Airborne today and heading to La Florida to spend New Year's someplace sandy and warm... more later when I settle in...

And while I was gone, Alexandra Silverthorne had a few things to say about my current exhibition at Fraser Gallery Georgetown.

Read them here.

Barlow's Top Ten

Philip Barlow is easily one of DC's best known and more involved art collectors and an avid gallery goer who gets around to more galleries than many people who write about DC art and artists. Barlow advises that:

Below is my list of the top ten gallery shows from DC in 2005. This year seemed even more difficult than last year, I had an original list of about ten others shows. The list is in order.

Nepotista caveats: I am on the board of DCAC and I purchased work from some of these shows.

1. Barbara Probst “Exposures” – G Fine Art – (4/2/5 – 4/30/5)
2. Chip Richardson “Set” – Fusebox (11/5/5 – 12/17/5)
3. Linn Meyers “Current” – G Fine Art – (10/29/5 – 12/10/5)
4. Jiha Moon “symbioland” – Curator’s Office – (9/10/5 – 11/15/5)
5. Noelle Tan “Latent” – District of Columbia Arts Center – (4/8/5 – 5/15/5)
6. Andrea Way “New Works” – Marsha Mateyka Gallery – (2/19/5 – 3/26/5)
7. Teo Gonzales “Recent Work” – Irvine Contemporary – (4/22/5 – 5/28/5)
8. The Empire of Sighs – Numark Gallery – (9/16/5 – 10/29/5)
9. Mary Early “Sculpture” – Hemphill Fine Arts – (11/5/5 – 12/23/5)
10. Nooni Reatig “All Real, All Steel” – NNE Gallery – (4/28/5 – 6/15/5)

I also wanted to note a couple of photography exhibits that were great for letting us see some of the Washington art world's movers and shakers in their earlier years:

Mary Swift’s Washington: The Arts Scene, 1975 – 2000 – Flashpoint Gallery – (7/21/5 – 8/27/5)

Wrinkle Free – Viridian Restaurant – October 2005

Keep emailing me your Top Ten lists and I will publish them as time allows.

They're coming...


From yesterday's WaPo (and my posting a while back)

Fifty terrapin statues will soon appear on the streets of Washington and its suburbs in honor of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the University of Maryland.

The 100-pound turtles -- like the panda, elephant and donkey statues displayed on city streets in recent summers -- will be decorated by local artists and auctioned next fall. The money will go to student scholarships.

Let the ranting and raving begin!

Poconos

Lack of posting due to a quick get-a-way to the Poconos, and heading to Florida tomorrow for the New Year's!

More later before I leave and sporadic posting from Florida.

What Your End-of-the-Year Top 10 List(s) Says About You

If you include more than three shows by artists who are also bloggers... then you must be a blogger too!

If more than six of the shows on your list are museum shows, then you have been seduced by our great DC area museums and need to get around more often.

If three or more of the shows on your list are from the same gallery or museum, then you're not getting around as much as you should before making lists.

If three or more of the shows on your list are from the same commercial gallery, then you are a hidden nepotista or a nepotista wannabe.

If all ten of your shows are from the same three or four spaces, then you don't have a clue.

If your list includes more than one show from a library or restaurant, then you're definately getting around more than I do, or you have no idea where the galleries are.

If your list only includes shows that were within walking distance of a Metro stop, then you don't have a car.

If list list includes more than one show in Bethesda, Reston, Rockville, Alexandria or Arlington, then you live in one of those areas.

If your list includes more than three embassy gallery shows, then you're going there mostly for the good food.

If your list only includes photography shows, then you are Louis Jacobson (photography critic for the City Paper).

If your list is based on which shows has the best food, then you are a grub.

If your list has more than three video shows, then you must be a Hirshhorn Museum or Whitney Biennial curator.

If all the shows on your list are by non Hispanic white male artists... well, you know what you are.

If your list does not include a single DC area show, then we know who you are.

Merry Christmas & Feliz Navidad!

Christmas Art Wish List

1. For the WaPo to do as promised (I have the emails from the editors) and hire a second freelancer and return the Galleries column to its previous weekly format.

2. For most of our area's museum curators to realize that the Greater Washington, DC area is actually part of the United States of America, and for them to take a cab to a DC area art show or artist studio once in a while.

3. For the Corcoran to give Manon Cleary a retrospective.

4. For the Hirshhorn to give Joe Shannon a show.

5. For the Phillips Collection to give Lida Moser a retrospective.

6. For the WPA/C to find a permanent exhibition space somewhere in the city.

7. For Washingtonian magazine to add a regular gallery review column to its monthly format.

8. For one or two of our local TV stations to add one minute a week to their local news hour programs on the subject of area visual arts exhibitions.

9. For some of our area's huge corporations (AOL, Lockheed Martin, Giant Foods) to follow Carol Trawick's example.

10. For a lot of people to get their head out of their ass about the Christmas vs "Holiday Season" issue.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and everything else that says I wish all of you and yours a terrific good wish for everything on your life and your art. Keep creating!

O'Sullivan on PostSecret

The WaPo's Michael O'Sullivan checks in with an intelligent review of Frank Warren's PostSecret exhibition.

Read it here.

Public Art Calls

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities announces four Calls for Artists:

Deadline: February 17, 2006

14th Street Bridge Tenders' House Public Art Call for Artists: The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, in cooperation with the District Department of Transportation, is seeking an artist, or artist team, to create a permanent public artwork for the 14th Street Bridge Tenders' House. The 14th Street Bridge is the north space bridge crossing the Potomac River that brings vehicular traffic into the District of Columbia. The former drawbridge is the location of a vacant Bridge Tenders' House. Deadline: February 17, 2006. For more information and an application, please visit The Commission's website to download the Call for Artists and application, or call 202-724-5613.

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Deadline: February 17, 2006

Recreation Center Public Art Call for Artists: The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the Department of Parks and Recreation are seeking artists to create a permanent public artwork for several newly or recently renovated recreation facilities in the District of Columbia. Deadline: February 17, 2006. For more information and an application, please visit their website to download their Call for Artists and application, or call 202-724-5613.

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Deadline: February 24, 2006

Art Bank Program Call for Artists: The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is purchasing artwork to be part of the District of Columbia's 2006 Art Bank Program. Works in the collection are owned by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and loaned to other District Government agencies for display in public areas. Deadline: February 24, 2006. For more information and an application, please visit their website to download the Call for Artists and application, or call 202-724-5613.

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Deadline: February 24, 2006
Wilson Building Public Art Program Call for Artists: The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is currently accepting applications for the John A.Wilson Building Public Art Program. The historic District Building at 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW now serves as the headquarters for the District of Columbia's Mayor and City Council. The works purchased through this call for artists are specifically designated for permanent installation in the Wilson Building. For more information and an application, please visit their website to download the Call for Artists and application,
or call 202-724-5613.

Nepotistas Rule

As we'll soon begin to read the top ten lists in everything, including the visual arts, from both the newsprint media and the online voices, the ever present spirit of nepotism and the "good-ole-boy/girl-network" shall once again raise its phoenixal (is that an adjective? I love the English language!) head, and some of us in the inside/outside will shake our heads knowing that A is a good friend and/or drinking buddy of B, or C's wife works at the blankety-blank newspaper, etc.

Not always, and not all... but there anyway.

But it seems to have bitten the NYT in the butt this year, at least when it comes to their 100 Notable Books of the Year list.

So listmakers: we're watching!

P.S. And you readers: Watch me too!

Bankrupt

WOW! This NYC gallery is in the hole $50 million samolians!

Read the article here (thanks AJ).

New art blog

New (new to me anyway) DC-based art blog: Matthew Langley.

Visit him often.

And Matthew has his end of year top ten list here.

Snail Art

The WaPo on Palimpsest at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Cornelius on the future of art criticism

...art blogs are the most fascinating aspect affecting the edifice of contemporary art discourse, especially in the area of future market impact...

So wrote to me the fair Kathryn Cornelius in commenting about the whole "Critic on Criticism" post.

Cornelius' thesis at Georgetown touched on this area, and it's actually quite an interesting read. The thesis is titled "Creative Entrepreneuship: The Business Art and Art Business of Contemporary Artist Collectives."

Read it here.

Mama Love

Camille Mosley-Pasley, one of Washington's most active and innovative photographers, is looking for more moms of color and babies for her Mama Love book.

If you or someone you know has a baby, please contact Camille by e-mail ASAP. She's scheduling appointments for December 23 & 30. There will be two more sessions in January. Go here for details.

PostSecret on TV

Just saw an interview and a long segment (over five minutes) on MSNBC on Frank Warren's PostSecret exhibit!

And the fair Amy Robach even hinted that she'd mail in a secret.

See the TV clip here. Scroll down to bottom of page; the link is under "The Situation" banner and it's titled Post card confessions.

JET to close in DC

JET Gallery on R Street has closed. Their news release reads in part:

This exhibition marks the final show at JET Artworks’ gallery in Washington, DC before moving to Chicago’s West Loop gallery district in the spring 2006. Owners Jamil Farshchi, Erin Houchen, and Thomas Robertello wish to thank the art audience of Washington for their enthusiastic support of JET artists. JET plans to reopen in its new location with Thomas Robertello as sole owner/director.

DC Art News wishes Thomas and the new gallery the best of luck in Chicago.

One closing - One opening

One young DC gallery has closed its doors unexpectedly (more on this later).

A brand new gallery, which I am told will be the largest gallery in the Greater Washington, DC region, will open soon (more on this later).

Opportunity for Artists

The Ellipse Arts Center and The Washington Project for the Arts\Corcoran (WPA/C) present: Conversions. According to the press release, it is "An exhibition exploring spatial interpretations juried from three distinct points of view."

The Call: As their first collaboration, The Ellipse Arts Center and The Washington Projectfor the Arts\Corcoran are proud to present Conversions.

This exhibition will bejuried from digital images, slides, and site installation proposals by Sam Gilliam (established Washington, DC Artist), Dennis O'Neil (Director of Handprint Workshop International and teacher at the Corcoran College of Art & Design), and Heather & Tony Podesta (Internationally-known contemporary art collectors).

With this exhibition, The Ellipse Arts Center and the WPA\C hope to meld the distinct viewpoints of the jurors as well as offer submitting artists the opportunity to create site-specific installations. A $250 stipend will be awarded to all finalists who are selected to participate in Conversions.

Prospectus available here.

Critic on Criticism

Amy over at ARTery tipped me to a really interesting article by Jerry Salz on art criticism. Read that article here.

And Amy also notes that NYC gallerist and fellow blogger Edward Winkleman has responded and his response has created a whole series of interesting comments, with the usual anon attacks that seem to follow any art discussion, and the usual easily bruised writer who dishes it out with brutal gusto but can't take it when it bounces back, etc.

There are, however, otherwise some really good points in the comments.

The key issue to me?

Winkleman smartly notes that

With art, in New York City, there's no such guarantee you'll ever know [whether a critic liked a show], even when you know they saw it, even for the largest artists or most powerful galleries. If The New York Times, for example, on average, publishes 7 major reviews and two articles in each Friday edition, that totals about 470 reviews each year. The problem is there are more about 470 exhibitions per month*, meaning that more than 11/12ths of all exhibitions will not be reviewed in the Times. For the Village Voice, the number of reviews is fewer than half that. So if you are the lucky artist who gets a review, you've already beaten incredible odds. At that point, for the review to be unfavorable seems almost cruel.

Translate that into Washingtonese, and remember that the WaPo has only two gallery reviews a month, plus one in Weekend section every once in a while (and thank God for those!).

And, uh... the WaPo's Chief Art Critic is too good to write about DC area art galleries or DC artists on a regular basis (except to note when they are barely emerging).

So let's say... four gallery reviews a month (and yeah, I know once a month is the multiple mini-review day) at the WaPo.

And on any given month in the Greater Washington area there are (by the time you add the independent fine art galleries, the non profits, the embassy galleries and the cultural centers) around 100 different visual art shows to choose from.

And at least NYC has a whole bunch of newspapers, plus all the NYC-centric art mags, all the freebies, etc. to augment the NYT's coverage.

Other than the WaPo, we should be grateful that the City Paper covers as many shows as they do. But even adding the CP's coverage, the chance of an artist or show to be reviewed in print in our area is pretty slim.

As Larry David would say: "Pretty, pretty slim!"

So if we take Winkleman's point that "at that point, for the review to be unfavorable seems almost cruel" -- then we have some pretty f&^%$# cruel writers in the nation's capital area, don't we?

Art criticism should (in fact it must) have teeth; but it must also be even. When was it the last time that you read a published review around our area where the critic was really passionate about a show that she/he really liked?

Pretty, pretty cruel.