Baltimore opening

Tonight, Friday, September 14th is the opening reception for DC artist Michael Enn Sirvet's "Restructuralist Sculpture" solo show at the Touchet Gallery in Baltimore.

The reception is from 6 to 9 p.m. and the gallery is located on the corner of Fleet and S. Ann Streets in Fells Point, Baltimore.

New Benjamin

A new 9-foot bronze sculpture of Benjamin Franklin is to be dedicated at 4th and Arch Streets at 10 a.m. on Oct. 5 by the city of Philadelphia.

The work is by Philly sculptor James Peniston, and it incorporates more than 1,000 keys that Peniston collected while giving talks at local elementary schools about Franklin. The schoolchildren also donated nearly 1.5 million pennies to help fund "Keys To Community," which also received funding from the city and the Philadelphia Fire Department.

More details here.

Olga Viso to leave the Hirshhorn

Came home tonight to find an email from yesterday from Hirshhorn director and my good friend Olga Viso announcing that she will soon be leaving as director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in order to take over the reigns of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.

And today Carol Vogel in the New York Times has a very readable story on Viso and the move to Minneapolis:

"After a six-month international search, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis said yesterday that it had appointed Olga Viso, director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, as its new director.

Ms. Viso, who is to assume the post in January, succeeds Kathy Halbreich, who has led the Walker for 16 years and is retiring in November."

Viso has been at the Hirshhorn for over a decade, working her way up the ranks to her current position. In a story in the WaPo, Blake Gopnik writes:

During her 12 years at the Hirshhorn, first in various curatorial positions, then for two years as deputy director under Ned Rifkin and finally as director, she has had a notable commitment to experimental, even difficult, contemporary art...

Coming seasons at the Hirshhorn, planned during her tenure, are notable for their lack of easy crowd-pleasers and for a commitment to investigations of some central issues in contemporary art...

Viso's time as director coincided with a particularly troubled period in Smithsonian history, culminating in an accounting scandal that led to the resignation of Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence Small in March. Viso feels she was able to keep momentum going and morale strong at the Hirshhorn "despite the troubles that the Smithsonian has faced." Brougher said she kept the Hirshhorn staff from feeling the effects of those "storms."

Olga Viso's move is a loss for the Hirshhorn and also for Washington, and a terrific coup and brilliant move for the Walker.

Viso not only steered the Hirshhorn confidently during the turbulent period described by Gopnik, but also took the Hirshhorn to a new level in the arena of contemporary art, bringing to Washington world-class artists and exhibitions that brought the nation's capital back into the forefront of the contemporary art dialogue.

And during her period as curator for the museum, she not only brought us great exhibitions such as the long-awaited retrospective of Cuban American artist Ana Mendieta, but also became the first Hirshhorn curator and director to begin looking to the museum's own backyard for Washington area artists, and the first museum director to actually make an effort to visit local galleries and meet local gallerists and artists.

She leaves behind a city brimming with new art galleries opening every other month and joining established and emerging art spaces, and a vibrant, ever-changing art scene full of talented artists, a few barely emerging collectors, a set of terrific museums and in spite of a moribund paper press, a savvy (mostly online) art press.

And she will bring to chilly Minneapolis not only an international reputation and flair, and an enviable work ethic and vision, but also the deep elegance, presence and good looks that come from her solid Cuban genes.

Awright, so I am a little prejudiced in the last few words.

We will miss you Olga.

Lest We Forget

"Studio View, 9/11"
Oil on Canvas c. 9/11/2001 by David FeBland

Trouble in Lynchburg

Yesterday I noticed this post in Jeffry Cudlin's blog and today I received the massive news release below, which I've decided to post here, rather than edit it, as it tells a fairly complete story from the side doing the complaining:

Suit Filed to Prevent Randolph College from Selling Valuable Donated Art Collection

Sale Would Violate Donor Intent, Violate Code of Ethics, Sidestep the College’s Financial Problems, and Further Damage Enrollment

Lynchburg, VA – Eleven “interveners” asked a Virginia court today to stop Randolph College’s unethical and unnecessary attempt to sell off portions of its nationally recognized American art collection.

The works at issue were originally purchased by Randolph-Macon Woman’s College (R-MWC) with assets from the trust of Louise Jordan Smith, the college’s first art professor. Randolph-Macon Woman’s College became Randolph College this year when it became coed, a controversial action being challenged in court by students, donors and alumnae.

Named as interveners in the new legal challenge, outlined in a “Memorandum in Support of Motion for Leave to Intervene,” are Louise Jordan Smith’s heirs, several college donors, alumnae, and students, the former head of the college’s Museum Studies program, the former head of the Maier Museum, where the collection is housed, and several other interested parties. They are:

• Frances Pendleton Elliott and Eleanor Pendleton Monahan: Mrs. Elliott and Mrs. Monahan, her sister, are believed to be Louise Jordan Smith’s only living relatives. Miss Smith was their mother’s first cousin.
• Margaret Williams and Amanda Sandos: Ms. Williams and Ms. Sandos are both seniors and art majors at the college.
• Ellen Agnew: Ms. Agnew worked at the Maier Museum for 23 years as Curator, Associate Director and Director, and is an alumna of Randolph-Macon Woman’s College. She resigned earlier this year over the college’s actions in this matter.
• Laura Katzman: Dr. Katzman served as the Director of the Museum Studies Program and Professor of Art at the college from 1995-2007. She resigned earlier this year over the college’s actions in this matter.
• Sandra and Paul Whitehead. Mr. and Mrs. Whitehead are financial supporters of and frequent visitors to the Maier Museum. In particular, Mr. Whitehead donated significant funds to the museum in 1997 to help it purchase an Andrew Wyeth painting in honor of his wife. (The Whiteheads have said they will make no additional donations to the college unless the litigation is resolved favorably.)
• Roberta Scrivener. Ms. Scrivener is a Lynchburg, Va. public school teacher who believes her ability to teach art to her children will be irreparably harmed if the Smith Art is sold and Maier Museum collection broken up.
• Roy Clinton “Bud” Johns. Mr. Johns’ and his wife have made substantial contributions to the college of both money and art. (He also has said he will make no additional contributions and will remove the college from his will if it continues its improper efforts to break up the valuable collection.)
• Anne Adams Robertson Massie. A distinguished artist in her own right, Ms. Massie is a Lynchburg native, a Randolph-Macon Woman’s College alumna, a member of the Maier Museum Advisory Board, a regular and substantial donor to the Museum, a former Museum docent, and a Fellow and Trustee of the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.

The 36 paintings acquired with Smith Trust funds include some of the best-known works in the college’s Maier Museum of Art collection. The 3,400 piece collection is considered one of the finest college collections in the country, among the finest collections of American art in the country, and a top cultural attraction in South Central Virginia.

“Miss Smith – as the College admits – donated money to Randolph-Macon Woman’s College to purchase art with the explicit instruction that the art become part of a permanent collection for the College,” said Anne Yastremski, Executive Director of Preserve Educational Choice, an organization working to save Randolph-Macon Woman’s College. “Her will was very clear and the college’s efforts to sell the art are a clear-cut violation of donor intent and the terms of her gift.”

The college’s actions have also been criticized because they:

• Violate Universally Accepted Ethical Standards. Randolph College seeks to use the proceeds of the sale for the college’s general fund. The nation’s top professional art organizations strongly oppose this practice. In fact, the Code of Ethics of the Association of American Museums, to which the Maier Museum at Randolph College belongs, states explicitly that “in no event shall they [proceeds of a sale] be used for anything other than acquisition or direct care of collections.”

• Fail to Address the College’s Spending Problems. Randolph College’s claim that it needs to sell part of its art collection to remain financially viable and to comply with requirements of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is completely off base. In 2006, the college completed a $100-million capital fundraising campaign. The college boasts the fifth largest endowment of any private college in Virginia. Rather than using improper means to increase the size of the college’s $140 million endowment, the college needs to exercise fiscal restraint and control spending. The specific issues that SACS cited the college for – astronomical tuition discounting (in the mid-60 percent range instead of the 30 percent range which is considered normal), excessive deferred maintenance, and operating deficits – are all signs of fiscal mismanagement, not a too-small endowment.

• Harm Efforts to Increase Enrollment. The Maier Museum art collection is one of the finest collections of American art in the country and, with the college’s related programs in studio art, art history, and museum studies, has helped attract many students over the years. Selling some of the most important works from the collection will likely discourage students from choosing the college and have a negative impact on its already declining enrollment, further harming the college’s ability to generate revenue from student tuition and fees, the backbone of a well-run institution.

The college’s enrollment already has declined this year as a result of the college’s questionable decision to go coed. The current enrollment of 665 students is the smallest in more than 40 years.

According to the Memorandum, “this is yet another example of poor decision making and financial mismanagement by the College Trustees.”

“The College went coed allegedly because of financial concerns. So far, alumnae participation in the College’s fundraising programs has dropped by 50 percent; the number of student transfers has surged; and the incoming coed class is smaller than any in recent history,” said Yastremski. “Going coed has been a disaster for the institution. Now the Trustees want to break Miss Smith’s Trust and sell off irreplaceable educational and cultural artworks that have been carefully accumulated through donations and bequests like Miss Smith’s for 100 years.”

“If college officials sell off these important artworks, the college’s decline will continue and even accelerate. Any sale of donated art for operating expenses will damage the College’s reputation with its donors, the art world and the Central Virginia community that has come to treasure the Maier Museum’s world-class collection.”

The Memorandum was filed in the Lynchburg, VA Circuit Court. A hearing date has not been set.

WaPo's Fall Visual Arts Preview

In the past, I have been a harsh critic of the lack of depth in the Washington Post's seasonal visual arts previews, but in what is perhaps the paper's best-ever visual arts preview, the WaPo has a great handle on what's coming to the gallery and museum walls of the greater DC region here.

Bravo Zulu to the WaPo on a very informative falls preview! Here are my early picks from their preview:

"Lola Alvarez Bravo," vintage prints from Mexico's best-known female photographer, at the Smithsonian's Dillon Ripley Center. Through Nov. 11.

"The Freedom Place Collection," rarely seen paintings by Romare Bearden, Alma Thomas and others exploring the African American experience, at Zenith Gallery. Through Sept. 30.

Sept 13 -- "In the Flesh," a juried exhibition of contemporary figurative art, at Target Gallery. Through Oct. 13.

Sept 13 -- "Options 2007," the latest edition of this survey of emerging local talent organized by the Washington Project for the Arts, at Edison Place Gallery. Through Oct. 26.

Sept 14 -- "Michael Fitts," oil paintings on reclaimed metal by the Charlottesville artist, at Fraser Gallery. Through Oct. 6.

Sept 15 -- "Susan Jamison: Trust in Me," egg-tempera paintings addressing feminine identity and nature, at Irvine Contemporary. Through Oct. 20

Spet 15 -- "Jiha Moon: Line Tripping," drawings from the Korean-born artist, at Curator's Office. Through Oct. 27.

Sept 16 -- "Edward Hopper," a comprehensive survey of the American master's career, at the National Gallery of Art. Through Jan. 21.

Sept 20 -- "Morris Louis Now: An American Master Revisited," a retrospective of the founder of the Washington Color School, at the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum. Through Jan. 6.

Sept 26 -- "John Dugdale," photographs by a New York artist who has lost 80 percent of his vision, in the gallery at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Through Oct. 28.

Sept 27 -- "Legacy: Spain and the United States in the Age of Independence, 1763-1848," examining Spanish influence on the formation of the United States, at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. Through Feb. 10.

Oct 1 -- "J. M. W. Turner," a comprehensive retrospective of the great British landscape painter, at the National Gallery of Art. Through Jan. 6.

Oct 2 -- "Fall Solos 2007," featuring Timothy Michael Martin, Chawky Frenn, Claire Sherwood, Gillian Brown, Alessandra Torres, Laurel Lukaszewski and Heidi Fowler, at Arlington Arts Center. Through Nov. 17.

Oct 12 -- "Herb's Choice: Manon Cleary," new drawings by the D.C. artist, at District of Columbia Arts Center. Through Nov. 4.

Oct 18-- "Currents: Recent Acquisitions," including works purchased for the museum by its Contemporary Acquisitions Council, at the Hirshhorn Museum. Through March 16.

Oct 27 -- "Margot Quan Knight," photographs, at Randall Scott Gallery. Through Dec. 8.

Nov 1 -- "Lucy Hogg: The Last Pony," a large canvas, digital photographs and a video all address "the end of painting," at Meat Market Gallery. Through Nov. 25.

Nov 3 -- "Kathryn Cornelius," video and photo-based performance art, at Curator's Office. Through Dec. 22.

Nov 3 -- "James Huckenpahler: Mindless Pleasures," images created by intentionally misusing software, at Hemphill Fine Arts. Through Dec. 22.

Nov 6 -- "Fernando Botero: Abu Ghraib," works reflecting on atrocities committed by members of the U.S. military in Iraq, at the American University Museum. Through Dec. 30.

Nov 9 -- "The Narrative Figure," showcasing storytelling works in clay and on paper, at the Ellipse Arts Center. Through Jan. 19.

Packed to the gills

I've been told that there were nearly one thousand people at the Katzen openings in DC last weekend.

That's what you call a massive response! They must be doing something right over there at American University...

Michael Janis

In the years that I have been following the growth and development of the various DC area artists associated with the Washington Glass School, seldom have I seen an artist develop, change, grow and continue to re-open my eyes as I have noticed over the years with the work of Michael Janis.

Janis opens his new solo show “That Quadrant of Sky,” on Sept. 12 in Bethesda's Neptune Gallery. The opening reception for this talented DC artist is Saturday, September 15th, 7-9 PM.


Janis' work is now in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, and it is also featured in the new international book about the best in glass art and design, "50 Distinguished Contemporary Artists in Glass."

He is also in my "Buy Now" list.

Dodson on Jeffrey Stockberger at Gallery 222

By Brie Dodson

Work by Jeffrey Stockberger is currently on exhibition at Gallery 222 in Leesburg, Virginia. The works on exhibition include two main subject groupings: vegetables - a bunch of radishes, a head of bok choy, a Hubbard squash - and landscapes.

The landscapes at first appear to be about cows and field workers, but are really all about luscious color and a sense of composition that sneaks up on the viewer in a satisfying way.

Stockberger's handling of the vegetable paintings is masterful. Each subject appears against an "empty" background and foreground, but those "empty" spaces are filled with beautiful color and distance. The brushwork is chunky and delicious.

The paintings are much more compelling than the thumbnails on the gallery's website convey. For example, the radish painting is 28" x 26" (and the colors are extraordinary). The landscapes are on the order of around 4x5 feet. Most of the vegetables are painted slightly larger than life size, but not objectionably so.

There are also a couple of other gems out for viewing in the gallery's upstairs spaces. In there there are two very large horse paintings by Martha Cammack, perhaps 4x6 feet each. They are not about horses, at least to this viewer; they are about magnificent color, light and form. They are very fine paintings, and they do what truly good landscapes do - give that tug in the back of the throat.

Stockberger's show hangs through Sept. 29. The gallery is at 222 South King Street in Leesburg, open Monday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and by appointment. Informational contacts are 703-777-5498 or laaf@loudounacademy.org.

Sauna Lee Lange on the One Word Project

By Shauna Lee Lange

Kudos to J.T. Kirkland and the fine curating job he performed in his One Word Project which opened Friday night at the Arts Club of Washington. To explain the show simply, Kirkland assigned artists with a single word as a thematic launching point. The idea was to create a triangular dialogue for visual and language communication between artist, viewer, and work. Three works in the show that caught my attention were:

(a) Gregory Ferrand's "Experience." - the work was titled Judge Me Not (For I Judge Only You), acrylic on canvas, 22x28, 2006, (b) Marsha Stein's "Pride," is a drawing of St. Jerome, a haunting and technically gorgeous execution of charcoal cast drawing, 24x36, 1999, and (c) Gregg Chadwick's theme on "Responsibility," which drew the most evident enthusiasm.

Chadwick traveled from Santa Monica, CA to explain the meaning behind his Marine in a coffin surrounded by monks. Chadwick served in the Armed Forces and was deeply impressed that relatives of the deceased service member attended Friday night's opening. Chadwick said that his own father was a Marine, and as a son, he felt he had the responsibility to paint his own military experience. As a self-professed Buddhist, Chadwick eloquently spoke about how responsibility is a common thread among all people and what it meant to him to participate in the show. He is pictured here in front of his work.

Honorable mention for layered meaning in story telling has to go to the Right Reverend James W. Bailey of Reston, Virginia for his burnt photo montage/collage of a church. Bailey's original explanation of meaning and his updated revisionist explanation are fascinating reading. One really does come away understanding that in New Orleans, A.K. (after Katrina), all is not okay.

The show runs to September 29th. More than 30 artists are featured, including Andrew Krieger's sculpture on Imagination, Baltimore's Rosetta DeBerardinis' 2007 work on Fluid , Alexandra Silverthorne's print on Forgotten, Angela Kleis' Hatteras Lighthouse silver gelatin print, and James Coleman's mixed media on canvas, seno utero matriz.

The Arts Club of Washington reminds us that their third floor studio is open Tuesday through Saturday, with free arts classes open to the public every Saturday.

Katzen Openings Tonight

There are multiple openings at American University's Katzen Arts Center tonight from 6-9PM.

The new exhibits include: "Carol Goldberg: Listening to Ivy," "Keiko Hara: Topophilia Imbuing," "Song Without Words: The Photographs of Countess Sophia Tolstoy," and "All in the Family: A Juried Show of American University Alumni."

An hour before the reception, internationally known artist and master printmaker Keiko Hara will give an informal talk on the creation of her 42-foot long homage to and very personal translation of Monet's Water Lillies.

All free and open to the public.

Wanna go to a Baltimore Opening today?

With a reception full of people, good wines and their trademark sushi Light Street Gallery in Baltimore opens "Trompe L'oeil Artwork of Bernard Scholl."

The reception for this French artist is from 1-5PM. See his work online here.

Tiny Alien

Below is another tiny little drawing with a big title. It's about 1.5 inches high by one inch across or so. Charcoal on paper.

"Illegal Alien running across the border street in Brownsville, Texas, hoping that he won't be too late for his job at the Fort Brown Golf Course"
Charcoal on Paper, 1.5 inches by 1 inch.
c. 2007 by F. Lennox Campello

And another new DC gallery

New to me anyway, is the R Street Gallery at 2108 R St. NW, in DC's Dupont Circle area. They will be having an opening reception on Sunday September 16th from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm for the exhibition of Tom Wolff’s portraits and images of the famous and powerful, and Tracey Friedlander’s portraits and documentation of the people of Cuba.

Step One

I'm looking to open a new gallery space in the Philly area... maybe... maybe... and so far I am only working on a draft website.

Here's what and who I am thinking about.

First step: sell my own work to raise funds to pay the exorbitant cost to do some fancy art fairs.

Second step: hopefully make some bucks from the art fairs to open a "bricks and mortar" space.

Third step: Lose money for a while until I establish a Philly presence.

Fourth step: Become a respected Phildalphia gallery.

Fifth step: Open a gallery in Sedona, Arizona.

Sixth step: back to second step.

Oh God!

Move the damned Barnes

After reading this, I join the camp that says move the damned Barnes to Philly and stop whining.

New DC gallery

The Carroll Square Gallery has its grand opening tonight from 6-9PM with an exhibition titled "Botanica," which includes work by 2007 Trawick Prize finalist Mary Early, Susan Jamison, Dean Kessmann, Amy Lamb, Lisa Scheer, Zach Storm and others.

Details here.

The Rich are different... or are they?

Recently I've learned a couple of interesting and very surprising facts about America's rich people.

The stereotype American rich dude is always painted as a Republican, and the Republican Party has always been called "the Party of the Rich." But apparently America's wealthiest zip codes are overwhelmingly Democratic donors. That surprised me quite a bit, which shouldn't have, since my old neighborhood of Potomac, Maryland was and is definately a very pro-Democrat area and one of the wealthiest zip codes in the USA.

Yet another reason why I try really hard to ignore both the "vast right wing conspiracy" and the slightly less vast "left wing nutspiracy."

And now, to add to my confusion, the New York Times tells me that "the rich are giving more to charity than ever."

Roughly three-quarters of charitable gifts of $50 million and more from 2002 through March 31 went to universities, private foundations, hospitals and art museums, according to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

Read the NYT story here.

Perhaps the sky is not falling after all...

First Fridays in Philly and DC

There are at least 21 gallery openings tonight in Philadelphia, a city known for "legendary stinginess toward the arts" according to the Daily News' Tom DiNardo.

Details on the gallery openings here.

In DC, Heather Goss details some key gallery openings around the nation's capital, which I think could also be accused of saving a sheckel here and there at the expense of the arts. Check out DCist here.

Another One Bites the Dust

The WaPo's Jackie Trescott covers yet another resignation by yet another director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

Judy L. Larson, the outgoing director is the 10th director since the museum was founded in 1987 - that's one every two years.

Clearly something is really wrong with the NMWA, and its inability to keep its directors is just the most visible part of what's brewing under the surface there.

And although Mary Mochary, the president of the museum's board "declined to discuss any circumstances of Larson's departure. 'I can't say what was going on,' Mochary said," rumors have persisted for years about frustrated NMWA directors handcuffed perhaps too tightly to a museum founder (and now chairman of the board) still trying to deliver her vision through them.

I'd love to hear the thoughts of some former NMWA directors on this subject!