Art Installer Job

Artisphere in Arlington County, VAseeks an experienced and capable technical assistant providing art installation services. This will ensure the smooth operation of the visual arts areas of Artisphere. Artisphere, Arlington's cultural center, offers a wide range of visual and performing arts programs, including music, dance, visual arts and theater. The 62,000 sq foot campus includes a ballroom, three performance venues, three visual arts galleries, Wi-Fi town hall, and is located in the heart of Rosslyn, a major transit hub for bus and metro rail.
 
Duties and responsibilities: 
• Partner with both in-house and outside curators for preparation and planning of exhibition installation. Installation and de-installation of a variety of works of art, in all media, for up to 30 exhibits per year.
• Maintain inventory and storage of works of art on display. 
• Maintain inventory of installation supplies and tools. 
• Participate in and/or manage process for drop off/ pick up of art work for juried exhibitions, special exhibitions, and site-specific installations. 
• Complete condition reports on all works of art received and shipped. 
• Assist in the training of volunteers and interns in gallery procedures. 
• Assist in maintaining the appearance of exhibition space including dusting, sweeping, cleaning of plexi, paint touch-up, as well as care and cleaning of miscellaneous exhibition furniture.
• Assist in maintaining ongoing exhibitions with works of art that may require daily examination, repair and maintenance. As needed, consult with curator and artist on most appropriate method of maintenance.
• Collect, organize and present data for price sheets and labels for exhibition.
• Assist with the installation/deinstallation of stationary and new-media based donor/sponsor initiatives.

 The employee must have the following:
• Excellent planning and organizational skills.
• Ability to read floor plans specifications and diagrams.
• Familiarity with the use of power tools.
• Skills in patching and painting walls.
• Able to lift and carry up to 50 lbs.
 
The employee must understand proper handling of fine artwork of a variety of mediums, including digital media and the installation of video/electrical equipment.

Details here.

At the Affordable Art Fair NYC next week...

This coming week is a double art fair week... here in DC is the third iteration of the (e)merge art fair, come check us out in rooms 215-216. And in New York is the Affordable Art Fair Fall version, and we're also there in booth A-14.

There are 57 galleries from all over the planet at the fair.

In NYC we will be featuring the works of three vastly talented and well-known DMV artists: Anne Marchand, Jodi Walsh and Tim Vermeulen. Drop me an email if you need passes to AAFNYC.

Moby Dick: Queequeg's Fast. Oil on Panel by Tim Vermeulen

Moving On. Ceramic on Textured Panel by Jodi Walsh

Pulse. Acrylic and mixed media on canvas by Anne Marchand

Congrats to Matt Sesow!

The United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) released six new postage stamps on Friday, 20 September 2013, focusing on the talents of artists with disabilities. The stamps were issued in conjunction with the United Nations High Level Meeting of the General Assembly on disability and development on 23 September in New York City. You can see images of the event here.

The stamp images, titled Break Barriers, Open Doors, include a painting by the DMV's own Matt Sesow, self portraits by artists Chuck Close and Josephine King, a painting and Sargy Mann, a group photograph of the China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe, and an individual photograph by Pete Eckert.

“This project led us to an incredible pool of talented artists who provided stamp images that send powerful messages of achievement,” noted UNPA Creative Director, Rorie Katz. “Their focus on creating world-class art is an inspiration to everyone. We are pleased to pay tribute to their accomplishments through our postage stamps.”

The stamps, issued in US dollars, Swiss francs and Euros, will be sold at United Nations stamp shops in New York, Geneva and Vienna. They can also be purchased at http//unstamps.org, or by calling the New York office at 1-800-234-8672.

To learn more about the High Level Meeting of the General Assembly on disability and development go to www.un.org/disabilities. The Meeting, which includes heads of states, is expected to result in a concise, action oriented outcome document to provide policy guidance and strengthen efforts of the international community to ensure accessibility for and inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of development efforts.

The Artists’ Stories

The artists, whose worked is featured on the six postage stamps, have a diverse background that is united around the visual arts. Their stories are as inspirational as their art. For detailed information about each artist, go to… http://unstamps.un.org/doc/Publication/bulletin_107.pdf

46¢
Chuck Close (USA)
Self-Portrait II (2010)
Chuck Close is an award-winning visual artist noted for his highly inventive techniques used to paint the human face. Though a rare spinal artery collapse in 1988 left him paralysed, he has continued to paint using a brush-holding device strapped to his wrist and forearm. He was presented with the prestigious National Medal of Arts by President Clinton in 2000 and was appointed by President Obama to serve on The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.

$1.10
Josephine King (United Kingdom)
Tears And Laughter, France 2009,
Ink on paper
“My work is based on personal experience and has progressed massively since I recovered from being severely ill and suicidal during a breakdown caused by my Bipolar illness. Since that experience my painting began to reach new depths that it never had before. I was newly compelled to express my darkest feelings and my work started to avalanche. Even if I had wanted to, I would not have been able to stop its flow.” “When I am painting I reach a state of mind where I’m in another world, a world of unknown territory. I am not conscious of where I am. I paint through pure feelings.” “My voice is just one amongst millions but if there are people who identify with my work and are moved by it, then I feel I have succeeded. I tell a personal story, yet if I depict pain or suffering it is universal. I paint from the heart and with honesty.”

F.s. 1,40
Sargy Mann (United Kingdom)
See the Girl with the Red Dress On,
Oil on canvas 60” x 44”
The painter Sargy Mann was diagnosed with cataracts at 36, and went on to lose his sight completely. But in his mind’s eye, his vision did not fade. Mann found new ways to keep working and today his paintings are more acclaimed than ever. “I was saying to someone … how incredibly lucky I have been. I had about 25 years’ apprenticeship for going blind. It was a bugger, but I kept working out how to paint over those 25 years, and my brain kept finding new ways to see the world”.

F.s. 1,90
China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe (China)
The China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe was founded in 1987 to provide people living with disabilities a platform to express themselves in a special art. The Troupe’s guiding principle is the pursuit of Truth, Honesty and Virtue which it emphasizes in all of its activities. The performers, with varying degrees of hearing, visual and physical disabilities, impart their glamour through dance and performances with spectacular sets and elegant, colourful costumes. The artists are true professionals who dramatically illustrate the creative spirit and potential that lies at the heart of every person, regardless of physical challenges imposed through disability.

€ 0,70
Pete Eckert (USA)
Electro Man
“I didn’t take photography seriously until I went totally blind. I was trained in sculpture and industrial design. I have always been a visual person and planned to study architecture at Yale, but then I started to lose my sight.” “I was on my own to find a path. It took me two years to recover and figure out what to do. My first photography outing after a thousand questions at the camera store started it all. People liked the photos. I had found a medium.” “I view my work during the event of taking the shot in my mind’s eye. I ‘see’ each shot very clearly, only I use sound, touch, and memory. I am more of a conceptual artist than a photographer. My influences come from my past memory of art and what I now find in the world at large. Occasionally people refuse to believe I am blind. I am a visual person. I just can’t see.”

€ 1.70
Matt Sesow (USA)
Dive Bomb
When Matt Sesow was eight years old, he was struck by the propeller of a landing airplane near his home. The accident resulted in his left arm being severed and the loss of his left hand. Without formal art education, Matt Sesow discovered painting as a hobby while working in the computer field. In the evenings and on weekends he played with painting and began selling his work to self-taught and outsider art collectors. In 2001, after establishing himself within the art community as a powerfully diverse and independent painter, Matt Sesow retired from his computer career to pursue his art full time. He has exhibited and travelled across the United States and securing new collectors internationally including significant exhibitions in Spain, France and Slovenia. Matt continues to be an independent artist who makes a living by selling his work directly to fans

Latino Americans on PBS

PBS is currently running a fascinating six hour documentary titled "Latino Americans" that "is the first major documentary series for television to chronicle the rich and varied history and experiences of Latinos, who have helped shape North America over the last 500-plus years and have become, with more than 50 million people, the largest minority group in the U.S. The changing and yet repeating context of American history provides a backdrop for the drama of individual lives. It is a story of immigration and redemption, of anguish and celebration, of the gradual construction of a new American identity that connects and empowers millions of people today. Learn More..."

I will have a full discussion on the documentary once that it is finished, but so far I have mixed feelings, several of which are anchored (unfortunately for PBS) on my pedantic need for historical accuracy, and while learning quite a bit about early Mexican-American history (so far most of Latino-Americans is really Mexican-Americans, and that's understandable, as Latinos of Mexican ancestry make up about 65% of all "Latino Americans"), I've shaken my head at some of the historical issues raised when they start discussing some of the rest of us... or some general pedantic teeth-grinding misnomers - "Dear PBS, it is the Medal of Honor and NOT the Congressional Medal of Honor."

By the way:

Become a part of the LATINO AMERICANS project. Make a video describing what being Latino means to you, share your family traditions, tell us how you celebrate your heritage and culture or let us know about your role models. Share your story and become part of ours.

You can submit your video here.

And another by the way, this coming Sunday, September 29, at 2PM I will delivering a lecture titled "On Identity in the Arts: What Does It Mean to be Latino?" at the Ridderhof Martin Gallery at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA. Free and open to the general public...

The Last Copy of The Constitution

The Last Copy of The Constitution
Charcoal and Conte on Paper
Framed to 22 x 24 inches
Circa 2013 by F. Lennox Campello
Will be in rooms 215-216 of the (e)merge art fair next week

Opportunity for Artists

A Holiday Arts Exhibit in Harbor East

Application Deadline: October 18, 2013

On behalf of Harbor East Management Group, Maryland Art Place is pleased to announce an open ‘Call to Artists’ for this year’s “Window Wonderland,” a storefront, holiday initiative within the Harbor East corridor. Storefront installations will be on view from Friday, November 29, 2013 – Friday, January 3, 2014, with a formal unveiling scheduled for Thursday, December 5.

This year fifteen retail locations are participating in this public art project. Artists will be expected to work with their partner retailer and should consider day and nighttime visibility when proposing an installation. Tours of participating retail locations will be offered on Monday, September 30 @ 6pm. Please meet in the lobby of the building at 650 S. Exeter Street. Please RSVP to sofia@mdartplace.org if you plan to attend.
Selected artists will receive a $500 honorarium and the winner of the “Best in Show” window installation will receive a $1,000 cash prize from Harbor East.

 

For more information please visit mdartplace.org and download the full prospectus and application form here.

Wodzianski and (e)merge

In the last two years, many have noted that (e)merge has somewhat carved out a niche for itself in the area of performance art. And there is some very strong merit in this assessment - after all, who can forget Andrew Wodzianski’s exhausting performance while re-enacting the shipwreck scene from Moby Dick and floating in the Skyline Hotel's pool atop a coffin for two days?

Wodzianski is back for 2013 (e)merge, this time doing “Self Portrait as Jack Torrance.” In this endurance-based performance, “the artist replicates the obsession of Stephen King’s protagonist/antagonist in The Shining. Repetitively typing a prescriptive proverb inside the hotel lobby, the artist, acting as Jack Torrance, is condemned to artistic failure.”

To help with the performance there's a Kickstarter campaign going on - Check it out and contribute here and check out Andrew's performance next week at the (e)merge art fair -- October 3-6 at the Skyline Hotel.

Celebrating Norm Parish

Millennium Arts Salon - In cooperation with many Arts organizations will join in celebrating the life of Norman Parish on Saturday Afternoon, November 2, 2013.

Norman Parish and the Parish Gallery of Georgetown has meant so much to so many: visual artists from around the world...the book signings and artist talks...the photography community...the collectors...the celebrities...the Art Dealers Association...his many, many gallerist friends...All of us have benefited from that signature smile, that stentorian voice, that wonderful jazz, and that conviviality that was so much of the experience fostered by Norm Parish and his widow Gwen through 22 years, 170 exhibitions, and countless special events at the Gallery. 

Let's celebrate Norm's life, and gather to recommit ourselves to embracing each other in the community of art fans and patrons so beautifully fostered at the Gallery.

As details firm, look to this space for details on venue and time.  Those of you who wish to support this celebration, please write back to mel@millenniumartssalon.org with your expressions of interest.

Artists needs assistant for (e)merge

Participants for Performance

Borjana Ventzislavova is looking for participants to take part in a unique performance during the e(merge) Art Fair in Washington DC between 3-6 October 2013.


 

Conceived by the artist Borjana Ventzislavova, "15 minutes constitutional bed stories" is a performance in the public area of The Capitol Skyline Hotel. At the performance, visitors are invited to take a 15 minutes rest and/or to read passages from The Declaration of Independence and/or The Constitution of the United States of America in a proper bedroom set. The participants will be asked to express the way they respect the freedom documents through their actions, gestures or/and voice. 

 

Everyone is welcome to make a personal comment on the U.S. primary documents and / or just to relax in a bed for 15 min.


 

During the performance the artist will take Polaroid pictures. Every participant will be given an artwork signed by the artist.

Times and dates of the performance:
Thursday, October 3, from 5 pm to 8pm
Friday, October 4, 3 pm to 6pm
Saturday, October 5, 3pm to 6pm

To participate in the performance Please subscribe for participation by sending an e-mail to: call.la.casting@gmail.com

 

There is no age restriction for the event but they do ask that persons under 16 are accompanied by an adult.

Wanna go to an open studio tomorrow?

DC and California: Works by Sidney Lawrence

"DC and California: Works by Sidney Lawrence"

Opening Tuesday, Oct. 1, 6-8 pm
Artist talk Friday, Oct. 11, noon (approx. 40 minutes)
Where: University of California Washington Center's Alcove Gallery
1608 Rhode Island Ave NW (one block east of Connecticut Ave at Scott Circle, look for the flags).
Exhibition continues through Thursday, Oct. 31.

Day hours are 8 am to 8 pm. Weekend entry by door security. Gallery is to the left, with occasional UCDC events.

Information: sidneylawrenceart.com or 202-246-6963

Go to this tonight!

Ryan McCoy - Paintings

Opening Reception

Thursday, September 19th
6:30 - 8:00pm  

RSVP at the facebook event page

Show Dates: September 19 - October 20

Long View Gallery is pleased to announce RYAN MCCOY :: PAINTINGS, an exhibition by Ryan McCoy, opening on Thursday, September 19, with a public reception from 6:30-8:00pm. The exhibit will be on view through October 20, 2013.
In RYAN MCCOY :: PAINTINGS, McCoy presents a new body of work where he attempts to structure meaning through specific materials to create a personal iconography about time, place, and memory.
“With a consideration for the limitations of written language – that words are just approximations of thoughts and feelings – I attempt to structure experiences and memories from my life through material. The materials I use signify important moments from my life. The materials, representing otherwise disparate moments, are structured onto the canvas or into a space to create new intersections of meaning for me. They are a physical representation of how I feel and think; I try to say what I cannot say with words. This forms the basic logic through which the work is made. I try to just make really honest and personal work.”
McCoy’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and is included in collections on four continents. McCoy earned his MFA and BFA from George Mason University and teaches at various schools in the DC metro area.

Long View Gallery

Warning to Artists

I know a lot of you have artwork on Saatchi Online... so:

Dear Artist,

We have recently been contacted by someone called Sophie Dare who is claiming to want to acquire a lot of works by Saatchi Online artists. I have subsequently discovered that she is contacting artists directly and asking to buy multiple works from them and offering all kinds of incentives. We have heard that one artist (not from Saatchi Online) sent her many works a while ago as part of an agreement and never got paid.

So we would strongly advise not to respond to any emails from this person.

We are very sorry about this and are trying to be as vigilant as possible with cases like this in order to protect Saatchi Online artists.

 

Rebecca Wilson

Chief Curator and Director of Artist Development, Saatchi Online
Director, Saatchi Gallery

Is my Copyright Internationally Protected?

There is no international copyright protecting creative work in countries around the world.  Each country has its own laws and regulations.  However, most countries have signed on to one or more international treaties that provide protections for works within those contracting countries.  The United States is a party to the following:

Read it all online here.

Catalyst Projects Opens New Gallery Space

Catalyst Projects is pleased to announce the opening of its new gallery and project space at Monroe Street Market in the Brookland neighborhood of Washington, DC, the center of a fast growing arts community. 

The doors will open for Catalyst on October 10th with monthly, curated contemporary art exhibitions featuring artists from the metropolitan DC area and beyond.  In addition to a robust exhibition schedule, Catalyst will engage the local DC community of artists and arts stakeholders by presenting panel discussions and artist workshops. 

Catalyst was launched on January 1, 2013 by DC artists Zofie Lang and Gail Vollrath.  The duo met while exhibiting at Artomatic the summer of 2012 and soon after began talking about organizing a vehicle for networking artists, collectors and other art enthusiasts.  Since the beginning of the year, Catalyst has organized two discussion panels; Miami Art Fairs, Real Deal or Hype? (hosted by the Hive 2.0 and Arch Development Corporation in Anacostia) and Art and Acquisition, A Conversation with Artists and their Collectors (hosted by the Hamiltonian Gallery and partners ArtSee and Artinista Art Advisory); an art book swap (hosted by Capitol Hill Arts Workshop); and a happy hour event (hosted by the Passenger) where the DC art community came together to share their thoughts on the state of the arts in the region. 

The need to find affordable space where Catalyst could organize exhibitions and host artist workshops was key to rounding out their programming.  In late January, Lang and Vollrath applied for one of 27 studios offered through CulturalDC at Monroe Street Market.  In July, Catalyst was offered a six month lease for Studio 13, to begin in October 2013. 

The new 500+ sq. ft. project space is located a few feet from the Brookland-CUA red line metro stop, at 716 Monroe Street, NE.  Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday noon to 7 pm, and by appointment.

Visit their web site for more information http://catalystartprojects.com
Contact  them at catalystartprojects@gmail.com

Catalyst Projects
716 Monroe Street, NE, St. 13
Washington, DC 20017

Can I Register Multiple Works with the Copyright Office?

When copyrighting published works, each must be registered individually with some exceptions. For unpublished works, there is a bit more flexibility.  First, though, to recognize when these exceptions are applicable, copyright holders must understand the difference between a published and unpublished work.

Copyright law defines “publication” as the distribution of copies of a work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership or by rental, lease, or lending.

Read online here.

Objects of Desire

Please join lots of us for the exhibition opening of "Objects of Desire" this next Friday, September 20, in Georgetown at Neptune Fine Art from 6 - 8 pm.

 

The opening is free and open to the public.  

 

The show was selected by the Washington Post's arts critic, Mark Jenkins, as one of the "Best gallery exhibits this fall" and was an "Editors' Pick: The Best Washington Art Shows and Events in September" in the Washingtonian.  In addition, a number of galleries in the Book Hill neighborhood will be open, so it should be a lovely opportunity to see art. 

Here are the details:

Objects of Desire

Neptune Fine Art 

1662 33rd Street, NW at Wisconsin Ave. and Reservoir Rd., Washington, DC 20007

Opening Reception: Friday, September 20, 2013, 6 - 8 pm

Exhibition runs September 18 - October 26, 2013

Artists include: William Bruce Adair, Raya Bodnarchuk, Jeff Chyatte, Will Clift, Tazuko Ichikawa, Elaine Langerman, Laurel Lukaszewski, Jimmy Miracle, Wendy M. Ross and Foon Sham

Website: http://neptunefineart.com/inventory/30_Objects-of-Desire_

At the Katzen now...

American University's Fall for the Arts will bring neighbors, students, faculty, and friends together through art. It's on exhibition now through Oct. 5th at the Katzen.

The day will feature an afternoon of dynamic Courses and Workshops including orchestral conducting, the history of audio recording, a playwriting class, and a discussion of the role of interruption as a catalyst for art, to name just a few. Classes suitable for children are so noted in the descriptions. 

Surprise performances will pop up when you least expect them. The day will conclude with an early evening cocktail reception in the Katzen Arts Center and a Live Art Auction featuring local artists. 

The event is open to the public and an invitation is extended to local residents, patrons of the arts, parents of AU students, and the entire AU community.

Check out the details, the artists, and the terrific artwork here. There's an amazing Alan Feltus that someone will get for a steal! Also check out this gorgeous Tim Tate!

You can register here.

Call to Artists

Call to Artists

WHAT: An Outdoor Fine Arts Festival 

WHERE: Bethesda, MD

WHEN: Saturday and Sunday 

May 10-11, 2014

 

NOTEWORTHY: 

*Complimentary breakfast and lunch for participating artists. 

*Free parking within 1 block. 

*Limited to 140 booth spaces of juried fine art and fine craft.

*Estimated attendance: 20,000. 

*$2,500 in cash awards. 

*24-hour security. 

*Booth sitters. 

*Entry/booth fees: $30/$425 (10x10); $850 (10x20).

*For more details about the show, click HERE

The Bethesda Fine Arts Festival was ranked #78 of the 200 Best Shows in the USA by Sunshine Artist Magazine in September, 2008, making it the highest ranked fine art festival in Maryland. Artists report consistently high sales every year. Electronic application available on the festival's website. 

Celebrating Norm Parish

Millennium Arts Salon - In cooperation with many Arts organizations will join in celebrating the life of Norman Parish on Saturday Afternoon, November 2, 2013.

Norman Parish and the Parish Gallery of Georgetown has meant so much to so many: visual artists from around the world...the book signings and artist talks...the photography community...the collectors...the celebrities...the Art Dealers Association...his many, many gallerist friends...All of us have benefited from that signature smile, that stentorian voice, that wonderful jazz, and that conviviality that was so much of the experience fostered by Norm Parish and his widow Gwen through 22 years, 170 exhibitions, and countless special events at the Gallery. 

Let's celebrate Norm's life, and gather to recommit ourselves to embracing each other in the community of art fans and patrons so beautifully fostered at the Gallery.

As details firm, look to this space for details on venue and time.  Those of you who wish to support this celebration, please write back to mel@millenniumartssalon.org with your expressions of interest.

Opportunity for Artists

FLASHPOINT GALLERY

 

Deadline: Friday, 10.18.13, 5PM | application fee: $30

Open to contemporary artists, independent curators and arts organizations. Flashpoint Gallery showcases bold, new work and cultivates emerging and mid-career artists working in a variety of media including site-specific installations, performance pieces, new media and other experimental forms.  Proposals must be submitted online. Visit our website for more information about Flashpoint Gallery and our Request for Proposals. 

Opening in G'town tonight!

“The Art of Political Change” is an invitational show curated by DMV area artist Roy Utley – the show is all about art and politics and has been getting quite a bit of pre-opening attention from the press in this most political of towns.

The Opening Reception is tonight from 6:00 to 10:00 and runs through September 28 at the legendary MOCA DC gallery in Georgetown, and there’s an Open mike political poetry night on Sept 20 from 6:00 to 10:00, followed by a Film screening night on Sept 21 from 6:00 to 10:00 (hosted by Lucy Gebre-Egziabher) and a Closing Party on Sept 27 from 6:00 to 10:00. MOCA is at 1054 31st Street (Canal Square) in G'town.

The show features distinctive works of social commentary by a diverse group of Washington area artists, including yours truly. They come from all across the artistic landscape – painters, sculptors, poets, filmmakers and more. The dozens of works on display by the artists will connect with the viewer on a personal visual level, as only visual art can, while the live video feeds will enable everyone with internet access to view the events as they happen.

See ya there!

The Prez...

Our President doing an Elvis sneer impersonation... cough, cough...

Under $500 at MAP

UNDER $500:  Benefit Exhibition and Artwork Sale
 

CALL FOR ENTRY: Maryland Art Place (MAP) is seeking artists for “UNDER $500” their upcoming benefit exhibition and artwork sale. 

It is scheduled for Friday, December 13 and Saturday, December 14, 2013, and this two-day event is intended to promote the sale of artwork by artists in the Maryland region. Artists may submit 1-3 works for consideration. Each individual piece must retail for $500 or less. Proceeds from the sale of artwork will be split 50/50 with each artist, with an optional 75% or 100% donation in support of MAP.
MAP envisions this to be a great opportunity to get your work noticed and purchased by area buyers & collectors just in time for the holidays! Participating artists will receive one free ticket to the opening event on Friday, December 13.  

Selected artists will be issued an UNDER $500 Profile Form in an effort to simultaneously promote the artwork and artist during the event.

For complete guidelines visit mdartplace.org.

Wanna go to an open studio?

Pro Panels Anyone?

I'm looking to borrow a set of Pro Panels (or something similar) that I can use at the (e)merge art fair next month.

In exchange I will give the lender a small framed original drawing?

Pro Panels anyone?

Send me an email to lenny@lennycampello.com

Wanna go to an opening party?

“The Art of Political Change” is an invitational show curated by DMV area artist Roy Utley – the show is all about art and politics and has been getting quite a bit of pre-opening attention from the press in this most political of towns.

The Opening Reception is Sept 14th from 6:00 to 10:00 and runs through September 28 at the legendary MOCA DC gallery in Georgetown, and there’s an Open mike political poetry night on Sept 20 from 6:00 to 10:00, followed by a Film screening night on Sept 21 from 6:00 to 10:00 (hosted by Lucy Gebre-Egziabher) and a Closing Party on Sept 27 from 6:00 to 10:00. MOCA is at 1054 31st Street (Canal Square) in G'town.

The show features distinctive works of social commentary by a diverse group of Washington area artists, including yours truly. They come from all across the artistic landscape – painters, sculptors, poets, filmmakers and more. The dozens of works on display by the artists will connect with the viewer on a personal visual level, as only visual art can, while the live video feeds will enable everyone with internet access to view the events as they happen.

My own exposure to political art is that (in the past) it has been usually (or maybe mostly) the left doing negative artwork about the right. 

And that's cool! 

Political art is seldom "positive" (other than in Nazi Germany, the former USSR, North Korea and Cuba - that's a smiling lot ain't it?).

The Presidency of George W. Bush left behind a huge trail of political art of all genres, all harshly critical (and a lot quite threatening) of the former President. 

Some of it was very smart and intelligent and some of it downright offensive and mean, and c'mon - once you step into the White House, you sort of expect to be the target focus of harsh political criticism.

Some artists, such as Richard Serra’s crayon drawing of an Abu Ghraib prisoner with the caption "STOP BUSH”, employed that time sensitive and horrifying war issue to achieve instant fame, and now the minimalist sculptor is perhaps best known for that rather simplistic and powerful piece, which essentially got him a ticket to a Venice Biennale.

From my experience/exposure, other than a few right wing nuts here and there, anti Presidential political art has been all but AWOL during the Obama presidency, perhaps because the mainstream media has been rather successful in re-calibrating their approach to the President and also in exacting harsh revenge on anyone who dares to deviate from a overly positive depiction of our current President.

Even Shepard Fairey’s embarrassing path to the famous “HOPE” poster art from the historic 2008 campaign (he ripped off the image from DMV area photographer Manny Garcia) was not enough to stop the National Portrait Gallery from acquiring the artwork, in violation of its own rules about acquiring portraits of living persons only ifdone from the live subject. They also ignored the fact that the image had been ripped off from another artist.

I sent them an email asking for clarification on this issue, and since I never heard back, then I wrote them a letter... still waiting for a response.

In view of the current multiple woes of the administration, ranging from the NSA revelations to the IRS scandal and others, the vast left wing nuttery has begun to turn on the President, and I will be curious to see if Utley’s political show addresses the anti-Presidential venom so common to past political American art, but now with an Obama focus. 

It is clear from Dana Ellyn's always sharp eye and caustic talented brush, that the answer is apparently yes!

“He’s Making a (Kill) List” by Dana Ellyn 

I love this country! See ya there! 

The artists are:

Alicia "Decoy" Cosnahan
Roger Cutler
Gregg Deal
Cheryl Edwards
Dana Ellyn
Ric Garcia
Lucy Gebre-Egziabher
Grayson Heck
Jeannette Herrera
Regina Holliday
Kevin "Jazi" Irvin
Danny Jean-Jacques
Hanna Kebbede
Fareeha Khawaja
Peter Krško
Carolina Mayorga
David R. Quammen
Lisa Dee Schumaier
Matt Sesow
Eric “E-Baby” Smith
Henrik Sundqvist
Roy Utley
Asad "Ultra" Walker

Wanna go to an opening today?

40 for 40: Celebrating Four Decades of GRACE
September 12 – November 2, 2013
Opening Reception September 12, 6-9pm, free and open to the public 

The Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) is pleased to present 40 for 40: Celebrating Four Decades of GRACE, from September 12 through November 2, 2013. A retrospective exhibition marking GRACE’s 40th anniversary, 40 for 40 celebrates the organization’s continuous engagement with contemporary art in the metro D.C. area since its founding in 1974. The show will feature a selection of forty artists who have exhibited at GRACE, or have been closely involved with the organization, over the course of the past four decades. 

Launching the 2013-14 exhibition season and the Greater Reston Arts Center’s 40th year of operations, 40 for 40 will feature works in a broad range of media including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, glass, and ceramics, the exhibition will celebrate the variety and quality of work that has been exhibited at GRACE since its inception. 

Speaking about the exhibition, Curator of Exhibitions Holly Koons McCullough said, “This show highlights the impact the Greater Reston Arts Center has had within the regional artistic community. Some of the artists on view in 40 for 40 literally founded the institution. Others had exhibitions here that would become important milestones in their careers. Still others exhibited works that have come to define GRACE’s unreserved embrace of contemporary art in this region, in all its diversity and vigor.” 

40 for 40 will present works by some of the pioneers of the institution, including Brenda Belfield, Judith Forst, Joan Kelly, and Connie Slack. These artists held positions on GRACE’s staff and board, and helped to develop the organization’s overarching mission of engaging and educating the community in contemporary visual art. 

Other works on view reflect GRACE’s more recent exhibition history, such as a luminous Mylar sculpture by Rebecca Kamen, a site-specific ceramic installation by Elizabeth Kendall, and cerebral wood-based sculptures by Foon Sham and Evan Reed. Together with works by the other noted contemporary artists featured in 40 for 40, these pieces reflect the broad-minded, progressive nature of GRACE’s exhibitions, particularly since the institution relocated to its current site in Reston Town Center in 2006.

“We are thrilled to be able to highlight the rich and vibrant history of the Greater Reston Arts Center,” notes Executive Director Damian Sinclair. “For over forty years the work of this organization has been central to the cultural growth in our region and we look forward to being a leader of the artistic community in the next forty years.” 

Most of the works in the exhibition are available for sale, and many of the artists are donating 50% of sale proceeds back to GRACE in recognition of the organization’s anniversary and in support of its future. 

Artists Represented in 40 for 40: Celebrating Four Decades of GRACE 

John Adams, Ann Barbieri, Joanne Bauer, Brenda Belfield, Ed Bisese, F. Lennox Campello, Michael Cantwell, Dickson Carroll, Travis Childers, Ellen Cornett, Laura Edwards, Elissa Farrow-Savos, Judith Forst, Heidi Fowler, Suzi Fox, Rik Freeman, Rebecca Kamen, Joan Kelly, Elizabeth Kendall, J.T. Kirkland, Craig Kraft, Robert Lobe, Dalya Luttwak, Carolina Mayorga, David Meyer, Marco Rando, Matt Ravenstahl, Evan Reed, Pam Rogers, Dana Ann Scheurer, Eveleen Severn-Sass, Foon Sham, Connie Slack, Robert Straight, Tim Tate, Novie Trump, Shinji Turner-Yamamoto, Mary LaRue Wells, Millicent Young, and Andrew Zimmerman.

Public Programs:
Opening Reception
Thursday, September 12, 6-9pm. Free and open to the public.
40th Anniversary Family Day
40 for 40 public celebration and family day
Sunday, September 5, 2-5pm. Free and open to public.

Wanna see one of the largest collections....

On September 22 is the Open House for Light Street Gallery in Baltimore featuring the collection of Steven & Linda Krensky.

This is a fantastic private collection and assortment of art that is easily the largest collection of art by DC area artists going back more than three  decades of serious collecting. 

Nearly every DC area artists is represented in this collection - including many pieces that were done when some of these artists were students (and some of those are now professors!).

10 am to 8 pm - complete with some wings that are bigger than most chickens - tasty and delivered fresh throughout the day by Sun Hing takeout across the street. 

1448 Light Street in Baltimore - call for map or directions - 240.506.8943 - 

RSVP is required - so call ahead or be sorry!

Lest we forget...

"Studio View, 9/11"
Oil on Canvas c. 9/11/2001 by David FeBland

Another 9/11 to remember...

Things that I notice...

A few days ago, my amazing athlete wife, who twice represented the US in world competitions, and was once ranked fifth in the world, and was twice the Maryland state Triathlon champion, decided out of the blue to run a half marathon.

So on Sunday she ran the Parks Half Marathon, which starts in Rockville and ends in Bethesda. Even though she hasn't competed in over a decade, she still managed to beat her predicted time by almost nine minutes and finish in the top 10% of runners..

But that's not why I'm posting this.

Over the years of both running and (more recently) waiting at the finish line for my wife, I have perfected the art of people watching, or in this case, of runner watching.

I have noticed a new, unique class of runners, that I must comment on, but first a little side story.

Anderson and I get the the finish area (corner of Elm and 47th Street), and it's pretty crowded, but I noticed about half a block of sidewalk on the inside line that's all empty, and thus we walk over some orange cones and stand there to cheer the runners and wait for mommy.

A race official comes over and warns me that the owner of the house behind me has been coming out and shooing people away from "her sidewalk."

I thank him and shrug my shoulders. After all, this is the People's Soviet Socialist Republic of Montgomery County, and last I've heard, everyone (except David Gregory and apparently this lady) knows that public sidewalks are public property.

Surely enough, soon a nice lady comes out of her huge dacha and asks me politely to get off her sidewalk.

I look at her, sensing that a learning moment for this otherwise Bethesda progressive... cough, cough... is about to take place.

"This is a public sidewalk," I say, also nicely, and pointing to the sidewalk areas that extend beyond the facade of her huge, massive house.

"It's in front of my house," she responds.

"That is obvious to the most causal observer... so it's that park," I note, pointing to the park across the street, "But it is still a public park... and so is this sidewalk..."

"Please get off my sidewalk," she re-affirms, her face full of indignation.

"No," I say, and then add, "Are you aware that it is probably some sort of misdemeanor to claim and usurp public property as your private property?" I say nicely to her. She looks a little puzzled.

"Maybe I should get a nice policeman and ask him if it is some sort of an offense for a citizen to try to kick another citizen out of public property." I start looking around.

She looks a little concerned, and I can tell that my use of the word "citizen" has kicked some dust in her Bolshevik brain... but then she turns around and leaves in a huff... probably returning to her favorite MSNBC show.

Immediately several other citizens, until then crowded in the other side of the orange cones, begin migrating onto "her sidewalk."

Back to my initial observation about runners.

Over the last few years I have detected a whole new "class" of runners whom:

(a) don't usually "look" like serious runners (gaunt, and sunburned, and wearing alien-looking sunglasses, and really expensive running shoes that always look new, because they only run 500 miles per shoe set before replacing them - I know this) and

(b) come to these organized races looking like they're getting ready for WWIII.

They have the most amazing and latest Under Armour outfits: compression socks, glow in the dark running shoes, Batbelts with ten pounds of super-Astronaut food stuff in all kinds of compartments, water camels on their backs, Ipods strapped to their upper arms, really expensive watches that can pinpoint your location on planet Earth within inches, etc.

They looks like dressed down Borgs on PT day!

Funny thing is that the winners of these races are usually long-legged, sleek, beautiful African runners in tiny running shorts, regular running shoes and little else!

Just sayin'

Art Scam Alert!

Beware of this scam artist:

From:	Alison McCoy (a.mccoy009@yahoo.com)
Sent:	Mon 9/09/13 10:26 AM
To:	lennycampello@hotmail.com (lennycampello@hotmail.com)

Hello,

My name is Alison McCoy.  I found your profile on the internet. I am interested in purchasing an artwork from you for the decoration of my guest room at my new residence in Munich, Germany. Would appreciate if you can send me few pictures of the works you have available for sale so that I can make an easy choice of mine. Better still, send me a web link where I can have a view of your recent works.

I look forward to read back from you.

Thanks.

Alison.

36 STUDIOS - PART 2 (Charm City Edition)

Remember when Mera Rubell kick started a sudden new interest in DC area artists with her studio visits? If not, read all about it here.

Anyway - it's all about to happen again in B'more!

Mera Rubell, co-founder of the Rubell Family Collection and co-owner of the  Capitol Skyline Hotel and the Lord Baltimore Hotel, will be conducting studio visits of Baltimore-area artists in a 36-hour marathon session from 6:00 am Saturday, October 26 through 6:00 pm Sunday, October 27, 2013.

Ms. Rubell will be conducting the studio visits in her role as a curator for SELECT 2014, Washington Project for the Arts' 33rd annual art auction exhibition, taking place at Artisphere in Rosslyn, VA from February 27 through March 21, 2014. (Artwork will be available for purchase the night of the SELECT gala, March 22, 2014. Check WPA's website next month for details.) Rubell, who is based in Miami and New York, but frequently visits Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD for 36-hour periods to visit her hotel properties, is known for her passion for contemporary art and her deep commitment to artists. Since the family's acquisition of the Lord Baltimore Hotel in the spring of 2013, Rubell has been increasingly interested in the vibrant Baltimore art scene and engaging with artists there.

In 2009, Rubell and WPA Executive Director, Lisa Gold, conducted a similar studio visit marathon when Rubell participated as a curator for WPA's 2010 auction exhibition, selecting works by 16 artists from the DC region and generating a substantial buzz in the art community. While 36 straight hours of looking at artwork may be considered extreme by some people, Ms. Rubell and her husband, Don, often conduct brief, intense studio visits during their collecting trips to China or Europe, so this project is just business as usual for the Rubells.

"We are thrilled that Mera is set on exploring and discovering the artists of Baltimore, " says Lisa Gold, who will again be accompanying Ms. Rubell on her studio visit marathon. "I was so impressed with Mera's focus and intensity during the entire duration of our last adventure. I'm sure she'll bring it all back to Baltimore so these artists better have their game on!"

Artists will be invited to sign up for a studio visit appointment via an open call. Any practicing artist with a studio in the Baltimore area (inside I-695) can submit their name, contact information, studio address, and website URL to WPA through the WPA website by midnight on October 1 to be entered into a lottery for studio visits. 36 artists will be selected and their studios plotted on a map which will be used to determine appointment times beginning at 6:00 am on Saturday, October 26. From these visits, Rubell will select 12-15 artists whose work will be included in the SELECT exhibition and art auction gala.

Reporters interested in joining a portion of the 36 Studios tour may contact Lisa Gold at lgold@wpadc.org to make arrangements. For more information about 36 Studios, SELECT 2014: WPA Art Auction Exhibition and Gala, or Washington Project for the Arts, please contact Blair Murphy, Program Director, at 202-234-7103 x1 or bmurphy@wpadc.org.

At Gallery Har Shalom...

Gallery Har Shalom announces the opening of "The Power of Color,"  an exhibit that includes acrylic paintings by Alexandria artist Ana Elisa Benavent, blown glass by Bethesda artist Jane Callen, fiber art by Bethesda artist Floris Flam, and photography by Richard Paul Weiblinger of Laurel, MD.

Benavent (www.anaelisabenavent.com) explains that she paints emotions in colors.  In her words, " . . . large fields of colors start talking to and playing with each other, layer over layer . . . ."   She exhibits at The Art League Gallery at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria and at Foundry Gallery in Washington, DC.

Callen (www.ncagg.org/gallery/callen) blows glass in clean shapes inspired by nature's colors.  Her intention is "to maintain a beginner's heart and mind: open, no assumptions except love."   She blows glass at Glen Echo Park and has also studied at DC Glassworks/Sculpture Studios and Corning Museum of Glass.

Flam (www.florisflam.com) enjoys using a wide range of fabrics and quilting threads and often incorporates her own dyed and painted fabric. She discovered the world of art quilts in 1986 and, since 1991, has studied design and technique at workshops at the Quilt/Surface Design Symposium in Columbus, OH.

Weiblinger (www.weiblingerphotography.smugmug.com) prefers images with chromatic strength and notes that photography allows him to "pursue the art of transforming everyday objects into images that progress from 'everyday' to art."  A self-taught photographer, his work has been shown in numerous juried exhibits and included in magazines such as Smithsonian Zoogoer and Audubon Naturalist.

Gallery Har Shalom, located at Congregation Har Shalom, 11510 Falls Road, Potomac, MD

Opening Reception: Sunday, September 22, 2013, 11am - 1 pm
Exhibit dates:  Through Monday, October 28, 2013
Call for hours and directions:  301-299-7087

For further information and directions to Gallery Har Shalom, please call the Har Shalom office at 301-299-7087.

Enough...

Ladies and gentlemen, enough with dictatorships, with the last dictatorship of the Americas. Stop supporting the Castro government. Enough. Whomever supports the Castro government dirties their hands with blood.

-- Carlos Rafael Jorge Jimenez, Cuban doctor exiled in Brazil, during a presentation to Brazil's Congress, 9/4/13