The Contemporary Art Purchasing Program at UMD

In the spring of 2008, five gifted students from the University of Maryland were selected to be part of a committee that was taught the "intricacies of contemporary art and sent on trips to New York City and Washington D.C, where they visited multiple galleries and artists’ studios. The program concluded with the committee of students purchasing a number of pieces of contemporary art to be added to the collection of The Adele H. Stamp Student Union, Center for Campus Life."

The committee’s selections were then on exhibition at the University's Stamp Gallery. I was very interested in seeing the results of what sounds like a very cool program and visited the exhibition a while back. This is the second iteration of this program, and a new one will soon be underway.

The journey included a fall semester art theory course, countless hours in meetings to discuss independent research, leading up to exhilarating and exhausting trips to visit New York City and Washington D.C galleries. The committee worked directly with the galleries to both plan and schedule the trips and to acquire valuable information about the artists that piqued their interests. Final decisions were made after a formal presentation to an advisory board consisting of University community members and art professionals. It is safe to say that each artwork that the committee purchased was thoroughly researched and discussed.

The student committee members were Sana Javed ’09, Ophra Paul ’08, Alison Reilly ’09, Alisyn Stuebner MA ’09, and Megan Wickless ’10. And I will report immediately that each one performed superbly and acquired work that definitely fits what the program aimed for. It is the program itself that needs both to be lauded (and I really, really like this program) and also fine tuned a little to make it more realistic and tuned to the University's own backyard's art community.

I am told that the ultimate goal of the program is to "educate and inspire by exposing the campus community to challenging art created by noted contemporary artists. At the same time, committee members are given the opportunity to develop leadership skills as well as a deeper appreciation for art and the art world." More on the program itself here.

The selected artists for the last iteration of the program and 2009 additions to the University's permanent collection are Barbara Probst, Dulce Pinzon, Jefferson Pinder, Edward Burtynsky, Annu Palakunnathu Mathew and Linn Meyers. All but Meyers and Pinder are photographs; Meyers and Pinder are also local artists to the DC regional scene.

My own favorite works in the new collection are the two pieces by Mexican photographer Dulce Pinzón. I am not sure which of the students proposed her work, but the proposal was:

Mexican-born artist Dulce Pinzón challenges the stereotypes held against Mexican and Latino immigrants in the United States with her Superheroes project. In the wake of September 11, Pinzón found herself intrigued by the use and meaning of the word hero.

Bernabe Mendez from the State of Guerrero works as a professional window cleaner in New York. He sends 500 dollars a month.
20x24 inches, C-print mounted. c. 2004-2005 by Dulce Pinzón
The artist set out to capture images of those whom she considered the unsung heroes of her community—those immigrants who not only keep U.S. cities like New York running by working long hours for little pay, but who also support their families in Mexico by sending home substantial portions of their paychecks each week. Pinzón captured immigrant workers performing their jobs in their work environments, dressed as popular American and Mexican superheroes. Each photograph is accompanied by a short paragraph providing the subject’s name, his or her hometown, and the amount of money he or she sends to family members in Mexico each week.

Maria Luisa Romero from the State of Puebla works in a Laundromat in Brooklyn, New York. She sends 150 dollars a week by Dulce Pinzón.
20x24 inches, C-print mounted. c. 2004-2005 by Dulce Pinzón
The subject matter and aim of Pinzón’s project is both politically and socially engaging and would resonate with the University of Maryland community. The school sits on the border of the nation’s capital, a place where immigration is frequently the topic of debate. As in New York City, immigrants converge in Washington, D.C., to find work and to support their families, yet they are hardly given the respect and credit they deserve for the work they do.

Adding works from Superheroes to the Stamp collection would provide members of this university’s diverse community an opportunity to challenge preconceived ideas of what it means to be American or a hero, as well as to question the role that perspective plays in defining identity. The visual juxtaposition of the costumed subject in his or her work environment will draw the viewer in, while the text will enlighten the viewer and present new ways of thinking about immigrant workers.

Adding works from Superheroes to the Stamp collection would provide members of this university’s diverse community an opportunity to challenge preconceived ideas of what it means to be American or a hero, as well as to question the role that perspective plays in defining identity. The visual juxtaposition of the costumed subject in his or her work environment will draw the viewer in, while the text will enlighten the viewer and present new ways of thinking about immigrant workers

Dulce Pinzón was born in Mexico City in 1974. She studied Mass Media Communications at the Universidad de Las Americas in Puebla, Mexico and photography at Indiana University in Pennsylvania. In 1995 she moved to New York where she studied at The International Center of Photography.

As a young Mexican artist living in the US, Dulce soon found new inspiration for her photography in feelings of nostalgia, questions of identity, and political and cultural frustrations. In her black and white series “Viviendo en el Gabacho” (a Mexican colloquialism for living in the US) she illustrates the dualistic phenomenon of the integration of the Mexican immigrant into the New York landscape.

She is currently a Ford Foundation fellow and lives in Brooklyn, New York Mexico City. I find it interesting that Pinzón's best work was triggered by the viewing of her Mexican kinfolk from an American perspective. It delivers powerful images with a resonant social message. I wonder if when Pinzón returns to her native Mexico she now "sees" her working class compatriots in a different light. I say this because Mexican society is very harsh on its own lower working class people, and the heroes of Pinzón's American photographs are often the same heroes in her own native land, as a visit to most any house or flat in Mexico City's Zona Rosa will reveal.

The interesting fact that the Mexican government has one of the harshest and most oppressing immigration policies (Mexico has its own "illegal alien" problem in its southern borders) should yield some really interesting images if Pinzón were ever to do a new set of photographs depicting the painful issues faced by Salvadorean, Honduran and Nicaraguan illegal immigrants to her nation. Or the immense brutality of the Mexican government towards its own native indigenous population.

It is an interesting political paradox for a government that pretends, Presidente after Presidente, to be progressive and liberal, while its own policies are short of fascist in some cases.

A friend of mine, who is very high in the current Mexican administration recently told me a joke when we were discussing this political phenomenon. It seems that Mexican President Felipe De Jesus Calderon Hinojosa was driving former US President George W. Bush and current US President Barack Obama around Mexico City to show them some sights. They came to a T in the intersection and President Calderon asked, "Which way should we turn, left or right?"

"To the right, of couse, heh, heh," snickered Bush in heavily accented Spanish.

"To the left, my good friend," added Obama immediately.

Calderon thought about it for a second, and began to move. "I will signal left and turn right," he said as he began to turn.

This theme of ethnic and racial identification is one that runs through most of the pieces not only in the 2009 collection, but also in the earlier 2007 collection. Of the nine pieces acquired in 2009, six have some heavy handed form of ethnic or racial message. Some, like Pinzón, deliver right on target, while others miss a little or are somewhat dated.

I was intrigued also by the overwhelming number of photographs acquired both in 2007 and 2009, and asked both the students and the course's mentors (Megan Rook-Koepsel, Stamp Gallery Graduate Assistant Coordinator and Jackie Milad, the program coordinator for the Stamp Gallery) if the photography-heavy acquisition result was due to (a) price and/or (b) the fact that photography is usually an "easier" starting point for beginning collectors. The budget for this program, made possible through a generous gift from Dr. and Mrs. Erik Young (UMD class of 1974), was $50,000 and I was told that "by the time the pieces are framed and transported the budget was spent."


Quanah Parker, Washington D.C. 1880s/Annu Palakunnathu Matthew, Providence R.I., 2000s. Original photo courtesy: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
By Annu Palakunnathu Matthew
My questions to all those involved in the program was: "Seven of the 9 works picked are photographs. In 2007, all but one of the pieces were also photographs. Is photography easier to pick for beginner collectors? If so, why?"


Traditional American Indian Mother and Child/Contemporary Indian American Mother and Stepchild. Original photo courtesy: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
By Annu Palakunnathu Matthew
One answer to the above question stated: "No. This was something we discussed on many occasions. We wanted to broaden the variety of media in the collection but we found it very, very difficult to find non-photographic contemporary works which were within our budget, which were of a certain high quality and significance, and which also fit the themes of our collection. I felt like most of what we found in the galleries was photography."

Another answer stated

"We talked extensively about our tendency toward photographs. We often tried to limit ourselves in photography just for the sake of variety in the collection. But denying a work simply because of an established quota seemed too materialistic and unfairly nullified any argument of its worth. Also, many times we felt that the photographs we valued would have a greater impact on the university community than works of other media."

As any art dealer will tell you, photographs are usually the entry point for many beginning collectors, as they are visually the easiest form of art to accept and recognize without too much "wall text" to explain their meaning. Furthermore, given this program's direction to steer the acquisition towards (as one student put it) "Our task wasn't simply to present to the university community a group of aesthetically pleasing works; it was to present to the community a collection of works which would make them think, which would challenge their own beliefs, and which would hopefully allow them to see (in a positive way) that they are attending one of the most diverse public universities in the country."

It also seems from comments that some students interpreted the focus of the acquisition as a suggested task, but from the faculty perspective I was told: "The students really wanted to represent issues that are important to the University of Maryland community in their collection. Identity formation and cultural and social differences were some of the issues that they thought would be particularly salient. It was also important to them that they represent different kinds of artists, both women and men, and people of many different cultural and ethnic heritages."

I was also assured that "we made it very clear to them that the final decisions were all theirs, so if they wanted to override our suggestions and encouragements they could."

It is a photographic ethnic/racial representational thread that runs through both 2007 and 2009. In fact 12 of 15 works acquired so far have been photographs, nearly all dealing with ethnic and/or racial issues - in fact one can make the case that only two pieces (both abstract works) do not. I have some ideas on how to steer this overwhelming number to a more "diverse" set of art genres in the future. After all, diversity includes art forms, right? More on that later.

Because the course says that the students are "sent on trips to New York City and Washington D.C, where they visited multiple galleries and artists’ studios," I was curious which Washington, DC galleries and studios they had visited. To say that I was disappointed on the answers is the understatement of the year. In fact, I will reveal my hand now and affirm that the one huge flaw in this otherwise terrific course is the astounding lack of local connectivity in this program.

One student told me that they had only visited one DC gallery and that she was personally disappointed that they hadn't been to more. I asked her why not and was told that it was "too hard to get everyone together to see more DC galleries."

A faculty member, responding to the same issue stated that "The galleries were visited based on the students' interests. I drew their attention to many different DC galleries throughout the year and ultimately they decided on a few to visit. (I might mention here also, that the students planned to visit the DC galleries after they had already been to NYC so their interests and goals were naturally narrowed based on their NYC experiences). Also, the students planned to visit a few other DC galleries but there were scheduling conflicts that ultimately led them to cancel their visit."

So eventually, only one DC gallery was visited.

But then I noticed that all of the works from "local" DC area artists both in 2007 and 2009 come from the same gallery. And thus I asked if there was a reason why only G Fine Art artists have been acquired so far in this program?

Was this something that was "directed" by the way the fund for the program by Dr. & Mrs. Young was established?

Or something that the advisory board directed?

I was curious why for two versions of this great program only one local gallery has supplied the local talent?

The answers from the faculty stated that it was "mostly about relationships, ease of working with the gallery and the art in which the students were interested." Another faculty member stated that "Like I said before, the galleries that the students visit have most to do with the artists and works they have interest in--they do a lot of research before they ever visit the galleries so that they can make appointments to see specific artists' works. Throughout the program I pointed to several DC galleries and made the students aware of a lot of openings, but ultimately they narrowed their interest to only a few DC galleries for visits. BUT there is definitely something to be said for a gallery's relationship to our students in the past. G Fine Art was extremely welcoming and excited to work with our students and spend time with them looking at works by the artists that interested them in 2007 & 2009; and because the 2007 program participants so enjoyed working with Annie Gawlak and G Fine Art, the 2009 students were definitely excited to go back again. The choice to go buy again from G Fine Art had nothing to do with Dr. & Mrs. Young's gift or with the advisory board's advice."

I sense a bit of tap-dancing when it comes to these answers and the fact that 100% of all local area acquisitions are from one place is a major flaw in my opinion in an otherwise terrific program. The claim that students couldn't be organized to visit other galleries is spectacularly impossible to believe. Pleeeease! There are several other terrific galleries in the same building as to where G Fine Art was located! And no one could arrange to visit Curator's Office or Hemphill Fine Arts on that same visit to Annie's gallery? Since G Fine Art is closed/relocating, this program better get on the ball and discover more DC galleries to do business with and to expose students to. Here's how you fix it:

(a) Invite gallerists to come and do presentations to the next class. Let them know ahead of time of the sort of diversity focus that the program is aiming for. If 20 DC area galleries are contacted, I guarantee that at least half a dozen will respond with quality presentations to the students. This will also improve the program by adding a diverse set of local gallerists to the mix, including African-American owned galleries such as Parish Gallery, etc.

(b) As far as I can tell, not a single DC artist studio was visited. The DC area has clusters of artists studios all in one area, where it would be very easy to schedule a visit to half a dozen studios next to each other, such as a visit to Red Dirt Studios would yield. There are about half a dozen artist studios withing a few steps of each other in that area alone!

(c) Since it appears that it is next to impossible to schedule visits to DC area galleries, how about visiting one or two of the area's top art prize shows? Here the homework has been done by local area museum curators in selecting the best of what the greater capital region area has to offer. This is an easy and brilliant way to expose the students (and the faculty it seems) to the best local artists according to blue chip jurors. So visit the Sondheim Prize exhibition in Baltimore, or the Trawick Prize exhibition in Bethesda, or the Bethesda Painting Awards.

(d) Make it part of the course syllabus (all UMD courses are required to have one) for all students to have to attend at least six gallery openings of their choice and report back to the class. Put this in the course and the rubric used will be based on the report itself. I asked the students how many area gallery openings they had been to in the past year and the answers ranged from zero ("lack of time, cumbersome transportation, and higher priorities usually prevent me from attending" was given as an excuse) to "lots!". Attending gallery openings is by far the best way to immerse a new collector into a city's art scene; not all can be learned in a classroom. An art collector, any collector, needs to be able to soak in the art scene of the city that he or she is part of.

The bottom line is that it is unfair and a bit lazy on the part of all concerned to just visit one gallery, the same gallery, for two years in a row. This underexposes the students to a significant number of DC area artists who are working on important work that fits the directed focus of this program. For Christsakes! In the same building where the students visited they could have arranged to see the work of William Christenberry and Nicholas and Sheila Pye!

Regardless, G Fine Art is closed/relocating (we're still not sure), and so the current iteration of the program will have to discover some new DC galleries and/or artists studios one way or another. My suggestions, given the directed focus that the advisory committee directs the students towards, is:

- Curator's Office: Nicholas and Sheila Pye or Jiha Moon.
- Hemphill - William Christenberry
- Conner - Mary Coble
- Irvine - Susan Jamison or Akemi Maegawa
- Fraser - Trawick Prize or Bethesda Painting Awards
- Civilian - Cara Ober
- Parish - E. J. Montgomery and Herbert Gentry
- Red Dirt Studios - Margaret Boozer
- Washington Glass School - Tim Tate and Michael Janis

And the surprise will be that for the New York price of a photograph, the UMD collection will be able to acquire another genre of art. Notice that all non-photograph acquisitions so far have been (a) by DC area artists and (b) purchased from a DC gallery. That is not a coincidence.


Linn Meyers. Untitled. 59x75 inches. Ink on Mylar. 2009.
The above beautiful piece by Linn Meyers also stands out in the exhibition. Not only because of Meyers' enviable technical and artistic presence, but also because as the only abstract piece in the exhibition (in 2007 the only abstract was a gorgeous piece by Maggie Michael) it clearly stands out by its genre and non representational nature, as well as art for art's sake rather than trying to make a political or social statement. The acquisition proposal makes this the focus:

Linn Meyers is an artist of process—her works stand as evidence of her careful persistence. The difference between an artist’s intention and the realization of a work, and admitting that they can never be the same has long been a great concern for artists. Instead of accepting this human nature as a fault, Meyers has celebrated it. “Where else in life can one actually take pleasure in the fact that we are powerless?” she says. In order to emphasize the wonders of the realization, Meyers lets her intentions last only within each present moment, allowing the uncontrollable to flow into the work. Her earlier works experimented with a variety of forms—such as dots, lines, strokes, and tinted backgrounds—and explored the sublimity in the interaction of these planes. Many of her current pieces have lines drawn to initially follow around forms and then expand out to an edge of the surface. Subsequent lines are drawn beside the line before, imitating the same curves, even along areas of “slippage” where the pens may show signs of human error. As the surface is filled in, these features of error take the form of an elegant ripple. While geometry is utilized, Meyers admits that she cannot have equal control over forms. The simplicity of her process and the combination of basic artistic elements create works of wonder and beauty.

Meyers’ piece is a large drawing of black lines on Mylar, which takes particular care in severely reducing elements in order to focus on the phenomenon of the process and the interaction of human performance with geometric shapes. She began a pattern, initially unknown, by following the curves of several tangential circles around the center of the sheet and then taking a natural curve out to an edge of the work. Areas of “slippage,” most evident in areas where the artist’s reach were naturally most strained and stretched, are echoed out to the furthest edges with each line added, creating a resonant beauty from the evidence of imperfection. While playing with the exactness of geometrically aligned circles, the piece becomes focused on the humanization of these forms, which contributes to the intangible life and ambiance observed. The size of the work allows the viewer to be more greatly emerged in the aesthetics while simultaneously welcoming careful scrutiny of each mark.

Meyers’ work would contribute a number of outstanding qualities to the Stamp Student Union collection at the University of Maryland. Looking at its basic medium and style, the work would stand as the collection’s first drawing, expanding the collection’s breadth of media and artistic techniques. The work’s size invites views from up close and afar, which may especially benefit such a large public space. Additionally, as a more conceptual piece, it could reach a wider audience, spreading interest in the collection as a whole. And while it could be a “break” from the more highly postmodern works, it may also trigger interest in the messages of the other pieces. The universality of the drawing could even spark interest for students of a variety of academic disciplines, pulling interesting perspectives from mathematicians, physicists, cartographers, etc. Also, as a Washington D.C. artist with high involvement in the University of Maryland, Meyers’ inclusion in the collection would formally recognize her involvement in the community while at the same time honoring her rising success across the country. The untitled work is a meditation on the experience of human nature, and would provide a refreshing bit of confidence, especially in an environment filled with high academic expectations.

The very talented Linn Meyers has been an Artist In Residence at the University of Maryland since 2008 and a past Trawick Award (3rd place in 2003) winner.

Jefferson Pinder contributes the other non-photograph to the collection and its first video.


Jefferson Pinder. Still from Juke. Digital video. Edition of 10. 2006
Pinder's acquisition proposal reads:

Jefferson Pinder is an artist who believes that "few things are more persuasive than the moving image." The video series Juke has a unique feel and message to offer to the Stamp Student Union and the University of Maryland community. Pinder is interested in the meaningful interaction that can happen between an artwork and the viewer. As he says, "In an age where activism happens less on the street and more in the mind, I seek to create work that converses with the public." Juke is an engaging piece that questions the perceived racial categories in music and asks the audience to evaluate questions such as "Is there black music?" or "Is there white music?"

In each of the 10 videos that comprise the work Juke, the camera is focused on the face of an African American person against a bright white background. Each video features the subject lip-syncing and trying to relate to songs not typically associated with African American culture. By appropriating the songs through his lip-synching subjects, Pinder asks the viewer to re-interpret the music and to consider the stereotyping involved in categorizing music as belonging to one race or another.

As Pinder explains in his personal statement, “I explore interests that not only relate to identity but also tie into a larger fiber of the human condition. My music videos exalt the soundtracks of life, as all of my work is a metaphor for my cultural journey. These thinly layered video pieces speak less of technology and more of the dynamic representation of a human experience. Inspired by past generations of artists, my work seeks to bridge a connection between what has come before and what lies ahead. I offer little direction. (That is in keeping with my generation.) Rather, I find interest in creating work that documents dynamic details of this ever-changing cultural landscape."

We propose to acquire five of the videos that comprise the series Juke. These videos will add untold value to the collection as they challenge ideas and ask questions that are extremely relevant to the diverse University community. Adding these works will provide students with an opportunity to discuss and think about race, diversity, and identity. Additionally, having received his MFA from the University of Maryland in 2003, and now as a faculty member of the University of Maryland art department, Pinder is a valued member of our community and we think this connection would add great value to this acquisition.

As a testament to the relevance and importance of his artwork, Jefferson Pinder has also been featured in museums and shows in the past all across the nation from the Oculus Gallery to The Three Rivers Arts Festival. Jefferson Pinder will soon be exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery, The High Museum, and the Neuberger Museum of Art.

I really liked this video the first time I saw it a couple of years ago, and it is still a very refreshing and somewhat liberating work. Pinder's elegant way to approach the subject of stereotyping, in this case music, is right up my alley in my pedantic fight against labels and artistic segregation by race or ethnicity. This is a simple and yet powerful idea which Pinder delivers superbly. This work alone can satisfy the University's overwhelming need to select artwork that delivers a strong message on diversity.

But I am back stuck on neutral when I realize that both Pinder and Meyers, both terrific artists on their own and easily terrific picks for the collection, are both associated with the University of Maryland (he is part of the school's faculty).

Because both Meyers and Pinder are artists who were easily available to the students, it suddenly gives the appearance of taking the easy way out in the selection of work and reinforces my belief that this program is in dire need to expand the way it presents "Washington DC galleries and studios" to the course's students.

The weak pick in the exhibition (every group show has a weak link right?) is Edward Burtynsky's Silver Lake Operations #1, Lake Lefroy, Western Australia. Maybe I've seen one too many quarry, refinery, recycling yard and abandoned mine. They all are beginning to look the same to me by now. I'm hoping that the Oil exhibition at the Corcoran will re-kindle my interest in these Teutonic sized photos of samo, samo.

In summary, this is one very special UMD program, which like all new courses somewhat needs fine tuning here and there, but overall needs to be applauded for its two iterations and observed closely in the current one to see what new gems the new set of student eyes will select. I'm looking forward to the next set of acquisitions!

My final question to all involved was: if you had one more artist to pick, who would it be?

Dean Goelz, Kumi Yamashita, Georgia O'Keefe, Lee Pratt, Julee Holcombe, Avish Khebrezahdeh, Jon Pylypchuk were mentioned.

St. Julia

The Killing of St. Julia
Charcoal and Conte on Crayon. 2009.
4.5 feet by 1 foot. By F. Lennox Campello

Bilateral Engagement

An artwork inspired by the 2008 Presidential Election will be on display at the Art Museum of the Americas in Washington DC as part of the Bilateral Engagement exhibition curated by my good friend Laura Roulet.

Last fall, local DC area artist Linda Hesh created an interactive temporary public art project to ask Americans what they wanted for our future as they awaited the upcoming election. She made two six foot benches, one in vibrant turquoise that had “FOR” cut out of the back and another in bright red that stated “AGAINST.”

Hesh thenset the benches in a dozen prominent local locations and asked people passing by what they were for or against. The results were over 1000 written opinions and 306 photographic portraits of everyday people captioned with what they are for or against. Whether they voiced a personal issue, or one on the world stage, people seemed eager to have this forum for expression.

The complete “FOR and AGAINST Bench Project” including benches, written opinions, and 306 portraits as a video will be on display as part of the “Bilateral Engagement” exhibition at the Art Museum of the Americas from October 16, 2009 until January 15, 2010. The exhibition consists of artists selected by curator Laura Roulet from the Washington Sculptors Group paired with the concurrent Latin American artists.

"Bilateral Engagement"
Oct 16 - Jan 15, 2010
Art Museum of the Americas
201 18th St. NW
Washington DC 20006
open tues-sat 10-5 pm

Special events:
Friday, October 16 at 12 noon: preview gallery talk with exhibit curator Laura Roulet
Friday, October 16 at 6pm: opening reception
Saturday, November 7 from 10 am to 12 noon: exhibit-themed family workshop
Saturday, November 14 from 12 pm to 2 pm: Linda Hesh continues her photographic portraits on her FOR and AGAINST benches (all welcome to participate)
Saturday, November 14 from 2 pm to 4 pm: artist-led panel discussion

Funding for those serving seniors

Deadline: Thursday, October 15, 2009

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities has a special grant that funds artists and arts organizations serving seniors, 60 and older in arts programs.

Grant Amount: Up to $5,000
Deadline: Thursday, October 15, 2009
Time: 7:00pm
For more information contact victoria.murray@dc.gov

Multiverse acquired by the NGA

The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC has acquired for its permanent collection Leo Villareal's installation Multiverse.

Multiverse is Villareal's most complex project to date. Measuring 200 feet long, the installation has 41,000 light emitting diodes individually sequenced by through his custom computer programs.

Villareal is represented locally by Conner Contemporary, which helped to facilitate the acquisition.

Who's that on the cover?

Port of Harlem magazine's issue on photography features New York-based Mireille Liong-A-Kong, and my good friends and Washington-based photogs Bruce McNeil and Camille Mosley-Pasley as well as Jason Miccolo Johnson. That's Camille, Bruce and Jason on the cover.

Mosely-Pasley has also shot images that have graced the magazine's covers in the past.

Resources for Artists

John Grazier has brought to my attention this resource which allows artists like Grazier to publish it himself. He writes:

This is a magazine I have published, with quotes by notable individuals and curators, and filled with double page spreads of images of my work, -- it's very impressive, beautifully printed on 80 lb. glossy paper. Forty-four pages, it may be previewed online (and ordered). It is, for me, a valuable sales tool. I make no profit on it; I have sold about 25 copies, a small number, but which I view as a success. This means that collectors are in possession of it, and thinking about my paintings.

Other artists might consider doing something similar to promote their work. Publishing it is free! I think the concept is great, and if someone wants a profit, they just take that option, pricing the publication above print on demand cost-- they will receive payment via paypal.

Details here. Comments welcomed.

Wodzianski extravaganza continues

Andrew Wodzianski art month continues in DC with the opening of Wodzianski's Abra Cadaver in Bethesda's Fraser Gallery tonight, with an opening reception from 6-8PM. I am told that there may be a surprise in store for one of the District's better known art critics and that the surprise was almost revealed in the back pages of yesterday's Express newspaper. From what I can see of the exhibition here, it has some new clever pieces from Andrew's android series.

Last night's opening at Flashpoint was packed, and although the artist was there all night, no one saw him, as he spent the entire opening inside a white casket being guarded by two very efficient, very pretty nurses.


I noticed quite a few red dots, and people were also buzzing about the scavenger hunt associated with the opening, with several of the paintings in the show as the free prize for the hunt winners. Throughout the month, the artist will release a series of five clues via Twitter (twitter.com/househuntdc). Five people will ultimately have the chance to win a painting from the exhibition.

Crowd at opening listening to the announcement about the scavenger hunt for free Wodzianski paintings
There was also a good assortment of the usual suspects at the opening, and I had a chance to shake hands and kiss cheeks of people that I had not seen in a long time since I had moved away to Philly.


Kristina Bilonick and Philippa P.B. Hughes


Steve Krensky with one of the nurses
Wodzianski will actually be present and meeting people in tonight's opening at the Fraser Gallery. The gallery is at 7700 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda, just a couple of blocks from the Metro.

CRIT '09

International Arts & Artists' Crit '09 has been scheduled for Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 from 6:30 - 8:30pm at Hillyer Art Space, located at 9 Hillyer Ct. NW, Washington, DC, 20008. This event is a scheduled open critique for all artists. Each critique will be open to 8-12 artists on a first come, first serve basis (but don't worry, this will be a monthly event).

They are still accepting artists for this first opportunity until October 14, so don't miss out!

Here are the guidelines (quoted):

Theses critiques are to provide helpful feedback to artists' works that are in progress or completed, by telling the artist NOT WHAT YOU LIKE OR DON'T LIKE, but by:

- simply telling the artist what you SEE...

- by perhaps describing and analyzing HOW you perceive the overall structure/composition of the work; what part of the piece 'works', what part might not be 'working', i.e. strengths and weaknesses...

- by interpreting the meaning, content, expression, artist's intention, etc.for the work as conveyed through its formal visual language...

- by offering feedback on quality of craftsmanship

If you are interested in participating, please contact Lachelle Slade at membership@artsandartists.org or 202-338-0680.

Red Bull Art of the Can

Fundraiser

The Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center has been serving their Maryland area community since 1986. It has grown from an idea to a vibrantly active nonprofit organization, housed in the 100-year-old Mountain City Mill on the banks of Carroll Creek in historic downtown Frederick. Classes are offered in an ever-growing list of media and subjects for all ages and levels of experience. The small class sizes are led by experienced instructors, who are also working artists. Their award-winning facility features classroom/studio spaces for drawing, painting, crafts, photography, printmaking, wood, and ceramics as well as a reference library.

Over 50 exhibits are offered each year, in eight galleries of various sizes. A variety of lectures, art trips, films and more round out the educational experience.

They are having a fund raising auction and some of the items up for the silent auction can be seen here.

The silent auction is going on now and ends the night of the gala on October 24th. Tickets for the gala are $85/person.

For more information, contact:

Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center
40 S. Carroll St.
Frederick, MD
301-698-0656
info@delaplaine.org
www.delaplaine.org

The place to be tonight is...

I know that I've been nagging you to death over this, but if you miss it, you'll hear about it and wish that you'd gone.

It's not just me... so far the Daily Candy, Penn Quarter Living, The Washington Post, The Gazette, The Express, The Hill Rag, and a few others I had not even heard of until recently all say that the place to be tonight is at Flashpoint in DC, for the opening reception from 6-8pm of Andrew Wodzianski's House.

Let me re-start with a warning: this exhibit is not for the faint of heart, or the weak of constitution.

If you choose to attend, then you take your chances, there will be food and drink and ghosts... and an opening like no art gallery or artsy folks have ever seen before.

See ya there!

Winston-Salem, you've been Jenkins-ed

DC's own Tape Dude does it again... check out the Winston Salem Journal report here.

"That's Jenkins as in Mark Jenkins, a famous artist who has stopped pedestrians around the world midstep with his life-size, life-like packing-tape casts of bodies positioned in sometimes strange, sometimes normal, always weird ways.

The commotion in Winston-Salem started about 1:15 p.m. yesterday, when police and medics rushed to the corner of Eighth and Trade streets downtown. They'd gotten a report that a woman's body was draped on top of a billboard. They got there, looked up, saw the body and started to climb.

When they got to the top, they found not a person needing rescuing, but a plastic "mannequin," put there as part of one of Jenkins' public art exhibits."

Mark has gone around the world and certainly has become one of the planet's premier street artists while virtually ignored by museum curators in his own city.

Remember the life-sized car that he made for his Fraser Gallery Georgetown solo show in 2005? Or these below that he installed outside the Warehouse Gallery for "Seven" also in 2005?

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: Saturday, October 10, 2009

Hurry! the deadline is this Saturday, October 10, for IMAGE/PROJECT, the Arlington Art Center's juried show for photography and video. Juror: Taryn Simon, a photographer who's shown at the Pompidou, the Whitney, the Met, and many other places.

The entry can be found here.

Congrats!

To my good friends Susan Jamison and Akemi Maegawa.

Susan Jamison will have a solo exhibition at the Taubman Museum, Roanoke, VA, in March, 2010.

Akemi Maegawa's work will be featured in a special installation at the NADA art fair in Miami Beach, "Hello Daruma, Hello Modern," sponsored by the Corcoran College of Art + Design.

They are both represented by Irvine Contemporary in Washington, DC.

First anti Rockwell salvo

The first shot at the guaranteed to be a very popular mega museum exhibition of Norman Rockwell's artwork in the collection of two very successful, and very progressive major contributors to the Democratic party have been fired.

When I announced the coming Rockwell exhibition opening at the Smithsonian American Art Museum on July 2, 2010 I wrote:

Now for some easy predictions: the high brow elitist critics will all unite in one front and all hate this show. The public, being far more progressive and democratic in their acceptance of what is art (without silly obsolete notions of "high" art and all other art, and without ingrained notions of "illustration" versus "high art") will line out to see the exhibition and continue to love Rockwell as they have for decades.

Boom! the first shot came across the bow of the exhibition a few days ago.

Boom! In an otherwise quite good and interesting article on the future of photography, the Washington Post's Oxford-educated (yields an Anglo-centric perspective on the world) Chief Art Critic writes that "It's not that art museums never show "low" painting. The Corcoran has shown Norman Rockwell..." It is the classic and antiquated (and uniquely American traditional view) critical perspective of high art and low art.

Separate everything; label everything, put everything and everyone in a box with a label: high art, low art, fine art, illustration, Hispanics, Latinos, Scots-Irish, Jewish-American, Cuban-American...

And don't let Rockwell get away with it; it's not high art, it's not high art, it's not high art.

The Obama Art List

Here's the Obama art list. After reviewing this list a little more carefully, and realizing that no politician ever does anything without some political reason, I now think that the Gopnikmeister may have been more on the ball on some of his thinking here than I gave him credit for.

Awright... he was right mostly and I was wrong... mostly. And I didn't know that Morandi was a fascist, but I bet that by now the Obamas do! Good job Blake.

One last thought: For a real political coup, what the President should have done, in a truly populist move, should have been to mix into the selections about a dozen works by emerging/mid level artists (rather than all museum level artists) and pick a dozen works from the vast holdings of the Arts in Embassies inventory. This is a missed PR opportunity for a PR-hungry White House. Imagine the impact on those artists' local media markets if a local artist would have been picked to adorn the walls of the White House? Whoever advised the Obamas on this caper missed a truly great chance to add votes to the move. By the way, my earlier advice was published here.

These will be in the President's residence:

· Josef Albers -- "Homage to the Square: Elected II" (1961) -- Hirshhorn Museum

· Josef Albers -- "Homage to the Square: Midday" (1954-57) -- Hirshhorn Museum

· Josef Albers -- "Study for Homage to the Square: Nacre" (1965) -- Hirshhorn Museum

· George Catlin -- "A Crow Chief at His Toilette" (1861-69) -- National Gallery of Art

· George Catlin -- "Camanchees Lancing a Buffalo Bull" (1861-69) -- National Gallery of Art

· George Catlin -- "Mired Buffalo and Wolves" (1861-69) -- National Gallery of Art

· George Catlin -- "Cheyenne Village" (1861-69) -- National Gallery of Art

· George Catlin -- "Grizzly Bears Attacking Buffalo" (1861-69) -- National Gallery of Art

· George Catlin -- "Grassy Bluffs" (1861-69) -- National Gallery of Art

· George Catlin -- "Game of the Arrow-Mandan" (1861-69) -- National Gallery of Art

· George Catlin -- "A Foot War Party in Council-Mandan" (1861-69) -- National Gallery of Art

· George Catlin -- "Ball-Play Dance-Choctaw" (1861-69) -- National Gallery of Art

· George Catlin -- "Buffalo Chase, With Accidents" (1861-69) -- National Gallery of Art

· George Catlin -- "Catlin and Indian Attacking Buffalo" (1861-69) -- National Gallery of Art

· George Catlin -- "K'nisteneux Indians Attacking Two Grizzly Bears" (1861-69) -- National Gallery of Art

· Edward Corbett -- "Washington, D.C. November 1963 III" (1963) -- National Gallery of Art

· Edgar Degas -- "Dancer Putting On Stocking" (c. 1896-1911) -- Hirshhorn Museum

· Edgar Degas -- "The Bow" (c. 1896-1911) -- Hirshhorn Museum

· Richard Diebenkorn -- "Berkeley, No. 52" (1955) -- National Gallery of Art

· Nicolas De Stael -- "Nice" (1954) -- Hirshhorn Museum

· Sam Francis -- "White Line" (1958-59) -- National Gallery of Art

· Winslow Homer -- "Sunset" (c. 1875) -- National Gallery of Art

· Jasper Johns -- "Numerals, 0 through 9" (1970) -- National Gallery of Art

· William H. Johnson -- "Booker T. Washington Legend" (c. 1944-45) -- Smithsonian American Art Museum

· William H. Johnson -- "Children Dance" (c. 1944) -- Smithsonian American Art Museum

· William H. Johnson -- "Flower to Teacher" (c. 1944) -- Smithsonian American Art Museum

· William H. Johnson -- "Folk Family" (c. 1944) -- Smithsonian American Art Museum

· Glenn Ligon -- "Black Like Me #2" (1992) -- Hirshhorn Museum

· Giorgio Morandi -- "Still Life" (c. 1955) -- National Gallery of Art

· Giorgio Morandi -- "Still Life" (c. 1955) -- National Gallery of Art

· Louise Nevelson -- "Model for 'Sky Covenant' " (1974) -- National Gallery of Art

· Susan Rothenberg -- "Butterfly" (1976) -- National Gallery of Art

· Mark Rothko -- "Red Band" (1955) -- National Gallery of Art

· Edward Ruscha -- "I think I'll . . ." (1983) -- National Gallery of Art

· Alma Thomas -- "Sky Light" (1973) -- Hirshhorn Museum

· Leon Polk Smith -- "Stretch of Black III" (1961) -- National Gallery of Art

· Unknown Artist -- "Chief Jumper of the Seminoles" (possibly 1837-1838) -- National Gallery of Art

Loaned art that will be in the West Wing

· Frank O. Salisbury -- "President Harry S. Truman" -- Harry S. Truman Library, Independence, Mo. (in the Cabinet Room)

· Lucy M. Lewis -- Vase (1962) -- National Museum of the American Indian (in the Oval Office)

· Jeri Redcorn -- Bottle, "Intertwining Scrolls" (2005) -- National Museum of the American Indian (in the Oval Office)

· Steve Smith -- Jar (c. 1980) -- National Museum of the American Indian (in the Oval Office)

· Maria Poveka Martinez -- Jar (1959) -- National Museum of the American Indian -- (in the Oval Office)

· Samuel F. B. Morse -- Telegraph Register patent model (1849)-- National Museum of American History (in the Oval Office)

· John A. Peer -- Gear Cutter patent model (1874) -- National Museum of American History (in the Oval Office)

· Henry William -- 1877 steamboat feathering paddlewheel patent model (1877) -- National Museum of American History (in the Oval Office)

Loaned art that will be hung in the East Wing

· Alma Thomas -- "Watusi (Hard Edge)" (1963) -- Hirshhorn Museum

Acquired, location yet to be determined

· Mark Rothko -- "No. 17" or "No. 15" (1949) -- National Gallery of Art

Spanish chocolates and Spanish photographs

Spanish Ghosts: Spain's Abandoned Architecture - Photographs by Mark Parascandola

Opening Reception: Thursday, October 8, 6:00-8:30. Free Spanish chocolate and wine tasting!

Studio B at Biagio Fine Chocolate
1904 18th Street NW (between T Street and Florida Avenue)
Washington DC

The landscape of Spain is dotted with abandoned structures, ghosts of a multi-layered history. Preserved in the arid climate, these architectural remains reveal the impact of time, weather, and transient visitors who have left their own mark. The subjects in this series of photographs include the Carabanchel prison in Madrid, a salt-eroded church on the coast of Almeria, leftover "spaghetti western" film sets, and the Cortijo del Fraile, the site of events that inspired Federico Garcia Lorca's Blood Wedding. The exhibit will be on display in Studio B at Biagio Fine Chocolate at 1904 18th Street NW throughout the month of October.

The exhibit and reception are part of a month-long series of activities planned by SpainDC to highlight Spanish culture in the Washington DC area.

Join them on Thursday, October 8, from 6:00 – 8:30 pm, to view the photographs, sample chocolates from Spain, and enjoy a tasting of three award-winning Spanish wines!

Spain has more vineyard acreage than any other country in the world. Tradewinds (Tradewinds Specialty Imports is Spanish wine import company based in Washington DC) will be sharing "three top-rated boutique wines they have hand-selected from family-run, estate-vineyards, across Spain. The wines being tasted, ranging from the more well known, to more secret, regions of Spain, are all available in Washington DC and are exclusively distributed by Tradewinds." Mark Parascandola is a photographer based in Washington DC with family roots in Almeria in the south of Spain.

Gopnik on the Obama's art taste

This is perhaps the most elitist art opinion article that I have ever read, and the reason why populists distrust and dislike the arts intelligentsia's brutally off putting look at everything from a left side of the brain perspective.

Gopnik is way off base on some of his perspectives on the artwork the Obamas have been choosing. Or is he?

I still think that he is a decent art critic, but he would make one shitty collector, if he really wastes brain cells like he does in this piece

Working with curators at the White House and at the local museums that made loans, the First Couple selected some works whose politics are explicit, and mild. They seem to redress past imbalances in the nation's sense of its own art. There are works by African Americans (seven paintings from three artists, out of a total of 47) and by Native Americans (four artists contributed three modern ceramics and one abstract painting). There are also 12 paintings depicting Native Americans, by the 19th-century ethnographic artist George Catlin.

But there are still only six works by women, vs. 41 by men. And there are no works at all by Latinos. (A work by the deceased Cuban American artist Félix González-Torres would have filled the gap perfectly, and added a nod to the country's gay culture. The Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum has one that could have been borrowed.)

Unless the brilliant Gopnikmeister is fucking with us and he's really writing this piece to get picked up by the AP and UPI and distributed all over the world.

Even the most positive of gestures made by the new White House loans can have complications wrapped around them. One of the African Americans with pictures in the Obamas' residence is William H. Johnson, a sophisticated artist who trained in Scandinavia in the 1930s. After returning to the United States to bide out World War II, however, he made pictures of Harlem that can seem falsely naive, as though buying into then-standard notions that "genuine" black culture was "simpler" than the culture of white Europeans. Why did one of the new White House Johnsons, showing impoverished parents and children in a modest room, get titled "Folk Family"? Did being poor and black make you more "folky" than other Americans?

As for the Catlin Indians, should we think of them as a positive nod to the original peoples of this continent, or are they all about a white colonialist gawking at exotic conquered peoples? Paul Chaat Smith, who curates contemporary art at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, says that even he and other native peoples aren't sure of the answer. "They're not us, they're not for us," he says, but they're also "part of how we think about ourselves."

In today's art world, these kinds of debates and complexities are where you want to sink your teeth. In those terms, the Obamas could hardly have done a better job of choosing their loans.

Mmmm... maybe Gopnik is shooting for a MSNBC or Fox or some other divisionist network guest appearance.

Smart guy.

PS - On the Félix González-Torres idea... thank you but no thank you. We'd rather get picked on merit rather than by a need to fill ethnic niches. We Latinos don't like to be segregated or boxed in or labeled. We'd rather be chosen by an art collector or a President trying to get free loaners for the White House for our artistic merit rather than by our ethnicity. How many Italian-American artists are in the Obama collection? How many German-Americans? How many Arab-American? Stop putting labels on Americans. Stop trying to check all the boxes and choose artwork for art's sake.

Silly rabbit.

Wanna go to an arts panel tomorrow?

Thursday, Oct. 8; 7 p.m. Panel Discussion: Remembering the Things Past: A Conversation Celebrating Anne Truitt

On the opening night of "Anne Truitt: Perception and Reflection," join the Hirshhorn for a discussion moderated by Tim Gunn, chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne and a former student of Truitt's. Artist Martin Puryear, filmmaker Jem Cohen, photographer John Gossage and associate curator Kristen Hileman as they share their unique perspectives on Truitt's career as an artist, professor and author.

These friends and colleagues of the artist reflect on her important contributions to 20th-century abstraction and the Washington, D.C. arts community. The exhibition will remain open until the panel discussion begins. Admission is free. Tickets for the talk will be distributed on a first-come basis starting at 5:45 p.m. in the lobby.

Andrew Wodzianski's House opens tomorrow

Tomorrow, Thursday, October 8, 2009, the place to be is at Flashpoint in DC, for the opening reception from 6-8pm of Andrew Wodzianski's House.

Let me start with a warning: this exhibit is not for the faint of heart, or the weak of constitution.

If you choose to attend and take your chances, there will be food and drink and ghosts... and perhaps even a few murders. Of your safety, Flashpoint can make no such guarantee. It isn’t a very warm welcome, is it?

Before the party begins, let’s go over the details.

In this exhibit you will see thirteen artworks, nine of which are paintings. All nine depict interior sets and props used in William Castle’s cult camp classic film, 'House on Haunted Hill’, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

The paintings are a triumph of technical and creative visual minimalism. Still images from the film are manipulated and juxtaposed onto tinted canvas, and obfuscated by multiple layers of white glaze and velaturas.

Do you believe in ghosts? Much like the ones haunting the film, the works themselves appear veiled, slightly threatening and unresolved. Don’t worry, you’re safer at the gallery than anywhere else. And the ghosts in this house will be glad that you came.

Are we all strangers to each another? At the opening is not the time for being alone. For the dearly departed did not shuffle off his mortal life with the intent of doing so alone. No! He wanted – wants – you to experience the art all the more with your presence, your action, your... life? What other funerary comes dressed in white? But I realize this is a very unusual party.

The ghosts are already moving, and that’s a bad sign. But you don’t believe in ghosts, do you?

So why don’t you take a tour through Wodzianski’s House tomorrow evening, and let’s see what happens, shall we?

What’s the use of saying Good Night?

Flashpoint
916 G St NW
Washington DC 20001
202.315.1305

Two more in trouble

Two more DC area galleries are contemplating closing; more later...

Langley Spurlock at Studio

There's a very cool (and highly affordable) exhibition currently at Studio Gallery.

There you will find 100 Paintings, drawings, photos and prints of birds and only birds. Imagined birds; Abstract birds; Absurd birds; Sexy birds; Cocky birds; Fighting birds; Rare birds; Odd birds; Extinct birds, etc. by Langley Spurlock.

There is also The Winged Bestiary, an Illustrated Abcedarium of Feathered Nonsense from A to Zumborouk, a very impressive collaboration with the poet John Martin Tarrat.

There are receptions on Friday, October 9, 6 - 8 pm and on Friday, October 16, 6 - 8 pm.

Who knows the real story about this painting?

At least six bidders do (definitely not the auction house estimator):

An 18th-century unsigned oil painting of the Grand Canal in Venice, estimated at a modest $6,000 to $8,000, sold for $687,125 Sunday afternoon at Sloans & Kenyon auction house in Chevy Chase. It is believed to be the most expensive painting ever sold at a Washington area auction.

Thirteen phone bidders competed against live bidders in the gallery for this work from the "school of" the 18th-century artist Giovanni Antonio Canaletto.

Interesting, nu?

"It is highly probable the painting is by Michele Marieschi," said London art dealer Charles Beddington, who was an adviser to the painting's runner-up, who stopped bidding at $550,000. Marieschi, another 18th-century artist, never signed his work and died young, Beddington said.

Read the WaPo story here.

Wanna go to a GMU opening this Friday?

The work of 22 GMU students and alumni opens this this Friday with a reception from 6 to 9PM. While there check out the work of Ryan McCoy.

FTC'ing bloggers

The Federal Trade Commission will require bloggers to clearly disclose any freebies or payments they get from companies for reviewing their products.

It is the first time since 1980 that the commission has revised its guidelines on endorsements and testimonials, and the first time the rules have covered bloggers.

Details here.

Matt Sesow at MFA

I hear that Matt Sesow had a great opening at Mayer Fine Art in Norfolk with loads of sales. Congrats to both!

Wanna go to an Open Studio today?

What: J.T. Kirkland Open Studio

When: Saturday, October 3, 4-8pm

Where: 47762 Mariner Ct, Sterling, VA 20165

New Drawing

The first one in months!

Excuse(s): I've been away (spent all of July screwing around the desert in California), had to make a major move back to DC from Philadelphia, and had my third child arrive a month ago. I'm still unpacking yo! And getting less than 3-4 hours sleep a day!

The Killing of The Christ
Charcoal and conte on paper. 4 feet by 4 feet. 2009.
F. Lennox Campello
I may have to revisit this drawing... I couldn't remember exactly on which side Christ was pierced by the Spear of Destiny used by the Roman Centuriun Longinus.

I've drawn a slight reference to it on His left side, as my Catholic school background seems to recall that side, but since I am not very religious, I can't be 100% sure. I guess I will check the New Testament, unless someone can leave a comment and let me know. Then I will draw the wound.

Andrew Wodzianski's House opens next week

On Thursday, October 8, 2009, the place to be and be seen in the District is at Flashpoint, for the most unusual opening reception from 6-8pm of Andrew Wodzianski's House.

Let me start with a warning: prepare yourself for an art exhibition like no art exhibition that you’ve ever been to, in fact, an art exhibition like no one has ever been to.

Not that novel ideas for art exhibitions are anything new for Andrew Wodzianski, but this one takes the prize.

Years before Twitter, Wodzianski orchestrated a solo show at Fraser Gallery where visitors could use Yellow Arrows (Twitter’s predecessor) to text immediate criticism and comments about his work to an online site.

It was such a new and innovative marriage of art and emerging digital communications technology, that most of it completely went over the heads of art critics and visitors alike: “text what to where?” It did catch the attention of a University curator who gave Wodzianski a follow up exhibition of this novel pre-Twitter concept of immediate digital feedback.

He also once showed up to an opening dressed as a ninja, and once as a woman.

In this exhibit you will see thirteen artworks (not a coincidence), nine of which will be paintings. All nine paintings depict interior sets and props used in William Castle’s cult campy film 'House on Haunted Hill’, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The paintings are a triumph of technical and creative visual minimalism as still images from the film are manipulated and juxtaposed onto tinted canvas, and obfuscated by multiple layers of white glaze and velaturas [literally, there is only white titanium oil paint on a pastel ground]. Much like the 1959 film, the paintings themselves appear veiled and slightly threatening and unresolved.

But there’s a lot of other stuff going on around this exhibition besides these uneasy images. There is a real casket, a haunted house, Andrew’s first “official” art performance, selective mailings, miniature coffins, a scavenger hunt, free artwork, nurses, funeral directors, pall bearers, Twitter feeds, a Halloween after-party, and O yeah… be prepared to meet Vincent Price (star of the film).

And most of all be prepared for an art experience like you’ve never experienced before.

October Art festivals

Lots of great art festivals coming to the area this month, starting this Saturday with one of the area's beat art and craft festivals: Alexandria's Art on the Avenue in Del Ray. Music, food, kids' activities and loads of good, affordable artwork.

Art on the Avenue
Saturday, October 3, 10-6PM
Mt. Vernon Avenue in Alexandria
www.artontheavenue.org

Crafty Bastards Arts n Crafts Fair
Saturday, October 3, 10-5PM
Marie Reed Learning Center on 18th NW St, NW at Wyoming.
www.washingtoncitypaper.com/cratfybastards

Bethesda Art Market
Saturday, October 10, 10-5PM
Bethesda Place Plaza, corner of Old Georgetown Road and Woodmont Avenue.
www.bethesda.org

Lee-Fendall House Art and Craft Show
Saturday, October 17, 10-4PM
Orinoco Street, Alexandria
www.leefendallhouse.org

12th Annual Bethesda Row Arts Festival
Saturday, October 17th from 11am – 6pm
Sunday, October 18th from 11am – 5pm
www.bethesdarowarts.org

Wanna sell some artwork in NYC this weekend?

Then the Autumn Art Bazaar at Lyons Wier Gallery, NYC may be for you!

Autumn Art Bazaar @ Lyons Wier Gallery
October 3rd and 4th, 2009

On the heels of the success of the summer ART BAZAAR, Lyons Wier Gallery is pleased to announce its Autumn Art Bazaar being held this weekend, Saturday & Sunday, October 3rd & 4th.

The ART BAZAAR is an OPEN CALL opportunity for any artist not represented by Lyons Wier Gallery to display and sell their work in the gallery, located on the NE corner of 20th Street and 7th Avenue. There is no price structure, no visual filter for inclusion and no politics for entrance other than a willingness to show up, step-up and sell their work.

The ART BAZAAR strives to be a grass roots venue that is a catalyst for collecting art. The ART BAZAAR offers a unique opportunity for unrepresented artists living in New York to establish a presence in the art community. It allows for an open dialogue between the artist and collector and is unabashedly about the transaction between artistic creativity and financial sustainability. Due to its spontaneous nature, there is no telling who or what will be represented. This summer, participants varied from the seasoned professional to the absolute novice, prices ranged from $50 - $4500, and every possible medium was shown.

The ART BAZAAR continues to utilize social networks like Facebook, eBlogger, Twitter, uTube, Tumblr. and uStream.tv and is streamed LIVE on www.ArtBazaar.tv. The ART BAZAAR opens to the public Saturday 11-7 & Sunday 12-7.

Lyons Wier Gallery
175 Seventh Ave. (@20th St.),
NYC 10011
(212)242-6220
www.lyonswiergallery.com

Rockwell coming to town next year

Clearly a blockbuster exhibition in the making:

“Telling Stories: Norman Rockwell from the Collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg” Opens at the Smithsonian American Art Museum July 2, 2010

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is organizing the first major exhibition to explore the connections between Norman Rockwell’s iconic images of American life and the movies. Two of America’s best-known modern filmmakers — George Lucas and Steven Spielberg — recognized a kindred spirit in Rockwell and formed in-depth collections of his work. “Telling Stories: Norman Rockwell from the Collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg” will be on view in Washington, D.C., from July 2, 2010, through Jan. 2, 2011. The museum is the only venue for the exhibition.

“Norman Rockwell is an artist and a storyteller who captured universal truths about Americans that tell us a lot about who we are as a people,” said Elizabeth Broun, The Margaret and Terry Stent Director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. “Like Rockwell, both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg embrace the idea that ordinary people can become unlikely heroes. I am delighted that the Smithsonian American Art Museum is organizing the first exhibition to explore these new connections between Rockwell’s art and the movies.”

Rockwell was a masterful storyteller who could distill a narrative into a single moment, and his pictures tell stories about the adventure of growing up, of individuals rising up in the face of adversity, the glamour of Hollywood and the importance of tolerance in American life. His images contain rich character development, subtle scenic contexts and implied narratives that resemble movie-making strategies.

“Rockwell’s pictures highlight topical issues that emerged in movies, popular fiction and the news,” said Virginia M. Mecklenburg, senior curator and organizer of the exhibition. “This exhibition and its catalog offer new insights into why Rockwell chose to paint particular subjects with particular points of view and dramatically expands our understanding of Rockwell as an observant commentator on pressing issues of the day.”

The exhibition will showcase more than 50 major Rockwell paintings and drawings from these private collections that are rarely seen by the public. Excerpts from interviews in which Lucas and Spielberg talk about Rockwell and the works in their collections will be shown in the exhibition galleries. Booz Allen Hamilton, a global strategy and technology consulting firm, is supporting the exhibition.

“In Norman Rockwell’s art, we see ourselves, our families and our neighbors—the heart and spirit of America,” said Ralph W. Shrader, chairman and CEO of Booz Allen Hamilton. “We look forward to supporting the Smithsonian American Art Museum on this major project, including an exciting series of public programs.”

“Lucas, Spielberg and Rockwell perpetuate ideas about love of country, personal honor and the value of family in their work,” said Mecklenburg. “With humor and pathos, they have transformed everyday experiences into stories revealing the aspirations and values that have sustained Americans through good times and bad.”

Now for some easy predictions: the high brow elitist critics will all unite in one front and all hate this show. The public, being far more progressive and democratic in their acceptance of what is art (without silly obsolete notions of "high" art and all other art, and without ingrained notions of "illustration" versus "high art") will line out to see the exhibition and continue to love Rockwell as they have for decades.

I'm with the general public.

Talking about Lawrence at the Phillips tonight

Tonight I will be at the Phillips after 5 event in DC's Phillips Collection, where three local art bloggers have been invited to share their perspectives about some of their favorite works in the museum’s permanent collection on October 1st, and I will be discussing the work of one of my former professors at the University of Washington, Jacob Lawrence.

Jacob Lawrence, The Migration Series, Panel no. 57: The female workers were the last to arrive north., 1940 -- 1941, Casein tempera on hardboard; 18 x 12 in.; 45.72 x 30.48 cm.. Acquired 1942.
The schedule looks like this:

5:30 p.m.: Panel no. 57, Jacob Lawrence
Lenny Campello, Daily Campello Arts News

6:30 p.m.: The Open Window, Pierre Bonnard
Kriston Capps, Grammar Police

7:30 p.m.: Six O’Clock, Winter, John Sloan
Julia Beizer, Washington Post’s Going Out Guide.

Phillips after 5 is a "lively mix of art and entertainment on the first Thursday of the month. Other October highlights include a screening of selections from the Washington Project for the Arts annual Experimental Media Series."

WHEN: Thu., Oct. 1, 5–8:30 p.m.
COST: Museum admission and all programs, by donation. Cash bar
WHERE: The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St., NW. Metro: Dupont Circle (Q St.)
PUBLIC INFORMATION: www.phillipscollection.org or 202-387-2151

See ya there!

This Friday in Norfolk


My good bud Matt Sesow opens in Norfolk's best art gallery, Mayer Fine Art. The opening reception is from 7-9PM.

Phillips after 5

One more reminder: tomorrow, as part of Phillips after 5 in DC's Phillips Collection, three local art bloggers have been invited to share their perspectives about some of their favorite works in the museum’s permanent collection on October 1st, and I will be discussing the work of one of my former professors at the University of Washington, Jacob Lawrence.

Jacob Lawrence, The Migration Series, Panel no. 57: The female workers were the last to arrive north., 1940 -- 1941, Casein tempera on hardboard; 18 x 12 in.; 45.72 x 30.48 cm.. Acquired 1942.
The schedule looks like this:

5:30 p.m.: Panel no. 57, Jacob Lawrence
Lenny Campello, Daily Campello Arts News

6:30 p.m.: The Open Window, Pierre Bonnard
Kriston Capps, Grammar Police

7:30 p.m.: Six O’Clock, Winter, John Sloan
Julia Beizer, Washington Post’s Going Out Guide.

Phillips after 5 is a "lively mix of art and entertainment on the first Thursday of the month. Other October highlights include a screening of selections from the Washington Project for the Arts annual Experimental Media Series."

WHEN: Thu., Oct. 1, 5–8:30 p.m.
COST: Museum admission and all programs, by donation. Cash bar
WHERE: The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St., NW. Metro: Dupont Circle (Q St.)
PUBLIC INFORMATION: www.phillipscollection.org or 202-387-2151

See ya there!

Sixties Chicks


Left to Right: LaVone Hardison, Elise Campello, Jenny Shotwell, Melissa Fleming

For tonight

The D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities is currently crafting its next strategic plan. The next important step in the process is to open the dialogue to DC citizens who care about the arts in our community. At this Public Input session, they will talk about central themes that have emerged from the research to date, show you how things are being done in other relevant communities, and ask for ideas regarding three key areas: support of artists and arts organizations, arts education, and arts advocacy.

Tuesday, September 29, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, 1371 Harvard Street, NW.

New Acquisitions at University of Maryland

Yesterday I dropped by the UM's Stamp Gallery to see the work from:

In the spring of 2008, five gifted students were selected to be part of a committee that was taught the intricacies of contemporary art and sent on trips to New York City and Washington D.C, where they visited multiple galleries and artists ’ studios. The program concluded with the committee of students purchasing a number of pieces of contemporary art to be added to the collection of The Adele H. Stamp Student Union, Center for Campus Life.

The committee’s selections are currently on exhibition in The Stamp Gallery, located on the 1st floor of the Stamp. The exhibition runs through October 1st, 2009.

I'll have more to say once I discuss the acquisitions and this cool program with some of the students and the advisers. Stay tuned, as I've already got a major piece of advice for the program sponsors/faculty.

Art in Windows today

Take a walk through the DC Convention Center and see new art in their windows. The ribbon-cutting ceremony for this unusual exhibit with Mayor Adrian M. Fenty will be at 4:30 PM on Tuesday, September 29 at 7th & M Streets outside of the Mt Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center Metro entrance. At that time, young students from the New Community for Children will be finishing their three-panel art piece that shows their pint-size view of Shaw and awesome musician Kuku will perform.

The artists are: Beth Baldwin, Jason Clark, Tim Conlon, Liani Foster, Amber Robles-Gordon, Eve Hennessa, Michael Dax Iacovone, Anne Marchand, Cory Oberndorfer, Michael Platt & Carol A. Beane, Kelly Towles, Aneikan Udofia, Colin Winterbottom and featuring The New Community for Children.

At Flashpoint tonight


Celebrate the new season at Flashpoint. RSVP required.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009 . 6 - 8pm
Flashpoint . 916 G Street, NW

suggested donation $35.00

live theatre performances . visual art exhibition
tasty treats from Jaleo
Barefoot Wine . Southampton Publick House Beer

RSVP to rsvp@culturaldc.org

Let them eat cake

Ayr Hill Gallery will feature a special two-day exhibit of a large “cake canvas,” on Friday, October 2nd, 11 AM-5 PM, and Saturday, October 3rd, 11 AM-4 PM.

Following his popular exhibit last year, David Supley Foxworth, chef and cake artist at MallowDrama in Reston, will be creating a hand-painted reproduction of Claude Monet’s Woman with a Parasol - Madame Monet and Her Son, for this exhibit. Mr. Supley Foxworth will recreate this master work on a large fondant-covered cake, which will be cut and served at 4 PM on Saturday, October 3rd. Slices of this chocolate-cherry cake will be available for free, while they last.

The gallery is located at 141 Church Street NW, in Vienna, Virginia. For more information, visit www.ayrhillgallery.com or call 703-938-3880.

Fall 2009 solos at the Arlington Arts Center

Untitled, found implements, by David Page
Seldom does a visit to a multi-gallery space, such as the Arlington Arts Center is, yield so many different art exhibitions with one thing in common: they are all excellent shows in their own unique way.

By the way, this is a testament not only to the creative and technical talent of the artists whom I am about to discuss, but also to the superlative changes that the team of Jeffery Cudlin as curator and Claire Huschle as Executive Director have been able to effect upon the Arlington Arts Center during the relative short period that they have been there. Succinctly put, they have brought the Center to the 21st century dialogue of the visual arts at warp factor speeds.


The main level's Meyer Gallery hosts the work of Trawick Prize winner David Page, an artist of ultimate technical skill and living proof that this sometimes derided ability, when married to intelligent creativity, and in Page's case with a Gillespian sense of uneasy recognition, results in work that sets an artist apart from the rest.

As one enters the gallery, Page offers a table full of found implements that he collects as a way to trigger ideas in his unique mind; it is the found object that often kindles a reconstructed shape, often larger, with expanded properties. It is a fascinating and surprisingly attractive collection of "things."

Objects that when viewed individually are mostly common and innocuous. Here we see a set of ice tongs, there a planting scoop, here a metal spoon. The sort of objects that we'd expect to find in an artist's studio if that artist draws inspiration from them.

Objects that when viewed together seem dangerous and macabre. Here we see a stabbing knife, there a squeezing instrument, here an eye-popping scoop. The sort of objects that we'd expect to find in Hannibal Lechter's terror studio as his instruments of torture and death.

And the end result of Page's transmorphication of the images of the found objects into the fine art objects in this exhibition have a lot of profound artistic pedigree and creative intelligence, but also a healthy dose of Lechterian genetics. In fact I am told that Page was once commissioned to create some objects for one of the movies in the Hannibal Lechter series.


Page is a consummate technician, and what adds to a sense of unease that comes from a very deep and primitive place inside us, is the fact that he is able to take a very common object (a brush, or a wooden handle) and add a very refined leather extension or addition to it, and almost like magic that common object not only becomes a very beautiful work of art, but also projects a sense of alarming threat, depending on who is the user of the object, and who it could be used on.

Adding to this hard to describe uneasiness we return to the highly refined technical skills employed to transform the object. In doing so Page is so good that he delivers a sense of mass production in these unique pieces. It is as if there was a whole industry out there churning out leather-pointed ax handles for a consuming segment of the public where the exploration of the human body has few limits.

Page's neighbor on the other side of the Meyer Gallery is Cynthia Hron, who offers two untitled floor sculptures and several drawings of the same sculptural forms. It is the two floor pieces, the undercarriage made of wire and the "skin" made of thousands of black cable ties that are notable.

Hron's sculptures are both visually organic and also peculiarly recognizable in an odd way. The work clearly fits in the Dan Flavin school of artists whose supplies come from your local Home Depot, and seldom have cable ties been more elegantly employed as they are in these two pieces.

Across the hall in the Chairmen's Gallery, Philadelphia-based artist Roxana Perez-Mendez has delivered one of the best set of video installations that I have ever seen.

I am not a big fan of segregating artists by ethnicity or race, and yet in this case, Perez-Mendez employs her Puerto Rican ethnicity like a ferocious weapon that add a singularly Latina flavor to her works.

You can't hide from it. As soon as you enter the darkened space, your ears are filled with the salsa sounds of a decades old hit by Willie Colon (my favorite Willie Colon hit of all time is here). To the left is a video installation playing the Willie Colon record over and over. On the screen, Perez-Mendez dances uninterrupted and unable to stop, a treadmill is her dance floor, and while the Willie Colon orchestra's Hector LaVoe sings "Todo tiene su final, nada dura para siempre" (or "Everything has an ending, nothing lasts forever"), Perez-Mendez dances forever on the video, one sensual never ending salsa routine after another. It's a fascinating play on the words of the song that I suspect is only discernible to Spanish speakers, and then maybe even to just those of a Caribbean nature.

Todo Tiene Su Final (clip), Roxana Perez-Mendez. Pepper's ghost hologram, table, record player, record and sleeve, DV performance and mixed media. C. 2009
The two other video installations extend an artistic homage hand to the artist's fellow Latin American ancestry artists. One hand is extended southwest to Mexico and one south to Cuba. Both videos honor desperate people looking for a better life.

One is very easy to decipher. In "De Noche Sueño Contigo" (At Night I Dream of You), we see a toy truck in a desert scene, while a Pepper's Ghost Hologram disembark countless versions of the artist from the opened rear of the truck. They jump out of the truck, and run north to a better life. It is a never ending flood of illegal immigrants rushing out of the bowels of the truck. In the background we still hear LaVoe's voice crooning that everything has an end.

Roxana Perez-Mendez, De Noche Sueño Contigo (clip)
The other takes a lot more conceptual and historical depth to figure out. In this elegant video installation, a framework holds a small wood dingy, while a fan blows some bits of green shredded materials under the boat, giving the impression of water. On the rear screen, a Pepper's Ghost hologram of Perez-Mendez rows and rows and rows without end. Plastic bags at her feet are the luggage of the rowing woman on the screen.

When I first saw this installation, and before I knew of the artist's ethnic background, I immediately and incorrectly thought that she was Cuban, as over the last few decades Cuban artists such as K'Cho and Sandra Ramos have all but appropriated the subject of the boat or raft to represent the never-ending flow of balseros (raft people) that have been draining out of Cuba for decades now and drowning by the tens of thousands in their attempt to escape from that prison island.

The title gives it away.

It is titled "Caridad," the straight translation of which is "Charity."

And yet there's more there that takes a good dosage of Cubanosity to decipher. You say to a non Cuban person of Latin American heritage the word "Caridad" and they will think "charity."

You say "Caridad" to a Cuban and they know that you're are talking about Cachita (the nickname for the proper name of Caridad), or La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre; Cuba's patron saint and its own unique incarnation of the Holy Mother.

And here Perez-Mendez gets even deeper into the clue-giving intelligence of the classic marriage of imagery with a perfect title. Dan Brown could learn a few new tricks from this artist!

The legend of the apparition of La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre dates to 1604 or 1606. It is said that The Virgin appeared one day in the Bay of Nipe near Santiago de Cuba, in the Oriente province of the island, to two white brothers, Rodrigo and Juan de Hoyos, and to a ten-year old black child appropriately named Juan Moreno (Moreno in Spanish means "dark-skinned"). The three Cubans were out fishing in the Bay when a sudden storm began to toss their boat. Alarmed that they were about to capsize and drown, they prayed for divine intervention. Suddenly they heard a celestial voice that said "I am the Virgin of Charity." Then they saw Mary float above them and in one hand, the Virgin carried a baby Jesus; in the other, she held a cross. Because race has always been an issue in Cuba (and remains to this day), the racial attributes and compositions of all the players in this religious drama is important; essentially, it covers the entire racial makeup of the Cuban population. Just like Mexico has a mestiza native Virgin, Cuba has a Virgin who tends to both racial groups of the Cuban people. Since the Virgin of Charity had earlier appeared in Spain, the Cuban re-apparition was named after the nearby mining town of El Cobre. In the Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria, the Virgin is named Ochún and depicted as black, so Cachita is essentially a Holy Mother for all Cubans.

The three males on the boat (known in Cuba as "the three Juans", even though only two of them had that name) were saved from drowning by the Virgin, and they returned ashore and told everyone about the miracle at sea.

In the video installation, Perez-Mendez sails north, hoping for a miracle and a new life. Soon she may get to Florida, and if she's lucky she'll set feet on land and be allowed to stay. If she's caught at sea by the Coast Guard, she will be returned to Cuba, where she will be imprisoned for trying to escape. It is the hideous Clintonian "feet dry, feet wet" policy. In the background LaVoe's voice reminds the balsera that everything must end. Even her voyage ends one way or the other.

These two pieces are narrative art at its best. Perez-Mendez's work can transform and seduce people who usually do not enjoy video art in a way that I had not experienced before. This is an artist to follow and keep an eye on.

On the hall walls of the first floor of the Center, a set of elegant drawings by Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum caught my eye when I first walked into the Center. As a lover of drawing, and specifically of representational drawing, this was not unexpected. The works are technically flawless and fresh and vibrant, and show the artist in a series of almost mythological perspectives.

But the real gems are the site specific works that Phatsimo Sunstrum created on the walls of the Tiffany Gallery.

The Center's Tiffany Gallery must be the most beautiful small gallery in the US - a set of large original Tiffany windows will do that to any art space. This gallery is also, easily, the most difficult place to hang art in the planet. Why? The beauty of the stained glass casts a never ending cacophony of dancing colors on the walls of the gallery space. Whatever hangs in this gallery better look good with a tint of purple here, a blaze of yellow there, always playing and shifting on its surface.

Phatsimo Sunstrum conquered the Tiffany Gallery and the real shame here is that all that beautiful site specific work will be destroyed when this exhibition is over.

There is a sensuality to the line in drawing that no other genre has. When in the hands of a talented and skilled artist, like this one, the line can tell stories like no brush can deliver.

It twists and grows and shrinks and expands; it dances on the surface to which it is being applied and reveals secrets about the artist creating the work. Through the stories gossiped by the line we learn about how the artist felt and reacted at that precise instant. The line in Phatsimo Sunstrum's wall drawings capture the moment in time when something went very right for this artist. We look and study the fluidity and sensuality of the line and we can almost smell the scent of the artist, face and eyes inches away from the wall, all visual perspective all but impossible, relying only on memories of size and scale, as her gifted hand dances on a once blank wall to create a work of ephemeral beauty that will only last for an exhibition.

Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum, audax/viator. site specific drawing installation (detail), 2009.
Witness the results. In the panel above, a life sized (or larger) version of the artist takes us through three specific moments in time as she approaches the pond, gingerly dips her feet in it, and then stands to the right.

The color line that defines this drawing against the flatness of a rich black background that would otherwise absorb the figure is a triumph of minimalism and skill. Note how a simple line defines the erotic turn of the woman's stomach or the dainty turn of the ankle as she explores the water's temperature. Our own toes feel the coolness of the dark water as Phatsimo Sunstrum dips her toes into its primeval black wetness - it is a magical moment where a simple line has enchanted our logical brain into believing a two dimensional image.

The Center's lower level galleries host the sculptural works of Christian Benefiel and Jenn Figg.

Figg offers a sculptural installation made up of many cut-prints mounted on corrugated plastic. They give us a theatrical impression which feels as if we're behind the theatre's screen, peeping on a performance taking place. The subtle lighting applied to the works also project the sculptures onto the rear wall, reinforcing this theatrical experience.

Benefiel's large floor sculptures use a lot of cast iron, handsomely welded to host fragile insides that use blowers to inflate and deflate them. It is a successful marriage of fragility with strength.

The Fall Solo 2009 shows go through November 7 2009.

Artists' Websites: Kris Kuksi

When Fraser Gallery showed the works of Kris Kuksi in his first DC solo several years ago, the Washington Post wrote about his show that "...Painter Kris Kuksi's work, on exhibit at Fraser Gallery under the pretentious moniker "The Within," is masterfully rendered figurative art (Fraser's stock in trade). Ranging from full-color hallucinations inspired by medical illustrations, religious iconography and surrealism to straightforward (if oversize) black-and-white portraiture, Kuksi's images seem contrived to disturb and confront the viewer, which is probably why they don't..."

Through Death United (detail). Mixed Media Assemblage, 84x34 inches
They say that revenge is best served cold, and since those early days, Kuksi's stock in the art world has soared and later this year he will have his second major New York solo exhibition from November-December, 2009, at the Joshua Liner Gallery as well as being showcased in last year's Scope Art Fair in Miami.

Check out Kuksi's amazing artwork here.

Gedalio Grinberg

Today is the birthday of a very famous Cuban watchmaker, Gedalio Grinberg, born in born in Quivicán, Cuba on September 26, 1931.

Grinberg escaped from Cuba soon after the Castro revolution became a dictatorship of its own and he settled in New York, where he began to sell watches.

After reading Vance Packard's 1959 book, The Status Seekers, and its message of how American's were increasingly looking to project their status, Grinberg realized that he could convince Americans that wearing a quality watch was as much of a status symbol as owning a Cadillac in one's driveway. A 1988 Forbes profile cited by The New York Times described how "Grinberg helped make Americans conscious of their watches and made the glint of gold on a male wrist a status symbol" changing the American perception of a watch as a gift one received for their high school graduation.

As part of an effort to combat Japanese watchmakers, Grinberg invested in ultrathin quartz watches, culminating in 1980 with the Concord Delirium IV, which at 0.98 millimeters thick was the first watch thinner than one millimeter.

After acquiring the Movado in 1983, the firm was renamed the Movado Group. Under Grinberg, Movado heavily promoted the "Museum Watch" a modernistic markless black face with a single gold dot at the 12 o'clock position based on a design by Nathan George Horwitt in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, selling millions of the watches in dozens of different versions.