(e)merge announces its exhibitors

The (e)merge art fair has announced its exhibiting galleries and invited unrepresented artists. Check them out here.

Also check out Maura Judkis' take on the issue in the WaPo here and GOG's Lavanya Ramanathan, also in the WaPo, here and Benjamin Freed in the WCP here.

The participants are:
GALLERY PLATFORM > galleries and non-profit art spaces
AUSTRIA: Brot Kunsthalle, Vienna. | BELGIUM: Nomad Gallery, Brussels. | CANADA: Pierre-François Ouellette Art Contemporain, Montréal. | FRANCE: Galerie E.G.P., Paris. | GERMANY: Galerie Anita Beckers, Frankfurt. | ITALY: Jerome Zodo Contemporary, Milan. / Teverina Fine Art, Cortona. | THE NETHERLANDS: Amstel Gallery, Amsterdam. | U.K.: Vane, Newcastle upon Tyne. | U.S.A: ADA Gallery, Richmond, VA. / Art Whino Gallery, National Harbor, MD. / Aureus Contemporary, Providence, RI. / Conner Contemporary Art, Washington, DC. / Corcoran College of Art + Design, Washington, DC. / Curator’s Office, Washington, DC. / Flashpoint Gallery, Washington, DC. / G Fine Art, Washington, DC. / Ghostprint Gallery, Richmond, VA. / Goya Contemporary, Baltimore. MD / Hamiltonian Artists, Washington, DC. / Heiner Contemporary, Washington, DC. / Hemphill Fine Arts, Washington, DC. / Honfleur Gallery, Washington, DC. / Irvine Contemporary, Washington, DC. / Jordan Faye Contemporary, Baltimore, MD. / Josée Bienvenu Gallery, New York, NY. / Lu Magnus Gallery, New York, NY. / Mayer Fine Art, Norfolk, VA. / McLean Project for the Arts, McLean, VA. / Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD. / Mindy Solomon Gallery, St. Petersburg, FL. / monique meloche, Chicgo, IL / Solas Nua, Washington, DC. / The Studio Visit, Washington, DC. / Transformer, Washington, DC. / Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, DC. / White Columns, New York, NY.

ARTIST PLATFORM > unrepresented artists
CANADA: Tammi Campbell, Saskatoon / Jennifer Mawby, Vancouver. | GERMANY: Christina Kruse, Berlin (+ New York). U.S.A: Chukwuma Agubokwu, Upper Marlboro, MD. / Becky Alprin, Chicago, IL. / Nico Antoniadis + Alexi Stone, Boston, MA. / Holly Bass, Washington, DC. / Kristina Bilonick, Washington, DC. / Calder Brannock, College Park, MD. / Bradley Chriss, Bethesda, MD / Matias Cuevas, Washington, DC. / Double A Projects, Brooklyn, NY. / Jeremy Flick, Tacoma Park, MD. / Free Space Collective, Washington, DC. / Jeremy Haik, Brooklyn, NY. / Terence Hannum, Chicago, IL. / Syed Sibtul Hasnain, Leesburg, VA. / Evan Hume, Washington, DC. / Steven Jones, Baltimore, MD. / Craig Kraft, Washington, DC. / Jacqueline Levine, Washington, DC. / Adam Lister, Arlington, VA. / Katherine Mann, Alexandria, VA. / Nathan Manuel + D. Billy, Brooklyn, NY. / J.J. McCracken, Mt. Ranier, MD, / Patrick McDonough, Washington, DC. / Jonathan, Monaghan, Oceanside, NY. / Kendall Nordin, Washington, DC. / Sean Noyce, Brooklyn, NY. / Peacock, Queens, NY. / Beverly Ress, Washington, DC. / Siobhan Rigg, Washington, DC. / Zach Rockhill, Brooklyn. / Sam Scharf, Washington, DC. / David B. Smith, New York,NY. / Dan Solberg, Washington, DC. / Emma Spertus, Oakland, CA. / James J. Williams III, Brooklyn, NY. / Wilmer Wilson IV, Richmond, VA.

On the air soon

In a few days I'll be on the Kojo Nnamdi Show discussing the Greater Washington area visual arts and artists and art stories as I usually do several times a year.

I'll let you all know the exact time as soon as we settle on one.

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: November 7, 2011.

The State University of New York at Cortland announces a call to artists for a group exhibition at the Dowd Gallery, January 18–March 2, 2012. Open to all artists nationally and internationally, to submit work for consideration that represents innovation in concept, subject or media use. All work must be the original work of the applicant, suitable for gallery installation. Full color publication produced. Juried by committee of 5-9 professional artists. No entrance fee. Artists are responsible for shipping fees. Selected artists may be invited for a subsequent short term visiting artist program with undergraduate studio art students including presentation of work, discussion and studio visit. The selected artist will receive a stipend of $1000 for his/her time and travel expenses. For more information contact Bryan Thomas at dowd.gallery@cortland.edu or visit the gallery website here.

Go to this tonight!

This summer, Red Dirt Studio hosted two awesome Cranbrook artists, Christina Osheim and Matthew Kerkof.

Join them for a one night only exhibition, artist talk and party,“RAD DIRT”, at the culmination of their residency. It is at events like this where one really feels and discovers what makes the DMV art scene pop and vibrate.

See you at the studio!

RED DIRT STUDIO
3706-08 Otis Street
Mt. Rainier, MD 20712
202.607.9472

Hope Chest

HOPE CHEST: a young woman's accumulation of clothes and domestic furnishings (as silver and linen) kept in anticipation of her marriage; also : a chest for such an accumulation.

This is a special event featuring artwork by DC/Baltimore artists Mariah Anne Johnson, Becca Kallem, Chandi Kelley, Michelle McAuliffe, Erin Murray, Elle Perez, Katherine Sifers, and Dafna Steinberg. These emerging artists "challenge and reinvent tradition, romance, gender roles/expectations, and sexuality. Their work also investigates what we keep, save, and treasure in contrast to what is discarded. Photography, installations, mixed media work, and paintings present the domestic, nostalgic, and personal in new contexts."

September 15, 2011, 6-9 pm
GreenHouse 11
1123 11th St NW
Washington, DC

Work on view September 15 - November 15 by appointment. A special event will be held on September 24 to coincide with Shaw's NUIT BLANCHE Art All Night and the (e)merge art fair.

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: Friday, October 28, 2011

The gorgeous BlackRock Center For the Arts is accepting entries for their October 2012 - August 2013 exhibit season.

You can download the prospectus here.

Eligibility: Open to all artists 18 years and over residing in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC.

Special Consideration: Artists who are willing to conduct a lecture or workshop for a BlackRock standard fee will receive special consideration during the selection process.

About the Gallery: BlackRock Center for the Arts gallery is 1500 square feet of exquisite gallery space located in Germantown, Maryland. With its high neutral walls and beautiful windows strategically placed it allows in just the right amount of natural light. The windows are located above the walls which makes it an ideal space for fiber art. BlackRock Center for the Arts takes pride in the eclectic group of artists we have exhibited in the gallery since 2002.

Jurors: Jack Rasmussen: Director and Curator of the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center in Washington, DC.

Jodi Walsh: mixed medium artist, curator, national speaker, owner and Gallery Director of Gallery 555 in Washington, DC.

Carol Brown Goldberg: professional fine artist and lecturer, Carol has been exhibiting her work locally and internationally over the past 36 years.

Two years old today!


While no one was looking, Little Junes discovers sugar at his second birthday party!

Artists Announced

The But Is It Art? art fair has announced their participating artists. They are:

Aaron Lim / Adrian Parsons / Adriane Connerton / Chris Fitzwater / Christina Osheim / Cross Adams / Dafna Steinberg / Dan Tulk / Deshaundon Jeanes / Floyd York / Graham Childs / Jake Dibeler / James Martin / Joseph Hale / Joseph Orzal / Kat Sotelo / Keli Anaya / Kunj Patel / Lindsay Rowinski / Matthew Kerkhof /Mike Corigliano / Robert Esustice Curring / Ryan Florig / Sebastian Rosseau / Stephen Crouch / Kelly Towles / Theodore Denman Brice

They need to raise funds and have a kickstarter drive going on - donate here.

Irene

Can't believe the hurricane madness going on...

Mici on 100 Artists of Washington, DC

Read Bora Mici here.

We will never forget!

The Great DC Earthquake of 2011

We WILL Rebuild!

Photobook: Harrogate, England

Photos from our trip to Harrogate, England earlier this year - Click here to view this photo book larger

On the subject of the MLK Memorial

As the former chief art critic of the Washington Post once noted over three years ago:

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the few undoubtedly, undilutedly great figures of the 20th century. Here's a radical idea for truly doing justice to the greatness of his memory: Give him a monument that might go down in history as an equally great work of art.

According to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, the 28-foot-tall statue of King now being prepared on a work site in China, for eventual placement in a memorial on the Mall, doesn't fill that bill. As reported yesterday, the commission, which has final say in all such projects, recently concluded that the latest model for the sculpture evokes the socialist realist art of Stalin's Russia and Mao's China -- "a genre of political sculpture that has recently been pulled down in other countries," as the commission's chairman put it in a letter to the foundation raising funds for the memorial.

Of course giving King, or anyone for that matter "a monument that might go down in history as an equally great work of art" is not an easy assignment, as the only judge and jury there is time, not contemporary artists, critics or intelligentsia.


Back then Gopnik made it clear that "for the record, I'm not on board with those who complain that the King monument is being made by a foreigner. Americans have a great tradition of bringing in the best art from abroad and (eventually) making it their own: The Statue of Liberty was designed, engineered and financed by Frenchmen."

That is 98% correct, although a little research into how his example's seminal idea, construction and delivery was initially received by the American press and public does yield a few similarities with the King issue. With the passage of time, though, Gopnik's example eventually becomes a good one. But it's also not a good example in the sense that Liberty was a gift from the people of France, designed, built and paid by the French.

Remember the huge controversies and arguments raised at the time over the Viet Nam War Memorial?

In fact, it seems like the first thing that happens when a public memorial, any memorial, gets planned and discussed, is that huge chasms erupt as the various agendas, ideologies and issues arise.

Historically, huge differences of opinion and artistic controversy seems to be part of the process. It was for Lady Liberty, it was for Maya Lin's elegant wall, it was for the recent WWII Memorial, and it has been for several years now for Dr. King's statue.

It was and it will always be a difficult process to select a national level capital area statue or monument for Dr. King; that much we already know, but the current Maoist-Stalinist piece of mierda that was constructed inside the Chinese BORG was not the answer, and I stand by my three year-old position that this statue is now my least favorite monument in the Mall area -- too bad that it honors one of my favorite and most inspirational characters in Terran history.

What's with that weird "look" in King's face in the Lei Yixin statue anyway? And what's with the arms crossed and one hand holding a pen? (is it a pen?) - it's like Lei Yixin took Bob Dole's body and put a King head on it, where MLK is staring at the sun and squinting in discomfort?

I don't like it; I don't think that it contains the "it" that makes a statue cross over from being a cold stone object to the embodiment of the subject matter, like Micheangelo's beautiful David or Daniel Chester French's massive seated Lincoln in the Mall's Lincoln Memorial.

But what bugs me the most is that the statue does "look" like it belongs in Stalin's Russia or Mao's China or Hitler's Germany - homes to some of history's worst mass murderers and the anti-thesis of everything that MLK stood for.

Just my opinion, and for those who like the statue: let's just honor the man for which it stands and disagree with the vehicle itself.

Realer Art D.C.

Remember the WaPo's "Real Art DC"?

And now, John Anderson, over at the WCP tips us all that the WaPo has a second iteration of the "Real Art DC" quasi competition that they had last year.

This is where you enter the "competition".

I'm curious as to the rules this year... more on that later.

The WaPo on Erwin Timmers

Check it out here - a "green" artist since before there were "green artists."

Timmers is one of my 100.

Things we see at airports

We approach the security point at Ft. Lauderdale Airport, and as experienced travelers, my wife, Little Junes and I begin the usual routine: shoes off, change out of pocket, laptop out of the bag, etc.

I notice the old guy in front of me when he starts doing the same thing, he takes off his shoes, empties his pockets, takes off his belt, and then begins to take off his pants.

"Sir!" shouts an alarmed TSA agent, "there's no need to take off your pants!"

Dude looks at her, shrugs and pulls his trousers up, buttons them and walks through the scanner.

Tropical Restaurant

I've always thought that I had a pretty good handle on all the good Cuban restaurants around Miami (well at least as good as someone who goes there a lot), but on this visit my mother took us all out to lunch at this place in the middle of Hialeah, just a couple of quick miles from the airport and almost right off LeJeune Road, which is the main road right off the airport.

The place is called Tropical Restaurant and it is located at 652 E 9th St
Hialeah, FL 33010 - (305) 887-5556.

Let me tell you, this place is worth driving to it if you are in Miami and want to experience a really good restaurant with really cheap prices and excellent Cuban food.

It has a huge sign on 9th Street, and then once you drive into the strip mall where it is located, it is a little hard to locate at first - all you really see is an outside kiosk-like entrance common to Cuban restaurants -- where people can walk up and have a Cuban coffee or a sandwich. To the right of that is a door, and that is the actual entrance to a very large restaurant.

When we entered, it was very cool and very dark, and there's a stage to the left where a really good singer was entertaining the eating customers singing smooth, Spanish love songs in a Julio Iglesias-type crooning voice.

There's a small army of waiters in uniform and as soon as we were seated, and one brought us some toasted Cuban bread with butter. I'd say the average age of the waiters was around 60 and they all looked like they've been doing the job for decades.

My wife ordered some "mariquitas" (waver thin fried plantain chips) to start and we got a huge hot plate of them for $2.50 - they were right off the pan!

The food was excellent - since it was lunch I had a large "Caldo Gallego" (Galician Stew) and it was very tasty and another amazing deal for $3.50. Anderson had Cuban Chicken Soup and scarfed up an adult-size plate as well as a full avocado salad on a bed of lettuce and tomatoes. He then finished off a mamey "batido" (A Cuban milkshake amde with mamey fruit).

The menu was quite extensive and they have daily specials (I noted they serve goat once a week) and the prices are all excellent and quite a mind check to other (higher) prices in Miami's more chic Cuban restaurants.

Generous portions, perfect service and a very friendly atmosphere - This is as local and as Cuban as it gets.

Airborne

Heading to Miami for the weekend and back on Sunday night...

Visual Voices at Zenith Gallery at Chevy Chase Pavillion

Visual Voices is a show of Zenith artists – Past, Present & Future - profiled in the new book “100 Artists of the Mid-Atlantic” by Ashley Rooney.

Margery E. Goldberg has been a major player in the Washington arts community for three decades as an entrepreneur, owner of Zenith Gallery, curator, wood sculptor and activist, and in this show she shines a spotlight on artists with whom she has worked and collaborated over the years. All have recently been recognized for their talents, in a new book by Ashley Rooney, “100 Artists of the Mid-Atlantic". The show at Zenith Gallery will open with a Book-signing Party with the author and artists, on Wednesday, September 21, 6:00 – 8:30pm, and remain on display through October 29, 2011.

In “100 Artists of the Mid-Atlantic,” Ashley Rooney highlights more than 480 paintings, sculptures, photos, drawings and statements by 100 contemporary artists working in oil, glass, multi-media metal and other materials. Rooney has written many books on architecture, design and art in recent years, including “100 New England Artists in 2010.” She turned to writing after years in management consulting and working with adolescents. “100 Artists of the Mid-Atlantic, $45, will be available at Zenith Gallery throughout the exhibition.

Now in its 33rd year, Zenith Gallery provides high-quality acquisition, consulting and commissioning services to residential/corporate clients via its website, a salon gallery just off 16th Street, by appointment and house calls. In addition to curating shows throughout Chevy Chase Pavilion, where Zenith also operates a gallery on level 2, Zenith curates rotating exhibitions at the Eleven Eleven Sculpture Space at 1111 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Book Party: Meet the Author & Artists
Wednesday, September 21, 6:00-8:30 PM
Exhibition: September 21 – October 29, 2011

Artists: Alan Binstock, Joan Danziger, Julie Girardini, Margery E. Goldberg, Robert C. Jackson, Michael Janis, Joan Konkel, Anne Marchand, Donna McCullough, Davis Morton, Carol Newmyer, Marc Rubin, Barton Rubenstein, Sica, Ellen Sinel, Betsy Stewart, Cassie Taggert, Tim Tate, Erwin Timmers, Paul Martin Wolff, Joyce Zipperer and yours truly.

Where: Chevy Chase Pavilion, 5335 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington DC 20015

Zenith’s gallery, on level 2 next to Embassy Suites Hotel, is open Wednesday-Saturday, noon-6:00 PM and by appointment.

Info: 202-783-2963 art@zenithgallery.com www.zenithgallery.com.

Congrats to Victoria!

From Conner Contemporary's news release:

Conner /*gogo is extremely pleased to announce the representation of Victoria F. Gaitán. Ms.Gaitán's insightful photographic work will add tremendously to our roster.

Opportunity for DMV artists

Deadline: Friday, September 30th, 2011

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is seeking to purchase two and three-dimensional works of art including, but not limited to, prints, drawings, mixed media compositions, paintings, photographs, ceramics, and moveable sculptures to be included in the Art Bank Collection. They are especially encouraging video artists and other technological innovators to apply.

The call is open to artists who reside or maintain studio space in the Washington DC metro area, however, preference will be given to DC residents.

The deadline for submission is Friday, September 30th. Please follow dcarts.slideroom.com to find the Art Bank 2011 Call to artists.

For additional information, contact Zoma Wallace at zoma.wallace@dc.gov or 202.724.5613.

DCCAH Announces 2012 Grants Programs

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) has announced its streamlined 2012 Grants Program. The DCCAH offers several funding programs for individuals and nonprofit organizations located in DC.

For more information on requirements, how to apply, and resources for writing grants, visit the Commission's website.

New Drawings

Last Copy of the Constitution. 8x8 inches. Charcoal and Conte on 300 weight paper. Framed to 10 x 10 inches.


Last Copy of the Constitution II. 4x12 inches. Charcoal and Conte on 300 weight paper. Framed to 5.5 x 15 inches.


Woman Adrift. 8x8 inches. Charcoal and Conte on 300 weight paper. Framed to 10 x 10 inches.


True Believer. 8x8 inches. Charcoal and Conte on 300 weight paper. Framed to 10 x 10 inches.


Ave Gaul. 8x8 inches. Charcoal and Conte on 300 weight paper. Framed to 10 x 10 inches.


Haggia Marilyna. 8x8 inches. Charcoal and Conte on 300 weight paper. Framed to 10 x 10 inches.


Goth Girl. 4x12 inches. Charcoal and Conte on 300 weight paper. Framed to 5.5 x 15 inches.


Dead Girl. 4x12 inches. Charcoal and Conte on 300 weight paper. Framed to 5.5 x 15 inches.

Sotheby's

According to the description on this lot, which is a drawing of mine sold at the 2000 solo show that I had at the old eklektikos gallery on 7th Street, NW in DC, the drawing was re-acquired at Sotheby's auction for $1,100.00 samolians!

Nice!

Art Gallery of Potomac

I finally dropped by the check out The Art Gallery of Potomac (10107 River Road, Potomac, Maryland 20854), which as far as I know is the only art gallery in uberwealthy Potomac, Maryland (more on that later).

The gallery occupies a huge space next to Walgreens, on a former store space of horse riding supplies. After they tore down the stalls and assorted other horsey stuff, what remained behind, an industrial shell of a large space, is perfect for an art gallery: white walls, industrial-looking and raw.

After the horse store closed and the space remained empty and vacant for a while, I was told that a couple of years the artists from Potomac Artists in Touch (PAinT), got together and approached the landlord, and offered to run a gallery in the space until a paying tenant could be found (the "for lease" sign hangs prominently on the front window).

So far they've managed to last a couple of years and instead of an ugly, closed up space, Potomac's only local source of original art is now a mainstay in the Village and the only art gallery in one of the nation's wealthiest barrios.

Most of the work on exhibit appeared to be from PAinT members (Judith Bourzutschy, Colette Calilhanna, Karin Colton, Terri Cunningham, Cherry Dearie, Felisa Federman, Claire Howard, Anne Martinez, Yolanda Prinsloo, Bess Rodiquez Richard and Martha Lechner Spak), although I know that other artists also show there (the current featured show is by Anne Martinez, and it is titled "Portraits of Love" and is an exhibition of pet portraits as well as works by Stephen Dell'Aria, Merry Lymn, David Therriault and others), and I recall that the very talented Jessica Van Brakle also once showed there a while back.

Like any big group show, there was some saccharine work on exhibition, and artwork that ranged from raw amateur -both in display and artwork itself - to accomplished pieces breathing with talent and skill.

Of all the artists in the gallery, the only one that I was familiar with was the work of Argentinean artist Felicia Federman, who is a very dynamic artist and who is always exhibiting somewhere around the DMV throughout the year. Her mixed media works are her strongest skill set and those mixed media pieces are some of the best on exhibition now.

I also liked some of the work by South African-born artist Yolanda Prinsloo, who (if her portrait in her business card is accurate) is a dead ringer for Frida Kahlo!

Overall, my kudos to this hard working group of artists who took an empty shell of a space in Potomac Village and turned it into Potomac's only art gallery, which tells you something about art collectors in the DMV. I only hope that Potomac residents continue to support this artist-driven effort and hope that the landlord never leases this space.

Strasburg on the mound today


Stephen Strasburg will be taking the mound tonight for the Potomac Nationals in the opener of a three-game series against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans as the fireballer continues his comeback from Tommy John elbow surgery and thus allowing me to continue to create cartoons about him...

Rousseau on new shows

Dr. Claudia Rousseau, writing in The Gazette, reviews the show of the young artists mentored by Susana Raab, Tim Tate and yours truly.

Two interesting and high-quality exhibits, full of experiment and new ideas, are on view: “Fine Artists in Residence” at the Mansion at Strathmore in North Bethesda and “ARTbeat” at the Artery Plaza Gallery in Bethesda.

The Strathmore show is the culmination of FineAIR, a six-month residency program that paired local emerging artists with established professional artist mentors in related disciplines and media. The show demonstrates how successful this program has been in creating a nurturing environment for both mentors and AIRs. Included in the exhibit is new work by the four AIRs as well as work by their mentors. For its variety, its conceptual breadth and technical excellence, this is among the best exhibits I have seen in this venue. Kudos to Fine Art Program and Education Manager Holly Haliniewski who is largely responsible for managing the program and organizing the exhibit.

Read the whole review here.

Airport ditches art in favor of ads

(Via) This story is just another sad reminder of where art stands in many public organizations' list of priorities.

If you’ve been to the Indianapolis International Airport, you’ve probably admired the artwork in the main terminal. But if you want to see an Indiana artist's centerpiece project, you’d better look quickly because it's about to be taken down.

The artwork called “Chrysalis” sits at the center of one of the busiest passenger intersections in the terminal, and it was commissioned for the space where it hangs. Whether going to get your bags or just passing through, odds are you are going to see the piece.

Airport ditches art in favor of ads; artist disappointed : wishtv.com

Read the whole article and story here.

Registration for the Frederick Artomatic is now underway

Visit www.artomaticfrederick.org

Registration continues through September 9 - Sign up to reserve a space now!

Frederick Artomatic will run from September 28 - November 6.

Tomorrow: Synergy

Synergy is an exhibition of artwork by the Torpedo Factory's 2011 Visiting Artists - who were selected this year by yours truly!

Exhibition Dates: August 11 – 28

Reception: August 11, 6-9pm during Second Thursday Art Night

Location: Site 2 and Site 3 Galleries, Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 N. Union Street, Alexandria, VA

Additional information: To learn more about the Visiting Artist Program click here.

The Torpedo Factory Art Center presents this summer’s 2011 artists in the Visiting Artist Program in an exhibition entitled Synergy. The Visiting Artist Program, the Torpedo Factory Artist Association’s residency program, invites artists both emerging and experienced from around the nation to become a part of its art-making community for a summer. This year’s juror, F. Lennox Campello, international award-winning artist, author of leading art blog Daily Campello Art News, curator, art critic, and writer in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, PA, chose 11 artists for the 2011 summer program. This residency awarded these artists with the opportunity to create in a Torpedo Factory studio from June until August for one, two, or all three months.


This year’s selected artists are: Mark Thomas Anderson (Arlington, VA); M. Chava Evans (Baltimore, MD); Allison Long Hardy (Woodbridge, VA); Katie Latona (Champaign, IL); Heather McCaw (Washington, DC); Emily Moorhead (Cincinnati, OH); Linda Morrell (Castleton, NY); Liza Myers (Brandon, VT); Drew Parris (Stevensville, MD); Fierce Sonia (Alexandria, VA); Kazaan Viveiros (Alexandria, VA).

Synergy stems from the cohesive objective expressed by the visiting artists to fill their time at the Torpedo Factory Art Center (TFAC) with new audience exposure, fresh inspiration from within the TFAC and abroad, and productive studio time that, in totality, amounts to an influential and wholesome experience. Conversely, their synergy translates into quite diverse works that ranges from detritus-based installations to graphite renderings. The exhibition Synergy is centered on this aspect and displays artwork created by each artist during residency and presents interviews conducted at the start of summer on each as well. The exhibited imagery portrays each artist’s perspective and the questionnaire conveys each artist’s anticipations and aspirations for the program in a literary art form. The visiting artists’ unique creativity and individuality permeates through while collectively they comprise this summer’s 2011 Visiting Artist Program.

Join us August 11th from 6-9pm for the opening reception to Synergy held in conjunction with the Torpedo Factory Art Center’s (TFAC) Second Thursday Art Night. Come visit Site 2 and 3 Galleries on the second and third floors of the art center and view synergized art, read insightful interviews, and talk to the visiting artists!

See ya there

Trawick Opens Sept. 1

The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards will feature the work of 11 artists from Sept. 1 - 30 at the Artery Plaza Gallery located at 7200 Wisconsin Avenue.

Gallery hours are Wed. - Sat., 12-6pm.

An opening reception will be held on Friday, Sept. 9 from 6-9pm. The Trawick Prize is celebrating its 9th year of honoring regional artists with $14,000 in prize monies. See the complete list of exhibiting artists here.

Five of the 11 finalists are from Baltimore, and two from the District.

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: September 9, 2011.

Capitol Arts Network is accepting entries through September 9 for this all-media show opening October 14th.

Ladies, take off your aprons and join us in front of the sketchpad, canvas, or behind the lens! Cornucopia will present female artists' renderings of food, in celebration of October marking national apple, popcorn, caramel, pineapple, and vegetarian month, among others. Show us your best 2-d works of art for a show that will also benefit the The Manna Food Bank, serving Montgomery County, MD. Jurors Catriona Fraser, Judith HeartSong, and Missy Loewe are CAN board members. Catriona Fraser is the owner and Director of the Fraser Gallery, an independent fine art gallery established in 1996, specializing in contemporary fine art and photography. Judith HeartSong works as an artist, muralist, and arts educator in Metropolitan Washington, DC with work in numerous public and private collections. Missy Loewe is the Executive Director of the Washington School of Photography.

See www.capitolartsnetwork.com for further information.

Goodbye - Hello to Jeffry Cudlin

As of this week, Jeffry Cudlin, the curator of the Arlington Arts Center, is no longer a full-time employee of the Arlington Arts Center (more on the word parsing ("full time") later...

Starting this Fall, Cudlin will be teaching at MICA as a full-time Professor of Curatorial Studies and Practice. His duties include "running the undergraduate curatorial studies concentration and co-teaching the first year practicum of George Ciscle's brand new MFA in Curatorial Practice."

He already boasts that "Our students are going to build some great shows."

This is not the end of Cudlin's association with AAC, where in my opinion he has made a formidable impact for the better and truly steered the AAC in whole new direction, again for the better.

Cudlin says that he will continue working with them as a consultant, and he's currently curating a show set to open at AAC in January of 2012 titled SHE GOT GAME--a show about images of women in sports.

I know two things already: (a) AAC will miss Cudlin's curatorial eye and sensibilities, and (b) MICA will gain not only a talented artist who as a professor I suspect will continue to be somewhat of a theoretical Poindexter who is also a proven intelligent and versatile curator, but also a warm human being who is going to give it all and more to his students.

And I believe him: I bet that we'll soon be seeing some great student-built shows coming out of MICA.

Fair winds and following seas, Jeffry!

Jenkins on Zenith

Washington is not home to a lot of capital-A artists, whose personalities (and self-marketing mechanisms) are as big as their work. Such swaggering figures are especially unlikely in a show representing the upscale, near-suburban precincts of Chevy Chase. But Zenith Gallery’s “The Character of Chevy Chase” doesn’t feature the dabblers, even if some of the participants pursue (or pursued) their art part-time.

Read Mark Jenkins' review of the current show at Zenith Gallery -- in the WaPo here.

DC Arts Center Decathlon

The District of Columbia Arts Center (DCAC) announces the DC Arts Center Decathlon. After centuries of specialization in art that has relied on labels like painter, sculptor, photographer, etc., the District of Columbia Arts Center has asked individual artists who work or reside within a 100 mile radius of Washington, DC to submit proposals that explore the significance of what being “unspecialized” means to being a working artist today.

Submissions have been narrowed down by DC Arts Center’s Visual Arts Committee to a slate of semi-finalists: Shanthi Chandrasekar, Lee Gainer, Lisa Rosenstein, and Mary Woodall. These four artists will exhibit their works in the following ten artistic events: Textiles/Fiber Art, Painting, Drawing, Printmaking, Photography, Collage, Sound, Video, Conceptual Art, and Sculpture.

During the six-month run-up to the exhibition opening on January 13, 2012, commentators will “cover” the progress of the decathletes as they create the work for the show. The selected commentators, Buck Downs, Ryan and Hays Holladay (Bluebrain), Patrick McDonough, and Karen Joan Topping, have each been assigned an artist and will visit that artist once a month. After each visit the commentator will post interviews, commentaries, photographs, and/or video on DCAC’s blog (www.dcacdecathlon.wordpress.com). Artists are also encouraged to document their progress on the blog.

By hosting this good-natured competition, DCAC hopes to spark debate around the issue of what it means to be the best all-around artist, challenge individuals to try their hand at new disciplines, and give exposure to artists who already embrace working in various media. The competition will take place from July 2011 until the exhibition at DCAC from January 13 to February 5, 2012. The exhibition will culminate in a medal ceremony, but only one artist will walk away with gold.

The Facts:
DC Arts Center Decathlon
July 2011 – February 5, 2012
Opening Reception: Friday, January 13, 2012, 7–9pm
Closing and Medal Ceremony: Sunday, February 5, 2012
Contact: info@dcartscenter.org,call 202-462-7833, online at www.dcartscenter.org

Synergy

Synergy is an exhibition of artwork by the Torpedo Factory's 2011 Visiting Artists - who were selected this year by yours truly!

Exhibition Dates: August 11 – 28

Reception: August 11, 6-9pm during Second Thursday Art Night

Location: Site 2 and Site 3 Galleries, Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 N. Union Street, Alexandria, VA

Additional information: To learn more about the Visiting Artist Program click here.

The Torpedo Factory Art Center presents this summer’s 2011 artists in the Visiting Artist Program in an exhibition entitled Synergy. The Visiting Artist Program, the Torpedo Factory Artist Association’s residency program, invites artists both emerging and experienced from around the nation to become a part of its art-making community for a summer. This year’s juror, F. Lennox Campello, international award-winning artist, author of leading art blog Daily Campello Art News, curator, art critic, and writer in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, PA, chose 11 artists for the 2011 summer program. This residency awarded these artists with the opportunity to create in a Torpedo Factory studio from June until August for one, two, or all three months.


This year’s selected artists are: Mark Thomas Anderson (Arlington, VA); M. Chava Evans (Baltimore, MD); Allison Long Hardy (Woodbridge, VA); Katie Latona (Champaign, IL); Heather McCaw (Washington, DC); Emily Moorhead (Cincinnati, OH); Linda Morrell (Castleton, NY); Liza Myers (Brandon, VT); Drew Parris (Stevensville, MD); Fierce Sonia (Alexandria, VA); Kazaan Viveiros (Alexandria, VA).

Synergy stems from the cohesive objective expressed by the visiting artists to fill their time at the Torpedo Factory Art Center (TFAC) with new audience exposure, fresh inspiration from within the TFAC and abroad, and productive studio time that, in totality, amounts to an influential and wholesome experience. Conversely, their synergy translates into quite diverse works that ranges from detritus-based installations to graphite renderings. The exhibition Synergy is centered on this aspect and displays artwork created by each artist during residency and presents interviews conducted at the start of summer on each as well. The exhibited imagery portrays each artist’s perspective and the questionnaire conveys each artist’s anticipations and aspirations for the program in a literary art form. The visiting artists’ unique creativity and individuality permeates through while collectively they comprise this summer’s 2011 Visiting Artist Program.

Join us August 11th from 6-9pm for the opening reception to Synergy held in conjunction with the Torpedo Factory Art Center’s (TFAC) Second Thursday Art Night. Come visit Site 2 and 3 Galleries on the second and third floors of the art center and view synergized art, read insightful interviews, and talk to the visiting artists!

See ya there

Right now...

What book is #47 #39 in Amazon's Bestsellers in Museums & Art Collections Books??

Right now... when this post goes up - don't know about tomorrow, or an hour from now...

Dude!

Reviews Requested

Now that many of you have finally received your copy of the 100 Artists of Washington, DC book in the mail, I'd love some reviews on Amazon.

Click here to post a review.

Drawing: Opportunity for Artists

Herewith a Call for Artists to take part in an exhibition based on the theme of drawing. The title of the exhibition is "Drawing Connections" and brings artists from all over the world together to celebrate the act of drawing on a postcard-sized work.

Details here.

All work will be documented and exhibited during the inaugural exhibition of the Siena Art Institute, 24th Sept 2011. They will also make a free downloadable catalogue from the exhibition with the names of each of the artists, medium and title. A selection committee will choose the winning postcard to be published as the cover design for the exhibition catalogue.

What they request:

- Format: Artwork should be on a postcard-sized surface, paper, card, canvas or other material (15 x 10.5cm)

- Included with work a separate sheet of paper with title, name, date and medium.

- Entry Fee: None

- Title: Drawing Connections

- Medium: Any! Must fit within the dimensions of (15 x 10.5cm)

- Deadline: Sept 15th 2011

- Send to: Drawing Connections, Siena Art Institute, Via Tommaso Pendola 37, 53100 Siena, Italy.

- Contact : info@sienaart.org & www.sienaart.org

Return of works: Work cannot be returned to the artist, unless you wish to make payment-on-delivery arrangements through UPS for the return of your postcard. At the end of the exhibition, the original pieces along with the label information will be collected into a bound portfolio to remain in the collection of the Siena Art Institute library.

Selection: While we intend to display all submitted postcards, we reserve the right to not display artwork with profane or pornographic imagery since the "Drawing Connections" exhibition will take place alongside our community arts programming.

Contact: Lisa Nonken
email: info@sienaart.org
Phone: +39 0577 532001
Website: Click here

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: August 26, 2011

Toys: Re-imagine, Re-invent, Re-discover
October 14, 2011 – January 8, 2012
Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center
Prospectus: click here
All media; small to large scale works; cash awards

This exhibit seeks works of art that use toys and children’s playthings as the inspiration, subject matter, and/or medium with the goal of creating playful, amusing, nostalgic, or poignant commentaries on the role of toys in our lives. We all hold fond memories of special toys that yielded hours of entertainment, and many of us can vividly remember when a treasured toy was lost, broken, stolen, or otherwise retired. For these reasons and more, toys can be a powerful art medium, conjuring up both treasured and difficult memories of childhood, past friendships, and other recollections.

From the utterly outrageous to the sappy and sentimental, this exhibit will include all media, small to large scale. The exhibit will be installed in the Main Gallery of the Arts Building, but a small number of outdoor works will be considered for the Sculpture Garden. Cash awards will be presented.

The exhibit will be up during Garden In Lights, Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Art Center’s award-winning holiday light show. In the spirit of the holiday season, and with the thousands of families in mind who will visit during this festive time, the jury seeks works that are engaging, and fun, and above all, playful!

Rebecca D'Angelo on the book release party

Herewith some terrific photographs of the 100 Artists of Washington, DC book release party by the Washington Post's talented photographer Rebecca D'Angelo.

Alexa Meade and Victoria F. Gaitán

Jeff Spaulding, Andrea Pollan and Leigh Conner

Alexa Meade

Alexa Meade

Victoria and Alberto Gaitán

Academy 2011 at Conner

Erwin Timmers and Carolina Mayorga (in the background)

Erwin Timmers and Carolina Mayorga checking out the book

Leigh Conner

Me

Lida Moser and Dr. Alida Anderson de Campello

Steve Krensky, Lida Moser and Dr. Alida Anderson de Campello

Me again

Robin Rose

Academy 2011

Amy Lin

Amy Lin

Pat Goslee, Victor Ekpuk and Lynn Silvester

Manon Cleary

Renee Kitani and Margarida Kendall-Hull

J.J. McCracken

Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition

Deadline: October 31, 2011

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery seeks entries for the next “Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition.” The juried exhibition is open to artists over the age of 18 who may submit portraits in any visual-art medium, including painting, drawing, sculpture, prints, photography, electronic and digital media.

Works must have been created after January 1, 2010.

Submissions may be submitted online at portraitcompetition.si.edu between September 1 to October 31. The work of finalists will be shown in a major exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, March 22, 2013–January 4, 2014. The grand-prize winner will receive a $25,000 cash award and have the opportunity for a separate commission to portray a remarkable living American for the gallery’s collection. In addition, entrants may be featured on face2face.si.edu, the gallery’s blog, as the competition unfolds. Please visit this website for more information about the submission process.

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: Sept. 1, 2011

Lehman College Art Gallery is looking for work indebted to the style and energy of comic book imagery for its upcoming exhibition Under the Influence: The Comics and Contemporary Art (Feb. – May 2012).

The exhibition will explore the topic through a broad range of media. Please send: 1) a CD with up to 5 jpgs,. 2) a printout of each image. 3) a resume. 4) a stamped, self-addressed envelope for return if you want materials back. Address:

Lehman College Art Gallery
Attn: Under the Influence: The Comics
250 Bedford Park Blvd West
Bronx, NY 10468

Book on Ebay stores

For some reason, some of you are having issues getting the 100 Artists of Washington, DC book on Amazon - an alternative is Ebay, where a few book dealers have the book now and it ships free! Check them out here.

In the WaPo

Check out the 100 Artists of Washington, DC book release party great photos by the Washington Posts's Rebecca D'Angelo for The Scene column - see the photos here.

Things we confirmed at the book release party

Last Saturday, as I scanned the large crowd that had braved the extreme heat to gather at Conner Contemporary’s gorgeous gallery space to celebrate the release of the 100 Artists of Washington, DC book, I also absorbed a dozen conversations going on at once, and soaked in a potent sense of artistic community that is the perfect evidence of how wrong some of the art writers around this town are when they describe our artistic community as the visual arts’ world equivalent of the Island of Lost Toys among other negative things.

Powerful and vibrant artistic community, emanating from the space itself, a spectacular gallery setting doing what art galleries have done for many of the District’s neighborhoods: leading the way towards the urban renewal of an entire community.

Intelligent and groundbreaking artistic community, rising from the directors of that space as well; Jamie Smith and Leigh Conner, not only hardworking gallery owners and directors, but forward thinkers who are in the middle of putting Washington, DC on the international art scene via the (e)merge art fair.

Talented and sharing artistic community, spilling from all the artists who came to the event and the many who sent in their best wishes. In that event we saw not only many of the artists in the first book, but also many others who were there to help celebrate the occasion itself.

Caring and generous artistic community, showcased by the multiple offers from other art spaces to host book signings and events related to the artists in the book.

I had not intended for this event to be a book sale event, but rather a celebration of the book itself, and only brought a handful of books with me, expecting that most folks would show up with their own copies, ordered online. For whatever reason, online outlets such as Amazon had quickly run out of their pre-publication orders, and most people had not received their copies, and thus the ones that I had brought with me, which I had purchased from the publisher directly, sold out within a few minutes.

I am told that Amazon has now begun shipping orders and have been re-stocked by the publisher. You can order a copy here or though your local neighborhood bookstore.

I also plan to have a couple more book signing events in the near future; stay tuned for locations.

Thank you to all of you, and now the work for volume two is about to begin!

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: Friday, October 28, 2011

The gorgeous BlackRock Center For the Arts is accepting entries for their October 2012 - August 2013 exhibit season.

You can download the prospectus here.

Eligibility: Open to all artists 18 years and over residing in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC.

Special Consideration: Artists who are willing to conduct a lecture or workshop for a BlackRock standard fee will receive special consideration during the selection process.

About the Gallery: BlackRock Center for the Arts gallery is 1500 square feet of exquisite gallery space located in Germantown, Maryland. With its high neutral walls and beautiful windows strategically placed it allows in just the right amount of natural light. The windows are located above the walls which makes it an ideal space for fiber art. BlackRock Center for the Arts takes pride in the eclectic group of artists we have exhibited in the gallery since 2002.

Jurors: Jack Rasmussen: Director and Curator of the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center in Washington, DC.

Jodi Walsh: mixed medium artist, curator, national speaker, owner and Gallery Director of Gallery 555 in Washington, DC.

Carol Brown Goldberg: professional fine artist and lecturer, Carol has been exhibiting her work locally and internationally over the past 36 years.

Synergy

Synergy is an exhibition of artwork by the Torpedo Factory's 2011 Visiting Artists - who were selected this year by yours truly!

Exhibition Dates: August 11 – 28

Reception: August 11, 6-9pm during Second Thursday Art Night

Location: Site 2 and Site 3 Galleries, Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 N. Union Street, Alexandria, VA

Additional information: To learn more about the Visiting Artist Program click here.

The Torpedo Factory Art Center presents this summer’s 2011 artists in the Visiting Artist Program in an exhibition entitled Synergy. The Visiting Artist Program, the Torpedo Factory Artist Association’s residency program, invites artists both emerging and experienced from around the nation to become a part of its art-making community for a summer. This year’s juror, F. Lennox Campello, international award-winning artist, author of leading art blog Daily Campello Art News, curator, art critic, and writer in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, PA, chose 11 artists for the 2011 summer program. This residency awarded these artists with the opportunity to create in a Torpedo Factory studio from June until August for one, two, or all three months.

This year’s selected artists are: Mark Thomas Anderson (Arlington, VA); M. Chava Evans (Baltimore, MD); Allison Long Hardy (Woodbridge, VA); Katie Latona (Champaign, IL); Heather McCaw (Washington, DC); Emily Moorhead (Cincinnati, OH); Linda Morrell (Castleton, NY); Liza Myers (Brandon, VT); Drew Parris (Stevensville, MD); Fierce Sonia (Alexandria, VA); Kazaan Viveiros (Alexandria, VA).

Synergy stems from the cohesive objective expressed by the visiting artists to fill their time at the Torpedo Factory Art Center (TFAC) with new audience exposure, fresh inspiration from within the TFAC and abroad, and productive studio time that, in totality, amounts to an influential and wholesome experience. Conversely, their synergy translates into quite diverse works that ranges from detritus-based installations to graphite renderings. The exhibition Synergy is centered on this aspect and displays artwork created by each artist during residency and presents interviews conducted at the start of summer on each as well. The exhibited imagery portrays each artist’s perspective and the questionnaire conveys each artist’s anticipations and aspirations for the program in a literary art form. The visiting artists’ unique creativity and individuality permeates through while collectively they comprise this summer’s 2011 Visiting Artist Program.

Join us August 11th from 6-9pm for the opening reception to Synergy held in conjunction with the Torpedo Factory Art Center’s (TFAC) Second Thursday Art Night. Come visit Site 2 and 3 Galleries on the second and third floors of the art center and view synergized art, read insightful interviews, and talk to the visiting artists!

See ya there!

Chris Shea in the Smithsonian

The Smithsonian American Art Museum acquired three furniture pieces in forged iron and cast glass for its permanent collection of notable American craft and decorative arts. The two Cafe Chairs and Arthropod Side Table by Maryland Artist-Blacksmith Chris Shea will be on exhibit at the Renwick Gallery in Washington, DC beginning October 1, 2011.


Smithsonian Curator Nicholas Bell commented, "Over the past 15 years, Chris Shea has developed a compelling design language that combines traditional furniture forms, muscular ironwork, and luminous cast glass in ways that are at once unexpected and oddly organic.”

The Cafe Chairs have become a signature piece for Shea, with a form derived from traditional bentwood furniture but executed in hot-forged steel, with joinery details more common to large architectural ironwork than fine furniture. The seats are cast in thick contoured slabs of translucent green glass set directly into the iron. The table is of similar design, with the name “Arthropod” referring to the phylum of creatures (such as insects and crustaceans) known for their hard, segmented organic structures.

Chris Shea designs and creates furniture, sculpture, and architectural metalwork at his forge and studio outside Washington, DC. In addition to the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Galllery, his work has been shown at Wexler Gallery in Philadelphia, Woodson Art Museum, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, the National Ornamental Metals Museum, and at SOFA Chicago with Maurine Littleton Gallery. A native of Marblehead, MA, Shea studied at the Appalachian Center for Craft in Tennessee and at Penland School. He holds a BA in English from Cornell University. Chris Shea's glass work is created in association with the Washington Glass Studio and it's damned amazing in my opinion.

Another Bethesda Gallery Closing

Friday, July 15th was closing day for Anne and James Kim, who’ve run the Orchard Gallery and Framing shop on Norfolk Avenue for the past 10 years. Orchard Gallery was part of downtown Bethesda’s Art Walk, a monthly event whose participating galleries will now number at just eight, (and that’s including shops Bella Italia, Waygoose Redux and restaurant California Tortilla). “Though people appreciate the art, they are cautious about buying,” says James Kim, reflecting a trend that’s caused the demise of other Bethesda galleries, including the Fraser Gallery in March.

The art displayed in his gallery was all local. “There is no need to get national or international art. There are plenty of good artists here in Maryland, Virginia and D.C.,” he says.

Read the report in Bethesda Magazine here.

MOCA DC Responds to WCP Article

The following email from MOCA DC's Director David R. Quammen (posted here with his permission) complains about this article by Kriston Capps (does that sound familiar?) and asks for readers to comment on the issue:

I apologize for sending this so soon after the Sunday night email, but the City Paper has a bad reputation for doing schlock journalism; This is the 2nd time I've been victim of it - last time was in 1996 -- the article that hatchet-man Kriston Capps put a link to in his piece.

So my reason to send this now is to ask you to Send a Message to Michael (Schaffer - editor of City Paper) if you agree that I and MOCA DC were wrongly raked over the coals - I have threatened to sue, and Michael is looking into it. But a few messages here and there might make him clean up the collective City Paper act. Say what you want, but please do it now. go to this article, then let Michael know how you feel.

Michael Schaffer Email: mschaffer@washingtoncitypaper.com

Also, my email has been hacked and several messages were lost - so if you sent one and I didn't respond to it - please send it again and I definitely will reply - I always do, just out of common courtesy.

Thanks for whatever support you care to give on this.

David R. Quammen

Update: The WCP responds to the MOCA issue: Read David's letter and the CP response here (scroll to the bottom).