The WPA\C Experimental Media Series - ColorFieldremix

You just can't catch your breath this month if you love the visual arts and live in the DC region!

As part of the Colorfield.remix events going on around DC, Richard Chartier has curated a show for the WPA/C that has been described to me as "different --- new work, and a lot of sound and media... it is amazing, I previewed it yesterday. Richard has found work that incorporates a fresh look at color and sound."

Done through the WPA\C’s Experimental Media Series, this project challenged artists to reinterpret the Color Field artists with experimental video, sound and performance pieces, and Richard Chartier curated the one opening Wednesday, April 25, 2007 7:00 – 9:00 pm at the Corcoran Gallery of Art's Armand Hammer Auditorium (free and open to the public), and Brandon Morse on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 (same place and times).

Details here

Grants for DC artists

Deadline: Wednesday, May 23, 2007 at 7 pm

The Small Projects Program (SPP) offers grants up to $1,000 to individual artists and arts organizations. The program seeks to make grant funds more accessible for small-scale arts projects. Projects may include but are not limited to:

- Art presentations
- Assistance in fundraising, marketing and management
- Documentation of artistic activities through photography, brochures, portfolios and demo tapes
- Conferences, workshops or seminars that will enhance artistic and professional development.

Details here.

Funding For Professional Fine Artists And Their Families

Emergency funding from the Artists' Fellowship is available during times of emergency, disability, or bereavement. The Fellowship does not accept requests from performance artists, filmmakers, craft artists, hobbyists, commercial artists, or commercial photographers. For more information, contact:

Artists' Fellowship, Inc.
47 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10003
Tel: 646.230.9833

Colorfield openings

Below is a video of the last openings at Conner Contemporary and Marsha Mateyka Gallery in DC which are part of the whole Colorfield.remix project going on around the capital. The video starts silent, allowing viewers to revel in the works on display, and then has an interview with Ryan Carr Johnson around the end of the first silent minute.

Video courtesy of 205 Lavinia Street, Videos for Artists/Galleries/Events.

Call for Public Art in Takoma Park, MD

Deadline: Friday, May 4th, 2007

The City of Takoma Park, MD is soliciting proposals for public art. The selected work is to located on the Metropolitan Branch Trail in the City.

ELIGIBILITY: Open to all artists or artist teams

PROJECT BUDGET: $15,000 (includes but is not limited to artist fees, materials, fabrication, and installation)

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: Proposals must be submitted to the City of Takoma Park's Department of Housing and Community Development, 7500 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park MD 20912, by 4:30 pm on May 4, 2007.

GENERAL DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS: The selected artwork is to be located on a green area adjacent to an off road section of the Metropolitan Branch Trail and installed at ground level. The area is an irregular shape and roughly 1400 square feet.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: More detailed information and a copy of the Request for Proposal can be found on the City's web site at www.takomaparkmd.gov

For more info: call 301.891.7219 or email DavidS@takomagov.org

Supple exhibition is back on

Yesterday I told you that J.T. Kirkland's "Supple" exhibition had been cancelled at the last minute (it was). But now Kirkland has been offered a new space and "Supple" is back on and will open at the Warehouse Galleries this Thursday, April 26 at 7PM.

All the details here.

This whole process has been not just a valuable learning experience for Kirkland, but also another example, in its resolution, of the terrific sense of artistic community that exists in the Greater DC area, in spite of the apathy of the lamestream media.

Kudos to Molly Ruppert of Warehouse Galleries for being such a good mensch!

Busy Week

April continues to roar as a spectacularly busy art month in the Greater Washington, DC area.

Artomatic continues to attract thousands of visitors to Crystal City, Virginia. Make time to swing by AOM this week.

With an exhibition titled "Inside/Out" at Knew Gallery, Washington artist, Raye Leith, unveils a group of portraits of well-known figures grouped with Washington insiders and power players. Her series, part of a New York project of 100 portraits she recently embarked on, places larger than life figures such as John Lennon and Albert Einstein alongside such Washington players as Septime Webre (Director of the Washington Ballet), Valerie Plame (exposed CIA operative), President of the United States George W. Bush, and Mayor of Washington, D.C., Adrian Fenty. Inside/Out opens on April 25th and runs through May 20th, 2007 at Knew Gallery in Georgetown.

Also in DC, the District's major international art fair, artDC opens on Thursday at the Washington Convention Center. Several DC area galleries are participating, as well as dozens of national and international galleries. There are also loads of art talks and panels scheduled as well as a section on "New Media," part of which I helped to curate. Details here.

Colorfield.remix activities continue throughout the DC area with a variety of events scheduled, including the opening of a new show titled "ColoField remix: Saturated" at Bethesda's Heineman Myers Gallery. Zoe Myers has handpicked 19 contemporary DC area artists whose work owes a debt to the Color School. Opening reception on Friday, April 27 from 6-9PM.

Also on Friday, April 27, at 7pm, at the Cultural Institute of Mexico (2829 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009), and you need to R.S.V.P. to (202) 728-1675 or icm@instituteofmexicodc.org, is "Directions: DC Contemporary Latino Art," curated by DC area artist Irene Clouthier and my good friend Laura Roulet, a DC-area based independent curator. Selected artists include Roxana Bravo, Irene Clouthier, Coronado, Edgar Endress, Muriel Hasbun, Gabriel Martinez, Tomás Rivas, José Ruiz, Catalina Torres and Ricardo Zapata. Feature presentation: “Bola Suriana”, playing music from Michoacán, Mexico. Through June 15, 2007.


In Bethesda, on Friday, April 27th from 6-9pm, Heineman Myers Gallery in Bethesda, MD has an opening reception for “Colorfieldremix: Saturated.” This will also be an artist party and Zoe Myers is encouranging colorful attire and she promises that "colorful cocktails will be served."

Right across the street from artDC (which is being held at the DC Convention Center, the Warehouse Gallery is hosting a show of local artists called “No Representation” from April 26 to May 12, 2007. The show, curated by Molly Ruppert, Sondra N. Arkin, Ellyn Weiss and Phillipa P.B. Hughes, will include all media and has two rules only: all of the art is by local artists and all the work is abstract. Artists in the show are artists include: Sondra N. Arkin, J. Belmar, Mark Cameron Boyd, Renee Butler, Tory Cowles, Laurel Farrin, Michael Gessner, Janis Goodman, Pat Goslee, Tom Green, Eve Hennessa, Kristin Holder, Brece Honeycutt, Becky Jones, Joanne Kent, Adrian Loving + Ayodamola Okunseinde (Dissident Display), Aubrie Mema, Elizabeth Morisette, Emily Piccirillo, Lynn Putney, Marina Reiter, Nooni Reatig, Chris Tousimis, Dan Treado, Andres Tremols, CC Vess, Gail Vollrath, Anita Walsh, Rex Weil and Ellyn Weiss. The opening is Saturday, April 28 starting at 6 pm.

Bummer

If like me, your plans this week included attending the J.T. Kirkland-organized "Supple" exhibition in DC, last night Kirkland informed me that the show, which he has been working so hard to make happen and which was supposed to open this week, has been cancelled.

Details here.

Update: Looks like JT may have found another space not too far from the original space. More later...

Opportunity for artists

Deadline: May 4, 2007

The Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW), a 35 year-old nonprofit multi-disciplinary arts education organization, is joining the School Libraries Project to solicit and select artists to design and produce murals in eight public school libraries on Capitol Hill. This exciting opportunity will take place in the summer of 2007. The approximate size of each of the murals is 10 ft. x 10 ft. Up to $2500 honoraria provided, pending funding.

For more information, please visit this website or contact Moira Connolly at moira@chaw.org or call her at (202) 547-6839.

Selection Process & Deadlines
Artists must submit original design proposals to the Selection Committee by May 4, 2007. Please submit the following:

1) Design proposal on an 8.5 x 11 inch piece of paper. Artists may submit up to three designs per school library.

2) A slide sheet or digital photo CD of former completed projects (if available).

3) Completed submission form.

New Shows Open at the Katzen this week

Several important shows open AU's Katzen on Tuesday, and several more open the first week in May. The openings receptions to celebrate the AU Museum’s spring season and all these new shows, will be on Saturday, May 5, from 6 to 9 p.m, kicking off at 5 pm with a gallery talk on the American prints by Baltimore curator Jay Fisher. All shows will be open for viewing during the reception, so save May 5th on your art calendar..

On view starting Tuesday:

"Resolutions: New Art from Northern Ireland," is a 49-piece, multi-media show introducing 21 artists who are part of an extraordinary cultural resurgence in a region long plagued by violence, religious strife and social upheaval, opens Tuesday, April 24, at the American University Museum at the Katzen. This centerpiece of the "Rediscover Northern Ireland" program, was curated by Museum Director Jack Rasmussen. Through Sunday, July 29, 2007.

Also opening Tueday is "Black Masters," which is a a mini-survey of fifteen paintings and works on paper by fourteen black artists from the 19th and 20th centuries. This rare look at African-American artists is a good thing not only for the Katzen, but also for the whole DC area museum scene, which sorely lacks a proportionate curatorial look at art by African-American art and artists. Kudos to the Katzen and to Jack Rasmussen! At 5PM there will be a lecture by Sherman Edmiston, owner of the Essie Green Galleries in Harlem, New York City, and Lou Hudnell, American University School of Education. Through Sunday, May 27, 2007.


Also opening on the 24th is "High Fiber," a tapestry show by nationally known artists Squeak Carnwath, Enrique Chagoya, Chuck Close, Bruce Conner, Rupert Garcia, April Gornik, Hung Liu, Alan Magee, Ed Moses, Deborah Oropallo and William Wiley. Through May 13, 2007.

"Made in America," The Washington Print Club 19th Biennial also opens on April 24, and runs through Sunday, June 24, 2007. More than 100 examples of printmaking in America over the past 70 years — including works by George Bellows, Jack Boul, Jasper Johns, Faith Ringgold, Richard Tuttle and many others.

Finally, three out-sized brightly colored steel sculptures by Jules Olitzki — from the Vermont-based artist’s last major works, the Cyclops Series of 2006 — enliven the Katzen Arts Center’s plaza parallel to Massachusetts Avenue. The works, from the collection of Dr. Cyrus and Myrtle Katzen, comprise the AU museum’s contribution to the Colorfield.remix celebration going on around the District.

Circular Criticism

Seattle is the center of the fine arts glass universe, and it is appropriate that an intellectual battle of words involving the world's most famous glass artist has been going on around the blogs and newspapers of that beautiful city, so dear and near to my heart.

Circular criticism, or as the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's eloquent art critic Regina Hackett calls it "Prizes in Hypocrisy," is a very good story on two newspapers first trashing an artist on a particular point and then later taking the other viewpoint.

First she recalls (through the writing of Trevor Fairbrother's 1996 essay about the collaborative paintings of Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat) the New York Times critical drubbing of the Basquiat and Warhol art collaborations. Hackett writes:

Writing there in 1984, Vivian Raynor observed that Basquiat might turn into a substantial artist if he doesn't become an "art-world mascot." (A year later, reviewing the Basquiat-Warhol collaboration, she repeated the mascot charge and added that the jointly produced paintings were Warhol manipulations with Basquiat as the "all too willing accessory."

Wounded, Basquiat distanced himself from Warhol, who had functioned as an anchor for the younger artist. After Basquiat's death at age 27 in 1988, the same New York Times called him a "genius" who unfortunately had cooled his relationship with his mentor "partly out of fear that he was being viewed as Mr. Warhol's mascot."

Then Hackett brings to national attention the fact that the Seattle Times in 2006 wrote a three part series focused on Dale Chihuly by Sheila Farr (the Times art critic) and Susan Kelleher (in which Chihuly's work process is compared to Thomas Kinkade's) which starts like this:

If we measure an artist's importance by the number of museum exhibitions, books, articles and television appearances he has, Seattle glass guru Dale Chihuly is right up there with the greats.

His work is in the collection of most every U.S. art museum you can think of, as well as many abroad. Museum exhibitions of his work circulate continually and stacks of hefty coffee-table books praise his talents. And who hasn't seen one of those often-aired documentaries about him on PBS?

But what many don't know is that Chihuly — a Northwest icon who has built a multimillion-dollar business — generates the bulk of that exposure himself.

Most of those hugely popular exhibitions weren't organized and distributed by art museums, but by Chihuly Inc. And those books and television shows? Most of them were produced by Chihuly's publishing company, Portland Press.

All that publicity has inflated the public notion of Chihuly's status in the art world.

Kinda tips your hand as to where these articles are heading, uh?

And yet, the more you think and see the articles as a purely investigative series of articles, the less they appear to be "bloated and inconsequential," as Hackett describes them. Generally Farr and Kelleher do a pretty good job of describing and somewhat exposing an amazing business and propaganda machine, which -- other than the fact that the business empire happens to be that of an artist -- is much like any other article that investigative reporters write, and like many of those, we know from the beginning words what the conclusions will be, or in this case, what flavor they want to leave the readers with once they are finished reading the series.

If we began to read an investigative article in the Washington Times about the finances of Move.org, or in the Washington Post about the finances of the Republican National Committee, we'd all know from the beginning what the conclusions or findings will be, right?

And although Farr and Kelleher tip their hand early on, and generally leave a somewhat negative taste at the end of the series, nearly all of what they write appears to be fact, I think.

It is fact reporting from a negative, and perhaps somewhat unfair viewpoint, but facts nonetheless, and their negativity is probably because the artworld is not used to famous artists who are also astounding business wizards. And when the big, famous artist who is the most famous artist in your city sues lesser-known artists, then we have victims and victimizers.

Artists are supposed to be always the victims, not also the victimizers.

The articles are also a little naive in the sense that the writers approach Chihuly's success from that sort of ivory tower view of the artworld that so many art critics have that leads them to assume and believe that mixing business and publicity with artmaking is a bad thing. And if you're as good as the Chihulian Empire is at all those three, then you're Darth Dale as far as some art writers are concerned.

And Hackett righly points out that then the Seattle Times seems to be contradicting some of their own nuances in the Chihuly series by noting later on that this artist's work is indeed quite similar to Chihuly's.

This is sort of what happens when a WaPo movie critic trashes a film on Friday, and then a second WaPo film critic loves it on Saturday. Kinda...

Hackett has written her own excellent piece on Chihuly, not necessarily "defending" him, but presenting him from a more positive viewpoint. This piece by Hackett is the counterpoint to the articles by Farr and Kelleher.

And she does a pretty good job of presenting Chihuly in a good light, even delivering a very convincing argument why it is OK for us all to accept the fact that Chihuly actually doesn't make any of his artwork himself. And in her blog, Hackett goes a little more out on a limb when she writes:

After six months of digging, the Seattle Times produced a bloated and inconsequential three-part Chihuly series, suggesting grave wrongs were being uncovered at Chihuly Inc., maybe just over the hill of the next paragraph.

As written by Seattle Times investigative reporter Susan Kelleher and Seattle Times art critic Sheila Farr, there was nothing but smoke over that hill. My favorite headline in the tell-all wannabe series was "Chihuly Benefits from his own Philanthropy." Who doesn't?

Mmmm... I think that this is perhaps an easy pass by Hackett, for the million dollar profit reported by the Times article.

Then Hackett apparently went on a war of words with the Stranger's (a Seattle alternative newspaper) art critic Jen Graves over this interview. It all led in turn to Graves responding with this article.

It would be fair to conclude then that the art critics from Seattle's three main newspapers are now somewhat arctic to each other over the issues, allegations, facts, opinions and printed words brought forth by that walking publicity machine that is Dale Chihuly, who -- along with the savvy art aficionados of the Seattle area who are lucky enough to have art critics and newspapers who care about stuff like this -- is the only winner from this glass skirmish.

Wanna go to a Silver Spring, MD opening tonight?

Gateway’s Heliport Gallery opens "20901, 20902, 20903, 20904, 20906, 20910" tonight with a reception from 6 – 8pm.

The exhibition features over 20 Silver Spring artists and was curated by Nevin Kelly Gallery Deputy Director Julia Morelli and Gateway’s Project Manager David Fogel. The selection process was predominantly done through online submissions via ArtDC.org.

The exhibition includes work by Kanchan Balse, John Brodkin, Laurie Breen, George Carr, Andrew Cronan, Mary D. Ott, Clara Graves, Sy Gresser, Steven Hanks, Brian Hewitt, Susan Holland, Yoshiko Jaeggi, Pauline Jakobsberg, Dana Jeri Maier, Jaclyn Martin, Julie Miller, Cristina Montejo, Steven Robinson, Ellen X. Silverberg, Berta Stegmeier, Alfreda Gourdine-Southerland, Bernie Van Leer, and Michael Winger.

Wanna go to a VA opening this afternoon?

You better hurry, because the DC area's newest art gallery, Habatat Gallery, which is located in Tyson's Corner is having an opening for ceramic artist Bennett Bean this afternoon from 12-3PM. The exhibition runs through May 22, 2007.

Bean's work can be found in many museum collections including the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY and the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, PA.

Shannon Chester

Last Wednesday I posted my thoughts on my initial visit to Artomatic and one of the artists that I highlighted was the photography of Shannon Chester.

And now Bailey has an interesting story to tell about Chester and her work. Read it here.

Center City Gallery Night

Tonight is Center City Gallery Night in Philly from 5-8PM. The Philly City Paper will be hosting an after-party at Loie Brasserie from 8-10PM (RSVP here).

Maps, participating galleries and other associated events here.

New DC working studio

Studio 4903 is a recently-opened working studio dedicated to creating art and community, with a focus on cutting-edge contemporary jewelry and design. The Studio is located at 4903 Wisconsin Avenue, between Tenleytown and Friendship Heights, and consists of 5 jewelry artists, an architect and a clothing designer. The light-filled, open space facilitates regular shows and events.

The Studio is proud to present the first in a series of slide shows and lectures featuring contemporary jewelry artists. Anya Pinchuk and Natalya Pinchuk will discuss and present images of their work on Thursday, May 10, at 7:00pm. This free lecture is presented in conjunction with their two-person show at Jewelerswerk Galerie, opening May 11, 2007.

Katie Tuss' AOM Top 10

The fair Katie Tuss discovers what an exhausting task it is to walk through Artomatic attempting to see the whole show and at the same time pick her Top 10 choices:

1. Michael Janis -- Smart, investigative glass and found object assemblage.

2. Ming-Yi Zaleski -- I love Zaleski's yarn creations. At AOM, we see a wall-sized blond bombshell.

3. Laurel Lukaszewski -- Her stoneware and porcelain extensions are elegant on the wall and on the floor.

4. Andrew Wodzianski -- Wodzianski brings us more blonds with his illustrations of stylish female androids set against decorative backgrounds.

5. Sondra Arkin -- I love the color and texture of Arkin's encaustic paintings.

6. Dana Ellyn -- Her pint-sized graphite portraits on recycled catalogue cards work as a type of blueprint for the menagerie of people depicted in the larger, colorful character studies that fill her wall space.

7. Daniel Lobo -- A year's collection of photographs taken while following DC commuters.

8. Jenny Walton -- This AU MFA student's renderings of scars are delicate in graphite; fleshy and tactile when painted.

9. Erwin Timmer -- Timmer's thick, recycled glass protrudes, grows, morphs and even shows up as a lamp.

10. Gregory Ferrand -- Everyone is in distress in Ferrand's acrylic narratives, except that woman holding the sloth.

Wanna go to a Baltimore Opening tomorrow night?

With a reception full of artists, good wines and sushi on Saturday, April 21, 2007 from 5-9 PM, Light Street Gallery in Baltimore opens their "American Icons" exhibit, which includes images of Americana by the artists Mark Schiff, Robert McClintock, Rob Rudick, Barbara Simpson, Mark Lovett, Anna Kuczynski, Diane Knaus, Nicole Wittelsberger, Ed Towles, Irene Sylvester, Jerry Prettyman, Robert Cadwalader, R.A. Propper, Gwen Lewis, Nancy Nesvet, Dave Montgomery, Jim Condron, Stephen Hay, Patrick O'Brien, and Chip Cecil.

Wanna go to a DC opening tonight?

The very talented DC painter Sondra Arkin opens tonight at Nevin Kelly Gallery with an opening reception from 6-9pm. You best hurry, as I hear the show is already selling well even before the opening!

DC area studio space

Several folks from ArtDC.org would like to band together to start another studio. And they've found a location: 4500 square feet, exposed brick walls, big windows, heat, electric, a bathroom and more.

They envison first finding 10 founding members. They're talking about 250 square feet for each artist dividing up the room with an open atmosphere; no walls.

Then each of these 10 artists get a storage closet designed specifically for storing art materials. They will call these artists their charter members or artists in residence. They will have 24 hr access.

There are two stair wells and possible access to an industrial elevator 17 feet deep, and there's a standard ceiling height of just over 8 ft. A cost of $275 per artist plus a small fee of around $25 a month for utilities and liability insurance for the space as a whole is envisioned.

There will then be a group area with items like a press, a framing area, possibly a dark room, and a work area.

For more details contact Jesse at admin@jessecohen.com.

Wanna go to a Univ. of MD Opening tonight?

The University of Maryland’s Union Gallery has "Midpoint: Second Year MFA Candidates" at the Union Gallery opening tonight and on display through May 21, 2007.

"The exhibition presents installation, sculpture, drawing, painting and video pieces by six artists – Christian Benefiel, Mahwish Chishty, Sarada Conaway, Ellington, Aniko Makranczy and Meg Mitchell – all halfway through the University’s three-year Master of Fine Arts program.

Opening recption is Thursday, April 19, 5-7 pm. Fear the turtle.

MFA Thesis Exhibition at Katzen

You all know that I am a big fan of collecting student art (I started selling my own artwork regularly at Seattle's Pike Place Market while I was a freshman at the University of Washington School of Art), and starting on Saturday, April 21, and running through Sunday, May 27, 2007, the Katzen Arts Center has an exhibition of AU’s two-year Master of Fine Arts degree students, featuring abstract and representational painting and sculpture as well as installation art (some directly on gallery walls) by Graham Childs, Tom Debari, Ellen Ann Gallup, Rebecca Johnson, Max Kuller, Kelly Ulcak, David Waddell, Jenny Walton and Marty Weishaar.

Gould on Artomatic

The WCP's Jessica Gould has an article in today's issue of the CP highlighting some Artomatic hiccups (and it also has a cool illustration by Emily Flake).

Read the article here.

Multimediale Opens tomorrow in DC

Multimediale is a four-day multimedia DC area arts festival that brings together artists from the Washington, DC region centered around the theme: Capturing the Capital!

This festival of Art, Politics, and New Media runs from April 19 - April 22, 2007.

Multimediale seeks to energize the DC arts community with new ideas about art, society and politics. Visit their Web site at www.multimedialedc.org for news and dialogue and info on city-wide events. Multimediale is organized by Randall Packer and curator Niels Van Tomme. All events are free and open to the public.

And check out the video shot by John James Anderson:

Tim Tate sculpture - uh oh. Where'd it go?

This Artomatic photo from Tracy Lee says it all...

Read Tracy Lee's thoughts on Artomatic here and also see her great images of some of the AOM artwork here.

Artomatic Rumor Department

The CP's Jessica Gould discusses the Artomatic rumor that I alluded to last week.

Informal research on the part of the Mid Atlantic Art News investigative department has failed to nail potential ubercollectors willing to admit that it is their dastardly plan to bring blue chip artists to AOM under unknown artists' names in order to see if the blue chip art gets a positive response from the public when juxtoposed with the more other-colored chip artists' work.

Our blue chip artist identification department has swept AOM attempting to identify any possibility of a super famous artist(s) being present at AOM, and although so far we have found at least one artist channeling Alexander Calder's work, the closest that we can come is two wild guesses which we will reserve until a later time.

The idea itself is quite brilliant! Start a fun rumor that even as it is blatantly nearly impossible to accomplish, it nonetheless brings home an interesting point.

artDC benefit

The opening night of the District's first major art fair, artDC, will benefit the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington.

Thursday, April 26, 2007
Washington Convention Center , Hall E
800 Mount Vernon Place, NW, Washington DC

5:30-7:30, Drinks and Hors d' Oeuvres - Tickets are $100
7:30-9:30, Cash Bar - Tickets are $30
For tickets call 312-587-8124 or email jrabion@dc-artfair.com

A view of Art-O-Matic after one visit

How does a writer cover an arts extravaganza of the size of AOM once the eyes and mind become numb after the 200th artist, or the 400th or the 600th?

As an art critic, I once started a review of a past AOM by complaining how much my feet hurt after my 5th or 6th visit to the show, in a futile attempt to gather as much visual information as possible in order to write a fair review of the artwork and artists.

Over the years I have discovered that it is impossible to see everything and to be fair about anyone; the sheer size and evolving nature of the show itself makes sure of the impossibility of this task. And often I see fellow writers who fall prey to this attempt to see everything at once and then gather thoughts about the artwork. But AOM is not just about the artwork.

I have visited the 2007 AOM once, and soon I will return for a second, longer visit.

Nonetheless, often first impressions are the most memorable, and thus some early thoughts on the artwork itself follow.

Like all previous Artomatics, this version of the open mass art show started in 1999 continues to evolve up the food chain of both art and business. AOM is now an official 503(c), and this location in Crystal City is by far the best one so far, as the dozens and dozens of small, well-lit offices make excellent art galleries.

The art itself, like any huge group art show (open or juried) falls into three categories: very good, very bad, and (the vast majority) adequate.

And yet, the least of the adequate original artwork, by its creative process itself, beats any mass-produced poster. AOM is a Mecca and a magnet for beginning collectors; if you can't find art that you like from such a vast and diverse group of artists, then perhaps you should stick to collecting action figures or pre-Columbian artifacts, or baseball cards framed as art.

As a gallerist, I also have visited AOM looking for new talent amongst the mind-numbing numbers of artists who come together under one roof. Over the years, together with my fellow DC area gallerists, we have plucked many artists from the ranks and files of AOM. Artists who since their first appearance at past AOMs have now joined the collections of museums and Biennials and have been picked up by galleries nationwide. Names like Tim Tate, the Dumbacher Brothers, Kelly Towles, Kathryn Cornelius, Richard Chartier and that amazing worldwide phenomenon and best-selling author Frank Warren of PostSecret fame. But AOM is not just about the emerging superstar artist.

More on that later; now let me give you a peek into the artists whose work stood out during my first look:

Maria Mandle was the first artist to make my list. I've never heard of this artist before, and thus she's "new" to me. I liked her strong graphite drawings.

I've seen Jesse Cohen's photographs develop (good pun uh?) and grow through the last few years, and the cynotypes and X-rays images at AOM, where Cohen struggles with his own identity through his father's X-ray imagery, are memorable and strong, and Cohen's best work so far.

Same thing for Shannon Chester, whose work often pops up in DC area art shows. This diminutive photographer has an excellent eye for capturing a suble eroticism in unusual circumstances and locales. Check out her beautiful photographs.

Alison Sigethy has won eight gold medals as a kayaker, and probably because of her outdoor nature, the environment is very important to her. And thus it is no surprise to see this talented DC area glass artist be one of the first ones to bring glass to the new, emerging "green art" movement that recycles art into new art, as Sigethy does with her beautiful new works. Another cool "green" artist, also working with glass (trust me, glass artists have a lot of work eligible for recycling, as anyone who has dumpster-dived into the Washington Glass School broken glass and trash dumpster knows!), is Erwin Timmers, whose work I mentioned yesterday.

I also liked Joe Granski's painterly, fun and exciting work. This is also a "new" artist for me, as is Joseph Merchlinsky's work, which at first I saw as attractive, abstracted super pixalated works, until I realized in horror that they were imagery from Sept. 11 of people jumping from the WTC. Once this discovery is reveled, it is amazing to see the breathtaking reel-back reaction of the viewers high atop Crystal City, with a spectacular view of the airport and the city. It is proof again of the never-ending ability of the visual arts to deliver thoughts, agendas, ideas, history and presence as no other form of the fine arts can.

Ditto for liking Ruth Trevarrow's signs, and also the no-name photographer in Gallery 6R09 on Corridor R, with a set of sensual photos of a woman's feet in the bath, turning the tap on in a series of sexy photographs that echo Frida Kahlo's "What the Water Gave Me" painting.

I also discovered some artists exploring new directions, such as Andrew Wodzianski's giant leap into a blend of his enviable figurative skills with a modernist approach to illustration as art. Note to Andrew (and fifty gazillion other artists at AOM): Put your effing prices up so that people can make an instant decision to buy when they see it or immediately know if they can afford it.

Other artists exploring or pushing new directions are Pat Goslee and Lynn Putney, both of whom share a gallery and whose work is refreshingly minimalist and (in Goslee's case) sensual in an odd way that I can never put my finger on.

Talking about separated at birth, two other artists who share a gallery and whose work really works well together is Matt Sesow and Dana Ellyn.

Oh yeah... the image that most-likely will be the most memorable and perhaps popular, is the terrific photo by Susana Raab titled "Tofu Dog, Playboy Bunny, PETA Protest, Washington, DC", or as the no-holds barred press crowd dubbed it last Friday: "Lettuce Lady." Raab has an exceptional ability for capturing the unsual in the everyday common.

The event itself is perhaps the nation’s most powerful incarnation of what it means to be a creative community of hundreds of working creative hands all aligned to not only create artwork, but also to put together a spectacular extravaganza that re-charges the regional art scene as no museum or gallery show can.

AOM is a community of artists employing the most liberal of approaches to art that there exists: the artists are in charge, and the artists make it work, and the artists charge the city with energy and zeal. And these descendants of those brave souls who challenged the academic salons of the 19th century face the same negative eye from the traditional art critics and curators of our museums, who challenge not only the artwork itself, but also the concept of an open, non-juried, most democratic of art shows: a community of artists in charge of energizing the community at large.

And it is certainly the easiest and most comprehensive way to discover contemporary art at its deepest and also at its newest roots. This is where both the savvy collector, and the beginning collector, and the aspiring curator, and the sharp-eyed gallerist can all come to one place with a sense of discovery in mind. And the ones that I missed in the past, and who were discovered by others, are ample evidence of the subjectivity of a gargantuan group art show.

Viva AOM!

On Saturday April 21, 2007, School 33 in Baltimore will host its annual Lotta Art Benefit.

This is the school's largest and most popular fundraising event. You are invited to attend an evening of art, food, and fun! More than 100 local artists generously donate works in all mediums and styles to benefit School 33 Art Center's exhibition and education programs.

At the event, a lottery-style drawing is held and each ticket holder brings home a work of art. Attended by more than 250 persons, Lotta Art is considered by many to be one of the most exciting and unique special events in town!

Get your tickets here or call 410.396.4641.

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: June 8, 2007

Does Gender Still Matter? Purdue University Galleries (West Lafayette, Indiana) invite entries for a national exhibition examining the role of gender in contemporary society, including constructs of masculinity, femininity, androgyny, etc. The exhibition will be presented in the Robert L. Ringel Gallery from October 22 through December 2, 2007. Elizabeth K. Mix, contemporary art historian at Butler University, Indianapolis, the Gallery director and advisory panel will select artwork. There is no entry fee, but exhibiting artists will be responsible for shipping. All media eligible, including new and emerging technologies. Interested artists should send examples of current work (up to 10 slides or jpegs on CD; DVD for time-based media), resume, artist statement, and SASE to:

Craig Martin, Director
Purdue University Galleries
Physics Building Room 205
525 Northwestern Avenue
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2036

More info: Email cdmartin@purdue.edu, or call (765) 494-3061. Show prospectus is available for download here or by e-mail request.

Green Art

There's a new movement emerging around the nation that recycles art into new art (and it has also apparently absorbed artists who recycle materials into art) and it's been dubbed "green art." They are sartist concerned with environmental and social issues in their themes or in the techniques that they use. It's not just the finished product, but also the process to create the art.

Erwin Timmers, is one of the DC area's leading 'green' artists (His work in sustainable design are seen in some of the large public art projects he has just completed, including this project for the EPA.

Many EPA Potomac Yards staff will be joining the tour that Erwin has organized of other artists at Artomatic that also use recycled materials and are part of the region's growing number of "green" artists.

Date/Time: Wednesday April 17 at 2.30pm
Location: Starts on Level 6 of Artomatic
2121 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA
Metro stop: Crystal City
Free admission

Also, Erwin has a solo show at Studio Gallery in DC opening May 23rd, where his works on Environmental concerns are the central focus. Put that on your calendar!

Tim Tate's AOM Top 10

DC uberartist Tim Tate with his Top 10nish AOM List:

1). Laurel Lukaszewski - beautiful Japanese inspired ceramic installation pieces

2). Katie McKelvie - how can you not love art made from Tic-Tacs?

3). Alison Sigethy - her recycled glass bowls and great new direction for her.

4). Allegra Marquart and Cheryl Derricotte - Both artists have stretched their limits and produced their best work ever.

5). Alison Duval - I love the photo emulsion tranfer collages.

6). Novie Trump - I actually want to own one of her incredible ceramic sculptures... trade?

7). Pat Goslee and Lynn Putney - Not only is the work great in this room, but its been sparingly hung, which makes it one of my favorite room for actually being able to see art.

8). Ruth Trevarrow - Her "Chicks Dig Me" road sign made me smile all day. I dig her too!

9). Sean Hennessey, Rania Hassan and Kirk Waldroff - This is my favorite group room... they have truly pulled together a great gallery effect... plus I love the work.

10). Sondra Arkin and Ellyn Weiss - Please visit the "Weiss/Arkin" Gallery as they call their room. Its a great start to the Washington Color School Remix tour!

Artists at War: Pro & Con

MOCA DC has a superinteresting call for artists to put their creativity to work into delivering artwork both pro and con the Iraq War.

It's interesting to me, because as far as I know this is the first ever artists' call and exhibition where we may actually see pro war artwork, rather than immediately know ahead of time that all political artwork is against the liberation or invasion (depending on your point of view) of Iraq.

Will anyone have the cojones to enter, and then for MOCA to exhibit, pro war artwork? The left has little patience for things that it doesn't like, and this may put it to a test, while the right often tends to paint (no pun intended) any dissident view as anti-American.

Details here.

Collecting the Work of Emerging Artists

On Wednesday, April 18, 2007 from 6:30 – 8pm, DC's Transformer, in partnership with Civilian Art Projects, will present FRAMEWORK Panel #6 – Collecting the Work of Emerging Artists. This event will take place at Civilian Art Projects, 406 7th Street, NW, 3rd Floor (7th & D Streets).

Collecting the Work of Emerging Artists will be moderated by DC area ubercollector and arts enthusiast Philip Barlow, and will feature several area art collectors including James Alefantis, Monica Bussolati, Allison Cohen, Melvin L. Hardy, and Dr. Michael Pollack. The panel will focus on how each participating panelist "developed his or her current art collection, the importance of collecting the work of emerging artists, as well as where the panelists look to purchase work."

Attendance for this event is free, but seating will be limited. Rsvp your attendance to info@transformergallery.org or call 202-483-1102.

A Secret History of the Washington Body School

Save this date: Friday May 11, 2007 from 7-9pm. That's when Ian and Jan: The Undiscovered Duo, A Secret History of the Washington Body School, featuring Jeffry Cudlin and Meg Mitchell opens at DCA in the District.

Cudlin and Mitchell will stage an art historical intervention, weaving an alternative history for Washington art.

While Washington celebrates the Washington Color School through the multi-gallery Colorfield.remix project, Cudlin and Mitchell will mount a retrospective for their alter egos, Ian and Jan — a fictitious husband-and-wife performance art duo.

According to the exhibition’s premise, "Ian and Jan led the Washington Body School , a group that, in the late ‘60s and ‘70s, exhibited their body art alongside the work of prominent Washington abstract painters.

Ian and Jan: The Washington Body School will provide humorous commentary on Washington ’s cultural legacy, on revisionist art historical agendas, and on gender bias and power politics in the arts. The show will include photographs, drawings, props, and videos of the couple in action."

Does that sound cool or what?

PS - Oh yeah... the previously mentioned Cudlin skinny buttocks is viewable below! :-)

Art-O-Matic Saturday Sked

AOM is in full swing and in addition to the great and the not-so-great artwork, there are loads of free music events and dancing scheduled for Saturday.

Today's schedule is here and it includes live music by Circus of Saints, Mary Shapiro, Opposite Sex, Layne Garrett, The Mesmers, Hailcon, Alona, Medium Underground, and Jeremy Parker.

Free and open to the public.

The model as the star

My recent readings of various Georgia O'Keefe biographies bring to mind that the young O'Keefe career received an interesting boost through the lenses of Alfred Steiglitz, whose series of nude photographs with O'Keefe as the subject caused quite a sensation during the first decades of the 20th century and made the young painter a household name amongst American art aficionados duirng those halcyon years for American art.

Fierce Sonia is a young Greater DC area model and photographer, whose work I included in "Seven" (and it sold well) when I curated that mammoth project for the WPA/C.

And now Fierce Sonia is making waves of her own on the web as a model working with professional photographer David Allio.

The second new art exhibition of 2007 by David Allio brought nearly 10,000 viewers to the online gallery on opening day. The ten-image exhibition entitled "A Day with Sonia" is an artistic twist on a more-traditional photojournalistic look at one day with a professional figure model.

"The concept of following a single subject for one day is nothing new to a photojournalist. But, a few of the rules of traditional photojournalism were bent slightly for artistic effect," Allio admitted.

"My primary challenge for this exhibition was to find the right model to be featured in this creative collaboration. The project was discussed with several potential feature models. But, Sonia was the first person to bring to me both the fierce desire and commitment to balance her creative insight, strength, charisma, and confidence with a trust of my skills and vision in this artistic collaboration."

This was Sonia's fourth artistic collaboration with David Allio. Artworks from previous projects have earned the duo an OMP Fine Art Showcase Award and Best Picture Award from Japan's Photo Unlimited.

Exhibition is online here.

Wanna go to an Alexandria opening tonight?

Gallery West, the member operated fine art gallery at 1213 King Street in Old Town Alexandria, VA has a solo show of hand turned wood pieces by Alan Becker showing from April 4 - May 6, 2007 and the opening reception is tonight Saturday April 14, 2007 6-9PM.

After that go and check out Art-O-Matic, as there are several parties and events going on there until 1AM.

Art-O-Matic is Rockin' Now

Just back from my first quicklook at AOM, and the 2007 location is just amazing and wait until you see the views that one gets from the 6th and 8th floor of 2121 Crystal Drive.

There are dozens of parties going on right now even as I write this and there will be a lot of parties this weekend, as well as performances, music and other artistic efforts.

Soon I'll be writing my first take on this amazing show, based on this first walk-through and also tell you about the rumor sweeping through AOM.

As usual there's a lot of great art and a lot of dreck, and a lot of Kelly Towles-wannabes, but already one can feel the palpable great artistic energy that is AOM's true gift to the visual arts community of the Greater DC region.

Wanna go to a Baltimore opening tonight?

The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) highlights eight first-year students in MICA’s graphic design master of fine arts (M.F.A.) program in conjunction with the Graphic Design MFA Thesis Exhibition. First-Year Graphic Design MFA Exhibition provides a glimpse into the work of emerging artists and graduate students in the College’s graduate programs. The exhibition takes place in Bunting Center’s Pinkard Gallery at 1401 Mount Royal Avenue, with an opening reception on Friday, April 13, 5–7 p.m. and open studios on Friday, April 13, 7–9 p.m.

Works by 11 students form the First-Year MFA III Exhibition from Friday, April 13–Sunday, April 22, with an opening reception on Friday, April 13, 5–7 p.m. and open studios on Friday, April 13, 7–9 p.m. The students are Mount Royal School of Art students Lauren Boilini, Michael Burmeister, Andrea Chung, and Ben Steele; Rinehart School of Sculpture students Katie Cirasuolo, Jessie Lehson, and Elena Patino; Hoffberger School of Painting students Osvaldo Budet and Dominic Terlizzi; and photography and digital imaging program students Andrew Buckland and Anna DiCicco.

Wanna go to a DC opening tomorrow night?

The Randall Scott Gallery in DC, in collaboration with Contemporaria Georgetown will open "The Living Room Show" with a reception tomorrow, April 14th 6-9pm. The exhibition runs through May 19th, 2007.

Art-O-Matic Opens Today

As I am pounding into your heads by now, AOM, the region's most energetic artist-driven visual arts display opens today at 3PM in Crystal City at 2121 Crystal City Drive, just a couple of blocks from the Crystal City Metro station and also boasting plenty of free parking after 4PM. Expect a huge, multi-party at many levels, set of events to start later in the evening.

As there are around 600 artists, plus bars, music stages, performance stages, etc. it helps that ArtDC has an interactive map of AOM here (thanks Jesse!).

Lately I've fallen into the habit of predicting how the regional DC art press, both online and printed, will react (or not) to particularly interesting shows.

- At the last AOM, the WaPo's chief art critic, Mr. Blake Gopnik, brutalized the show in one of the bloodiest art reviews that I have ever read. And yet Gopnik's review had the usual opposite effect, and it in turn galvanized several hundred artists and WaPo readers against Blake and it also probably delivered several thousand extra curious visitors to AOM, so in the end, the Gopnik review was a good thing for AOM. I think that this year, Gopnik will not venture into AOM at all, since he is conceptually against the concept of AOM. It is a shame that the area's largest homegrown arts event will thus be ignored by the world's second most influential newspaper's chief art critic, who tends to forget that it is also a local newspaper. In the unlikely event that his boss (my good friend John Pancake, the WaPo's Arts Editor), actually tells Blake to go and review AOM, I suspect that Gopnik will once again tear it up, as conceptually, his mind is already made up that this most democratic and liberal of art shows is flawed from the beginning by a lack of a traditional curatorial hand.

- Also at the WaPo, we can pretty much count on a review by art and movie critic Michael O'Sullivan, as O'Sullivan is perhaps the only one in that newspaper that understands that AOM is not just about the artwork that hangs and is presented on the walls, but about the spectacular footprint that it leaves upon the region's art scene and the breath-taking success that it has had over the years in bringing art to the public, and artists to the eyes of collectors and gallerists. Leave it to O'Sullivan's keen eye to spot the potential "new" art star to emerge from this year's AOM.

- The WaPo's freelancer charged with covering DC art galleries is the fair Jessica Dawson, currently a graduate art history student at GWU. If history teaches us anything, it is that Dawson has been pretty regular in covering all the previous AOM's, usually led around by the indefatigable Judy Jashinsky. And so I think that Dawson will once again write about AOM, and probably deliver her standard "what I didn't like" report, mixed in with a couple of lukewarm maybes.

- The Washington City Paper will probably give AOM decent coverage, and I'm sure that we'll see a profile of either the show itself or some of the more colorful characters that inhabit AOM. Art critic Jeffry Cudlin is also an artist, and he participated in the last AOM, but since his name is missing from this year's AOM artists' list, I suspect that Jeffry will review this year's AOM provided that he can arrange his schedule so that he can get his skinny buttocks over to Crystal City (Note to Cudlin: start planning the trip now). As usual, we can expect a brooding, intelligently written review, which (since he was an ex-participant), we hope will explore the impact of AOM on the regional art psyche and public, besides the art on the walls.

- The bloggers I suspect have already made up galvanized minds, and if we liked it before, we'll like it again, and those who hated it before, will most likely hate it again, and already do, even before they set foot in Crystal City. Curious to me is how many of them/us seem to focus on the artwork, and completely miss the true impact of AOM. Also curious to me is how writers who are generally lefty pinkos in almost all they profess, become neoconartcritics when it comes to a massive open show organized by artists, lacking a curatorial Big Brother and essentially a 21st century rebirth of the democratic artistic movement that dethroned the academic art salons of Europe back in the late 1800s.

See ya there!

WOW!

WOW is all that I can say in view of the WaPo's spectacular online coverage that they're giving Art-O-Matic.

Here the Going Out Gurus have put together a slide show and all kinds of good stuff about the painters, sculptors, filmmakers, naked people, fire-breathers and other mutants that we will soon be staring at in AOM.

This is the kind of coverage that separates anemic paper coverage and augments it with terrific online coverage.

A cyberspace kiss and a hug and a "well done!" to the GOGs.

O'Keefe

On a recent trip, in the airplane seat pocket, I found Laurie Lisle's biography of Georgia O'Keefe, which claims to be OK's first published bio.

Compounded with all this recent traveling to New Mexico and Arizona, I read it very quickly and it has sort of kindled some interest in this legendary American painter, and I've just picked up Georgia O'Keefe: A Life by Roxana Robinson as well as the huge copy of Georgia O'Keefe in the West by Doris and Nicholas Callaway.

In all my previous light explorations of O'Keefe, such as museum visits, I've never really been too attracted to her work, but after reading an early biography, and re-looking at some of her work, my eyes are now opening to the fact that perhaps O'Keefe's legacy lies more in the conceptual range of painting, coupled with an extraordinary life and a spectacularly O'Keefe-centric personality, as well as pretty good luck in some instances.

She certainly only had ordinary painting skills and ordinary techniques (surprising considering her training), but perhaps more importantly, an enviable work ethic and a superlative eye for the subject matter, as well as a powerful and skilled champion in Steiglitz, easily the world's first art critic + art dealer + curator + gallerist + artist + art cheerleader all combined into one person.

It is thus her life, her aloofness, and her conceptual view of painting that I now have discovered and find somewhat attractive to read more about.

Art-O-Matic Update

As everyone knows by now, AOM opens this coming weekend in Crystal City at 2121 Crystal City Drive, just a couple of blocks from the Crystal City Metro station and also boasting plenty of free parking after 4PM.

Herewith some updates:

- The Right Reverend Bailey challenges the WaPo's chief art critic to give AOM a fair critical eye (good luck with that!). Details here.

- If you see some naked painted people walking around, don't freak out as I am told that there's going to be some body painting going on around the 6th floor of AOM on Friday.

- After 4pm there is free underground parking in the Crystal City Shops across the street.

Artomatic will open to the public at 3pm, Friday, April 13, 2007. It is free and open to the public (donations accepted).

Busy week

This week (in fact all of April) is shaping up to be a very busy set of days for visual arts lovers along the Mid Atlantic. In addition to the mega opening of Artomatic this coming Friday, the following openings stand out (and I'm leaving out a ton of stuff that I hope to be able to mention later in the week):

In Philly, Nexus has two new exhibitions by member artist Matthew Pruden and a collaboration between member artist Yukie Kobayashi and artist Elasabé Dixon. The opening reception for both exhibitions is Thursday, April 12 from 6 to 9 PM. Matthew Pruden presents his 2nd solo exhibition at Nexus Gallery, titled "Magnetic Sleep." This exhibition of multi-media projects is the result of his research into 19th century spirit photography, parapsychology, and Spiritualism. Yukie Yobayashi has collaborated with artist Elsabé Dixon to create Kumo Cloud Wolk, an installation comprised of hand made paper and silk weavings. There's also a gallery talk on Sunday, April 15, at 2 PM, moderated by Elyse A. Gonzales, Assistant Curator, Institute of Contemporary Art. The exhibitions run through April 29, 2007.

In Baltimore, on Thursday, April 12, 2007, photographers Thomas Struth and Mitch Epstein will be discussing their work at the Baltimore Museum of Art as part of BMA's "Conversations with Contemporary Photographers" program. Free and open to the public and no registration is necessary. BMA Meyerhoff Auditorium, 7 pm. The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) highlights eight first-year students in MICA’s graphic design master of fine arts (M.F.A.) program in conjunction with the Graphic Design MFA Thesis Exhibition. First-Year Graphic Design MFA Exhibition provides a glimpse into the work of emerging artists and graduate students in the College’s graduate programs. The exhibition takes place in Bunting Center’s Pinkard Gallery at 1401 Mount Royal Avenue, with an opening reception on Friday, April 13, 5–7 p.m. and open studios on Friday, April 13, 7–9 p.m. Works by 11 students form the First-Year MFA III Exhibition from Friday, April 13 – Sunday, April 22, with an opening reception on Friday, April 13, 5–7 p.m. and open studios on Friday, April 13, 7–9 p.m. The students are Mount Royal School of Art students Lauren Boilini, Michael Burmeister, Andrea Chung, and Ben Steele; Rinehart School of Sculpture students Katie Cirasuolo, Jessie Lehson, and Elena Patino; Hoffberger School of Painting students Osvaldo Budet and Dominic Terlizzi; and photography and digital imaging program students Andrew Buckland and Anna DiCicco.

In Bethesda, MD, as this coming Friday is the second Friday of the month, it's time for the monthly Bethesda Art Walk, with 13 galleries and studios that open their doors from 6-9pm on the second Friday of every month. At Gallery Neptune, C'ville artist Warren Craghead has "How to be Everywhere," which is new work by Craghead based on the poetry of Guillaume Apollinaire. Work by David Wallace and sculptures by Mark Behme will also be on exhibition. Also available will be a book of the same title consisting of drawings based on Apollinaire's poetry. The opening reception and book launch will be Friday April 13, 6pm - 9pm. At Fraser Gallery, New York painter (and VCU graduate) David Gordon makes his DC area gallery debut. Opening reception from 6-9PM.

In Arlington, VA, the Arlington Arts Center has the opening receptions for their Spring Solos on Friday, April 13, from 6-9PM. Solos include Keith Sharp (MD), Katherine Kavanaugh (VA), Ephraim Russell (PA), Gail Gorlitzz (DC), Soomin Ham (VA), Dominie Nash (MD) plus an Eye on Arlington exhibition of John M. Adams (VA). Outside on the AAC grounds you can also check out "Disintegration," curated by Twylene Moyer, Managing Editor of Sculpture magazine with works by Margaret Boozer (MD), Michele Kong (PA), and Cory Wagner (MD).

In DC, Conner Contemporary Art has an exhibition of rarely seen paintings by Howard Mehring, who has been called the "sleeping giant" of Washington Color Painting and who was the first of the second generation of Color Field painters to explore the potentials of color through novel experiments with painting techniques including pouring, staining, stippling, and sectional painting. There will be an opening night reception, Friday, April 13th from 6 to 8pm. The reception is concurrent with Marsha Mateyka Gallery around the corner, who will be presenting "Gene Davis: Selected Works from the Estate of the Artist." The next night, Hemphill Fine Arts has an opening reception on Saturday, April 14 from 6:30 - 8:30 PM for three different artists: Leon Berkowitz for "The Cathedral Series," and ex-Fuseboxer now living in France Jason Gubbiotti for "Wrong Way To Paradise," and also Portia Munson's "Pink Project: Contained." The exhibitions go through May 26, 2007. Over at Irvine Contemporary, Martin and Lauren have "Oliver Vernon: Macro/Micro," featuring paintings and on-site sculpture by Vernon. Opening Reception with the Artist on Saturday, April 14, 6-8 PM and the exhibition runs through May 19, 2007.

Also in DC, 52 O Street Artist Studios will be hosting its annual Open Studios on Saturday, April 14 and Sunday, April 15 from 11am-5pm. Sixteen artists, in one building, working in a wide range of media and styles open their studios to the public. This free event provides the visitor the opportunity to purchase artwork and meet the artists in a relaxed, inviting atmosphere. Occupying 28,000 square feet, over four floors, 52 O Street Studios is one of the largest and oldest buildings dedicated to the practice of fine arts in Washington, DC.

Still in DC, the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop has "A Comedy of Errors," a collection of works in all media by Capitol Hill Art League members, opening on Saturday, April 14, 2007, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. and juried by my good friend J.W. Mahoney. "Not What You Think", an a cappella ensemble affiliated with the Gay and Lesbian Chorus of Washington, will present two brief sets of music during the opening. Through May 4, 2007. And the Randall Scott Gallery has the opening of "The Living Room" (a marriage of comtemporary art and modern furniture) with an opening reception on Saturday, April 14th from 6-9pm.

Finally, on Saturday April 14, 2007 a whole bunch of openings and lectures are happening in galleries and art spaces all over DC and the DC suburbs as part of the ColorField.remix celebration of painting. More than 30 Washington area museums, galleries, arts organizations and businesses are participating. The event honors the 1950s and 1960s Color Field visual art movement and the Washington Color School, which put Washington, DC on the art world map. Details and schedules here. More on this project later.

Ethereal Heist in Baltimore

This is an incredibly busy week for art in the region, but I wanted to make sure to highlight Ethereal Heist, which is part of the MFA Exhibition - MICA Graduate Thesis Show at the Maryland Institute College of Art Decker/Meyerhoff/Fox 3 Galleries in Baltimore.

The opening reception is Friday, April 13th, 5pm - 9pm and running through April 22, 2007.

As savvy collectors know, keeping an eye on graduate students' work is key to beginning or continuing an art collection. Details here. Work by Elizabeth Wade, Michael Sandstrom, Kelly Egan, Wonsun Shin, Nathaniel Rogers, Ramsay Barnes, Stuart Jackson, Jodi Lieburn, Jackson Martin, Lesly Deschler Canossi, and Michael Hurst.

Wanna go to a DC opening tomorrow?

The Mexican Cultural Institute, located in one of Washington's most beautiful buildings and boasting a really good exhibition space, as well as really good Mexican munchies for their openings, has an opening reception on Wednesday, April 11, 7pm for artist Beatriz Ezban titled "Unified Field: The Border" (Campo Unificado: La Frontera).

The exhibition is free, but you must R.S.V.P. to (202) 728-1675. In addition to the opening, George Washington University’s Ballet Folklorico and Los Quetzales Mexican Dance Ensemble will perform live music and will show you how to dance zapateado as they do in Veracruz. “Voces Veracruzanas,” which is a group of young musicians from Veracruz, will be performing Son Jarocho and Latin-American folkloric music

The exhibit will be held through April 29, 2007. The Institute is located on 2829 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009.

The arts and Real Estate connection

It is a well known phenomenom of the real estate business, that the fine arts are kind of an antihistiamine or antibiotic for neighborhoods that are infected with crime and empty, vacant buildings.

Because crime ridden or boarded-up neighborhoods usually get very low rents, they become a magnet for artists looking for cheap studios and small, unique restaurants looking for affordable spaces.

So picture Old Town Alexandria a few decades ago, with an abandoned old shell of a building where torpedoes were manufactured during WWII, and many empty boarded up buildings up and down King Street. Or perhaps imagine, just a few years ago, the 14th Street area in Washington, DC, pretty much in the same malignant state.

And thus after quite a few truckloads of trash were removed from the Torpedo Factory in Old Town Alexandria, and a few brave artists and then art galleries opened up around the 14th Street, these areas began to attract people - both to the arts and to the restaurants.

And this in turn, began the vicious cycle of real estate, because now the national chains begin to become interested in the once dying neighborhoods, and rents begin to rise, and soon the artists and the galleries, and the small unique restaurants, have to start looking for a new place to go to, unable to pay the same rent scales as the chain restaurants and the national stores.

And so they begin migrating to yet another desperate neighborhood, like a revitalizing force of art and food.

This is apparently what is happening now in the area along West Broad Street in downtown Richmond, VA.

A First Fridays gallery walk was institutionalized there in 2001, soon after galleries and artists began to occupy the once vacant (and cheap) buildings in the area.

As Joe Macenka and Olympia Meola report in the Richmond Times Dispatch:

The event started in 2001 with about 17,000 visitors on a schedule that began in the fall and ended in the spring. Last year, attendance swelled to about 50,000. This year, First Fridays has expanded to a 12-month schedule.

It has become a linchpin for a renaissance along the West Broad corridor. What began with a few artists taking over vacant buildings along the stretch has blossomed into a movement with new restaurants, galleries, shops and apartments.

This is great news!

But now a word of warning: As I mentioned earlier, there will be soon a point where the same folks who braved the early days and set up galleries, shops and restaurants in this area, and made it blossom with its own unique character, will face escalating rents, and come to the attention of the trade giants of the food and retail industry. And when the rents go up, the artists and small restaurants will leave.

And unless the Richmond city fathers understand the vicious real estate cycle and make special accommodations for the original brave new gallerists and artists and chefs, etc., with them will leave the people, who after all, came to the area attracted by its own uniqueness, rather than a cookie-cutter downtown area full of Mickydees, Banana Republics and even chain pubs and chain galleries. And when the people stop coming, the chains' profits decrease and before you know it, they're gone, and buildings get boarded up, crime rises, and the whole cycle starts again, as a new generation of artists and chefs begin to move in.

Note: That's our own Rosetta DeBeradinis in the photograph illustrating the article!

Art-O-Matic Countdown

AOM opens this coming weekend in Crystal City at 2121 Crystal City Drive, and the exciment to one of the nation's most energizing artist-driven events is already building up as artists design, paint and create their spaces, and artneocon critics sharpen their journalistic fangs in their galvanized minds, and gallerists open their eyes to try to find the emerging star in this year's version of AOM.

Held regularly since 1999, Artomatic is the region’s one-of-a-kind multimedia art extravaganza, featuring more than 600 regional artists and performers. The free five-week event, to be held April 13–May 20, will feature nearly 90,000 square feet of paintings, sculptures, photography and cutting edge videos, computer and even self-creating artworks. And as AOM veterans know, a ton of parties and fun.

As DC ubercollector Philip Barlow eloquently pointed out in this letter to the WCP, many of today's top DC artists have Art-O-Matic in their resume: Manon Cleary, Dan Steinhilber, the Dumbacher brothers, Renee Stout, Tim Tate, Michael Clark, Richard Dana, Graham Caldwell, Judy Jashinsky, Richard Chartier, and many, many others, including online superstar and multi best-selling author: Frank Warren of Postsecret.

During the last AOM, I asked a variety of curators, gallerists, collectors and other artsy folks to email me their top 10 lists of their favorite ten AOM artists. The lists were then published here, and eventually they generated a variety of separate art shows in several DC, VA and MD commercial galleries and even catapulted some artists into solo shows.

So this year we're going to do it again, and if you sent me a Top 10 List during the last AOM, consider yourself invited and please email me your Top 10 once you visit AOM this year.

Artomatic will open to the public at 3pm, Friday, April 13, 2007.

Wanna be a DC art critic?

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Katie Tuss Interviews Anne Ellegood

Today is the last day left if you don’t want to miss the Hirshhorn Museum’s current exhibition Refract, Reflect, Project: Light Works from the Collection, which is on display through this Sunday, April 8, 2007. Katie Tuss recently spoke with Hirshhorn Associate Curator Anne Ellegood, who organized the exhibition, about the seductive nature of light and some of the highlights in the current show.

Katie Tuss: The show covers light works from 1959 to the present and numerous art movements are represented. How is the use of light developing differently than painting and sculpture?


Anne Ellegood: Well I think that one thing that happens, and that has been happening for several decades, is that contemporary artists don’t feel like their work needs to be rooted in illusion or representation. Often times they want to remove that intermediate step, so that whatever they are making has a direct relationship to the material. Spencer Finch’s piece Cloud H20 talks about this. He doesn’t want to make a painting of the sky. To him it has already been done, and done very well. He wants to create something more direct. And light does that, even if it is artificial light. You may or may not think of a cloud and it doesn’t really matter, but you are probably going to have some sense of the kind of feeling you have when you look at a cloud.

KT: Yeah, that piece almost moves.

AE: Actually it does physically move with wind currents in the gallery. If there are enough people in the space, it will respond. The installation isn’t rigid.

KT: What are the opportunities for using light moving forward?

AE: With young artists, and what I have noticed with Olafur Eliasson and Ivan Navarro, they want a capacity for intimacy with an object and to establish a type of familiarity with the object, but easily weave in historical, social, and scientific aspects as well. They aren’t interested in completely formal investigation like Dan Flavin. They want to add back in a kind of content, but are still enamored with the directness of the light as a material.

KT: In Navarro’s piece Flashlight: I’m not from here, I’m not from there, is that a random man or the artist in the accompanying video, pushing the wheelbarrow made of fluorescent light tubes?

AE: It is a friend of the artist.

KT: There is a sense of intimacy the man has with the wheelbarrow as he physically pushes it around and this piece is immediately juxtaposed in the first room of the exhibition with Flavin’s “monument” for V. Tatlin.

AE: It is really great that we have the opportunity to put the Flavin with a work like Navarro’s. These are two artists with totally different backgrounds and different agendas, but Navarro’s generation is very aware of Flavin’s generation. Navarro’s piece is built from his knowledge of art history, with a desire to acknowledge his own background, life, preoccupations, and concerns. He has picked up on Flavin and given it his own twist. It is exciting that we have the ability to show the two works side by side. We are trying to do more of this so that histories don’t look like they are operating separately.

KT: It is helpful to know the precedence and then actually be able to see the precedence.

AE: If you pick up neon, you have to grapple with Flavin. It makes you think about how materials shift and your comfort with them as an audience. When Flavin was starting out with fluorescents, it was pretty radical. You didn’t use industrially produced elements in your artwork. We don’t think of this as radical anymore. For Navarro it isn’t radical. It becomes a conversation literally about power in a more ideological sense.

Southworth and Sislen open today

Home and Abroad: Two New Views, a photography exhibit featuring new works by the very talented Barbara Southworth - titled “Homelands," the show revisits many of her favorite streams and marine sites, from Virginia to Maine, but rather than her usual panoramic format, she approaches these scenes with a subtly altered perspective and Alan Sislen's “Tuscany in Shades of Gray." After numerous trips to this beautiful area, instead of his usual color interpretation, Sislen explores the infrared spectrum (one of myu favorite genres of B&W photography) to capture the graphic beauty of this land.

Opening today from 3-5 PM at Multiple Exposures Gallery, in gallery 312 of the Torpedo Factory Art Center, in Old Town Alexandria in Virginia. Through May 7, 2007.

First Fridays at Philly and DC

Projects Gallery in Philly presents Tom Judd’s solo exhibition "The New World." This exhibition features Judd’s new work, including a 6 x 15 foot painting entitled “The New World." The exhibition opens with a First Friday artist reception April 6th from 5-9 p.m. and a Second Thursday reception April 12th, 5-9 p.m., and continues through April 29th.

In DC, as usual, the Dupont Circle Galleries will also have their first Friday openings and extended hours.

Airborne again today and returning home. More later...

Tortillism

Painter Joe Bravo is raising eyebrows with his current exhibit at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Los Angeles because Bravo paints on tortillas.

His tortilla paintings sell for as much as $1,800.

No truth to the rumor that a new series of pico de gallo installations are forthcoming.