O'Sullivan on the Washington Glass School

No secret here that I am a HUGE fanboy of what the WGS and what many other DMV area glass artist have done to make the DMV one of the leading contemporary art glass centers on this planet (when are our "local" art museums going to "discover" this?)

And in reviewing "The Washington Glass School: The First 10 Years" , now on display at Long View Gallery in the District, the senior Washington Post visual arts critic, Michael O'Sullivan, eloquently interprets just what makes this substrate (glass) so special and yet so different.

On the one hand, glass is pretty. It's hard not to like the way it looks: the luminous color, the way it plays with light. On the other hand, maybe glass is only pretty. How do we know that the beauty is also capable of brains?

The rest of the show is proof that it is.

Read the O'Sullivan review here.

Diana Nyad, my Goddess of the day!

Diana Nyad, at age 61, prepares for second attempt to swim from Cuba to Key West

If the brutal and bloody and racist Cuban dictatorship would allow it, Nyad would be swimming in the wake of a few thousand Cubans attempting the same feat!

But seriously folks: WOW!

Read the WaPo article here.

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: June 1, 2011

Call for Art - Superheroes: Icons of Good, Evil & Everything In Between

Superheroes is "a multi-media, group exhibition about heroes, villains and other less-definable examples of human possibility. Informed by pop culture notions of “Super” – both hero and villain – it examines the ways in which the Superhero and Supervillain archetypes are integrated into our culture, informing ideas of morality, civil responsibility and human achievement."

Curated by 516 ARTS and guest curator Neilie Johnson. Artists selected by invitation and this call. Deadline June 1. Show run: open 9/24 or 10/1 thru Dec. 17, 2011.

Email rhiannon@516arts.org to request complete submission details (recommended). Submissions: Send up to 8 jpg’s of available work (at least 4”x6”, 300dpi); include title, year, media, dimensions for each piece; a short artist biography in paragraph format; a short artist’s statement. Prefer EMAIL to: rhiannon@516arts.org or mail CD/DVD to:

516 ARTS
Attn: Rhiannon Mercer
516 Central Ave., SW
Albuquerque, NM 87102

American Contemporary

The latest issue of American Contemporary Art magazine is out and it has a nice column on DMV area shows (p. 14-15) and has DMV area artist Hadieh Shafie on the cover.

Read it online here.

The Power of the Web: The BBC listens

Eight years ago I started shouting that the whole idea of a museum focused on Latino art was a bad idea (so 20th century!).

Over the years since this well-intentioned but silly, segregationist idea first came out, I've posted my thoughts on the subject in many places.

No one in the US seems to care that one lonely voice in the Washington, DC area is not drinking the Kool-Aid on this subject - but the the BBC does!

If you can read Spanish, then read my thoughts on the subject in BBC Mundo here.

"Deberíamos enfocar los esfuerzos en colocar las contribuciones latinas en los museos generales, que tienen que ser unificadores. Crear categorías y rotularlos para ponerlos en compartimentos separados, sobre todo en arte, es una estrategia muy del siglo XX que debe ser superada"

And the winners are:

The ten award winners from the 200 artists at the 20th Annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival are:

Jorge Caligiuri, Philadelphia, PA
Ronald Dekok, Belleville, WI
Elissa Farrow-Savos, Sterling, VA
Tom Hlas, Philadelphia, PA
Ning Lee, Livingston, NJ
Steven Olszewski, Pinckney, MI
John Petrey, Chattanooga, TN
Joyce Stratton, New Bern, NC
Gary Stretar, Spencer, OH
Andrew Zimmermann, Arlington, VA

WGS Students at Gallery 555DC

“The Washington Glass School is known for its excellent student program and the quality of creative work its students produce. I wanted to celebrate their 10th anniversary by giving students an opportunity to exhibit their work in Gallery 555dc. Running and managing a school takes hard work, long hours and dedication – then more hard work. To celebrate a 10th Anniversary in the art world is a rare thing and a tribute to the founders and teachers of the Washington Glass School. ”

Jodi Walsh
Owner
Gallery 555dc

The gallery is at 555 12th Street NW Lobby, Washington DC 20004, 202-393-1409 or 240-447-6071 Gallery555dc.com. The reception is Saturday, June 4th, noon to 5pm; Artists present 3 – 5pm.

Argentina

The Embassy of Argentina now has their first exhibition of the year, All Come in Color, celebrating the month of their May Independence Revolution.

The exhibit features abstract and figurative paintings created by local DMV Argentine artists. The show is on now through June 30th - check out all the other good stuff going on here.

Embassy of Argentina
1600 New Hampshire Ave, NW
Washington DC 20008

Fighting words

this post is from 2004 and yet artists, art dealers and other folks are still posting and arguing over it.

It's on the subject of "Vanity Galleries" and you can read it all here.

Top 10

Jamon Serrano: Quite possibly one of the top ten foods on planet Earth and one of the top 25 in this galaxy and one of the top 100 in the Universe.

MOCA DC Plea

After receiving the below press release from Georgetown's MOCA DC gallery, I asked its director, Dave Quammen, for permission to post it in this blog. Although it is raw and to the bone, and courageously reveals intimate personal issues, it also goes to show the amazing extent that some gallery owners go to in an effort to keep their art spaces open and running:

June Exhibit - Why Not?
The gallery has been in the same financial straits for a long time, but I could pick up the slack before. I can't do that anymore without major changes to the way that MOCA DC operates.

So, beginning with the June exhibit, I will accept one piece of art free from anyone, member or not. Art must be 36 x 40 max and meet the theme of the exhibit. Additional pieces may be entered for a nominal fee.

As of the June exhibit, I have kept the gallery open for 6 1/2 years, at a personal cost during that time well in excess of $25,000 - out of my pocket, not to mention the at least 70 hours per week, at no income from the gallery.

Well, folks - beginning right now, I ain't gonna do it anymore. Income this month and last has fallen a lot, mostly rental of the gallery, etc. If no one comes up with the $2,625 for rent by June 1, I ain't gonna pay it at all and let the chips fall where they may.

Same goes for the Figure Models Guild - which will be 10 years old this July. At the beginning, I made copies of the Model Registry, bought envelopes and paid the postage out of my own pocket. I also made copies of the guide I put together for models, held events and etc - all for nothing. No cost to models, no cost to all those who got a free ride - all the colleges, universities, schools, teachers, et al --- all for nothing.

I don't know how many know that in 2008 I was diagnosed with prostate and colon cancer - beat em both. In 2009, I had to have heart surgery on 2 different occasions. This year, or late last year, I was diagnosed with lung problems - emphysema and COPD, or pulmonary fibrosis. They put me on an inhaler for a while, but last month they changed it to a stronger one and added a 2nd. Problem is, this is one thing I can't beat, and it's a crap shoot as to how much time I have left - will be 72 in October, so I can't complain about longevity - I've done more in my life than most people do, so I don't have any regrets.

But I do have some other things I want to do, but I can't with this albatross around my neck. So if you want this to continue, figure out what these things are worth and come up with the cash, or I'm in the wind.

Well, Joe - this one's for you. Thanks for the push!

MOCA DC is one of the Canal Square Galleries at 1054 31st Street & M Street, NW in Georgetown.

Update: Kriston Capps reports on this issue here.

New Art Gallery in Georgetown

Today, the DMV welcomes its newest contemporary art gallery, Heiner Contemporary. The gallery is now open to the public, launching with a solo exhibition of work by Brooklyn-based artist Elizabeth Huey. The exhibition will run through July 2, 2011.

Located in the Book Hill neighborhood of Georgetown, "Heiner Contemporary features emerging and mid-career artists working in a range of media. The gallery is the culmination of owner and director Margaret Heiner’s long-term interest in promoting an understanding and appreciation of contemporary art. Her desire to make art accessible, which was at the heart of her business Aesthetica Art Consulting, remains an important facet of Heiner Contemporary."

“I want visitors to the gallery to feel the push-and-pull of the art displayed and to engage with the works on both a visual and emotional level,” says Heiner. “We want to forge connections and foster dialogue between individuals and artists, but we also want our clients to feel comfortable regardless of their collecting or art experience.”

In addition to exhibitions, Heiner Contemporary maintains an inventory of secondary market works available for sale. These pieces range from prints by well-established artists such as William Kentridge and Kara Walker, to paintings by up-and-comers including Allison Reimus.

Heiner Contemporary is located at 1675 Wisconsin Ave, NW. For more information about the gallery and upcoming exhibitions, email info@heinercontemporary.com or visit the website at www.heinercontemporary.com.

Next month!

The 100 Washington, DC Artists book should be out next month!

Pre-order your copy here.

This weekend

This weekend is the 20th Annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival, one of the highest ranked outdoor art fairs in the nation.

Together with Judith Forst, who started it all 20 years ago and DMV area artist Erwin Timmers, I will be one of the judges awarding the prizes to the artists from all over the country who come down to Reston each year for this festival - expect around 50,000 people to come by over the weekend, as in addition to the fine arts and fine crafts there's all kinds of food and entertainment.

See ya there!

Read more about the festival here.

Tonight at Long View

I hear that about 300 people have RSVP'd to this opening tonight, so you may be a little crowded, but do not miss this show:

About the event: The Washington DC area has become internationally renowned as an emerging center of glass art. At the forefront of this charge is the Washington Glass School, where the instructors, artists and students have brought narrative and content into glass, dragging it away from decorative craft and into the rarefied atmosphere of the contemporary fine art scene. The Washington Glass School has produced artists whose art can be found in museums and collections world-wide and is advancing the Studio Glass Movement with its explorations of narrative, technology and skills. This represents the largest and most important movement in the Washington art scene since the Color School of the 70's/80's.

This May, the Washington Glass School celebrates a momentous milestone - its 10th year. DC’s Long View Gallery presents “Artists of the Washington Glass School – The First Ten Years” showcasing over 20 artists and 10 years of integrating glass into the contemporary art dialogue. While it recognizes the past and present, The First 10 Years is intended to instigate – and celebrate – the new directions contemporary glass is exploring through various artistic metaphors.

Featured artists include: Tim Tate, Michael Janis, Erwin Timmers, Elizabeth Mears, Syl Mathis, Lea Topping, Robert Kincheloe, Alison Sigethy, Dave D'Orio, Anne Plant, Jeffery Zimmer, Teddie Hathaway, Jackie Greeves, Kirk Waldroff, Debra Ruzinsky, Tex Forrest, Diane Cabe, Robert Wiener, Nancy Donnelly, Sean Hennessey, Cheryl Derricotte, Jennifer Lindstrom, Michael Mangiafico, Allegra Marquart and m.l.duffy.

In bringing The First 10 Years to Washington, DC, Long View asks artists and audience alike to cast aside traditional notions of glass art and participate in a new form of dialogue; one that looks to the future and not the past.

The Washington Glass School Movement has focused almost entirely on the narrative content aspects of glass, breaking away from the technique-driven vessel movement of the last millennium. By focusing on cross-over sculptural work, mixed media and new media (such as interactive electronics and video), the impact this movement has had on the work of contemporary art has been felt internationally. This is the perfect chance to see a cross section of artists who have led this evolution.

Washington Glass School: The First 10 Years
LongView Gallery
1234 9th Street, NW, Washington, DC
May 19 - June 19, Opening Reception, May 19th, 6:30-8:30 PM
Closing Reception Sunday June 19, 2-5 PM
phone: 202.232.4788
email :info@longviewgallery.com

Claire Huschle stepping down from the AAC

The Arlington Arts Center (AAC) has announced that its Executive Director, Claire Huschle, will step down as of August 1, 2011, after six years in that capacity.

What Huschle has done at the AAC over the last six years has been spectacular, to say the least. She took over the organization just after it had reopened after an unexpectedly prolonged renovation, and we're told, had limited earned income and very little foundation or corporate support.

Huschle not only turned that around, but she also put the AAC on the arts map of the DMV with a professional ferocity that nearly eclipsed everything else going on the visual arts in Arlington, and then (by example) led the way to make that city an unexpected rising artstar, some would say a leader, of the cultural tapestry of the greater DMV.

She leaves the AAC, a private, non-profit visual arts organization, on stable financial footing with a healthy operating reserve and respected exhibition, education, and studio residency programs. Board President Penne Nelson states, "The AAC has been privileged to have Claire Huschle serve as our Executive Director during the last six years. Her enthusiasm, professional leadership, and insight have guided the AAC through a period of incredible development, marked by increased community outreach and recognition. She has assembled a fantastic staff and cultivated new donors. The Board has enjoyed immensely working with Claire, and wishes her the best in her future endeavors."

Because I have known Huschle since she worked as the gallery director for the Target Gallery in Alexandria, and because I saw (over her tenure there) what a terrific job she did to change the rudder orders for that gallery and aim it in a direction which put Target at the head of all Alexandria galleries, that I knew that she was going to do great things at AAC when she took over that organization six years ago.

And because of what she has done now at AAC, I have little doubt that Claire Huschle will excel at whatever her next position or assignment is. I am told that "Huschle will continue teaching as an adjunct faculty member at George Mason University's Arts Administration graduate program and is considering a number of new projects in the arts."

A transition committee has been assembled and plans to appoint a new Executive Director this summer.

On behalf of all art fans around the DMV: Thank you Claire!

Tim Tate at the Taubman


See that gorgeous museum to the left that looks like it has been transplanted from Bilbao?

That's Virginia's breathtaking Taubman Museum of Art, and from Friday, June 3, 2011 through Sunday, August 14, 2011 they will be hosting Tim Tate's first museum solo show: "The Waking Dreams of Magdalena Moliere."

According to the museum press release:

For the Taubman project, Tate plans to create a room-sized environment, featuring his most ambitious video work to date, as well as five new glass reliquaries. Six projections will include three works referencing the films of surrealist artist Jean Cocteau, and three pieces continuing his interest in dreamers and sleepwalkers.

The Amazing Sharon Moody

The current issue of Elan magazine has the spectacular work of DMV artist and Georgetown faculty Sharon Moody. She fools your eye beyond "fooling" with a technical virtuosity that leaves the rest of us panting with envy.



Moody is represented nationally by Mayer Fine Art and in New York City by Bernarducci Meisel Gallery.

Celly Campello sings "Don't Cry For Me Argentina"

Celly Campello: Don't cry for me Argentina - Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

Open Studios

Today, Saturday, May 14th from 12 to 5pm the artists of The Washington Glass School and all the dozens of other artists in the Gateway Arts District will be having their annual spring open studio event in Mt. Rainier in the Gateway Arts District. The Washington Glass School figures prominently in this event, as well as such popular studios as Red Dirt and Flux Studio.

This will be a relaxed open house, featuring mostly the principal artists at Washington Glass School, Michael Janis, Erwin Timmers and Tim Tate. They will all be working on current projects.