The curious case of Ryan Lochte Aramburu

Can the Single-Venue Gallery Survive?

We did our first art fair ten years ago, and have been doing them ever since. As I have vociferously noted many times, an art fair participation scheme must be part of any gallery business plan, if that gallery is to survive as a bricks and mortar place... or as a gallery/art dealer.


Every time that I write this down somewhere, I also offer to meet with any gallery owner, at no cost, and discuss with them my experiences, lessons learned, and suggestions for them to dip their toes into the art fair scene.


In 2016, ten years after we first ventured to New York for our first art fair, we're on track to do both the Spring (done) and the Fall versions of the Affordable Art Fair in New York, the SOFA Art Fair in Chicago, the Texas Contemporary Art Fair in Houston, the Context Art Miami fair in Miami, and possibly the Scope Art Fair, also in Miami.


Judd Tulley, writing for Art + Auction (and highlighted in Blouin Art Info) noted a while back:

Given the now-obsolete or about-to-be-Rust-Belted model of the tradition-bound gallery, what do younger galleries turn to in the current environment? “The increase in the importance of art fairs has really hollowed out the midsize and small gallery market,” said Brett Schultz, cofounder with Daniela Elbahara of Mexico City’s Yautepec Gallery

We are empirical evidence of the success that art fairs can give small, independent commercial art galleries - at least those with a vision, the work ethic and the gusto to plow forward into the financially-terrifying waters of an art fair expense marathon.


And artists who work as partners in the gallery enterprise, rather than just being "represented."


About 4-5 years ago, I was taking a break on the terrace of the Aqua Hotel in Miami Beach, where we were doing the very cool Aqua Art Fair, when I ran into the then owner and director of a small, DC gallery. This gallerist had also done her very first art fair in 2006, and by a coincidence of fate, our first explorations of the then novel model had been at the same NYC fair, where we were almost booth neighbors. The only difference was that at that fair we did really well, while her gallery (overly "curated" if you ask me) did not.


That first lucky strike wet our appetite for art fairs, and we plunged on.


"What are you doing here?", she asked somewhat surprised - I'm not sure why.


"We're doing Aqua," I answered.


"Oh!," she said wrinkling her nose. "I thought only real galleries could do art fairs."


By that she meant brick and mortar spaces, and her comment was based on the one time fact that most art fairs, at their early beginnings, required that a fair participant have a brick and mortar "store" in order to participate in an art fair.


That didn't last very long, as brick and mortar galleries began to close all over the world as art dealers focused their precious sheckels onto the more lucrative art fair scene. Want evidence? Look at the gallery list for the DMV a decade ago, and look at it now... and see how many dealers exclusively focus on art fairs and have closed their doors, or do "pop up" shows, or moved their gallery walls to their private homes.


"No," I responded, ignoring the barb. "That requirement stopped long ago." I continued then with my own barb, knowing that her answer would be "none" ahead of time, and asked: "What fair are you doing? - We're doing great at Aqua!"


Read the Tulley article here.

Call for Entries: The Nude Figure

Deadline:  September 9, 2016

Apply here.

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.

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        ​

REGISTRATION FEE

$45 for up to two works

Chuck Berry: You Never Can Tell

It was a teenage wedding, and the old folks wished them well
You could see that Pierre did truly love the mademoiselle
And now the young monsieur and madame have rung the chapel bell,
"C'est la vie", say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell

They furnished off an apartment with a two room Roebuck sale
The coolerator was crammed with TV dinners and ginger ale,
But when Pierre found work, the little money comin' worked out well
"C'est la vie", say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell

They had a hi-fi phono, boy, did they let it blast
Seven hundred little records, all rock, rhythm and jazz
But when the sun went down, the rapid tempo of the music fell
"C'est la vie", say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell

They bought a souped-up jitney, 'twas a cherry red '53,
They drove it down to Orleans to celebrate the anniversary
It was there that Pierre was married to the lovely mademoiselle
"C'est la vie", say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell

Opportunity for Artists

Maryland Art Place (MAP), in partnership with The CyberWire, has announced a new open ‘Call for Entry’.

An extension of MAP’s annual IMPRINT project, MAP is working with The CyberWire to offer “CREATING CONNECTIONS”, a commission and print replication project.  The image of that artwork will be reproduced in a limited edition and presented to the guests of The CyberWire’s 3rd Annual Women in Cyber Security reception on September 27, 2016.  Applications are due Saturday, August 27, 2016

The goal of CyberWire’s reception is to facilitate connections among women working in cyber security. The concept of networks—social networks, computer networks and support networks—may be an important point of departure for creating the commissioned work. This commission is open to submissions from women artists living and working in the greater Baltimore metropolitan area.
We live in a time where cyberspace has become inextricably linked to the lives of individuals and organizations of all kinds. Cyberspace is the medium of global commerce and communication, and it is one of the most important factors in the social, political, and technological changes we see occurring today.

The CyberWire provides concise and relevant daily briefings on the critical news happening across the global cyber security domain. In an industry overloaded with information, The CyberWire helps individuals and organizations rapidly find the news and information that's important to them.

The Women in Cyber Security Reception will bring together women from across the region and all different points on the career spectrum. This event will be an opportunity to meet, greet and share a common goal—empowering women to succeed in the cyber security field. Leaders from industry, academia, and government can reconnect and strengthen existing relationships while building new ones. Those just starting out in their careers have the chance to meet the technical and business professionals who are shaping the future of cyber security.

This invitation-only event will be held at the Columbus Center overlooking Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

To view the full prospectus, visit http://mdartplace.org/opportunities/maportunities

Art Maryland 2016

Entry deadline: September 2 at 11:59PM.

The Howard County Arts Council in Ellicott City, Maryland, is seeking entries from artists for Art Maryland 2016, a biennial multi-media juried exhibit. A guest juror (TBA) will select the work for the show and award a minimum of $1,000. The exhibit will be on view from October 28 – December 9, 2016 with a reception and juror remarks on November 4 from 6-8pm.

Entry is open to all artists 18 years or older, residing in Maryland or within a 100-mile radius of Ellicott City, MD. Artists may submit digital images of up to three works completed in the last two years and not exhibited previously in the HCAC galleries. All work must fit through a standard doorway measuring 54” x 80” and fit appropriately in the HCAC’s two galleries, which total over 2000 square feet, with 9 ½ foot high walls, professional track lighting and hardwood floors. There is a $25 Art Maryland entry fee. The fee is waived for current Howard County Arts Council members. Entry forms are available at hocoarts.org/exhibits.php, at the Howard County Arts Council, or by calling 410-313-2787. 

 

Pam Perna
Community and Web Relations Coordinator
Howard County Arts Council
8510 High Ridge Road
Ellicott City, MD 21043
p: 410.313.ARTS
f: 410.313.2790

Art as Politics at Touchstone Gallery

The front page headlines of The Washington Post have been splashed—artistically—across the walls of the Touchstone Gallery.  Art as Politics brings together 126 works from artists across the country in a free-ranging, juried exhibition that seems to touch on every vexing social issue confronting society today. 

Read the review  By Eric Hope in East City Art here.

More on the closure of Washington ArtWorks

“The resident artists at Washington ArtWorks were both surprised and dismayed to find out about the fiscal problems under the old management,” explained Jean Hirons, a painter from Rockville, “Neither the CEO, nor the board had ever indicated any of this to us. The immediate impact on the artists is that those who taught classes were not paid, and some paid their rentals in advance.”

Read it here.

Art Akwukwo Check Rip-Off Identified

This an oldie but goodie - this is when I had the time to screw around with rip off artists. The emails listed below are in the order in which they arrived to me. This is the classic art ripoff known as the Akwukwo check scam. As you all know, whenever I get one of these, I like to have fun with the thief.
See my previous encounter with Louie The Fish here. All misspellings and English and writing errors have been left as received:

From: stone.123@live.com
To: lennycampello@hotmail.com
Subject: INQUIRY ON YOUR ARTWORKS
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2008 06:55:45 -0600

Hello ,
My name is Stone Martins . I am 46 yr old American by birth, catholic by faith . It is my pleasure to have come across your beautiful Artworks while searching through Google. I am planning on presenting some Artworks for my Wife's Birthday which is coming up soon. She is an addict of Artworks and i want to present her one of your beautiful artworks as a surprise gift on her Birthday .

I want you to help me to choose from your Numerous Artworks the one that will really make a woman more than happy if presented with such Selection.

My prince range is $1,200.00USD - $1,500.00USD. I will really appreciate your effort in doing this and i want you to keep your good work up.

I will be glad if you can process my request in a timely manner . You can call me anytime on this number +447031838823 ..

Cheers,
Stone Martins.

Note the hesitant English for a Harvard man; and my response to him:

From: lennycampello@hotmail.com
To: stone.123@live.com
Subject: RE: INQUIRY ON YOUR ARTWORKS
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:35:40 +0000

Thank you for your note.

I am very choosy as to whom I allow to own my works, as I have a very long wait list for them. Can you tell me more about you and your family?

Thank you,

The Lenster...

Unfazed by my arrogance, Stone responds very quickly:

From: stone.123@live.com
To: lennycampello@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: INQUIRY ON YOUR ARTWORKS
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2008 07:03:12 -0600

Hello ,

Thank you for the email . I am a 60 year old University Don .. I retired from Harvard Business School and i have relocated to United Kingdom with my wife and we have only one son who is schooling abroad . My wife will be 50 years old come next month and i will like to present your beautiful artwork as a birthday gift . She loves Blue color . She also loves kids and shopping . We are happy family and fulfilled . I want you to get back to me and let me know the one you have chosen and it must be within my price range . I will make the arrnagment for the pick up once i have settled the payment ..

I want you to get back to me as soon as possible. Thank you

And so he has bitten and now I can have some fun with him:

From: lennycampello@hotmail.com
To: stonemartins1@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: INQUIRY ON YOUR ARTWORKS
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:46:51 +0000

Sounds like a very nice family, but I told you that I am choosy, so I need to know a few more details:

1. What other pieces of artwork do you own?

2. Who was your favorite faculty member at Harvard?

3. Who is your favorite artist?

4. Are you prepared to have me choose which piece of my art I will possibly allow to live in your house?

Let me know soonest.

The Lenster
PS - I will be raising my prices soon by the way - so hurry!

Nothing deters this guy, he responds within minutes:

From: stonemartins1@hotmail.com
To: lennycampello@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: INQUIRY ON YOUR ARTWORKS
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2008 10:22:35 -0500


Hello,

We have one Painting at the moment and the painting is more Abtsract . My favourite Artist is Don Moen . I was a consultant to Harvard on Contract , so i didn't have faculty member .. You can go ahead and choose for us .. Thank you and keep in touch

More demands from my part:

From: lennycampello@hotmail.com
To: stonemartins1@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: INQUIRY ON YOUR ARTWORKS
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:57:04 +0000

Sounds good...

It will take a least one week for me to concentrate and meditate on which work of art will align best with your wife on her birthday.

Here's what I need for you to do:

1. Get $1500 in cash - US Dollars, package it carefully and double bagged and FEDEX it to my art dealer. That will cover a work of art plus shipping and insurance to you.

2. Email me you shipping address and contact number.

3. Once I receive the cash I will send you the work.

4. Once you receive the work, you must take a photo of it once it is framed and send it to me, as I must approve of the framing.

The Lenster

He then gives the ripoff mechanism:

From: stonemartins1@hotmail.com
Sent: Thu 2/28/08 4:03 PM
To: F. Lennox Campello (lennycampello@hotmail.com)

Thank you for the quick email . I will like you to have the payment so that you can go ahead and start the work soonest .. I want you to open www.freequickwire.com and click on Request for Payment and enter the exact amount of $1,500 ... Email me once you have done this . Thank you.

And I send him back the conversation killer:

From: lennycampello@hotmail.com
Sent: Thu 2/28/08 4:07 PM
To: stone Martins (stonemartins1@hotmail.com)

No, no... using technology to receive payments for my work "dirties" the process and makes me anguish over the whole issue of selling my work. I would be unable to create if I had to do such things...

No, no... just send US dollars directly... even then I have to have someone open the FEDEX package and meditate over the whole transaction and commodification of my art before I finally decide to go through with it.

My art is more valuable than money.

Cash.

That was the last that I heard from Stone.

Be careful out there...

Washington Artworks files for bankruptcy

Steel set up shop at Washington Artworks, a non-profit photography school and art studio, in Rockville. 

According to a letter on the front door it just filed bankruptcy.
“I don't know where to go," Steel said sadly. 

Steel is not alone. Dozens of artists do business in the art studio.
"I could be out thousands of dollars," said Mariana Kastrinakis.

Read the story here.  You can also read a different report here.

Art Scam Alert!

Beware of this mutant!!!! Rip off! Also, everytime that I post one of these, I get a dozen emails from artists and gallerists asking me how the scam works - and the occasional sad one of an artist/dealer getting ripped off... See answer at bottom:

Subject:   artwork is needed From:   "John Scotfield" johnscotfield2004@gmail.com Date:   Tue, August 9, 2016 7:07 am

Greetings! My name is john Scotfield from SC. I actually observed my wife has been viewing your website on my laptop and i guess she likes your piece of work, I'm also impressed and amazed to have seen your various works too, : ) You are doing a great job. I would like to receive further information about your piece of work and what inspires you. I am very much interested in the purchase of the piece (in subject field above) to surprise my wife. Kindly confirm the availability for immediate sales. Thanks and best regards, john.

The scam works like this:

• They pay you with a Bank draft and/or an International Money Order/Postal Money Order... sometimes stolen credit card numbers - note I said the plural form
• Your bank accepts the deposit and even clears it 3 days later... then about a month later they get a note from the other bank, post office, whatever saying that they've discovered that the draft was a fake.
• Then your bank takes the money out of your account.
• Meanwhile, you've already shipped the artwork out (usually to a foreign country, to which - of course - they've offered to pay shipping; the most ambitious and "local" rip off mutants have you ship to a US address, and once you provide a tracking number, they "wait" for FEDEX or UPS and pretend to be the homeowner as soon as FEDEX drives up and sign for the pacakge - but these "local" mutants are rare - the vast majority has the work shipped overseas.

New Sith Lord

Refresh VI at Long View

Long View Gallery’s newest exhibition, “Refresh VI,” features new work by some of the gallery’s favorites including Sondra N. Arkin, Michelle Peterson-Albandoz, J. Jordan Bruns, Lori Katz, Georgia Nassikas, Curtis Speer, Eve Stockton and Robert Stuart. In addition, the gallery will be premiering pieces by two new artists, Matt Neiman and Darlene Charneco.




Opening Reception: Thursday, August 18th, 6:30 - 8:00pm
RSVP at the facebook event page

Show Dates: August 18 - September 18

            Long View Gallery

1234 Ninth St NW, Washington, DC 20001longviewgallerydc.com
info@longviewgallery.com | 202.232.4788facebook page

Must not join...

Help Ellicott City artists

On July 30, Ellicott City’s historic district was devastated by a flash flood. Many artists with studios and galleries in Ellicott City suffered substantial losses of artwork and studio space – severely impacting their ability to earn a living. To provide assistance, the Howard County Arts Council (HCAC) is establishing Re-create: Ellicott City Artist Relief Fund to aid these artists on their long road to recovery. The Arts Council will extend its current exhibit, Paint It! Ellicott City 2016, which showcases artwork created during the July 2016 plein air paint-out, through September 30, with a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this work donated to the fund. Several Paint It! artists have already generously agreed to donate 100% of their sales to help the relief effort.

 

The Arts Council is also accepting individual donations and is actively seeking a funding partner to match all donations to Re-create. Eligible individual artists and nonprofit arts organizations will be able to apply for emergency funding to help re-establish their capacity to live and work. Funding guidelines and applications will be available soon.

 

How can you help E.C. artists on the road to recovery?

• Visit the Howard County Center for the Arts to see our Paint It! Ellicott City show and check out the artwork available for purchase
• Donate to Re-create: Ellicott City Artist Relief Fund on the Support the Arts page at hocoarts.org (please include Re-create: EC Artist Relief Fund in the purpose section)
• Join HCAC on September 16^th from 6 – 8pm for its Annual Meeting & Grant Awards reception
• Attend the closing reception for Paint It! on September 30^th from 6 – 9pm for a great opportunity to reconnect with local artists and arts organizations and make a contribution to Re-create.

HCAC will also invite local galleries to set up pop-up shops during the reception on September 30 to benefit the fund.

Howard County Arts Council

8510 High Ridge Road
Ellicott City, MD 21043
p: 410.313.ARTS
f: 410.313.2790

hocoarts.org

The S&R Washington Award

Deadline: October 15, 2016

The S&R Washington Award recognizes talented artists working in a broad range of disciplines including painting, photography, sculpture, music, dance, dramatic arts, film, digital, and interdisciplinary arts.

Winners receive a cash prize of $5,000 to support their career development. 
An additional $5,000 may be awarded to a Grand Prize-winning artist of outstanding ability.

Award winners become part of the S&R Foundation network of artists, scientists, and social entrepreneurs. Award winners are eligible for performances or exhibitions supported by S&R Foundation.

The application period is open from now until October 15, 2016.

Winners will be announced at the end of January 2017. 

To learn more and apply online visit http://sandrfoundation.org/programs/washington-award

Contact Molly Turner at artsprogram@sandr.org with any questions.

#Blacklivesmatter ???

Black boys heading to the beach are interrogated by police and forced to prove they have fare for the ride home..

Read the dark side of the Rio Olympics and the disturbing reality of Latin American racism here. Puts our American issues on a whole different perspective... doesn't it?

It is ironic that the Olympic opening ceremonies seemed to focus on Brazil's significant African heritage, while at the same time black Brazilians are being kept away from the beaches, from the tourists, and from the games... and in May alone 84 of them were killed by the police.

Do you know what the silence means?

Abysmal cultural ignorance (North of the border) of what it means to be black in Latin America.

Carol Highsmith Sues Getty for $1 Billion But Can She Win?

If you are a member of the art community, you have probably heard about famed photographer Carol M. Highsmith suing Getty Images for $1 billion dollars. The internet exploded with comments and reactions from Getty supporters (“$1 billion? . . . this woman must be out of her mind!”) to the growing number of those angry with Getty aggressive copyright infringement tactics (“It’s about time Getty gets what’s coming to them.”).  In either case, both camps agree on one thing; $1 billion is an astounding number for a copyright claim. But, is it really crazy? Does Highsmith have a real claim worth that kind of money? Does Highsmith have a case? 

Read the whole article in Art Law Journal here. 

Tune in to Rosetta

Please tune-in to hear DMV artist Rosetta DeBerardinis' interview with Brooke Musterman on the podcast “http://letstalkartwithbrooke.com” on Wednesday, August 17th @3pm.

Heading to this opening tonite

Tonight: Opening reception for three exhibitions in one place at Artists & Makers Studios!

DMV area artist and epic model Fierce Sonia, and my Cuban-American peeps, the painter-printmaker Ric Garcia have a show titled “Power: Words and Deeds” which "examines gender, power, struggle, whimsy and heroism" - I'm heading there tonight for the opening.

At the same time, if you join me, we can all check out also Teresa Jarzynski’s “Head in the Clouds: The Landscape of My Imagination.” She explores landscapes with a focus on clouds - cloudscapes!

And we can also enjoy Mark Howe’s “Elemental Perspectives: Visions in Gold”, which is work inspired by Rothko and Klimt.

Reception tonight 6-9 p.m. Exhibition on display through Aug. 25.

Artists & Makers Studios
Suite 210
11810 Parklawn Dr.
Rockville, Soviet Republic of Maryland
240-437-9573.
www.artistsandmakersstudios.com
Free.