The New York Times and Cuban AIDS

(Via) Less than three years ago, The New York Times wrote an article praising the Castro regime's "Tight Grip on AIDS" -- even if it meant restricting the Cuban people's most fundamental human rights.

It heralded:

"Whatever debate may linger about the government’s harsh early tactics — until 1993, everyone who tested positive for H.I.V. was forced into quarantine — there is no question that they succeeded... Other elements have contributed to Cuba’s success: It has free universal basic health care; it has stunningly high rates of H.I.V. testing; it saturates its population with free condoms, concentrating on high-risk groups like prostitutes; it gives its teenagers graphic safe-sex education; it rigorously traces the sexual contacts of each person who tests positive."

These "quarantines" were actually nefarious HIV/AIDS prisons. Or as the Castro-friendly World Health Organization ("WHO") calls them "pretty prisons."

Like nearly everything else The New York Times has written about Cuba since 1959, that article turned out to be unmerited -- and unethical -- propaganda.

Last week, we learned that a new, more aggressive strain of the HIV virus has been discovered in Cuba.

According to Medical News Today:

"In Cuba, a variant of HIV that is much more aggressive than other known forms of the virus has been documented. Patients infected with this new variant progress to AIDS so rapidly that they may not even know they are infected, with AIDS symptoms occurring within 3 years of infection."

And how did this new strain come about?

"If a person contracts multiple strains of HIV - typically by engaging in unprotected sex with multiple infected partners - then these strains can recombine into a new variant of HIV within the host. The new Cuban variant of HIV is one such recombinant version of the virus."

Clearly those "harsh early tactics" were not only cruel and inhumane -- but they were also unsuccessful [and are now responsible for developing a new, much more aggressive, strain of AIDS].

Castrum Canis

This new version of the ongoing Castrum Canis series is heading to an exhibition in Arte Americas in Fresno later this year.



Ernesto (Che) Guevara de La Serna Lynch - Castrum Canis
Charcoal and Conte on Paper. 20x16 inches, c.2015
F. Lennox Campello

 

Opportunity for Portrait Artists

Deadline: March 4, 2015

 INTERNATIONAL PORTRAIT COMPETITION

The International Portrait Competition is open to all artists, members and non-members
with more than $60,000 to be awarded in cash & prizes. The $45 entry fee covers up to 3 submissions and all entries must be uploaded through the website in a jpg digital format by midnight on March 4,
2015.

Prospectus located on website indicates all the rules, including size restriction.

Details: 850-878-9996 OR http://tiny.cc/rrqesx OR
amanda@portraitsociety.org

1990s artwork

Between 1992-1994 I lived in Sonoma, California (great place!!!) and at that time I was still serving in the US Navy as the Executive Officer (XO) of NSGA Skaggs Island.

Prior to that, destiny had given me the opportunity to be stationed at NSGA Edzell, in Scotland... easily one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

While in Scotland I worked with a model named Fleur, took some shots of her and then, and later on, using the photos while living in Sonoma, created some watercolors based on the images.

At the time a local Sonoma gallery (Presidio Gallery) picked me up and gave me two great solo shows... one was an incredible solo aimed at raising funds for the Sonoma Ballet Conservatory - that story deserves a post of its own - and the other was a show of assorted artwork.

And then, thanks to the amazing connectivity of Al Gore's Interwebs, I get an email from the person who bought two of the Fleur watercolors.

And for the first time since 1993... here they are!

"Fleur" circa 1993, watercolor 10x8 inches by F. Lennox Campello

Opportunity for Artists

Call for Artists - Open Portfolio Review

JASPER ARTS CENTER -- Public art gallery is reviewing portfolios for solo and group shows for 2016.

All media. No fees. Professional, non-student artists only. Artwork must be presented in a professional manner.

Gallery provides invitations, press releases, honorarium, insurance coverage on-site, and reception where
needed. Artist is responsible for framing, shipping and/or delivery.

30% commission.
 
Send 10 images minimum for solo show, more for group show, along with artist statement and curriculum vitae. Digital images should be on CD. E-mail submissions accepted. There are also paid opportunities
for workshops/gallery talks in conjunction with the exhibit.

Details here.
 
Deadline March 13, 2015

Mail materials along with SASE to:
Emily Colucci, Visual Arts Coordinator
Jasper Arts Center
951 College Ave.
Jasper, IN 47546
or
E-mail:  visualarts@ci.jasper.in.us
 

Artists prisoners of Castro

Today join the Twitter demonstration (#FreeTaniaAngelElSexto) demanding the freedom of:

Danilo Maldonado, a Cuban artist known as "El Sexto," who has been imprisoned since December 26th, 2014 -- pursuant to the Obama-Castro deal.

Angel Santiesteban-Prats, a Cuban novelist who has been imprisoned since February, 28, 2013, and was left behind by the Obama-Castro deal.

Tania Bruguera, a New York-based Cuban artist, who was temporarily arrested on December 30, 2014 for organizing a free speech performance entitled #YoTambienExijo -- pursuant to the Obama-Castro deal. She had her passport confiscated and is not allowed to leave the island.

Googleando

This is what you get when you Google images for "Washington, DC artists." 

This is what you get when you Google images for "Maryland artists."

This is what you get when you Google images for "Virginia artists."

This is what you get when your Google image "Obama paintings."

This is what you get when you Google image "Bush paintings."

Cough, cough...

 

Artists Opportunity with BMA

The Baltimore Museum of Art has issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to artists in the Greater Baltimore area interested in being considered for a collaborative project that will debut with the museum’s new center for learning and creativity (CLC) in October 2015. The BMA will contract with one artist or artist team, in partnership with an area non-profit, to produce a year-long project on the theme of ‘home’. Details of the RFQ are available on the BMA’s website.

Responses are due by midnight, Friday, February 27, 2015.

The opening of the CLC is the culmination of the BMA’s $28 million phased renovation to offer visitors a more welcoming environment and more imaginative encounters with the collection. It is designed to fuel new ways of thinking about art, culture, and contemporary life in Baltimore and beyond.

Through exhibitions, programs, digital initiatives, outreach, and partnerships, the CLC will spark new ways of thinking about art and culture in the context of the wider world. Equal parts catalyst, convener, and connector, the CLC will deepen visitor understanding of human experiences and stimulate the creativity essential for addressing some of society’s greatest challenges. The center is comprised of five interconnected spaces—a total of 5,550 square feet situated adjacent to the museum’s newly renovated Zamoiski East Entrance and East Wing Lobby.

The selected artist or artist team will activate the museum’s new 864 sq. ft. community commons space with artwork and with a series of free public programs implemented between October 2015 and August 2016. The project budget, inclusive of all fees, materials, fabrication expenses, and transport is $30,000.

Eligibility is limited to artists who meet the following guidelines:

• Artists who are working in traditional or new media, public art, and/or performance-based visual expression.
• Artists who have a history of collaboration, social, and/or participatory practice.
• Artists whose work addresses the theme of ‘home.’
• Artists must reside within the Greater Baltimore region (defined as Baltimore City and its surrounding five counties (Baltimore, Harford, Anne Arundel, Howard, and Carroll counties) during the 12-month project period.
• Artists may not be enrolled in a degree-seeking program, either part-time or full-time, at an institution of higher learning at the time of the application deadline.
• BMA staff and their families are not eligible to apply.
• Artists must apply in partnership with a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Responding candidates are asked to submit a PDF portfolio, resume, references, a letter of intent, and up to five pages of supporting materials. Also required is a letter of support, mission statement and legal proof of 501(c)(3) status from a non-profit partner organization. Interested candidates are invited to review the full details of the RFQ on the BMA’s website.

The selection process includes selecting a shortlist of candidates in March, presentations and interviews with candidates in April, and final selection announced on April 30.

Please address all questions to Jessica Braiterman, Manger of Community Engagement and Learning (jbraiterman@artbma.org).

PK on Mayor Bowser

They simply don’t have the money, and money is all that matters. Never mind that the institute would have enlivened a neighborhood that pretty much goes dark when offices close at the end of the day. Never mind that the city desperately needs an open space for large temporary art exhibitions that are a staple of the cultural diet in other, more progressive, far-sighted metropolitan areas. Never mind the innumerable intangible advantages to having an institution devoted to free expression and innovation closely knit into the fabric of the downtown core.

Thank God for Artomatic, uh? Read Kennicott in the WaPo here - also read the commenters lambasting him... Ouch!

Opportunity for Artists

Application Deadline: Wednesday, March 25, 2015 before midnight
VisArts invites artists working in all media to apply for 2016 Solo Exhibitions in the Gibbs Street Gallery and Common Ground Gallery.

The Gibbs Street Gallery offers exhibitions that explore the breadth of contemporary art featuring emerging to mid-career artists. Exhibits reflect a wide range of media and experimental approaches that offer the viewer unexpected interactions with art. The gallery is approximately 1,100 square feet with 16 ft. ceilings. It is on the street level with floor to ceiling windows along one wall. International, national and local artists are welcome to apply.
The Common Ground Gallery features exhibitions that reflect the creative pursuits of artists from our community. The gallery is located on the second floor and is approximately 300 square feet. Artists must live in the DC/Baltimore metro area to apply for a solo exhibition in this gallery.

Applicants who have participated in a solo exhibition at VisArts within the past two years are not eligible to apply.

Application Deadline: Wednesday, March 25, 2015 before midnight
*Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

All application materials must be submitted online through our website no later than 11:59 pm EST on 03/25/2015. Application materials submitted by mail or hand delivery must be received in our administrative offices (3rd floor) no later than 5:00 pm on Wednesday, March 25, 2015.

Required Application Materials
Application Form
Images Submit 5 – 10 images of work produced during the past 3 years. Work samples can be a combination of high resolution photos and time-based media.
Media Requirements: Images must be in .jpg, .jpeg, .png, or .gif file format. Minimum image resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Maximum file size 5MB per image. 2 minutes of video, film, sound or performance documentation = one work. Up to 10 minutes total.
 
List of Works Form
Artist Statement (1 page maximum)
Artist Biography (1 page maximum)
Exhibition Proposal: Briefly describe the exhibition, installation or project for the gallery space.
Resume/CV
Application Fee ($15.00) – online application will require payment by credit card or Pay Pal

Submission Guidelines

Apply online : Complete the online application and submit all images and required documents on the VisArts website, Click Here.

Application Deadline: Wednesday, March 25, 2015 before midnight
Apply by mail: All required application materials must be RECEIVED in our Administrative Offices (3rd floor) no later than 5:00 pm on Wednesday, March 25, 2015. Download Application Forms.

Send or deliver all required application materials to:
Exhibitions Department
VisArts at Rockville
155 Gibbs Street, Suite 300
Rockville, MD 20850
 Make payment of Application Fee by check made payable to: VisArts (Please write “Solo Application 2016″ in the memo line)
 
Notification
Applicants will be notified of the status of their application via email by April 13, 2015.

Questions
Please send any questions via email with “Solo Exhibitions 2016″ in the subject line to Susan Main, Exhibitions Coordinator at: smain@visartscenter.org

Art censorship???

Welcome to the solipsistic world of equality activism, in which the removal of sloganeering in chalk on the pavement, which might have been wiped away by routine maintenance, if rain didn’t get it first, is equated with the censorship of a faculty artist.

Read  Franklin Einspruch 's superb piece When Artists Fear their Audience here.

I think there's a current confusion in the world left of center that needs some distinction: There is a huge difference between a "liberal" and a "leftist."

Liberals generally embrace diversity, discussions amongst different opinions and points of view, protection of our basic rights, and an open, receptive ear to all.

Leftists, on the other hand, are generally aligned with the Marxist dogma that prohibits all but one voice and seeks to silence all others and endorses only the "approved" form of art. Some of the biggest mass murderers in modern history (Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Castro) have all been leftists.

Fine Arts Workshops

The Sandy Spring Museum is hosting a series of fine arts workshops – colored pencil, gouache, plein air, water color.

Check them out here.

Does Photography Help Artists Cheat?

This question is as old as the invention of photography itself... and yet, it is still being asked... this time by Sarah Cascone at artnetnews.

Cough, cough, yawn... read it all here.

Bottom line is the bottom para in this tired argument: "... artists get into trouble when they view a photograph as the truth, rather than as a tool."

PS - Asskicking portrait of Putin by Dubya though!

"Putin" by President George W. Bush

 

Jacobson on Photoworks

The CP's Lou Jacobson goes yard with a nice review of Photoworks retro at AU:

It took four decades, but Photoworks—the photography center at Maryland’s Glen Echo Park—has become enough of an institution to have a retrospective of its own. The location of the exhibit, a large, airy space at the American University Museum, is quite a bit fancier than what Photoworks had in its early days.

Back then, according to the retrospective, “the facility was rustic. Entering the Photoworks space felt like passing through a tiny Alice in Wonderland door… into a deep, dark cave, a room with bare bulbs and wet floors.” By contrast, the retrospective, which includes the work of both current and past artists affiliated with Photoworks, is impressively large and sprawls across the museum’s first floor.  

Read it here. 

Andrei Trach at Bernice Kish

The Bernice Kish Gallery at Slayton House, 10400 Cross Fox Lane, Columbia, Maryland has announced a solo exhibit in the galleries for February and March 2015. Andrei Trach will exhibit his oil and wood work, titled “Relentless Spirit” in the Lobby and Bill White Room Galleries. The exhibit will run from February 19 – March 28, 2015. 

Andrei Trach, of Laurel, Maryland, has exhibited in solo and group shows throughout the region, including the Mill River Gallery in Ellicott City, the Morris Mechanic Theater, the Montpelier Arts Center in Laurel, the Howard County Center for the Arts and the Laurel Art Guild. Mr. Trach was also commissioned to build public sculptures for the City of Baltimore and the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission. He also has a permanent outdoor sculpture at Centennial Park in Hyattsville, titled “Vainglorious Bluebird”. Mr. Trach has received several awards for his work, including first place by the Laurel Art Guild’s Spring Show at Quiet Waters and an honorarium from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Division of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Division. 

There will be a reception on Sunday, February 22, 3-5pm. The public is invited to attend. Refreshments and music. For more information call 410-730-3987 or 301-596-4883. 

GALLERY HOURS:
Monday - Thursday 9:00am - 9pm
Friday 9:00pm - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 2pm
Sunday CLOSED 


The Bill White Room Gallery is also used for meetings and classes. Please call to check availability of viewing artwork in this gallery.

Local Visual Artists presented by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities

Contemporary Art by Local Visual Artists presented by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities

Exhibition features works by grantees of 2015 Artist Fellowship Program 

I STREET GALLERIES - 200 I (Eye) Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003

EXHIBITION: February 20 - March 27, 2015

IMPORTANT DATES:

Opening Reception: Friday, February 20, 2015, 6 PM - 8 PM

Gallery Hours: Open Monday-Friday, 9 AM - 6PM 

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) is proud to announce the 2015 Artist Fellowship Program (AFP) Exhibition. This exhibition presents some of the District's finest visual artists, who each were awarded a FY15 Artist Fellowship Program (AFP) grant from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. The exhibition and its programs are free and open to the public. 

The 24 AFP artists will each exhibit a small body of work that illuminates their unique artistic perspective. The collection of these artworks within the I Street Galleries underscores the importance of establishing the first District government-operated public gallery, and captures the broad scope of the dynamic, Washington, DC art scene. The gallery provides an opportunity for artists to share their work with the public on a daily basis, especially with those that may not visit museums or galleries regularly. While on display, the work will receive exposure from residents, art patrons and the press. Many works are available for purchase directly from the artists.

"Our grantees are integral to improving the quality of life in Washington, DC, and the Commission is pleased to support them," said Edmund C. Fleet, Chair of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. "Funding is vital, and our support allows these artists to produce quality art and programs for District residents and visitors." 

"Promoting excellence is a key part of our mission," said Lionell Thomas, Executive Director of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. "The AFP grant program and this exhibition are prime examples of how the Commission supports diverse artists and artistic disciplines."

The AFP offers grants of up to $10,000 to individual artists who make a significant contribution to the arts and who strive to promote the arts in the District of Columbia. 

Exhibiting Artists include: Sondra Arkin, Jessica Beels, Anne Bouie, Adam Davies, Anna U. Davis, Christopher Dolan, Nekisha Durrett, Mary Early, Cheryl Edwards, Rik Freeman, Rania Hassan, Ian Jehle, Timothy Johnson, Rachel Kerwin, Gediyon Kifle, Nate Lewis, Alex Mayer, Kathryn McDonnell, EJ Montgomery, Mike Osborne, Marta Perez Garcia, Carmen Torruella-Quander, Joyce Wellman and Martine Workman.

A Mother’s Love: A Eulogy for Jane Jaspersen Anderson

My mother-in-law Jane died last week and in the same month Anderson loses another grandparent...  A Eulogy for Jane Jaspersen Anderson (Nov. 23, 1934-January 27, 2015) was delivered by her daughter, my wife, Dr. Alida Anderson de Campello on February 2, 2015 at Saint John the Baptist Catholic Parish, Silver Spring, Maryland:

Jane Jaspersen Anderson was triumphant. Those who knew her witnessed her struggle and achieve over the hills and valleys of her mountainous 80 years. Those who knew our mother immediately recognized the characteristics that made her one-of-a-kind: compassion, empathy, intellect, fierce independence, devotion, kindness, and an unstoppable will. 

From the first decades of Jane’s life as the oldest child of four, she cared for her siblings and supported her working mother and father.  Jane was a task-master, as her brother Rick and sisters Lucy and Barbie can attest to. She had a deep and lively intellect and read voraciously from an early age, sneaking into her parents’ room to read the latest breaking reports such as Kinsey’s.

Jane was very gifted athletically and her father described her as a blur of constant movement, always in action. She excelled in field hockey,

swimming, basketball, tennis, and cycling. Jane had exceptional physical and intellectual gifts that often conflicted, as was recognized when her high school history teacher advised her to set her own intellectual goals rather than to adhere to the social conventions of the day. For a teenage girl in 1952, the dream of being an historian was probably unfathomable. However, Jane persisted. She went on to earn her PhD in History from Brown University and to become among the first women to do so.  

Jane dedicated her life to teaching and learning. She was intensely concerned with the struggles of others, and with the human condition. As an avid art lover, Jane immersed herself in the visual and performing arts, conceding that she always wanted to be a ballerina or performer.  Jane sang in the choir, played piano, and attended concerts and operas regularly. She identified with, and taught the life lessons of artists and the history surrounding their art making as a way to give testimony to the struggles they endured.  

Jane had a limitless well of compassion and empathy. She so strongly identified with the struggles of others, and created teachable moments at every opportunity for the good of others. Jane believed that we as a human race could learn from our history and from our past, to contribute to a more fair and just future. This yearning for social justice, combined with her appreciation of history, was part of her attraction to the Catholic Church, which she joined in 2002. 

Jane dedicated her life to teaching and learning. She spent 42 years teaching college students with passion and commitment.  Jane brought enthusiasm and a wealth of knowledge on all things historical and on her particular subjects of expertise such as the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and Ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman Histories.  Jane believed so strongly in the benefit of education and ensuring its access that she and our dad William Anderson established scholarship funds at Montgomery College in Rockville, MD, Widener University, in Chester, PA, and at Sidwell Friends School, in Washington, DC.  Jane was particularly nurturing and supportive of students whose routes to college were unconventional; those who may have been working full time, some with families, some arriving in the United States for the first time, and some who were giving education a second chance after a negative high school experience. She took extra special care and interest in nurturing her students, with the hope that they could see their potential and reach it, and that she could help them. 

Jane volunteered her time to help those in need in our community. 

The House of Ruth and Martha’s Table were just two of the organizations that she supported with her time and heart.  She was so compassionate that she would be moved to tears over the plight of total strangers that she heard about on the news.  Her compassion knew no boundaries and her spirit to help others was unfaltering. 

Jane never gave up. She was a dreamer and an idealist, and along with that spirit came the commitment and discipline of an unmatched heroine. She was hard-working and fastidious and raised her family with this same spirit.  

Our mom often referred to her child-rearing style as Spartan, and her four children were probably the only youngsters to understand this historical reference. To us it meant that there would be no candy in our house.  It also meant that our mom and dad would take us on long bike trips, such as our weekend rides along the tow-path, and more spectacularly up Cadillac Mountain in Maine.  Also, memorably in Maine, our mom fearlessly led us in a lake swim across Tunk Lake – all the while being dive-bombed by loons; and it took at least a half-hour to swim across that lake!  Our mom taught by example, and infused everyone around her with an energy and life force for what could be possible and attainable.  

Jane was an innovator way ahead of her time; she rode a bicycle to work at a time when it was rare to see anyone commuting in anything other than a car or a bus.  

Some might say that Jane’s spirit was timeless: both vulnerable and courageous, devoted and effervescent. Her thoughts and actions were outside of the box, and they were always grounded in her ideals and compassion for others.  And she accepted the inherent challenge of her ideals, and so many others, as she exceeded expectations and created new standards as a daughter, sister, scholar, teacher, wife, mother, grandmother…human being.  

Family meant everything to our mother, and she showed us at every opportunity that she was our biggest fan, and that she couldn’t be more proud of us.  When mom introduced us or talked about us to others, she beamed.  She was a doting and generous nana and adored her grandchildren.   

Most of all, our mom’s world revolved around our dad.  Our dad is, was, and always will be mom’s everything—her best friend, confidant, and soulmate.  Their nearly 55-year marriage is an incredible example of a love that spans a lifetime and lasts for eternity.  Our mom loved our father will all of her heart and being. 

Jane was a dreamer, and she found ways to celebrate life through her sheer exuberance and unbridled enthusiasm for a beautiful painting, a classic opera, or with the seemingly ordinariness of each year’s Christmas tree creation. She shined so brightly in her thought and appreciation for others, knowing that her words and actions could lift others to their own greatness.  

Jane never gave up. She found greatness in others and in herself through her devotion and love for her family, and through her relationship with God. No matter how much physical or psychological pain life brought to Jane over her lifetime, she never gave up. She persisted and triumphed.  

In Jane’s last hours of life, as we perceived her to be slipping away from us, she was working to ensure that her beloved husband, grandchildren, and children would be okay for her to leave. When we visited, she had a glimmer of a smile showing from underneath a tight oxygen mask and one eye that opened wide enough to make eye-contact and smile as her eyes could do. She held on throughout the morning hours to feel sure that she could leave, to be sure we would all be okay, and then to let go of life and to be free. That was truly a mother’s love, to once again and finally to place her own needs after those of her family. Jane has triumphed in body, mind, and spirit.