Sam Gilliam, David Kordansky and the gem...

The WaPo's Geoff Edgers checked in over the weekend with a really good (and exceptionally rare) WaPo article on a DMV artist, although as the most causal observer of the planet's visual arts scene would note, Sam Gilliam in not a "local" artist in the pejorative way that some (not me) like to apply that label.


People in the arts love labels!


Sam Gilliam never did, and will never do... and that's a major reason why I admire the DMV's most famous artist.


Sam previous descent into "oblivion" may have been grossly exaggerated, and he certainly never traded art for detergent -- as once claimed in this article (On the other hand, I once traded art for clams when I used to sell my art school assignments at the Pike Place Market in Seattle), but Sam did, apparently trade artwork for dental work.


I currently trade artwork for my laundry services and my laundry guy (who happens to be one of the biggest DMV art collectors, if not the biggest, in the region), has a lot of my work.


But Sam Gilliam's work certainly never rose to the commodity price level that an artist of his stature should command.


If you doubt that, then check what his work goes for in the secondary market, where as late as 2016 you can pick up a signed and numbered litho for $350 (this one went for $140! and this "photoprint" sold for $20 bucks six years ago!), or a bit earlier an original double sided painting for $1,400!


Check out recent past secondary market sales here.


But enough about these small things... there's another gem in this article about Gilliam.


That gem of information is something that I have been hollering about for years... here it is:

Then David Kordansky called. The Los Angeles gallerist was one more person who felt that Gilliam needed more attention. 

When they met in 2012, Kordansky found Gilliam’s work being shown in the District, New Mexico and what he calls “decentralized markets outside the art market essentially.” 

“It needed to be brought to the curators. It needed to be seen at the international art fairs..." Kordansky says.

The bolded words are the gem... bolding is mine, and Kordansky hit the nail right on the head.


Read the whole article here, and pay homage to this great master.


PS - My own secondary market record at the same auction house makes Sam's look great... cough, cough... and they misspelled my name!

Gen-Y 3.0

VisArts presents a juried exhibition of artists ages 17 – 27 in the Kaplan Gallery from July 22 – August 28, 2016. The annual Gen-Y exhibition offers young artists an opportunity to bring their artwork to the public and to experience the process of exhibiting in a professional gallery. Though there are many labels aimed at describing the current generation of 17 to 27 year olds, such as Screenagers, Millennials, and Echo Boomers, VisArts is maintaining the Gen-Y name for its annual juried group exhibition of aspiring artists in this age group.


Drawing, photography, fiber, ceramics, painting, video, sculpture, and interactivity fill the Kaplan Gallery reflecting a variety of approaches to a wide range of content within the context of the digital age.

The 2016 Gen-Y 3.0 artists include: Sobia Ahmad, Katherine Akey, Susie Bae, Amy Berbert, Abbie Fundling, Jared Green, Ashley Ja’nae, Kern Lee, Emmanuel Mones, Richard Munaba, Angelique Nagovskaya, Raheel Raad, Yoon Sun Shin, Qin Tan, and Vivien Wise.

The annual Gen-Y exhibition offers young artists an opportunity to bring their artwork to the public and to experience the process of exhibiting in a gallery. The exhibition was developed to address this demographic of artists who are seriously making art and have little to no experience exhibiting their work in a professional gallery. Many are uncertain about how to proceed with a career in art or what it takes to be an artist. Many are under financial, social and educational pressures that might preclude further study in art. Others are committed to a non-art career track yet are passionate about making art. Most are working under the art world radar of the region. 

A dedicated team of gallery interns and volunteers plan and realize the annual juried exhibition with guidance from the VisArts gallery staff.  “From the call for entry to the preparation and installation of the artwork, the entire process is a learning experience- for the first time exhibitors as well as the organizers of the exhibition,” says Main. “Watching this exhibition take shape is inspiring. The interns embrace the vision to seek out the undiscovered young artists in our community. They are passionate about bringing their peers’ artwork into the public light.”

An opening reception for the exhibition will be held on Friday, July 22 from 7 to 9 PM in the Kaplan Gallery. The reception and exhibition are free to the public.    

Gen-Y 3.0 

July 22 – August 28

Kaplan Gallery, VisArts

Opening Reception: Friday, July 22, 7 – 9 PM

Art Scam Alert

Beware of this rip off artist:

Roslyn Hensworth (roslynhswth@outlook.com)

From:	Roslyn Hensworth (roslynhswth@outlook.com)

Good Day,
How is everything with you? I picked interest in your artwork and decided to write you. I will like to know if your artwork can be purchased and shipped internationally?. I can email the artwork of
interest and payment will be completed in full once you confirm my purchase order with a quotation.
Kindly let me know when you are in office and ready to take my artwork order also let me know if you accept either Visa Card or Master Card for payment furthermore you can email me your recently updated website
or art price list in your response.
Best Regards
Mrs Hensworth

My Seattle roommate

No idea why all these early pieces of mine are showing up all of a sudden in bunches, but here's a 1977 watercolor (done as an Art School Assignment) of my then Seattle house roommate, who was a female body builder (and in the crew at the UW rowing gang)... bid for it at this auction at the link.
 



Note the very early "emoji"... which back then was just the smiley face button... cough, cough.... invented in the 1960s by the legendary Robert Crumb, who never got a penny for it...

Check out all the images and bid here.

Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award applications

Don't miss your chance to apply! The deadline for 2017 Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award applications is rapidly approaching. The Individual Artist Awards are grants awarded to practicing Maryland artists through an anonymous, competitive application process to encourage and sustain their pursuit of artistic excellence.

Categories offered for the 2017 Awards are:

• Classical Music: Composition
• Classical Music: Solo Performance
• Dance: Choreography
• Dance: Solo Performance
• Poetry
• Visual Arts: Sculpture
• World Music: Composition
• World Music: Solo Performance

All applications must be submitted online. Applicants can access the guidelines, application, and other application assistance resources by clicking the "Maryland" tab HERE on Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation's website.

The deadline for 2017 applications is 4:30 PM on Friday, July 22, 2016.

Questions about Fellowships? Please review the program guidelines and contact Kimberly Steinle-Super at kimberly@midatlanticarts.org.

#bluelivesmatter

Artist Journalists Panel

Artist Journalists

July 17, 1:30pm-3:30pm

Mt. Pleasant Public Library, Large Meeting Room

The evolving forms of news media have created a new kind of journalist: an expert in the field whose journalistic objectivity is sometimes suspect. What does it mean when artists are also arts journalists? 

Visit with four practitioners and share your thoughts about the role of expert opinion, independent opinion, and self-promotion in arts journalism.

Moderated by DC Arts Writing Fellow Jonelle Walker, this panel will feature:

• Lenny Campello – Artist, Art Critic, Art Dealer & Blogger, Daily Campello Art News
• JT Kirkland - Artist & Former Critic
• Jenn Larsen - Ringleader, Connectivity, dog & pony dc & Co-Founder, WeLoveDC.com
• John Stoltenberg - Senior Reviewer and Columnist, DC Metro Theatre Arts & Director of Communications, WSC Avant Bard

Large 2001 Campello at auction (super low starting bid)

This one is practically being given away! It's a rather large drawing too...

Adam and Eve
c. 2001 F. Lennox Campello
Charcoal on Paper

Bid for it here (starting bid $100)!

What It's Really Like to Let People Finger You in Public

Tess Koman interviews artist Milo Moire:

Milo Moiré, a Swiss artist and psychologist, has been performing controversial nude public art for years. In 2014, she rode a bus naked (painted with names of clothing items where they are supposed to go on a body) during Art Basel in Switzerland and stood naked outside an art museum in Cologne, Germany painting a white sheet red with paint-filled eggs stashed inside her vagina.

 Most recently, she paid homage to Valie Export's 1960s nudist work and asked people in London, Düsseldorf, and Amsterdam to touch her breasts and vagina, which were concealed in a large mirrored box with a hole in the middle. She recorded the interactions, and released a highly censored (yet still pretty NSFW) video of her being touched. Moiré spoke to Cosmopolitan.com about what it was like to have strangers finger her, the ground rules she laid for those who did, and why she'd rather not have the performance labeled as a feminist piece of art.

Read the interview in Cosmopolitan here. 

Her work reminds me of some of the early conceptual works (done over a decade ago) by our own Alessandra Torres, specifically the one where she lay naked in an incubator and let people touch her naked body.

First Show for Newly Juried Torpedo Factory Artist

One of the Torpedo Factory's newest artists, Richard Greenway, exhibits his paintings at The Associates Gallery (TAG) in his first solo show. The show runs from July 19 through August 14 in studio 311.

Decathect: a verb

The Associates' Gallery at the Torpedo Factory

105 N. Union Street, Alexandria, VA

Studio 311

July 19 – August 14

Open 7 days a week

Facebook censorship

As we have all read all over, Facebook was recently busted for censoring conservative views... but:

But conservatives are far from being the only people who feel wronged by Facebook. They’re simply the loudest. As someone who has followed the issue of online censorship by corporations for more than half a decade, I can say with certainty that this incident has received more attention than nearly any other. For years, activists of many stripes (including conservatives) have complained about the social media platform’s censorious ways. This year, we’ve seen complaints from groups from groups across nearly every walk of life. Here are ten recent examples.

Read the whole article by Jillian C. York here.

Happy Independence Day!

A happy Independence Day to all my fellow Americans, with a special thought to all the men and women at sea serving in America's Navy! We've got your back!

Campello at auction

Check out this vintage 1995 framed drawing at auction... Click here to see details.  

This 1995 drawing was done from a photo on an old vintage postcard (as I recall).

Bid here.

Women in Love I
c. 1995 F. Lennox Campello
6x6.5 inches framed to 19x23 inches.

Mark Jenkins on local shows

Read the reviews in the WaPo here.

Alma Selimovic

Feeling Kinky? Come and check out Alma Selimovic's work at her studio in the Otis Street Art Project. 

She's there through Sunday or by appointment. Thank you ‪#‎MetroWeekly‬ for a great exposure. 

Check out her work at www.almaselimovic.com

Book Review: Artists of Sedona

I was introduced to the spectacular beauty of Sedona, Arizona by my wife about a decade ago. Over the years we've visited that spectacular area many times, and I've often written about it, focusing on its artists and many galleries.

Artists of Sedona(1930-1999), published in 2014 by Gene K. Garrison, is a warmly crafted homage to the many artists who helped to give that Red Rocks city a reputation in the fine arts.

The book is essentially a history book of the seeding, fertilization, and growth of the Sedona artistic community.

 It starts with two brothers, a gibbon, and a baby coyote roaring into the valley on a Harley motorcycle.

 It also pays homage to Egyptian immigrant Nassan Gobran, who can be said to be the father of the Sedona fine arts footprint, as he was the leading voice for the energy which re-focused Sedona as a fine arts town.

 We learn how an apple-packing barn became the Sedona Arts Center, and eventually the magnet for all of the city's art galleries. The first exhibition in that building (April 1961) was by none other than the respected and very famous impressionist Max Ernst and his wife Dorothy Tanning.

We also learn about the formation of the Cowboy Artists of America, and through Garrison's superbly delivered talkative style of writing, we are further educated into the lives, anecdotes, stories, achievements, failures of a variety of the key artists who flowed into the Red Rocks area, attracted not by New Age vortexes, but by the spectacular beauty of the area, and by the growing magnetism of a growing artistic community.

You can feel Garrison's love for the artists, for Sedona, and for its history, in each word lovingly delivered in this book. It is a perfect example of how an art history book can be crafted so that it not only cements the art history of a city, but also honors the artists who created it.

Things not to do

If you're an artist:

• Do not hand out your own personal business cards at your opening and/or an art fair where your work is being exhibited. What you should do is work it out with the gallery, and if agreed, make your own personal business cards that list the gallery (and not you) as the contact point.
• Do not start a relationship with a gallery without a contract or written agreement.
• Do not vary your prices from dealer to dealer, or city to city, etc. What you should do is to have an established process (via contract/written agreement) where it details what discounts (if any) are offered in cases of multiple buys, museum sales, etc.
• Do not have "art sales." This hurts your established price points.
• Do not have prices in your website, instead force interested collectors into communicating with you or your gallery. Make sure that you note your gallery representation in your website.

If you are a gallerist:

• Do not operate on a handshake; always have a contract or written agreement.
• Do not hide the names/address of buyers. All that accomplishes is that it tells the artist: "I don't trust you."
• Don't work out price issues on the fly. Work out pricing issues ahead of time to ensure that you and your artists are all clear on all possible scenarios.
• Don't skip on art insurance.
• Don't take too long to pay your artists (period should be specified in your written agreement/contract (such as "Artist will be paid within ___ days from the time that the artwork payment clears").

If you are an art collector:

• Don't undercut the gallery by "skipping" them and going directly to the artist.
• Don't trust art dealers/artists who offer prodigious discounts on the artwork - nearly always that means that the prices were inflated to start with.
• Don't be afraid to ask if the artwork is done to conservation standards.
• Don't call a painting a "picture."

The Lilith Plotting

The Lilith Plotting (Detail)

F. Lennox Campello c. 2016
14 x 38.5 inches
Charcoal and Conte on 300 weight paper

The Lilith Plotting
F. Lennox Campello c. 2016
14 x 38.5 inches
Charcoal and Conte on 300 weight paper

Silent Auction Fundraiser - Tonight!

A SILENT AUCTION EVENT FUNDRAISER

TONIGHT!
JUNE 28, 2016, 5:00- 9:30 pm

        AT THE WASHINGTON ETHICAL SOCIETY  MAP

7750 16th St NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20012

Silent Art Auction - Delectable Bites - Wine - Music and MUCH MORE!         FOOD PROVIDED BY "FRESH START CATERING, DC CENTRAL KITCHEN"   Ticket price is  $45   Order two tickets   $90          And there are sponsorship opportunities...  Read More About            For Tickets and information call 202-783-8005   202-783-2963

Honorary Chairperson, Ward 4 Councilman, Brandon Todd. Councilman Todd previously worked in the Council office of The Honorable Muriel Bowser, Mayor of the District of Columbia.

Ron Nessen, former White House Press Secretary will be Master of Ceremony.
Mr. Nessen also served NBC News as a war correspondent during the Vietnam War.

ZCAF to Introduce Two New Programs!

Summer 2016 "Adult Hands' on Workshops" 

For DC young adults ages 18-24 

This educational program is being hosted by DC Arts Studios, 

A Ward 4 Art Non-Profit. 

Fall 2016 "After-School Hands' On Workshops" 

For DCPS teens ages 13-18

Through a ZCAF Partnership with District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS)/DCPS Out-of-School-Time-Programs Office (OSTP).

The HOW DCPS after-school program is a series of career-focused arts classes are being Hosted Through a ZCAF Partnership with Columbia Heights Educational Complex (CHEC).

Both HOW programs have been endorsed by the DC Office of Employment Services/Youth Programs Office, whose mission is to provide Employment Services for residents ages 14-24. 

HOW is designed to encourage teens (ages 13-18) to develop career-focused skills, with a focus on careers in the arts, and will emphasize "soft skills" such as: healthy risk-taking, appropriate self-expression, time management, teamwork, and effective communication in a 60-hour program wherein participants develop a portfolio. ZCAF is an approved. "Out of School Time Program Provider" for DCPS. ZCAF maintains a site partnership with Columbia Heights Educational Complex (CHEC). Our HOW for DCPS students has been endorsed and funded (in part) by the DC Office of Employment Services/ Youth Programs Office.  HOW curriculum is be aligned with both the National Core Visual Arts Education Standards and the DCPS Arts Curriculum Standards and Cornerstones. 

Adult HOW is designed to get young adults (ages 18-24) on the path towards becoming an established, professional artist. Adult HOW is a 90-hour program, being hosted by the DC Art Studios, through a partnership we have with this Ward 4 non-profit. Adult HOW is funded (in part) by the DC Office of Employment Services. It too features a 60-hour portfolio development component that emphasizes the same concepts as the teen program, but expands the learning and includes many 30 hours of Arts Career Counseling, devoted specifically to getting participants jobs, apprenticeships, internships, and/or acceptance into an art school.

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

In a world inundated with a bewildering array of messages and meanings, an arts education also helps young people explore, understand, accept, and use ambiguity and subjectivity. In art as in life, there is often no clear or "right" answer to questions that are nonetheless worth pursuing. Such nuanced thinking is in high demand on the job site, and employers value an employee who is capable of understanding 'why' beyond simply, robotically following instructions and completing tasks mindlessly. Such workers are valued for their ability to communicate, to learn, and to problem-solve. 

ZCAF fosters alliances between artists, businesses, and government agencies such as: District of Columbia Commission for the
Arts and Humanities, the District of Columbia Public Schools/Out of School Time Programs, and the
District of Columbia Office of Youth Programs, Department of Employment Services 

Opportunity for Artists

The Nude Figure will present a survey of contemporary responses to the nude to illuminate resonances between traditions of imagining the figure and the artist’s personal experience. The theme of mirroring is a metaphor for the persistence of the nude as a theme in art and our shared visual understandings of the body. Entries are being accepted in painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, ceramics, fiber, glass and mixed media.

 

Jurors Paul DuSold, instructor at the Woodmere Art Museum and Fleisher Art Memorial, and Scott Noel, professor at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, look to assemble a survey of contemporary responses to the nude to illuminate resonances between traditions of imagining the figure and the artist’s personal experience.

Details here.  Please contact Karen Louise Fay, Director of Special Projects with any additional questions: karenlouise@wayneart.org

AWARDS

$3,000+ in prizes

 

KEY DATES

Exhibition dates: October 16 - November 19, 2016

                Digital entry deadline: September 9, midnight CST ($45 fee)

                Extended digital entry deadline: September 12, midnight EST ($65 fee)

                Notification of accepted/declined work: September 19

                Artist reception: October 16, 3:00 - 5:00 pm

                Painting lecture with jurors: October 22, 1:00 - 2:30 pm

                Workshop with Paul DuSold: October 29 & 30, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm           

                Workshop with Scott Noel: November 5 & 6, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm