Elizabeth Ward: The Virtue of Strathmore's Visuals

In DC, Strathmore is usually where one goes to listen to the incredible Baltimore Symphony, experience contemporary dance, or even take in a popular musician’s concert. But Strathmore is not just for the performing arts anymore. In fact, one big reason to take a visit to Strathmore is to get to know Strathmore Fine Art and its Fine Artist in Residence (Fine AIR) Exhibition.

Yes, Strathmore has fine visual art! Its Fine AIR program cultivates local visual arts talent in the DC area by pairing emerging artists with established professionals in the community. Here’s how it works: For six months, these young artists build an audience, hone their craft, and premiere a new body of work – all while being guided, critiqued, and taught by stellar local mentors.

Read the piece at the Pink Line Project here, and check out the exhibition here, and then come to the opening this Friday from 7-9PM!

Book Release Party: 23 July

The 100 Washington, DC Artists book should be available at most DMV area bookstores very soon and the book release party will be July 23rd at Conner Contemporary in DC.

The book release party is by invitation only, so please RSVP to me at lenny@lennycampello.com if you'd like to be added to the invite list or RSVP on Facebook here. Most of the artists will be there, so this is your chance to get your copy signed by them. You can bring your own copy or a very limited number of books will be available for sale at the party. If you'd like to reserve a book, please email me, as I am only bringing a limited number and a lot of them have been reserved already.

The book is also available online at the usual sites (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, etc.) or directly from the publisher.

If you want to support your local bookstore, you can have them order it for you here.

Location
Conner Contemporary Art
1358 Florida Ave, NE
Washington, DC

Date: Saturday, July 23, from 3-5 PM

Kuba Kuba in Richmond: Fail!

I had heard a lot of good things about this restaurant from my Richmond friends, so a while back, while delivering some artwork to a local collector, I dropped by and had dinner.

The atmosphere is very trendy and somewhat hip, which is something different from most Cuban restaurants outside of NYC. It looked like a very cool restaurant which happened to serve (I was told) great Cuban food.

I knew that something was wrong when I was served a basket of chips and salsa as soon as I sat down.

I rationalized it as the fact that in Richmond, even a Cuban restaurant has to "normalize" and come down to the fact that a lot of people think that Mexico starts south of the border and there are no other culinary traditions elsewhere in the twenty-something other nations in the Americas... maybe they got tired of people asking for chips and salsa.

Notice to Kuba Kuba: Cuban food does not include chips and salsa... perhaps a serving of mariquitas (fried, thin chips made out of plantains), but not Mexican tortilla chips - in a Cuban cuisine, a tortilla is an omelet.

I ordered the most basic of Cuban dishes, which of course, came with the staple of Cuban food: white rice and black beans.

There is a long cultural tradition assigned to this dish, and even its Cuban Spanish name (moros y cristianos or "moors and christians") tell you something about the dish (rumored to honor the 100th anniversary in 1592 of Queen Isabella's final victory over the Moors in 1492).

I was horrified when my moros y cristianos was brought to me with the black beans piled atop the white rice.

HUGE cultural gaffe! These two parts of this key Cuban dish are always, always, always served in separate dishes and only the eater can mix them, if he/she desires to mix it.

When cooked together, a different dish, called "congri" is the result: Different dish, different flavor, different recipe.

Overall, the food was acceptable, but far from stellar or memorable, although it is probably one of the few variants of Latin American food available to Richmonders... too bad the owners (I am willing to bet they're not of Cuban ancestry) miss the rich cultural tradition that goes along with proper Cuban food.

Fail!

New Drawings

Woman Resting at Last. 4x20 inches. Charcoal on Paper, c. 2011

Woman Resting at Last. Detail
Queen of Tarts. 4x20 inches. Charcoal on paper, c. 2011.

Swinger: The Lifestyle. 36 x 8 inches. Charcoal on Paper, c. 2011

Swinger: The Lifestyle (detail).

Back Cover



Here is the back cover of my 100 Artists of Washington, DC book.

I am told that Amazon has been telling all those of you who pre-ordered the book that it will arrive to you either (1) this weekend or (2) mid August. Not sure what the deal is, but it is available now directly from the publisher and they ship it right away.

I will have 20 copies that I've ordered (and received right away) for sale at the book opening party (July 23rd from 3-5 at Conner Contemporary, RSVP required), and some of those have already been reserved, so if you'd like me to reserve one for you for the opening so that you can get it signed by the attending artists, send me an an email.

Things we see in Ebay

This seller has lucked out in discovering a trove of "after" unknown works by most dead blue chip artists on the planet.

He does state in bold words:

SELLER DOES NOT ASSUME ANY LEGAL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE AUTHENTICITY, QUALITY, ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, OR USEFULNESS OF ANY ITEM

I know what Richard Pryor would have said...

Goldstein on (e)merge

This city long recognized for art that is old and historic is, it appears, becoming a hub for art that is bold and new.

The WaPo's Jessica Goldstein writes about (e)merge; read it here.

Anderson's first ever painting

Bethany Beach Impressions. Watercolor on paper. 6x10 inches, c. 2011 by Anderson Lennox Campello.

Why D.C. Needs an Emerging Art Fair?

Why start a new fair for emerging art in Washington, D.C.? As collector Mera Rubell puts it, "Politics is not the only game in D.C., just like Hollywood isn't the only game in L.A. Washington spends more money on art than any other place on earth. Culture is a monster industry here, and D.C. is poised to become a powerful art destination. This city is a diamond in the rough."

As the creators of the (e)merge art fair, which will debut in D.C. this September 22-25, we believe that the nation's capital is a burgeoning market for contemporary art. In recent years, D.C.'s art community has grown and diversified, while strengthening its interconnections and forging new relationships with the business community. Along with artistic advancement, the region's private business and tech sectors have expanded. The mutually reinforcing factors of creative artistic energy, entrepreneurial innovation, and economic growth provide a stimulating environment for emerging art. With enthusiastic support from D.C.'s museums, galleries, collectors, nonprofit spaces, city officials, and residents, this event is positioned to tap directly into the region's evolution.

Read the whole article in ArtInfo here.

FY12 DC Grants

At Transformer next week

Come to this opening

As I've noted before, Susana Raab, Tim Tate and I have been mentoring some exceptional young artists as part of the Fine Artists in Residence program at Strathmore.

I've had a preview of the final exhibition and I can tell you that these four young artists have left me speechless with what they have created for this final show. Come and visit and prepare to be impressed!

The opening is Friday July 22, 2011 from 7-9PM. I have a brand new video drawing in the exhibition.

Opportunity for Artists

Are you an artist who would like to exhibit your outdoor sculpture work or other installation for an entire month? Are you a homeowner who would be interested in hosting a beautiful work of art in your front yard throughout August? If so, then the North Capitol Main Street Art + Music Walk wants to hear from you!

Now in its third year, the annual North Capitol Main Street Art + Music Walk (formerly known as “First On 1st”) brings together residents of DC’s North Capitol neighborhoods with local businesses, artists and other creatives, and showcases the area as a whole to the entire District. Homeowners in Bloomingdale, Eckington, and Truxton Circle graciously offer up their lawns to serve as pop-up installation spaces throughout the month of August, as the neighborhood celebrates its culture of community – and its community of culture – by showcasing live music, great art, and fine foods from area restaurants.

This year, we have a goal of including twenty (20) artists and homes to display art, and there will be four stages set up to feature live performances during the kick-off celebration on Saturday, August 6.

If you’re interested in taking part, please e-mail josef@pinklineproject.com to get involved — and we`ll see you at this year’s North Capitol Main Street Art + Music Walk!

Details here.

Peter Anton

Click on the image below to get a better view of the curious case of American artist Peter Anton and his former German dealer.

Artomatic @ Frederick Announces Dates!

Artomatic @ Frederick will take place this fall from September 28 - November 6, 2011.

Tours of the space at 115 East Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701 will take place on the following days in July:

July 16 at 9,10 and 11 AM
July 23 at 9,10 and 11 AM
July 24 at 10 and 11 AM
July 30 at 9,10 and 11 AM
July 31 at 10 and 11 AM

Artist Registration begins August 1st.

Information: www.artomaticfrederick.org
Questions: aom21701@gmail.com
Phone: 240-285-3758

New space for Cross MacKenzie

Join them at their gorgeous new space. Their first show there is "Summer Selections". Join them for summer cocktails in their new gallery space on July 14th 6-8pm.

Gorgeous drawing up for auction

A British art dealer has this gorgeous charcoal drawing of mine, circa 2000 up for auction here and it's going for a steal!

Hurry, the auction ends in less than 2 days!

Anderson on CultureScape

Read the review here.

But is it Art? Art Fair

The WCP's Kriston Capps has a very interesting article on a new and fresh concept on a DC satellite art fair to the (e)merge art fair - read it here.

When artists Alex Ventura and Victoria Milko host the But Is It Art? fair from Sept. 22 to Sept. 25, they won’t be putting that question to their artists or audience. They know what they’re doing is art. Their DIY fair is asking a pointed question about another art fair taking place over the same weekend: the inaugural (e)merge art fair.

“We can show as strong a contemporary art show without the development,” Ventura says. “I’m not judging, but it’s sort of a friendly ‘fuck you.’ Contemporary art doesn’t need that setting.”

This is a first heard for me - check out their website here. When Art Basel Miami Beach started in Florida less than a decade ago, it was just them (Art Miami had been around for years, but at a different time). The idea proved so good, that now there are 25 satellite art fairs around the ABMB magnet and even the original art fair (Art Miami) changed their schedule to align with ABMB week in December.

“These people have not contacted us,” Conner says, “but I think it’s fantastic.” She says that (e)merge aims to be inclusive and to broadcast other arts events within the city, including, potentially, But Is It Art? “Casting things as mainstream versus alternative—I’m not sure those are the right terms. If like the Armory, if like Art Basel, if what (e)merge is doing is inspiring others, we’re happy that a satellite is happening.”

Good Pre-Pub Sales (so far!)...

The announcement of the first volume of the three set compendium (100 Washington, DC Artists) caused quite a bit of stir further fueled by my re-write of a drive-by article on the subject.

One of the commenters in one of those articles noted something along the line of "who cares, only 100 copies will sell".

And yet, the pre-orders for the book have been so unexpectedly high that now the book shows out of stock on Amazon until they get their orders fulfilled! in their distribution center.

By the way, for those of you who ordered the book online (including whoever apparently ordered 100 copies!), the publisher tells me that because of the fact that the book just arrived in the publisher's warehouse in PA just last week, it will take anywhere from 3-6 weeks for all distribution centers (both online and brick and mortar bookstores) to receive their stock and replace it in their inventory.

So the book will be back in stock at Amazon as soon as they receive their current orders and their additional orders.

By the way number two: Pencil in 23 July from 3-5PM for the book release party in DC - more details here.