Exhausted

After a really long day, marred by delays everywhere, finally arrived in Denver in the wee hours of the morning. I even accidentally checked the book that I was supposed to read on the flights.

More later...

Airborne today

Flying to Denver.

On the way there I will be reading Zorro by Isabel Allende.

Wanna go to an opening?

As part of the rekindling of the WPA/C, they have started an exhibition series called "Turning the Pages," which will exhibit artists from the WPA/C Artists' Directory.

The first installment features Edda Jakab, Christopher Saah and Nicolas F. Shi.

Curated by Ingrid Nuss and Ding Ren, The Turning the Page series will provide an opportunity to examine and explore more closely the work of select artists represented in the 2006 WPA\C Artist Directory.

When: Thursday, July 14, 7-9 PM

Where: Coldwell Banker - Dupont
1606 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009

Exhibition hours: Mon-Fri 10am-6pm or by appointment (202) 387-6183

Wanna do a mural?

Deadline: September 1, 2005.

In fact the largest mural in Maryland!

The Baltimore Mural Program and Maryland General Hospital is seeking an artist or group of artists to design and execute the Maryland General Hospital mural: a 20,000 square-foot project, which will be the largest mural in Maryland.

Full RFP is posted here (click on "Arts" and then "Baltimore Mural Program").

For additional information, contact Ms. Randi Vega, BOPA Director of Cultural Affairs, at 410-752-8632 or rvega@promotionandarts.com.

Art Walk in Silver Spring

The fair Candy Keegan has a nice listing of today's Art Walk in Silver Spring.

Details here.

New England

Today was a spectacular New England day; the kind of day that makes one realize why they called this part of the nation New England. It looked, felt and smelled like the Home Counties, but prettier! (And I know, as I spent six weeks in Harrogate, England a few years ago).

Lectures and presentations and conferences went well; and I heard a question from a billionaire that I'd have thought would never be asked by someone in her tax bracket; she actually asked: "How much is that?"

Live and learn.

Next: Airborne from New Hampshire to Philly and Joneseying something fierce.

Gallery Round-up

Kirkland has a set of new gallery reviews here.

Chalk 4 Peace

"Chalk 4 Peace" - Chalk Painting Competition

The Mayor's Office on Asian Pacific Islander Affairs, the DC Commission for the Arts and Humanities and the Museum of Modern ARF are co-sponsoring a chalk painting competition at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library Promenade in Washington, DC on Friday, July 15, 2005 11:30 am - 4 pm.

More info here.

Wood

The "gun" fired by the punk in California that was heard around the art world and caused Chris Burden to freak out turns out to have been made of wood!

Read it here.

Burden, the shot and the whole event did inspire Bailey's I Shot Chris Burden online project.

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline July 31, 2005.

Afrika Midnight Asha Abney passes that there will be a community wide Art Exhibition at 21st & S St NW Washington, DC on 31 July. Free and Open to the public. Interested artists should contact Todd Smith at smitty11@gwu.edu.

In New England

After an incredible start this morning that ended up in me having to buy a new ticket... that story later.

But I am here after a brief stop in New York City.

New York from the air
New England is absolutely gorgeous! My friend Rich (who's from Boston) picked me up at the airport, and even he was commenting how gorgeous New Hampshire looks.

Airborne today

Heading north to New England. Re-reading Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions on the flight there.

Don't forget, today is the is the Bethesda Artists Market, inside Bethesda Plaza and around our gallery. From 10 - 5PM. Details here.

Heading off

Tomorrow, Sunday July 10 is the Bethesda Artists Market, swing by and see 35 or 40 fine artists and craftsmen selling their work inside Bethesda Plaza and around our gallery. From 10 - 5PM. Details here.

I won't be there, as I am flying up North to New England for a while, and then to Colorado and finally to the Left Coast; I'll be back home by the end of July.

I'll continue to try to post from the road.

The Gallery

Last night we had a very large opening, although somehow all the sales took place today, although Saturdays are usually pretty quiet in Bethesda.

Seven

A couple of artists featured in Seven have emailed me and have found galleries interested in them! An unexpected benefit for them, but something that I knew was a possibility and thus why I asked my fellow gallerists to come and see the show, and why I dug deep into the WPA/C files for new names.

CNN will be doing a segment on Seven next week. I'll miss it as I will be somewhere out West, but Kim Ward from the WPA/C will represent! As soon as I have a viewing schedule, I'll pass it along.

Donations Needed

Artwork is needed to be donated for an online art auction to benefit the Whitman-Walker Clinic in DC, the leading provider of HIV/AIDS services in the DC metro area.

It's being forced to drastically reduce its services due to a shortage of funds. The Washington Blade's June 10th article has more details.

Artists who participate in the benefit to gain attention and promotion of their work through the auction and are listed in link to artists' own web pages. Email or call Basla Andolsun if you are interested or with questions. I intend to donate work and hope that some of you will do as well.

Mammaries

I've already heard good things about "Angst for the Mammaries," which opened yesterday at Touchstone Gallery, and where artists Candace Keegan, Adrienne Mills, Raymonde Van Santen, Amy Glengary Yang and Joyce Zipperer confront "growing angst over the artistic depiction of bare breasts in an era of diminishing personal freedom. Viewers are invited to explore and document their opinions on bare breasts in contemporary art and culture."

A discussion with the artists, moderated by Judy Jashinsky, will take place at 7 pm, on Friday, July 15, 2005.

Opportunity for Artists

1460 Wall Mountables

1460 Wall Mountables: DCAC's Annual Open Exhibit: July 29 - September 4, 2005.

DCAC Membership Benefit Opening: Friday, July 29th from 7-9 PM

Don't miss DCAC's annual fundraising event where you can show your art, sell your art, and compete with other artists to win $100! Buy your own 2' x 2' space or just come to the opening reception on July 29th. This is one of the best artists' opportunities in our city. Everytime that that I've done this show, I've sold all the work and had a great time in the process! Here's how it works:

· Each 2 ft. x 2 ft. space is only $10.
· DCAC members receive one free space.
· Become a DCAC member at the event and receive three free spaces for a total of four free spaces.
· Art must be 2 feet x 2 feet or smaller (spaces may not be combined.)
· All art must be wall mountable.
· $100 prize for the most interesting and innovative use of a 2' x 2' square.
· Artist may hang anytime Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, July 27, 28 between 2-7:00 PM and July 29 between 2 and 6.
· Spaces are available on a first come basis.
· Bring your own hanging tools.

Call 202/462-7833 for more information.

OPTIONS artists announced

Dr. Libby Lumpkin has selected the artists for the OPTIONS 2005 exhibition. Read the news release here.

The selected artists are listed below; I am familiar with a name or two, but do not know the work of any of them, except for Field's paintings in Strictly Painting V:

Bayo Abiodun
Judy Baumann
Jorge Benitez
Anne Benolken
Sheila Blake
Chad Caldwell
Kimberly Caputo
Tim DeVoe
Suzanna Fields
Lynn Galuzzo
Emily Hall
Lori Larusso
Ryan Mulligan
Mark Robarge
Lindsay Rogers
Amanda Sauer
Gary Thompson
George Tkbladze
Randy Toy
Susan Vaughan

Gallery Tales

A while back, at a very crowded opening in our Bethesda gallery, one of the persons in attendance was this huge man, dressed like Neo from the Matrix movies (all in black in some kind of Father Sarducci leather outfit). Long hair and a huge Satanic ornament around his neck-chain completed the costume, although with this dude, you could tell that he dressed like that normally.

Anyhoooo... As this Neo-wannabe is swishing around his huge six foot five frame in his leather skirts; drinking our Sangria from one end of the gallery to the other, he knocks down a small framed piece under glass.

It hits the floor, and because it's fairly small, the glass doesn't shatter. Neo-wannabe attempts to re-hang it as I approach him.

"That's OK," I say, "I'll take care of it," and as I re-hang it, I notice that the glass is chipped in one corner. No big deal, the art is OK, and after all, it was an accident. I wave off to the alarmed artist, who is on the other side of the gallery, but has noticed that her work was in harm's way.

Neo sees me notice the broken glass and says: "The glass was already broken."

I turn around, look up to his face, and say: "No sir, I framed these myself yesterday, and the glass was not broken, it just broke when it fell; that's OK we'll replace the glass."

Neo says: "No man, the glass was already broken."

I breathe deeply, trying to control the Brooklyn streets side of me. "The glass was not broken... all you had to say was 'I am sorry.'"

"No way!" says Neo, "the glass was already broken," and he starts to walk away.

I grab his leathered arm, and say to him: "Get out of my gallery."

He turns and looks at me a bit confused. "Get out of my gallery," I say again.

"Look man, OK, I am sorry," he mutters.

"Get out of my gallery," I say a little louder, and people are now nervously noticing the confrontation. He starts to walk away towards the door, as he gets by the front desk, he actually turns around and offers me his hand. "No hard feelings," he says.

Brooklyn is barely under control now, raging in my chest and scratching and itching to get out. Catriona Fraser, behind the desk, looks incredibly alarmed. "Please get out," I growl to Neo, "you don't know how close you are to an ass kicking."

He swishes out. I turn around to face our opening crowd of white-faced, silent art lovers, and try to find the place inside me to again try to sell some art.

Another day in the life of an art dealer.

Artists' Talk

Movies based on books -- not to mention plays, TV shows and even other movies -- are pretty common. Contemporary art exhibitions with literary roots are harder to find. Taking their inspiration from Jonathan Swift's 1726 satirical allegory "Travels Into Several Remote Nations of the World" (aka "Gulliver's Travels"), the artists' collaborative known as KIOSKdc is presenting "Traveling With Gulliver" at the D.C. Arts Center through July 24. The four artists, whose work involves installation, drawing, video and cartoon "chapters," will discuss the show and its themes on Sunday [July 10]at 3. Call 202-462-7833.

-- Michael O'Sullivan

For more info on District of Columbia Arts Center, visit their website.

Seven Pictures

The WPA/C website has loads of photos from Seven's opening.

See them here.