Chris Shea at Strathmore Opens Tonight

DMV artist Chris Shea is easily one of the great masters of the almost arcane art of metalworking...


His work is included in a new exhibition focusing on contemporary craft and design at Strathmore. Along with several pieces on loan from a major private collection, this will be the first public showing of his recent collaborative project with ceramic artist Sarah Nikitopolous

Interiors

Opening: Thursday, March 2
7pm - 9pm
THE MANSION AT STRATHMORE

10701 Rockville Pike

North Bethesda, MD 20852-3224

Amy Lin opens in NYC tonight!

The interesting story of my American flag

The American flag that I sometimes hang outside my house has a most interesting story. As you can see below, it is a gold-fringed flag, which we used to call "a Navy flag" back in the days, because of who knows why... when I was an Executive Officer at the Naval Security Group Activity Skaggs Island, California in the 1990s, I was told that it was because it represented the ability to execute/hold a Captain's Mast.

But I meander away from the history of this flag... my flag.

In 1983 I was the OZ Division Officer for USS Virginia (CGN-38), and the ship was assigned Naval Gunfire Fire Support (NGFS) patrol off the coast of Beirut, Lebanon, in support of the US Marines ashore in Beirut as part of the Multi-National Peacekeeping Force.

We would routinely fly ashore for meetings, etc., and one day I will scan and show you a description that I put on my journal (in pre-blog days) many years ago where I described one such meeting and the interesting event that happened, with 50 cal bullets flying all over the place. Below is a picture of me, ashore in Beirut with the USMC.

From HistoryNet:

At 6:22 on Sunday morning Oct. 23, 1983, a 19-ton yellow Mercedes stake-bed truck entered a public parking lot at the heart of Beirut International Airport. The lot was adjacent to the headquarters of the U.S. 8th Marine Regiment’s 1st Battalion, where some 350 American soldiers lay asleep in a four-story concrete aviation administration building that had been successively occupied by various combatants in the ongoing Lebanese Civil War. Battalion Landing Team 1/8 was the ground element of the 1,800-man 24th Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU), which had deployed to Lebanon a year earlier as part of a multinational peacekeeping force also comprising French, Italian and British troops. Its mission was to facilitate the withdrawal of foreign fighters from Lebanon and help restore the sovereignty of its government at a time when sectarian violence had riven the Mediterranean nation.

... Marine sentries initially paid little attention to the Mercedes truck. Heavy vehicles were a common sight at the airport, and in fact the BLT was expecting one that day with a water delivery. The truck circled the parking lot, then picked up speed as it traveled parallel to a line of concertina wire protecting the south end of the Marine compound. Suddenly, the vehicle veered left, plowed through the 5-foot-high wire barrier and rumbled between two guard posts.

By then it was obvious the driver of the truck—a bearded man with black hair—had hostile intentions, but there was no way to stop him. The Marines were operating under peacetime rules of engagement, and their weapons were not loaded. Lance Corporal Eddie DiFranco, manning the sentry post on the driver’s side of the truck, soon guessed the driver’s horrifying purpose. “He looked right at me…smiled, that’s it,” DiFranco later recalled. “Soon as I saw [the truck] over here, I knew what was going to happen.” By the time he managed to slap a magazine into his M16 and chamber a round, the truck had roared through an open vehicle gate, rumbled past a long steel pipe barrier, threaded between two other pipes and was closing on the BLT barracks.

Sergeant of the guard Stephen Russell was alone at his sandbag-and-plywood post at the front of the building but facing inside. Hearing a revving engine, he turned to see the Mercedes truck barreling straight toward him. He instinctively bolted through the lobby toward the building’s rear entrance, repeatedly yelling, “Hit the deck! Hit the deck!” It was futile gesture, given that nearly everyone was still asleep. As Russell dashed out the rear entrance, he looked over his shoulder and saw the truck slam through his post, smash through the entrance and come to a halt in the midst of the lobby. After an ominous pause of a second or two, the truck erupted in a massive explosion—so powerful that it lifted the building in the air, shearing off its steel-reinforced concrete support columns (each 15 feet in circumference) and collapsing the structure. Crushed to death within the resulting mountain of rubble were 241 U.S. military personnel—220 Marines, 18 Navy sailors and three Army soldiers. More than 100 others were injured. It was worst single-day death toll for the Marines since the World War II Battle of Iwo Jima.

Aboard USS Virginia, the ship's crew went into action, and within minutes our helo was airborne, carrying our ship's doctor and his Navy corpsmen to help with the wounded Marines. Minutes later the helo came back, looking for people and equipment to help assist with digging out the people from the collapsed building. Because my division was the only one that had an Arabic linguist, they came to us to see if he (Sgt. Bobby Jack Irvin, an amazing linguist and as far as I know the only Marine ever to qualify for the Enlisted Surface Warfare pin) could go ashore to help facilitate our doctor's mission, as he had radio'd that several Lebanese doctors had already come up to help him, and he might need language help.


Irvin and I had been ashore the day before (that's him in the photo a few paragraphs above - Irvin is to my left and to my right is Warrant Officer Carnes), but because of our shipboard mission, I felt that he could really help more by staying on the ship and doing what he did best.

Later on, they asked for volunteers to help ashore, and together with some other crew members, we headed to Beirut - other than Irvin, I was the only person on the ship who routinely flew back and forth between Beirut and the ship, and thus I wanted to ensure that I was part of the volunteer crew.
When we arrived at the airport, it was essentially controlled chaos, and dozens of bodies were already being tended to, and our ship's helo - along with others - began taking the wounded to a hospital in Sidon. There were also plenty of black body bags already filled.

With our doctor frenetically working to triage the wounded Marines, and since most Lebanese doctors actually spoke English, after donating blood, I left the medical area and began to help with the digging operations.

This story is not about that part, which was brutal and heart-breaking. This story is about the flag that I found in the rubble.

My American flag.

At the time, it seemed like a natural thing to "rescue" it from the rubble. I brought it back to the ship, where it flew often, as our mission shifted from routine patrol to Naval Gunfire Support (NGFS). When I left the ship, it was given to me, along with a ship's plaque. When I retired from the Navy two decades ago, I used it as my retirement flag and it was presented to me again, after flying over the Capitol - I never put it in a shadow box, as is the custom, but kept it flying every once in a while, as a flag deserves to do.
Last Saturday, when I hung it outside, it dawned on me that the history of this flag should merit some notice, and thus now I'm going to reach out to the Navy and/or the USMC to see if they are interested in receiving it back.

Time to apply for the Trawick Prize!

It’s time to apply to the 2017 Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards!


Entries are due 4/7/17

Application: https://bethesdaarts.submittable.com/submit 

 

The jury will select up to 10 finalists for a group exhibition in Bethesda in September 2017. The Best in Show winner will receive $10,000.

 

Applicants must be 18 years of age or older and permanent, full-time residents of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. All original 2-D and 3-D fine art including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, fiber art, digital, mixed media and video will be accepted.

The Art of Legacy Exhibit

The Art of Legacy Exhibit, in the historic former space of the Georgetown Theater 1351 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC.


Sponsored by Marsha Ralls Founder & CEO of Closed Monday Productions LLC along with architect Robert Bell.


Cocktail reception Thursday, March 9 from 6 and 8 PM. Hours are 12 noon until 5 PM or by appointment March 9th- March 19, 2017.
See https://www.facebook.com/events/1050411408417740/ for more info.

How do you mend a broken heart by Barbara Januszkiewicz -Acrylic on metal panel with resin, 42x44

Closed Monday Productions LLC presents the Art of Legacy exhibition at the newly renovated Old Georgetown Theater, a former silent movie house from the 1900s.The exhibition features Washington DC artists, John Blee, Barbara Januszkiewicz, Anne Marchard, and photographers Tom Wolff, Marissa White and Matt Leedham. 

The Pop up exhibition will be on view from March 9-19, 2017. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, March 9, 2017, from 6-8 pm at the newly renovated space located at 1351 Wisconsin Avenue NW in Washington DC, Georgetown.

“I’m delighted to welcome spring with these iconic DC artists and photographers, and share their work in this historic space that has been lovingly restored,” says Martha Ralls, “It’s a perfect meeting of historic DC with artists whose work reflects the very nature of the city.” Ralls, the curator and CEO of Closed Monday Productions, worked closely with architect Richard Bell to create a showcase for some of her favorite artists.

Closed Monday Productions LLC was established in 2014 as a private art dealership. CEO Marsha Ralls was the former owner of the Ralls Collection Inc. an art advisory group that expanded in 1991 with the opening of a gallery bearing the same name. The gallery specialized in contemporary painting, photography, prints, and sculpture.

39 years of Zenith Gallery!

 ZENITH GALLERY

39 Years: Rejuvenate with Art, Accent on the Positive, Let’s Celebrate!

March 17 – April 29, 2017  

1429 Iris St., NW, Washington, DC 20012

Opening Receptions to meet the Artists:

Friday March 17^th 4-8pm, Saturday March 18, 2-6  

&
Closing Reception: Saturday April 29, 2-5 pm

Featuring: Kim Abraham, Jan Paul Acton, Doba Afolabi, Mason Archie, David Bacharach,   Andrea Barnes, Bert Beirne, Caroline Benchetrit, Harmon Biddle, Binder, Francesca Britton, James Butler, Lenny Campello, Eric Elhenberger, Katie Dell-Kaufman, Renee DuRocher, Elissa Farrow-Savos, Richard Fitzhugh, Robert Freeman, Carol Gellner-Levin, Cassandra Gillens, Julie & Ken Girardini, Margery Goldberg, Carolyn Goodridge, Stephen Hansen, Len Harris, Chris Hayman, Philip Hazard, Tony Henson, Frank Holmes, Marcie Wolf & David Hubbard, Hubert Jackson, Robert Jackson, Gloria Kirk, Joan Konkel, Michael Madzo, Chris Malone, Paul Martin Wolff, Donna McCullough, Hadrian Mendoza, Davis Morton, Carol Newmyer, Ibou N’Daiye, Tom Noll, Keith Norval,  Katharine Owens, Larry Ringgold, Preston Sampson, Gavin Sewell, Sica, Ellen Sinel, Bradley Stevens,  Jennifer Wagner,  Curtis Woody, Joyce Zipperer and many more!

For almost 4 decades Zenith Gallery has been a pillar in the DC arts community. We attribute our success to our ability to transform with the ever-changing times by combining our longstanding commitment to unique artworks with our personalized, high quality customer service.  Commitment to celebrating the creative spirit of our artists is the core value at the heart of Zenith Gallery. As Owner and celebrated artist, Margery Goldberg, is fond of saying, “With billions of people on the planet, for someone to come up with an original idea and execute it in an original way is what has kept me in business all these years.”

Starting in its humble Rhode Island Avenue location, Ms. Goldberg established one of DC’s first artist studio complexes, expanding from her woodworking shop and expanding to painters, sculptors, and artists who work in the widest variety of medium, along with The Dance Exchange and Studio Theater. All this lead to the 14^th St. Arts Corridor.  The gallery then moved to 7^th Street helping turn downtown into the newest art district in Washington back in the mid 80” s.  Our present-day location in Shepherd Park, which has been featured on WRC/NBC news Fox, News Channel 8, Washington Post, and many more continues to pay homage to well-known and emerging DC artists, as well as artists from far reaching corners of country and globe.  Zenith’s vast and unique collection and layout gives our visitors a more comprehensive idea of the scope of our mission, rather than the traditional white walls galleries giving both the Gallery experience in our onsight gallery and the feeling of a salon gallery throughout the home. This also includes two sculpture gardens front and rear, one in a down emptied swimming pool.   

The gallery’s collection ranges in size from monumental sculpture to one-of-a-kind pieces works. Paintings, sculpture, fine crafts, mixed media has also helped cement our reputation. Whether you are new to collecting art or a long-time buyer, we are sure to inspire the art lover you. We can confidently say that our collection is unlike anything you have seen before!

Zenith Gallery est. 1978

Celebrating 39 Years in the Nation’s Capital 

1429 Iris St., NW, Washington DC 20012-1409 

202-783-2963

www.zenithgallery.com 

 art@zenithgallery.com

Artomatic registration opens today!

It is with great excitement that I am honored to announce that Artomatic 2017 Registration is opening today, Sunday February 26, at 8:00 p.m. So get ready and get prepared to take part in one of the most anticipated arts event in town! 

All you have to do is go to their website at artomatic.org beginning 8:00 p.m. Sunday and you can follow the prompts guiding you through the registration process. 

The site selection process for visual artists will begin on March 4th based on the registration sign up order. The fee for visual artist is $140.00. Performing arts and film fees range from $15 to $25.

Remember, EVERYONE is welcome to join AOM. Visual artists, sculptors, musicians, dancers, filmmakers, poets, flame eaters - no matter what the discipline of creative arts you are passionate about, they have a space for you at Artomatic. 

So don't wait, tell everyone, spread the news and make sure you are standing by to sign up for an exhilarating Artomatic 2017 event.

There is easy access to Artomatic with the Crystal City METRO Station, Yellow and Blue lines, as well as plenty of parking and bus stops nearby.

LOCATION:

1800 South Bell St

Arlington,VA

Opportunity for Portrait Artists

19TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL PORTRAIT COMPETITION

The International Portrait Competition showcases the finest in portraiture and figurative art today. The competition is open to all artists and the top twenty finalists are required to exhibit their original artwork and be present at The Art of the Portrait conference in Atlanta, GA, April 20-23, 2017.

Over $102,500 in cash and prizes will be awarded. Entry fee of $45 covers up to 3 submissions. Entry Fee. Details: 850-878-9996 OR http://bitly.com/2jkmQl6 OR info@portraitsociety.org

Amy Lin: Two solos in one month!

Constant readers know that I love to highlight hardworking artists and hardworking gallerists who are always busting their butts to move forward...

 

DMV blue chip artist Amy Lin is one such artist and we're sponsoring her for a solo booth at SCOPE New York this coming March 2-5... As if that wasn't enough of a challenge, Lin also has a solo show opening in Georgetown's iconic Addison/Ripley Fine Art March 11 through April 15th!

 

New York City:

SCOPE Art Fair, March 2-5, Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St., New York, NY

Alida Anderson Art Projects is exhibiting Amy's art in a solo booth (#045) at SCOPE Art Fair next week.

Info about the fair:  https://scope-art.com/shows/new-york-2017/show-info/

Images of Amy's work:  http://www.amylinart.com/Dreamworlds20/Dreamworlds20_port.html

Washington, DC:

Addison/Ripley Fine Art, March 11-April 15, 1670 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC. Amy's solo show “Baby Thoughts” is inspired by her adorable baby (of course!) and there will be two events in the gallery:

- The opening reception is on Saturday, March 11 from 5-7pm.

- A Conversation with Dr. Anne Collins Goodyear, Co-director of the Bowdoin Museum, will be on Saturday, March 18 at 11am.

Alper Initiative Call for Washington Artists!

This summer, the Alper Initiative for Washington Art at the American University Museum will host their first exhibition featuring Washington, DC area artists who have submitted their work to the Initiative’s online database.

The deadline for submitting is March 1, 2017, and is open to all Washington area artists. 

Please see their website for details and submission guidelines

Opportunity for Printmakers

Wanna go to an opening in B'more?

Art Scam Alert!

Beware of this asswipe trying to rip off artists:

From: erin winam (erinwinam@gmail.com)

 Hello, How are you doing today? I would like to purchase something nice for my wife as our wedding anniversary approaches, please kindly forward the artworks you have available for purchase within this price range ($350-$600).Thank you

This is how the scam works and how to protect yourself... 

Opportunity for Artists

Submission Deadline: March 13, 2017


Each year, Arlington Arts Center selects approximately 14 artists from across the Mid-Atlantic region for solo exhibitions in AAC’s seven separate gallery spaces or outside on the grounds. Proposals that specifically consider AAC’s space, layout, and surrounding environs are encouraged. Floor plans are available on our website.

This year's jurors will include: Kate Haw, Director of the Smithsonian Institution's Archives of American Art, and Mika Yoshitake, Assistant Curator at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

Who Can Apply: Artists who produce cutting-edge contemporary art in any and all media, and who live or work in Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware, or Pennsylvania may submit exhibition proposals. Any existing works must have been completed within the last 3 years in order to be considered.

Fall SOLOS will open October 14 and run through December 17, 2017. Spring SOLOS will open April 14 and run through June 3, 2018.

AAC info: https://arlingtonartscenter.org/
Apply here: https://form.jotform.com/70255400386148

A great free idea to the WaPo!

The internets are already having all kinds of fun with the Washington Post's new masthead slogan which made its debut tonight in the WaPo's website...

There are already all kinds of theories, opinions and thoughts, ranging from the numerologists' views of "three D's", to loads of funny memes, to another anti-Trumpian effort by the newspaper once dubbed Pradva on the Potomac during the halcyon days of Communism.

However, my good bud and Cuban-American peeps Jeff, who owns the WaPo, tells me that the new slogan is something that iconic reporter Bob Woodward apparently says all the time... cough, cough...

Regardless, in my highly informed and immensely brilliant opinion, the whole thing looks (notice I said "looks") a little kitschy to me... in fact a bit fortune cookie type.

Therein lies the brilliance of what can happen next! And here's my suggestion to the WaPo, intelligently inspired by my fortune cookie analogy: Change the slogan every day!

Then it would really be like a fortune cookie, but because it comes from the WaPo, it would be more serious... cough, cough.

Furthermore, there are no coincidences, and Donald Lau, America's top fortune cookie writer, has just retired after 30 years of fortune cookie writing!

WaPo!

Do not waste this opportunity! Contact Mr. Lau immediately, and entice him with a nice salary to un-retire and come write new slogans for the WaPo! If he declines, make him a one-year offer that he can't refuse, with a mentoring clause, so that he can mentor and train a couple of young, enterprising new slogan writers.

We want Lau! We want Lau! We want Lau!


#wewantlau

Art Scam Alert!

Ignore this mutant trying to rip off artists:

Van: Sally Riding [riding_sally@yahoo.com]

Onderwerp: artgallery

Greetings! My name is Rise dully from United Kingdom. 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 purchase some of your artwork available at range of €100 to €5,000 can you list some of the items available now? and ready for sale as a surprise to my wife on our anniversary. Also, my method of payment is by Bank Check as mode of Payment. Thanks and best regards.

This is how the scam works and how to protect yourself... 

Vote

Vote for your favorite Traffic Box Art Wraps! Select up to 5!

What are Traffic Box Art Wraps, you ask???

Program Description

The Hyattsville Community Development Corporation had released a Call for Artists’ designs to transform select traffic signal cabinets in Prince George’s County into public artworks representative of community identity and character.  Traffic signal cabinets – the grey metal structures located at every signalized intersection – are vulnerable to graffiti and vandalism.  This project will utilize a public art application to address community blight and enhance the visual landscape.  Artist designs will be printed on vinyl and wrapped around 11 traffic box cabinets in Prince George’s County, focusing on boxes located in the county’s T.N.I. (Transforming Neighborhoods Initiative) communities  This project is made possible through funding from the Prince George’s County Executive Community Partnership Grant and the support of Prince George’s Department of Public Works & Transportation.

A 2004 friend

I always wonder how artwork travels around - I think that this proof sold in New York City around 2006... and then yesterday I get this email:

Dear Mr. Campello. I was fortunate to find one of your prints at an
estate sale here in Florida. I really like the print and was wondering
what the numbers on the back mean. Would you be so kind as to explain
them to me. It would be appreciated. As you can tell, I am a novice at
this and am trying to learn. I have attached a photos of the front and
back of the print. Thank you so much for any information you can
provide me.

R.G.
Trinity, Florida.

Wanna go to a DC Opening Tonight?

Long View Gallery’s newest exhibition, “Refresh VII,” features new work by some of the gallery’s favorites including Mike Weber, Ryan McCoy, Cheryl Wassenaar, Lori Katz, Colin Winterbottom and J. Jordan Bruns. In addition, the gallery will be premiering pieces by Baltimore artists Jessie and Katey.

Long View Gallery

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

Happy Anniversary to Artists & Makers Studios!

Artists & Makers Studios on Parklawn Drive and Wilkins Avenue in Rockville are proud to mark the organization’s second anniversary and the grand opening of the second location with  “at 2(two)” featuring the artwork of more than 120 resident artists in the galleries and studios of both studio centers. A four gallery exhibit will open for First Friday festivities between 6pm and 9pm on March 3rd, and will be followed by an Open Studio weekend on March 4^th and 5^th between 10am and 4pm also at both locations.

 

“at 2(two)”
A Grand Second Anniversary Celebration

Opening Reception

6:00 PM – 9:00 PM, Friday, March 3rd, 2017

Artists & Makers Studios 1

11810 Parklawn Dr., Suite 210

Rockville, MD 20852
and
Artists & Makers Studios 2
12276/12280 Wilkins Avenue
Rockville, MD 20852

 Have a glass of champagne at A&M1 and tour the 3 main galleries and studios on Parklawn Drive in Rockville. Additionally A&M2 is proud to present more resident artists in the main gallery and studios, as well as mini-solo exhibits in the New Masters Gallery with Ken Bachman, Sara Bardin, Mary Morris, and Lis Zadravec. Also on view “Visualizations” with the Montgomery County Camera Club at Artists & Makers Studios 2, on Wilkins Avenue in Rockville, just 9/10’s of a mile from the flagship location.

These exhibits at both locations open Friday, March 3rd, and continue through Wednesday, March 29th, 2017.  Viewing hours are 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Tuesday-Saturday, and Sundays/Mondays by chance or appointment.

 

Artists & Makers Studios on Parklawn Drive in Rockville, established in October 2014 by artist and arts community builder Judith HeartSong, is a 13,000 sq. ft. facility is home to 68 resident artists. Newly opened Artists & Makers Studios 2 on Wilkins Avenue in Rockville is a 23,000 sq. ft. facility with 42 resident artists and more to come. A&M Studios is dedicated to providing a supportive and vibrant environment for artists to realize their creative goals - through studio practice, collaboration, education, opportunities, networking and connecting with the community beyond our doors. 

Artists & Makers Studios

11810 Parklawn Drive

Suite 210

Rockville, MD 20852

Artists & Makers Studios 212276 and 12280 Wilkins Avenue
Rockville, MD 20852

O - (240)437-9573

M - (240)481-5034

www.artistsandmakersstudios.com