Rousseau on Artomatic

Dr. Claudia Rousseau is the highly respected art critic for the Gazette newspapers, which are owned by the Washington Post and it has always been a mystery to me why the WaPo doesn't also publish her gallery reviews as they do with some other Gazette articles. Dr. Rousseau is also a member of the faculty at Montgomery College. In any event, she recently went to Artomatic and keyed her impressions to my review of AOM. Her impressions are in blue.

Every year the overall "quality" of AOM improves and this year is noticeably better looking and more professional-looking than any other year.

Well, I wouldn't say better than any other year, but I will agree that the presentation was better.  Not sure about the art being better.

There's a lot less porn in AOM this year. In fact, there's a lot less nudes of all kinds.

Good. 

The range of the quality of the work, even in a postmodern world where everything is art, still ranges from the mind-boggling bad to the artistically sublime.

So many people you stand there and ask "what were they thinking?"  10 seconds of your attention.

There are several brand new (at least to me) artists in AOM who can show anywhere right now. Agreed.

There is a lot of art about The Beatles and blues musicians. Why Beatles?  But true.

There's more video art than I expected. I never saw Tim Tate's video? 

There are a lot more well-known DMV area "gallery" artists in this AOM than any previous one (except the first one in 1999). I also saw this, and noticed that when I was drawn to something it often turned out to be someone I already knew fairly well.

There's a lot of artists working with discarded computer boards and parts. Eric Celarier is the best.

There are a lot of glass artists and every single one of them is really good. Amazing.  And they keep getting better.

There are a lot of dark room style galleries and a lot of "blue light" art. Really hated most of it.

There is a lot of artwork about Obama.

There is a lot of left-wing nuttery artwork.

There are a lot of really good sculptures. Davide Prete's exhibit was lost in a sea of junk.  His work is actually fascinating, based on mathematically derived shapes. 

There are a lot of artists who make it really hard for someone interested in buying their work to get the basic details (how much is it and how do I buy it?) This was still very true.  Even their identities were often obscure. 

I thought that listing the artists by first name on the program was absurd. 

I liked:

David D'Orio's bicycle sculpture installation.  When I was there, the radio was tuned to some guy on a right wing rant.  Perfect.

Joseph Corcoran.  Wrote his name down as someone to remember. 

Greg Minah.  Interesting that when I first saw his work I didn't like it, but now it does really stand out.

Emily Piccirillo.  

Andrew Wodzianski

Frank Warren's video about Post Secret.  Yes, we all know the story, but I was really caught by the video presentation.

Michael Janis.  His work just keeps moving forward into new and interesting tracks.

Blair Jackson photographs.  Made me stop moving for a while. First time seeing this artist.

Michele Banks.   Would love one of those petri dishes.

Ellen Hill.  Wonderful work that also is evolving.

That's 10, but I also liked:

Linda Lowery (big paintings of crying babies)

Nicolas Zimbro  (he was a former student of mine)

Maryann Pranulis  (abstract paintings)

Lola Lombard  (dresses)

Eileen Williams  (collages)

RSVP: Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: June 30, 2012

Later this year I will be honored to jury RSVP 2012 for The New Wilmington Arts Association. They support the careers of artists by providing opportunities for uncensored experimentation, professional presentation, and critical dialogue and RSVP is their annual juried exhibition open to all artists and media.

You can download the prospectus here - hurry and do not leave it to the last minute!

Elephant

Anderson Campello, Elephant, Mixed Media on paper, 11x14 inches, circa 2012

Hoyt Call for Artists

Mid Atlantic Competition

Deadline for Submissions: August 3, 2012

October 9 – November 2, 2012
Public Reception: Sunday, October 14, from 2-4pm

The 2012 Hoyt Mid Atlantic Juried Art Exhibition showcases artists from the Mid Atlantic Region: Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, West Viginia, Virginia and Washington, DC.

Juror:  Yours Truly

2012 Mid Atlantic Prospectus page 1
2012 Mid Atlantic Prospectus page 2

Opportunity for Artists

Call to Artists

Join us to put on a one day

Addiction and Art Exhibition

at the

IntNSA Conference

Annual Education Conference of the International Nurses Society on Addiction

Artists are invited to submit original artworks on the theme of drug addiction and recovery (drugs include alcohol, tobacco, illegal or prescription drugs). Artists accepted for the show will be asked to attend the exhibition to discuss their work with visitors 5:30 - 8:00 PM on September 5, 2012. Submissions will be juried because there is limited exhibition space. Conference attendees will select the prize winners (1st $300, 2nd $200 and 3rd $100)

The exhibition will be at the
Madison Hotel, 1177 15th St., NW Washington, DC
September 5, 2012
Deadline for Submissions: August 1, 2012

For submission details download the call at addictionandart.org/shows.html#intnsa_call

Mici on Parris

Bora Mici has an interesting article titled Being a Local Artist - An Insider's Perspective in the Gaithersburg Patch...

"Preparing and designing a solo show is a great responsibility since you represent yourself, your art, your view of the world," said Parris, of Gaithersburg, who is now a veteran of the local art scene..

Read it here.

Laura Roulet's AOM Report

My good friend Laura Roulet is one of the most active and hottest DMV area independent curators; she went to Artomatic and here's her report:

As a local independent curator, who has been around for awhile, I am a fan of Artomatic. It is a truly fun and useful Washington tradition. Every time I visit,  I see it as a chance for discovery of a fabulous, new artist. Granted that it’s a bit of a needle in a haystack search, and this year with 1,000+ artists, the haystack has reached perhaps unmanageable proportions. Visual overload has become a serious factor in appreciating what Artomatic has to offer. However, I also have come to appreciate some unique services offered by Artomatic:

AFFORDABLE ART

Artomatic has art for every taste, often at truly affordable prices, and I believe that original art always beats posters, commercial replicas, etc. By purchasing original art, you are helping to support/encourage a human being and acquiring something unique. Much better then mall art.

POST SECRET

At 500,000 and growing, this project by Frank Warren (which got a start at Artomatic) is a great example of the type of participatory, successful artform that can spring from the Washington community.

NICHE ARTISTS

Artomatic alerts the public to the best wedding photographer (Amber Wilkes), pet photographer (Lee Anderson), pet portraitist (Sheppard Bear), and bacon photographers (Rebecca and Eric Gordon). Who knew?

PEEPS

Gotta love them!

LOCAL SCHOOLS/WORKSHOPS

I noticed that local institutions such as the Washington Glass School, Glen Echo Pottery, DC Glass Works, Critical Exposure and PG County artists posted signage identifying and giving further exposure to their artists. Great idea.

CRAZY STUFF

Lego art by 11 year olds, black light art, money mosaics, pet paintings juxtaposed with gay porn (8^th floor). All I can say is, wow.

After combing through all nine floors, I have some advice for artists about what helps it work for viewers:

Presentation counts. I know curation is verboten at Artomatic, but let’s face it, the artists who “curated” their own space, painting the wall, taking care in arrangement,  putting their name on the wall, leaving business cards, perhaps coordinating with another artist to create a distinctive space, look the best. Painting the wall black or scribbling on it doesn’t count.

MY TOP FOURTEEN (some are new discoveries, some were a delightful relief from all the other stuff. And yes, I definitely could have missed some greats given the circumstances):

Julia Bloom

Mei Mei Chang

Pierre Davis

David D’Orio

Mo Fogarty

Lori Goldberg

Pat Goslee

James Halloran

Robert Kincheloe

Rahshia Linendoll-Sawyer

Jessica Murray

Thomas Petzwinkler

Henrik Sundqvist

Edmond van der Bijl

Last day at the beach

Exhausted but happy and heading home tonight... throngs of people at the Art festival...

Award!

Last night I had to miss the award ceremonies, but today I found out that I had won one of the show awards - a "Friends of the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art" award!

A lot less windier today and much better sales!

Friday at the beach

Yesterday was the first day of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Virginia Beach's 57th Annual Boardwalk Art Festival - it was super windy at the beach and the three judges all came by.

The first two were very nice, but not really interested in my work... the last juror really liked my work and selected it for the final round of awards. The judges were Marc Arranaga, an independent art dealer "who formerly worked for Pace Gallery in New York"; Nora Lawrence, associate curator of Storm King Art Center in Mountainville, N.Y.; and the super cool and very nice Suzy Wegmann, the administrative director of Richard Gray Gallery in Chicago. Can you tell which judge picked my work for an award?Yay Suzy!

A total of $21,900 in prize money was awarded by the judges.

Tonight there was a party for the artists and the prizes were awarded. Since I had to drive to Newport News to the train station to pick up Little Junes and Dr. Anderson, I missed the awards ceremony, so tomorrow I'll find out if I won a prize.

Oh yeah... this morning someone stole one of my drawings... later on I will post an image of the stolen work (once I get home); it has been reported to the very nice officer Gibbs of the VABPD.

Update: Below is an image of the stolen drawing...

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: June 30, 2012

Later this year I will be honored to jury RSVP 2012 for The New Wilmington Arts Association. They support the careers of artists by providing opportunities for uncensored experimentation, professional presentation, and critical dialogue and RSVP is their annual juried exhibition open to all artists and media.

You can download the prospectus here - hurry and do not leave it to the last minute!

Starting Today in Virginia Beach

In 1952, a small group of artists presented an outdoor art show at the Virginia Beach boardwalk, with the proceeds benefiting a fellow artist who had fallen ill. Those artists later formed an organization which is today the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). In 1956, the first official Boardwalk Art Show was held. Top prize was $25 and 104 artists participated. Today, Best in show wins $10,000 and the Boardwalk show is ranked as on of the top 100 outdoor art shows in the country.

57th Annual Boardwalk Art Show presented by SunTrust.

Date: June 14-17, 2012

Location on Virginia Beach Boardwalk: 20th Street to 32nd Street

Show Hours: 10-6pm, Sunday 10-5pm

2012 Artist Listing - Click here

See ya there! I'll be in the booth around 31st Street.

Why the dude was a genius...

Jury Duty

Mid Atlantic Competition

Deadline for Submissions: August 3, 2012

October 9 – November 2, 2012
Public Reception: Sunday, October 14, from 2-4pm

The 2012 Hoyt Mid Atlantic Juried Art Exhibition showcases artists from the Mid Atlantic Region: Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Viginia and Washington, DC.

Juror:  Yours Truly


2012 Mid Atlantic Prospectus page 1
2012 Mid Atlantic Prospectus page 2

57th Annual Boardwalk Art Show

In 1952, a small group of artists presented an outdoor art show at the Virginia Beach boardwalk, with the proceeds benefiting a fellow artist who had fallen ill. Those artists later formed an organization which is today the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). In 1956, the first official Boardwalk Art Show was held. Top prize was $25 and 104 artists participated. Today, Best in show wins $10,000 and the Boardwalk show is ranked as on of the top 100 outdoor art shows in the country.

57th Annual Boardwalk Art Show presented by SunTrust.

Date: June 14-17, 2012

Location on Virginia Beach Boardwalk: 20th Street to 32nd Street

Show Hours: 10-6pm, Sunday 10-5pm

2012 Artist Listing - Click here

See ya there! I'll be in the booth around 31st Street.

When They Were Kids

Elyse Harrison has 37 great interviews of AOM artists; she writes:

With Artomatic 2012 fast approaching, I decided to do a special edition of “When They Were Kids: Artists Talk About Their Childhoods”.  Those of us familiar with Artomatic know that wandering through the endless maze of art installations can easily numb you, but in a weirdly amusing way. This time with camera and voice recorder in hand I was ready to plunge into the swarm and see who I could find to answer this question:

Think back to your childhood, somewhere between the ages of around 5-10 years old. Is there a memory you would describe as a moment that informed you of your own creativity?

Check them out here.

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: August 31, 2012 by 6PM

Hillyer Art Space is currently looking for local DC Metro area artists and international artists to submit work for solo shows for the 2013-2014 exhibiition year.

Proposals must include the following materials:

• Minimum of 5 images with a Maximum of 10 submitted on a disc or by email as a high resolution JPEG* (please save each of the images with their corresponding title—minimum resolution accepted is 1920x1080 pixels)
• A complete checklist of works containing the title, year, medium, and dimension of each work
• Resume including address, email, phone number, education, and any previous exhibitions (with clear indications whether it was solo or group)
• Artist statement or exhibition narrative not to exceed one page
• *Minimum accepted resolution on images is 1920x 1080 pixels.

Submissions Due August 31, 2012 by 6:00pm

Requirements:

• DC Metro area artists cannot have had a solo show within the past three years
• International artists have no restrictions on exhbition history but must be currently living abroad

Artists may deliver proposal materials via mail or email. If mailed, please provide a self-addressed stamped envelope if you would like your materials returned.

Mail Submissions to:
Hillyer Art Space
attn: Samantha May
9 Hillyer Court NW
Washington DC 2008

Or Email them to:
gallery@artsandartists.org

Heard on Univision

Univision's Al Punto program just ended, and newscaster Jorge Ramos is pissed at the Obama campaign as they have apparently used his image in a recent commercial aimed at Hispanics. Ramos made it clear that this was done without his permission and that as "an objective newscaster" he wasn't endorsing either candidate.

Update: Apparently Ramos has been repeating this issue since he first became aware of it - first time was on Thursday: His statement:  “I want to be clear that I reject the use of my image and that of Univision in any electoral campaign. We want to make a public statement about our disagreement [with the use of the images].”

"Down With Assad, Down With Castro"

Amazing video of Syrian demonstrators with signs reading "Down with Assad, Down with Castro" and showing their solidarity with Cuba's pro-democracy movement.

Opportunities for Artists

CALL FOR ENTRIES: THE RIPPLE EFFECT: CURRENTS OF SOCIALLY ENGAGED ART Curated by Raquel de Anda Organized by Washington Project for the Arts in partnership with AMA | Art Museum of the Americas Exhibition Location: Art Museum of the Americas, 201 18th St., NW, Washington, DC Exhibition Dates: October 25, 2012 - February 24, 2013 Submission Deadline: Monday, June 25, 5pm Submit Online     Washington Project for the Arts and Art Museum of the Americas seek submissions from artists based in the DC region (DC, MD, VA) for The Ripple Effect, a multidisciplinary exhibition that will offer a sampling of social practice and collaborative works produced within the United States and Latin America. The exhibition positions artists as architects of change building creative entry points into conversations on broad social issues while providing both poetic and concrete solutions. Through various forms, The Ripple Effect will critique, explore, and create a space for conversations on new possibilities of place and society. In line with the focus of the exhibition, the call seeks projects and artworks that engage viewers as direct participants, address pressing social issues, and blur the boundary between artistic practice and social engagement. The works in this exhibition will exemplify how socially engaged art can be ambitious, innovative, humorous, and self-reflexive. The Ripple Effect thus seeks to explore new and fresh cultural landscapes through social experimentations that alter the environment, if only momentarily, as the viewer moves into the position of an engaged and active participant.      SUBMISSION PROCESS  Submissions may be for existing work or proposals for new projects to take place before or during the exhibition. Selected artists will receive a $400 honorarium. Artists should complete the online submission form. Please contact Blair Murphy, WPA Program Director, at bmurphy@wpadc.org with any questions regarding the submissions process or exhibition. Requested submission materials include: CV (no more than 2 pages, required) Statement describing the proposed project/ piece (no more than 300 words). Statement should describe the project or piece and, for projects that take place in locations outside the museum, explain how the project or work would be represented in the gallery space, note the proposed location, and discuss if a permit would be required. Up to ten images, sketches, or videos representing proposed work. OPTIONAl: Brief description of a past project or work created in the public realm. (no more than 100 words) Images should be submitted as .jpg files, 72dpi and no larger than 7" on the longest side. Video clips should be submitted as links to video on a video-sharing website (Vimeo, YouTube, Soundcloud etc.) or personal website. Videos should not exceed 3 minutes in length. Videos should not be submitted as files that must be downloaded in order to be played. CV and statement should be submitted as .doc or .pdf files.  TIMELINE    Submission Deadline: Monday, June 25, 2012, 5pm Notification of selected artists: Mid-July, 2012 Installation: October 16 - 19, 2012 Exhibition Opening: Thursday, October 25, 2012 Final Date of Exhibition: Sunday, February 24, 2013 ABOUT THE CURATOR Raquel de Anda is an independent curator and cultural producer based in New York City whose curatorial approach is influenced by both social and public practice. Formerly Associate Curator at Galería de la Raza, a contemporary Latino arts organization in San Francisco, de Anda creatively incorporates the strengths of diverse groups into the discourse of various artistic and pedagogic arenas. From exhibitions to public art interventions, online forums and panel discussions, de Anda creates collaboration-based programming that cross-pollinates ideas and connects contemporary art to local community. Originally from Laredo, TX, Raquel received her BFA from Middlebury College. Recent events and exhibitions include Roots and Re-visions, a project of the Prospect.1 Biennial Education Department, New Orleans, LA; Strategies for the Shift, a series of panel discussions and films examining the political shift in Latin America via the critical lens of alternative artist led projects, San Francisco, CA; ChicaChic, an exhibition of contemporary Chicana artists, San Francisco, CA; The Persistence of 'Home', an oral history based, public art project for Roots Fest 2011, Baltimore, MD; Question Bridge: Black Males, a collaborative, trans-media program; and ReMuseum, Floating Lab Collective's project for DCCAH's 5 x 5 public art program. Raquel has also juried several panels for organizations including The San Francisco Arts Commission and The National Performance Network. ABOUT AMA | ART MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAS AMA | Art Museum of the Americas of the Organization of American States (OAS) believes that the arts are transformative for people and their com­munities. The Museum strives to provide a forum for expression, dialogue and learning, promoting local and hemispheric cultural ex­change on issues related to development, human rights, justice and freedom of expression, all of which are core values of the OAS. This way, AMA is becoming a meeting place for living, cross-disciplinary partnerships that promote creativ­ity and the exchange of ideas. The museum's cutting edge exhibit programming showcases talented artists that skillfully balance art with social and political issues while at the same time reflecting the rich diversity and trends of artistic expression found in the Americas. For more information, http://museum.oas.org   ABOUT WASHINGTON PROJECT FOR THE ARTS    Washington Project for the Arts (WPA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide the essential resources to support the creative spirit and success of regional artists. WPA presents contemporary art through imaginative and provocative programs, and connects artists with the community in both traditional and unexpected ways. Since its founding in 1975 by Alice Denney, WPA has showcased the works of thousands of artists and has reached hundreds of thousands of visitors and viewers with its programs and projects. Today WPA stands as the oldest and largest 501(c)(3) artist membership organization in the region and the premier source for excellence in contemporary art. For more information about WPA and its programming, visit www.wpadc.org.