondra N. Arkin ▪ Paula Crawford ▪ Sheila Crider ▪ Edgar Endress ▪ Helen Frederick ▪ Claudia Aziza Gibson-Hunter ▪ Sam Gilliam ▪ Susan Goldman ▪ Tom Green ▪ Martha Jackson-Jarvis ▪ Walter Kravitz ▪ Gina Marie Lewis ▪ EJ Montgomery ▪ Michael Platt ▪ Carol A. Beane ▪ Al Smith ▪ Renée Stout ▪ Joyce Wellman ▪ Yuriko Yamaguchi
Millennium Arts Salon is the exclusive sponsor of this major exhibition at the Kreeger. Several well-known names in the list, plus quite a few that are new to me; I'm really looking forward to seeing this exhibition.
Friday, February 06, 2009
Art advice for the White House tenants
Life has an interesting way of forcing us to sometimes either reversing what we once thought were final positions, and other times life offers us a chance of defending both sides of a position.
I have been generally against the segregation of artists by race (black, white, Asian or native American) or by ethnicity (Hispanic, Semitic, etc.), and yet sometimes a void or need is so egregious that the solution is very clear and may cross lines that we may have thought as cast in concrete.
When we all discovered a couple of years ago that 66% of all the artwork by black American artists currently in the White House art collection had been acquired by the Bushes, depending on what side of the political aisle you stand, this fact may either raise an eyebrow from right wing nuts or some sort of conspiracy theory from left wing nuts.
But when we also discovered the fact that only three works (out of an estimated 375 pieces) were by black Americans, both sides of the aisle should find that surprising... and maybe in need of attention by the Obamas.
A little recap and an update: In 2007 I reacted in my usual self-righteous, irate manner to having American artist Jacob Lawrence described as a great African-American artist, rather than just a great artist. And then the Washington City Paper in the process of policing that whole issue, came up with an interesting fact.
Jacob Lawrence, pen and ink, circa 1980 by F. Lennox Campello In an Private Collection
According to the City Paper, Betty Monkman, the curator of the White House, revealed that, "while Lawrence’s painting isn’t the sole piece by a black artist in the executive mansion, it’s close to it — there are only two others."
That's now three out of "an estimated 375 total in the White House’s art collection."
So let's take off the first century and a half of the White House's art acquisition process. During that time we can safely assume that they probably just focused on American artists from one of the four races, and somewhat let me reverse my stand on segregating artists by race, rather than just artistic merit, and let me take the uncomfortable side of trying to again ask the question, "Why aren't there more works by black artists in the White House art collection?"
Even if one ignores skin color, and just looks at the art and artistic achievement, there are plenty of great American artists, who happen to be black, whom I think would make a great update to the White House collection.
Some art greats, by artistic default, I would think, would have to be Black, or Asian, or Native American, not just Caucasian artists of all ethnicities - after all, all four races of mankind create art and all four and their many mixtures, live in America.
Back in the 1980's, Jacob Lawrence was awarded the National Medal of Arts from President George Bush The First. Why did it take 27 years for one of his paintings to become part of the White House's permanent collection?
The City Paper research identified the other two paintings: "Henry Ossawa Tanner’s Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City (1885), which hangs in the Green Room, its home since 1996, and an 1892 painting by one “Bannister” (possibly Ed Bannister) acquired in 2006 and which was then undergoing conservation.
So two of the three have been acquired by the Bushes, and before 1996 there wasn't a single work of art by any black artist in the President's home, in spite of the fact that artists such as Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, Sam Gilliam, Martin Puryear, Alma Thomas, and others are all just great American artists, period, and have even broken the National Gallery of Art code, and should all probably have been acquired by the White House years, and years, and years ago.
But let's say that a traditional acquisition focus on painting were to remain, and thus we would immediately unfortunately eliminate a lot of good contemporary choices. After all, the White House is not an art museum, and the case could be made that it sort of "feels" that it should be an art collection where all things somewhat say "America" in a variety of traditional visual ways, and I submit that for that goal, painting is still first among equals. That still leaves Romare Bearden, Sam Gilliam, Alma Thomas and others I am sure.
So if the Obamas were to continue what President Bush started, and expand the White House's collection to be more representative of American artists and the American people, I would suggest that (in addition to perhaps more Lawrence), Romare Bearden, Sam Gilliam, Martin Puryear, and Alma Thomas would be a good start. And, if as Malber suggests, the Obamas should expand the White House collection to more than just paintings, then in addition to some Lawrence collages, I would suggest work by other blue chip artists such as Kara Walker, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons (who is not only a brilliantly accomplished artist, but also happens to be both Hispanic and Black) and Lorna Simpson.
But I don't know if the Obamas personally collect art, and even though I am one myself, I don't really buy the idea of a staff White House art adviser.
If the Obamas are like most people, they probably don't "really" collect art with a focus or intensity to say, the Podestas in DC or the Rubells in Miami (either one of whom, by the way, would make excellent unpaid volunteer art advisers to the White House, if having an adviser was the choice made to change the visual arts acquisition status quo).
So... since the odds are that they would be beginning collectors, then I would suggest the same thing that I do to all beginning collectors: start looking first at emerging artists, which generally can be acquired for much less money than a well-established artist from the upper crust of the rarified artmosphere. Do this until you establish your tastes, desires and somewhat of a focus, and then, if your financial status allows it, begin expanding into the big museum-level names.
And if the Obamas listen to Malber's excellent point of looking locally (as Clinton did in selecting Simmie Knox to do his Presidential portrait), then I would add one of the terrific works by Rikk Freeman to the White House.
A huge Freeman painting would do wonders for the White House collection and also do wonders for Freeman. Not only would it add a presence and feel to the collection that is missing right now and which is an integral part of American history, but it would also set a new, fresh change of venue of how artwork has been acquired in the past, and the kind of artists that get acquired.
I departed the island of Baltimore last week to attend the preview of “Color as Field: American Painting 1950-1975,” the new exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
After some lovely pastries and Dean and DeLuca coffee poured from boxes we ventured upstairs to its third floor gallery. Once you emerge from the elevator you become captivated by the large scale chroma-stained canvases which are so imposing that you feel child-like staring up at them. Signage on the walls with names we have all heard or seem before like: Frankenthaler, Louis, Olitski, Motherwell, Gottelib, Davis and Gilliam. But, this is not a block-buster exhibit for the masses intended to draw record numbers of crowds; it is a significant documentation of 39 works by the early pioneers of American art.
Due to limited government funding for museums and art institutions, there is now greater reliance upon garnering private donors to underwrite exhibits. This exhibit is organized by the American Federation of the Arts, the Henry Luce Foundation, Gene Davis Memorial Fund, Golden Artists Colors and several individual donors, and few of the works are from the Smithsonian’s own collection.
But, if this exhibit is an example of what can be done without the government, I say ‘thank-you’ now we can really have first-class art shows which are thought-provoking, scholarly and challenging. No, there is no audio-guide with snippets of history or narrative story-telling. This show is intended for those well-versed in the subject-matter, so if you are not, I suggest that you dust off an art history book or Google ‘ColorField’ to ensure that you won’t miss the importance of this historical exhibit.
And, if you negate the importance of the abstract expressionist and chant along with the masses “even my child could do this” then you need to purchase the easy reading color-illustrated exhibition catalogue, written by its guest curator Karen Willkin, a specialist in 20th century modernism.
The post-war Color Field painters abandoned the gestural strokes, the all-over painting and pouring inaugurated by Jackson Pollock and the abstract expressionists, and instead concentrated on color, spatial ambiguity and process. Their aim was to unify a colorful abstract image or shape on a large surface. This 1950s movement was more about color than form; however, both movements sought to reveal the unknown -not to report just on the visible.
Artist Helen Frankenthaler led the way by applying thinned oil pigment to stain the unprimed canvas. After visiting her studio in New York City in 1953, artists Kenneth Noland and Morris Louis (both then teaching in the District of Columbia) returned there to experiment with their newly found technique.
My favorite painting in the show is Frankenthaler’s large scale, ‘Off the White Square’ done in 1973 because it exemplifies the new power and presence of acrylic pigment -- which had just become available when she began using ten years earlier.
And, as they say "the rest is history," because America now had its second artistic movement, the Color Field school, which included Helen Frankenthaler, Kenneth Noland, Morris Louis, Walter Darby Bannard, Jack Bush, Gene Davis, Friedel Dzubus, Sam Francis, Jules Olitski and later Larry Poons, Frank Stella, Ronald Davis and Sam Gilliam. These are artists who elected to concentrate on pure contrasting hues of color rather than light versus dark. In the words of Frank Stella “what you see is what you see.” However the significance of this exhibit extends beyond what the viewer sees on these colorful canvases. It is a historical event documenting the difference, similarity and distinction between abstract expressionism and color field painting along with the progression of American art.
The exhibition is in three-parts: an introduction to the origins of Color Field painting, its pioneers, and its later practitioners who pushed its further. It begins with Rothko, and the Abstract Expressionists, then to Frankenthaler’s departure from Pollock and the color field artists who followed with a new abstract form based on expanses of radiant unmodulated hues by staining, painting and spraying. And it concludes with the later generation often linked to the influential art critic Clement Greenberg, who curated the 1964 exhibit “Post Painterly Abstraction” and is credited along with art historian Michael Fried for defining and establishing the framework for interpreting the art form known as field of color, later coined "Color Field."
This exhibition is the first major examination of color field painting, and the District of Columbia is the only East Coast city to host this landmark exhibition. After its debut there it will make its final stop at the First Center of Visual Arts in Nashville, Tenn. in June.
On exhibit thru May 26th, 2008 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets, N.W., Washington, D.C. Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily (202) 633-1000\ (202) 633-7970 (recorded museum information).
Monday, September 20, 2010
Just noticed
Yesterday I was strolling Little Junes through the quad at American University and we stopped to look at the "Seurat" elephant sculpture by Sam Gilliam which is one of the "Party Animals" public art projects that the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities did a few years ago. As you may recall, artists painted a couple of hundred donkeys and elephant statues which are now all over the city.
The Gilliam elephant is right in front of the School of History building at AU and the poor beast is falling apart. I don't know if this is happening to any of the other "party animals" sculptures (or the similar panda project), but the elephant is riddled with surface cracks, as it appears that the elements have won the battle with the finishing element of the fabrication and the sculpture is cracking all over the place.
A Connie Slack panda across the quad seems to be in good shape, although if I remember right, the "party animals" preceded the pandas. But now I wonder if any other of these outdoor pieces are showing the effects of the DMV's severe weather extremes.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Congrats
To our very own contributor, Rosetta DeBerardinis, who relocated to Baltimore last week to accept an Artist Studio Residency with School 33 Art Center located on Federal Hill. She will continue to exhibit in the Washington metro area and extend her coverage for Mid-Atlantic Art News to include an even more expanded coverage of Baltimore.
Rosetta also has been selected by Sam Gilliam and Marie Lewis to exhibit her work in Contemporary Color - Contemporary Artists in the Color School Legacy at Montpelier Arts Center, opening April 17th-May 5th. A Conversation with Sam Gilliam, will be held on April 22 at 2 p.m. followed by a reception on May 5th from 3-5 pm.
Twist and Shout, her two-person show with sculptor, Guy Barnard, at Visual Art Studio in Richmond, VA, opens April 6th through May 25th.
She is also contributing to the Lotta Art, School 33’s annual benefit held on Saturday, April 21st with cocktail buffets, open studios, and a lottery-style drawing for art donated by 100 artists.
And Rosetta’s work is currently on exhibit at Design Within Reach in Bethesda, MD, (301) 215-7200 and at the Millennium Arts Salon in DC, 202-319-2077.
Friday, April 25, 2008
A rarity coming up
Aaron Douglas: African American Modernist presents "the first nationally touring retrospective of Aaron Douglas (1899-1979), one of the most influential visual artists of the Harlem Renaissance. This exhibition brings together more than 80 rarely seen works by the artist, including paintings, prints, drawings and illustrations."
I really hate the segregation of art by race or ethnicity, but once in a while something stands out so grossly out of synch that it must be pointed out.
This coming show is also a rarity for the DC area museums: an exhibition by a black artist.
Example: As far as I know the National Gallery has only hosted one exhibition in its entire history by a black artist, in this case African American artist Romare Bearden.
The Corcoran has done a little better, most recently hosting Sam Gilliam's first retrospective. Jonathan Binstock, then the Corcoran curator, had done his thesis on Gilliam, so I am sure that this helped get this DC art star a long overdue museum show in his own city. And the Phillips Collection certainly has paid attention to my old professor Jacob Lawrence with a couple of traveling exhibitions.
But some black artists are way overdue for the kind of exposure that an NGA show can afford an artist. My first suggestion is Wifredo Lam.
Any others? Feel free to comment.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Openings
As usual, I am sure that I have skipped some important openings, if so, please email me the details.
DC
Feb. 7 - "Zenith in III-D." Reception to meet the artists: Wed, February 7, 5-8pm. Showing at 1111 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Wash. DC. (Corner of PENN & 12 th ST NW). More info: 202-783-2963 or www.zenithgallery.com
Feb. 9 - Touchstone Gallery's 9th Annual All-Media Exhibition, juried by my good friend Jack Rasmussen, Director and Curator of the American University Museum. The opening reception is 6-8:30 pm, Friday, Feb. 9. 3rd Thursday gallery walk is on the 15th from 6-8 pm. Exhibition continues through March 3.
Feb. 9 - “Progressive Art,” an exhibition of new sculptures by Gary “Chris” Christopherson opens at GChris Sculpture Studio/Gallery (3144 Dumbarton Street NW, Georgetown, DC). Opening – 6-10 pm.
Feb 10 - Knew Gallery in Georgetown at 1639 Wisconsin Ave, NW. Opening 5-10 PM. Art fundraiser for Latin American orphans.
Feb. 13 - "Duane Hanson: Real Life," an exhibition of 15 startlingly lifelike, mixed-media sculptures of everyday people by the famed realist Duane Hanson (1925-1996), plus 75 never-before seen photographic studies by the artist, opens Tuesday, Feb. 13, at the American University Museum at the Katzen. There will be a free Artists’ Reception, open to the public, on Saturday, February 17, from 6 to 9 p.m.
Feb. 13 - "Public Display of Affection" opens right before Valentine's Day at Gallery 42 in UDC. The participating artists include a variety of disciplines: painting, printmaking, photography,sculpture, ceramics, and glasswork. The Love-struck artists include: Michael Platt, Jay Davidson, Sean Hennessy, Michael Janis, Meredith Rode, Chuan-chu Lin, Dan Venne, Mare Dianora. The opening reception for the show is Tuesday, February 13, from 6-9 PM. Informal artists talk at 8 PM on opening night. Gallery 42 is at the University of the District of Columbia (4200 Connecticut Ave NW, Building 42, Room A12, Washington, DC 20008 202-274-5781).
Feb. 15 - The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden presents "Refract, Reflect, Project: Light Works from the Collection," a new installation of works created by international artists from the late 1950s to the present. The exhibition is on view from Feb. 15 through April 8 and features objects from the collection in which light—as substance and subject—is central. Among the international artists featured are Giovanni Anselmo, Jordan Belson, Chryssa, Dan Flavin, Hiroshi Sugimoto, James Turrell, Thomas Wilfred and Gregorio Vardanega. The exhibition also highlights recent acquisitions by such artists as Olafur Eliasson, Spencer Finch, Christoph Girardet and Iván Navarro.
Feb. 15 - "African Vision: The Walt Disney-Tishman African Art Collection" opens Feb. 15 at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art. More than 80 superb artworks from one of the world's finest and most respected collections of African art will go on view through Sept. 7, 2008.
Feb. 15 - In honor of the 10th Anniversary of the Washington DC Jewish Community Center at 16th and Q Streets, the Center's Ann Loeb Bronfman Gallery is presenting an exhibition of 10 artists with local roots: five nationally recognized figures each of whom has selected another artist whose work will be on view as well. Titled "Five Artists Select Five Artists to Watch," the exhibition opens at the Center on Feb. 15 and continues through May 13. The featured artists are: Sam Gilliam, who selected Jae Ko; John Gossage, who selected Pia Calderon; Martin Puryear, who selected Otho Branson; Dan Steinhilber, who selected Y. David Chung; and Renee Stout, who selected Mary Early. The featured artists are: Sam Gilliam, who selected Jae Ko; John Gossage, who selected Pia Calderon; Martin Puryear, who selected Otho Branson; Dan Steinhilber, who selected Y. David Chung; and Renee Stout, who selected Mary Early.
Feb. 15 - "Double Vision: The Photographic Work of Yanina Manolova and Mark Parascandola" opens at Nevin Kelly Gallery with a reception from 6-9PM. Through March 11, 2007.
Feb. 17 - "All Things in Motion," opens at Randall Scott Gallery, an exhibition of art by artists who employ motion in their work. Exhibition is 6-9PM and show runs through March 17, 2007.
Feb. 18 - Rob Lindsay at Washington Printmakers. Artist's Reception, featuring acoustic music by Jay Rees and Basso Moderno Duo on Sunday, February 18, 12-2 pm.
March 9 - The opening reception for DCist Exposed will be March 9, 6:30pm at the Warehouse Art Gallery. The show will run until March 16. Over 200 local photographers submitted their work through Flickr, and from that pool DCist choose 40 photographs by 38 photographers. All work will be framed to archival standards and for sale. Contact heathergoss [at] gmail [dot] com for details.
Baltimore, MD
Feb. 10 - Light Street Gallery has a catered reception from 5-9PM for artist George Sekkal's "The Politics of War - Maximism," which brings the artist's award-winning anti-war political collages to Baltimore.
Bethesda, MD
Feb.9 - Second Fridays for 13 Bethesda area art galleries and art venues, including a free guided Art Walk on most months (starting in April). Details here.
Feb 9 - Fraser Gallery hosts a ton of photographers selected by Catriona Fraser for the 6th Annual International Photography Competition. Opening reception and awards presentation on Feb. 9 from 6-9PM.
Feb. 9 - Neptune Gallery has "Love Birds" with work by Lisa Brotman, Elyse Harrison, Laurel Hausler, Michael Janis, John Lancaster, Matthew Lawrence, Kirk Waldroff and David Wallace. 6-9PM.
Feb. 8 - Second Thursdays multi-gallery openings in the area north of Northern Liberties. Details here.
Feb. 8 - Nexus is reopening in its new spaces and they will we reopen Nexus in their new home and at the same time inaugurate "Second Thursdays," a new monthly event of openings by galleries that are north of Northern Liberties. Second Thursday will be held February 8th from 6 to 9 PM. Their inaugural show in their new digs features two digital exhibitions by Jennie Thwing and Catherine Passante. Through Feb. 25, 2007.
Feb. 9 - "Neighborhood Artists" at Twenty Two Gallery (236 S. 22nd Street (on 22nd between Locust & Spruce Sts. Tel: (215) 772-1911). More than 15 artists from the gallery's neighborhood show works that include: oils, watercolors, pastels, fabric, photography and more! Opening Reception: "Second Friday," Feb. 9, 2007, 6pm to 9pm. Exhibit continues through March 8, 2007.
Feb. 9 - Sande Webster opens a new show titled "Refractions," and it runs from Feb. 6th thru March 1st. Reception: Friday, Feb. 9th from 6-8 pm.
Feb. 16 - "Coming of Age: Emerging and Established Wood Artists," at Wood Turning Center. The opening reception takes place on February 16th from 5pm to 7:30pm and will feature a gallery talk by Albert LeCoff, Wood Turning Center Executive Director and a special talk by artist Peter Exton. Artists include Michael Brolly (US), Richard Hooper (UK), Richard Raffan (Australia), Betty Scarpino (US), Mark Sfirri (US), Ben Blanc (US), Peter Exton (US), Louise Hibbert (US formerly Wales), Thierry, and Martenon (France) and Holly Tornheim (US). Through May 19, 2007.
Feb. 17 - JMS Gallery has sculptures by Salvatore Cerceo and Pavel Efremoff and also paintings by Robert Melzmuf opening with a reception on Feb. 17 from 4-7PM. Exhibition through March 24, 2007.
Feb. 22 - "Abu Ghraib Detainee Interview Project: Daniel Heyman" at The Print Center. Reception: Thursday, February 22, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Through May 5, 2007.
Mar. 2 - Third Street Gallery has work by Marge Peterson (also showing Marci Feldman) and the reception is March 2 from 5-9PM. Show through April 1, 2007.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Lou Stovall
Washington Printmakers Gallery in DC will host its 5th annual Invitational Exhibition honoring the achievement of an influential printmaker. The 2007 Invitational honors the work of Lou Stovall, a printmaker of national and international reputation, a master printer, and a longtime resident of Washington, DC.
Stovall has also been the "printmaker behind the print" for many editions of the prints of several well-known artists (such as Joseph Albers, Peter Blume, Alexander Calder, Sam Gilliam, Elizabeth Catlett, Gene Davis, Sam Gilliam, Lois Mailou Jones and my former professor Jacob Lawrence), and a key member of the DC arts community.
You can see his new work during the First Friday opening on Friday, January 5, 5- 8 pm, and then there's an artist reception on Sunday, January 7, 1-4 pm and Lou will deliver a gallery talk on Thursday, January 11, noon-1pm.
Monday, December 11, 2006
This is how it is supposed to work - Part I
Those of you who are regular visitors to this site know that one of my constant concerns is the poor relationship between DC museum area curators and DC area artists, and the rarity of interest by most DC area museum professionals in their own city's art scene and artists.
Like anything, there are notable, but rare, exceptions.
And one of the unexpected benefits of the Trawick Prize and the Bethesda Painting Awards has been that they have "forced" the hired DC, VA and MD museum professionals and curators to look at the work of artists from the region; some amazing success stories have spawned from that exposure. Area artists should be very grateful to Ms. Trawick for all that she has done and continues to do for the fine arts around the capital region.
But getting back on subject and generally speaking, most of the DC area museum curators and directors still find it easier to catch a flight to another city to look at an emerging artist's work from that city, than to take a cab to a DC area artist's studio or visit a local gallery.
I think part of this is because, again with an exception here and there, most of these curators came from other parts of the nation and overseas, and they tend to bring their regional familiarities with them, rather than discover new ones (it takes a lot of work). They are also part of a curatorial scene where little risk is taken, and the herd mentality reigns supreme.
As a result, one can count in one hand the number of artists (local or otherwise) who have had their first ever museum show (or any museum show) in a DC area museum. And yet, even major museums (such as the Whitney in New York) have given artists their first museum solos, although this is becoming rarer and rarer.
Example: I know that I wasn't the only one amazed to find out that the Corcoran's Sam Gilliam retro was the first solo museum show (at the tail end of his career) by arguably DC's best-known painter.
And I am sure that the fact that Jonathan Binstock's PhD work was on Gilliam had a lot to do with the Corcoran's decision to focus a solo on a DC area legend. Bravo to Binstock and Bravo to the Corcoran; more please.
The rarity of local focus is also caused partially because of the fact that DC area museums generally tend to think of themselves as "national museums," rather than as "city museums," like all other major cities in the world have.
We have no Washington Museum of Art, although the Corcoran, because of its position as a museum and a school, and since the arrival of Binstock, has focused a bit more attention on the Greater DC art scene.
Furthermore, because of the sad lack of coverage by the DC local media of the DC local art scene and events, museum professionals have to spend more personal time (which they often lack) to "learn" about DC area artists and galleries, rather than learning from reading, as they do about what's going on in NYC and LA and Miami and Seattle from the national magazines, or perhaps the coverage that those cities' newsmedia gives to their local arts, and even from reading the Washington Post's chief art critic coverage of other cities' galleries and museums, while he is allowed to avoid writing about Washington galleries and artists.
And so it takes an "extra" effort on the part of a DC museum curator to get his or her interest aroused on any event in the local scene. Some of it is networking (a big name museum donor requests a visit to a gallery or a studio), some of it is financial (they are paid to jury a show), some of it is media-driven (such as the rare positive review in the even rarer newsmedia coverage) and some of it is accidental (such as a curator admiring the work of a "new" artist in a LA gallery only to be told that the artist is a DC artist).
I've met Mr. Rifkin many times and he's a really nice, likeable, intelligent and well-traveled person. He has been the Smithsonian Under Secretary for Art since January 2004. In the DC area he also has been the Curator of Contemporary Art at the Corcoran from 1984-1986, Chief Curator of the Hirshhorn from 1986-1991 and then Director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden from 2003-2005. So he has spent nearly ten years of his exceptional career as an arts professional in the nation's capital.
I'd like someone to ask Mr. Rifkin the following question:
"Mr. Rifkin, can you quickly name for us about five contemporary artists from anywhere and five contemporary DC area artists whose work you admire and why?"
Tomorrow I will tell you a happy tale of a DC area museum curator who has shown interest in the work of a very talented and hardworking DC area artist and how it happened, which is how this process is supposed to work.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
City Hall Art Collection Comments
I've been overwhelmed by the number of comments that you have emailed me about the new City Hall Art Collection, and have somewhat fallen behind posting them. Below are a few, with more to come. I am also told that Jessica Dawson will have a review in the Washington Post this coming Saturday and there will be an article in the WaPo's Metro section on Thursday -- I think in the District Extra.
"At the opening last night at the Wilson building it was community building at its finest. Probably 3/4 of the artists represented were in attendance.... and they represented a comprehensive and thoughtful cross section of the Washington art scene, from the old guard to the newest burgeoning faces.
Sondra Arkin once again pulled off a wonderful flawless event with all the enthusiasm that she puts into Art-o-matic. While is was great to see surprises around every corner (from new artists you weren't familiar with to new directions from artists we knew), the real pleasure was to see work from the artists we've come to know well in DC. it somehow felt comfortable, as the city's collection should feel.
My favorite wall included works by Rima Schulkind, Margaret Boozer and Sean Hennessey. Each of these pieces worked incredibly well together and represented an established artist, a new artist and a new direction for another established artist.
Some of the work you hoped top see was there.... William Christenbery, Sam Gilliam and six wonderful Gene Davis pieces. Also some of the older school had some great pieces like Judy Jashinsky, and Richard Dana and Ellen Weiss.
Two smaller repetitive works had a great sense of discovery about them. One was from Georgie Deal and one from Lynn Putney, who share a similar sensibility. Also two smaller paintings by Andrew Wodzianski had all the depth and lusciousness of his larger works.
The collection as a whole was spectacular and extremely professionally well done. It seemed to have always belonged in that space. I hear there will be a second round of purchasing, so all those who didn't have work ready for the last call will be getting another chance. I'm sure Lenny will post it on his this site!"
"Sorry to hear you didn't make the opening, it was pretty great. A lot of abstract work, but quite a variety of stuff. Presentation was great, although some pieces were tucked away in offices that weren't open until halfway through the night.
Wow! There was a lot of art to look at, and all of the selections were exceptional. There was an excellent Gilliam piece on the first floor, and two nice Renee Stouts.
And while I don't seek to make a large point of it, there really wasn't that much representational work in the show. In addition, it seems that wall-friendly work took priority over 3D artworks. There seemed to be plenty of places for sculpture to go in the building, but I guess when the building was remodeled, no one thought to put in more than the few 1st floor niches for future artworks. Otherwise, I must say I was quite pleased with it.
The complimentary catalogue was very beautiful and is definitely worth seeking out if you know someone who got one.
The place was really packed by 7pm and you could barely move in the center hall. Lots of people watched the opening remarks from balconies all the way from the 5th floor. Linda Cropp gave a speech that I could barely hear from the back of the room, but people were quite excited by it. Otherwise, the energy was pleasant just about everywhere I went, I saw some artists talking to folks about their work, and people eating the yummy fruit and buffalo wings from Whole Foods (there was a line at each table setting on every floor and the food lasted about an hour from 6pm to 7pm)."
"Frankly, I'm impressed and amazed at the wonderful job that has been done with presenting the first group in the city's art collection.
The range of style displayed in the actual art objects purchased was professional, daring, and spot on. With only, what-153 pieces?, from established and emerging artists alike it is a collection that is ready to expose DC artists to a broader audience. From Margaret Boozer's process-oriented clay relief wall hanging to Judy Jashinsky's character portraits, to Pat Goslee's abstract encaustic painting, all in addition to some household 'names', the collection definitively gives voice to the great range and depth of talent that has been present in DC for decades.
Yet, as a 15 year artist-resident of DC, what I am most refreshed by is that while the art scene in DC may have been provincial in the past, this collection stands as tangible proof that the actual art & artists are not and never have been the P-word. It seems like the rest of the city is finally catching up with what those of us practicing in 'the field' already knew.
I was quite amazed to see the number of catalogs and maps that were given away at the opening. The business side of my brain says BRAVO - commitment to that kind of documentation will do wonders for promoting the city and no doubt inject a new fire into a 'scene' that has come a long, long way. That kind of fancy paper is one of the best ways to get non-artists on the outside of the scene to come on in because it lets them bring the experience into their home and life in a tangible way. Bravo to the city for financially making it happen.
I've only read about half of the catalog. There's a surprising amount of text, though given the weird color on a few of reproductions, I guess they had artist’s provide their own reproductions. I’d be curious to know.
If I have any criticism, it is that while each of these authors that contributed has done a great job capturing a slice of the collection, the fact that one section reads like an art history text, another like a press release, another a scientific manual; I find it a bit jarring. Turns out I know a few of these authors, so while I know why their piece sounds like it does, maybe a little more than a job title by each authors' name would have introduced each specific POV.
I'm being uber-critical here because the catalog is really, really nice and having worked at a museum and been on the fringes of the trials involved in making this kind of document, what is present in this HeART of DC catalog is an aspiration for producing a catalog nothing short of the gold ring, it just so happens on this first time around they only got the silver.
But that is just in terms of the catalog, which is a fleeting document at best. I'll say it again, the conceptual work that went into these first purchases and the quality of the art objects-SPOT ON!"
And later this week, together with several DC area art museum curators, I'll be walking the collection myself, and hope to provide you with my and their comments.
Friday, June 24, 2005
The Seven Chosen
Artists selected for SEVEN are listed below; about a third of them are completely new to me. The rest I either knew their work, or who they were in some way or form. I think it is a powerful lesson on the importance of keeping your work "out there," no matter where "there" is, so that the work is "seen."
There are some well-known, experienced and recognized names on this list, people like Manon Cleary, Chan Chao and Sam Gilliam, as well as hot, young new artists like Lisa Bertnick, John Lehr and Kelly Towles.
Also young emerging artists like Alessandra Torres, Ben Tolman and Susan Jamison (who's in the current issue of New American Painting and also hangs in the Strictly Painting V exhibition at McLean). And also artists whose work I've rarely seen anywhere around our area, such as Gary Medovich, Rebecca D’Angelo, Sonia Jones, Lou Gagnon and Fae Gertsch.
This exhibition, having been curated by a gallerist, defines a show from the perspective of a curatorial eye aimed at perspective of intelligent, strong and visually powerful art and art ideas; this is my view from the ground-level; not the 10,000 foot level of a museum office.
As such, it is very painting-centric show at at time when painting (in spite of the constant attack from academia and the written word) seems to have regained center stage in the international art arena.
It is not a competition between the genres, and because of the agenda, prejudices and humanity of my selection process, in the end, Seven somewhat places painting at the center of attention, although I suspect that a strong showing by WPA/C photographers and what I expect to be a very memorable performance by Kathryn Cornelius, and an arresting installation by Alessandra Torres, will definately gather a big share of the public and media attention as well.
Here's the list:
Virginia Arrisueño James W. Bailey Joseph Barbaccia Lisa Bertnick Margaret Boozer Mark Cameron Boyd Adam Bradley Scott Brooks Lisa Brotman Jonathan Bucci Diane Bugash Graham Caldwell Chan Chao Manon Cleary Kathryn Cornelius Rebecca Cross Richard Dana Rebecca D’Angelo Margaret Dowell Mary Early Chris Edmunds Victor Ekpuk Michael Fitts Adam Fowler Lou Gagnon Fae Gertsch Sam Gilliam Matthew Girard Pat Goslee Kristin Helgadottir Linda Hesh Maremi Hooff Michal Hunter Scott Hutchison Melissa Ichiuji Susan Jamison Michael Janis Mark Jenkins Sonia Jones David Jung J.T. Kirkland Sonya Lawyer Tracy Lee John Lehr Joey Manlapaz Matthew Mann Amy Marx Jeanette May Maxwell McKenzie Gary Medovich Adrianne Mills Allison Miner Peter Photikoe Sara Pomerance Marie Ringwald Molly Springfield Tim Tate Erwin Timmers Ben Tolman Alessandra Torres Kelly Towles Rick Wall Frank Warren Sarah Wegner Andrew Wodzianski Denise Wolff Samantha Wolov
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
If you're going to pretend to be knowledgeable about DC art galleries and the DC art scene, then you have to get out and go to galleries - not to their websites and not to museum lectures - but to galleries and museums and lectures and artists' studios and university shows, etc.
It takes a lot of time, and a lot of gasoline, and a lot of patience. But then, and only then, can one honestly say that one can write about a city's art scene.
Tonite I went to a well-attended opening at Strand on Volta Gallery in Georgetown, where I saw an excellent and really groundbreaking show by one of our key area artists, Margaret Boozer.
Boozer is one of those area artists whose work immediately grabs you with the thought: "WOW! Just when I thought there was nothing new left in art."
More on that later, as I plan to review her show...
The opening was quite good and well-attended, with many DC area artists in attendance as well as the Post's Chief Art Critic and his lovely wife (my kudos to Blake and we hope to see him at more gallery openings and we hope that his editor (John Pancake) makes him write more about DC area art galleries and terrific DC area artists like Margaret Boozer, so that they can have a chance to go from "DC area artist" to just "American artist" at a national level. Gopnik and Pancake can do it via the Post - but they (and it) have to align to make it happen.
Also present was Dr. Jonathan Binstock, the Corcoran's Curator for Contemporary Art... it's good to see Binstock visiting local galleries and seeing what we're showing... he's a great breath of fresh-air over his predecesor. Binstock wrote his thesis on the art of DC's best-known painter, Sam Gilliam, and hopefully the Corcoran will soon announce when Gilliam's well-deserved and first-ever perspective is held there.