Arts Management Fellowships

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts offers valuable skills building for arts managers through the Fellowship Program. The program provides up to 10 highly motivated, disciplined, and creative arts managers the instruction and experience they need to succeed in today's complex arts environment.

Fellows enjoy close working relationships with experienced arts professionals, hands-on work opportunities, a structured blend of independent and collective learning experiences, and the opportunity to work in one of the busiest and most artistically diverse performing arts centers in the United States. Fellows are expected to attend performances and educational events, as well as complete significant projects within the context of the Kennedy Center.

Fellowships are full-time and last 9 months starting in September and ending in May. The program emphasizes excellence, creativity, economic problem solving, strategic planning, internationalism, and a commitment to new technologies.

Fellows receive an annual stipend of $20,000 (paid bi-weekly) to help defray housing and transportation costs. Course materials, and reimbursement for health insurance are provided to Fellows.

Detals here.

Tonight's Opening

Hillyer Art Space at 9 Hillyer Court, NW, has Wundergarten: Sa[l]vaging the Family Archive, a new solo exhibition by local artist Clarke Bedford.

The exhibition opens Friday, April 2, 2010, with a reception from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. featuring a musical set by DJ Neville Chamberlain. $5 suggested donation. The exhibition closes Saturday, May 29, 2010.

Clarke Bedford, a.k.a. F.D. Kalley, William Tecumsah Sherman, Coleslaw Baklava and Professor Benjamin J. Dreadnought PhD, applies his wry humor and assemblage ingenuity to a many-layered body of work in Wundergarten: Sa[l]vaging the Family Archive. Combining a wunderkammer (cabinet of curiosities) and winter garden, Bedford’s installation plumbs the history of vernacular photography while framing the chronicle of an American “every-family” through the found archives of an actual family.

In the artist’s own words:

The found objects in the installation – assembled into garden furniture, a generational colonnade, frames and props – are intended to provide a memorial setting for the photographs and to work as an object-based corollary to them. The photographs themselves also serve as a kind of history of snapshot-photography: the sequence of forms from the early 20th-century box camera prints mounted in black page albums with white lettering, through 35 mm black and whites, early color, Polaroid, Instamatic-type square prints with textured surfaces and so on.

The generations depicted are the same as my own – WW1 generation grandparents, WW11 parents, and baby-boomer self. Consequently, the images seem very familiar, almost personal. One begins to wonder if every snapshot of grandparents in a Model A Ford in Yosemite National Park, every image of a postwar father in an Army uniform, every mother in a ‘50s suburban kitchen, every painful Vietnam-era Christmas morning isn’t essentially the same.

Clarke Bedford has exhibited and performed his difficult-to-categorize work in the Washington, DC, and New York areas at venues ranging from the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Hemphill Fine Arts and Kreeger Museum to many universities and academic conferences. His day job entails interaction with the very post-modern art he mocks, as Conservator of Paintings and Mixed-Media Objects at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. He received a B.A. in ’69 from Williams College and M.A. in ’80 from the Cooperstown Graduate Programs in Art Conservation.

At Gallery West

I swung by a quick visit to Alexandria's Gallery West, one of the DMV's oldest and most consistent artist cooperatives.

Like most coops, Gallery West goes through a constant, sometimes fast, sometimes slow ebb and flow of new artists, and it had been a while since I had visited them. In fact this was my first visit since they moved from their old flood-prone space on Union Street, one block up from the river.

In their group show currently on display, on the second floor I was particularly caught by the strong painting skills and superb use of space and texture of Francesca Creo, who brings watercolor splatter techniques to a new level with her treatment of sand.

I also liked the classical and elegant pieces by Rachel Estrada and the quick, painterly pieces by Parisa Tirnaz.

Fierce Sonia at The Art League Gallery

“Paper Dolls” will be at The Art League Gallery in Old Town Alexandria from April 8 – May 3, 2010. The Opening Reception and Meet the Artist function is Thursday, April 8, 6:30-8:00 pm. Joe Chiocca, Old Town’s favorite band, will play during the Opening Reception and reunite with special guest singer Kim Kenny. Free and open to the public.

Ritual Repeat by Fierce Sonia
I am told that they're expecting over 400 people at the opening reception, making this one of the largest in history around here, as this show is creating a lot of "buzz" on Facebook and other places.

During her tenure as a figure model for The Art League School, Fierce Sonia quietly acquired a top-notch visual arts education. Motivated by the artwork she saw, she became eager to create her own work. She cabled her camera to her TV and released the shutter with an infrared remote. Sonia used herself as her own model, learning more about composition and technique based on what she saw on the screen.

Her figurative photography has evolved to a new and exciting place. The focus is on process. In Sonia’s latest series “Paper Dolls,” the same images reoccur with confident changes to the surface. Her work is no longer straight photography. With the integration of painting and collage into her images, Sonia’s work has reached a new level.

The black and white images of herself are often printed on paper that has been painted white, which creates a rich texture. Each piece is created in a unique way. Previous prints may be collaged to create depth. Multiple runs of the same print may be made on the same piece. More painting, layering might be necessary to create the desired effect. These alterations to the surface blur the identity of the original image, and make the series of work about the medium and the process, and not about the subject matter.

Sonia’s work has been exhibited and won accolades nationally. She is a professional art model and muse for artists and photographers and has worked with nationally and internationally known artists.

Below is a small drawing that I did of her years ago:


Sonia by F. Lennox Campello. Charcoal on Paper. 5x4 inches. Circa 2005
And below is is a magnificent oil portrait of Sonia by Edward J. Reed, who goes by Ted, and who teaches portrait painting at the Art League in Alexandria.

"Pippy Takes a Ride" by Ted Reed.
Do not miss this show!

Tape Sculpture Workshop

Sandra Fernandez will be teaching a tape sculpture workshop this Sunday at the Fridge, in SE DC.

It's part of a series of Sunday workshops by Albus Cavus. Here's the link for more info.

Free Art Business Seminar for Artists

On April 10, 2010 from 1-5pm, Gateway CDC in partnership with MNCPPC will be hosting my well-known “Bootcamp for Artists” seminar at no cost to the artists.

This seminar is suitable for all visual artists interested in taking their careers to the next level.

Ever wondered how to maximize the attention your work gets from the press, galleries, and museum curators? How to present your work in a professional manner and save money in the process? How to tap into grants, awards and residencies?

Then this is the seminar for you! This program is free, but space is limited so please email John@Gateway-cdc.org or call 301-864-3860 ext. 3 if you would like to attend. Hurry!

This program will be held in MNCPPC’s Brentwood Arts Exchange on the 1st Floor of the Gateway Arts Center, 3901 Rhode Island Avenue, Brentwood, MD 20722, just over the District line on Rhode Island Avenue.

Of interest to the general public: a closing reception for the Gateway Arts District Show, which I juried a while back will immediately follow the “Bootcamp for Artists Seminar” from 5-8pm. All are welcome!

Mellema on new gallery

As we reported earlier, a new short-term gallery has moved into the old Numark gallery space downtown. The principal behind it all is none other than Amy Morton, formerly of Principal Gallery in Old Town Alexandria. She's no new comer to those of us who haunt the local art scene on the VA side of the river. Having said that, Morton will be a fresh face to many around town.

"I Dream Awake" is her debut as gallery figurehead, and what a debut it is.

Never mind that she left her old job, secured gallery space, curated, hung and brought a long fallow venue up to speed in a little over a month or so. She also managed to put together one of the strongest group shows in D.C. that's crossed our path in ... hmm ... well, maybe ever.

Folks, we got us a new A-List heavy weight art dealer in town.

Read the whole piece here.

Opportunity for Maryland Artists

Deadline: June 1, 2010

The Montpelier Arts Center is pleased to announce the 2010-12 Library Gallery competition. This year’s juror is John Ruppert, Chair of the Department of Art, University of Maryland. The juror will select 8-10 month exhibitions to be held in the Library Gallery.

To be eligible, artists must reside in Maryland and be over the age of eighteen. Artists may apply for solo exhibitions or as small groups. An honorarium of $300 will be presented for each exhibition to the artist or artists exhibiting (i.e., groups share the $300 honorarium).

The Montpelier Arts Center staff will handle all promotion and installation, as well as the reception. To download the prospectus visit this website. Please contact the arts center at 301 377-7800 or Montpelier.arts@pgparks.com to receive a copy in the mail.

In a couple of Saturdays



In 1891, a 100 acre farm on Bunker Hill Road was purchased by real estate investors, subdivided into house lots, and called Mount Rainier. Mount Rainier was a thriving retreat for politicians and businessmen from Washington, DC. The extension of the street car line from the District into Mount Rainier made the hilly, tree-shrouded land more attractive to developers and prospective buyers. The town of Mount Rainer was incorporated in 1910.

Today the city is home to a food co-op that was founded by conscientious Vietnam War objectors in the 60s, a community corn bin, a bike co-op, a community tool shed, boutiques, dance/art studios, and vintage shops as well as housing designated specifically for artists. With a population of approximately 8,500, Mount Rainier continues to be a retreat for those that want to live just on the outskirts of our nation’s capital.

The Centennial Exhibition will display photographs, newspaper clippings, and city documents dating back to 1910.

Mount Rainier, Maryland Centennial Celebration
Centennial Exhibition: April 9-May 15, 2010
Opening Reception: Saturday, April 10, 2010 2-6PM
Mount Rainier History Talk: Bryan Knedler, Saturday, May 1, 2010 3-5PM

Art Donations needed

Two Rivers Public Charter School is requesting art donations through 4/16 for their upcoming 6th Annual Art Gala. Please consider donating one of your creations to be entered into their silent auction. Over 40 artists participated in last years event.

This year they are making an effort to exceed that number. If you have artwork which you can donate by April 16, please contact Kim at dcgirls2001@yahoo.com.

Richard Flood on art bloggers

"Blogs are like being out on a prairie and one prairie dog pops up; none of the others can see it, but they can feel the movement in the earth. So another pops up. And another. They are not communicating with each other. They have no idea. History means nothing to them. Truth means nothing to them. They have no mechanism in place for checking [facts]."

Read about it here.

Calling all teaching artists‏

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is currently gathering information on DC teaching artists to advance Arts Education in our schools and to promote life long learning.

Please take just a few minutes of your time to complete their survey, or forward it to someone you know who is a teaching artist. Their goal is to amass a Teaching Artist Roster. Take the survey here.

McKaig on Mayorga

By Bruce McKaig

Walk into the OAS General Secretariat Building on F Street NW, head down the stairs to the Terrace Level Gallery, round the corner and look down the hallway space housing this exhibit -- a space that looks somewhat like a path to a launching pad for the Starship Enterprise. The windowless, sterile architecture is flawlessly clean in proportion, line and light... and ends at a company cafeteria.

The setting could not be better for Carolina Mayorga’s site-specific installation of videos and photographs, Love Me, Quiéreme, Buy Me.

Last fall, Third Root Aesthetic, “a female owned art consulting and management business that collaborates primarily, but not exclusively, with artists, collectors and scholars of color,” approached Carolina about doing an exhibit in March 2010, National Women’s History Month. They also made a pitch to Fabian Gonclaves Borrega, Exhibit Coordinator for the Art Museum of the Americas (AMA) that includes the Terrace Level Gallery. He accepted the proposal and Carolina began conceiving and producing the works now installed at the museum.

Baby Doll 2010 by Carolina Mayorga.
Mr. Gonclaves first met Carolina in 1999 and has seen the evolution of her work over the past decade. He describes her installations ten years ago as more politically themed and geographically related to Colombia, her country of birth. At some point, he noticed her political themes had become less geographically specific. In the most recent years, he describes her shift to themes of individual identity, specifically feminism and consumerism: “Her work is often very sexually charged, and she herself wears make-up and has dyed her hair. That’s an interesting contrast to some performance artists in the 1960s, who wore little or no make-up, very drab clothing, had a cruder, rawer presence. Carolina knows who she is and, though she herself poses in her works – not a model-for-hire – the works are not really about her identity but about identity in a much more general way.”

Carolina wanted to use photographs and videos of herself to look at issues of culture and identity. “If I am wearing make-up, does that mean that I am stupid? If a woman is plain, does that mean she is intelligent?” These and other questions about stereotypes and cultural expectations are some of the thoughts Carolina explores in this installation. From front to back, the sequence of images moves from more local, DC scenarios to large mouths and more private imagery as the exhibit proceeds. Some of the still images are draped on the walls, curving in a sculptural way. “That was not the original idea,” she explains, “but as we installed, the people I was working with at the museum thought it might be a stronger presentation to leave the organic look. Sometimes, you just want to control everything, but as I thought about it, I thought they were right. It’s all about trying to discover a new way of thinking about or doing something.”

Those words about relinquishing control and thus discovering something new resemble words by the performance artist Marina Abramovic, currently exhibiting at the MOMA in NYC: “If you do things that you like, you never change, you always do the same thing again and again.”

The various video works are on two screens, one at the head of the exhibit, the other suspended along side the still images. One video shows close-ups of the artist applying lipstick, very unforgiving close-ups that visually straddle the fence between hyper realism and comic book animation. Likewise, the still images of hair or boots or mouths retain all the reality that photographs are expected to portray, but their content and garish print qualities manage to blur distinctions between hysterically horrific and comic slap-stick.

This odd blend is present in much of Carolina’s work, something like Vaudeville skits directed by Quentin Tarantino. In October 2009, she performed “The Miraculous Artist” at the Washington Project for the Arts. In that performance, she sat, robed in religious regalia, inside a confessional to give out one-on-one advice to the curious public. Her advice to me? “Since you are entering the golden years of your life, you should definitely buy several of my prayer cards.” That performance included a video playing testimonials from satisfied customers. In 2004, Carolina built a snow sculpture on a beach in Sweden that spelled out, ”by the time this sculpture melts 45,000 children will die in war.” During her Newspaper Soup performances, she gives out cooking tips about food for the destitute.


Love Me in DC, 2009 by Carolina Mayorga

How does Carolina describe the AMA installation?

"You get it out of your system kind of thing, using both photography and video, to experiment, even if people don’t see it. The feet, the sequence, the female thing, I’ve been using feet for many years, feet or shoes tell a lot about the body. I am not a photographer. I use photography to produce my installations, but I don’t want people to think of me as a photographer. Is there an international message? Its pretty open… beauty and identity are issues in many cultures… baby doll, lips, Photoshop'd to look unrealistic, using stereotypes… Language is important, not exactly in English, not exactly in Spanish, using words in the language that I think of them… why translate, if that ends up with a version that is not the way it happened? Its not just questions about gender, I also have questions about my Latina heritage. I don’t ignore it, but I try to avoid submerging into any subculture."

Love Me, Quiéreme, Buy Me by Carolina Mayorga
The Art Museum of the Americas
March 12-April 30, 2010

Terrace Level Gallery
OAS General Secretariat Building
1889 F Street, NW
Washington DC 20006
Hours: 10 – 5, Monday through Friday

For more information about Carolina Mayorga click here.

For more information about the Art Museum of the Americas, click here.

For more information about the author, click here.

Congrats!

To artdc's Jesse and Amy Cohen, who recently tied the knot! Details here.

Obama on Cuba

Recent events in Cuba, including the tragic death of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, the repression visited upon Las Damas de Blanco, and the intensified harassment of those who dare to give voice to the desires of their fellow Cubans, are deeply disturbing.

These events underscore that instead of embracing an opportunity to enter a new era, Cuban authorities continue to respond to the aspirations of the Cuban people with a clenched fist.

Today, I join my voice with brave individuals across Cuba and a growing chorus around the world in calling for an end to the repression, for the immediate, unconditional release of all political prisoners in Cuba, and for respect for the basic rights of the Cuban people.

During the course of the past year, I have taken steps to reach out to the Cuban people and to signal my desire to seek a new era in relations between the governments of the United States and Cuba. I remain committed to supporting the simple desire of the Cuban people to freely determine their future and to enjoy the rights and freedoms that define the Americas, and that should be universal to all human beings.

- President Obama

A little background on Las Damas de Blanco here, a brave group of Cuban women who appear to be spear-heading what I hope to be the end of the world's longest and most repressive dictatorship.

Sesow in French press

Local artist couple Matt Sesow and Dana Ellyn are in Europe having solos in France and Spain. Matt's solo in Albi, France, which had received a huge number of pre-opening sales, was just reviewed in the French press. Read it here.

Opportunity for emerging artists

Deadline: June 1, 2010

Conner / *gogo emerging art projects is accepting submissions for their 2011/2012 seasons.

Emerging artists (individual or collaborative groups) are encouraged to send proposals for a new project, a new performance, or an exhibition of new work in any medium, which utilizes the gallery's outdoor area, or media room, or gallery B space.

The duration of the show may range from a one night event up to an 8-week exhibition.

Please include:

> a concise written description of the project, one page or less
> a visualization of the project in the space
> Five low-res jpgs of current works
> CV and biography of the artist(s)
> your website(s)

Deadline: June 1, 2010

Send to: info@connercontemporary.com, Attn: Jamie Smith, curator

Proposals will be reviewed by September 1, 2010.

Mellema on Lin

"It's hard to argue with the notion that Amy Lin gets more press coverage than any other artist in the greater Metro area."

That's the beginning of a most excellent review by Kevin Mellema of the Amy Lin show currently at Addison Ripley in Georgetown. Read the whole review here. Mellema is right, Lin has received tons of press and critical attention in her past and current exhibitions.

It's also hard to argue with the puzzling fact that so far the Washington Post's Jessica Dawson, whose job is to write about DC area galleries, is one of the rare important critical voices who has so far managed to avoid writing anything about this artist. Lin has managed to capture the attention of nearly every art critic and writer in the region but Dawson's.

Says something about having a "finger on the pulse of the DC art scene" doesn't it?

I really hope that Dawson proves me wrong and plans to review this current Lin show and bring one of the District's top visual arts voices to the attention of the WaPo's readers.

On the other hand, me bitching about Jessica's review choices (or lack thereof) could result in a permanent poisoning of the well and guarantee that Dawson will black list Lin forever.

Still on yet another hand, in 100 years no one will know who Jessica Dawson was, but Amy Lin's artworks will still be around and being enjoyed for centuries to come.

The place to be tonight is...



a pop-up project has it s grand opening tonight and hosts the first of many pop-up group exhibitions, lectures and events at venues throughout the DC area. For its inaugural exhibition a pop-up project will open I Dream Awake from March 18 to May 28, 2010 in the former Numark Gallery space located in Penn Quarter at 625-627 E St NW.


I Dream Awake is a curated selection of works that presents original artist expressions which explore the link between awakened realities and unconscious dreams.

The exhibition includes artwork in various media by New York artists, Mikel Glass, Kenichi Hoshine and Margaret Bowland; Los Angeles artists Vonn Sumner and Susan Burnstine; and local artists Rosemary Feit Covey, Laurel Hausler, Lizzie Newton and Tim Tate.

The formal opening reception with the artists in attendance is tonight, Friday, March 26th from 6 - 9pm.

See ya there!

Wanna go to a couple of openings in DC tomorrow?

Start at Irvine Contemporary, who has a couple of favorites of mine opening: Susan Jamison: Swallowtail: New Paintings and Susana Raab: American Vernacular: Photographs. Opening reception with the artists: Saturday, March 27, 6:00-8:00PM.

Then head to U Street, where Katherine Mann, Christian Benefiel and Michael Sirvet also open on Saturday, March 27, from 7-9 PM at Hamiltonian Gallery.