Transformer turns 15!

In gallery years, 15 is like a 100! Congrats to Transformer!

Dear Friends of Transformer, 

This summer marks Transformer's 15th year as a unique conduit for emerging visual artists and contemporary art audiences!  

As announced recently in The Washington City Paper, we are celebrating the 'quinceañera' of our artist-driven mission to connect & promote emerging visual artists and experimental ideas with the introduction of several exciting projects, and the expansion of our innovative programming.  We are thrilled to share further details of these new initiatives with you here.

We invite you to celebrate these happenings and our 15 year anniversary with us this summer - at our 1404 P Street, NW project space, at the Hirshhorn, and at the beach in Asbury Park, NJ - and to further your support for Transformer as we continue to build distinctive partnerships and opportunities that propel emerging visual artists in their creative and professional development.

Transformer knows we could not do our important work advancing contemporary culture without YOU: our growing community of artists, collectors, donors, arts organizers, emerging contemporary art enthusiasts and friends.  THANK YOU for your continued support!  

We look forward to seeing you this summer!

Victoria Reis

Co-Founder, Executive & Artistic Director

victoria@transformerdc.org

Opportunity for Artists and Curators

Deadline: June 3, 2017


The New Art Center's Curatorial Opportunity Program (COP) supports independent curators of contemporary art by making diverse visions possible in a non-profit and alternative exhibition space. The program investigates contemporary culture through the visual arts, exhibits strong curatorial voices, and encourages the timely examination of new ideas and perspectives.

The New Art Center (NAC) are currently accepting curatorial proposals for 5- to 6-week group exhibitions from September 2018 – May 2019 at the New Art Center in Newton. We will only accept electronic submissions received before June 3, 2017.

Details here.

This Friday in Rockville: Start planning for this opening

Big Announcement!

I will be having my first solo show in the DMV in over 8 years! Mostly because lack of (a) time (new father again) and (b) creating work for the art fairs and (c) selling it there.

And it will be at an amazing space!!!!

The opening will be June 2nd from 6-9pm, and the exhibition runs through June 29th, and will be at the very hardworking Judith Heartsong's Artists and Makers Studios 2's main gallery (Room 217)!

Artists and Makers Studios 2
Main Gallery
12276 Wilkins Avenue
Rockville, MD 20852

Here are some the works that will be on display - See ya there Friday - RSVP here!

Frida Kahlo in a Cross of Clouds (Version II)
Charcoal, conte, mixed media on Unfired Bisque
9x7x3, circa 1980-2017

Frida Kahlo in a Cross of Clouds (Version I)
Charcoal, conte, mixed media on Unfired Bisque
7x7x3, circa 1980-2017

Mermaid (The Deep)
Charcoal, conte, mixed media on Unfired Bisque
7x4x3, circa 1997-2017
Pre-Sold - Soon in a private collection in Santee, CA

An Unmarried Woman
Charcoal, conte, mixed media on Unfired Bisque
9x4x3 inches, c.2017

Dancin Always Did the Trick
Charcoal, conte, mixed media on Unfired Bisque
3 x 2.5 inches, circa 2017

A Woman Falling from the Sky
Charcoal, conte, mixed media on Unfired Bisque
4.25 x 2 x 2 inches, circa 2017

Supergirl Flyng Naked
Charcoal, conte, mixed media on Unfired Bisque
1.75x 4.5 x 2 inches, circa 2017

Life was always a balancing act
Charcoal, conte, mixed media on Unfired Bisque
3 inches round x 1 inch,, circa 2017

Castrum Canis (Ernesto Guevara de La Serna Lynch)
Charcoal, conte,on Unfired Bisque
2.5x4x0.75 inches, 2017

La Frida
Charcoal, mixed media on Unfired Bisque
3.5 round x 4 inches, circa 1997-2017

Gym Rat
Charcoal and conte on Unfired Bisque
4.5 x 2,5 x 1 inches, circa 2017

Che Guevara (Castrum Canis)
Charcoal, conte, mixed media on Unfired Bisque
4.5x3.25 inches, circa 2017

Obama Laughing
Charcoal, conte, mixed media on Unfired Bisque
5x3 inches, circa 2017

Next Year in Jerusalem
Charcoal and conte on Unfired Bisque
5.5x4.5x3 inches, circa 2017

Obama The Day After
Charcoal, conte, mixed media on Unfired Bisque
1.25 x 2 inches, circa 2017

A Man Begging
Charcoal, conte,on Unfired Bisque
 3x3.5x2 inches, circa 2017

Suddenly, She Figured Out How to Break Her Chains
Charcoal, conte on Unfired Bisque
4x4.75x1 inches,  circa 2017

The Devil... After he came back from Georgia
Charcoal, conte on Unfired Bisque
5x6x2 inches,  circa 2017

Your Portrait in a Gallery of Portraits
Charcoal, conte, live video, still digital images
 12x36 inches, circa 2017

Channeling Jackson Pollock (A Campello Within a Pollock)
Oil on Gessoed Paper and Embedded Looped Video
 circa 2013

The Batman Brooding
Charcoal, Conte and Embedded Appropriated Looped Video
 circa 2013

Fallen Angels
Charcoal, Conte on Paper
 36x12 inches, circa 2014

Cuban by Ancestry, but American by the Grace of God
Charcoal, Conte and Embedded Video
18x24 inches, circa 2017

Woman Falling from the Sky
Charcoal, Conte on Paper
12x5 inches, circa 2014

T-Shirt God (The True Che)
Charcoal, Conte and Embedded Still Imagery
 circa 2012

Judith with the Head of Halofernes
Charcoal, Conte and Embedded Digital Imagery
 circa 2012

The Batman Brooding (Version II)
c. 2015, Charcoal on Paper, 12x36 inches

"Obama as Atlas"
Charcoal, circa 2006-2014 Framed to 20x16 inches (Updated Yearly)

"Spiderman Naked"
Charcoal on Paper
30x8, circa 2013

"Woman Bowing Down to Life"
Charcoal on Paper
16x5, circa 2013

And here are some installation shots:

The Planet is a Delicate Thing

The Planet is a Delicate Thing

Experimental Printmaking by ROSEMARY FEIT COVEY

 

Friday, June 16th - July 5th, 2017

 

OPENING DAY RECEPTION

Friday June 16th, 6pm-8pm

The artist will be in attendance.

ARTIST TALK
Saturday, June 24th, 2pm

ROSEMARY FEIT COVEY, Fish, 2017, 72"x60"
wood engraving & painting on canvas

EXHIBITION LOCATION

Morton Fine Art (MFA)

1781 Florida Ave NW (at 18th & U Streets)

Washington, DC 20009

HOURS

Tuesday - Saturday 11am - 6pm

Sunday 12pm-5pm

Wanna go to my solo show?

RSVP here!

Hanging day for my solo

Today was a typical hanging day.

I was hanging for my solo at Artists & Makers Studio 2 in Rockville: I broke a large piece of glass in one of the main pieces, dropped another frame and glass didn't break! But the frame did! Then a third piece, which been pre-sold, fell off the wall... it actually looks more interesting now.

This is the amazing space below:

Call for Proposals

Deadline: June 5, 2017.

1708 Gallery invites US-based and international artists and curators to submit proposals for the 2018 and 2019 exhibition seasons. Applying students must have graduated before their proposed exhibition dates. 1708 Gallery strongly encourages proposals for new or developing projects and bodies of work. In addition to proposals for exhibitions in the 1708 Gallery space, public works and other non-gallery based projects will be considered. Selected proposals will be given an exhibition period of approximately six weeks, a $1000 honorarium, and shipping, travel, installation and exhibition support. 1708 Gallery is committed to providing opportunity and space for experimentation, freedom and artistic growth, while promoting understanding and appreciation of contemporary art. We also support artists’ professional development through creation and facilitation of public or educational programming; interaction with collectors; and engagement with diverse audiences.

Application Fee: $20.

Please contact 1708 Gallery Coordinator Erin Willett with any questions at ewillett@1708gallery.org or 804.643.1708. For more information visit www.1708gallery.org.

To submit a proposal visit https://fs2.formsite.com/1708gallery/form18/index.html

Call for artists

Deadline: June 7, 2017.


Create/Change is an all-media, juried exhibition that will feature work that examines the idea of artist/s as citizens. Artists who, through their work, reimagine the traditional notions of art-making, and who contribute to society either through the transformative power of their artistic abilities, or through proactive social engagement with the arts, advancing equity, empathy, sustainability, and social justice through art and culture. This exhibition is open to all artists living and working in the United States.


To apply visit, https://hillyerartspace.submittable.com/submit/85510/create-change

Art Scam Alert!

Ignore this asswipe mutant Anthony Handy (sgthandybarbara515@gmail.com)... just the old art rip off scheme...

Washington Women's Art Center

Were you a member of the Washington Women's Art Center or know someone that was?

In the summer of 2018, the Alper Initiative will have two juried exhibits that will honor the Washington Women’s Arts Center, the feminist arts organization in the DC metropolitan area in the 1970s - 80s.

They are soliciting work from former members and exhibitors of the WWAC!

 

1)      The first exhibition in the Alper Initiative space will feature work made between 1975 and 1985 to provide a historic context for the WWAC. It will be accompanied by a catalogue.

2)     The second exhibition will feature current work by artists who were former members and exhibitors of the WWAC between 1975 and 1985.

Please visit this website for more information on the exhibitions and the submission process.

 
Because not all submissions will be selected by the juror for physical display at the museum, the museum plans to include a slide show identifying all former members.  Therefore, all former members are encouraged to send a high resolution headshot and image of their work (300 DPI), as well as a short quote about what the WWAC meant to them for inclusion in the slideshow to aiwa@american.edu.

So, please begin gathering your materials and share this information!


Remember to join their WWAC Facebook page, Memories of the Washington Women’s Arts Center.
 

Contact Judith Benderson, former WWAC board member and Managing Director (1983-1985) at judypainter@comcast.net, or aiwa@american.edu with any questions.

How Collectors Use Instagram to Buy Art

According to a recent survey of collectors on Instagram, an incredible 51.5% have purchased works from artists they originally discovered through Instagram. More importantly, this discovery led to an average of 5 purchased works by artists originally found on the app! Although respondents are all active on Instagram, and nearly half have collections of 100+ works, these are significant findings. Collector and social media expert Karen Robinovitz (@karenrobinovitz) commented, “Collecting art is an addiction and Instagram is the dealer and pusher that enables it.” 

Is Facebook’s image sharing platform (valued at $35 billion) the next big sales channel for fine art?

Read the fascinating article by Elena Soboleva here.

He bet his fiddle of gold...

"The Devil... after he came back from Georgia"
Charcoal, conte on unfired Bisque
5x6x3 inches, c. 2017

This piece will be at my forthcoming show "The Obsessions of F. Lennox Campello" which opens June 2nd at Artists and Makers Studios in Rockville and located at 12276 Wilkins Avenue in Rockville - reception is from 6-9PM.


It is inspired by Charlie Daniels' "The Devil Went Down to Georgia."

The Devil went down to Georgia,
He was looking for a soul to steal
He was in a bind, 'cause he was way behind,
He was willing to make a deal
When he came across this young man
Sawing on a fiddle and playing it hot
And the Devil jumped up on a hickory stump and said,
"Boy let me tell you what:
I guess you didn´t know it, but I'm a fiddle player too,
And if you'd care to take a dare,
I'll make a bet with you
Now you play a pretty good fiddle,
Boy, but give the Devil his due
I bet a fiddle of gold against your soul
'Cause I think I'm better than you"
The boy said, "My name's Johnny and it might be a sin,
But I'll take your bet, you're gonna regret,
'Cause I'm the best there's ever been"
Johnny, rosin up your bow and play your fiddle hard,
'Cause hell's broke loose in Georgia and the Devil deals the cards
And if you win you'll get this shiny fiddle made of gold,
But if you lose, the Devil gets your soul!
The Devil opened up his case and he said, "I'll start this show"
And fire blew from his fingertips as he rosined up his bow
And he pulled the bow across the strings and it made an evil hiss
Then a band of demons joined in,
And it sounded something like this
When the Devil finished, Johnny said,
"Well you're pretty good old son
But sit down in that chair right there
And let me show you how it's done!"
Fire on the Mountain, run, boys, run
The Devil´s in the house of the rising sun
Chicken in the bread pan a picking out dough,
Granny does your dog bite, "No, child, no"
The Devil bowed his head because he knew that he'd been beat
And he laid that golden fiddle on the ground at Johnny´s feet
Johnny said, "Devil, just come on back
If you ever want to try again,
I done told you once, you son of a bitch,
I'm the best there´s ever been"
He played,
Fire on the Mountain, run, boys, run
The Devil's in the house of the rising sun
Chicken in the breadpan a picking out dough,
Granny will your dog bite, "No, child, no"

Gallery B call for applications

The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District and Bethesda Urban Partnership are accepting applications for a Gallery B November 2017 exhibition! The exhibition will run from November 8 - December 2.

Gallery B, located at 7700 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda, is a non-profit art space managed by the Bethesda Urban Partnership and the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District.

We heavily market Gallery B through press releases to local media, weekly emails to our listserv of 10,000 contacts, listings in our bi-monthly Events Calendar to 30,000 households, numerous social media posts, advertisements, postcards, and more. Although we ask for a rental fee ($300-$400 per person, depending on how many artists are in the group), the gallery does not take a commission on any work that is sold. 

To be considered for the group exhibition, please email five images of work to artist@bethesda.org by June 1.

 

Questions?  Please send an email to artist@bethesda.org.

Apply Now - 2018 Maryland Individual Artist Award

Each year, the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) recognizes outstanding artistic achievement through the Individual Artist Awards (IAA) program. Grants of $1,000-$6,000 honor the unique contributions of Maryland artists to the state's creative economy and help support artists to advance their craft. 

The 2018 IAA application is now open to Maryland artists in the following categories: 

• Non-Classical Music: Composition
• Non-Classical Music: Solo Performance
• Playwriting
• Visual Arts: Crafts
• Visual Arts: Photography

MSAC partners with Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation (MAAF) to administer the IAA program.

Applicants can access IAA guidelines, application, and application assistance resources by scrolling down to the "Maryland" section here on MAAF's website. 

The deadline for 2018 applications is

Friday, July 21, 2017 at 4:30 pm EST

 

All applications must be submitted online.

MSAC and MAAF will offer two webinars to guide IAA applicants through the application process. Advance registration is required. 

Monday, May 22, 2017, 1:00-2:30 PM - Register here

Saturday, July 8, 2017, 10:00-11:30 AM - Register here

Good luck! (I've applied like a million times and never been a winner - but will continue to try!)

Eric Hope on Paula Ballo Dailey

Confronting our own mortality is an emotionally fraught process few among us would willingly embrace. It demands honesty in the face of fear and acceptance at our loss of control. Artists in particular, if they so choose, face the added complexity of summarizing this tidal wave of emotions into visual form.  If you knew your next gallery show was your last, what would you display? For Paula Ballo Dailey, the answer was simple—turn your pains, hopes and daydreams into intricate visual narratives that give voice to your core values and personal aspirations.

Read this excellent review by Eric Hope here.

JFK at the NPG

Today the National Portrait Gallery will install a pastel portrait of President John F. Kennedy by Shirley Seltzer Cooper in honor of the centennial celebration of his birth.

 

The Portrait Gallery joins the nationwide celebration of the life and legacy of President Kennedy on the centennial of his birth, illuminating his contributions, policies and challenges he feared in the wake of the civil rights era and present. Kennedy’s portrait will be on view from May 19 through July 9 in the museum’s “Celebrate” space in the first-floor north gallery.

Lida Moser photos acquired by the NPG

The National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC just acquired four more photos by the amazing Lida Moser (may she rest in peace). Lida's work is already in the collection of the NPG as well as the National Portrait Galleries of Britain, Canada and Scotland! We miss her and love her and are honored to run her estate.

They've acquired these photos:

• Judy Collins, gelatin silver print, 1961
• Charles Mingus, gelatin silver print, 1965
• Nell Blaine, gelatin silver print, 1968
• Aaron Siskind, gelatin silver print, 1949

 Lida once told me the story of how she photographed Siskind... apparently they were all in Central Park in New York to photograph a zoo or carousel that was being built, and Lida got more interested in Siskind's gestures as he prepared to frame his photographs, and started shooting him, instead of the assignment!

Look at the photo and see the clear and empty surroundings around Siskind, the mud, the water, the stream??? Does anyone know where in Central Park that would have been in 1949?

By the way, that photo is in the permanent collection of many museums, including 3-4 "local" museums here in the DMV. 

One day I will tell the story of the Judy Collins shoot... or even better, the Charlie Mingus shoot.

Aaron Siskind by Lida Moser, circa 1949

Thriving Artists - The Business of Art Workshop

In August Artists and Makers are hosting a "Thriving Artists - The Business of Art Workshop" with Carolyn and Wendy Rosen. It is an intensive two day workshop that provides amazing knowledge, resources, and guidance to artists at all stages of their careers. Details at the link:
http://artistsandmakersstudios.com/from-the-arts-business-institute-and-am-studios/

Worm Rescue Squad

With so much rain over the weekend, the Campello clan usually wanders around the neighborhood after the rains rescuing worms from the road and putting them back on the dirt - when I say "squad", I mostly mean that I point the worms out and Little Junes picks them up and puts them back on the lawn.

The Hat Show

If you are a DMV area artist, gallerist, art dealer, college/university art faculty, museum director or curator, and do not know who Steven Krensly is, then you are woefully out of tune with the DMV art scene.

Krensky is easily one of the most visible faces at nearly every DC area art opening or event - not just because he's a good looking feller (which he is), but mostly because of his haberdashery... and also one of the DMV's premier art collectors.

To say that the Krenskiester stands out in a crowd is a gross under-estimattion.

Krensky is really plugged into the scene - he attends nearly every student/MFA art show around the region, and often discovers artists waaaay before most gallerists, curators, etc.

And as a result, he also has the planet's largest art collection focused (mostly) on DC area artists. And when I say large... I mean humongous collection: 100s and 100s of artists.

Anywhooooo.... Krensky, together with his wife Linda, also often dabbles in curating some exhibitions and he's got a really interesting call for artists for his next one:

Artists and Makers Studios is proud to host The Wearable Hat Show – with Steven Krensky at both A&M locations

This exhibit, curated by Steven Krensky and a mystery juror, will offer artists in the metro area an opportunity to make a statement through the art of the hat. Pick a hat form, any hat will do. Paint it, stitch it, weld it, glue it, glass it, bead it, weave it together with wire or string or any old thing. Your hat can be a reflection of your daily creative process, make a political statement, it can be whimsical, flattering, or funny. It must be functional, but need not be comfortable. Your hat must be for sale!

Artists whose work has been selected will be shown at both locations – the Reception Gallery at Parklawn, and in our Wilkins Avenue Merge Gallery for this month long exhibit. Hats will be pinned to the walls, or displayed on pedestals, at the gallerist’s discretion. Artists & Makers Studios will take a nominal 25% commission on sales from this exhibit. The artist should insure their own work for the duration of the exhibit if necessary.

Submission Requirements
****Submissions due on or before August 1st before 4pm, notification by August 9^th.

Accepted work must be delivered to/and picked up from the assigned gallery, no shipments of artwork will be accepted.

Delivery date deadline, Sept 5th – 10-4 (Parklawn or Wilkins in Rockville)
Opening, Sept 8th from 6-9pm
Show ends Sept. 27th
Pick-up of unsold work Sept. 28th, 29^th, 30th – 10-4

Artists may submit up to 5 jpegs of their work for consideration. The curator will choose works appropriate for public display from among all of the works submitted, and will include as many artists as possible. An artist may have one or more works accepted for exhibit. All work must be available for sale, and functional.

All entries must be submitted electronically in JPG format only. Email your images along with the completed form below to: judith@artistsandmakersstudios.com Please type Hat Show and your last name in the email subject line. For example: Hat Show/heartsong.

Images should be sized at no more than 1024 by 768 pixels, and less than 1 megabite in disk space size. Image file names must include artist’s last name and title of the piece in the following format: 

(ArtistLastName_ImageTitle.JPG) example: vanGogh_StarryNight.jpg

Click here to get a pdf of HAT Call for Entries 2017