Friday at the WaPo

Mercy me! Two visual art reviews in the WaPo in one day!

In Style, Gopnik surprises us again by reviewing another "local" (I mean "Washington-based") artist: Sam Gilliam's retrospective at the Corcoran.

And in Weekend, Michael O'Sullivan delivers yet more evidence why he's one of the few area art critics who truly knows "Washington-based" artists in this review of Options 2005.

And Thinking About Art's comments on O'Sullivan's review.

Can't wait to see the show!

Solo3 Opens Tonight

Solo3, a solo show in three parts by artists Alexandra Silverthorne, Joseph Barbaccia, and Pat Dunning opens tonight at Warehouse. The opening reception is from 6-8pm.

Tim Tate's Pad

Tim Tate's DC pad is becoming famous once again, this time appearing in an episode of "Small Spaces, Big Style" on HGTV this Thursday night at 8:00 PM.

Tate's apartment was transformed from a dull gray into a stunning pad by the amazing team of Sean and Rania of Scenic Artists.

Heading South...

I'm heading out to the Carolinas later today, but will be back by Friday, hopefully in time to make the opening for Prof. John Winslow as he opens his second solo show with us.

The opening for Winslow is this coming Friday at Fraser Gallery Bethesda from 6-9PM and it is part of the Bethesda Art Walk.

A free guided tour is also offered. See details of the tour here. Tours will begin at 6:30pm. Attendees can meet their guide at the Bethesda Metro Center, located at the corner of Old Georgetown Road and Wisconsin Avenue. Attendees do not have to participate in tours to visit Art Walk galleries.

Congratulations

To area photographer Tracy Lee, whose erotica has been included in The Mammoth Book of Illustrated Erotic Women.

Tracy Lee's work was last seen locally in Seven.

Blake again

I had been staying away from reacting to our "local" WaPo Chief Art Critic's musings lest I be recognized as a Blakemonger. But I bit the other day and now I find myself reading one of the oddest, most entertaining, off-kilter, intelligent, unexpected, "will someone please return the real Blake Gopnik" (NOT!) articles by someone claiming to be Blake Gopnik that I have ever read.

Read it here.

And then read Bailey's diss...ertation on the article here, which as usual, raises some good, interesting and valid points.

Atelier Yoyita

As a response to the tragedies of hurricanes Rita and Katrina, Atelier Yoyita in Jackson, Mississippi is creating, hosting and showcasing artists affected by the hurricanes at no cost to the artist, for 6 months to a year.

Interested and eligible artists should contact Dr. Gloria M. Norris through their website or via email at katrina@yoyita.com.

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: December 1, 2005

The Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center at Northern Virginia Community College, Alexandria Campus, invites proposals for exhibitions in the Margaret W. and Joseph L. Fisher Art Gallery.

Exhibition Dates: 8-10 exhibitions, beginning February 2006.

Proposal Deadline: Proposals must be received by 5:00pm on Thursday, December 1, 2005.

Eligibility: Open to artists and organizations throughout the northern Virginia area. Works can be in both two and three-dimensional formats. Exhibitions may be group or solo.

Entry Procedure: Please submit the following:
* A completed application form with each entry.
* A maximum of 12 slides that represent your work. Slides should be numbered and each should include your name and the title of the piece. Slides should be submitted in a clear plastic slide sleeve.
* A resume.
* A brief description of work to be considered for exhibition attached to application form.
* If you would like your slides returned to you, please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope large enough and with enough postage to return them.

Notification: Initial selection will be based on proposals submitted. Final selection may require studio visits. Finalists will be notified by January 6, 2006.

Terms: Artists/organizations are responsible for shipping/delivery/pick-up and preparation of works, as well as any unusual installation requirements. Northern Virginia Community College will insure works while on the premises. Artists must indicate insurance values for all works exhibited.

Information: For further information, contact Leslie White, Managing Director (703-845-6229) or Andrew McPherson, Gallery Coordinator (anmcpherson@netscape.net).

Submission: Send applications to:
Schlesinger Center/NVCC
Att: Exhibitions
3001 N. Beauregard Street
Alexandria, VA, 22311

Applications received "Postage Due" will not be accepted.

OPTIONS 2005 Pics



Some early pics from the OPTIONS 2005 show and the Curator's Talk. I missed both, and will try to see the show soon. Comments and photos invited; please email them to me.

Dr. Libby Lumpkin discussing the work

And Dr. Lumpkin again

More photos here.

Artists' Market

Today is the Bethesda Artist's Market. The market runs from 10am-5:30pm inside the Bethesda Place Plaza located at 7700 Wisconsin Avenue. Nearly 30 local and regional artists will display and sell their original fine art and fine craft in the plaza outside our gallery.

See ya there!

Artists: Tell Jen How You Live!

(Thanks Alexandra)...

Jennifer Dalton has an interesting survey going on. How Do Artists Live?

It takes only a couple of minutes to complete; visit How Do Artists Live? here.

Gopnik on Buster

Blake Gopnik checks in with one of his once a year area gallery reviews and has a rare review of Kendall Buster at Fusebox. It's a good review of a superb show.

Fusebox, easily one of the best galleries in our area, sort of gets "screwed" by the WaPo on a general basis, as the regular "Galleries" column has never covered them, as Jessica Dawson has recused herself from covering Fusebox shows due to private reasons.

The only one time that "Galleries" covered Fusebox was when Glenn Dixon shared the column with Jessica for a little while, before he had a dispute with the WaPo and quit.

This could easily be solved if the WaPo just honored their earlier promises to hire another freelancer and return "Galleries" to a weekly column on Thursdays.

Meanwhile Fusebox gets screwed because they're never covered in "Galleries," and Blake gets screwed because he's forced to make up for that by actually having to write about a "local artist" (his words), and the rest of the galleries get screwed because the Chief Art Critic of the world's second most influential newspaper rarely writes about them/us.

This could all easily be solved by having the WaPo simply hire another independent freelancer to cover the two weeks of the month currently without gallery reviews.

He's back

Glad to see that Jeffry Cudlin is back at the City Paper.

Cudlin reviews "Kahn & Selesnick: The Apollo Prophecies" at Irvine and also Symbioland at Curator's Office.

We were beginning to get worried that the CP was Washingtonpostdownsizing* their visual arts coverage.

More please...

---

*At the present rate, by the time 2005 ends, there will have been about four times more European/NYC fashion show reviews in the WaPo than gallery reviews. If you don't get it, you don't get it.

Holly Foss at Foundry

Our Georgetown gallerina, Holly Foss, is having an exhibition at Foundry Gallery, and the opening reception is tonight as part of the First Fridays Dupont Circle gallery crawl.

Using a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and one from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Holly has been documenting her Georgetown neighborhood through photography.

A few years ago Holly was driving through Georgetown, was involved in a serious car accident, and woke up many months later, following an extended coma, in Georgetown University Hospital. She writes:

All I know is I was lucky to be alive and for the first time took notice of so much I had missed before. In leaving the hospital and driving through Georgetown’s residential neighborhoods, I suddenly became aware of the neighborhood’s stylish detail and historic fabric – the facades, turrets, towers, portals, lintels, sills, fences, fire plaques – now became fascinating in their unusual way. And the easy transfer of lines from one building to the next worked in a way that only enhanced the dignity of these grand imposing structures. Having lived in both Boston and New York City provided an historical perspective enabling me to appreciate what make Georgetown so unique.

Holly Foss earned her BA at Wellesley College, where she also took classes in Photography at MIT. Her work has won many awards and been featured on television on WETA and Fox Sunday Morning news and has appeared in many of our local newspapers.

Tonight's reception at Foundry is from 6-8PM and Holly's show hangs through October 30th.

Options 2005 (first report)

It's just a little bit past midnight, and yet the emails are already pouring in about what a great opening Options 2005 hosted and as to the significant number of works that sold at the opening (around $15,000), which is always (as an art dealer's perspective) a good sign for a show designed to showcase new, emerging talent!

I am sorry that I missed the opening, but I am home and sore from some new cool hamstring-stretching routines that we learned tonite (we have a new Sensei, and she's really good!) Photos and more details later (of Options 2005 that is).

And let me be the first to send a virtual congrats to the WPA/C.

Transformer Auction

Transformer's 2nd Annual Silent Auction Benefit and Reception is coming on Saturday, October 29, 2005 from 7 to 10pm.

Hosted by Fusebox, the auction will feature over 40 original artworks and limited edition prints by some of our area's emerging and best known artists.

Details here.

Artists in the curated auction are:

Gabriel Abrantes
Ken Ashton
Lisa Bertnick
Kheshan Blunt
Chan Chao
William Christenberry
Mary Coble
Billy Colbert
Cynthia Connolly
Frank Day
Djakarta
Jason Falchook
Suzanna Fields
Sabrina Gschwandtner
Jason Gubbiotti
Linda Hesh
Lucy Hogg
James Huckenpahler
Jeff Huntington
Erick Jackson
Susan Jamison
Judy Jashinsky
Nicholas Kahn & Richard Selesnick
Dean Kessmann
Avish Khebrehzadeh
Jae Ko
Bridget Lambert
Pepa Leon
Mike Lowry
Kevin MacDonald
Maki Maruyama
Mimi Masse
Maggie Michael
Jiha Moon
William A. Newman
Piero Passacantando
Beatrice Valdes Paz
Lucian Perkins
WC Richardson
Luis Silva
Jeff Spaulding
Dan Steinhilber
Zach Storm
Trish Tillman
Kelly Towles
Jason Zimmerman
Ian Whitmore

Tickets can be bought online here and then click on the tab for "auction."

Options 2005 Opening Tonight

Anybody who is anybody in our area's visual arts universe, and maybe even those who only frequent the same 2-3 galleries, but comment in general terms about all of our galleries and area artists, will be at the Options 2005 opening tonight.

I have my usual Thursday night martial arts class (and I missed last week's because of California travel), so I will miss the opening. The reception is from 6:30-8:30PM at the former Staples store in Georgetown (located at 3307 M Street, NW).

Someone please email me some comments and/or some photos of the opening.

New Blog

Andrew Wodzianski, who will be having his second solo exhibition with us opening next October 21st at our Georgetown gallery, will really be pushing the technology button in this coming exhibition through the use of innovative audio technology advances.

And in the next few weeks, our local media and you all will be hearing a lot in the DC area about Yellow Arrows.

More on that and Andrew's exhibition later; meanwhile, The Zodiac Group has a new variation on the art blog with Wodcast: A Blog dedicated to the use of technology for artist and audience interaction.

Visit Wodcast here.

Holy Cow!

I once warned people not to piss off that amazing human word-processing Carbon unit known as Bailey.

Read the evidence here.

Additions to the collection

Last night I went to the Art-O-Matic happy hour at Warehouse, and while there, I ran into Alexandra Silverthorne, who was busily hanging her show upstairs. Alexandra has one of the three second floor galleries; the other two being filled by the intelligent work of Joe Barbaccia and Pat Dunning.

So I went upstairs to look the work, and came away with two of Alexandra's photographs, which by the way: are a steal; and which by the way: are one of a kind Holga silverprints; and which by the way: she's donating half of the proceeds to Empower DC, Project Northstar, Charlie's Place, and other local organizations that provide services to DC's low-income and homeless residents.



The three person show is up for viewing now at Warehouse, and the opening reception is Thursday, October 13th, 6-8PM. Preview Alexandra's work here.

Looking for some couples

Chris Combs is a photojournalism intern at the Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive and a photojournalism student at the Corcoran College of Art and Design, and he's working on a project documenting both inter-racial (Caucasian, Black, Asian and Native American) and inter-ethnic (Hispanic, Arabic, Persian, Laplander, etc.) couples and "the struggles they face in a surprisingly skeptical society."

Interested couples can contact Chris via email or call him at 703/304.8241

Wanna go to an opening?

Tonight is the Art for Life preview and opening (6:30 to 8:30 pm) at the Toro Mata Gallery (2410 18th Street NW, Washington, DC). This is one of my favorite art auctions and a major fundraiser for the Whitman-Walker Clinic. See the work online here.

Tomorrow night is the opening for the long awaited WPA/C Options 2005 exhibition. The show and reception is at the former Staples store located at 3307 M Street, NW in Georgetown. The opening reception is Thursday, October 6, 2005, from 6:30-8:30 pm. I will have have to miss the opening to this important and long awaited show, as I have martial arts classes on Thursday nights, but I certainly plan to visit and review this show later on. Of the artists chosen by the curator (Dr. Libby Lumpkin), I am only familiar with the work of the fair Amanda Sauer, so it should be a refreshing exhibition (for me); the exhibiting artists are:

Julian Bayo Abiodun
Judy Baumann
Jorge Benitez
Anne Benolken
Sheila Blake
Chadd Caldwell
Kimberly Caputo-Heath
Tim DeVoe
Suzanna Fields
Lynn Galuzzo
Emily Hall
Lori Larusso
Ryan Mulligan
Mark Robarge
Lindsay Rogers
Amanda Sauer
Gary Thompson
George "Gia" Tkbladze
Randy Toy
Susan Noyes Vaughan

Friday is the first Friday of the month and thus the openings and extended hours for the galleries of Dupont Circle. On view through October 22 at Conner Contemporary is Julee Holcombe: "Homo Bulla (Man is a Bubble)" and Mary Coble: "Note to Self." A few steps down, Washington Printmakers Gallery has Earthprints, recent monotypes, monoprints, and linocuts by Jean Barnes Downs. At Gallery 10, I am looking forward to seeing "Fortune," an exhibition of new work by Carol Lukitsch. She is donating 30% of the proceeds from sales from the show to the Katrina Artists' Fund. Over at JET Artworks, it is the last chance to catch "Go Figure," which includes the work of the amazing Alessandra Torres. Read a review of Torres by Kriston Capps here. If I were ever to buy art solely as an investment, Alessandra Torres, is one of the artists whom I'd be stocking up on now. I predict an amazing future for this exceptionally talented and driven young artist (now living in New York).

In Bethesda, Justin Pyles will be exhibiting at the Orchard Gallery through October 14, 2005. A reception will be held on Friday, October 7, from 6-9pm. The gallery is located at 7917 Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda. Call 202/497-1912 for more information.

On Saturday, it is the Capitol Hill Art League's season opening show: "Poetry in Motion." This is a juried show, open to the League's membership and it is juried by Max-Karl Winkler, a printmaker and teacher at the Smithsonian and the Waldorf School. The opening reception is Saturday, October 8 from 5-7 pm. The gallery is located at 545 7th Street, SE, at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop.

Also on Saturday, the Gallery at Pierce School Lofts hosts the opening reception of its exhibition of photographs by Secondsight member Antonia Macedo and paintings by Bev Ryan from at 4-7PM. The exhibition runs through November 6 and the gallery is located at 1375 Maryland Ave, NE, Washington, D.C. 20002 and phone is (202) 543-3379.

If you rather hang around Alexandria, then on Saturday, Pa Dian Accents has a reception for Autumn in Color, a collection of more than 20 works by Nigerian artist Lola Akimade and Lebanese artist Jinan Jaber. The opening reception is on Saturday, October 8 from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. The event will be sponsored by D Street Desserts and runs through the 14th.

If I've missed any openings, email me.

Money + Art - An Inside Look at the Art Market

The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum offers a wide range of public programs and workshops, and on Thursday, October 20, at 7PM they will present what sounds like an interesting event: an illustrated lecture with collector Barbara Guggenheim titled: Money + Art - An Inside Look at the Art Market.

According to the news release, "Barbara Guggenheim, president of Guggenheim Asher Associates, gives us an insider's look into the complex and ever-changing art market. For more than twenty years, she has advised both private collectors and corporations on how to successfully build an art collection, and she regularly contributes articles with titles such as "How to Start an Art Collection" and "Adventures on eBay" to popular magazines. She will share her insights into what to do and what not to do for beginning collectors."

For additional information, email saamprograms@si.edu or call (202) 233-0667.

Irvine Contemporary at Scope Miami

Irvine Contemporary will be participating in the Scope Miami art fair, which is held concurrently with ArtBasel/Miami, December 1-4, 2005.

Their featured artist in Miami will be Bede Murphy, a Brooklyn-based artist who will also have a solo show at Irvine this coming January. A selection of works by other gallery artists will also be on view and available at Scope Miami.

Art-O-Matic Happy Hour

There will be an Art-O-Matic next year, and tonight there is a happy hour (6-8PM) gathering at Warehouse Cafe, Theatre and Gallery Complex on 7th Street, NW.

This informal gathering is a chance to catch up with AOM friends and like-minded artists. Come hear what has happened in 2005 and what is in the hopper for 2006.

There will be an event in 2006 -- they're aiming for the Fall of 2006. Come by tonight and find out how you can be a part of the 2006 AOM.

Congrats!

To area photographer Prescott Moore Lassman, whose photograph "White Horse" received the Gold Award in Black & White Magazine's prestigious first annual Single Image Contest.

Black & White Magazine is a nationally distributed art magazine that specializes in black & white photography.

According to Scott, the magazine received over 5,000 entries from over 900 individual photographers. The winning images are reproduced in B&W's Contest Annual, which just became available in bookstores and newsstands nationwide.

Traffic and Turtles

Talking (or actually writing) about traffic and hits, John Martin over at Art in the City points out an article by Kristin Royce in The Artrepreneur on how to increase traffic to your art blog.

Read "How to Increase Traffic to Your Artist Blog: 7 Free Ways to Promote Your Blog" online here.

John also has a posting announcing that the University of Maryland is now seeking artists to participate in a University sponsored public art project: "Fear the Turtle."

Maryland is going to be putting out 50 fiberglass sculptures of Testudo, the school mascot, as a means to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the school. Call for proposals is here and artists can get more info here. The deadline for proposals is October 7, 2005.

I can already hear the heartburn boiling inside a couple of wrathful art blogers (and an art critic or two), neither one of whom (I suspect), has ever set foot inside College Park.

Fear the Turtle! Man... Blake Gopnik is going to love this...

Shape of things to come

I've got a lot of openings and art stuff to discuss and promote as I try to get back into the art groove after spending over a week in the Left Coast with an ornery laptop. Come back later.

I'm also getting an unusually and constant high number of visitors today from all over the world. Wonder what triggered that? but to all new visitors: Hello and come back often!

A trip to Alexandria

Before I left for my latest left coast venture, I spent a few hours in Old Town Alexandria (as opposed to Old Town San Diego, which is really cool, not to say that Old Town Alexandria is not cool)... anyway, herewith some notes on that visit to our Southern suburb...

Count on the Art League to deliver a terrific group show each month. That should be an art aficionado’s mantra.

And the most recent juried show was selected by Howard Paine, the former art director of National Geographic Magazine, and a regular juror at the Art League (this is the 6th show that he has juried!).

And such an experienced juror brings some good advice to artists.

Payne states that he brings a selection process that is "intuitive, based on decades of looking and working with art, So I almost immediately know what seems right and what seems wrong, overall, or uncertain details of color, composition, perspective, or even framing."

Good for Payne! And this is often the main difference in a show selected by a new juror, as opposed to an experienced juror, and yet Paine walks right into one of my pet peeves in juried art shows when he says also: "I try to select a balance of subject matter and techniques." And while that it what most jurors go for, it is what I avoid personally. When I jury a show, whenever possible I aim to leave a focused show that leaves a footprint on what I like, and my shows disregard 100% of that stuff that I don’t appreciate (read "like") in art.

Paine selected a large semi-abstract painting by Marcia Dullum, titled "Tribute to Bonnard" as the winner of the Shayna Heisman Simkin Award and issued 16 Honorable Mentions.

After walking the show a couple of times, my own selections are a bit different (as usual), and I first of all, I was absolutely amazed by a brilliant oil by an artist named E. Atzl titled "Vidalia," and which depicts the famous onions in absolutely full and total mastery of the oil medium, but with that added touch of genius that takes such a mundane subject and elevates it to the sublime level.

Because I’ve never seen Atzl’s work before, I asked about the artist; and to my next level of astonishment, I was told that it was the work of the 17-year-old daughter of one of the Torpedo Factory artists. "Vidalia" is a classical painting, and perhaps that’s why it was ignored by Paine for an award. It is however; the best oil in the show, and although vastly overpriced at $1250, it represents an amazing new discovery of obviously a hugely talented young artist.

By the way, someone should check the water at the Factory; this is at least the third teenaged offspring of a Factory artist who has managed to astound me in the last few years. Prior to her I was left speechless when I first saw the watercolors by Jenny Davis, daughter of one of the Factory’s best watercolorists: Tanya Davis.

My other top choices for this show were Susan Herron’s "Road at Tilghman Island," an exquisite and loose landscape painting (and a steal at $400), and Sheep Jones’ "Allium Akaka." I cannot say enough good things as to how good both these artists are; their work is immediately recognizable as theirs, and it just keeps getting better and better.

I also liked Fae Penland-Gertsch’s sexy red shoes watercolor titled "Inner Soul," Jackie Saunders "Three Views of Alan," and a gorgeous charcoal drawing by M. Slater titled "Solitude."

"Solitude" was by far the best drawing in the show, but it was unfortunately badly framed under acidic double mats and the charcoal was not properly fixed, and had already begun to drip charcoal bits on the cut edge of the mat. Tsk, tsk...

In the Art League’s solo show, painter Michele Rea’s watercolors for "Urban Survivors" (the title of her show) had done exceptionally well. When I walked through, over half the large paintings had been sold. "Urban Survivors" focuses on exceptional city features of Rea’s two favorite places: New York and Chicago.

The Art League’s nearby neighbor, Target Gallery, had "Role Play: The Definition of Self in Contemporary Society," another juried exhibition. This one was curated by my good friend J.W. Mahoney, a well-known DC area artist, teacher, curator, and art critic for Art in America magazine.

Mahoney selected a mixed bag show, which is often the direct result of the pool of entries submitted for a juried competition. The best entry in the show (by far) are three macabre digital pieces by Stephanie Hocker titled "Fear 4,5,6."

I liked them because they are so adept at standing out in the show, and because they use the magic of digitalism well. I also liked Trish Klenow’s two entries "Reborn Self" and "Self Portrait in Yellow" because they were not only good paintings, but also because they gave me a peep into the artist herself. Also on my short list was Laurel Hausler "Paxil," a quirky painting that was funny and intelligent – sort of a modern "Las Dos Fridas."

Upstairs, after visiting Rosemary Feit Covey’s studio, and after going gaga over her last project, which involves the creation of whole new set of her amazing wood engravings focused on the theme of head operations, head trauma, the brain, etc., I came away, as I always do, realizing that Feit Covey is one of the most amazing artists in our area, and another one that the Corcoran should add to their short list of ignored area artists deserving a retrospective.

Still on cloud nine from Feit Covey’s works, I visited Multiple Exposures Gallery to see the landscape photographs of Colleen Spencer Henderson, and I was again very impressed how digitalism is making old things new.

There isn’t a single photograph in this show that doesn’t owe a debt to the great masters of landscape photography, but there isn’t a single photograph in this show that also doesn’t carve a new road for this talented photographer, who has flexed the power of digital color so as to blur the line between what nature offers the photographer and what Colleen has muscled in through the magic of ink and dyes and bits. For example, "Blue Moonlight," a tiny photograph ostensibly of clouds, is not about clouds at all, as the digital medium’s exaggerated colorization of the blue, has yielded an exceptional, intimate work that pushes deep into the realm of color and abstraction while seducing us with a hint of recognition.

Bravo Colleen!

Airborne today and heading back home with a ton of stuff to post and discuss!

Things that make me go Mmmmm...

Still in San Diego, working hard, but this weekend visiting some "galleries" in the San Diego and La Jolla area... and some thoughts about things that make me go mmmm...

• Art galleries that have a locked door and you have to be buzzed in, and once you are buzzed in, no one says a word to you.

• Art Bloger(s) who have a page counter, but then put it under a password to hide their number of visitors, lest we all discoverer what an insignificant number of people we all reach on a daily basis.

• Art galleries where it takes an Act of Congress to get a price list or a listing.

• Right wingers who opposed the invasion of the Balkan nations but who endorsed the invasion of Iraq.

• Left wingers who applauded the invasion of the Balkan nations but who opposed the invasion of Iraq.

• Washington museum curators who travel all over the world to see emerging artists' works, but who will not visit Washington galleries or area artists' studios.

• Newspaper culture editors who have seldom set foot inside a museum or art gallery in the city that they are supposed to cover.

• Newspaper art critics who do not write about their city's art and artists.

• Huge major local corporations who ignore local art groups pleas for help in funding, while some small businesses contribute generously.

• Art galleries with contracts where the artist is responsible for the cost(s) of an exhibition.

• Writers, commentators, critics and blogers who bitch about everything and anything without ever actually doing anything constructive to solve the issue at hand.

• Old right wingers who immediately dismiss anything that young liberals have to offer, while forgetting that most likely they were once young lefties.

• Young left wingers (who one day will most likely age into old right wingers) who boo and shout down anyone that they disagree with, all the while apparently espousing freedom of speech.

• People who have never run an art gallery, but who are always giving out advise on how to run one.

• Drivers who never use their turn signals.

• Senior citizens driving huge RVs, and who leave their turn signal on for miles and miles.

• Grubs who come into the gallery, head straight for the food and wine, grab some of each and go back outside without even a glance at the artwork.

• Otherwise law-abidding citizens who think it is OK to leave their dog shit on your lawn.

Boot Camp for Artists

On Sunday, Nov. 13, 2005, we will present another one of our highly successful "Success as an Artist" Seminars. This next seminar will be jointly hosted with the good people from Art-O-Matic, and the Warehouse Theater, Café and Gallery, on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2005 from 10:30-6PM, with lunch provided.

The seven hour seminar, which has been taken by over 2,000 artists and arts professionals from all over the Mid Atlantic is designed to deliver information, data and proven tactics to allow artists to develop and sustain a career in the fine arts. The seminar costs $80 (includes lunch) and is limited to 50 people. For more details please visit this website. For this seminar, sometimes called "Boot Camp for Artists" by the attendees, people as far as Arizona, California, New York and South Carolina have attended, including many, many university level art professionals.

In its seven hour format, the seminar covers a wide range of structured issues including:

1. Materials - Buying materials;strategies for lowering your costs, where and how to get it, etc.

2. Presentation – How to properly present your artwork including Conservation issues, Archival Matting and Framing, Longevity of materials, a discussion on Limited editions, signing and numbering, Prints vs. Reproduction, discussion on Iris Prints (Pros and Cons).

3. Creating a resume - Strategy for building your art resume, including how to write one, what should be in it, presentation, etc.

4. Juried Shows – An Insider's view and strategy to get in the competitions.

5. How to take slides and photographs of your artwork

6. Selling your art – A variety of avenues to actually selling your artwork, including fine arts festivals, corporate acquisitions, galleries, public arts, etc.

7. Creating a Body of Works

8. How to write a news release

9. Publicity – How to get in newspapers, magazines, etc. Plus handouts on email and addresses of newspaper critics, writers, etc.

10. Galleries – Discussion on area galleries including Vanity Galleries, Co-Operatives, Commercial Galleries, Non-profit Art spaces, etc.

11. How to approach a gallery – Realities of the business, Contracts, Gallery/Artist Relationship, Agents.

12. Outdoor Art Festivals – Discussion and advice on how to sell outwork at fine arts festivals, which to do, which to avoid, etc.

13. Resources - Display systems and tents, best juried shows and ones to avoid.

14. Accepting Credit cards – How to set up your art business.

15. Grants – Discussion on how to get grants in DC, Regional and National, including handouts on who and where and when.

16. Alternative Marketing - Cable TV, Local media

17. Internet – How to build your website at no cost, how to establish a wide and diverse Internet presence.

The seminar has been a spectacular success, and the feedback from artists can be read online at here and we continue to receive tremendous positive feedback on the practical success that this seminar has meant for those who have taken it.

You can sign up for the seminar at 301/718-9651 (starting next week) or via email (immediately) at info@thefrasergallery.com. Hurry, as the 50 spaces usually book very quickly, and we already have a bunch of people signed up (they already were on a wait-list from the last time that the seminar was offered and sold out).

Marianela de la Hoz

When I visited the Mirrors/Espejos exhibition currently at the Cultural Institute of Mexico, I immediately fell in love with the tiny paintings of Mexican artist Marianela de la Hoz.

Last night I had dinner with her (she lives in San Diego), and I am happy to report that we will be bringing her work to the DC area in the future; meanwhile go see her amazing work at the Institute.

Galleries in Mags

I haven't seen the magazines yet, but I am told that the Washington Flyer magazine has an excellent article on the 14th Street galleries. You can read that article online here. Other than one to-be-expected negative and typically ill informed, fact-less opinion/quote, it's a super article by Heather Morgan Shott, which describes the art scene around the many galleries now clustered around the 14th street corridor, and rightfully so focuses on the hard work of Sarah and Patrick of Fusebox in becoming the initial gallery magnet for that area.

And the first issue of the huge new super glossy DC, published by Modern Luxury is also out, and this first issue has a profile of the Hirshhorn's Olga Viso and also a profile and discussion of our upcoming Georgetown video/painting show by Scott Hutchison.

Let's hope that DC magazine continues to pay attention to our area's visual art scene, and let's also hope that Washington Flyer continues to discuss our city's widespread gallery pockets in future issues.

Well Done!

Tate, Cojones and Bailey

Edward Winkleman reports on the Tate's decision to remove artwork from an exhibit. Read it here.

Bailey reacts. Read that here.

In San Diego

Aaaargh! no time to write... more later!

But while I am here, someone asked me where I get my models and references for my work. I have worked a lot in the past from the live model, but these days and for years now, I've been working mostly from photographs (I have a huge set of photos of models in millions of poses that I've taken over the years) as well as reference books for artists. My favorite in these is Thomas Easley's The Figure in Motion, where many, many of my drawings come from.

Like a lot of postmodernist artists, I also appropriate a lot of images from many sources that assault my visual senses everyday and I keep a file of pages and images that have been taken from magazines, newspapers, catalogs, etc. to be re-worked at some point on a new idea, setting, process, etc.

Airborne today and heading to the Left Coast, where I'm hoping to meet with artist Marianela de la Hoz, whose arresting work at the Mexican Cultural Institute's current exhibition stole the show (in my opinion).

And again... more of our gallery artists have made available art to be auctioned off for hurricane Katrina and Rita relief causes. All net proceeds will be donated to the Southern Arts Federation.

The Southern Arts Federation has established an Emergency Relief Fund to assist arts organizations and artists residing in Gulf Coast communities most devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and now I suppose also Rita.

We have the art online here, and it includes work by Vladimir Pcholkin, Jacqueline Saunders, Camille Mosley-Pasley, and myself. See all four here.

Vladimir Pcholkin Nude XII
Bid here.



Jacqueline Saunders Iris Cluster
Bid here.


Camille Mosley-Pasley Bonnie & Jasmine (from Mama Love series)
Bid here.


F. Lennox Campello "Frida Wearing an Elvis T-Shirt"
Bid here.

My Frida Wearing an Elvis T-Shirt is a silly pen and ink wash drawing that I did in 1978 on the first anniversary of the King's death. In it I married two of my icons: Kahlo and Elvis, and had Frida wearing an Elvis T-shirt under her rebozo. Sacrilege or what?

New DC Art Blog

There are now virtually dozens of terrific DC area art blogs, and the newest one is Authentic Art DC.

Visit often.

Nude Opportunities

Deadline: October 24, 2005

"Nudes" at Atlantic Works Gallery in Mass. This juried show is call for art work in any medium that depicts a nude or nudes in its subject matter or presentation. Artists are asked to submit up to two works. The submission fee for 2 pieces of art is $15.00. One piece of art submission fee $10.00.

Please address the checks to Laurie Hoffma. Slides/JPEGS of art work must be received by October 24th, 2005 Mailing address:

Atlantic Works Gallery
Attn: Juried Show
80 Border Street 4th floor
East Boston, MA 02128

Works to be hung should not be bigger than 3'x3.' Installation and mixed media are encouraged, however any specific set-up needs must be completed by the artist submitting the work. Artists accepted into the show will be notified in late October. All work that is to be hung should arrive at the gallery with a wire backing or an easy to hang set-up. An Artist resume and/or bio is optional.

All questions regarding this show should be directed to atlanticworks@yahoo.com.

There will be a cash award for the work selected by the jury that depicts a Nude or Nudes in a "notable conventional/classical manner." A cash award will also be given to the work selected that depicts a Nude or Nudes in a "notable unconventional/creative manner."

Nudes will open on November 12th, 2005 and the reception will be held from 6-9pm.

---

Nude International

Deadline: October 14, 2005

The Nude is an annual, juried international art exhibit now in its 20th year, sponsored by the Lexington Art League, of Lexington, Kentucky. Exhibition dates are January 14 - March 5, 2006.

The Nude celebrates one of the most classic and enduring forms to challenge artists. All artists using visual media are eligible to enter. Pat Oliphant, renowned editorial cartoonist and accomplished artist, will jury. Significant prize money is available. The postmark deadline to apply is Oct. 14. Entry fee: $25 for 1-3 slides, $35 for 4-6 slides. Slides ONLY accepted. Prospectuses are available on their website, or send a SASE to:

The Nude
Lexington Art League
209 Castlewood Drive
Lexington, KY 40505

For more information, please call 859-254-7024.

More artwork for Katrina (and/or Rita) Relief

Some more of our gallery artists have made available art to be auctioned off for hurricane Katrina and Rita relief causes. All net proceeds will be donated to the Southern Arts Federation.

The Southern Arts Federation has established an Emergency Relief Fund to assist arts organizations and artists residing in Gulf Coast communities most devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and now I suppose also Rita.

We have the art online here, and it includes work by Vladimir Pcholkin, Jacqueline Saunders, Camille Mosley-Pasley, and myself. See all four here.

Vladimir Pcholkin Nude XII
Bid here.



Jacqueline Saunders Iris Cluster
Bid here.


Camille Mosley-Pasley Bonnie & Jasmine (from Mama Love series)
Bid here.


F. Lennox Campello "Frida Wearing an Elvis T-Shirt"
Bid here.

My Frida Wearing an Elvis T-Shirt is a silly pen and ink wash drawing that I did in 1978 on the first anniversary of the King's death. In it I married two of my icons: Kahlo and Elvis, and had Frida wearing an Elvis T-shirt under her rebozo. Sacrilege or what?

Wanna go to an Opening Tonite?

DC area artist Diane Bugash's work is one of the sort of art that can be spotted in a group show right away. And not only because Diane is an exceptional painter, but also because she will not paint on a "normal" or ordinary canvas.

Bugash shapes her canvas until they become an integral and intelligent part of her painting. All shapes and sizes...

And Bugash has an opening tonight in Baltimore's Light Street Gallery, located at 1448 Light Street, Baltimore, MD 21230, 410-234-0047 and website here. The opening is from 5-9PM, and the show runs until October 15.

See ya there!

Warehouse Peace Weekend

Warehouse Gallery has six gallery spaces devoted to the peace effort though the exhibition Where's the Peace? Details here.

They will be open all weekend, and the exhibit feautures 45 artists examining war and peace in our world through painting, sculpture, photography, installation, and video.

Additionally, the Warehouse Screening Room has a free film all weekend: Trail of Feathers: The Missile Dick Chicks.

Meet the Missile Dick Chicks in person tonight (open till midnight).

Wanna go to an opening on Sunday?

The Sandy Spring Museum presents Photography is Dead; Long Live Photography.

Opening reception, Sunday, Sept 25, 2-4 pm. Organized and curated by Bert GF Shankman, an expressionist flower photographer and master printer, this exhibition focuses on Gyclee-printed photography and includes the work of the always innovative Danny Conant, Libby Cullen, Min Enghauser, Judith Goodman, Colleen Henderson, Allan Hockett, Barbara Southworth, Barbara Tyroler, and Frank Van Riper.

Most of the artists will be available to discuss their work. Rt. 108 and Bentley Rd, Sandy Spring. 301-774-0022.

Can Bloggers be sued over comments?

Apparently yes... read it and weep.

[Tks TAA]

Secondsight Meeting

Secondsight is an organization dedicated to the advancement of women photographers through support, communication and sharing of ideas and opportunities.

The next Secondsight meeting will be held on Friday, September 23, 2005.

All meetings are held at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Services Center, (just accross the street from the Fraser Gallery Bethesda) located at 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814. If you are catching the Metro, exit on Wisconsin Avenue, take a left on Old Georgetown Road and walk for one block. The entrance to the services center is next to Chipotle. There is a public parking garage on Old Georgetown Road. The meetings start at 6.30pm and end at approximately 9pm.

The presentation by the guest speaker will be followed by portfolio sharing. The group will split up into smaller groups of about ten and each member will have the opportunity to discuss their work. For those who brought their portfolio to the last meeting, please feel free to bring it again as you will be sharing your work with an entirely new group of photographers.

Meetings are free for members of Secondsight and $10 (cash or checks only) for non-members.

Please RSVP to secondsight@hotmail.com if you would like to attend the meeting.

The Art Bloggers of the World

Zeke has put together an amazing list of over 400 Art Bloggers from around the world. [thanks Alexandra].

WOW! What a lot of work that must have been! Kudos to Zeke for the first ever, all-comprehensive listing of art blogs from the planet, where we're number 121! (so far).

Gilliam at the Corcoran

I can't wait to see what Jonathan Binstock has done with the Sam Gilliam Retrospective at the Corcoran.

Mark your calendars, as that exhibit opens Oct. 15 and runs through Jan. 22 of 2006, and it is (incredibly enough) Gilliam's first retrospective.

As Binstock wrote his doctoral dissertation on Gilliam, if anyone is qualified to organize a retrospective for Sam, it is Jonathan.

And kudos to the Corcoran for looking in its own backyard.

Other area residents who are worthy of a show and/or a retrospective (in my opinion) include Manon Cleary, Joe Shannon and our own John Winslow.

Like Gilliam, they have created great, lasting art in the District for decades and decades, and (like Gilliam) have been generally ignored by our "national" museums.

Free Press for All or Free-for-All?

Thursday, September 22, at 7 p.m. in the William G. McGowan Theater.

Blogging: Free Press for All or Free-for-All?

In honor of Constitution Day, the Newseum and the National Archives present a program examining how technological advances are reshaping interpretation of the first amendment, which guarantees, among other things, free speech and free press.

It has been said that the power of the press belongs to the person who owns one. Today, as the Internet turns desktops and laptops into personal presses, first amendment rights are challenged, and a power shift seems to be under way. Bloggers are staking a claim to "grassroots journalism," and print and broadcast journalists are looking to the future and wondering where their reporting skills fit in.

What’s credible? What’s not? And, just how far does the first amendment protect this new wave of journalism? Frank Bond of the Newseum and former Channel 9 anchor will moderate a discussion with Robert Cox, president of the Media Bloggers Association and managing editor of "The National Debate"; Bruce Sanford, a first amendment lawyer with the D.C. office of Baker & Hostetler, LLP, and chairman of the board, the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression; Jay Rosen, chairman and professor of journalism at New York University ; and Deborah Potter, president and founder of NewsLab as they examine the issues on the line when technology meets traditional journalism.

Reservations required by emailing them here. All programs are free and open to the public. The National Archives is located between 7th and 9ths Sts. on Constitution Ave, NW. Use the Special Event entrance just off the corner of 7th and Constitution Ave.

Rousseau and O'Sullivan on Trawick Prize

Dr. Claudia Rousseau reviews the Trawick Prize.

Read the review here.

And the WaPo's Michael O'Sullivan reviews the top prizewinner of the Trawick Prize here.

P.S.

1. Where is the WaPo's Style section major (large, or more than 50 words) review of (in my opinion) our area's most important (and influential... details to follow) juried art exhibition? Fer Christsakes... This is the 3rd year of this prize! C'mon Pancake! C'mon Heard!

2. Where is the WaPo's feature on Olga Viso ascending to the top rung at one of the nation's top museums?

This is why the Post's Style section's anemic coverage of our area's visual arts draws so much criticism for that newspaper in general: [with one notable exception] An astounding lack of attention and (by now) an expected lack of interest (and knowledge) of what makes Washington area visual arts "tick."

Arts Job

Director, Vienna Arts Society.

The VAS, a prestigious art society, seeks a candidate with managerial experience and a love of art to fill a p/t position as director of a fast growing arts center in Vienna, VA.

The director is responsible for the day to day operation of the Center, including: ensuring that it is staffed during business hours; serving as liaison with the public; handling all bookkeeping; scheduling and supporting all activities at the center. In addition, the director identifies and promotes services provided by the VAS, such as art classes, workshops, space rental, and private and member shows. This position reports to the executive board of the Vienna Arts Society. Work Schedule and salary to be discussed.

Skills and Experience:
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, written and oral
• Marketing experience
• Self starter with flexibility and attention to detail
• Computer and office skills
• Experience managing others
• Experience with volunteer and non-profit organizations

History: VAS was founded in 1969 as a non-profit organization bringing artists and people interested in the arts together for developing and promoting local art and related activities.

Towards that end, VAS, through its Art Center on Pleasant Street and the gallery in the Village Green Shopping center, manages a broad variety of programs, workshops, classes, and trips.

Please email resume here.

A Taste for Art

Just back from jurying the prizewinners for the $1000 prize money for "A Taste for Art."

"A Taste for Art" is a cool art and food marriage of a party that takes place at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria to raise funds for the Factory and hosted by The Friends of the Torpedo Factory.

It involves a great art auction as well as loads of great food from most of Old Town's top restaurants. It takes place on Friday, October 14 from 7:30-10:30PM and tickets are available by calling 703-683-0693 or emailing them here.

EarthRights International Fundraiser

Dan Fatton, the Major Gifts Coordinator at EarthRights International, is looking for donations for their 10th Anniversary Silent Auction Fundraiser.

The event will be held on Friday, October 21, 2005, at the WVSA Arts Connection from 7 pm to 11 pm.

If you have any questions, please contact Dan at EarthRights International at 202-466-5188 ext. 106 or dan@earthrights.org.

Dan Fatton
Major Gifts Coordinator
EarthRights International
1612 K St. NW, Suite 401
Washington, DC 20006
tel: 202-466-5188 ext. 108
fax: 202-466-5189
dan@earthrights.org.

AU Lecture

Dr. Lisa Farrington, who just wrote "Creating Their Own Image: The History of African-American Women Artists," will be lecturing at AU this Friday, the 23rd, at 8pm in the recital hall of the Katzen Art Center.

She will be discussing African-American Feminist Art. Details here.

Bailey Interview

The Reston Observer with an interview of Bailey and his experiences with Katrina's damage in New Orleans.

Read it here.

Annual Hispanic Heritage Competition for Artists

Deadline: Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Open to all local artists, this competition is designed to showcase the interpretation of rich and diverse Hispanic heritages in U.S. communities. All artists from the Greater Metropolitan Washington Area are eligible. Top prize: $3000 and extensive local and national promotion.

For details on how to enter, please visit this website or call 800.989.2860.

For more info:
Hispanic Yellow Pages Network
Arte de America Hispana
2721 Prosperity Avenue Suite 200
Fairfax, VA 22031

Call for Drawings

Deadline: Friday, October 7, 2005

Arlington Arts Center: Drawing: Tradition and Innovation

Exhibition Dates: November 15, 2005 to January 7, 2006

All artists living or working in Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, Pennsylvania, or Delaware are invited to enter. Drawings in any media on any kind of ground will be considered. No size restrictions, but work must fit through a standard double doorway. Outdoor works will also be considered.

Artists may submit slides or CD, application form, resume, and application fee.

To obtain more information or to download a prospectus, visit their website here, or call them at 703.248.6800.

For more info:
Arlington Arts Center
3550 Wilson Blvd
Arlington, VA 22201

Opportunity for Photographers

Deadline: October 1, 2005.

The League of Reston Artists (LRA)/Reston Photographic Society (RPS) announce their 2005 Call for Entry for its Annual Judged Photography Exhibition. This exhibition will feature $300 in prize monies awarded at the judge’s discretion.

Juror: Charles A. Veatch: As a fly fisherman and lover of nature, Veatch began photographing the beautiful scenes around him from the Florida Keys to the outback of Alaska. Photography soon became his passion and in 1999 he published his first book, The Nature of Reston, about the fauna and flora of this celebrated “New Town” in Virginia. His creative images have appeared in many publications including a cover story in Nature’s Best Magazine in 2003 which took an artistic look at the landscape of the American southwest.

Veatch is a past president of The Northern Virginia Photographic Society and is a frequent judge and lecturer on photography and visual design. He has also been a guest curator for the Greater Reston Arts Center where he serves on the Board of Directors.

How: This call for entry is limited to a maximum of two framed photographs. The entry fee for LRA/RPS members is $15. This exhibition is restricted to members of the LRA/RPS. Membership in the LRA/RPS is $25 per year.

The entry form can be downloaded from the LRA’s website here. Send completed entry form to the LRA, POB 2513, Reston, VA 20195. Entry forms must be postmarked no later than September 29.

Entries sent by mail must be received by October 1; entries will also be accepted at the door when artwork is dropped off. Please send your entry form and a check made payable to League of Reston Artists to LRA, PO Box 2513, Reston, VA 20195.

Drop off entries at the Reston Community Center at Lake Anne, Jo Ann Rose Gallery on Monday, October 3, 10–11 AM.

For directions to the Jo Ann Rose Gallery, see the LRA’s website.

Viso

The Miami Herald with an excellent article on our own Olga Viso.

Read it here.

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline October 14, 2005

AFRICA! Juror: Martha Jackson-Jarvis - This exhibition is open to all artists working in all media in the United States and abroad. Works can relate to contemporary and/or historical notions of Africa. Artists may respond to the theme freely, and are encouraged to present work that challenges traditional definitions and understandings.

Show dates January 18- February 19, 2006. Entry fee $30.00 for 3 images (slide or CD).

For a prospectus call 703-838-4565 ext. 4, or E-mail: targetgallery@torpedofactory.org, or send a SASE to:

Target Gallery
Torpedo Factory Art Center
105 North Union Street
Alexandria VA 22314

Mojica Opens at Emma Mae

The Emma Mae Gallery has an opening this coming Friday for Brooklyn artist Marily Mojica.

Mojica, who is a self taught artist born of Puerto Rican parents, is a visual artist, doll maker, and a restorer of old furniture and lamps.

The Visions of Marily opens Friday at the Emma Mae Gallery and you can meet the artist and view her works at the reception on Friday, September 23, 2005 from 6-8pm. The exhibit runs through October 8, 2005.

Richmond Gallery Seeks Director

Executive Director for the 1708 Gallery in Richmond, VA.

This non-profit contemporary art gallery is seeking a full time executive director to "lead nationally recognized financially sound organization to the next level."

Requires Masters degree +2-5 yrs or equivalent in fundraising, grant writing, management of arts programs, staff, volunteers and public relations. Position reports to active Board. EOE/AA. Benefits. For details visit this website.

Salary: 35K to 40K.

Send cover letter, resume and references to:

Search
1708 Gallery
P.O. Box 12520
Richmond, VA 23241

No phone calls.

Grants for Young Artists

Deadline October 26, 2005

Grants are currently available for DC artists between the ages of 18 to 30. The funds are available for arts projects and community service arts education projects. For an application and more info visit this website

New gallery I found

A while back, while passing through Chestertown, Maryland (for the first time ever), I unexpectedly ran into a really nice gallery with a very good exhibition going on.

It's the Carla Massoni Gallery and the show (which ends Sept. 24) is Point of Departure: The Structured and Unstructured Landscape, featuring work by Heidi Fowler, Elizabeth DaCosta Ahern, Karen Hubacher, Jessie Pollock, and Grace Mitchell.

Anyway, from now on, any visit to this area of Maryland should include a visit to this great gallery.

And talking about landscapes, Addison/Ripley Fine Art has a really good exhibit going on through October 15: Mary Page Evans: Mountains and Sea. If you are around Georgetown, you should also drop by and visit this show.

Warhol at the Corcoran

Warhol Legacy: Selections from The Andy Warhol Museum opens at the Corcoran on Sept. 24.

This exhibition is co-organized by the Corcoran Gallery of Art and The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh and made possible through the support of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. Stacey Schmidt, Corcoran Gallery of Art Associate Curator of Contemporary Art and John Smith, The Andy Warhol Museum Assistant Director for Collections and Research are the curators for this show.

I'll be taking a look at it tonight at the preview, which I will be attending together with my good friend Lida Moser, whose own work is in the collection of the Corcoran.

Arts on Foot Report

Alexandra has a report on Arts on Foot.

Read it here.

Alligators (and a giant bunny)

I am super busy this week, with some deliveries and installations to take care of, as well as a massive amount of deadlines and work that has all come down to this week, as I have an unplanned trip to California next week.

More later... there are loads of terrific shows around town that needs some good mention and discussion.

Meanwhile, Michelle Banks sent me the below, which brought a smile to my face this morning:

Artists erect giant pink bunny on mountain

An enormous pink bunny has been erected on an Italian mountainside where it will stay for the next 20 years.

The 200-foot-long toy rabbit lies on the side of the 5,000 foot high Colletto Fava mountain in northern Italy's Piedmont region.

Viennese art group Gelatin designed the giant soft toy and say it was "knitted by dozens of grannies out of pink wool".

Group member Wolfgang Gantner said: "It's supposed to make you feel small, like Gulliver. You walk around it and you can't help but smile."

And Gelatin members say the bunny is not just for walking around - they are expecting hikers to climb its 20 foot sides and relax on its belly.

The giant rabbit is expected to remain on the mountain side until 2025.

New Arts Newspaper

There's a new (at least new to me) arts-focused monthly. It's the Scout Newspaper, and they're looking for submissions.

Details here.

Arts on Foot

Today is the Arts on Foot festival around the Penn Quarter.

Arts on Foot will feature visual and performing artists at multiple venues between 4th and 14th Streets, Pennsylvania Avenue and L Street.

New this year are a preview of the 2006 Capital Fringe Festival, participation at the Canadian Embassy of the DC Shorts Film Festival, sculptor Robert Cole’s street exhibit at Gallery Place, and Woolly Mammoth’s new theatre, which people may take tours of during Arts on Foot.

Edison Place Gallery with an exhibit organized by the YWCA has also joined the list of participants. And the juried Art Market is more than fifty percent larger than last year’s market with many well-known names exhibiting and selling their artwork as part of the festival.

Along with all of the day's scheduled events, 22 area restaurants will be offering "Samplings" of their cuisine at modest prices on F Street between 8th and 9th and celebrated chefs from a number of these and other restaurants will demonstrate their cooking skills.

Details, schedules and directions here.

See ya there!

I went to the opening of "Mirrors: Contemporary Mexican Artists in the United States," last Wednesday at The Cultural Institute of Mexico, and it was packed.

The exhibition, curated by my good friend Santiago Espinoza de los Monteros was absolutely terrific, and if I have time, I will return to it and write more extensively about it.

My top pick for the group was the astonishing work by San Diego artist Marianela de la Hoz, who displayed a set of tiny tempera miniatures that were absolutely breathtaking in detail, composition and intelligent titles that became doors into the psyche of the painting.

"Hoy estuve tejiendo con el estambre de tus ojos"
Egg tempera on board
3.9 x 1.9 in. c.2003

And on Friday...

Numark Gallery has the opening of its fall season with The Empire of Sighs, a group exhibition curated by Andrea Pollan. The Empire of Sighs brings together nine artists: Laura Carton, Sarah Hobbs, Kyung Jeon, Michael Kalmbach, Takehito Koganezawa, Michele Kong, Walter Martin & Paloma Munoz, Roxy Paine and Julianne Swartz. These artists conjure a mood of delicate neurosis, awash with fantasy, obsessiveness, hallucinatory allusions, erotic illicitness, childhood fears, solitude, ethereality, and hints at forces unseen. The reception is from 6:30-8PM and the show will be up through October 29.

In Georgetown, the five Canal Square galleries will host their usual third Friday openings from 6-9PM. We will host the American solo debut of Lithuanian artist Zygimantas Augustinas, whose work we've been showing since he was an art student in Vilnius in 1997, and whose career skyrocketed in Europe when he was one of the prizewinners in the prestigious BP Portrait Prize Award at the National Portrait Gallery in London. The openings are catered by the Sea Catch Restaurant and go from 6-9PM.

Moved Man by Augustinas
At the Arlington Arts Center, the Fall Solo Exhibitions series open with a reception from 6-9PM, featuring six one-person shows, each in its own gallery. If you're there, don't miss the amazing video paintings by Scott Hutchison and the glass work of Allegra Marquart.

Wanna go to an opening tonight?

"Mirrors: Contemporary Mexican Artists in the United States," opens tonight at 7:00 pm at The Cultural Institute of Mexico.

Details here.

And also opening tonight is That's Not How I Remember It... at Salve Regina Gallery at CUA. This is an exhibition exploring how our identities shape and are shaped by memories. Opening from 6-9PM. The exhibition includes work by:

Beverly Ress
Candace Keegan
Elizabeth Jernigan
John Figura
Judy Jashinsky
Karen J. Topping
Lori Spencer
Matthew Liddle

Salve Regina Gallery is located on the campus of Catholic University, 620 Michigan Ave, NE. Washington DC, 20064 or take Metro’s Red line to the Brookland/CUA. Details here.

WSC Fundraiser

The Washington Sculpture Center is being kicked out of their building in order to build the new baseball stadium.

In order to help raise funds to pay for relocation and set-up expenses at their new site, they are hosting a Sculpture Soiree and Silent Auction on September 22, 2005.

View details and RSVP here.