New York next week!

It's the Affordable Art Fair in NYC next week, which year after year (since I've been doing them since 2005) has proven to be one of the most solid art fairs around.

This year we will feature the work of DMV artists Anne Marchand, Jodi Walsh and Georgia Nassikas.

Come and see us at booth 1.28!

New York City April 3-6, 2014 with
Private View on April 2

A fun four-day event hosting 78 galleries and a huge array of contemporary art, the spring edition of the Affordable Art Fair New York City will take place from April 2-6 at The Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea.

Georgia Nassikas "Lift"

Channeling Jackson Pollock is done

I've been discussing the latest video project, which is a commission for a new cruise liner, and the embedded videos are random videos of rock, paper, scissors, with random videos of the pieces that actually go there.

'Tis Finished, 'Tis Over, 'Tis Done!

Channeling Jackson Pollock: Rock, Paper, Scissors
Oil on 8-ply Paper. 27 x 58 inches. By F. Lennox Campello

Heard on Univision

Tonight Univision had a segment on a little Mexican Native American girl who has a real gift for public speaking and who has been denouncing the virulent racism against indigenous Native American people in Mexico - so prevalent in the way that the Mexican government treats its indigenous nations as well as the way that Mexican society condones the racism against Mexico's original peoples and as she puts it: "Denies Mexico's own roots."

Alchemical Vessels Opens Next Week!

"Suddenly, She Wasn't Afraid Any Longer"
Charcoal and Conte on Provided Clay Vessel
2014 by F. Lennox Campello

Opening April 4, 2014, the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery will host the return of Alchemical Vessels with an opening reception from 7-9 PM. Above is the image for the vessel that I've created and donated for this effort... Last year my piece went really early (first 10 or so)... just sayin'... cough, cough.

Alchemical Vessels brings together 125 local artists and 20 invited curators for a community dialogue on healing and transformation through the arts. Each artist will transform a simple ceramic bowl by means of his or her own personal aesthetic and medium, drawing inspiration from the bowl as a place of holding, open community, sacred space, and even the alchemical vessel. The show is an amazing grouping of Who's Who in the DMV art scene.

The ceramic bowl was selected as the fundamental element of the exhibition to symbolize creating a space where healing can take place—an idea at the heart of Smith Center's work and mission. Metaphorically speaking, Smith Center—the space and the work we do within our walls—resembles an alchemical vessel. People bring their everyday burdens, fears, and pains to us, and in this place of holding, we help transform those toxic elements into hope, light, wisdom and strength.

The Alchemical Vessels exhibition will open at the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery on April 4th and run through May 16th, 2014, with the opening reception on Friday, April 4th, 7-9pm. The Alchemical Vessels Benefit will take place on Friday, May 2nd, with doors opening at 7pm. With a $125 Benefit-Vessel Contribution, guests will be admitted to the event and will select one of the 125 works on display to add to their own collections. 

For more information about the Alchemical Vessels 2014 Benefit, please visit www.smithcenter.org/benefit.

Artists: Eames Armstrong, Sardar Aziz, Karen Baer, Beth Baldwin, Michele Banks, Joseph Barbaccia, Carolyn Becker, Jessica Beels, Joan Belmar, Lori Anne Boocks, Anne Bouie, Amy Braden, Julia Brown, Karen O. Brown, Larry Brown, Amanda Burnham, Lenny Campello, Shanthi Chandrasekar, Mei Mei Chang, Peter Charles, Asma Chaudhary, Travis Childers, Eunmee Chung, Wesley Clark, Michael Corigliano, Sheila Crider, Candy Cummings, Anna U. Davis, Rosetta DeBerardinis, Tamara De Silva, Elsabe Dixon, Joel D'Orazio, David D'Orio, Chelsea S. Dobert-Kehn, Thomas Drymon, Nekisha Durrett, Victor Ekpuk, Laura Elkins, Dana Ellyn, Erica Benay Fallin, Felisa Federman, Jeremy Flick, Suzi Fox, Barbara Frank, Nancy Frankel, Shaunté Gates, Dawn Gavin, Bita Ghavami, Aziza Claudia Gibson-Hunter, Melissa Glasser, Janis Goodman, Pat Goslee, Sherill Anne Gross, John Grunwell, Nelson Gutierrez, Kristen Hayes, Eve Hennessa, Sean Hennessey, Linda Hesh, Matt Hollis, Leslie Holt, Jessica Hopkins, Karen Hubacher, Monica Jahan Bose, Barbara Johnson, Wayson R. Jones, J'Nell Jordan, Mila Kagan, Sumita Kim, Joan Konkel, Yar Koporulin, Walter Kravitz, Kate Kretz, Randall Lear, Heather Levy, Yue Li, Nathan Loda, Armando Lopez-Bircann, Laurel Lukaszewski, James Mahoney, J.J. McCracken, Donald McCray, Jayme Mclellen, Tendani Mpulubusi El, Komelia Okim, Amie Oliver, Luis Peralta, Michael Platt, Maryanne Pollock, Lynn Putney, Maria-Lana Queen, Beverly Ress, Kim Reyes, Glenn Richardson, Marie Ringwald, Amber Robles-Gordon, Pam Rogers, Lisa Rosenstein, Nicole Salimbene, Samantha Sethi, Matt Sesow, Amy Sherald, Shahin Shikhaliyev, Ellen Sinel, Casey Snyder, Susan Stacks, Dafna Steinberg, Jennifer Strunge, Lynn Sures, Lynn Sylvester, Ira Tattelman, Christine Buckton Tilman, Erwin Timmers, Ben Tolman, Novie Trump, Shinji Turner-Yamamoto, Laurie Tylec, Michael Verdon, Jodi Walsh, Jenny Walton, Ellyn Weiss, Stephanie Williams, Audrey Wilson, Sharon Wolpoff, and Carmen C. Wong.

Curators: Peggy Cooper Cafritz, Educator, Philanthropist and Founder of D.C.'s Duke Ellington School for the Arts | Jarvis DuBois, Independent Curator and Principal at J. DuBois Arts | Monica Jahan Bose, Artist and Activist | Anne L'Ecuyer, Arts Management Faculty at American University | Camille Mosley-Pasley, Photographer and Principal at Pasley Place Photography | B.G. Muhn, Professor of Art, Georgetown University | Michael O'Sullivan, Art Critic for The Washington Post | Dr. Frederick P. Ognibene, M.D., NIH Physician, Fine Art Collector and; Past Board Chair, Washington Project for the Arts | Michael Platt, Artist and Professor at Howard University | Jennifer Riddell, Writer and Interpretive Projects Manager at the National Gallery of Art | Adah Rose, Principal at Adah Rose Gallery | Laura Roulet, Independent Curator and Writer | Molly Ruppert, Artist and Gallery Director at the Warehouse Theater | Terry Scott, Cultural Organizer and Independent Curator | Judy J. Sherman, Art Consultant and Principal at j. fine art | Thomas Stanley, Professor at George Mason University | Nuzhat Sultan, Independent Curator | Tim Tate, Artist and Co-Director of Washington GlassSchool | R.L. Tillman, Artist, Teacher and Curator | Dolly Vehlow, Fine Art Collector and Principal at Gallery O on H 

Planning Committee: Helen Frederick, Deborah Lesser, Wendy Miller, PhD, Kim Schelling, Timothy Schelling, and Ellyn Weiss.

Channeling Jackson Pollock: Progress Report

Progress report: That's the finished painting for the almost finished "Channeling Jackson Pollock: Rock, Paper, Scissors" commission being done for a new cruise liner... And below it is the piece with the three windows removed...

Three video players will be embedded into those windows with looped videos of falling rock, falling paper and falling scissors (falling at random) in between still images of the piece of the painting that's supposed to be there... it is due to be picked up in two weeks!

And below are the three individual cut-out windows... each one a perfect, if small example, of Pollock's quite imitable style.

Prince George's Arts & Humanities Council Grants

FY 2014 Grants

Grant Period: May 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014
Please download Guide to Grants and Grant Application below

ARTS IN EDUCATION PROGRAM
Applicants may submit one Arts Education Program application per grant cycle
School-Based Projects
Community-Based Projects
Artist in Residency Projects
Professional Development Project

Deadline: April 30, 2014 at 5:00PM

FY 2014 Guide to Grants
Grant Application

 

A problem.... and a solution

An increasing number of print-on-demand sites, such as Zazzle and Café Press, are popping up on the Internet. Users can create customizable products featuring their own photos or other graphic designs.  Unfortunately, there is very little stopping some of these users from creating products with stolen copyrighted designs and other art, with the copyright holder never even knowing that their work is being infringed.  While these sites don’t condone copyright infringement, the business model does benefit from infringing material without much risk of being sued.

Read about it  here.

Frank Hyder at Rebecca Hossack

During my years in exile in Pennsylvania (2006-2009), I had the opportunity to become fairly immersed in the Philadelphia visual arts scene, and it was there that I met Philly artist Frank Hyder, who has subsequently become a good friend.

At the time Hyder was a very well-known and highly respected Philly area painter, and as a member of the faculty at the Moore College of Art & Design, he was also one of the pillars of the Philly area academic world, which was quite an accomplishment in that area, as it seems that there is an University or College every other block in the City of Brotherly Love, and most of them are highly respected and enjoy stellar reputations.

A couple of years ago, Hyder retired from Moore, and I cannot recall ever seeing a lifestyle change create such a powerful impact upon the career of an artist!

It is clear that the freedom found by Hyder (at least in having more time to paint and create) had a spectacular effect on his artwork - the man attacked his artistic life with a ferocious attitude that should be an example to all of you approaching the latter third of your life.

Don't get me wrong... prior to the retirement from Moore, Hyder was not one of those faculty types who rely on their tenure for job security and seldom (if ever) actually create and exhibit work. In fact, quite the opposite... Frank Hyder was exhibiting all over the place, mostly via art fairs and the "Giants in the City" installations. The man has had 80 solo shows in his career!

But retirement gave Hyder the opportunity to focus all of his time on the rediscovery of previous undeveloped ideas and the creation of new, fresh ones, and this is what makes the Frank Hyder of 2014 a refreshing, post-academia artistic example for a lot of artists, not only trapped in the academic world, but also trapped in a vicious circle of creative neutrality.

"Frank Hyder: Afterglow" is currently on exhibition through 9 April at the Rebecca Hossack Gallery in New York City and this exhibition is a brilliant example of what I mean in the previous paragraphs.

A few decades ago, Hyder pulled his family from the then pretty rough Northern Liberties neighborhood where they lived in Philly, and for a few years lived in Venezuela. The influence of this life-changing event left a profound mark on the artistic footprint of his work, as well as his personal life (Hyder is perfectly fluent in Spanish and I suspect that many people who chat with him in Spanish may think that he is one of those millions of South Americans of German ancestry).

At the Rebecca Hossack exhibition, Hyder showcases his newest work in the series that is usually described as his "koi fish series." It is much more than that.

Via the focus on the koi fish, Hyder manages to flex his enviable printmaking skills, marry them to his equally talented painting skills, and (as if that wasn't enough) he then brings in an unholy assembly of acrylics, resin, metal leaf, oils, etc. to deliver a final product that has evolved from the subject to deliver what can best be described as a dance of color and movement and eye-fooling depth of field.

Look at "Harvest Run" as an example... and yes, there are koi fish, and yes they are the apparent focus of the piece. But is is the color, and it is the movement, and it is the depth created by the thickly-grooved metal leaf that hypnotizes the viewer in both visual punch and scale (48x36 inches).

Also on exhibit are several of Hyder's works from his "Luminaries" series. In this distinct series, Hyder pushes his development even further by integrating light into these electrical pieces. He has now made electricity a component of his work, and in doing so, he integrates a fourth dimensional element that really works well as an example of a liberated artist pushing the limit of the gallery walls.

Concurrent with this solo exhibition, Hyder will be participating in the Big Egg Hunt New York, a charitable endeavor benefiting New York City children through the Studio in a School initiative and endangered Asian elephants through the Elephant Family organization. Other participating artists and designers include Jeff Koons, Leo Villareal, Julian Schnabel, Marchesa, Terry Richardson, Bruce Weber, Tracey Emin, and Tommy Hilfiger.

"Frank Hyder: Afterglow" runs through 9 April at the Rebecca Hossack Gallery, 262 Mott Street in New York City.

Frenn on artscope Magazine

George Mason University's Chawky Frenn is on the cover of artscope magazine (New England's Arts and Culture Magazine), which also has a feature article on Prof. Chawky Frenn.

Chawky Frenn is a great activist in many realms. He is dedicated to teaching new artists at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia; produces books on the fine arts of the unde rappreciated city of Boston, with which he has close ties; and is an active figurative painter whose work focuses on bold topics such as the human condition and governmental issues.

Read it here.

This amazing series of works needs to find an exhi bition space in the DMV!

Henri Matisse painting to be returned to art dealer Paul Rosenberg’s heirs

Another fascinating story in the never-ending saga of stolen artworks... I predict that when the Cuban dictatorship finally implodes, a lot of French millionaires will have to return to Cuba its arts legacy, illegally stolen from their owners in the early 1960s, and sold for cold-cash, to (mostly) French adorers of the Castro-brothers' regime.

In June of 2012, the Henie Onstad Kunstsenter (HOK) was contacted by the heirs of Paul Rosenberg. The heirs presented documentation demonstrating that Henri Matisse’s painting Profil bleu devant la cheminée (Woman in Blue in Front of a Fireplace) dated 1937, was unlawfully dispossessed as a result of Nazi persecution from the famed French gallery owner and collector. Although Mr Rosenberg was able to flee to New York with his family in 1940, artworks belonging to him were confiscated by the special Nazi looting agency known as the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR). This painting was one of 162 works looted on September 5, 1941, and was therefore subject to an active claim of restitution by the Rosenberg heirs.

In 1942, the painting was used in trade by agents for Nazi Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering, and subsequently acquired by Gustav Rochlitz, an art dealer active in Paris who was convicted in 1947 before a French Tribunal for trading illicitly acquired property during the Nazi occupation.

The painting was acquired by Niels Onstad from Galerie Henri Bénézit in Paris around 1950 and it has been a part of HOK’s collection since 1961. From 1946-1960, Paul Rosenberg and his heirs made numerous declarations in search of the painting to no avail. None of these reached Mr Onstad nor HOK. Prior to including the painting in the HOK Collection in 1960, Niels Onstad requested detailed provenance information, but did not discover the Rosenberg claim. Since then, the "provenance Paul Rosenberg Collection" has followed the painting in catalogues and numerous exhibitions all over the world. The knowledge of the whereabouts of the painting did not reach the heirs of Paul Rosenberg.

Although it is HOK’s unwavering position that both Niels Onstad, and subsequently HOK, acquired the painting in good faith, HOK has chosen to adhere to international conventions and return the painting to Rosenberg’s heirs, a decision for which the heirs express their deep appreciation.

“Henie Onstad Kunstsenter’s extensive investigation of the case has led to the decision that the return is justified, and HOK’s board has decided to return the painting without further conditions” says Halvor Stenstadvold, chairman of the board of HOK.

“This painting has been in our collection since HOK was founded; it is a key work, important for both HOK and its patrons. The comprehensive investigations have been exhaustive and HOK has taken the time necessary to examine all available facts in the case. The case may serve as a precedent for similar cases in the future. Our knowledge of archives and resources regarding provenance research will be made available to the public through a variety of exhibitions, seminars and publications during 2015” says Tone Hansen, HOK’s director.

Research was conducted by the HOK and the Rosenberg heirs in French and American archives, and HOK has collaborated with a number of museums, institutions and experts in France. The investigations confirmed that the painting was stolen from Paul Rosenberg as a result of Nazi persecution.

Christopher A. Marinello, a lawyer specializing in the restitution of cultural property, who handled the negotiations for the Rosenberg family, commented:

“This case illustrates the importance of Museums and cultural institutions undertaking comprehensive reviews of their collections in accordance with the Washington Conference Principles. The HOK is to be commended for their methodological approach in reviewing the provenance documentation we presented as well as the legal issues involved. Ultimately, it was the strength of the moral claim that persuaded the HOK to restitute this painting unconditionally to the Rosenberg heirs. We are grateful to our researchers in France and the United States whose expertise and assistance in this matter were invaluable.”

The case is the first of its kind in Norway, and while all such cases must be treated individually, HOK’s resolution will most likely impact other Norwegian institutions. HOK’s evaluations have thus been methodical, exhaustive, and under the guidance of the Ministry of Culture. It has been a demanding process for a single institution to undertake, and as a result HOK has called for the formation of a national committee. This committee would be charged with examining public collections and will be modeled after similar programs undertaken in the Netherlands, Germany and France.

Norway was one of the signatories of the Washington Conference Principles on Nazi- Confiscated Art in 1998 along with 43 other countries. HOK is a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) whose Code of Ethics were considered in conjunction with the Washington Conference Principles.

This restitution signifies the resolution of one claim for the Rosenberg heirs, but as for many families affected by Nazi-era looting, the challenging search continues for numerous spoliated works yet to be recovered.

WPA Speaks With SELECT 2014 Artists

Check it out here...

Manon Cleary at The Arts Club

The Arts Club of Washington has announced the upcoming exhibition, Manon Cleary, Obsessive Observer: A New Perspective Through Her Photographic Studies.

The exhibition, produced by her husband, F. Steven Kijek, explores for the first time Cleary’s use of photography in creating her paintings and works on paper. Within the arc of these works one can follow Cleary’s observation and exploration of composition, shadow and light in her photographs and her final works. Cleary, who passed away in 2011, was an acclaimed artist and was heavily involved in the DC arts scene for several decades.

The exhibition runs from April 4 to April 26, with an opening reception on Friday, April 4 from 6 pm to 9 pm in the Arts Club of Washington’s galleries located at 2017 “I” Street, NW, Washington, D.C. Dr. Jack Rasmussen, director and curator of the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, is the guest curator for the exhibition.

This exhibition is the first to focus on the artist’s use of photographic studies and provides fresh insight into Cleary’s creative process. The show presents works from the Estate of Manon Cleary, as well as a few private collectors, including selections from Cleary’s Mystery Series, Breathless Series, and graphite drawings, all to be displayed beside her photographic studies.

Cleary explained that she worked primarily from photographs, stating that she used “graphite or oils to produce works that are photographically convincing but not necessarily with fidelity to my photo sources. I would like the viewer to notice the unique interpretation – the “me”- I bring to my work.” Cleary wrote in the early 1980s, “abstraction of forms successfully freed me from reliance on photo images, with results being photographically convincing, but not photographically accurate.”

The Arts Club of Washington will host additional events open to the public to further explore the art of Manon Cleary. A symposium, “Between Painting and Photography: The Vision of Manon Cleary,” will be held on April 9 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Panelists will include Susan Hauptman, whose drawings are in numerous museum collections including those of the National Portrait Gallery, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Corcoran Gallery, Judy Greenberg, director of the Kreeger Museum, Jared Miller, a former student of Cleary’s, Jack Rasmussen, director and curator of the American University Museum at the Katzen Art Center, Eric Denker, senior lecturer at the National Gallery of Art, and Erich Keel, former head of education at the Kreeger Museum.

A catalog produced for this exhibition features an essay by Stephen May, a frequent contributor to Art News and other publications. In addition, F. Steven Kijek will present an illustrated lecture on Manon Cleary’s life and art on April 22 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. The Arts Club invites the academic community to use the exhibition for its fine art and art history students and plans additional opportunities for use by professors and students.

When courts decide what is art...

Code enforcement officers in Colorado are agreeing with neighbors who say several toilets hanging from a tree in a community near Colorado Springs are not art.

Read it here.

Martin Johnson Heade

Not really sure what this is all about, but here it goes anyway (email that I received):

Hi,

I created a petition to Dr. Theodore E Stebbins, Curator American Art, which says:

"Ask Dr. Theodore E Stebbins of the Harvard Fogg Museum to allow two of America’s most important masterpieces forensically authenticated to the catalogue raisonne for Martin Johnson Heade."

Will you sign this petition? Click here:

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/dr-stebbins-allow-heades?source=c.em.mt&r_by=8283894

Thanks!

 

Victor

Who owns works created by freelancers?

As a general rule, when an artistic or literary work is created, the author is the one that holds the copyright. Nobody can copy, distribute, or display the work without the author’s permission.  When an painting is sold, the buyer owns the painting itself, but does not have the right to use that image for anything else other than to hang it. But what happens if the artist was hired specifically to create that painting for the cover of an upcoming novel?  In some cases, the copyright is owned by the buyer, but only under very specific conditions.

For the hiring party to own a copyright on a the specially ordered or freelance work, there must be:

Read the whole article in the Art Law Journal here.

Pollock busted

Wanna know when a great American art myth gets busted?

"That's largely because one key element in the New York School creation myth is now officially dead. Despite claims made and repeated for decades, Pollock did not paint the epic canvas in one great, glorious burst of nonstop creative fervor.

Instead, a painting revered as a turning point, both for the artist and the history of Modern American art, evolved over many days and perhaps even several weeks."

Read about it here.

65% Off custom framing

AC Moore has a special running through March 22 for 65% off their custom framing prices - Get the coupon here.

Personally, I get nearly all my custom framing done at Apex.

Art Scam Alert!

Beware of this rip-off:

From:Martin George (martinhhhgeorge@yahoo.co.uk)
 Hello,
  I am Mr Martin George,a British oil Engineer. I am interested in  buying a wedding gift for my lovely daughter as a gift present on her wedding day. Kindly provide me with a catalogue and quotes of the available artworks and gift products in your art gallery at the moment,please let me know:
Your FOB Prices and FOB Port.
Your estimated delivery time.
Best Regards,
Martin George.

Transformations: from one thing to another

Deadline: April 12, 2014

Artists from the mid-Atlantic region are invited to apply to be selected for MPA’s summer exhibition Transformations: from one thing to another.   

The juror is Jack Rasmussen, Director and Curator of the American University Museum at the Katzen Center in Washington, DC.  This exhibition will bring together artists whose work deals with the process of transformation, change or malleability. The journey from one thing or state to another can be explored or demonstrated through any technique, approach or medium, conceptually and/or formally.  Submissions are due by April 12 and can be submitted online only.  

For information and link to online submission, visit http://www.mpaart.org/exhibartopp.php.

McLean Project for the Arts is located at 1234 Ingleside Avenue, McLean VA. 

(e)merge art fair will take place October 2 – 5, 2014

The fourth edition of the (e)merge art fair will take place October 2 – 5, 2014, in Washington, DC, at the Capitol Skyline Hotel. The Washington Post also returns as the Presenting Sponsor of the fair. We have done the fair multiple times and last year we had a GREAT fair and plan to apply again in 2014.
ONLINE APPLICATIONS ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED

GALLERY PLATFORM APPLICATION (CLICK HERE)
ARTIST PLATFORM APPLICATION (CLICK HERE)
EXHIBITOR PROSPECTUS (CLICK HERE)

The (e)merge art fair connects emerging-art professionals from around the globe with collectors, curators and cultural decision makers in Washington, DC. The relaxed environment of (e)merge creates a focused, authentic art experience for a new generation of art consumers in the capital region.

“It doesn't take more than a couple of hours to stroll through compact fairs like Liste in Basel, Independent in New York, Untitled in Miami Beach or (e)merge in Washington, DC, and each has enjoyed increasing cachet in recent years.”

- Kelly Crow, “An Art-Fair Survival Guide” - The Wall Street Journal, March 6, 2014

Metropolitan Washington DC is home to one of the nation’s wealthiest, youngest and most highly educated populations according to recent reports from Forbes, The Economist and The Washington Post. (e)merge delivers inside access to this rapidly expanding cultural market.

In 2013, 80 exhibitors, including Present Company, Brooklyn, NY; NOMAD Gallery, Brussels; and Cynthia Corbett Gallery, London, [and Alida Anderson Art Projects, DMV] presented rising talent from all over the world at (e)merge. More than 5,500 art supporters engaged with painting, sculpture, digital media, performance and installation work by 150 artists from 30 countries in the fair’s Gallery and Artist Platforms. (e)merge’s exhibition program inspires a new echelon of art collectors and offers curatorial access to the latest movements in emerging art.

“Because (e)merge is committed to helping gallerists meet the challenges of today’s art market, we have expanded our Gallery Platform with new pricing and format options, offering exhibition spaces on the first three floors of the hotel, including second-floor guest rooms, main-level booths, and spaces in the garage.”
- Jamie Smith, Director, (e)merge art fair

The (e)merge Artist Platform presents a vetted selection of works by independent artists displayed throughout the hotel’s public areas. (e)merge is the only art fair that gives free exhibition space to artists without gallery representation. The 2014 (e)merge Vetting Committee members are: AI WEIWEI, artist, Beijing; MIKA YOSHITAKE, assistant curator, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC; and JEFFREEN M HAYES, director, Rebuild Foundation, Chicago, St. Louis & Omaha.

The 2014 (e)merge Advisory Committee members are: Petra Leene, director, Amstel Gallery, Amsterdam; Amy Raehse, director, Goya Contemporary, Baltimore; José Ruiz, artist/curator, Present Company, Brooklyn; and Yvonne Force Villareal, co-founder, Art Production Fund, New York.

The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, will present the second annual The Phillips Collection Emerging Artist Prize at the 2014 edition of (e)merge. Museum Director Dorothy Kosinski and Curators Klaus Ottmann and Vesela Sretenović will select the winner from works on display at the (e)merge art fair. The Phillips Collection Emerging Artist Prize is made possible by the generous support of Hank and Carol Brown Goldberg.

ONLINE APPLICATIONS ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED from GALLERIES and ARTISTS. deadline: May 30, 2014.

Loads of information on the EXHIBITOR SERVICES page.

Who owns the copyright for this photo?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock these past few days, you have probably seen the Ellen DeGeneres orchestrated selfie.  For a recap, Ellen wanted to beat the all-time record for re-tweets by gathering a gaggle of actors and actresses for a group selfie. She used a Samsung phone for the photo, which was a prop provided by Samsung, one of the sponsors at the Oscars. The camera required some distance to encompass the whole group, so Ellen handed the camera off to Bradley Cooper, who by virtue of being at the front and having with longer arms than Ellen, took the iconic photo.

But who actually owns the copyright for the photo?  There are actually four potential players: Bradley Cooper, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Samsung, and Ellen DeGeneres. The Associated Press thinks it is Ellen DeGeneres.  They asked her for permission to use the photo, which she granted.  However, traditionally, copyright ownership goes to the photo’s creator, which is usually the person that takes the photo.  In this case, that is Bradley Cooper.

Read the Art Law Journal article at http://artlawjournal.com/owns-copyright-now-famous-oscar-selfie/?utm_source=wysija&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=March+9&user_id=10652

General Grievous in CA

General Grievous in Anderson Valley, California...

Rosemary Feit Covey at Evergreen Museum

Rosemary Feit Covey is without a doubt one of the foremost artistic minds of the region and in my opinion the top printmaker in the nation.

She currently has a retrospective at the Evergreen Museum at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore... The show opened last night and I am already getting emails about what an amazing and important show this is.

I plan to visit this show soon and hope that you do as well... It runs through May 25. 

Mayer Fine Art Relocation Show

My Virginia dealer is the very hardworking art gallery Mayer Fine Art, which also represents several other DMV artists and who is one the Commonwealth's hardest working art dealers, as Sebastian has been doing art fairs all over the nation (and soon overseas).

They are moving to a new location in Norfolk and their grand opening show for their exciting new space is March 22nd from 7-9 PM.

Mayer Fine Art
801 Boush Street 
Norfolk, VA 23510

Featured Artists:
Matthew Fine • Alexey Terenin • Judith Peck • Victoria F. Gaitán • Jose Antonio Sorolla Gallen • John R. G. Roth • Sheila Giolitti • Tanja Softic • Lenny Campello • Erin Schwinn • Blade Wynn • Mark Chatterley • Michael Fitts • Elizabeth Ryland Mears

Alchemical Vessels Opens Next Week

Opening April 4, 2014, the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery will host the return of Alchemical Vessels. 

Alchemical Vessels brings together 125 local artists and 20 invited curators for a community dialogue on healing and transformation through the arts. Each artist will transform a simple ceramic bowl by means of his or her own personal aesthetic and medium, drawing inspiration from the bowl as a place of holding, open community, sacred space, and even the alchemical vessel. The show is an amazing grouping of Who's Who in the DMV art scene.

The ceramic bowl was selected as the fundamental element of the exhibition to symbolize creating a space where healing can take place—an idea at the heart of Smith Center's work and mission. Metaphorically speaking, Smith Center—the space and the work we do within our walls—resembles an alchemical vessel. People bring their everyday burdens, fears, and pains to us, and in this place of holding, we help transform those toxic elements into hope, light, wisdom and strength.

The Alchemical Vessels exhibition will open at the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery on April 4th and run through May 16th, 2014, with the opening reception on Friday, April 4th, 7-9pm. The Alchemical Vessels Benefit will take place on Friday, May 2nd, with doors opening at 7pm. With a $125 Benefit-Vessel Contribution, guests will be admitted to the event and will select one of the 125 works on display to add to their own collections. 

For more information about the Alchemical Vessels 2014 Benefit, please visit www.smithcenter.org/benefit.

Artists: Eames Armstrong, Sardar Aziz, Karen Baer, Beth Baldwin, Michele Banks, Joseph Barbaccia, Carolyn Becker, Jessica Beels, Joan Belmar, Lori Anne Boocks, Anne Bouie, Amy Braden, Julia Brown, Karen O. Brown, Larry Brown, Amanda Burnham, Lenny Campello, Shanthi Chandrasekar, Mei Mei Chang, Peter Charles, Asma Chaudhary, Travis Childers, Eunmee Chung, Wesley Clark, Michael Corigliano, Sheila Crider, Candy Cummings, Anna U. Davis, Rosetta DeBerardinis, Tamara De Silva, Elsabe Dixon, Joel D'Orazio, David D'Orio, Chelsea S. Dobert-Kehn, Thomas Drymon, Nekisha Durrett, Victor Ekpuk, Laura Elkins, Dana Ellyn, Erica Benay Fallin, Felisa Federman, Jeremy Flick, Suzi Fox, Barbara Frank, Nancy Frankel, Shaunté Gates, Dawn Gavin, Bita Ghavami, Aziza Claudia Gibson-Hunter, Melissa Glasser, Janis Goodman, Pat Goslee, Sherill Anne Gross, John Grunwell, Nelson Gutierrez, Kristen Hayes, Eve Hennessa, Sean Hennessey, Linda Hesh, Matt Hollis, Leslie Holt, Jessica Hopkins, Karen Hubacher, Monica Jahan Bose, Barbara Johnson, Wayson R. Jones, J'Nell Jordan, Mila Kagan, Sumita Kim, Joan Konkel, Yar Koporulin, Walter Kravitz, Kate Kretz, Randall Lear, Heather Levy, Yue Li, Nathan Loda, Armando Lopez-Bircann, Laurel Lukaszewski, James Mahoney, J.J. McCracken, Donald McCray, Jayme Mclellen, Tendani Mpulubusi El, Komelia Okim, Amie Oliver, Luis Peralta, Michael Platt, Maryanne Pollock, Lynn Putney, Maria-Lana Queen, Beverly Ress, Kim Reyes, Glenn Richardson, Marie Ringwald, Amber Robles-Gordon, Pam Rogers, Lisa Rosenstein, Nicole Salimbene, Samantha Sethi, Matt Sesow, Amy Sherald, Shahin Shikhaliyev, Ellen Sinel, Casey Snyder, Susan Stacks, Dafna Steinberg, Jennifer Strunge, Lynn Sures, Lynn Sylvester, Ira Tattelman, Christine Buckton Tilman, Erwin Timmers, Ben Tolman, Novie Trump, Shinji Turner-Yamamoto, Laurie Tylec, Michael Verdon, Jodi Walsh, Jenny Walton, Ellyn Weiss, Stephanie Williams, Audrey Wilson, Sharon Wolpoff, and Carmen C. Wong.

Curators: Peggy Cooper Cafritz, Educator, Philanthropist and Founder of D.C.'s Duke Ellington School for the Arts | Jarvis DuBois, Independent Curator and Principal at J. DuBois Arts | Monica Jahan Bose, Artist and Activist | Anne L'Ecuyer, Arts Management Faculty at American University | Camille Mosley-Pasley, Photographer and Principal at Pasley Place Photography | B.G. Muhn, Professor of Art, Georgetown University | Michael O'Sullivan, Art Critic for The Washington Post | Dr. Frederick P. Ognibene, M.D., NIH Physician, Fine Art Collector and; Past Board Chair, Washington Project for the Arts | Michael Platt, Artist and Professor at Howard University | Jennifer Riddell, Writer and Interpretive Projects Manager at the National Gallery of Art | Adah Rose, Principal at Adah Rose Gallery | Laura Roulet, Independent Curator and Writer | Molly Ruppert, Artist and Gallery Director at the Warehouse Theater | Terry Scott, Cultural Organizer and Independent Curator | Judy J. Sherman, Art Consultant and Principal at j. fine art | Thomas Stanley, Professor at George Mason University | Nuzhat Sultan, Independent Curator | Tim Tate, Artist and Co-Director of Washington Glass School | R.L. Tillman, Artist, Teacher and Curator | Dolly Vehlow, Fine Art Collector and Principal at Gallery O on H 

Planning Committee: Helen Frederick, Deborah Lesser, Wendy Miller, PhD, Kim Schelling, Timothy Schelling, and Ellyn Weiss.

Airborne

Airborne today and heading to the Left Coast, where I will be part of a an anonymous international panel selecting visual artists for a well-known fine arts award.

6AM flight from BWI: That sucks!

Wanna go to a super cool opening tomorrow?

Where: 1429 Iris St., NW Washington, DC 20012-1409
When: March 7-April 26, 2014
Opening Reception: Saturday, March 8, 2:00-6:30 PM, 2014 and Sunday March 9, 2:00-4:00pm
Gallery Hours: Friday and Saturday 12-6 pm any other times by appointment

36 years, where has the time gone, hundreds of art shows, 1000’s of clients, vast new technologies in the art world. The artists’ still knock my socks off and creativity is thriving. How Washington and the world have changed. The artists keep on creating and astounding us at every turn. Art is more important than ever in this media over exposed world. That the artists can come up with an original thought and execute it in an original way fascinates me and keeps me enthusiastic and dedicated to the artists, my clients, Washington and the art world. Come celebrate with us and experience art, art and more art. The entire Zenith Family thanks you all for keeping us in business for all of these years.

                                               Gallery Owner, director and artist, Margery E. Goldberg

Lists of Artists: Kim Abraham, Lenny Campello Renee DuRocher, Eric Ehlenberger, Estella
Fransbergen, Robert Freeman, Julie & Ken Girardini, Margery E. Goldberg, Stephen Hansen,
Christine Hayman, Philip Hazard, David Hubbard, Robert Jackson, Katie Dell Kaufman, Peter
Kephart, Susan Klebanoff, Joan Konkel, Chris Malone, Joey Manlapaz, Michela Mansuino, Donna
McCullough, Davis Morton, Carol Newmyer, Tom Noll, Fernando Roman, Sica, Ellen Sinel, Paula Stern, Bradley Stevens, Cassie Taggart, Tim Tate, Marci Wolf-Hubbard, Paul Martin Wolff, Joyce Zipperer and more.

Zenith Gallery est. 1978

Celebrating 36 Years in the Nation’s Capital

1429 Iris St., NW, Washington DC 20012-1409

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

Dr. Jane Chu nominated to be NEA head honcho

Last month President B.H. Obama nominated a new candidate to be confirmed as the Chair for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA): Dr. Jane Chu, the Chief Executive Officer of the Kauffman Center of Kansas City, MO.
 
President Obama said, “Jane’s lifelong passion for the arts and her background in philanthropy have made her a powerful advocate for artists and arts education in Kansas City.  She knows firsthand how art can open minds, transform lives and revitalize communities, and believes deeply in the importance of the arts to our national culture.  I’m proud to nominate her as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.”
 
When confirmed, Dr. Chu will fill an NEA post that has been vacant since the 2012 resignation of Rocco Landesman.

Important tax news for Maryland artists

As a social liberal and a fiscal conservative who tries not to be seduced by either left wing nuts or the vast right wing conspiracy, it is ironic to me how in the one-party, tax-crazy Soviet Socialist Republic of Maryland, the Maryland Arts & Entertainment Districts (A&E), offers tax-related incentives that "attract and support artists, arts organizations and other creative enterprises within 22 creative places in 15 counties across the state."

So they "offer tax-related incentives" - that's Orwellian speak for tax cuts/breaks, but you can't say that, because that means something Republicanish, cough, cough. Don't get me wrong - this is a great idea and it generally works...

At a March 13 Senate Hearing, A&E District advocates will testify in support of HB-1516 (Economic Development – Arts and Entertainment Districts – Qualifying Residing Artists), a bill that would exempt qualifying artists from paying taxes on proceeds from the sale of artwork not only within the A&E District in which the artist resides and created the work, but within any of Maryland’s 22 Designated A&E Districts.

By expanding on the established definition of a “Qualified Residing Artist,” it is expected that the passage of the bill would stimulate investment, encourage revitalization of underutilized properties, increase economic impact and promote local tourism.

UMBC selects public art finalists

The University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) joined the MSAC in announcing the names of three finalists selected to create a public art installation outside of the new Performing Arts and Humanities Building (PAHB). A national call was issued for the $397,000 commission.

The three finalists — Barbara Grygutis, Thomas Sayre and the collaborative Mags Harries and Lajos Héder — have previously created works of large-scale public art and were selected based on the merit of past work and the proposed vision for UMBC.

“The artists have had a month to create a site-specific design concept that supports a year-round destination where people can gather, sit, reflect and engage with each other in an outdoor setting,” says Lucas Cowan, public art program director at the MSAC.

UMBC partnered with the MSAC for guidance on commissioning the public art project. The Maryland Public Art Initiative (MPAI), signed into law last year, requires state-funded construction or major renovation projects to include a public art component. 

The University invited the MSAC to add its expertise to this highly visible public art project, and expects the project to be completed by August 2014.