More Insight into the Barlow Firing

Anyone who has been reading DC Art News or Thinking About Art or DCist, knows that James W. Bailey has taken the firing of Philip Barlow, first discussed here on October 13, to heart.

So on October 18, Bailey wrote David Levy, the Director of the Corcoran, a 1,444 word, three-page letter on the subject, expressing his outrage. This correspondence, and the responses by Levy, add some perspective to the whole controversy. Read Bailey's letter here.

Dr. Levy responded immediately, and sent Bailey this email.

Oh dear...

If you know James W. Bailey, then you know that not only is he a terrific photographer, but also an incredibly passionate and verbose all-around good guy. So Bailey responded with a 2,751 word email the next day! Read it here.

And again Dr. Levy responds on the same day with this email.

And the final note from Bailey is here.

Annie Adjchavanich, who is the Executive Director of the WPA/C, today emailed a press release about the firing of Philip Barlow as the curator from OPTIONS 2005:

On September 23rd, 2004, an article appeared in the Arts Beat page of The Washington Post in which Philip Barlow, Guest Curator of the Washington Project for the Arts\Corcoran (WPA\C) Options exhibition, stated personal viewpoints and opinions that are in no way reflective of the exhibitions goals nor the WPA\C’s mission. In stating that he would categorically exclude any and all artists who participated in either the city-wide Party Animals or PandaMania programs of the last two years from consideration for Options, he has violated basic ethical norms of curatorial practice, which is in direct conflict with the Corcoran’s policy on Freedom of Artistic Expression, and subsequently the WPA\C’s, mission statement.

While it is the responsibility of a curator to exercise both professional and personal judgment in the selection of works of art, this process must be based upon the artistic merit and suitability of the works in question to the themes or purposes of an exhibition or its related materials. It is inappropriate to base curatorial decisions upon the political, social or intellectual opinions an artist may hold, upon an artist’s personal behavior, personal life, or relationship to the curator or to the institution.

The leadership of the WPA\C believes that Mr. Barlow has irreparably compromised his credibility as curator of this exhibition and respectfully accepts his decision to step away from the project and his responsibility as curator.

An announcement regarding the selection of a curator for Options will be forthcoming.

Annie Adjchavanich
Executive Director

Adam Gopnik at the Corcoran Tomorrow

Blake Gopnik's brother Adam, who is an award winning writer for The New Yorker magazine since 1986, and wrote a best-seller about the years that he and his family spent in Paris (Paris to the Moon), has a new book out and will be discussing it at the Corcoran tomorrow at 7:00 PM.

Adam Gopnik's new book is Americans in Paris: A Literary Anthology and it is a compilation of selections from three centuries of distinguished American writing about the French capital.

People who are professors at most major Universities are generally expected to be very active in their field. They are usually expected to do research, to publish, to participate, etc. This is often a requirement in order for them to become tenured.

Are art professors under a different set of rules?

When I was an art student at the University of Washington School of Art, in beautiful Seattle, nearly all of the professors that taught there, people like Jacob Lawrence, Alden Mason, Frances Calentano and others all had one thing in common: they exhibited their work regularly and were a vibrant part of Seattle's great art gallery scene.

With a few notable exceptions, when I visit area universities to look at student shows (which I do regularly), I often look up the names of the faculties at these same schools and I often encounter names that I do not recognize.

Nothing unusual there, but it would seem to me, that as a person who visits 25-30 gallery shows a month, plus receives over 100 invitations to openings every month, that I should be able to recognize a high percentage of the names in our area's art schools' faculties.

So, just for fun I am going to look up a few art faculties from some of our area colleges, and see if I can figure out where they are exhibiting, or have exhibited, or plan to exhibit.

And if I can't find that information, then I will take it as a 21st century negative mark in the sense that if you are an art professor, you should have a good, solid Internet footprint.

I'll start with the Maryland Institute College of Art, one of the best art schools in the nation.

In two clicks I can find this impressive page about MICA's faculty. Question: 231+ people in the faculty? WOW! That's a lot!

MICA gets an A+ for their Faculty listing (A-K here and L-Z here).

And in these faculty listings I find some good things and also some holes. For example, one of the persons teaching Foundation courses' most recent exhibition was in 1995! Compare that to Timothy App (whose work I know and recognize). He has a solid and consistent exhibition record; however, App does not seem to have a website. Perhaps MICA just needs to pay more attention to updating their faculty's resumes online.

Some of the Faculty Directory listings have links to the teacher's websites. But MICA needs to augment this directory with a link to every single art teacher that has a website. And if any of them does not have a website... then that tells me something, doesn't it?

MICA boasts some very well-known names in their faculty listing. People like my good friend Joe Shannon, Jyung Mee Park (no website that I can find), Raoul Middleman, Connie Imboden, Trawick Prizewinner Richard Cleaver and many others.

So MICA gets a passing grade, but they really need to stay on top of the website and update it, and definately link it to the person's web presence.

Thinking About Art has an excellent gallery crawl set of small but insightful reviews of several DC gallery shows.

Zoe Myers is looking to open a new gallery in the Greater Washington area and is looking for space. She'd like about 2,500 square feet, preferably nearby the new gallery concentration around 14th Street, but she's willing to look anywhere.

If anyone has any leads on available space, email me.

I am still unpacking from my move, and still re-discovering stuff. When I was in my teens, this sunny poem below was my favorite poem. It is "Song of a Mad Minstrel" by Robert E. Howard. Allow me to share it with you:

I am the thorn in the foot, I am the blur in the sight;
I am the worm at the root, I am the thief in the night.
I am the rat in the wall, the leper that leers at the gate;
I am the ghost in the hall, herald of horror and hate.

I am the rust on the corn, I am the smut on the wheat,
Laughing man’s labor to scorn, weaving a web for his feet.
I am canker and mildew and blight, danger and death and decay;
The rot of the rain by night, the blast of the sun by day.

I warp and wither with drouth, I work in the swamp’s foul yeast;
I bring the black plague from the south and the leprosy in from the east.
I rend from the hemlock boughs wine steeped in the petals of dooms;
Where the fat black serpents drowse I gather the Upas blooms.

I have plumbed the northern ice for a spell like Frozen lead;
In lost grey fields of rice, I learned from Mongol dead.
Where a bleak black mountain stands I have looted grisly caves;
I have digged in the desert sands to plunder terrible graves.

Never the sun goes forth, never the moon glows red,
But out of the south or the north, I come with the slavering dead.
I come with hideous spells, black charms and ghastly tunes;
I have looted the hidden hells and plundered the lost black moons.

There was never a king or priest to cheer me by word or look,
There was never a man or beast in the blood-black ways I took.
There were crimson gulfs unplumbed, there were black wings over a sea;
There were pits where mad things drummed, and foaming blasphemy.

There were vast ungodly tombs where slimy monsters dreamed,
There were clouds like blood-drenched plumes where unborn demons screamed.
There were ages dead to Time, and lands lost out of Space;
There were adders in the slime, and a dim unholy Face.

Oh, the heart in my breast turned stone, and the brain froze in my skull-
But I won through, I alone, and I poured my chalice full
Of horrors and dooms and spells, black buds and bitter roots-
From the hells beneath the hells, I bring you my deathly fruits.

Sunday Morning Round-Up

About 25 NoMA (North of Massachusetts Avenue) artists have open studios today. Some of the artists include Stuart Gosswein, Ira Bloom (metal sculpture), Kim Dutton (painting), Steve Litwin (sculpture), Mimi Masse (sculpture), Joe McKenna (painting & drawing) and others. The studios are in four separate buildings located at 443 I Street, NW (Second Floor), 52 O Street NW, 57 N Street NW and 411 New York Ave. NE. From 12-5 PM. Free and Open to the public.

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Today is the second and final day of the Bethesda Row Arts Festival. Over 170 artists. I'll be there. From 11-5 PM. Free and Open to the public.

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Today is the last day of Art Baltimore, which is on at the Baltimore Convention Center's Exhibit Hall E (Entrance from Pratt Street). Over 150 national, regional and emerging artists from 38 states and Canada are exhibiting.

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The Art-O-Matic link for artists to register is finally working! Sign up here.

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Washington Printmakers Gallery has a silent auction coming next Sunday. See the auction details here. The auction is Friday October 29 2004. 5-9pm, RSVP to Jenny Freestone.

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Linda Hesh's "Art Ads" will be appearing in the Washington Post as small ads in the main national and world news section. On Tuesday, October 19th, the interracial couple ad will appear, and the gay couple ad will appear on Tuesday, October 26th. The New York Times refused to place "these ads because their policy is that all advocacy ads must clearly state and opinion, and their opinion is that "these do not. The Times has no other category for the ads to fit into, so they will not be seen in the Times.

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On Tuesday, October 26, 2004, at the Carnegie Institution of Washington (16th & P Streets, NW), the Walker Whitman Clinic will be having their annual Art for Life Auction, in my opinion one of the best art auctions in the city. Viewing from 6:00 pm and the auction starts at 7:30 pm.

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DCAC has a benefit reception on Friday, October 22nd from 7-9pm. Tickets: $30, includes a new membership to DCAC, which is a terrific deal! The exhibition, curated by Vivienne Lassman, honors Washington, DC Noche Crist's memory. Crist recently passed away.

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The artists whose "Funky Furniture" exhibition was cancelled by the City Museum will be removing their artwork from the museum and then conducting a protest outside the Museum on Monday, October 18 from 6-8 PM. Directions to the museum are here. Support to the artists is encouraged!

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Marsha Stein will be having an artists and interested parties meeting at Karma Restaurant on Monday, October 18, 2004 from 6-8 PM to discuss her City Museum of Washington Art Project.

Back from the first day of the Bethesda Row Arts Festival. The wind and rain had a negative effect today; a wind gust broke about six framed pieces. The crowds were good though.

I did sell two small drawings and two etchings and one large drawing.

Tomorrow is the last day for the Festival. I'll be there again.

Today and tomorrow I will be at the Bethesda Row Arts Festival in booth 31E, located on Elm Street. If you are in the area, come by and say hello.

Tonight was the opening night for the Canal Square Galleries and it was somewhat diluted by the rain (good pun uh?).

Still... I got the chance to meet J.T. Kirkland, author of Thinking About Art and his lovely date, as well as to chat with Philip Barlow, who seemed a little worn out about the whole OPTIONS 2005 controversy (more articles in the Washington City Paper and Washington Post to come in the next few days), but firm in his beliefs nonetheless. My kudos to Barlow for sticking to his beliefs.

Today's Washington City Paper has a letter from Alex Belifante, where this smart, art-gallery-food-eating-machine defends himself. Belifante is one of the "grubs."

By the way, the grubs" came out to the openings tonite, and most of them came, drank, ate and left, but I didn't see Belifante and Coxe come into the gallery; I hope they're not mad at me (what am I saying!).

Today is the 3rd Friday of October and thus the five Canal Square Galleries in Georgetown have their new shows. Openings are from 6-9 PM and are catered by the Sea Catch Restaurant, also located in the Canal Square (31st Street and M in Georgetown).

We will have the DC debut of Bay Area figurative painter Douglas Malone, Best of Show winner of the 2003 Georgetown International Fine Arts Competition.

Many of the artists will be present in the five galleries. We will also have plenty of our famous Sangria. Free and open to the public.

See you there!

Funky Furniture Artists to Stage a Protest at City Museum

The artists whose "Funky Furniture" exhibition was cancelled by the City Museum will be removing their artwork from the museum and then conducting a protest outside the Museum on Monday, October 18 from 6-8 PM.

Directions to the museum are here. Support to the artists is encouraged!

Funky Furniture will be installed in and part of the Art-O-Matic 2004, where it will certainly become Art-O-Matic's main attraction!

Philip Barlow responds and eloquently explains why he sees a logical difference between Art-O-Matic's unfair treatment by the press and his decision to exclude Pandamania and Party Animals artists from OPTIONS 2005.

I did not like either the Party Animals or Pandamania, but I never had an effective way to voice my complaint. When the opportunity to curate the Options show came up, I decided to take the opportunity to raise my complaint as part of the selection process. Given the number of artists in the Washington-Richmond-Baltimore area and the 12-15 artists I was going to select for Options, I realized there was very little likelihood that I would pick people who participated in either project. But my goal was to make a political statement about something that I thought was a bad representation of the local arts community.

I am not an artist and there are many things about artists that fascinate me. One very important characteristic of artists is the inspiration they have to come up with their art. It baffles and amazes me. Who decides that two basketballs floating in a fish tank is art? And how and why do they go about doing that? How do they know when a piece of art is finished? I have to believe there is an intellectual process that affects these decisions or else art is nothing more than glorified baseball cards. The inspiration is an important part of an artwork, just as talent and technique are and it is probably the most important to me in my enjoyment of art.

Which is exactly my opposition to the Party Animals and Pandamania, the very crucial creative inspiration part of what makes something art has been eliminated. It is a very easy question to answer "Who decides that a decorated donkey, panda or elephant is art?" - the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and definitely not the artist. The talent and techniques artists possess make them ideal candidates to decorate the animals, but that is not enough to make it art.

Art-O-Matic on the other hand is full of people fulfilling their creative inspiration. There may be different levels of talent and technique in AOM, but that is ok with me. This is why I feel that I am being completely consistent in my thought process which pans the animals, but enjoys and supports AOM. And there is a big difference in AOM and the Party Animals, AOM is an artist run volunteer group that applied to and received funding from the DCCAH, the animals are the brainchild of the DCCAH (realizing of course that all they did was co-opt an idea that has been used many times before in many other cities, so it is hard to argue there was any creative inspiration on their part in coming up with the idea).

Time to Sign-up for Art-O-Matic


Art-O-Matic News Release:

Art-O-Matic, Washington’s favorite art, music, theater, poetry, dance, and film extravaganza will open November 12th and run through December 5, 2004.

More than 1,000 area artists, writers, and performers will transform an exciting space at 800 3rd St. NE into an open showcase for thousands of works, hundreds of performances, and dozens of educational presentations and discussions. Nearby Union Station provides easy Metro and there’s plenty of parking.

In 1999, a group of artists were inspired to create a grassroots art show at the old Manhattan Laundry building, which inspired the name: Art-O-Matic. The year 2000 brought a bigger, better Art-O-Matic and an even larger show debuted on Halloween in 2002.

Art-O-Matic 2004 is being presented with partner Abdo Development, a D.C.-based development and construction company that will be re-developing this year’s Art-O-Matic site after the show is over, including a complete restoration of the site’s historic buildings. Abdo specializes in the restoration, preservation, and conversion of distressed buildings throughout the District and has been widely credited with leading the revitalization of the 14th Street, NW corridor. Abdo is very excited to be providing the venue for Art-O-Matic 2004, and helping to continue the revitalization of H Street, NE.

Art-O-Matic shows have drawn 20,000 to 50,000 visitors, who come to look, absorb, question, and identify what they like from this community of artists. The shared discovery between the audience and artist is what makes Art-O-Matic unique and rewarding for all. There’s something for everyone!

Sign up here.

Thinking About Art has a letter from Philip Barlow describing his side of the whole series of events that led to him being fired as curator of OPTIONS 2005.

Kirkland also has a spirited discussion about the whole issue in his BLOG's comments section.

Tomorrow I should have a statement from the WPA/C on the issue. Check back.

Anyone who regularly reads DC Art News or J.T. Kirkland's excellent Thinking About Art knows that James W. Bailey is a damned good photographer and an opinionated, passionate, verbose human being and one of those guys that we wish we had a few-more-of around.

And James W. Bailey pipes in with his opinion on my posting on the firing of OPTIONS 2005 curator Philip Barlow. Here it is:

From: James W. Bailey, Experimental Photographer and Member of the WPA/Corcoran

RE: The WPA/Corcoran firing of OPTIONS 2005 curator, Philip Barlow.

Dear Mr. Campello,

I'm absolutely shocked to have arrived home this evening and to see posted on your site that the WPA/Corcoran has apparently fired OPTIONS 2005 curator, Philip Barlow.

You may remember that I emailed you on the day Mr. Barlow's comments appeared in the Thursday Style Section of the Washington Post [I do remember] asking what your opinion was concerning his comments, especially in reference to his suggestion that artists who participated in the Pandamania project would not be considered for OPTIONS 2005, because I knew that some of his comments were going to reverberate through the artist community, especially with some artist friends I have or personally know who are in support of the Pandamania project, either as a believer in the project or as a participating artist, and who also have pull with the WPA/Corcoran.

Apparently what has happened here is that an angry group of artists has been allowed to hijack the curatorial intent of OPTIONS 2005 that was clearly evident in the curatorial selection in the first place of Mr. Barlow.

People who know him know what his views are on the state of contemporary art in the metro D.C. region. It is almost unbelievable to me that this firing has occurred.

This is a pure and simple case of artistic censorship, period.

There is no other word for it.

It would be no different than if I were selected to be in OPTIONS 2005 by Mr. Barlow and then told at the last minute that we are rescinding the invitation because we think that your views on digital photography are too extreme and exclusive. I don't want my small little role in the artist community to go to my head, but really, anybody that knows me, has met me, has seen my work, or read about my work knows what my views are.

I've been honest about where I'm coming from with my experimental photography and the concerns I have about digital media and the broader concerns of the state of the modern art world, just like Mr. Barlow has been honest about his concerns for the state of contemporary art in D.C. area.

People that know him know who is, what he believes and why he believes. There's no mystery here about what has happened.

As a member of the WPA/Corcoran, as a supporter of the organization, and as an artist who is listed in the WPA/Corcoran 2004/05 Artists Directory, I'm extremely angry about this decision of the WPA/Corcoran to fire Mr. Barlow.

Mr. Campello, you are 100% times ten right about your defense of Mr. Barlow to make the statements he made. His statements are part of his deep concern as a curator for OPTIONS 2005.

His statements, although I know they must have hurt the feelings of some artists, were honest and served to confirm in my mind that he was deeply serious about trying to involve work in OPTIONS 2005 that all too frequently is overlooked or missing from the debate of contemporary art in this region of the country.

I purposely contacted Mr. Barlow and invited him to view my work because I believed him to be serious about his commitment to exploring politically challenging and socially engaging work that simply has no viable commercial market because artist such as myself aren't in it for the money.

Mr. Barlow understands this concept.

I strongly believe that a letter or protest signed by the artist community should be written by someone, perhaps you, Mr. Campello, because of the serious weight you carry with the artist community, and submitted to the Executive Director and the Board of the WPA/Corcoran; and if necessary, to the Washington Post and Washington City Paper, as well as the general art media.

I would sign such a letter.

It would pain me to do it, because I have such respect for the WPA/Corcoran and am a supportive member of it, but I would do it because my concern over this issue of censorship overrides any other concern I might have. I also believe that there are many other artists and visual arts professional that will also want to sign such a letter as soon as the news of this incredible decision filters through the artist community.

This unbelievable decision of the WPA/Corcoran touches its very members in a very personal way.

Let me explain: Philip Barlow visited my "The Death of Film" exhibition and communicated with me about his strong interest in my work.

I say this because he was already in the community making the rounds and speaking with artists and evaluating work. I think this decision to fire him is terribly unfair to artists like me who proceeded in good faith to initiate contact with him and invite him to our shows and studios.

Mr. Barlow indicated to me in person and by email that he very much wanted to have a strong selection of politically oriented and socially conscious work in OPTIONS 2005. What are some of us to make of this decision now?

That such work will not be considered because the WPA/Corcoran will now have to bend over backwards to prove how accepting it is of less challenging work?

As far as I'm concerned, OPTIONS 2005 will have no artistic or curatorial credibility no matter who steps in or is hired at this point. Again, the WPA/Corcoran's decision is simple censorship.

Mr. Barlow was honest in his opinion in the paper and was honest with me in person as to his goals with the show. I accepted his premise as being legitimate and would have been thrilled beyond words had an invitation actually been extended to me by him.

I would not participate at this point in OPTIONS 2005 no matter who the curator is that is ultimately chosen. To do so would be an endorsement on my part of an art crime committed by the WPA/Corcoran.

Sincerely,
James W. Bailey
Experimental Photographer

OPTIONS 2005 Curator Fired

Last Saturday I was told that Philip Barlow, who last August was announced as the curator for the WPA/C Options 2005 Biennial, has been fired.

Here's what happened and then my comments on the whole issue:

As reported in the Washington Post, in September Barlow made it known that he was excluding from Options 2005 all artists who participated in the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities' Party Animals and Pandamania projects. "They made a bad choice, and there are consequences to bad choices," Barlow said.

I am told that Barlow made it clear to the WPA/C (from the very beginning) that he intended to exclude all artists who participated in those projects; apparently it was no secret to the WPA/C.

However, when the issue made the papers and was then brought up to the attention of the Corcoran Board of Trustees, pressure was put on Barlow to quit; he stuck to his beliefs and as a result, he was fired.

My thoughts on this subject: I disagree 100% with Philip Barlow's decision to exclude all artists who participated in these two projects from being considered for Options 2005; however, I respect and defend his right, as the curator, to make that decision. He has that right and it was wrong of the Corcoran to fire him from the job.

Barlow's logic in excluding all Pandamania and Party Animals artists from Options 2005 is as flawed as the logic that says that all Art-O-Matic artists are bad, amateur artists. Barlow has worked very hard in the past to support and defend Art-O-Matic (which by the way, gets a large amount of financial support from the DC Arts Commission), and it is surprising that he doesn't see the logical relationship between what he was doing to Pandamania and Party Animals artists and what most art critics in this town did to Art-O-Matic's artists.

Having said that, I back Barlow's right to make whatever decision he chooses to make as a curator. It is his goddamned right to exclude whoever and whatever he so chooses, just as it is my and your right to disagree with his decision - but he owns the right to make it!

And Barlow has been working very hard for the last few months visiting artists' studios and gallery openings, etc. He is a constant figure at most visual arts events in Washington, and probably knows more about our city's art scene (I suspect) than most of the members of the Corcoran Board of Trustees added together.

I love the WPA/C and what they do for Washington art and artists - but they blew it in this case.

Sometime tomorrow DC Art News will go over 40,000 visits since I started this BLOG a year ago.

What a great birthday present for anyone who cares about the visual arts in our region!

I want to thank all of you who read this BLOG everyday! Pass the word, and email me with any and all info to help spread the word about our incredible, incandescent art scene from our art galleries, artists and museums!

J.T. Kirkland is a 26-year-old artist and art critic who writes incredibly eloquent thoughts and feelings and observations about art and art shows at Thinking About Art.

Anyway... J.T. has been soliciting artists to write to him and communicate words about their art, which he then posts into his excellent Thinking About Art BLOG.

Please check Thinking About Art and see some of the artists who have so far responded and (if you are an artist) add to the dialogue.