Opportunity for Unrepresented Artists
Deadline: On-going
The Center For Emerging Visual Artists is currently accepting applications to join their Regional Community Arts Program (RCAP) Artist Registry.
Artists in the registry will be eligible to participate in The Center's Community Exhibition Program, which includes exhibitions in public spaces such as hospitals, schools, parks, and more.
Requirements: Must be interested in exhibiting in public spaces; Must live within 90 miles of Philadelphia; Cannot have a contractual relationship with a commercial gallery; Works submitted must be available and ready to hang/install.
Please send up to 20 slides or digital images, a slide list (name, title, dimensions, medium, and price), and a resume to:
Genevieve Coutroubis
The Center For Emerging Visual Artists
Community Exhibitions
237 South 18th Street # 3A
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone: 215.546.7775 x11
E-mail: genevieve@cfeva.org
Monday, December 05, 2005
New Mexico Artist and Writer Residencies
Deadline: January 6, 2006.
The Santa Fe Art Institute is inviting artists and writers in all disciplines to apply for their residency program. Application forms are available on the web at www.sfai.org.
Successful applicants will be eligible to spend from one to three months at a preeminent contemporary residency program in the Southwest. Application fee: $25.00.
For details email swilson@sfai.org.
Secret's Out
Nothing like amazing success to make one's critics eat crow.
Who's got the second highest linked (and thus 2nd highest ranked by Technorati) BLOG in the entire world wide web?
None other than our own Frank Warren!
And the hardcover book by Frank Warren based on the phenomenal PostSecret project started by Frank at the last Art-O-Matic was just released and it's already the 16th bestselling book on Amazon.
The PostSecret Book, "PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives," is now available from Amazon.
Order the book here.
And next December 15, 2005 through January 8, 2006, the WPA\C presents Post Secrets.
Opening Reception: Thursday, December 15, 2005 from 6-10pm
Fundraiser: Wednesday, December 14 from 6-10pm for Kristin Brooks Hope Center ($10 suggested donation)
Location: Former Georgetown Staples Store, 3307 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007
Exhibition Hours: Wed, Thurs, Fri 6-10pm, Sat & Sun 2-10pm
Congratulations
To talented DC area artist Renee Stout (represented by Hemphill Fine Arts), whose monotype "See the Truth" (2002) a work that suggests a hand-drawn sign, has been gifted to the Hirshhorn by well-known DC area art collector Frederick P. Ognibene, who also donated Patrick Wilson's "1 P.M." (2003), a vertical triptych of subtle shades of grey and cream.
The Hirshhorn recently has received fifteen new acquisitions/donations and many of these works are currently on view in the museum as part of "Gyroscope," a program of dynamic, frequently changing presentations of the Hirshhorn's permanent collection.
Stout joins an extremely rare club: DC area artists in the permanent collection of one of DC's premier museums.
Porn Nostalgia
In response to my posting about Video and Art and what happened to porn theatres, a DC Art News reader (who also happens to be a terrific photographer) emails me the following nostalgia:
Your post made me nostalgic for the old porn joints. Benny's Home of the Porno Stars was one of my favorites.
It was one of the "classier" looking porn theaters. As a high school student, I walked by frequently on the way to my mother's job. I never went in but the uniformed doorman always yelled invitations to engage in obscene acts. I always had a creative string of obscenities to yell back at him. I think he really enjoyed that. I know I did.
My high school internship was at the DC Police Dept. As the lowly, stipendless intern, I stood in long lines to fetch lunch for the guys in my office in exchange for free lunch. If I was picking up a particularly big order, one of the guys would meet me on the way back to help carry bags or pick up drinks.
One of the carry outs I frequented was next to a place with $.25 XXX peep shows. From time to time, exiting patrons would follow me down the pedestrian walk way between 7th & 9th Streets and jerk off.
It brought me great pleasure to have a uniformed officer suddenly appear and scare the bajeebas out of the jerk-offs. Since they were office guys, they really weren't going to do anything to the jerk-offs but it was fun to scare them.
Alas, video, the internet and gentrification have changed all that. Even the bath houses and most strip clubs have evaporated. Now everyone gets home made sin instead of store bought sin. It's a shame I tell ya!
Mori at Arlington
I've been hearing good stuff about Mori: An Internet-based Earthwork by Randall Packer, Ken Goldberg, Gregory Kuhn, Wojciech Matusik at the Arlington Arts Center and Jessica Dawson wrote a good piece on the show here.
"Mori" is an Internet-based installation that uses the earth's movement as a living part of the process. In this installation, minute movements of the Hayward Fault in California are detected by a seismograph, converted to digital signals, and transmitted via the Internet to the installation in Arlington.
The Exhibition runs through January 7, 2006 and there's a lecture titled "Network Art" by Randall Packer, this coming Thursday, December 8, at 7:00 pm.
Sunday, December 04, 2005
More on stats
Truth Laid Bear reveals the silly stuff that some try to hide: stats!
It's pretty humbling too.
For example, based on number of average daily visits, DC Art News is currently ranked 657th in the world, just slightly ahead of the Baseball Crank and just behind Let it Bleed.
There are a couple of other visual art blogs on that page (which lists 501-1000 in the world).
One (a "national audience" Blog) is surprisingly just barely ahead of DC Art News but within striking distance.
And we're all easily whupped (virtually) by Pussy Talk, which comes in at number 531 with 1077 visits a day.
As far as I can figure it out, the highest ranked visual arts-related Blog in the world is Photographica ranking in at #494 with 1204 visits per day. If I am reading (and recognizing Blogs) these stats right, that would make DC Art News the 3rd highest ranked visual arts Blog in the Blogsphere!
And all that we post about (generally) is little ole DC stuff... and yet readers pop in from all over the world... is there a lesson for the Lame Stream Media there?
Here are the top 100 Blogs in the Blogsphere. I tried to figure out which were the top ranked DC-based Blogs and nearly became depressed in the process... either leftwingnuts or rightwingnuts or... nuts. There's probably someone good here that I am not recognizing as a DC area Blogger; if so, someone please let me know and my apologies in advance.
And if your Blog is not listed, then add it here.
These things really spin me off... If I said that NPR is going to cover an art show about an artist who is doing a whole exhibition about Mexican "Lucha Libre" (wrestling), where the artist takes his influences from an obsession with Mexican wrestlers and their masks. What would you think? Well... if you were slightly plugged in to the DC area art scene, you'd hopefully think Andrew Wodzianski and his recent Georgetown solo of Mexican wrestlers? Right? You'd be wrong, because NPR did not do a story of Wodzianski's elevation of Mexican wrestling to the realm of the fine arts in a gallery less than half an hour cab ride from the NPR studios, but instead sent a whole crew to the other side of the country to do a story about a photographer who takes shots of Mexican Lucha Libre and then has the exhibition in a bookstore!
Saturday, December 03, 2005
In Baltimore...
I'm going to swing by Baltimore tonight after I get off work at the gallery, and drop by the opening reception for Robert Stuart Cohen at the Light Street Gallery.
Afterwards, if I have time, I'm going to try to make it to the 14K Cabaret to see Little Orphan Fannie, which I hear is really funny.
Opportunity for Artists
Deadline: December 19, 2005
The Chesapeake Gallery at Harford Community College in Bel Air, MD invites you to submit drawing-related works, which use unexpected materials, are on unexpected surfaces, and/or have unexpected content for When you least expect, which is a juried drawing exhibition open to all artists, with preference given to artists working in the Mid-Atlantic states.
Please send no more than five slides and/or digital images and an SASE to:
Heidi Neff
Joppa Hall
Harford Community College
401 Thomas Run Road
Bel Air, MD 21015
Or email digital images or web addresses to hneff@harford.edu.
Notification letters/emails will be sent out January 10. Accepted work must be delivered by February 15, 2005. The exhibit runs from February 20 through March 16, with an opening reception on February 21 from 6:30-8:00 PM. The Chesapeake Gallery does not pay for any shipping.
Flashpoint Request for Proposals
The Cultural Development Corporation (CuDC) is requesting proposals for exhibitions in the Gallery at Flashpoint’s September 2006 – August 2007 season.
This request is open to artists, curators, arts organizations, galleries and/or anyone choosing to present contemporary work in any medium. All proposals must be received no later than 6 pm on Wednesday, January 11, 2006.
For more info contact:
Rebecca Lowery, Gallery Manager
Cultural Development Corporation
916 G Street, NW | Washington, DC 20001
202.315.1310 (fax)202.315.1303
Email: rebecca@culturaldc.org.
Also see some interesting views on this subject being currently discussed at Thinking About Art here.
Opportunity for Disabled Artists
Deadline for receipt of international entries: March 24, 2006.
"Transformation" call for art. VSA arts invites artists to reflect on the many ways art transforms our lives, focusing on the influence of education and disability. Open to artists (ages 22 and over) who are committed to their artistic progress and who have a physical, cognitive, or mental disability.
A distinguished jury will review two slides of earlier work and three slides of current work within the span of 5 years. Recent work entered must be at the onset of disability. An entry-specific artist statement should be included with slides.
No entry fee; round trip shipping expenses covered; selected artwork does not have to be framed. For eligible media and entry forms in English, Spanish, French and ASCII visit www.vsarts.org/transformation. Braille and large print available upon request.
Exhibit will debut in Washington, DC during June of 2006.
Contact: Stephanie Moore, director of visual arts, VSA arts at stephaniem@vsarts.org or 202-628-2800.
cIndy
cIndy Blog is a podcast dedicated to independent and contemporary arts. In the podcast, Christopher A. Shields interviews artists and curators.
So far he has interviewed several people including Dale Chihuly, as well as the curator of the current Andrea Zitell show; in addition he will be soon interviewing the Deputy Director of PS1.
Visit cIndy Blog often.
Hoya Article
The fair LiJia Gong interviews me for the Georgetown Hoya.
Read the interview here.
Friday, December 02, 2005
Party on Saturday
Studio One Eight has a "Holiday Kickoff Champagne Party" which will take place tomorrow, Saturday December 3rd, from 7-10pm.
The party is for "Threesome: A Girl, a Guy, and a Gay" at Studio One Eight, which is a new gallery in Adams Morgan located at 2452 18th St. NW in DC. The show features new paintings and drawings by Dana Ellyn Kauffman, Gregory Ferrand and Scott G. Brooks.
Sounds like the place to be on Saturday night!
Tate is the word that we've heard (part III)
This is the last weekend to see Tim Tate's third solo exhibition, currently on display at our Fraser Gallery Bethesda.
Sales have been brisk, and nearly half the exhibition, which consists of 45 pieces, is sold. Tate's previous two solos have sold out, and this one (which is by far his largest exhibition ever) is well on the way.
Furthermore, two of his narrative wall panels have made their way to the permanent collection of the University of Virginia Art Museum, and we're now negotiating with two other museums for more acquisitions (none of them are DC-based museums... sigh).
And two of Tate's pieces will be part of 500 Glass Objects, to be published soon by Lark Books and edited by Susan Kieffer.
The show was reviewed by Dr. Claudia Rousseau. Read that review here. And the Washington Blade also did a nice article about Tate. Read that article here. And WETA TV did a little television piece.
I tried really hard to convince Jessica Dawson to come by and look at the show, but so far she has ignored all three of Tim Tate's shows (more on that later).
And, as many of you know, the new proposed baseball stadium is slated to land right on top of the current location for the Washington Glass School (Tate is the co-founder and co-director), and they're being kicked out through the eminent domain trick.
Their original intent was to move the school to Prince George's County in Maryland, but they are now working on an even better opportunity in Arlington, Virginia.
In the interim, the Washington Glass School will be holding classes in their temporary home at the Arlington Arts Center.
They will be reopening on a larger scale somewhere between March and June of 2006 with double the classrooms and triple the kiln space! This incredible opportunity came upon them quite suddenly, and I will keep you posted as to the status and exact location as soon as all papers have been signed.
Meanwhile come see the show before it closes next Wednesday.
Video Killed the Radio (and Art?) Star
Video killed the radio star
Pictures came and broke your heart
Oh-a-a-a oh
Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club
Michael O'Sullivan's eloquent review in today's WaPo makes a powerful point about art videos. Read it here.
And it got me to thinking.
I don't hide the fact that most art videos (which I have sometimes called artists' home movies) leave me pretty ambivalent, especially as I try to view them as art, rather than entertainment.
In the nearly 70 year history of artists' home movies, I can probably count in one hand the number of them that I would even remotely consider as something more than a low budget attempt at making a film, and most of those on that list start before the VCR was invented.
Nonetheless, it is a fact that most of the voices in the art world that count and weigh in a lot heavier than mine, do still view video (pun intended) as the leading edge for creativity in the modern dialogue of the visual arts (even though the genre is now in its 7th decade).
Witness the recent video overload in the Whitney Biennial list as the most recent evidence.
History lesson for anyone born after 1980 or so: Before everyone had VCRs or DVD players in their homes, if you wanted to see a movie, you generally had to go to a movie theatre, and many American cities had a seedy neighborhood where porn theatres were concentrated - when I was a kid in Brooklyn, that seedy area was in and around Times Square in NYC.
And just like video killed the radio star, it also killed seedy porn theatres all over the landscape but concurrently it gave the porn industry a huge new life that they had never hereto dreamed of and also gave them access to the privacy of the home as it eliminated the requirement to visit a seedy theatre in order to view a porn movie.
And as O'Sullivan intelligently deduces, now the Vlogging Revolution hands us all a brilliant opportunity to once and for all do for art videos what VCRs and DVDs did for the porn industry (in a sense), but in this case remove them from our galleries and museums and put them on the web, where we can watch them whenever and wherever we want!
This is a win-win situation for nearly all.
Not for us mossbacks, but it will open up gallery and museum space for other artsy stuff, whatever else "new art" may be lurking out there now disguised as technology (I predict some sort of hologram-type stuff). And for art video aficionados, it will deliver an exponential growth in the genre, as millions of weekend arts and crafts projects now take to the web and populate millions of Vlogs full of new videos.
And as soon as your Aunt Elvira (I do have an aunt so named) sets aside her weekend watercolors and oils, and picks up the new family digital camera (now fully capable of recording movies) and starts making art movies by the millions, I can guarantee that curators will leave tire tracks on their way to find something "new" in art.
The allure of the "new" in art has been an interesting topic for discussion over at Thinking About Art, and I found the below comment by Lou Gagnon right on the point of the issue:
Innovation, in technology, is important in that it offers "new" tools and techniques. What is made with these new tools and techniques is typically derivative of what was made with the old tools. Most innovation is fueled by a desire to make an existing process more efficient.Amen!
Humans have been mixing pigment with fat to document the human condition for tens of thousands of years. The innovations of fresco, oil or acrylic are derivative improvements. Photography offered efficient alternatives to painting in the already established need to document contemporary life (events, people and places). Video offers alternatives to photography in that the linear format has the potential to distribute a more explicit narrative.
Efficiency and effectiveness are not the same. The limit to a tool's effectiveness is in the imagination of the maker. In art, I believe effectiveness is measure by the power of a work to engage people. Does the engagement temporarily distract someone from his or her daily existence or does it shift his or her paradigms and actions? Work premised on technology will be irrelevant when the technology changes. Work premised on the human condition has the potential to be timeless. Have there been innovations in light, color or form? What about fear, love, desire, freedom or apathy?
The "new" in art is that unique intimate engagement between an individual and his or her relationship with these larger issues. That fragile union between the ephemeral and the eternal is magic.
