Art as Politics at Touchstone Gallery

The front page headlines of The Washington Post have been splashed—artistically—across the walls of the Touchstone Gallery.  Art as Politics brings together 126 works from artists across the country in a free-ranging, juried exhibition that seems to touch on every vexing social issue confronting society today. 

Read the review  By Eric Hope in East City Art here.

More on the closure of Washington ArtWorks

“The resident artists at Washington ArtWorks were both surprised and dismayed to find out about the fiscal problems under the old management,” explained Jean Hirons, a painter from Rockville, “Neither the CEO, nor the board had ever indicated any of this to us. The immediate impact on the artists is that those who taught classes were not paid, and some paid their rentals in advance.”

Read it here.

Art Akwukwo Check Rip-Off Identified

This an oldie but goodie - this is when I had the time to screw around with rip off artists. The emails listed below are in the order in which they arrived to me. This is the classic art ripoff known as the Akwukwo check scam. As you all know, whenever I get one of these, I like to have fun with the thief.
See my previous encounter with Louie The Fish here. All misspellings and English and writing errors have been left as received:

From: stone.123@live.com
To: lennycampello@hotmail.com
Subject: INQUIRY ON YOUR ARTWORKS
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2008 06:55:45 -0600

Hello ,
My name is Stone Martins . I am 46 yr old American by birth, catholic by faith . It is my pleasure to have come across your beautiful Artworks while searching through Google. I am planning on presenting some Artworks for my Wife's Birthday which is coming up soon. She is an addict of Artworks and i want to present her one of your beautiful artworks as a surprise gift on her Birthday .

I want you to help me to choose from your Numerous Artworks the one that will really make a woman more than happy if presented with such Selection.

My prince range is $1,200.00USD - $1,500.00USD. I will really appreciate your effort in doing this and i want you to keep your good work up.

I will be glad if you can process my request in a timely manner . You can call me anytime on this number +447031838823 ..

Cheers,
Stone Martins.

Note the hesitant English for a Harvard man; and my response to him:

From: lennycampello@hotmail.com
To: stone.123@live.com
Subject: RE: INQUIRY ON YOUR ARTWORKS
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:35:40 +0000

Thank you for your note.

I am very choosy as to whom I allow to own my works, as I have a very long wait list for them. Can you tell me more about you and your family?

Thank you,

The Lenster...

Unfazed by my arrogance, Stone responds very quickly:

From: stone.123@live.com
To: lennycampello@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: INQUIRY ON YOUR ARTWORKS
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2008 07:03:12 -0600

Hello ,

Thank you for the email . I am a 60 year old University Don .. I retired from Harvard Business School and i have relocated to United Kingdom with my wife and we have only one son who is schooling abroad . My wife will be 50 years old come next month and i will like to present your beautiful artwork as a birthday gift . She loves Blue color . She also loves kids and shopping . We are happy family and fulfilled . I want you to get back to me and let me know the one you have chosen and it must be within my price range . I will make the arrnagment for the pick up once i have settled the payment ..

I want you to get back to me as soon as possible. Thank you

And so he has bitten and now I can have some fun with him:

From: lennycampello@hotmail.com
To: stonemartins1@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: INQUIRY ON YOUR ARTWORKS
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:46:51 +0000

Sounds like a very nice family, but I told you that I am choosy, so I need to know a few more details:

1. What other pieces of artwork do you own?

2. Who was your favorite faculty member at Harvard?

3. Who is your favorite artist?

4. Are you prepared to have me choose which piece of my art I will possibly allow to live in your house?

Let me know soonest.

The Lenster
PS - I will be raising my prices soon by the way - so hurry!

Nothing deters this guy, he responds within minutes:

From: stonemartins1@hotmail.com
To: lennycampello@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: INQUIRY ON YOUR ARTWORKS
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2008 10:22:35 -0500


Hello,

We have one Painting at the moment and the painting is more Abtsract . My favourite Artist is Don Moen . I was a consultant to Harvard on Contract , so i didn't have faculty member .. You can go ahead and choose for us .. Thank you and keep in touch

More demands from my part:

From: lennycampello@hotmail.com
To: stonemartins1@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: INQUIRY ON YOUR ARTWORKS
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:57:04 +0000

Sounds good...

It will take a least one week for me to concentrate and meditate on which work of art will align best with your wife on her birthday.

Here's what I need for you to do:

1. Get $1500 in cash - US Dollars, package it carefully and double bagged and FEDEX it to my art dealer. That will cover a work of art plus shipping and insurance to you.

2. Email me you shipping address and contact number.

3. Once I receive the cash I will send you the work.

4. Once you receive the work, you must take a photo of it once it is framed and send it to me, as I must approve of the framing.

The Lenster

He then gives the ripoff mechanism:

From: stonemartins1@hotmail.com
Sent: Thu 2/28/08 4:03 PM
To: F. Lennox Campello (lennycampello@hotmail.com)

Thank you for the quick email . I will like you to have the payment so that you can go ahead and start the work soonest .. I want you to open www.freequickwire.com and click on Request for Payment and enter the exact amount of $1,500 ... Email me once you have done this . Thank you.

And I send him back the conversation killer:

From: lennycampello@hotmail.com
Sent: Thu 2/28/08 4:07 PM
To: stone Martins (stonemartins1@hotmail.com)

No, no... using technology to receive payments for my work "dirties" the process and makes me anguish over the whole issue of selling my work. I would be unable to create if I had to do such things...

No, no... just send US dollars directly... even then I have to have someone open the FEDEX package and meditate over the whole transaction and commodification of my art before I finally decide to go through with it.

My art is more valuable than money.

Cash.

That was the last that I heard from Stone.

Be careful out there...

Washington Artworks files for bankruptcy

Steel set up shop at Washington Artworks, a non-profit photography school and art studio, in Rockville. 

According to a letter on the front door it just filed bankruptcy.
“I don't know where to go," Steel said sadly. 

Steel is not alone. Dozens of artists do business in the art studio.
"I could be out thousands of dollars," said Mariana Kastrinakis.

Read the story here.  You can also read a different report here.

Art Scam Alert!

Beware of this mutant!!!! Rip off! Also, everytime that I post one of these, I get a dozen emails from artists and gallerists asking me how the scam works - and the occasional sad one of an artist/dealer getting ripped off... See answer at bottom:

Subject:   artwork is needed From:   "John Scotfield" johnscotfield2004@gmail.com Date:   Tue, August 9, 2016 7:07 am

Greetings! My name is john Scotfield from SC. I actually observed my wife has been viewing your website on my laptop and i guess she likes your piece of work, I'm also impressed and amazed to have seen your various works too, : ) You are doing a great job. I would like to receive further information about your piece of work and what inspires you. I am very much interested in the purchase of the piece (in subject field above) to surprise my wife. Kindly confirm the availability for immediate sales. Thanks and best regards, john.

The scam works like this:

• They pay you with a Bank draft and/or an International Money Order/Postal Money Order... sometimes stolen credit card numbers - note I said the plural form
• Your bank accepts the deposit and even clears it 3 days later... then about a month later they get a note from the other bank, post office, whatever saying that they've discovered that the draft was a fake.
• Then your bank takes the money out of your account.
• Meanwhile, you've already shipped the artwork out (usually to a foreign country, to which - of course - they've offered to pay shipping; the most ambitious and "local" rip off mutants have you ship to a US address, and once you provide a tracking number, they "wait" for FEDEX or UPS and pretend to be the homeowner as soon as FEDEX drives up and sign for the pacakge - but these "local" mutants are rare - the vast majority has the work shipped overseas.

New Sith Lord

Refresh VI at Long View

Long View Gallery’s newest exhibition, “Refresh VI,” features new work by some of the gallery’s favorites including Sondra N. Arkin, Michelle Peterson-Albandoz, J. Jordan Bruns, Lori Katz, Georgia Nassikas, Curtis Speer, Eve Stockton and Robert Stuart. In addition, the gallery will be premiering pieces by two new artists, Matt Neiman and Darlene Charneco.




Opening Reception: Thursday, August 18th, 6:30 - 8:00pm
RSVP at the facebook event page

Show Dates: August 18 - September 18

            Long View Gallery

1234 Ninth St NW, Washington, DC 20001longviewgallerydc.com
info@longviewgallery.com | 202.232.4788facebook page

Must not join...

Help Ellicott City artists

On July 30, Ellicott City’s historic district was devastated by a flash flood. Many artists with studios and galleries in Ellicott City suffered substantial losses of artwork and studio space – severely impacting their ability to earn a living. To provide assistance, the Howard County Arts Council (HCAC) is establishing Re-create: Ellicott City Artist Relief Fund to aid these artists on their long road to recovery. The Arts Council will extend its current exhibit, Paint It! Ellicott City 2016, which showcases artwork created during the July 2016 plein air paint-out, through September 30, with a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this work donated to the fund. Several Paint It! artists have already generously agreed to donate 100% of their sales to help the relief effort.

 

The Arts Council is also accepting individual donations and is actively seeking a funding partner to match all donations to Re-create. Eligible individual artists and nonprofit arts organizations will be able to apply for emergency funding to help re-establish their capacity to live and work. Funding guidelines and applications will be available soon.

 

How can you help E.C. artists on the road to recovery?

• Visit the Howard County Center for the Arts to see our Paint It! Ellicott City show and check out the artwork available for purchase
• Donate to Re-create: Ellicott City Artist Relief Fund on the Support the Arts page at hocoarts.org (please include Re-create: EC Artist Relief Fund in the purpose section)
• Join HCAC on September 16^th from 6 – 8pm for its Annual Meeting & Grant Awards reception
• Attend the closing reception for Paint It! on September 30^th from 6 – 9pm for a great opportunity to reconnect with local artists and arts organizations and make a contribution to Re-create.

HCAC will also invite local galleries to set up pop-up shops during the reception on September 30 to benefit the fund.

Howard County Arts Council

8510 High Ridge Road
Ellicott City, MD 21043
p: 410.313.ARTS
f: 410.313.2790

hocoarts.org

The S&R Washington Award

Deadline: October 15, 2016

The S&R Washington Award recognizes talented artists working in a broad range of disciplines including painting, photography, sculpture, music, dance, dramatic arts, film, digital, and interdisciplinary arts.

Winners receive a cash prize of $5,000 to support their career development. 
An additional $5,000 may be awarded to a Grand Prize-winning artist of outstanding ability.

Award winners become part of the S&R Foundation network of artists, scientists, and social entrepreneurs. Award winners are eligible for performances or exhibitions supported by S&R Foundation.

The application period is open from now until October 15, 2016.

Winners will be announced at the end of January 2017. 

To learn more and apply online visit http://sandrfoundation.org/programs/washington-award

Contact Molly Turner at artsprogram@sandr.org with any questions.

#Blacklivesmatter ???

Black boys heading to the beach are interrogated by police and forced to prove they have fare for the ride home..

Read the dark side of the Rio Olympics and the disturbing reality of Latin American racism here. Puts our American issues on a whole different perspective... doesn't it?

It is ironic that the Olympic opening ceremonies seemed to focus on Brazil's significant African heritage, while at the same time black Brazilians are being kept away from the beaches, from the tourists, and from the games... and in May alone 84 of them were killed by the police.

Do you know what the silence means?

Abysmal cultural ignorance (North of the border) of what it means to be black in Latin America.

Carol Highsmith Sues Getty for $1 Billion But Can She Win?

If you are a member of the art community, you have probably heard about famed photographer Carol M. Highsmith suing Getty Images for $1 billion dollars. The internet exploded with comments and reactions from Getty supporters (“$1 billion? . . . this woman must be out of her mind!”) to the growing number of those angry with Getty aggressive copyright infringement tactics (“It’s about time Getty gets what’s coming to them.”).  In either case, both camps agree on one thing; $1 billion is an astounding number for a copyright claim. But, is it really crazy? Does Highsmith have a real claim worth that kind of money? Does Highsmith have a case? 

Read the whole article in Art Law Journal here. 

Tune in to Rosetta

Please tune-in to hear DMV artist Rosetta DeBerardinis' interview with Brooke Musterman on the podcast “http://letstalkartwithbrooke.com” on Wednesday, August 17th @3pm.

Heading to this opening tonite

Tonight: Opening reception for three exhibitions in one place at Artists & Makers Studios!

DMV area artist and epic model Fierce Sonia, and my Cuban-American peeps, the painter-printmaker Ric Garcia have a show titled “Power: Words and Deeds” which "examines gender, power, struggle, whimsy and heroism" - I'm heading there tonight for the opening.

At the same time, if you join me, we can all check out also Teresa Jarzynski’s “Head in the Clouds: The Landscape of My Imagination.” She explores landscapes with a focus on clouds - cloudscapes!

And we can also enjoy Mark Howe’s “Elemental Perspectives: Visions in Gold”, which is work inspired by Rothko and Klimt.

Reception tonight 6-9 p.m. Exhibition on display through Aug. 25.

Artists & Makers Studios
Suite 210
11810 Parklawn Dr.
Rockville, Soviet Republic of Maryland
240-437-9573.
www.artistsandmakersstudios.com
Free.

Call for Entry: MAP’s 35th ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION

Application Deadline: August 27, 2016 @ 4pm

Maryland Art Place (MAP) is now accepting applications for it’s 35 Year Anniversary Show, opening October 6, 2016. Each year, MAP serves over 400 artists through exhibition opportunities in its gallery.  To celebrate 35 years, MAP is going back to its roots.  This exhibition will feature contemporary artists that have exhibited with MAP throughout the organization’s history.

Have you ever exhibited with MAP? This call to exhibit is open to all artists that have shown work at Maryland Art Place that are currently residing in the state of Maryland.  Artists must have exhibited work at MAP in any show from 1981 - 2016.  All MAP exhibitors from 1981 - 2016 are encouraged to apply, including artists from exhibitions such as Out of Order, Young Blood, UNDER 500, IMPACT, IMPRINT and any juried or solo exhibitions.To view the full prospectus, click here!


GENERAL TIMELINE

• Call to Artists: August 4, 2016
• Application Deadline: Saturday August 27, 2016 @ 4pm
• Announce selected artist/artist team: September 1, 2016
• Public Announcement: Released the week of September 1, 2016
• Artwork Drop-off: Saturday, September 24, 10 am - 4pm
• Installation: September 26 – October 4, 2016
• Opening Reception: Thursday, October 6
• Open House: Saturday, October 15, noon – 4pm
• Exhibition Closing: Thursday, October 27
• Artwork Pick up: Saturday, October 29

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS (Required) NOTE: Proposals must be sent electronically & by 4pm August 27, 2016. Incomplete submissions WILL NOT be reviewed. Proposals must be received by 4pm, August 27, 2016. Only emailed applications will be accepted, please do not send CDs or hard copies of the application. Artists will be notified of their acceptance by September 1 | Fee: $10 to submit, free for MAP Members. *Please note that work should be appropriate for viewers of all ages.


1. ARTIST RESUMÉ & SHORT BIO, ARTIST STATEMENT
2. IMAGES - Please submit up to 10 images for this exhibition
3. IMAGE LIST - Include dimensions, media and year created (please be specific)


Questions? Contact Naomi Davidoff @ Naomi@mdartplace.org


Please send your proposal to assistant@mdartplace.org by 4pm, Saturday August 27, 2016.


The 35th YEAR ANNIVERSARY EXHBITION will run from October 6-27. An ‘Open House’ celebration of 35 years will be held on Saturday, October 15 from noon - 4pm with a reception for Donors in MAP’s Gallery at 5pm that same day. Please mark your calendars. All exhibiting artists are invited to the reception!

Asshole of the Week: Bolivia's National Museum of Ethnography and Folklore

When a museum is part of a "proud" exhibition that honors a murdering, racist dictator (who now holds the record for the longest living dictator on the planet), then that museum is not only an easy "Asshole of the Week" winner, but also an almost certain "Asshole of the Year" award and an early favorite for "Asshole of the Decade" award.

Read about these dictator-loving mutants here.

Juan Villanueva (representative of the Museum of Ethnography and Folklore), you should pray that the disaster that has consumed the unfortunate island of Cuba never visits your beautiful nation.

Raye Leith in “Blueprints”

The Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center will open a solo exhibit the works of artist Raye Leith in her show, Blueprints, on display in the Forum and Passage galleries from Friday, July 29 to Sunday, Sept. 11.

An artist’s reception is scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6.
Leith has been painting and drawing the human figure for five decades. She is fueled by a basic desire for connection and communication. Leith is an eclectic artist who also has experience in theatre design.

“In these drawings I call ‘Blueprints,’ I’ve interwoven larger-than-life portraits with miniature cityscapes and expansive landscapes,” Leith explained. “I’ve skewed the portraits to express a sense of gravitational disorientation, and I’ve juxtaposed them with soaring expanses and apocalyptic disasters. Minute detailing in the pocket spaces between human forms creates unexpected shifts of spatial perspective.”

Leith’s individual portraits that will be on display in the Passage Gallery are developed from her weekly model studies. “I do the drawings on Lanaquarelle 300lb paper using indigo- and ivory-colored NuPastels. I’ve favored these pastels for three years for the unique way the crystalline dust absorbs and refracts light to create an especially rich and deep blue,” she said. “For me this blue is soulful — spiritual and expansive. It also brings to mind an earlier age of architectural blueprints and cyanotype photography, two media with which I feel a kinship.”

The Forum Gallery is on the first level of the Schlesinger Center, and the Passage Gallery is on the second floor outside of the Margaret W. & Joseph L. Fisher Art Gallery. The galleries are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday and during events in the concert hall.

The Franz and Virginia Bader Fund

Deadline is September 15, 2016 (postmark date)


Call for grant applications. The Franz and Virginia Bader Fund invites grant applications from visual artists who are aged 40 years and over and who live within 150 miles of Washington, DC. Artists working in performance, video, and film are not eligible for Bader Fund grants.


To download an application form, visit the Bader Fund website. In 2015, the Bader Fund awarded nine grants totaling $135,000.


Details: 202-288-4608 or http://www.baderfund.org or grants@baderfund.org.

Pink a Cherry Blossom Fantasy

DMV artist Liliane Bloom is working on a joyous installation entitled "Pink a Cherry Blossom Fantasy" that is opening Dec 2nd in Rockville.

Check it out at the link

http://www.lilianeblom.com/pink-a-cherry-blossom-fantasy/

Art as Politics at Touchstone

Touchstone Gallery’s timely exhibition, Art as Politics, puts together something that is such a Washingtonian art genre: political art! Artists from across the nation who want their visual arts opinion to be heard along with the current two rather unlikable characters running in the 2016 election cycle.


"The fact that there is a lot riding on this election is the understatement of the century,” says juror and hard-working DC gallerist Jayme McLellan, “And the pressing--perhaps crushing--social problems plaguing the United States are brought to the forefront by the artists in this national juried exhibition at Touchstone called ART AS POLITICS. Gun violence, immigration, border walls, climate change, homelessness, racism, #BlackLivesMatter, rape, women’s rights, net neutrality, the psychology of candidates and elected leaders including Hillary, The Donald, Bernie, Obama, and more– it’s all in here.“ 


McLellan selected 127 works from the several hundred submitted. It’s an all media show including wall pieces, video installations and sculpture. Artwork for the exhibition will be traveling to D.C. from California, Texas, Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Maine, Ohio, Iowa and many other states.

“Art represents the time and epoch in which it was created,” McLellan continues, “and if artists are the antenna of the masses, this exhibition reveals much about our present moment.  It contains a broad swath of talent and reflects a collective social consciousness that is telling and sometimes hard to endure.  As a whole, the exhibition can produce anxiety, some is downright hard to look at, but there is also beauty in there, and hope.  The show paints a picture of what it means to be in this melting pot of America right now.  For better or worse, this is our shared reality.  And as art gatherings build community, it is our chance to dialogue together as we move into the future.”


Touchstone’s August exhibits include both Art as Politics in the main gallery and Touchstone Member’s Summer Sampler Summer Sampler works in the Annex gallery. At the Opening Reception on August 5, 6 - 8:30pm prizes will be awarded to three of the participating artists.


The artists selected by McLellan are:


MARY ELLEN (M'EL) ABRECHT, MICHAEL AUGER, BE/CAUSE - COLLABORATION BETWEEN ROSSANA JERAN AND MARTIN DIGGS,GINNY BAUGHMAN, RON BECKHAM, MARY BISHOP, STEPHEN BORKO, JILL BRANTLEY, KELLY BURKE, TAYLOR CALLERY, AUGUSTINE CHAVEZ, CHRISTOPHER CHINN, KATHRYN CIRINCIONE, JOHN H. CLARKE, MISTY M. COLE, K. M. COPHAM, JIM DESSICINO, EILEEN DOUGHTY, JULIA DZIKIEWICZ, JOHN FIGURA, MICHAEL FISCHERKELLER, CONSTANCE FLERES, FUENTES, RIC GARCIA, KEVIN GRASS, TRISHA GUPTA, AMANDA MARIE HARNER, KRISTEN VICTORIA HARNER, E. SHERMAN HAYMAN, DAN HILDT, ERIN HOFFMAN, MICHAEL PATRICK HOLT, LORRI HONEYCUTT, MARCUS HOWELL, ROBERT S. HUNTER, ED HUTCHINS, JINNY ISSEROW, JUDY JASHINSKY, R. JAY  JAY JOHNSON, TIMOTHY JOHNSON, ERIC JOHNSTON, GLEN KESSLER, SALOMON KHAMMI, HALLIE KROST, MICHAEL LANG, JEFF LASSAHN, AMANI LEWIS, ASHLEY LLANES, GEORGE LORIO, SHELLEY LOWENSTEIN, PATRICK A. LUBER, ROSEMARY LUCKETT, BONNIE MACALLISTER, CATHERINE C. MARTIN, PENNY MATEER, PETE MCCUTCHEN, IAN MCDERMOTT, MARLA MCLEAN, REBECCA MCNEELY, MIKE MCSORLEY, CHARLES MENDEZ, RAM - RASHAD ALI MUHAMMAD, DAVID NELSON, KASEY OBOYLE, MARY OTT, SANDI PARKER, GAIL PEAN, JAMES PENFIELD, JOHN PUNSALAN, MICHAEL RICHISON, FEDERICO A. RUIZ, CINDY SACKS, MEG SCHAAP, STEPHEN SCHIFF, JENNIFER L. SCHMIDT, DAVE SEILER, TOM SEMMES, ALI ONUR SENGUL, JANATHEL SHAW, ANNE H. SHIELDS, JAMES SHUMATE, JANOS SOMOGYI, MAUREEN SQUIRES, ANN STODDARD, BYRON TAYLOR, DORRI THYDEN, PATRICIA TURNER, SHAUN VAN STEYN, ANDRE VELOUX, RUBÉN ALEJANDRO LEBRÓN VILLEGAS, NAOMI VOGELS, CATHY WILKIN, CLARE WINSLOW, JENNY WU.


Touchstone Gallery

901 New York Ave NW

Washington, DC 20001

(202) 347-2787