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Thursday, September 20, 2012
Opportunity for PG Countiers!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Skin Opens at Strathmore
SKIN
SEPTEMBER 15 – NOVEMBER 3, 2012
For some people, the body is a canvas; the
ultimate vehicle for self-expression. While it is true that our bodies
are “modified” from the day we are born,
Skin encourages a different kind of interaction with our evolving
self-images. Join Strathmore as they follow the varied paths of body
modification—both permanent (like tattooing) and transient (like
makeup)—and our own power over the face we present to the world.
FREE OPENING RECEPTION
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012 FROM 7 – 9 PM
Join Strathmore on Thursday for a free opening
reception! Come see the artwork, meet the artists, and hear curator
Harriet Lesser discuss her vision for this thought-provoking collection
of images and installations. Henna artist Bhavna Naik, whose
work is included in the show, will also be painting guests for part of
this two-hour reception.
EDUCATION PROGRAMS
MORE THAN JUST SKIN-DEEP!
Strathmore is also hosting several education programs in conjunction with
Skin! Join them this Saturday for their FREE
Adult Talk and Tour at 1:00 PM (no reservations required)… or bring
your children for the children’s tour at 10:15 AM (free; reservations
required) and help them create
their very own work of art!
Then, on October 27th, join Paul Roe of British Ink on H Street for a
FREE symposium on the art of the tattoo, from ancient Egypt to the present day. The symposium, entitled
Unified Elements of Tattooing, takes place at 2:00PM in the music room of the mansion.
Interested in a fun night out with your friends? Look no further than their
ART, HENNA & WINE night—Thursday, October 25th
from 7 to 10 PM! This perfect evening starts with a fun printmaking
experience with Lisa Murphy, then moves to a demonstration and hands-on
workshop on traditional
henna patterns. Have your hands painted with temporary henna tattoos,
courtesy of artist Bhavna Naik. You’ll create a one-of-a-kind print, and
leave with beautiful henna designs meant to bring good joy and fortune.
Tickets are
available online or by calling their ticket office at (301) 581-5100.
The Mansion at Strathmore
10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda, MD 20852
www.Strathmore.orgTuesday, September 18, 2012
Chi-comms try to take down US mural
"Mural draws fire from China," announces the headline in this article by
The story so far: An American of Chinese ancestry David Lin (who grew up in Taiwan before coming to the US in the 1970s), hired Taiwanese artist Chao Tsung-song to paint a 10-foot-by-100-foot mural last month on the side of a building that Lin owns in Corvallis, Oregon, USA. Lin is is renovating the space for a restaurant and has rechristened the building Tibet House; see images of the mural here.
According to the article, "In vivid colors, the painting depicts riot police beating Tibetan demonstrators, Buddhist monks setting themselves on fire to protest Chinese rule and images of Taiwan as a bulwark of freedom."
Forgetting that he was assigned to represent a brutal dictatorship in a free nation and not back in China, the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco got wind of this mural (I wonder how?) and then formally fired off a letter to Corvallis Mayor Julie Manning on September 8 complaining about the mural’s content and asking for the Mayor to help China have the mural removed.
It gets better; in an implied threat of sorts, the letter "goes on to note the strong economic and cultural ties between China and Oregon and suggests that Corvallis would benefit from cooperating with the consulate’s request.
Clearly the Chinese Consulate was not aware of what the Mayor was talking about and subsequently two Chinese officials, Vice Consul "Guido" Zhang Hao and Deputy Consul General "Carmine" Song Ruan went up to Oregon and met with Manning and another city official. While munching on their cannoli, they expressed "their concern and the concern of the Chinese government about the mural on Mr. Lin’s building.” They also let the mayor know that “They viewed the message as political propaganda.”
Pardon me while I almost choke... the Chi Comms are complaining about "political propaganda"? That's like Bill Clinton complaining that there's "too many ladies in the audience."
The mayor also "had a conversation with them about the U.S. Constitution,” before the two suits headed back down to Shaky Town to file their report with their capo. On the way there they used their Ipad ripoffs to Google US Constitution and see what the heck the Mayor was talking about. Because they didn't put the search term in quotes, I suspect that their report will note some shock and alarm that Manning was possibly threatening China with naval action using the US Navy's oldest commissioned warship.
I tried to reach someone at the Chinese Consulate today, but couldn't get anyone to call me back, or even understand why I was calling, although I may have accidentally ordered information on how to open a Dollar Store.
When Ron Wyden, who is Oregon's senior Senator, heard about this, he put down his chai tea and fired off a beautiful letter to Chinese Ambassador Zhang Yesui ; according to the Gazette-Times:
I contacted the Chinese Embassy today for comments on the letter from Sen. Wyden, but was unable to gather any more information, although I was reassured that my Family Dollar franchise information would be sent to me as soon as possible. I then asked what the difference was between a Dollar Store and a Family Dollar store, as I thought that I had ordered info on the former, not the latter. The nice lady on the phone told me that she "couldn't comment on the letter," so I hung up.
While the story has gone viral, it has been curiously ignored so far by both the New York Times and The Washington Post, which I am sure will now result in another Ann Coulter best-seller. I am also told that USS Constitution's crew has noted a large increase in Chinese visitors over the last few days.
And Oh Yeah... for the ChiComms: Fuck you.
The story so far: An American of Chinese ancestry David Lin (who grew up in Taiwan before coming to the US in the 1970s), hired Taiwanese artist Chao Tsung-song to paint a 10-foot-by-100-foot mural last month on the side of a building that Lin owns in Corvallis, Oregon, USA. Lin is is renovating the space for a restaurant and has rechristened the building Tibet House; see images of the mural here.
According to the article, "In vivid colors, the painting depicts riot police beating Tibetan demonstrators, Buddhist monks setting themselves on fire to protest Chinese rule and images of Taiwan as a bulwark of freedom."
Forgetting that he was assigned to represent a brutal dictatorship in a free nation and not back in China, the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco got wind of this mural (I wonder how?) and then formally fired off a letter to Corvallis Mayor Julie Manning on September 8 complaining about the mural’s content and asking for the Mayor to help China have the mural removed.
It gets better; in an implied threat of sorts, the letter "goes on to note the strong economic and cultural ties between China and Oregon and suggests that Corvallis would benefit from cooperating with the consulate’s request.
“To avoid our precious friendship from being tainted by so-called ‘Tibet independence’ and ‘Taiwan independence,’ we sincerely hope you can understand our concerns and adopt effective measures to stop the activities advocating ‘Tibet independence’ and ‘Taiwan independence’ in Corvallis,” the letter states.On September 20, Mayor Manning responded and in-between the lines reminded the Chinese consulate that Oregon was in the USA and not China, when Manning told the consulate:“As you are aware, the First Amendment of the United States’ Constitution guarantees freedom of speech in this country, and this includes freedom of artistic expression.”
 |
| Building owner David Lin has no plans to remove a mural promoting independence for Tibet and Taiwan, despite pressure from the Chinese government. (Andy Cripe | Corvallis Gazette-Times) |
Pardon me while I almost choke... the Chi Comms are complaining about "political propaganda"? That's like Bill Clinton complaining that there's "too many ladies in the audience."
The mayor also "had a conversation with them about the U.S. Constitution,” before the two suits headed back down to Shaky Town to file their report with their capo. On the way there they used their Ipad ripoffs to Google US Constitution and see what the heck the Mayor was talking about. Because they didn't put the search term in quotes, I suspect that their report will note some shock and alarm that Manning was possibly threatening China with naval action using the US Navy's oldest commissioned warship.
I tried to reach someone at the Chinese Consulate today, but couldn't get anyone to call me back, or even understand why I was calling, although I may have accidentally ordered information on how to open a Dollar Store.
When Ron Wyden, who is Oregon's senior Senator, heard about this, he put down his chai tea and fired off a beautiful letter to Chinese Ambassador Zhang Yesui ; according to the Gazette-Times:
“I am writing to express my deep displeasure and concern with these actions,” Wyden wrote in his letter to Zhang, the highest-ranking Chinese official in the United States.
He called the Chinese tactics “a grave affront” and went on to lecture Zhang on the First Amendment’s guarantee of free expression, as well as freedom of religion and the press and the right of peaceful assembly.
“While these rights may not be respected in China, they are values that all Americans hold dear,” Wyden noted. “Any attempt by your government to suppress these rights is unacceptable and must not be repeated.”Also according to the story, subsequently "members of Oregon’s congressional delegation stepped into the fight. Rep. Peter DeFazio, whose district includes Corvallis, blasted China in a speech on the House floor, and Sen. Jeff Merkley issued a short statement applauding Manning and Lin for sticking to their guns."
I contacted the Chinese Embassy today for comments on the letter from Sen. Wyden, but was unable to gather any more information, although I was reassured that my Family Dollar franchise information would be sent to me as soon as possible. I then asked what the difference was between a Dollar Store and a Family Dollar store, as I thought that I had ordered info on the former, not the latter. The nice lady on the phone told me that she "couldn't comment on the letter," so I hung up.
While the story has gone viral, it has been curiously ignored so far by both the New York Times and The Washington Post, which I am sure will now result in another Ann Coulter best-seller. I am also told that USS Constitution's crew has noted a large increase in Chinese visitors over the last few days.
And Oh Yeah... for the ChiComms: Fuck you.
Art Scam Alert!
This is a scam - avoid dealing with this moron:
From: Robert Hallins <sgtrobhallins@hotmail.com>Date: September 18, 2012 12:35:33 AM EDT
For tomorrow
Wanna know how to tell it apart? Then check out this panel of curators, academics, artists and critics:
1. John James Anderson, Art Critic for the Washington City Paper, Egghead Professor and a really good Artist
2. Bill Dunlap, Artist, Critic for WETA Around Town show, Curator
3. Harriet Lesser, Curator, Strathmore Center for the Arts and Artist
4. Michael O'Sullivan, Visual Arts and Film Critic for the Washington Post
P.S. Please bring your own examples too!
September 19, 2012 7-8:30 p.m.
Hillyer International Art and Artists
9 Hillyer Court
Washington DC 20008
Free and Open to All
Monday, September 17, 2012
EPA blows it...
In what can be best described as one of the stupidest "you really blew it, dude" emails of recent times, the Environmental Protection Agency yesterday sent an e-mail to its staffers on the issue of National Hispanic Heritage Month.
The EPA's email stepped on its own crank twice:
1. It contained passages about Hispanic culture apparently copied word-for-word from Buzzle.com. This is perhaps an indication that the author of the email is either a emerging Bidenist or a graduate of the New York Times' Jason Blair School of Journalism.
2. More offensive to the people being honored this month, was that the email also contained an image of the murdering, hemophobic, racist, psychopath known as Che Guevara. The same Guevara who referred to Mexicans as "a band of illiterate Indians” and noted that “The black is indolent and a dreamer; spending his meager wage on frivolity or drink; the European has a tradition of work and saving, which has pursued him as far as this corner of America and drives him to advance himself, even independently of his own individual aspirations.”
According to the WaPo: "The EPA gave Buzzfeed the typical response to such matters: it was the fault of a staffer, no supervisor approved it, the underling has apologized, etc., etc" - That's what you call modern leadership qualities... throw the GS4 who wrote the email under the bus... it wasn't my fault... no one approved that...
Makes my head hurt.
The EPA's email stepped on its own crank twice:
1. It contained passages about Hispanic culture apparently copied word-for-word from Buzzle.com. This is perhaps an indication that the author of the email is either a emerging Bidenist or a graduate of the New York Times' Jason Blair School of Journalism.
2. More offensive to the people being honored this month, was that the email also contained an image of the murdering, hemophobic, racist, psychopath known as Che Guevara. The same Guevara who referred to Mexicans as "a band of illiterate Indians” and noted that “The black is indolent and a dreamer; spending his meager wage on frivolity or drink; the European has a tradition of work and saving, which has pursued him as far as this corner of America and drives him to advance himself, even independently of his own individual aspirations.”
According to the WaPo: "The EPA gave Buzzfeed the typical response to such matters: it was the fault of a staffer, no supervisor approved it, the underling has apologized, etc., etc" - That's what you call modern leadership qualities... throw the GS4 who wrote the email under the bus... it wasn't my fault... no one approved that...
Makes my head hurt.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Bad Art / Good Art
Wanna know how to tell it apart? Then check out this panel of curators, academics, artists and critics:
1. John James Anderson, Art Critic for the Washington City Paper, Egghead Professor and a really good Artist
2. Bill Dunlap, Artist, Critic for WETA Around Town show, Curator
3. Harriet Lesser, Curator, Strathmore Center for the Arts and Artist
4. Michael O'Sullivan, Visual Arts and Film Critic for the Washington Post
P.S. Please bring your own examples too!
September 19, 2012 7-8:30 p.m.
Hillyer International Art and Artists
9 Hillyer Court
Washington DC 20008
Free and Open to All
Opportunity for Latino Artists
Entry Deadline: November 18, 2012
Call For Entries: Converging Cultures: Works by Latino Artists
September 6–October 4, 2013
Entries must be submitted via email. Instructions are contained in the exhibition prospectus.
Click here to download the exhibition prospectus.
Click here to download the entry form.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Opportunity for Portrait Artists
Deadline: Monday, October 8, 2012 at 5pm
All portrait artists 18 years or older residing in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Delaware are invited to enter ArtSpace Herndon's 4th Annual Expressions Portrait Competition to compete for cash prizes.
All portrait artists 18 years or older residing in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Delaware are invited to enter ArtSpace Herndon's 4th Annual Expressions Portrait Competition to compete for cash prizes.
Up to 25 finalists will be selected from the entries to exhibit in the Post Gallery at ArtSpace Herndon in November. The prize winners will be announced at the exhibit reception.Click here for the full prospectus and to enter online!
This year's judge is Kurt Schwarz. Kurt Schwarz is a portrait and still life painter whose reputation for exceptional use of color has earned accolades. He earned an MFA from George Washington University and teaches at the Loudoun Academy of the Arts and The Art League in Alexandria.
Please review the complete prospectus for all the rules, dates, and other information.
Friday, September 14, 2012
WPA Artists' Directory: Tonite!
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
EARLY BIRD DEADLINE: September 14, 2012, 5:00pm
FINAL DEADLINE: October 12, 2012, 5:00pm
FINAL DEADLINE: October 12, 2012, 5:00pm
Published bi-annually, this four-color, 8½ x 5½ inch
directory is the definitive listing of established and emerging
contemporary artists throughout the Washington region. It is widely used
by galleries, curators, art consultants, and art patrons. Copies are
distributed to selected art critics and other members of the press, and
to museums both within and outside of the region. The 2013 - 2014 Artist
Directory will be published in the spring of 2013, and will be
available for sale on the WPA website and at select area retail
locations at the price of $9.95.
Each participating artist will be featured on a full page (8½ x ½ inches).
The page will include the artist's name, a color digital image of their
work, their studio address and phone number, email address, web
address, categories to describe their work and studio practice, and
their gallery affiliation.
All
current WPA members are eligible for publication in the Artist
Directory. There is an additional participation fee that includes a copy
of the Artist Directory. Participants who submit before
September 14, 2012 can pay a discounted early registration fee of $65.
After September 14, the registration fee increases to $75. The final
registration deadline is October 12, 2012. No submissions will be
accepted after this date.
Registration for the 2013 - 2014 Artist Directory will be handled exclusively through WPA's website.
Each
participating artist can upload one image to be featured on their page.
Images must be submitted as .eps or .tif files in CMYK format. They
must be 300dpi and as close as possible to, but no smaller than 6 inches
on the longest side. If you have any questions regarding the 2013
- 2014 Artist Directory or any issues with registration, please contact
Christopher Cunetto, Membership Manager, at ccunetto@wpadc.org or
202-234-7103 x 2.
FotoDC
ENTER NOW!
Deadline: Monday September 17th @ 11:59PST
Great Exposure
$26,000 in Cash Prizes
Winning images exhibited at FotoWeek Central during the Festival, November 9-18
SUBMIT
Deadline: Monday September 17th @ 11:59PST
Great Exposure
$26,000 in Cash Prizes
Winning images exhibited at FotoWeek Central during the Festival, November 9-18
SUBMIT
Single Images
Portfolios
Multimedia
Photo Books
Tomorrow at AU
Tomorrow the curious and creative will be conducting an
orchestra, making a collage with a living artist as a Muse, learning
iconic jazz dance moves, and creating music out of thin air.
Fall for the Arts, a unique celebration of the Arts at AU, will feature an afternoon of dynamic classes and hands-on workshops capped off with an elegant reception and live auction of works by prominent artists. The afternoon classes span a wide-range of activities including creating sound effects, acting Shakespeare, Hindustani tabla drumming, and stage combat, to name just a few. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Arts at AU.
There is also a very cool art auction with some excellent artworks up for auction at some very good starting prices, including an amazing Manon Cleary graphite drawing at a starting price of just $2K. Check out the artwork up for auction here or plaease browse below or use the links below to review available works—and see Artist Bios (PDF):
Come celebrate the Arts at American University. The event is open to the public. Admission is $50 for the entire event.
Fall for the Arts, a unique celebration of the Arts at AU, will feature an afternoon of dynamic classes and hands-on workshops capped off with an elegant reception and live auction of works by prominent artists. The afternoon classes span a wide-range of activities including creating sound effects, acting Shakespeare, Hindustani tabla drumming, and stage combat, to name just a few. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Arts at AU.
There is also a very cool art auction with some excellent artworks up for auction at some very good starting prices, including an amazing Manon Cleary graphite drawing at a starting price of just $2K. Check out the artwork up for auction here or plaease browse below or use the links below to review available works—and see Artist Bios (PDF):
Register Now for 2012
Tonight!
Tonight, from 6-8PM is the opening of a really cool group show at the galleries of the Takoma Park Community Center - focused on artists from the Latino Art Collective and for Hispanic Heritage Month... and if you're saying, "Campello, you hypocrite" then you'd want to know the history, oddity and meaning of the terms "Hispanic" and "Latino", so come to the lecture as well...
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Hoyt's Mid Atlantic
Once again it was my honor and pleasure and hard work to jury my fellow artists; this time for the 2012 Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts Mid Atlantic Art Competition in Pennsylvania.
There was mastery in painting; plenty of that and from
plenty of diverse approaches! Bruce Erickson subtle and intelligent approach to
composition, light and homage to the classics is vastly different from James O’Malley’s
brutally hyper-realistic take on our surrounds.
And like I've noted before, even though I’ve juried, organized, curated or otherwise
passed judgment on my fellow artists around 300 times in the last few decades,
the process of jurying an art show never ceases to amaze me by both how individually
difficult each one is and how inspiring each one becomes.
As a juror, and when done properly, the task of selecting
artwork is immensely hard; made harder by the fact that a juror must also
reject artwork and artists. More often than not, some rejected artwork floats
back and forth between acceptance and rejection – there are variables that
dictate how many pieces are included and how the downsizing of a show (it is
almost always downsizing) tugs at the visual arts heart.
The Hoyt Mid Atlantic jurying process was an especially
difficult show to put together. Why? Because there were so many powerful
entries competing for limited wall space and because the vast majority of
submissions reflected an amazing variety of genres, media, approaches, ideas
and processes.
There was mastery in painting; plenty of that and from
plenty of diverse approaches! Bruce Erickson subtle and intelligent approach to
composition, light and homage to the classics is vastly different from James O’Malley’s
brutally hyper-realistic take on our surrounds.
They are both the result of
artists flexing very powerful technical skills married to even stronger
artistic visions.
Carol Wallace’s breathtaking watercolor takes a mundane
subject (Pears) and elevates it to a sublime position as only a refreshing and
difficult watercolor can do.
And Ohad Cadji’s lusty photograph is a triumph of
the human body’s never-ending ability to engage and warm our mind and body.
For those of you invited to exhibit, I send a well done! It
was a tough competition and you should feel pleased and honored. For those
artists whose work was rejected, as an artist myself, I your juror shares that
experience with you and I know that it is never easy to accept. However, I also
pass that as a juror and artist, it is clear to me that one juror’s vision and
approach is just that: one juror! Keep on creating!
I have been honored to put my name to this show, and I thank
all of you for it.
Go to this tomorrow...
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Fall for the Arts at AU
On September 15, 2012, the curious and creative will be conducting an
orchestra, making a collage with a living artist as a Muse, learning
iconic jazz dance moves, and creating music out of thin air.
Fall for the Arts, a unique celebration of the Arts at AU, will feature an afternoon of dynamic classes and hands-on workshops capped off with an elegant reception and live auction of works by prominent artists. The afternoon classes span a wide-range of activities including creating sound effects, acting Shakespeare, Hindustani tabla drumming, and stage combat, to name just a few. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Arts at AU.
There is also a very cool art auction with some excellent artworks up for auction at some very good starting prices, including an amazing Manon Cleary graphite drawing at a starting price of just $2K. Check out the artwork up for auction here or plaease browse below or use the links below to review available works—and see Artist Bios (PDF):
Come celebrate the Arts at American University. The event is open to the public. Admission is $50 for the entire event.
Fall for the Arts, a unique celebration of the Arts at AU, will feature an afternoon of dynamic classes and hands-on workshops capped off with an elegant reception and live auction of works by prominent artists. The afternoon classes span a wide-range of activities including creating sound effects, acting Shakespeare, Hindustani tabla drumming, and stage combat, to name just a few. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Arts at AU.
There is also a very cool art auction with some excellent artworks up for auction at some very good starting prices, including an amazing Manon Cleary graphite drawing at a starting price of just $2K. Check out the artwork up for auction here or plaease browse below or use the links below to review available works—and see Artist Bios (PDF):
Register Now for 2012
Worshiping at the Altar of Modern Art
Herewith the latest work in my marriage of drawing/painting with embedded electronic components. In this piece, titled Nude Artist Worshiping at the Altar of Modern Art, the embedded electronic screen plays a Powerpoint show of what most lay people think of when the term "modern art" is employed in a conversation.
This is a charcoal and watercolors piece, which now begins to see me add a little color to my drawings. It is done on 12x16 inches, 300 weight acid free, pH-balanced Rising paper.
See if you can figure out which artists are being homaged in the following screenshots of the work:
And below a couple of shots depicting me in the creation of the "Jackson Pollock" piece to the left of the work...
This is a charcoal and watercolors piece, which now begins to see me add a little color to my drawings. It is done on 12x16 inches, 300 weight acid free, pH-balanced Rising paper.
See if you can figure out which artists are being homaged in the following screenshots of the work:
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Courage Unmasked Tomorrow!
VIP Gala on Wednesday, September 12, 2012, 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm
The Katzen Arts Center at American University
4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016
The Katzen Arts Center at American University
4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016
Monday, September 10, 2012
WPA Artists' Directory
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
EARLY BIRD DEADLINE: September 14, 2012, 5:00pm
FINAL DEADLINE: October 12, 2012, 5:00pm
FINAL DEADLINE: October 12, 2012, 5:00pm
Published bi-annually, this four-color, 8½ x 5½ inch
directory is the definitive listing of established and emerging
contemporary artists throughout the Washington region. It is widely used
by galleries, curators, art consultants, and art patrons. Copies are
distributed to selected art critics and other members of the press, and
to museums both within and outside of the region. The 2013 - 2014 Artist
Directory will be published in the spring of 2013, and will be
available for sale on the WPA website and at select area retail
locations at the price of $9.95.
Each participating artist will be featured on a full page (8½ x ½ inches).
The page will include the artist's name, a color digital image of their
work, their studio address and phone number, email address, web
address, categories to describe their work and studio practice, and
their gallery affiliation.
All
current WPA members are eligible for publication in the Artist
Directory. There is an additional participation fee that includes a copy
of the Artist Directory. Participants who submit before
September 14, 2012 can pay a discounted early registration fee of $65.
After September 14, the registration fee increases to $75. The final
registration deadline is October 12, 2012. No submissions will be
accepted after this date.
Registration for the 2013 - 2014 Artist Directory will be handled exclusively through WPA's website.
Each
participating artist can upload one image to be featured on their page.
Images must be submitted as .eps or .tif files in CMYK format. They
must be 300dpi and as close as possible to, but no smaller than 6 inches
on the longest side. If you have any questions regarding the 2013
- 2014 Artist Directory or any issues with registration, please contact
Christopher Cunetto, Membership Manager, at ccunetto@wpadc.org or
202-234-7103 x 2.
Washington Society of Landscape Painters
While temperatures hit
the 100-degree mark this summer, Washington, DC, area painters were
donning hats and sunscreen and grabbing their outdoor easels in a quest
to create paintings for their 100th birthday party celebration.
One of the oldest plein
air painting groups in the USA, the Washington Society of Landscape
Painters started out as an all male clubcalled "the Ramblers." Limited
to 40 active members, it now includes both male and female artists who
pursue their profession locally, nationally, and internationally.
Visitors will see both
large and small oil, watercolor, pastel, and acrylic landscapes
displayed by member artists at the McGuire Woods gallery at the Lorton
Workhouse, at 9601 Ox Road in Occoquan, VA. For more information: (www.workhousearts.org/visual-arts).
The public is invited
to a free reception on Saturday, September 29, from 5-7 pm. Come early
(10-noon) to watch WSLP artists painting nearby in the historic town of
Occoquan. The show runs from Friday, September 28 through Sunday,
October 21, 2012.
Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday 11 am-7 pm, and Sunday from 12-5 pm. For more information, send email to barbaranuss@wslp.org.
Courage Unmasked This Wednesday
On September 12th the second Courage Unmasked auction will take place at American University's Katzen Arts Center. For that event, together with several other artists from around the nation, I was invited to create a mask for the fundraising auction, and for quite a while I have been refining a three dimensional version of my embedded video drawings to make them jump into the fourth dimension with a mask.
In essence, more than 50 artists from all over the country created fine art by transforming radiation masks formally worn by HNC patients to position and immobilize their heads during treatment. These unique masterpieces will be auctioned at the Gala on the 12th. Money from mask sales and admissions will fund 9114 HNC, dedicated to helping those in financial need during and after treatment.
911 4 HNC means “Help for Head and Neck Cancer.” This is a unique fund dedicated to granting financial aid directly to patients who have or had head and neck cancer (HNC). Unlike many other foundations, theirs does not give dollars to research.They support only individuals and their families in the locations where money is raised.
Improving the quality of life for those with head and neck cancer is the foremost goal of this endeavor. The 9114HNC fund receives money from the auction of fine art sculpture by artists who transform radiation masks worn by head and neck cancer patients. The money raised goes directly to individual patients who are struggling to make ends meet, whether it’s for taxi fare to the hospital or groceries.
End Time: 9:30 pm
Buy your tickets here.
Below is my piece that you will see at the Katzen. This is titled "Eyes of Frida Kahlo" and consists of an assembly of two small LCD screens embedded within the mask and each playing two separate Powerpoint presentations; each has 68 embedded images of Kahlo's self portraits.
The focus of the piece is to envision triumph over pain, as the brave people who have to undergo radiation therapy for head and neck cancer (HNC) have to do.
In essence, more than 50 artists from all over the country created fine art by transforming radiation masks formally worn by HNC patients to position and immobilize their heads during treatment. These unique masterpieces will be auctioned at the Gala on the 12th. Money from mask sales and admissions will fund 9114 HNC, dedicated to helping those in financial need during and after treatment.
911 4 HNC means “Help for Head and Neck Cancer.” This is a unique fund dedicated to granting financial aid directly to patients who have or had head and neck cancer (HNC). Unlike many other foundations, theirs does not give dollars to research.They support only individuals and their families in the locations where money is raised.
Improving the quality of life for those with head and neck cancer is the foremost goal of this endeavor. The 9114HNC fund receives money from the auction of fine art sculpture by artists who transform radiation masks worn by head and neck cancer patients. The money raised goes directly to individual patients who are struggling to make ends meet, whether it’s for taxi fare to the hospital or groceries.
Date:
September 12, 2012at AU's gorgeous Katzen Art Museum.
Start Time: 6:30 pmEnd Time: 9:30 pm
Buy your tickets here.
Below is my piece that you will see at the Katzen. This is titled "Eyes of Frida Kahlo" and consists of an assembly of two small LCD screens embedded within the mask and each playing two separate Powerpoint presentations; each has 68 embedded images of Kahlo's self portraits.
The focus of the piece is to envision triumph over pain, as the brave people who have to undergo radiation therapy for head and neck cancer (HNC) have to do.
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| Eyes of Frida Kahlo (front view) |
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| Eyes of Frida Kahlo, left view |
| Eyes of Frida Kahlo, right view |
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| Eyes of Frida Kahlo, seen in a dim light |
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| Eyes of Frida Kahlo, seen in the dark |
Sunday, September 09, 2012
Opening This Friday
Saturday, September 08, 2012
Congrats!
The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards
is a visual art prize produced by the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment
District through the amazing generosity of Mrs. Carol Trawick. The prize honors artists from Maryland, Washington, D.C. and
Virginia.
A couple of nights ago, the annual juried competition awarded
$14,000 in prize monies to selected artists and features the work of the
finalists in a group exhibition.
Best in Show, $10,000 - Lillian Bayley Hoover, Baltimore, MD
2nd Place, $2,000 - David D'Orio, Mt. Rainier, MD
3rd Place, $1,000 - Dean Kessmann, Washington, D.C.
Young Artist Award, $1,000 - Hannah Walsh, Richmond, VA
Best in Show, $10,000 - Lillian Bayley Hoover, Baltimore, MD
2nd Place, $2,000 - David D'Orio, Mt. Rainier, MD
3rd Place, $1,000 - Dean Kessmann, Washington, D.C.
Young Artist Award, $1,000 - Hannah Walsh, Richmond, VA
Can I pick them or what? I think this is now 4 out of the last five years that I've predicted the top prizewinner! That's Carol Trawick in the photo with the 2012 Best in Show winner Lillian Bayley Hoover and Catherine Leggett.
Congrats to all the prizewinners!
The 2012 exhibition will run through September 29 at Gallery B, located at 7700 Wisconsin Ave., Suite E, Bethesda, MD 20814.
Chicomms Censor Shanghai
This is what happens when old Communists are still in charge:
Censorship of political content has long been a feature of the Chinese art world under Communist Party rule, but gallery owners and artists at SH Contemporary were told on Thursday that city officials were being extra careful ahead of a once-a-decade leadership transition set to take place in Beijing next month.Pictures of Mao? Oh No! God forbid that an artist actually show the image of one of history's greatest mass murderers... Read the whole article here.
“It’s especially sensitive this year because the 18th Party Congress will start soon,” said a fair organizer after trying to convince another booth to remove a painting that censors didn’t like because it appeared to include images of Mao Zedong.
The last-minute removal of art works, some of which had passed initial vetting for the fair, underscores the party’s reach and the pressures building in the political system ahead of the secretive conclave that will anoint new leaders.
Friday, September 07, 2012
A week from now...
DC to host photography fair
My good friend Kathleen Ewing, whose iconic photography gallery has been the standard bearer for fine art photography in the DMV (and the nation in general) for decades, is launching a satellite photography fair to coincide with Connersmith's (e)merge art fair.
This is good for the DMV art scene... the more art fairs the better... and if (e)merge can continue to spawn satellites, that is a sign of success... now all that we need to do is to have the region with one of the world's highest concentration of wealth (I'd guess 25% of the 1% lives around here) start buying some original art to hang on their walls instead of framed [fill in the hoity toity college of your choice] posters or vintage movie French or Italian movie posters of old Cary Grant movies.
A Saturday morning panel discussion, "On Collecting Photography" will be held from 11am to 12 noon. All weekend events are FREE and open to the public.
This is good for the DMV art scene... the more art fairs the better... and if (e)merge can continue to spawn satellites, that is a sign of success... now all that we need to do is to have the region with one of the world's highest concentration of wealth (I'd guess 25% of the 1% lives around here) start buying some original art to hang on their walls instead of framed [fill in the hoity toity college of your choice] posters or vintage movie French or Italian movie posters of old Cary Grant movies.
The fair will feature more than fifteen established fine art photography
galleries from across the United States, with representative samples
from their gallery inventories. An extraordinary range of photographic
images—from 19th-Century Images to cutting-edge contemporary
visions—will be on display and available for purchase.
LOCATION
2801 Sixteenth Street, NW (former residence of the Ambassador of Spain) Columbia Heights neighborhood, accessible by Metro and major bus routes
2801 Sixteenth Street, NW (former residence of the Ambassador of Spain) Columbia Heights neighborhood, accessible by Metro and major bus routes
HOURS
Friday, October 5: Opening Night Preview (by invitation only)
Saturday, October 6: Noon to 7pm
Sunday, October 7: 11am to 5pm
Friday, October 5: Opening Night Preview (by invitation only)
Saturday, October 6: Noon to 7pm
Sunday, October 7: 11am to 5pm
A Saturday morning panel discussion, "On Collecting Photography" will be held from 11am to 12 noon. All weekend events are FREE and open to the public.
Thursday, September 06, 2012
Seen on Univision
A few minutes ago I was dumbfounded when, while viewing an interview on Univision's national news show with a nice lady from the Puente Movement, in the background I noticed a large framed photo of Ernesto Guevara de la Serna Lynch, the man known to most of the world as Che and to most Cubans as El Chacal de La Cabaña.
The Puente Movement: "Puente Arizona is part of the global movement for migrant justice and human rights. As a grassroots community-based group Puente promotes justice, non-violence, interdependence and human dignity. Puente Arizona works to empower the community and build bridges by working collaboratively with various organizations and individuals."
So I decided to write this organization with such good goals, a note about the psychopath who adorns their walls:
The Puente Movement: "Puente Arizona is part of the global movement for migrant justice and human rights. As a grassroots community-based group Puente promotes justice, non-violence, interdependence and human dignity. Puente Arizona works to empower the community and build bridges by working collaboratively with various organizations and individuals."
So I decided to write this organization with such good goals, a note about the psychopath who adorns their walls:
As an artist and writer I've spent years researching and creating work, both written (I've written an online bio of Che as a young man) and visual arts about this complex man. I have read all his diaries and writings and speeches and interviews, and from his own words comes out a RACIST psychopathic personality which I've discovered that most people are not aware of.Five gets you ten that they ignore this email and go on trying to do good things under the banner of a murdering racist whose image has been redone by 60 years of lies. I hope that I am wrong.
Don't listen to me if you are the types of people who are easily seduced by dogma and what Hollywood and ignorant Latin American and European icon-makers have made of the myth of Che. I ask that you listen to Che from his own diaries and memories - if after reading what Che has written, said or done, you still believe that any decent human being who is struggling for the rights of others should have a poster of Che as a positive image, then you are way beyond logic - Read on:
On Mexicans: "Mexicans are a band of illiterate Indians."
On Blacks: "The black is indolent and a dreamer; spending his meager wage on frivolity or drink; the European has a tradition of work and saving, which has pursued him as far as this corner of America and drives him to advance himself, even independently of his own individual aspirations."
On Black Cubans: "We're going to do for blacks exactly what blacks did for the revolution. By which I mean: nothing."
On Homosexuals: Che played a principal role in setting up Cuba's first labor camp in the Guanahacabibes region in western Cuba in 1960-1961, to confine people who had committed no crime punishable by law, revolutionary or otherwise. This "crimes" involved homosexuality, drinking, vagrancy, disrespect for authorities, laziness and playing loud music. Che defended that initiative in his own words: “We only send to Guanahacabibes those doubtful cases where we are not sure people should go to jail… people who have committed crimes against revolutionary morals, to a lesser or greater degree.... It is hard labor, not brute labor, rather the working conditions there are hard.” Che's homophobia is expressed in the poster placed at the entrance to the forced labor camp, where homosexuals were confined, which read: “The work will make you men”', replica of the slogan “The work will make you free” used in the Nazi concentration camps. It was intended to correct the homosexual behavior applying rigorous punishments with the intention of modifying this social deviation, which does not constitute a crime punishable by law.
On the thousands of executions that took place in 1959: In an appearance on Channel 6 of Cuban TV in February 1959, Che declared that "at La Cabaña all executions are carried out under my express orders.” He adds: “It is necessary to work at night, the man offers less resistance at night than during the day. In the nocturnal calm the moral resistance is weakened. Do the interrogations at night. It is not necessary to make many inquiries to shoot somebody. What one need to know is if it is necessary to shoot him. Nothing more. You should always give the accused the possibility to do his discharge before executing him. And this means, understand me well, that the accused should always be executed, without mattering which has been his discharge. Make no mistake about this. Our mission doesn’t consist in giving procedural guarantees to anyone, but to make the revolution, and we must begin by the same procedural guarantees.”
On the right of workers to strike: In a TV speech June 26, 1961, when he was Minister of Industries Che said: “The Cuban workers have to start being used to live in a collectivism regimen and by no means can they go on strike.”
I support what you are trying to accomplish - but I am sickened to see that you do it under the image of a murdering psychopath - I blame it on ignorance on your part, and hope that you can do your own research and then put that image of Che where it belongs, the garbage bin.
Un abrazo,
Lenny Campello
Debbie and Antonio
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| Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz: "What are you here for?" Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa: "I'm getting fitted for a hearing aid" |
September 6
Today is my birthday, and as a proud former Naval officer, I am pleased by some key naval historical references to this day in history.
- In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed from La Gomera in the Canary Islands (where my maternal grandmother came from), his final port of call in the Old World before crossing the Atlantic for the first time and reaching the New World... of course, now we know that the Vikings and Basque fishermen had made the crossing hundreds of times prior to his voyage, but his is the one that counted!
- In 1522, La Victoria, the only surviving ship of Fernando Magellan's courageous expedition, returns to the sherry-growing town of San Lúcar de Barrameda in Andalucia, Spain, thus becoming the first seagoing vessel to circumnavigate the world.
- In 1620, the Pilgrims sail from Plymouth, England, on the Mayflower to settle in Massachusetts.
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