Art Fair Types

As we approach Armory & other assorted art fairs in NYC, I thought that this would be a good time to republish this post from 2004:

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One of the more eye-opening things in attending an art fair is seeing the dynamics that go onto the decision to buy a piece of art.

Put together a few thousand people, paying an entry fee to enter the fair, an assortment of dealers, and a huge diverse variety of offerings and it's an education in people watching.

The married couple:
"Do you like it?"
"Yeah, I like it- it's just what we've been looking for."
"Where would we put it?"
"We have a couple of spots that it'd fit."
"Do you really like it."
"Yeah, how about you?"
"Yeah, I kinda of like it."
"Should we get it?"
"If you want it."
(five minutes later)
"Let's think about it."
"OK" [To me] "Do you have a business card?"

The couple (not married):
Her: "Do you like it?"
Him: "Sssoright"
Her: "Where would we put it?"
Him: "Dunno."
Her: "Do you really like it."
Him: "So'OK.. Yeah, how about you?"
Her: "Yeah, I kinda, sorta, really like it."
Him: "Dunno though"
Her: "What? You don't like it?"
Him: "If you want it."
(five minutes later)
Him: "Let's think about it."
Her or Him: "OK" [To me] "Do you have a business card?"

The Single Woman (SW) with a Woman Friend:
SW: "WOW! Now, I really like this!"
Friend: "Yeah... it's nice"
SW: "It's exactly what I've been looking for!"
Friend: "I have a friend who does work just like this..."
SW: "I am really drawn to it!"
Friend: "Are you really sure you like it?"
SW: "Uh - yeah!... why? Don't you like it?"
Friend: "Yeah... it's OK"
SW: "I think it's really good... I think it's the first piece in this whole show that I really like."
Friend: "There's a few more booths we haven't seen."
SW: "I think I'm going to buy this."
Friend: "Are you sure?"
SW: "Uh - yeah!... It's a good price too.... why? Don't you like it?"
(five minutes later)
SW: "Do you have a business card?"

The Single Woman (SW) with a Man Friend:
SW: "WOW! Now, I really like this!"
Friend: "Yeah... Cool"
SW: "It's exactly what I've been looking for!"
Friend: "I think it's a lithograph" [it's actually a charcoal]
SW: "I am really drawn to it!"
Friend: "Are you really sure you like it?"
SW: "Uh - yeah!... why? Don't you like it?"
Friend: "I have something like it... I got it cheaper though..."
SW: "I think it's really good... I think it's the first piece in this whole show that I really like."
Friend: "You like lithographs?"
SW: "I think I'm going to buy this."
Friend: "Are you sure?"
SW: "Uh - yeah!... It's a good price too.... why? Don't you like it?"
(five minutes later)
SW: "Do you have a business card?"

The Single Focus Dream Buyer:
[Walks straight up to one piece, never looks at the rest of the work in your booth]
"I'll take this"
[Me] "Thank you... it's a very striking charcoal drawing - will be that be a check or charge?"
"Charge"
[Me] "I can send you more information on this artist..."
"That will be great - I love this work - it's exactly what I'm interested in!"
[Me] "I have a few more pieces here, would you like to see them?"
"No, thanks..."

The "I'm glad you're here guy (IGYHG)":
IGYHG: "Hey! I've been looking for you!"
[Me]: "Hi, how are you?"
IGYHG: "... been walking this whole fair looking for you!"
[Me]: "Yeah... lots of dealers this year... glad you found us!"
IGYHG: "Howsa been goin'?"
[Me]: "Yes... quite good actually..."
IGYHG: "Well, let me look at what you've got!"
[three minutes later]
IGYHG: "Well... I'm glad you're here... see ya next year!"


The "I Shudda Bought It Last Year Guy (Shudda)":
Shudda: "Hey! You're here again!"
[Me]: "Hi, how are you? Yeah... It's our 7th year here..."
Shudda: "... been walking this whole fair looking for you!"
[Me]: "Yeah... lots of dealers this year... glad you found us!"
Shudda: "Howsa been goin'?"
[Me]: "Yes... quite good actually..."
Shudda: "Well, let me look at what you've got!"
[three minutes later]
Shudda: "Where's that really good watercolor of the fill-in-the-blank?"
[Me]: "Uh... I sold it last year - but I have a few more pieces by that artist."
Shudda: "Ah! - I really wanted that one! Do you have another one?"
[Me]: "Well, no... it was an original watercolor, and I sold it; but I have ---"
Shudda: "I really wanted that piece; and it was a good price too..."
[Me]: "Maybe you'd like some of his new work..."
Shudda: "I shudda bought it last year"
[Walks away]
Shudda: "You gonna be here next year?"

The "Where's That Piece Guy (WTP)":
WTP: "Hey! You're here again!"
[Me]: "Hi, how are you? Yeah... It's our 7th year here..."
WTP: "... been walking this whole fair specifically looking for you!"
[Me]: "Yeah... lots of dealers this year... glad you found us!"
WTP: "Howsa been goin'?"
[Me]: "Yes... quite good actually..."
WTP: "OK... last year I saw this piece... it was a fill-in-the-bank and I should have bought it then! "
[Me]: "Yeah... that is a nice piece."
WTP: "I've been thinking about it for a whole year"
[Looks around the booth and doesn't see it]
WTP: "Do you still have it?"
[From here there are two paths...]
Path One -
[Me]: "Uh... I sold it last year - but I have a few more pieces by that artist."
WTP: "Ah! - I really wanted that one! Do you have another one?"
[Me]: "Well, no... it was an original watercolor, and I sold it; but I have ---"
WTP: "I really wanted that piece; and it was a good price too..."
[Me]: "Maybe you'd like some of his new work..."
WTP: "I shudda bought it last year"
[Walks away]
WTP: "You gonna be here next year?"
Path Two
[Me]: "Let me get it for you... I have it in the back!"
WTP: "Great"
[I bring it out and give to WTP]
WTP: "Yeah this is it! It's great!"
[Me]: "This artist has done really well this last year and ---"
WTP: [Handing it back] "Excellent! I'm glad you still have it... until what time are you going to be here?"

Beer + Art = Smart?

(Via Jesse) Why didn't I think of this? A British husband and wife have come up with a new artsy business idea being called "probably the most unusual nude art gallery in the world."

The gallery mixes selling nude art and also selling 10% ales. They've done this after being granted a licence to sell beer, something which would never ever happen in the US.

"The venture is the brainchild of Trevor and Kathryn Cook who have combined their talents for brewing and art.

Trevor runs Barearts Brewery in Rochdale Road, Todmorden, from which he produces beers of up to 10 per cent strength.

And Bacup-born Kathryn owns Barearts Gallery further up the road.

And to give Trevor's brewery a boost the art gallery has got a licence to sell his products.

Read the whole article here.

Save this date

On Wednesday, March 7, 2007, Transformer Gallery in partnership with Provisions Library will present Framework Panel #5 - The Role of the Arts Writer: Critiquing Art Criticism.

This panel will focus on the function of arts writing and contemporary arts criticism. Participating panelists include: Rachel Beckman, formerly of the Washington City Paper and now the "Arts Beat" columnist for The Washington Post, Glenn Dixon, the former Arts Editor of the Washington City Paper, and now writing for the WaPo Express, art critic and author and Corcoran faculty Andy Grundberg, Glenn Harper of Sculpture Magazine, and fellow blogger and web policeman Kriston Capps, who also reviews the visual arts for the Washington City Paper. The panel will be moderated by Ryan Hill, Manager of Interpretive Programs and Curatorial Research Associate for the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution.

Framework Panel #5 - The Role of the Arts Writer: Critiquing Art Criticism will take place March 7, 2007 from 6:30 - 8pm at Provisions Library. Attendance for this event is free. Seating is on a first come, first seated basis.

Armory Week

Armory Week is next week, and DC art galleries Irvine, Conner, Curator’s Office, and G Fine Art will all be in various NYC art fairs and venues during the week. I think this is the strongest showing in NY yet for DC galleries during the Armory Show fair cluster.

Irvine Contemporary is picking up from its experience last year and even expanding the scope. Martin Irvine is partnering with Michael Steinberg Fine Art and 31Grand for 29West, a special collaborative event in a recently renovated 3,800 sq. ft. loft space in Chelsea at 515 W. 29th St.

The exhibition will be open from Friday, Feb. 23 through Sunday afternoon, Feb. 25. See the 29West event website for details and updates: www.29westshow.com.

Irvine Contemporary has also been invited to participate in Factory Craze: A Week of Andy Warhol at the Gershwin Hotel in New York during the week of February 19, which marks the 20th anniversary of the death of Andy Warhol. They will present a selection of photographs by the award winning photographers Carl Fischer and Curtis Knapp.

Meetings and Passers-By

LA artist Brian Mallman "Meetings and Passers-By," drawings on board and paper, opens with an opening reception for the artist on Thursday, March 1, 5:30 – 8pm at Charlottesville's Migration Gallery.

"Passers-By” is a series of imagined and remembered composite portraits of strangers in the strange town that is L.A. There will be an exhibition catalog containing all the portraits that will be available for purchase. Brian will sign them Thursday and Friday night.

Laura and Rob Jones continue to do and bring interestintg shows to C'ville.

New Location for Bethesda’s Gallery Neptune

On March 1, 2007 Bethesda’s Gallery Neptune will open at its new location, 4901 Cordell Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland. The new space is in the heart of the Woodmont Triangle. With a corner location, the gallery will have much higher visibility.

The gallery’s new hours will be 12-7 PM, Wednesdays thru Saturdays and 12-4 PM on Sundays. The gallery will continue to participate in Bethesda’s monthly Art Walk, including the Art Walk’s guided tours scheduled in the warm weather months.

Now in its fourth year, the March exhibit at the new space will feature a first time solo show for Erica Orgen. Erica is the daughter of distinguished Bethesda artist and one of my favorite DC area painters, Lisa Brotman. A reception for Erica will be on Saturday, March 3, 2007 from 7-9PM.

Residency in NYC

Deadline: March 23, 2007

Call for Artists: School of Art Summer Residency Program 2007 at The Cooper Union School of Art,, New York.

The Cooper Union School of Art is accepting applications for its Summer Residency Program 2007 which takes place June 13th - July 14th, 2007. The Cooper Union School of Art, one of the premier colleges of art and design in the world, host this exciting opportunity for artists to live and work in New York City for five weeks this summer in an intensive, non-credit, studio residency program. Now in its fifth year, the School of Art Summer Residency Program is designed for emerging artists to develop their work while gaining exposure all the arts resources that New York City has to offer.

Application Deadline: March 23, 2007
Visit this website
Email: residency@cooper.edu

Last Nite

I dropped in to the opening of Nevin Kelly's first ever photography show, featuring work by Mark Parascandola and Yanina Manolova.

Considering how brutal the night was, and how icy U Street was, the opening was packed, and while there I ran into the talented artist Scott Brooks and also the ubiquitous Vivienne Lassman.

I particularly liked Yanina Manolova's "Death Time for my Body," a superbly twisted and odd dual body composition of a female body. This photographer's work is sexy and skilled and also a really good deal, as most photos are under $400.

I also liked Mark's visualization of the Alhambra, one of my favorite buildings in the world. His saturated colors really deliver striking images. I'm a little prejudiced, as Parascandola is a graduate of one of our "Bootcamp for Artists" seminars and is obviously doing well with his career in using the lessons learned there.

One for the good guys

I generally give the WaPo a lot of deserved crap over their heinous lack of visual arts coverage. But when the WaPo gets something right about local arts coverage, then they also deserve some credit; today they do.

Bob Samsot, the Editor of the WaPo Fairfax Extra wrote a terrific article about the Gold Key Scholastic Arts Awards. You can read his article here.

Furthermore, I am told that the front page of the Fairfax Extra itself features cover art by one of the award winners - plus, the paper is filled with images of additional award winners. The names and titles of works of the winners are also published here.

I think it's terrific that Bob and the Fairfax Extra published this, and in one day he's given more column inches and images to the local arts news than I've seen in the past couple of years in the Style section of the WaPo!

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: March 15, 2007

Call to Artists: Drawing Invitational exhibition sponsored by the FSU Museum of Fine Arts, Tallahassee, FL. Media: Drawing. Open to artists 18 and over, no size restrictions. Each artist may submit up to 10 images in slide or jpeg format with a return SASE. Works of art will range from intimate, transitory thoughts in numerous drawing media to finished drawings that are intended by the maker to rival the serious nature of other fine art endeavors such as painting, printmaking, photography, and sculpture. Exhibition is scheduled for October-November, 2007. A catalog will be produced. For more information please contact: Allys Palladino-Craig at 850.644.1254 or apcraig@mailer.fsu.edu.

FSU Museum of Fine Arts
530 W Call St.
250 Fine Arts Bldg.
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1140

Wanna go to a DC Opening Tonight?

The Midcity's Artists' Winter Exhibition at Rseults Capitoll Hill. Opening Reception, Thursday February 15, 6:30 – 8:30 PM - 315 G St. SE Washington, DC. Hosted by Bobby Van's Grille.

Featuring artwork by Chuck Baxter, Joan Belmar, Jeff Code, Robert Cole, Scott Davis, Robert Dodge, Gary Fisher, Glenn Fry, Charlie Gaynor, Charlie Jones, Bridget Sue Lambert, Marc Monteleone, Lucinda Murphy, Betto Ortiz, Mark Parascandola, Byron Peck, Brian Petro, Marina Reiter, Nicolas, Shi, Steven Stichter, John Talkington,
Robert Wiener, Anita Walsh & Colin Winterbottom.

More on Art-O-Matic 2007

Yesterday I broke the news that there will be not one but two AOM's in the DC area this year.

They are getting two floors (the 6th and 8th floor in the Old Patent Office Building in Crystal City) - each floor is 45,000 sq. ft. and one has around 130 offices still walled in while the other one has been gutted.

I've been in this building many times and it is a great location and very easy to get to either by car, bus, subway or even Virginia rail. There are some great views from all the outer walls. The other cool thing about this location is that thousands and thousands of people both work and live right around this area, and I predict that because all of these people live and work there, this will be the largest attended AOM ever. I will predict 80,000 visitors to this art event.

The official AOM announcement will come February 26, 2007, and online registration for artists will start March 5, 2007, so start getting ready!

Keep an eye on the AOM website for details.

Oh yeah... the event itself will run from April 13 through May 20, 2007.

Super Bowl day drawing

Not that I was bored (well, maybe a little), but while watching the Superbowl I doodled the below drawing.

It's a charcoal drawing about seven inches tall by five or so wide on 300 weight white paper.

Carolyn Witschonke: I call myself an Artist

Interview By Shauna Lee Lange, Art Addicts

Lange: You graduated from Marymount College with a BA in French language and literature. Your MA is from Central Connecticut State University in French poetry, and then you went on to earn a BFA from Corcoran College of Art and Design. Recently, you've stated art that is your passion; a very good friend that never leaves. Tell us about the juxtaposition of continuing education, French literature, fine art, friendship, printmaking, and painting.

Witschonke: All these aspects of my life led me to who I am today and to what I choose to express through art. Languages and how words are used to express ideas can be a parallel art form, not just a means of communication. For me, whatever medium I choose to use becomes a vocabulary of expression and communication. Just as I use languages to explore meaning and expression, I use painting, printmaking, and encaustic to visually explore and express meaning. Art has been my friend since I can remember. It has taught me things I needed to know and consoled me at times when a constant friend was needed. Below is Solo Poppy, oil.

Lange: Can you speak to the challenges and the rewards of being a full-time freelance artist? How do you divide your time between making art and selling art?

Witschonke: Being a studio artist is what I have chosen to do full time. It takes lots of time and the monetary rewards are minimal compared to the efforts put forth, but I get to do something I really love. I work in my painting studio in Arlington, or in Printmakers Inc. at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria. I rarely sell my work myself; I prefer to use galleries or art spaces. This allows me maximum studio time. Doing this of course means usually paying large commissions to the selling agent but then I don’t have to do both jobs. I do have a website at www.carolyn4art.com.

Lange: Being fairly well traveled and having lived in Germany with adventures throughout Europe, what are some of the subtler ways travel, journey, location, and exposure to European masters helped shape your current work?

Witschonke: My European experiences directly influenced my art, especially printmaking. In my earlier work, the European style of painting and aesthetic is, I believe, evident. Vermeer and Degas especially influenced me. Seeing the various cultures and how people and their mores ultimately manifested into the art and culture of the times influences me even today. The history, myths, and traditions all contribute to my ideas and what I choose to do in my artistic expression.

Lange: As an oil painter and print maker, your recent work focuses on interconnectivity, choice making, and universality of humanity. How do you best bridge the gap between the artist's vision and communicating that vision for juries, competitions, award venues, and the general public?

Witschonke: In my latest show in the Solo Artist Gallery in the Art League, this very subject was its content. With a title and brief artist statement I like to introduce the viewer to my concept. After that, I hope the viewers’ own experiences will enable them to interpret and appreciate my efforts. In creating this series, I was careful to choose materials, and in most cases, colors that have significance enough to support and express my ideas.

Lange: What major differences do you find between exhibiting in 2000 at the Newport Museum of Art in Newport, RI; the '98 - '99 show at the Resurgum Gallery in Baltimore; and the 2000 exhibition in the Bridge Gallery of Dublin, Ireland?

Witschonke: As far as exhibiting in these venues, mainly the logistics presented the most challenges - particularly shipping... very practical aspects.

Lange: When you call to mind the great printmakers throughout time, who most inspires you? Of living artists in the DC area today, who do you expect to see rapidly rise in the art world?

Witschonke: The printmaker that has most inspired me is Jim Dine. As for DC, there are so many fine artists who don’t get much recognition because they are not well known. A sample print entitled Deep Forest Green:



Lange: Your collections span the Library of Congress, The National Institute of Health, and the Philip Morris Companies (quite divergent enterprises). What responsibilities do artists have in monitoring where, when, and how work is exhibited and to what end their personal ideology allows for commercialism?

Witschonke: If my art is purchased for a collection and is bought for its own sake I don’t discriminate buyers. As far as doing commission work directly related to a cause or enterprise, it is up to the individual artist to decide.

Lange: Can you tell us a little about growing up in the small town of Litchfield, Connecticut, and your journey to becoming an artist (how you shifted to art, when you knew you wanted to "art", how it was sharing that vision with family, how it's been to realize the vision, what you're looking to accomplish in ‘07)?

Witschonke: I’ve been lucky. Even though I loved art and did art sporadically as a child, the fine arts were not encouraged as a profession. I studied violin for many years but when it came time to make a career decision, I chose teaching with the concentration in French. I had many youthful and idealistic ambitions. I married at 23 and moved to Germany. Inspired by the setting the need to do art resurfaced. Through the years as a military wife I was able to take many art classes, travel, and visit museums until I ultimately earned a BFA from the Corcoran College of Art and Design. Even though my parents did not support art as a career choice, they were artistic and creative people. Both of my sisters are artistic as well; one works with textiles, weaving and quilting and the other is a painter. It is wonderful to have them to share my art with. My husband has been very supportive of me, especially on two pivotal occasions, the first when I decided to abandon my teaching and concentrate on art and the second when I wanted to attend art school full time and earn a degree. For 2007 I will continue to expand the Passages series as well as print and continue a series in encaustic, From Line to Shape.

Lange: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is credited with having said, "You come to nature with all her theories, and she knocks them all flat." Can you speak to your interpretation or experience with this theme?

Witschonke: Ah, nature, the wonders of it. The inconsistencies of it supply us with its mysteries and keep us intrigued and guessing.

Lange: Your love for nature, trees, and flowers, using a variety of mediums and techniques, is well catalogued in your works. It is true today there are a variety of opinions about the reality and the growing concern of global warming, environmental health, and the necessity to save mother Earth. Do you view your work as chronicles of these politics, and if so, how? What differences would you like to effect?

Witschonke: My work is not political. The environment is extremely important to me but does not constitute political commentary in my work. My love of nature comes from more of a spiritual and philosophical basis. Alpha to Omega appears below:

Lange: Carolyn, what new or inventive art related non-profits are you involved in? We are always interested in highlighting causes using art to achieve goals. Lastly, if you could be director of the National Gallery (or other DC National Museum) for one day - what immediate change(s) would you implement? If you couldn't create art, what would you do instead?

Witschonke: I am not directly involved in any innovative non-profits. Printmakers Inc is my closest involvement. Participating with this group at the Torpedo Factory enables me to make myself directly available to the public, informing them about original printmaking processes and art. Having children’s groups and tours are especially rewarding. Many schools are limiting students’ exposure to art and this is an exciting way to stimulate their interest. I really don’t know anything about running a museum so I wouldn’t be able to make a productive change. If I couldn’t create art... hmmm... I am not sure that’s possible!

This sounds interesting

*gogo art projects is pleased to announce Matthew Sutton’s The Kudzu Project. For this dynamic installation, Sutton is planting kudzu in the front window of Conner Contemporary Art / *gogo art projects. Kudzu, indigenous to parts of Japan and China, is known throughout the Southern United States for its rampant, invasive and widespread growth. The plant was originally imported to the United States primarily as a government initiative to help control erosion, but it quickly became known as “the vine that ate the south”.

The Kudzu Project will be on view until August 1st, 2007. *gogo art projects is located at 1730 Connecticut Avenue, NW – 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20009.

Opportunity for Artists

The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District is currently taking submissions for Bethesda’s June and July Artist Markets. Selected artists will be invited to participate in the Bethesda Artist Markets on Saturday, June 9 and Saturday, July 14, 2007 from 10am-5pm.

Deadline for application and slide submission is Wednesday, February 28, 2007 by 5pm. Participating artists will be selected by members of the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District Advisory Committee.

Details here.

Artomatic is on!

Just in! There will be an Art-O-Matic this year!

The location is the Old Patent Building in Crystal City, Virginia from mid April to mid May, 2007. The installations will take place at the beginning of March.

I am also told that there will also be a second AOM within the district itself later in the fall.

Two Art-O-Matics in 2007.

Woo Hoo!

Whitney Biennial Curators Announced

Because the 2006 Whitney Biennial was without a doubt, and by far, the worst museum show that I have ever seen, I was curious about the direction of the 2008 Biennial.

Unlike that disaster, which was "curated" by two European-born curators (who had both been living and working in the United States), according to the NYT's Carol Vogel, the 2008 Biennial will go back to locals: leading the effort will be two Whitney curators: Henriette Huldisch and Shamim M. Momin, and Donna De Salvo, the museum's chief curator, will oversee the curatorial effort.

Three outside advisers will help: Thelma Golden, director and chief curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem (and a former curator at the Whitney); Bill Horrigan, director of the media arts department at the Wexner Center for the Arts at Ohio State University; and Linda Norden, a curator and writer who was the commissioner of the United States pavilion for the 2005 Venice Biennale, where she organized an exhibition on Ed Ruscha that traveled to the Whitney.

I am excited that there's a non New Yorker in the pack of advisors, and sincerely hope that this Whitney Biennial finally recognizes that there's artwork being produced in the few thousand miles that exist between New York and LA. However, I'm already gloomy, as the fact that Horrigan is the director of the media arts department at a major midwestern University already prejudices my opinion in that here we'll have yet another guy who still thinks that videos are "new."

And to make it even more likely that this will turn out to be yet another New York-centric artists' home movies exhibition, consider that Henriette Huldisch was responsible for coordinating the film and video program for the 2006 Biennial and Momin was one of the three curators for the 2004 Biennial.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Feh!

WPA/C Auction

Judging from the small number of works that remain available, the WPA/C Auction was a resounding success.

Details on work that is still available here.

New blogger

Tracy Lee has a new visual arts blog. Visit her often here.