Why Self-Censorship of Controversial Artwork is Wrong

Following the shocking events of the massacres and sieges in Paris, a debate has raged over whether or not to publish images of the prophet Muhammad for fear of reprisals, apparently from whichever shadowy fundamentalists might be out there.

So, the latest news, that London's Victoria & Albert Museum quietly pulled from its website a reproduction of a 1990 Iranian poster depicting Muhammad, held in the V&A's collection, is dispiriting. Citing the level of “security alert" the V&A has to operate under, a spokeswoman defended that the work, “as with most of our reserve collections, would be made available to scholars and researchers by appointment."

Read the whole piece by JJ Charlesworth in artnetnews here.

Broken Wing

That's my right shoulder, which has been out of commission since December 23rd.

It all started in the mid seventies (as I recall), when I was in the US Navy and suffered a shoulder injury which dislocated my right shoulder.

It was "popped" back in, but after that, over the years, it would almost pop out at will, and I even learned how to pop it back into the shoulder socket on my own.

It was immensely painful to do this process, but it was a brilliant flash of pain, followed by muscular pain for a few days afterwards.

Eventually I got so sick and tired of this (it once popped out when I was swimming and I nearly drowned), that I went back to sick bay and began weight training treatment, which essentially involved building up the shoulder muscles and thus keep the darn shoulder bone tight inside the socket.

On December 23rd it decided to make an exit, aided by a fall caused by a small rug slipping on hardwood floors.

And now, after a horrendous MRI, I am told that the injury to the shoulder, close to 40 years ago, has been causing issues with that shoulder, the bones, and eroded a lot of cartilage, and thus needs to go under the surgeon's knife.

4-6 weeks of immobile right shoulder follows, plus 6-9 months of intensive therapy.

It could have been worse... I could have landed on my head or busted my neck... but Feh!

I'm right-handed by the way.... double Feh!

When in Scotland - Part II

As I noted earlier, I was fortunate to have lived in gorgeous Scotland, perhaps the most beautiful country on planet Earth, from 1989-1992 (although I had been visiting it regularly several times a year starting in 1987).

This spectacular nation is an artist's dream come true, especially if you are a landscape artist (which I wasn't), but the sheer beauty of the Scottish landscape turned me into one... and over the years I produced hundreds of Scottish watercolors, pastels and drawings (and some etchings) which celebrated not only the Scottish landscape, but also all the "stuff" around me (I lived in a farmhouse built in 1532), such as sheep, horses, cows, Highland games, fish, and the brilliant Scottish people.

See some of my Scottish sheep pieces here, and enjoy the below art homages to Scotland.

North Sea, near Stonehaven, Angus, Scotland
8x10 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1989.
In a private collection in Aberdeen, Scotland

Loch Ness, Scotland
11x14 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1991.
In a private collection in Montrose, Scotland

Two Deer, near Little Keithock Farmhouse, Brechin Road, Angus, Scotland
28x40 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1991.
In a private collection in Brechin, Scotland

Snowfall, near Braemar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
16x40 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1989.
In a private collection in Braemar, Scotland

Back Road, near Little Keithock Farmhouse, Angus, Scotland
30x40 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1992.
In a private collection in Norfolk, Virginia

Seagulls Following the Plow, near Edzell, Angus, Scotland
40x32 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1992.
In a private collection in Boise, Idaho

Road to Cairn O'Mount Pass, near Fettercairn, Angus, Scotland
30x40 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1990.
In a private collection in Banchory, Scotland

Seagulls following the plow, near Stonehaven, Angus, Scotland
8x10 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1989.
In a private collection in Aberdeen, Scotland

Back Road, near Little Keithock Farmhouse, Angus, Scotland
30x40 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1992.
In a private collection in San Diego, California

Back road, near Battledykes, Angus, Scotland
8x10 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1991.
In a private collection in Aberdeen, Scotland

Northern Lights, Back Road, near Little Keithock Farmhouse, Angus, Scotland
30x40 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1992.
In a private collection in Seattle, Washington

Just Before Trinity Fields, Enroute Brechin, Angus, Scotland
6x10 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1992.
In a private collection in Dundee, Scotland

Back Road near Smiddie Wood, near Stracathro and Careston Estates, Angus, Scotland
12x40 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1992.
In a private collection in Brechin, Scotland

River South Esk, near Brechin, Angus, Scotland
30x40 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1991.
In the Collection of the Earl of Southesk

View of the Highlands, near Edzell, Angus, Scotland
10x14 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1992.
In a private collection in Fresno, California

Back Road, near Little Keithock Farmhouse, Trinity, Angus, Scotland
18x36 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1990.
In a private collection in San Francisco, California

North Sea, near Stonehaven, Angus, Scotland
8x10 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1989.
In a private collection in St. Cyrus, Scotland

Road near Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland, where my daughters would take horse riding lessons
8x10 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1992.
In the Collection of the Earl of Southesk

Back road near Laurencekirk, Angus, Scotland
7x10 inches. Ink wash on paper, c. 1990.
In a private collection in Brechin, Scotland

Taking the walk behind the Blue Door, The Burns, near Edzell, Angus, Scotland
8x10 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1991
In a private collection in the United States

View from Little Keithock Farmhouse, near Fettercairn, Angus, Scotland
28x40 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1992.
In a private collection in Glasgow, Scotland

View of the Highlands, near Maryculter, Angus, Scotland
30x40 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1990.
In a private collection in Montrose, Scotland

Call for Artists: Bethesda Painting Awards

Deadline: Submissions must be received by Monday, February 20, 2015. 

 

The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District is currently accepting applications for the seventh annual Bethesda Painting Awards. Up to nine finalists will be selected to display their work in an exhibition during the month of June at Gallery B in downtown Bethesda, and the top four winners will receive $14,000 in prize monies. 

 

Best in Show will be awarded $10,000; Second Place will be honored with $2,000 and Third Place will receive $1,000. Additionally, a “Young Artist” whose birthday is after February 20, 1985 may be awarded $1,000. Artists must be 18 years of age or older and residents of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. 

 

All original 2-D paintings including oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, encaustic and mixed media will be accepted. The maximum dimensions should not exceed 60 inches in width or 84 inches in height. No reproductions. 

 

Artwork must have been completed within the last two years and must be available for the duration of the exhibit. Each artist must submit 5 images, application and a non-refundable fee of $25. 

 

Digital entries will be accepted in JPG, GIF or PNG format. For a complete application, please visit this link or  send a self-addressed stamped envelope to:

 

Bethesda Painting Awards

c/o Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District

7700 Old Georgetown Road

Bethesda, MD 20814

 

Or call 301-215-6660 x117.

DC in NYC

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, PULSE Contemporary Art Fair returns for its New York edition from March 5 – 8, 2015 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea and hard-working DMV gallerist Adah Rose will be at the coming Pulse New York art fair where she will be showcasing Joan Belmar, Brian Dupont, and Alan Steele.

When in Rome... I mean Scotland...

I was fortunate to have lived in gorgeous Scotland, perhaps the most beautiful country on planet Earth, from 1989-1992 (although I had been visiting it regularly several times a year starting in 1987).

This spectacular nation is an artist's dream come true, especially if you are a landscape artist (which I wasn't), but the sheer beauty of the Scottish landscape turned me into one... and over the years I produced hundreds of Scottish watercolors, pastels and drawings (and some etchings) which celebrated not only the Scottish landscape, but also all the "stuff" around me (I lived in a farmhouse built in 1532), such as sheep, horses, cows, Highland games, fish, and the brilliant Scottish people.

Here are some of the hundreds of pieces that I did on sheep, which were essentially everywhere!

Sheep in a field near Fettercairn, Angus, Scotland

26 x 40 inches, Pastel on paper, c. 1989

In a private collection in Edzell, Scotland

View from Little Keithock Farmhouse, near Fettercairn, Angus, Scotland

30x40 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1990.

In a private collection in Montrose, Scotland

Field off the A90, near Fettercairn, Angus, Scotland
12x40 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1990.
In a private collection in Brooklyn, New York

Blackface Highlanders, near Inverbervie, Angus, Scotland
12x40 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1990.
In a private collection in Arbroath, Scotland

View from Little Keithock Farmhouse, near Fettercairn, Angus, Scotland
28x40 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1992.
In a private collection in Glasgow, Scotland

Blackface Highlanders (Near Edzell, Angus, Scotland)
8x10 inches. Watercolor on paper, c. 1992
In a private collection in the U.S.

Blackface Highlanders, near Glamis Castle, Forfar, Angus, Scotland
20x40 inches. Pen and ink wash on paper, c. 1992
In a private collection in Banff, Scotland

Blackface Highlander, near Dunnottar Castle, Angus, Scotland
28x40 inches. Pen and ink on paper, c. 1991
In a private collection in Stonehaven, Scotland

Blackface Highlanders, near Little Keithock Farmhouse, Brechin Road, Angus, Scotland
30x30 inches. Pen and ink wash on paper, c. 1990
In a private collection in St. Andrews, Scotland

Burns Night

Burns Night is celebrated each year in Scotland (and around the world) on or around January 25. It is in celebration to commemorate the life of the bard (poet) Robert Burns, who was born on January 25, 1759. It is also a great excuse for Scots and people of Scottish ancestry around the world (where the one-drop rule applies) to get together and drink single malt, and eat haggis, and drink single malt.

I lived in a 307-year-old farmhouse in Scotland from 1989-1992. The farmhouse, which had a fireplace in almost every room, and two in the bathroom and two in the huge kitchen, was named Little Keithock Farmhouse and was full of ghosts, as my two daughters, Vanessa and Elise can testify to. That's my drawing of the house to the left.

My landlord (Mr. Stewart) was a really nice guy and a big wig in the nearest town, which was the most ancient village of Brechin, and in 1991 he invited me to the village's Burns Night and not only that, but also to its greatest honor: to deliver the Burns' ode to the haggis and then stab the beast... in case you don't know, the whole focus of the evening centers on the entrance of the haggis on a large platter to the haunting sounds of a piper playing bagpipes. As soon as the haggis is on the table, the host (in this case me) reads the "Address to a Haggis." 

This is Robert Burns' ode written to that succulent Scottish dish. At the end of the reading, the haggis is ceremonially stabbed and sliced into two pieces and the meal begins.

This is what I was supposed to memorize and deliver:

Address to a Haggis

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o the puddin'-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye worthy o' a grace
As lang's my arm.
The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin wad help to mend a mill
In time o need,
While thro your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.
His knife see rustic Labour dight,
An cut you up wi ready slight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like onie ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin, rich!
Then, horn for horn, they stretch an strive:
Deil tak the hindmost, on they drive,
Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve
Are bent like drums;
The auld Guidman, maist like to rive,
'Bethankit' hums.
Is there that owre his French ragout,
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad mak her spew
Wi perfect scunner,
Looks down wi sneering, scornfu view
On sic a dinner?
Poor devil! see him owre his trash,
As feckless as a wither'd rash,
His spindle shank a guid whip-lash,
His nieve a nit;
Thro bloody flood or field to dash,
O how unfit!
But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread,
Clap in his walie nieve a blade,
He'll make it whissle;
An legs an arms, an heads will sned,
Like taps o thrissle.
Ye Pow'rs, wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies:
But, if ye wish her gratefu prayer,
Gie her a Haggis

As you can see, it is not written (nor delivered) in English, but in Old Scots language.

Being the amazing Renaissance man that I am, I took the challenge, and for about three months, I practiced my Scottish accent, with the help of Vanessa and Elise's local Scottish babysitter. 

I practiced and practiced, and she damned near died laughing most of the times... but towards the end she told me that I was pretty good and that I sounded like someone "from the Orkneys..."

On Burns' Night I arrived at the magnificent Victorian building that is the Brechin's Mechanics Hall, wearing my official US Navy kilt with the official US Navy tartan, ready for Freddy and confident about the challenge ahead. 

And yes, my babysitter had advised me (as all Scots do to newbies just to screw with them) that I was supposed to go commando under the tartan, which I did, and which caused a nightmarish next-morning shower event worth of its own story).

Scots are some of the friendliest people on this planet and Scotland is easily the most beautiful land on that same planet, and as a key part of the Night, everyone wanted to treat me to a drink.

That where the problem started.

I got there on an empty stomach about 7PM, you see... and to make things worse, I don't really like Scotch, single malt or otherwise... I know, I know... heresy.

But as a good guest, I accepted the dozens of Scotches delivered to me by the region's nicest gentlemen, and of course, everyone had a toast, and so... ahhh, I drank a lot of Scotland's best-known product.

The only issue to my spectacular abilities to hold my booze was the fact that the haggis wasn't actually delivered until 11PM, and by then I was three sheets to the wind and as drunk as I have ever been but a hundred times worse!

I actually like haggis and whenever it is on the menu (here or there) I usually order it... most of you would gag if you knew what it is... cough, cough... so that's not the storyline here.

Anyway, around 11PM, I was tipped that the haggis was being delivered... the bagpipes began to cry that spectacular sound of the Celtic world, and the huge platter arrived.

I walked unsteadily towards it, grabbed the large, sharp knife, and as protocol calls for, began waving it around while I started, in my best Scottish accent, to pay homage to the haggis while at the same time trying not to slice off my ears.

The hall was silent, and a couple of hundred people followed my every word and movement of the knife, sculpting invisible shapes in the air.

And then, as called for, I stabbed the beast and cut it in two.

The hall exploded in applause and I walked back to my table... so far so good... other than the unexplained laughter.

Mr. Stewart, who was sitting next to me, was standing and clapping furiously, as was everyone else. This by itself, my addled brain registered, was curious, as Scots are great people, but rather reserved. To my slight alarm, I also noted that he was laughing really, really, really hard.

So hard, in fact, that tears were running down his face.

Oh, oh....

He slapped my back as he hugged me and continued to laugh, and placed yet another single malt on my hand.

"That was great!" (sounds like "gret" in Scottish) he shouted above the din, as tears ran down his handsome face, "We've never heard 'Address to a Haggis' recited in a Japanese accent before!"

"What a gret ideee!"

Put yourself in my place for a moment here... there are a couple of hundred Scots thinking that I just pulled a comedy routine on their sacred ode, and they're laughing their ass off, so it must have worked... right???

"I practiced like crazy," I said, suddenly quite sober.

And that's the story of how this guy delivered on a Burns' Night in Brechin, Scotland, got drunk on his ass, made a lot of really good, decent Scottish men laugh, and had a most memorable night.

The story of how I got home, as I clearly couldn't and didn't drive, is a story for another day... suffice it to say that thistles usually grow on the side of most Scottish back roads and that if you brush against them, you are really fucked for a while. 

Scotch and thistles don't mix well on a really dark night in the Scottish country side.

Campello gets reviewed

Not me, but my youngest daughter Elise Torralbo (nee Campello):

The cast all put in solid performances without a single weak link, but special mention goes out to Elise Torralbo. Playing Olive Ostrovsky. Torralbo is no stranger to TMP, as she was seen in last year’s production of “Shout! The Mod Musical” and takes center stage here with a heartfelt rendition of “The I Love You Song,” and some surprising rope climbing antics that steal the show in “Life is Pandemonium.” Though Torralbo gets the spotlight, everyone in the cast puts in a strong performance...

Read the review by  Derek Shuck in the Tacoma Weekly here.

Also:

Elise Torralbo plays Olive Ostrovsky (except for the shows of January 23 to 25, when Rachel Roewer takes on the role). Olive’s mother is on retreat in India, learning to be enlightened while her father is once again late to one of her events due to work. Torralbo wrings sympathy from the audience as the poor little ignored child who turns her desire for parental affection to her only friend, the dictionary.

Read the review by Lynn Geyer at the Suburban Times here.

Field near Battledykes

"Field near Battledykes, Forfar, Angus, Scotland"
Pen and Ink Wash. 1992. 28x40 inches
In a private collection in Scotland

Deadline is tomorrow!

Juried Photo Competition Deadline Sunday, January 25 @ 11:59 PM

my little town a juried photography exhibition about washington, dc last chance! easy to submit your photos (see below) enter today

my little town a juried exhibition about washington, dc Peter Garfield, Juror Award-Winning Photographer for Washingtonian, Smithsonian Magazine US News & World Report and The Washington Post We all have our favorite DC spot.  Our favorite neighborhood dive. What makes the big city "your city"? Submit your photos today!         1.  SUBMIT PHOTOS:  Submit up to five (5) jpeg images via email           to photoworks.gallery@gmail.com before 11:59 pm on Jan 25th.      2.  PAY ENTRY FEE:   $40 for up to 5 images - pay using PayPal button.              IMPORTANT STUFF TO KNOW: A.  Please write MY LITTLE TOWN in the subject line.           1.  If portrait oriented, image size should be no larger than 500px wide by                 700px tall, 72ppi, sRGB, .jpg quality = 8           2.  If landscape oriented, image size should be no larger than 1000px wide                by 700px tall, 72ppi, sRGB, .jpg quality = 8           3.  If square, image size should be no larger than 700px wide by 700px tall,                 72ppi, sRGB, .jpg quality = 8   B.  Please title your images as follows, using  your name:      Example:  name _01_title of first entry.jpg;  name_02_title of second entry.jpg;  etc.   C.  Photoworks will confirm via email that we have received your images. D.  You will be notified via email by FEB 4 which of your photograph(s) has been selected. E.  Chosen images must be delivered to Photoworks, framed and ready-to-hang no later      than FEB 25.  The MY LITTLE TOWN EXHIBITION will open on February 27 and run      through April 13, 2015. F.  Photoworks is located at 7300 MacArthur Boulevard, Glen Echo, MD,      1st Floor, Arcade Building.  Photoworks is open 1-4PM on Saturdays,      1-8PM on Sundays, call for other delivery arrangements, 301-634-2274. DELIVERY OF PHOTOGRAPHS:  Chosen images must be delivered by February 25 to Photoworks -- framed and ready-to-hang. GALLERY HOURS:  Saturday, 1-4 PM, Sunday, 1-8 PM, 301-634-2274 QUESTIONS?  Gayle Rothschild, gaylesue@me.com

Photoworks 7300 MacArthur Boulevard Glen Echo, MD  20812 www.glenechophotoworks.org 301.634.2274

SELECT 2015 Opening

 

DATE: January 29, 2015

TIME: 7-9pm
LOCATION: Artisphere, 1101 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

FREE PARKING with validation after 5pm at the Artisphere garage

Participating Artists:

Lauren Frances Adams | Kalee Appleton | Glen Baldridge | Alan Steven Binstock | A. J.

Bocchino | Margaret Boozer | Catherine Borg | Alex Braden | Amy Hughes Braden | Otho DeWitt Branson | Milana Braslavsky | Noah Breuer | Julia Brown | Dwayne Butcher | F. Lennox Campello | Laura Carton | Mei Mei Chang | Hsin-Hsi Chen | Ben Chetta | Maya Ciarrocchi | Hannah Cohen | Billy Colbert | Cynthia Connolly | Joseph Corcoran | Adam Davies | Frank Hallam Day | Jenn DePalma | Lisa Dillin | Daniel Todd Doughty | Mary Early | John Edmonds | Hector Emanuel | Suzanna Fields | Emily Francisco | Mary Freedman | Lee Gainer | Zaki Ghul | Hope Ginsburg | Edel Gregan | Jason Gubbiotti | Stephen Hendee | Jay Hendrick | Daniel Heyman | Cooper Alan Holoweski | Erik Hougen | Karen Hubacher | James Huckenpahler | Janna Ireland | Ashley Kauschinger | Jeffrey Kent | Hannele Lahti | Khánh H. Lê | Kakyoung Lee | Cary Leibowitz | Liz Lescault | Nate M. Lewis | Dalya Luttwak | Tamara Natalie Madden | Katherine Tzu-lan Mann | Caitlin Alexandra Masley | Christina McCleary | Patrick McDonough | Matthew Moore | Evan Nesbit | Tomomi Nitta | Chris Oh | Kwame Shaka Opare | Mike Osborne | Nikki Painter | Lydia Panas | Nara Park | Sui Park | Pamela Pecchio | Emilio Perez | Serena Perrone | Cameron Petke | Michael B. Platt | Caitlin Teal Price | Susana A. Raab | Ding Ren | Siobhan Rigg | Pam Rogers | Sandra Rottmann | Phil Sanders | Dana Schutz | Joyce J. Scott | Molly Springfield | Eve Stockton | Martin Swift | Monika Sziladi | Rob Tarbell | R. L. Tillman | Stephen Marcus Towns | Fahimeh Vahdat | Michael Vasquez | Terri Weifenbach | Levester Williams | Audrey Wilson | Julie Wolfe | Meseretu Wondie | Eva Wylie | William Wylie | Helen Zughaib | Malandela Zulu

Curators:

Asantewa Boakyewa | Kristi-Anne Caisse | Jennifer Farrell | Sarah Hanley | Ryan Holladay | Sarah Kennel | Phyllis Rosenzweig | Brian Young | WPA Board of Directors

OTHER SELECT 2015 EVENTS ______________________________________________________________

EXHIBITION

Thursday, January 29 through Friday, March 6, 2015

Wednesday through Friday: 4-11 PM

Saturday: Noon - 11 PM

Sunday: Noon - 5 PM

Monday - Tuesday: Closed

SELECT CURATOR TALKS

Free and open to the public, two curator talks provide an excellent opportunity to

learn more about the artists and artworks featured in the exhibition. Each night,

participating curators share their thoughts on the works they've selected for the

exhibition and answer questions from the audience.

Thursday, February 12, 2015
6:30-8pm

Jennifer Farrell, Ryan Holladay, Sarah Kennel, and Brian Young

Thursday, February 19, 2015
6:30-8pm

Asantewa Boakyewa, Kristi-Anne Caisse, Sarah Hanley, and Phyllis Rosenzweig

ART AUCTION GALA

TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE for the Art Auction Gala 

SELECT 2015 consists of a 5-week public exhibition and ticketed auction party to support contemporary art and the local artist community. The artists invited to participate in this exhibition were selected by a group of notable curators from some of the most important institutions in our region, emerging curators, and WPA's Board of Directors. The works represent a cross section of media disciplines, providing a remarkable survey of contemporary artistic practice. The SELECT 2015 gala is the regions longest running contemporary art auction gala and offers a truly unique opportunity to acquire works by emerging and established artists from the DC region and beyond.