Book Release Party: Tomorrow

The 100 Washington, DC Artists book should be available at most DMV area bookstores very soon and the book release party will be July 23rd at Conner Contemporary in DC.

The book release party is by invitation only, so please RSVP to me at lenny@lennycampello.com if you'd like to be added to the invite list or RSVP on Facebook here. Most of the artists will be there, so this is your chance to get your copy signed by them. You can bring your own copy or a very limited number of books will be available for sale at the party. If you'd like to reserve a book, please email me, as I am only bringing a limited number and a lot of them have been reserved already.

The book is also available online at the usual sites (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, etc.) or directly from the publisher.

If you want to support your local bookstore, you can have them order it for you here.

Location
Conner Contemporary Art
1358 Florida Ave, NE
Washington, DC

Date: Saturday, July 23, from 3-5 PM

Tomorrow at Strathmore

For the last few months, together with DC area art uberstars Susana Raab and Tim Tate, I have been mentoring emerging Washington, DC area artists Minna Philips, Solomon Slyce, Wilmer Wilson IV and Brittany Sims, as part of the Strathmore Fine AIR program - a very cool program which offers local visual arts talent in the DC area a mentoring hand by pairing emerging artists with established professionals in the community.

I was absolutely blown away by the talent of these four young artists, and after all the meetings, discussions, reviews and talks, they conclude their residency experience by unveiling new works in the Strathmore Fine Artists in Residence Exhibition, which opens tomorrow and runs through August 20 at the gorgeous Strathmore Mansion on Rockville Pike.

According to the Strathmore release, in describing the four artists, we learn that Minna Philips “plays with perception by recontextualizing paradoxical objects, challenging the viewer to create original and unfettered interpretations of her work. She furthers this exploration by presenting an obscure and little-known Strathmore artifact, the grotto, in an equally obscure way. Minna distances the grotto from being identifiable by photographing it from a variety of angles and perspectives, scanning the images and, finally, meticulously sketching them on velum using pencil to recreate the look of black and white photography. The images are randomly mounted in a giant, gridded window in the Mansion, alluding to the exterior campus which inspired for the work. The final assemblage appears fragmented and abstract, further veiling the identity of a structure which is already out of context with the current use of the Mansion. Strathmore’s grotto was formerly a place of worship for the nuns of St. Mary’s Academy, who used the Mansion as a convent and school under the name St. Angela Hall. Minna will also present mixed media pieces that include glass prisms installed in shadow boxes. Using special lighting and mirrors, the glass prisms will reflect and distort drawn images.

Solomon Slyce creates a dialogue about sensitive and emotionally-charged social issues through satirical photography. Seemingly benign and disarming, even comical, upon further inspection Solomon’s work incorporates nuanced themes such as interracial marriage, immigration, financial corruption in religious institutions and other themes germane to his identity as an African American male, city dweller and urban schoolteacher. He exercises supreme artistic control over his photographs to create carefully-staged environments, overseeing every detail, from costume, props and actor selection to set design. The Fine Artists in Residence Exhibition will feature existing work from his portfolio, as well as new pieces in which he addresses social issues and stereotypes by creating digital photographs in the likeness of distinctive techniques by iconic artists such as Andy Warhol, Irving Sinclair and Grant Wood.

Installation artist Wilmer Wilson IV creates site-specific sculptural works using accessible consumer goods. By making use of everyday materials in his work, he transforms everyday experiences into aesthetic ones. In the Mansion he will use more than 1,000 inflated paper bags to create a room-filling organic form. The installation will explore the implications that one oft-overlooked and mundane object can have when amassed in one place. Also included in the exhibition are photographs of his previous works, depicting paper bags pervading all aspects of his life. The images serve as documents of his non-permanent installations and also as contemplative compositions in themselves.

Environmental catastrophes inform Brittany Sims’ ominous paintings. A student at Tulane University in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina decimated the city, Brittany felt a connectedness to the devastating tornado that ravaged Joplin, Missouri in May. She appropriates photographs from newspapers and from personal Flickr pages, recreating them with acrylic paint on shower curtains, an extension of her experimental painting on different canvas materials and shapes.”

Since I had been deeply involved with these artists for a few months, I thought that I knew what was coming to the exhibition, and yet I was completely blown away when I actually got a peek sneak at the show – while delivering my own work – did I mention that the show also features work by the three mentors?

What Wilson delivered by the intelligent use of the air from his lungs is beyond visual belief – this young man is a genius and you should all start following his work now. His marriage of the always slippery world of the great conceptual idea and the actual delivery of that idea is as close to perfection as I have ever seen in these minimalist artists who find their materials where the rest of us fail to see art – remember this name.

Slyce is a modern version of the photographer who sets up his scenes; he’s a marriage of the genius of Hollywood with the genius of such photog-stars as Cindy Sherman, etc. His images come in sets of two – his look at gambling looks at cool cheaters paired with symbols of gambling – humor, a sorely missing part of contemporary art, is part of his work, and it is Slyce’s brilliance which comes through in this difficult handshake.

Both Phillips and Sims surprise the viewer by taking the art out of the expected context – Phillips does it by her dexterous handling of vellum to almost make it seem like a photographic installation. Sims does it with an understated elegance that push what Sam Gilliam did decades ago to a new contemporary dialogue.

My kudos to both this great new program and to these four rising new stars. The opening is tomorrow from 7-9 PM.

Al vaiven de mi carreta

Classic Cuban "country music" or a "son guajiro" about the hard work involved in being a "carretero" - Interesting how the version made famous by Eliades Ochoa through the Buena Vista megahit is slightly different from the original version from the 30s.

The original is first...

Elizabeth Ward: The Virtue of Strathmore's Visuals

In DC, Strathmore is usually where one goes to listen to the incredible Baltimore Symphony, experience contemporary dance, or even take in a popular musician’s concert. But Strathmore is not just for the performing arts anymore. In fact, one big reason to take a visit to Strathmore is to get to know Strathmore Fine Art and its Fine Artist in Residence (Fine AIR) Exhibition.

Yes, Strathmore has fine visual art! Its Fine AIR program cultivates local visual arts talent in the DC area by pairing emerging artists with established professionals in the community. Here’s how it works: For six months, these young artists build an audience, hone their craft, and premiere a new body of work – all while being guided, critiqued, and taught by stellar local mentors.

Read the piece at the Pink Line Project here, and check out the exhibition here, and then come to the opening this Friday from 7-9PM!

Book Release Party: 23 July

The 100 Washington, DC Artists book should be available at most DMV area bookstores very soon and the book release party will be July 23rd at Conner Contemporary in DC.

The book release party is by invitation only, so please RSVP to me at lenny@lennycampello.com if you'd like to be added to the invite list or RSVP on Facebook here. Most of the artists will be there, so this is your chance to get your copy signed by them. You can bring your own copy or a very limited number of books will be available for sale at the party. If you'd like to reserve a book, please email me, as I am only bringing a limited number and a lot of them have been reserved already.

The book is also available online at the usual sites (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, etc.) or directly from the publisher.

If you want to support your local bookstore, you can have them order it for you here.

Location
Conner Contemporary Art
1358 Florida Ave, NE
Washington, DC

Date: Saturday, July 23, from 3-5 PM

Kuba Kuba in Richmond: Fail!

I had heard a lot of good things about this restaurant from my Richmond friends, so a while back, while delivering some artwork to a local collector, I dropped by and had dinner.

The atmosphere is very trendy and somewhat hip, which is something different from most Cuban restaurants outside of NYC. It looked like a very cool restaurant which happened to serve (I was told) great Cuban food.

I knew that something was wrong when I was served a basket of chips and salsa as soon as I sat down.

I rationalized it as the fact that in Richmond, even a Cuban restaurant has to "normalize" and come down to the fact that a lot of people think that Mexico starts south of the border and there are no other culinary traditions elsewhere in the twenty-something other nations in the Americas... maybe they got tired of people asking for chips and salsa.

Notice to Kuba Kuba: Cuban food does not include chips and salsa... perhaps a serving of mariquitas (fried, thin chips made out of plantains), but not Mexican tortilla chips - in a Cuban cuisine, a tortilla is an omelet.

I ordered the most basic of Cuban dishes, which of course, came with the staple of Cuban food: white rice and black beans.

There is a long cultural tradition assigned to this dish, and even its Cuban Spanish name (moros y cristianos or "moors and christians") tell you something about the dish (rumored to honor the 100th anniversary in 1592 of Queen Isabella's final victory over the Moors in 1492).

I was horrified when my moros y cristianos was brought to me with the black beans piled atop the white rice.

HUGE cultural gaffe! These two parts of this key Cuban dish are always, always, always served in separate dishes and only the eater can mix them, if he/she desires to mix it.

When cooked together, a different dish, called "congri" is the result: Different dish, different flavor, different recipe.

Overall, the food was acceptable, but far from stellar or memorable, although it is probably one of the few variants of Latin American food available to Richmonders... too bad the owners (I am willing to bet they're not of Cuban ancestry) miss the rich cultural tradition that goes along with proper Cuban food.

Fail!

New Drawings

Woman Resting at Last. 4x20 inches. Charcoal on Paper, c. 2011

Woman Resting at Last. Detail
Queen of Tarts. 4x20 inches. Charcoal on paper, c. 2011.

Swinger: The Lifestyle. 36 x 8 inches. Charcoal on Paper, c. 2011

Swinger: The Lifestyle (detail).

Back Cover



Here is the back cover of my 100 Artists of Washington, DC book.

I am told that Amazon has been telling all those of you who pre-ordered the book that it will arrive to you either (1) this weekend or (2) mid August. Not sure what the deal is, but it is available now directly from the publisher and they ship it right away.

I will have 20 copies that I've ordered (and received right away) for sale at the book opening party (July 23rd from 3-5 at Conner Contemporary, RSVP required), and some of those have already been reserved, so if you'd like me to reserve one for you for the opening so that you can get it signed by the attending artists, send me an an email.

Things we see in Ebay

This seller has lucked out in discovering a trove of "after" unknown works by most dead blue chip artists on the planet.

He does state in bold words:

SELLER DOES NOT ASSUME ANY LEGAL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE AUTHENTICITY, QUALITY, ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, OR USEFULNESS OF ANY ITEM

I know what Richard Pryor would have said...

Goldstein on (e)merge

This city long recognized for art that is old and historic is, it appears, becoming a hub for art that is bold and new.

The WaPo's Jessica Goldstein writes about (e)merge; read it here.

Anderson's first ever painting

Bethany Beach Impressions. Watercolor on paper. 6x10 inches, c. 2011 by Anderson Lennox Campello.

Why D.C. Needs an Emerging Art Fair?

Why start a new fair for emerging art in Washington, D.C.? As collector Mera Rubell puts it, "Politics is not the only game in D.C., just like Hollywood isn't the only game in L.A. Washington spends more money on art than any other place on earth. Culture is a monster industry here, and D.C. is poised to become a powerful art destination. This city is a diamond in the rough."

As the creators of the (e)merge art fair, which will debut in D.C. this September 22-25, we believe that the nation's capital is a burgeoning market for contemporary art. In recent years, D.C.'s art community has grown and diversified, while strengthening its interconnections and forging new relationships with the business community. Along with artistic advancement, the region's private business and tech sectors have expanded. The mutually reinforcing factors of creative artistic energy, entrepreneurial innovation, and economic growth provide a stimulating environment for emerging art. With enthusiastic support from D.C.'s museums, galleries, collectors, nonprofit spaces, city officials, and residents, this event is positioned to tap directly into the region's evolution.

Read the whole article in ArtInfo here.

FY12 DC Grants

At Transformer next week

Come to this opening

As I've noted before, Susana Raab, Tim Tate and I have been mentoring some exceptional young artists as part of the Fine Artists in Residence program at Strathmore.

I've had a preview of the final exhibition and I can tell you that these four young artists have left me speechless with what they have created for this final show. Come and visit and prepare to be impressed!

The opening is Friday July 22, 2011 from 7-9PM. I have a brand new video drawing in the exhibition.

Opportunity for Artists

Are you an artist who would like to exhibit your outdoor sculpture work or other installation for an entire month? Are you a homeowner who would be interested in hosting a beautiful work of art in your front yard throughout August? If so, then the North Capitol Main Street Art + Music Walk wants to hear from you!

Now in its third year, the annual North Capitol Main Street Art + Music Walk (formerly known as “First On 1st”) brings together residents of DC’s North Capitol neighborhoods with local businesses, artists and other creatives, and showcases the area as a whole to the entire District. Homeowners in Bloomingdale, Eckington, and Truxton Circle graciously offer up their lawns to serve as pop-up installation spaces throughout the month of August, as the neighborhood celebrates its culture of community – and its community of culture – by showcasing live music, great art, and fine foods from area restaurants.

This year, we have a goal of including twenty (20) artists and homes to display art, and there will be four stages set up to feature live performances during the kick-off celebration on Saturday, August 6.

If you’re interested in taking part, please e-mail josef@pinklineproject.com to get involved — and we`ll see you at this year’s North Capitol Main Street Art + Music Walk!

Details here.

Peter Anton

Click on the image below to get a better view of the curious case of American artist Peter Anton and his former German dealer.

Artomatic @ Frederick Announces Dates!

Artomatic @ Frederick will take place this fall from September 28 - November 6, 2011.

Tours of the space at 115 East Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701 will take place on the following days in July:

July 16 at 9,10 and 11 AM
July 23 at 9,10 and 11 AM
July 24 at 10 and 11 AM
July 30 at 9,10 and 11 AM
July 31 at 10 and 11 AM

Artist Registration begins August 1st.

Information: www.artomaticfrederick.org
Questions: aom21701@gmail.com
Phone: 240-285-3758

New space for Cross MacKenzie

Join them at their gorgeous new space. Their first show there is "Summer Selections". Join them for summer cocktails in their new gallery space on July 14th 6-8pm.

Gorgeous drawing up for auction

A British art dealer has this gorgeous charcoal drawing of mine, circa 2000 up for auction here and it's going for a steal!

Hurry, the auction ends in less than 2 days!

Anderson on CultureScape

Read the review here.

But is it Art? Art Fair

The WCP's Kriston Capps has a very interesting article on a new and fresh concept on a DC satellite art fair to the (e)merge art fair - read it here.

When artists Alex Ventura and Victoria Milko host the But Is It Art? fair from Sept. 22 to Sept. 25, they won’t be putting that question to their artists or audience. They know what they’re doing is art. Their DIY fair is asking a pointed question about another art fair taking place over the same weekend: the inaugural (e)merge art fair.

“We can show as strong a contemporary art show without the development,” Ventura says. “I’m not judging, but it’s sort of a friendly ‘fuck you.’ Contemporary art doesn’t need that setting.”

This is a first heard for me - check out their website here. When Art Basel Miami Beach started in Florida less than a decade ago, it was just them (Art Miami had been around for years, but at a different time). The idea proved so good, that now there are 25 satellite art fairs around the ABMB magnet and even the original art fair (Art Miami) changed their schedule to align with ABMB week in December.

“These people have not contacted us,” Conner says, “but I think it’s fantastic.” She says that (e)merge aims to be inclusive and to broadcast other arts events within the city, including, potentially, But Is It Art? “Casting things as mainstream versus alternative—I’m not sure those are the right terms. If like the Armory, if like Art Basel, if what (e)merge is doing is inspiring others, we’re happy that a satellite is happening.”

Good Pre-Pub Sales (so far!)...

The announcement of the first volume of the three set compendium (100 Washington, DC Artists) caused quite a bit of stir further fueled by my re-write of a drive-by article on the subject.

One of the commenters in one of those articles noted something along the line of "who cares, only 100 copies will sell".

And yet, the pre-orders for the book have been so unexpectedly high that now the book shows out of stock on Amazon until they get their orders fulfilled! in their distribution center.

By the way, for those of you who ordered the book online (including whoever apparently ordered 100 copies!), the publisher tells me that because of the fact that the book just arrived in the publisher's warehouse in PA just last week, it will take anywhere from 3-6 weeks for all distribution centers (both online and brick and mortar bookstores) to receive their stock and replace it in their inventory.

So the book will be back in stock at Amazon as soon as they receive their current orders and their additional orders.

By the way number two: Pencil in 23 July from 3-5PM for the book release party in DC - more details here.

The place to be this Saturday is...

Mark this down on your calendar: Saturday, July 9, 2011 for three "not to miss" art events at Conner Contemporary:

- (e)merge panel discussion - 5pm

- ACADEMY 2011 opening + (e)merge party: 6-8pm.

First: Saturday, July 9th - the panel at 5pm; party 6 to 8pm. Conner Contemporary Art and (e)merge art fair will host a panel discussion: Collecting and Emerging Art. Panelists include: Robert Shapiro, collector, Henry Thaggert, collector, Melissa Ichiuji, artist, Alberto Gaitan, artist, Victoria Reis, Director, Transformer Gallery. The panel will be moderated by Helen Allen, co-director of the (e)merge art fair.

The (e)merge panel discussion begins at 5pm; directly followed by (e)merge art fair party and Academy 2011 opening.

ACADEMY 2011, is Conner's 11th annual invitational survey of outstanding work by MFA/BFA students from the Washington/Baltimore area.

Exhibition founder and curator, Jamie Smith, Ph.D. invited the following artists to participate:

Artists: Sarah Allison, Forest Allread, Emily Biondo, Woojin Chang, Caroline Covington, Michael Dotson, Dan Gioia, Ginny Huo, Adam Junior, Libby Landauer, Linling Lu, Jon Malis, Jonathan Monaghan, Elle Perez, Melissa Prentki, Camilo Sanin, Samuel Scharf, Sierra Suris, Virginia Wagner. That's Linling Lu, One Hundred Melodies of Solitude - Lighthouse II, acrylic on canvas, c. 2011 on the left.

Representing institutions: American University, Corcoran College of Art and Design, George Washington University, Maryland Institute College of Art, and University of Maryland.

Check out the exhibition online here.

Local Color

Happy 4th!

American Flag by Jasper Johns

Art Deck-O at Touchstone

Art Deck-O: DC Playing Card Originals Artists from the Washington DC Playing Card Project Opening Reception: Friday, July 8, 6–8:30 pm at Touchstone Gallery.

This past winter 54 of Washington DC's finest artists came together to produce wildly creative designs that form a playing card deck unique to our area. The culmination of these efforts was then published in a deck of fully functional playing cards with traditional suites of diamonds, hearts, spades and clubs.

Although decks of cards--designed by artists or created in a particular theme--have been around for centuries, this latest variation on the concept has given DC area artists a fun way to showcase their individual expressions in card form. Both the originals and the decks of cards will be on exhibit at Touchstone Gallery during the month of July as Touchstone partners with Art In Hand TM to promote the work of artists here in DC.

Each deck is composed of a fantastic array of genres and mediums which are a big hit with artists, school teachers, magicians, game players and art lovers everywhere. Each deck is like holding an Art Gallery right in your own hands.

Washington is the third city in a series of art decks created by Art In Hand TM, an arts publisher out of Charlotte, NC. Founded by Dione Goyette in 2009, the first project united artists in the Charlotte area and then inspired a deck in Portland, Oregon. This imaginative and collaborative project isn't just fun and games. So far, participating artists in Charlotte and Portland can boast that their work is in the homes of over 3,000 and 5,000 people respectively. Decks in both cities will go back for second printings this year.

Artists: Steve Alderton, Erin Antognoli, Michael J. Auger, Jennifer Beinhacker, Chris Bishop, Jennifer Bishop, Liliane Blom, Adam Bradley, Tory Cowles, Karen Deans, Cheryl Patrice Derricotte, Devbo, Dana Ellyn, Theresa Esterlund, Susan Feller, Beth Hannon Fuller, Jenne Glover, Emily Greene Liddle, Rosemary Luckett, Sue Lynch, Susan Makara, Angela Maray, Joyce McCarten, Newton More, Jennifer O'Connell, Eileen Olson, Maggie O'Neill, Kristy Orr, Cindy Packard Richmond, Judith Peck, Pam Rogers, Daniel Francisco Roncesvalles, Lisa K. Rosenstein, Matt Sesow, Pauline A. Siple, Isabelle Spicer, Charles St. Charles, Mary Gallagher Stout, Dan Tulk, Pamela H. Viola, Gail Vollrath, Andrew Wodzianski, Emma SkyWolf, Sharon Wolpoff and Jason Zampol

Academy 2011 and (e)merge

Mark this down on your calendar: Saturday, July 9, 2011 for three "not to miss" art events at Conner Contemporary:

- (e)merge panel discussion - 5pm

- ACADEMY 2011 opening + (e)merge party: 6-8pm.

First: Saturday, July 9th - the panel at 5pm; party 6 to 8pm. Conner Contemporary Art and (e)merge art fair will host a panel discussion: Collecting and Emerging Art. Panelists include: Robert Shapiro, collector, Henry Thaggert, collector, Melissa Ichiuji, artist, Alberto Gaitan, artist, Victoria Reis, Director, Transformer Gallery. The panel will be moderated by Helen Allen, co-director of the (e)merge art fair.

The (e)merge panel discussion begins at 5pm; directly followed by (e)merge art fair party and Academy 2011 opening.

ACADEMY 2011, is Conner's 11th annual invitational survey of outstanding work by MFA/BFA students from the Washington/Baltimore area.

Exhibition founder and curator, Jamie Smith, Ph.D. invited the following artists to participate:

Artists: Sarah Allison, Forest Allread, Emily Biondo, Woojin Chang, Caroline Covington, Michael Dotson, Dan Gioia, Ginny Huo, Adam Junior, Libby Landauer, Linling Lu, Jon Malis, Jonathan Monaghan, Elle Perez, Melissa Prentki, Camilo Sanin, Samuel Scharf, Sierra Suris, Virginia Wagner. That's Linling Lu, One Hundred Melodies of Solitude - Lighthouse II, acrylic on canvas, c. 2011 on the left.

Representing institutions: American University, Corcoran College of Art and Design, George Washington University, Maryland Institute College of Art, and University of Maryland.

Check out the exhibition online here.

Lori Anne Boocks Opens at Delaplaine

Saturday, July 2 from 3 to 5pm is the opening reception for The Distance Between from Germantown artist Lori Anne Boocks.

Using varying lengths of rope to mark both time and emotional space between opposing or related concepts, this installation invites viewers to consider where these intersections occur in their own lives.

The Distance Between builds on her on-going series of paintings called textscapes that incorporate the written word.

The Delaplaine Visual Arts Center
July 2 – August 21, 2011.

Digital Vermeer Caravaggio

Best laugh ever?

C'mon people! Tell me that you don't know someone who laughs like Muttley, and once you remind them, they can't stop doing it and then piss their pants laughing and make you cry laughing as well...

Framing

My good bud Jesse Cohen started artdc.org in 2004 and in 2009 they started a gallery, which has been staging some terrific shows.

Now Jesse has decided to spend more time in an art related career and soon he will be managing a new location of L'Eclat de Verre, a French frame shop.

The new location will be in Bethesda, opening in mid July. For now he's working in their Georgetown location.

And he tells me that active artdc.org users who've posted more than 5 times will get a 10% discount on material costs at his frame shop - all you have to do is mention, artdc.org, his name, and your artdc username.

Visit their Georgetown location here.

Stemp on Glass

ReadysetDC's Natalie Stemp has a terrific review of Longview Gallery's recently concluded glass exhibition focused on the 10th anniversary of the Washington Glass School.

I also heard that the show also sold extremely well - always a challenge in this austere financial environment caused by the current economic state of the nation.

Read the piece here.

Fart Art

"This work embodies both the sweet and the sinister elements that run through Aoshima’s work. The image depicts an overgrown girl essentially “passing gas,” an emission Aoshima transforms into a beautiful landscape of billowing lavender, and is based on a mural of the same title commissioned by the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston’s Sandra and Gerald Fineberg Art Wall."

Heh... heh... check it out here.

2011 Hamiltonian Fellows

As they conclude their third year of outstanding artist-centric programming, Hamiltonian Artists has named five new, distinguished Hamiltonian Fellows for 2011 to join their five existing Fellows. The 2011 Fellows are dominated by a concentration of three MICA MFAs and they are:

· Nora Howell (MFA, Maryland Institute College of Art)
· Sarah Knobel (MFA, University of Cincinatti)
· Matthew Mann (MFA, American University)
· Jenny Mullins (MFA, Maryland Institute College of Art)
· Joshua Wade Smith (MFA, Maryland Institute College of Art, Mt. Royal School of Art)

On Saturday, August 13, 2011, from 7-9pm, Hamiltonian Gallery will open an introductory group exhibition of these five new Fellows. Each artist will be displaying the work with which they were accepted. The exhibition will run from August 13 - September 10, 2011.

The five new 2011 So-Hamiltonian Fellows were selected from a pool of over 150 artists who applied this year. The jurors were:

· Ian MacLean Davis - Visual Artist, Hamiltonian Artists and MICA, Mt. Royal School of Art Alumnus
· Tim Doud - Visual Artist, Co-director of MFA Program, American University
· Beatrice Gralton - Curator, Corcoran Gallery of Art
· Carol Huh - Curator of Contemporary Asian Art, Free Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
· Fletcher Mackey - Visual Artist, Professor, MICA
· Kate MacDonnell - Photographer

An example of...

What not to call a product that you're trying to sell as food:

Flux Studios' New Emerging Artist Program

Flux Studios in the Gateway Arts District in Mount Rainier, MD has announced their new Emerging Artist Program.

Accepted applicants will receive a 45 square foot work space, 24 hour access with free parking, an annual solo exhibition at Flux, immersion in a professional art studio and the opportunity for mentorship in their art practice as well as in areas of professional development.

Cost is $200/month, one year commitment required.

Flux Studios is now accepting applications for this program. If interested in applying, please contact Novie Trump at info@fluxstudiosdc.com

Flux Studios LLC is a contemporary art space in Mt. Rainier, MD housing the professional studios of six artists and a small informal gallery space with rotating exhibitions.

Flux Studios has a visiting artist program, hosting artists from the US and abroad for residencies ranging from two weeks to three months. They also offer workshops taught by master artists in a variety of media, ranging from encaustic to ceramic sculpture.

Trapping the scammer

Yesterday I posted the art scam email that I received (it's also at the bottom of the email trail below); here's my initial response - let's see if we can scam him into wasting some of his time:

Dear Johnson,

Thank you so much for your inquiry. Were you referred to me by Mr. Saatchi? Your name sounds familiar, perhaps we met at his party in Cannes last year? Were you the guy who fell in the pool? No... that was Johnston, not Johnson.

Anyway, I would love to place some of my artwork in your collection, and will ship it to you provided that you can pay me with a money order. As soon as I have the money order in my hand, I will ship all the artwork to you... the same day that the money order arrives.

Before that, I would like to ask you one question, as I am very particular as to whom I sell my artwork: Are you descended from the Scottish Johnsons or the English Johnsons? I'm a little leery of selling art to sassenachs, you know...

But wait... is Johnson your first name? I think so now... that would make Taylor your last name, and that sounds English... are you of English descent?

Please let me know... Here's Tae Us – Wha's Like Us – Damn Few And They're A' Deid

Cheers,

The Lenster....

-----------------------------------------------------------------

From: johnsontay88@hotmail.com
Subject: Art Order
Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:08:49 +0100

Hi Dear,

My name is Johnson Taylor, i will like to order for some piece of your work from your studio as gift for my parent are celebrating their wedding anniversary, so i will be glad to have your reply as soon as possible, i will be glad if you can send me your website address to choose or send me four of your artworks via email that is available for me to choose.

Waiting to read from you today.so that we can make some progress.

I will be waiting to read from you at you convinet time.

Best Regards,

Johnson.

Scam art email

My response will be posted tomorrow... meanwhile, this is an art scam email:

From: johnsontay88@hotmail.com
Subject: Art Order
Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:08:49 +0100

Hi Dear,

My name is Johnson Taylor, i will like to order for some piece of your work from your studio as gift for my parent are celebrating their wedding anniversary, so i will be glad to have your reply as soon as possible, i will be glad if you can send me your website address to choose or send me four of your artworks via email that is available for me to choose.

Waiting to read from you today.so that we can make some progress.

I will be waiting to read from you at you convinet time.

Best Regards,

Johnson.

Opportunity for Artists: Wallmountables

The District of Columbia Arts Center (DCAC) has announced the return of 1460 Wallmountables, DCAC’s annual open exhibition. On Wednesday, July 21 DCAC will open its doors at 3pm, beginning a three-day installation process during which artists can purchase up to four 2' x 2' spaces to hang their work.

Spaces sell on a first-come, first-served basis for $15 per square, with DCAC members receiving one free space and brand new members receiving four spaces for their membership fee of $30. It’s not unusual to see returning participants lined up outside DCAC’s door by 2:30pm, patiently waiting for installation to begin with an eye towards grabbing the gallery’s prime wall space. Work is accepted from a wide range of media created by artists at various stages in their careers. There is no curating; if it fits, it shows.

To sweeten the deal, a $100 “Best Use of Space” prize is presented during the opening reception to the artist who makes the most innovative use of their 2’ x 2’ squares. Since the first Wallmountables in 1990, the exhibition has become a celebrated summer tradition at DCAC. One of the center’s most important fundraising events, the open exhibition runs from July 22–August 28.

The Facts:
1460 Wallmountables 2011
July 22 – August 28
Installation: Wed., July 20, 3–8pm; Thur., July 21, 3–8pm; Fri., July 22, 3–6pm
Opening Reception: Friday, July 22, 7–9pm
Contact: info@dcartscenter.org, call 202-462-7833, online at 0 comments

Lori Anne Boocks at Delaplaine

Saturday, July 2 from 3 to 5pm is the opening reception for The Distance Between from Germantown artist Lori Anne Boocks.

Using varying lengths of rope to mark both time and emotional space between opposing or related concepts, this installation invites viewers to consider where these intersections occur in their own lives.

The Distance Between builds on her on-going series of paintings called textscapes that incorporate the written word.

The Delaplaine Visual Arts Center
July 2 – August 21, 2011.

Tomorrow - BITE: Identity and Humor

Wilmer Wilson IV, one of the artists in the Strathmore Mansion mentorship program that Susana Raab, Tim Tate and yours truly has been working with, will have video works, film stills, and a sculpture in an exhibition entitled BITE: Identity and Humor, curated by Jefferson Pinder, at the Greater Reston Arts Center.

The show will be up from June 23 to July 29. There is an opening reception on Saturday, June 25, from 5-7p. In addition, my good friend Phillipa Hughes will moderate a dialogue in conjunction with the show on July 11 at 7:30p.

See ya there!

More TV drawings...

The Devil Shopping for a Blue Dress

Woman Dancing with The Devil

Woman Choosing Between Carrots and a Meat Loaf


Sculptor

The Hotel Room Art Intervention Project

For PLANNING PROCESS at the Arlington Art Center, I've tried to re-create a hotel room (and I am very grateful to the Hilton Garden Inn Rockville-Gaithersburg and to the Hilton Garden Inn Washington DC Downtown for loaning me all the various hotel peripherals used in this installation). Both of these hotels are gorgeous and their rooms look nothing like this installation, and in fact, they are decorated with real artwork from local artists.

Below you can see what my hotel room installation looks like so far...

Note that one piece of the "wall decor" has been removed from the "hotel room's walls" and is on the bed, waiting to be intervened upon...




And here it is, waiting for the magical transformation from wall decor to fine art; this transformation will be taking place throughout the exhibition, although typically I do this all in one night in a real hotel room.

“PLANNING PROCESS” as well as the concurrent exhibition “Damsels & Daemons” are on view June 22 – Sept 25, 2011. The opening reception for both shows is tomorrow, Thursday, June 23, 7 – 9 pm.

See ya there!

Arlington Art Center
3550 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22201
703-248-6800

Go to this opening tomorrow!

For PLANNING PROCESS at the Arlington Art Center, juror Helen Allen — formerly of PULSE art fairs; currently planning D.C.’s first-ever (e)merge art fair, opening this September — selected 12 artists from across the mid-Atlantic region who were willing to reveal the ways they think and problem-solve in the studio (or in my case, in a hotel room).

The artists below (including yours truly) will exhibit preparatory drawings, computer models, and even notes scribbled in the margins of newspapers next to the finished artworks those starting steps inspired—including traditional paintings, sculpture, installation, earthworks, and even neon.

“PLANNING PROCESS” as well as the concurrent exhibition “Damsels & Daemons” are on view June 22 – Sept 25, 2011. The opening reception for both shows is this next Thursday, June 23, 7 – 9 pm.

Andrew Wodzianski shows a portrait project in which he compares members of his family to the crew of the Pequod in “Moby Dick.”

John James Anderson reveals his scheme to print blank newspapers as a prank—and how this ultimately led him to erasing the front pages of found newspapers by hand.

F. Lennox Campello offers a mock-up of a typical hotel room in order to demonstrate his ongoing project: defacing (and thereby improving) the tacky hotel art he encounters whenever he’s on the road.

R.L. Croft shows large-scale metal sculpture next to one of the R. Crumb-like pen and ink drawings that inspired it.

Craig Kraft reveals how he transforms notes and careless doodles in the margins of newspapers into wall-filling neon sculptures.

Magnolia Laurie uses her quirky pictorial language—referencing makeshift structures, natural disasters, and rubble—to create related works in recycled paper, foam, tiny pen-and-ink drawings and large finished paintings.

Jessie Lehson transforms one of AAC’s experimental galleries into a sort of giant soil mandala: an ephemeral meditative space composed with minimalist-inspired patterns.

Ephraim Russell tracks his own movements using his own homemade hand-held GPS device—and uses that data to create various drawings, printouts, and videos.

Samuel Scharf invites viewers into an unexpected encounter with deep saturated color in a small enclosed environment—an 8 foot cube with a small doorway and a lone LED lightbulb inside.

Dan Tulk creates giant minimalist grids directly on the walls of the gallery using threaded rods, string, and brightly colored yarn.

Jessica van Brakle creates hybrid graphic black and white images in which sublime landscapes are dominated by giant construction cranes.

Tom Wagner shows through a series of four studies how he melds images of contemporary architecture, figures from renaissance art, and the energy of Futurist painting.

Gallery hours: Wed – Fri, 7 – 9 pm; Sat + Sun, Noon – 5 pm

Arlington Art Center
3550 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22201
703-248-6800

Sondheim Prize: Bet on Mark

A while back, five artists (two photographers, a sculptor, a film director, and a multimedia artist) were selected to compete for this year's $25,000 Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape prize.

The five are Baltimoreans Stephanie Barber (multimedia), Matthew Porterfield (film) and Rachel Rotenberg (sculpture), and Washington area photographers, Louie Palu and Mark Parascandola.

The Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts and the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) will present a special exhibition of the five 2011 finalists at the BMA. Finalists’ works will be exhibited in the Alvin and Fanny Blaustein Thalheimer Galleries of the BMA from Saturday, June 25 through Sunday, August 7. The winner of the prize will be announced on July 9.

My bet? Mark Parascandola; for the competition he will:

For the competition, Parascandola presented his current body of work: photographic prints of abandoned constructions in Almeria, Spain. Almeria was discovered by European and American filmmakers in the 1960s, when they began using the area for building its impermanent backdrops and fake towns. “Lawrence of Arabia” and Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns, for example, were filmed there. The artist is connected to the area through his mother’s family. Because of this personal attachment, he is compelled to document its stark desert landscape.

On exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art will be 12 photographic prints, chosen by Parascandola, mixing images of the western movies sets along with some images of the surrounding landscape and more recent constructions to provide context. The larger pieces are constructed from multiple images to create a single panoramic image.

The show will examine two atypical versions of the ghost town. Today some of the elaborate movie sets remain in the desert. While select few have been fixed up for tourists, others remain largely in ruins. The artist is also presenting his works that examine the empty residential enclaves and vacation developments along the Almerian coast. These properties were abandoned or left empty after the economic crisis and real estate crash.

Go Mark!

Opportunity for PG County Artists

Deadline: July 22, 2011

The Brentwood Arts Exchange is pleased to announce The Sky's the Limit, the 2011 Prince George's County Juried Exhibition. Download the prospectus here.

Photographic imagery is ubiquitous in nearly every aspect of our lives, from billboards, to cell phone videos, to keepsake albums, to Facebook profiles. It's no coincidence that it is just as pervasive throughout contemporary art - even in media that are often thought of in stark contrast to traditional photography. The Sky's the Limit presents a glimpse of the ways photography employs itself throughout the visual arts, here and now. Juried by Michael Platt, the exhibition presents the best photo-inclusive art by artists who live, work, or study in Prince George's County. Hosted in the Gateway Arts District for the second time, this Prince George's County Juried Exhibition is our chance to show off the important contributions that artists in our county make to contemporary art throughout the region.

APPLICATION DEADLINE - July 22, 2011
All submissions must be received by 5:00pm

PURCHASE AWARDS - Over $2,000

The Sky's the Limit will feature two purchase awards totaling over $2,000. One award will be presented by the Prince George's Arts Council, and one will be presented by the Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation, M-NCPPC.

DATES

Deadline for receipt of entries: July 22, 5pm
Notification of selected works: August 1
*All notifications will be sent by email.
Artwork drop-off period: August 15-19
Exhibition Opens: September 5
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 10, 5-8pm
Exhibition closes: October 31 Artwork pick-up period: November 3-5

Why Do I Need A Lawyer?

The Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum (ACM) will be holding a two-part forum with the Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts (WALA), called “Why Do I Need A Lawyer?”.

The First Forum : Common Legal Issues for Writers and Visual Artists, will be held on Tuesday, June 21 at 7pm

The Second Forum : Common Legal Issues for Emerging and Existing Creative Businesses, will be held on Tuesday, September 13th at 7pm.

These valuable panel discussions with Q&A sessions include a brief presentation on common issues and pitfalls attorneys regularly see with their creative business clients. Targeting both emerging and existing entrepreneurs, this event can help you protect your creative endeavor and watch it grow. Bring you pads, pens and plenty of questions for our legal experts. Co-sponsored by the Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts.

The ACM is located at 1901 Fort Place, SE Washington, DC 20002. Parking and admission is free!

Another one closing?

I hear that another Bethesda gallery is closing... let me confirm it from them.

Sandra Ramos at the NGA

Please join the NGA's Michelle Bird on Tuesday, June 21, for the next program in the “Works in Progress” series “More Than 90 Miles Away” where her guest will be Sandra Ramos. The program will take place at 12:10 and 1:10 in the East Building of the National Gallery of Art Small Auditorium.

Like all the artists in the series, Sandra Ramos lives and works in Havana. Primarily a printmaker, she uses a variety of media to explore issues related to the recovery of both an individual and collective memory. Blending memorabilia from past events, real and imagined, personal and historical, the artist creates a phantasmagorical new world from the "ruins of a utopia." In this world, forbidden topics such as migration, marginalization, and the political manipulation of history become the quotidian subjects of her art. The main protagonist, a character that fuses her own self-image with that of a print of a 19th–century Dutch princess, navigates her way through the complexities of life on the island like a postmodern Alice in Wonderland. Floating somewhere between the foreground and background, the figure is not fully integrated into her surroundings, but exists in the intervening space of her environment and circumstance. As a result, Ramos' art is not solely autobiographical, but bears the weight and vulnerability of the island and its people.

Fathers' Day


See that big, hulking, smiling, blond man sitting in the driver's seat in the Jeep? That's my dad at the Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba, sometimes in 1946.

Feliz Dia de los Padres, Dad!

Must go to opening this week?

For PLANNING PROCESS at the Arlington Art Center, juror Helen Allen — formerly of PULSE art fairs; currently planning D.C.’s first-ever (e)merge art fair, opening this September — selected 12 artists from across the mid-Atlantic region who were willing to reveal the ways they think and problem-solve in the studio (or in my case, in a hotel room).

These artists will exhibit preparatory drawings, computer models, and even notes scribbled in the margins of newspapers next to the finished artworks those starting steps inspired—including traditional paintings, sculpture, installation, earthworks, and even neon.

“PLANNING PROCESS” as well as the concurrent exhibition “Damsels & Daemons” are on view June 22 – Sept 25, 2011. The opening reception for both shows is this next Thursday, June 23, 7 – 9 pm.

Gallery hours: Wed – Fri, 7 – 9 pm; Sat + Sun, Noon – 5 pm

Arlington Art Center
3550 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22201
703-248-6800

Game of Thrones: WTF?


I still can't believe they executed Ned Stark...

Wanna go to an opening tomorrow?

CultureScape opens at Addison / Ripley! On Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m., Addison/Ripley Fine Art will host a free opening reception for the artists.

CultureScape, curated by my good friend Isabel Manalo, runs June 18 - July 30, 2011 and includes work by:

Mei Mei Chang
Elise Richman
Lisa Blas
Hedieh Ilchi
Bridget Sue Lambert

Children Artists?

Read this as Grumpy Visual Artist breaks the story behind the latest "child artist" and does the job that reporters should have done.

BITE: Identity and Humor

Wilmer Wilson IV, one of the artists in the Strathmore Mansion mentorship program that Susana Raab, Tim Tate and yours truly has been working with, will have video works, film stills, and a sculpture in an exhibition entitled BITE: Identity and Humor, curated by Jefferson Pinder, at the Greater Reston Arts Center.

The show will be up from June 23 to July 29. There is an opening reception on Saturday, June 25, from 5-7p. In addition, my good friend Phillipa Hughes will moderate a dialogue in conjunction with the show on July 11 at 7:30p.

See ya there!

Help!

As I noted before, For PLANNING PROCESS: Drawings and Finished Works, I proposed re-creating the Hotel Art Intervention process itself by recreating an entire hotel room at the Arlington Art Center (or at least a subset of it). There would be a bed and other hotel paraphernalia, including some usual hotel wall décor hanging on the wall, and one disassembled piece laying on the bed and been “intervened” upon. At various times during the exhibition period, this piece would be worked on and added to (by me), and at the end of the show the “finished artwork” would be hung back on the wall.

If anyone out there works in a hotel or knows someone who works in a hotel/motel, etc. I need some assorted hotel peripherals for this installation and I need them now!

I'm talking stuff like ice cube bucket and tray, some of the advertising stuff hotels put in their rooms, etc. The more the better, but I have the rest sort of lined up. In the best case scenario, a hotel would lend me "everything" to re-create their room at the Arlington Art Center, but I'm happy with just some assorted hotel stuff.

None of this would be at any cost to the loaning hotel, and in return, during the exhibition I would have a visible note at the gallery stating that the hotel artifacts are courtesy of the hotel.

During the exhibition I will be creating a work of art at this re-created hotel room, and at the end of the exhibition I will give the participating hotel this new work of art as a gift and as a thank you for their assistance.

Can anyone out there help? If so, drop me an email to lenny@lennycampello.com or call me.

Closing Party

Join the artists of the Washington Glass School as they celebrate their 10th Anniversary with a closing party / birthday bash at Long View Gallery.

The highly successful exhibit "Artists of the Washington Glass School: The First 10 Years" will close that night and the artists, art lovers, supporters and friends will gather for the anniversary event.

If you haven't seen the show that is an 'Editor's Pick' of the WaPo, and had the arts critic Michael O'Sullivan "feel like a monkey in front of a ball of shiny, shiny tin foil" - here is your chance!

Washington Glass School
10th Anniversary Party
Long View Gallery
1234 9th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Sunday, June 19th, 2011
2-5 pm

See ya there!

Guess what arrived via FEDEX this afternoon?

The 100 Washington, DC Artists' advance copy just got delivered to my home today and the book is gorgeous!

And the back cover has quite a few pieces of art; work by Rik Freeman, Alexa Meade, Melissa Ichiuji, David D'Orio, Adam Bradley and others - this was a pleasant surprise, as I didn't know that they had chosen art for the back cover!

The publisher also shipped a bottle of Stargazer 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon to celebrate the release of the book - I'm touched by this class act!

Those of you who ordered books should get them soon, as they arrive in the publisher's warehouse in a few weeks.

Later: news of the book release party!

Azucar Moreno

The words to this international megahit by Spain's Azucar Moreno (the Salazar sisters) is what makes me wish that everyone could understand the beauty of Spanish as a lover's language. The title of the song is "Devour me again..." Enjoy the marriage of Spanish classical music with a contemporary beat:

Planning Process at AAC

While I was in the UK I got the news that I had been selected by Helen Allen (former creator and Executive Director of PULSE Art Fairs; former Executive Director of Ramsay Art Fairs; and current partner for the upcoming (e)merge art fair in Washington, DC) to exhibit at the Arlington Art Center's "Planning Process" exhibition.

What's this exhibition about? From the prospectus:

PLANNING PROCESS is a juried drawing show with a difference: All of the drawings selected for inclusion must be studies created in preparation for finished artworks. Winning studies will be shown alongside finished pieces in a variety of media: A sculptor or a painter could show sketches alongside finished objects . . . a video artist could show storyboards alongside video . . . an installation artists could show plans alongside photos documenting a finished project—or a recreation of that project onsite.

So for this show I will be doing an installation of my Hotel Art Intervention Project.

As many of you know, since 1977 I have been conducting a one man crusade to add original artwork to hotel rooms. As part of this process, when I travel I often bring a minimal set of art supplies as well as tools. Once I check into a hotel room, I identify a piece of hotel wall décor to be “improved” by the addition or substitution of original art. I usually disassemble the piece, and sometimes add imagery to the original piece. In some cases, whenever I feel that I can “get away with it,” (which depends on what other images are hanging in the room) I do a complete substitution of the original hotel piece (most often substituting it with an original drawing or watercolor).

For PLANNING PROCESS: Drawings and Finished Works, I proposed re-creating the Hotel Art Intervention process itself by recreating an entire hotel room at the Arlington Art Center (or at least a subset of it). There would be a bed and other hotel paraphernalia, including some usual hotel wall décor hanging on the wall, and one disassembled piece laying on the bed and been “intervened” upon. At various times during the exhibition period, this piece would be worked on and added to (by me), and at the end of the show the “finished artwork” would be hung back on the wall.

The artists selected by Allen for this exhibit are:

John James Anderson

F. Lennox Campello

R. L. Croft

Craig Kraft

Magnolia Laure

Jessie Lehson

Ephraim Russell

Samuel Scharf

Dan Tulk

Jessica Van Brakle

Tom Wagner

Andrew Wodzianski