WPA Executive Director Kim Ward Resigns‏

From the WPA:

Dear Artists and WPA Friends,

In the next few months I will be transitioning from my role as Executive Director of the Washington Project for the Arts and join the WPA Board of Trustees. The decision to leave as Executive Director is solely precipitated by my desire to spend more time with my immediate and extended family. In the next few years my children will begin leaving home and starting college and I would like to be more present in their lives and see them as much as possible.

Working in various capacities at the WPA over the last six years has been richly rewarding and unequivocally, one of my best life experiences. The organization has given me far more than I have contributed. I am honored to have been a part of this incredible arts group that has served the greater DC community for almost 35 years. Whether you have created contemporary art, attended WPA events, purchased artwork, or written checks to support and sustain all connected with such, you have helped move us to the healthiest position the organization has held in over 20 years. While leaving the WPA staff is difficult for me, it is easier knowing that all of our hard work has placed the organization in a solid position to continue serving artists and the contemporary visual arts community in the years to come. In recent years, the WPA has:

- Created the digital ArtFile Online, a benefit and resource for all artist members, and the arts community

- Achieved complete independence at the end of 2007, separating from the Corcoran Gallery of Art

- Grown from 300 to 1200 artist members

- Maintained five continuous years of profitability and budget growth

- Featured over 1000 artists in exhibitions in the last five years

In the next few weeks I will begin working part-time, and remain on the staff to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities to the new Executive Director. I would like to encourage members and friends of the WPA to send any qualified candidates my way. The position description will be posted on our website and a variety of arts job banks.

Again, it is a pleasure to pause and thank all of you for your generous support, direction and guidance over the years. There are too many people to thank who gave me a “leg up,” going out of their way to help me in all possible ways. I am looking forward to staying involved and rooted in the local arts community, while continuing to support the WPA through my new role in the organization. Please stay in touch, keep me on your lists, and finally, I want to wish all of you and your families a happy and healthy holiday season.

Best,

Kim Ward

Primera Nieve

I was surprised to look out my backyard window this morning and see this:

Get your book signed this Sunday

Some of my favorite photographers in all the world will be signing their books at Fraser Gallery in Bethesda this Sunday as part of Fotoweek DC; here's the schedule:

Sunday November 23, from 12PM - 5PM

Noon - Joyce Tenneson "A Life in Photography: 1968 - 2008"

1PM - Frank Van Riper and Judith Goodman "Serenissima"

2PM - Maxwell MacKenzie "Markings," "Abandonings" and "American Ruins"

3PM - Karen Keating "Cuba: Watching and Waiting"

4PM - Danny Conant "Vanishing Tibet"

Pat Goslee opens tomorrow at DCAC

Pat Goslee: Flow, new mixed media works by Pat Goslee opens at the District of Columbia Arts Center with an opening reception on November 21, 7-9pm.

"Flow" represents the most recent work by Washington, DC's Pat Goslee, an intuitive artist whose paintings seek to part the curtain that, according to Kabbalah, separates the physical world from the spiritual. The work raises the questions: How do we store information, emotional baggage, and awareness? What do we absorb and what do we filter out? What layers need to be removed, or rearranged, in order to achieve change?

The exhibition runs through January 4, 2009.

Mellema on Cuban Show

Kevin Mellema reviews "Aqui Estamos (Here We Are)" which is currently on exhibit at H&F Fine Arts through November 30th.

Read the review here.

Go see this show and go buy some artwork.

When Absence Becomes Presence

Curated by Sonja Simonyi and Niels Van Tomme and part of the WPA's Experimental Media Series, the opening reception is today Thursday November 20th, 7-9pm at the WPA and there's a Screening & Curator’s Talk on Thursday, December 11, 6pm at The Phillips Collection in DC.

This event is the launch of the fourth annual Experimental Media Series and "When Absence Becomes Presence," is an exhibition that "explores the play between two separate, but linked conditions of absence and presence, and which reflects upon the very nature of time based media. Curators Sonja Simonyi + Niels Van Tomme have selected a staggering variety of experimental artworks that include sound art, music, literary readings, video art, as well as a mysterious sound recording."

Artworks from: Herman Asselberghs, The Conet Project, Paul Chan, Martin Creed, Andrea Geyer, Ibro Hasanovic, Miranda July, Damir Niksic, and Douglas Ross

Stay tuned for a screening of selected works and a discussion with the curators at The Phillips Collection on Thursday, December 11, at 6pm. During the screening, the Kraft Prize for New Media and the WPA Experimental Art Prize will be presented to two winning artists from the When Absence Become Presence Call for Entries competition.

Aquilino at Neptune in Bethesda

“Another Level” is the title of John Aquilino’s new exhibition on the elevated walls of Neptune’s new loft like gallery in their beautiful renovated green building in Bethesda, MD.

Aquilino had a highly successful solo sold-out debut at Neptune in May, 2007, and an impressive year at the art fair circuit.

Reception for the artist is on November 22, at 7 PM and the gallery is also open for the Bethesda Art Walk, December 12, 6-9 PM. The show runs through December 20, 2008.

Cuban show opens in Baltimore this coming Sunday

At Wilmington: Art for the Masses

200 Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania Regional artists are pleased to invite you to purchase artwork directly from them priced at $250 or less.

Artwork available in pottery, painting, fiber, mixed media, jewelry, photography, watercolor, wood, metalsmith, digital, collage, illustration, mosaic, screen printing, sculpture, printing, glass, and drawing and more.

Saturday, November 22, 2008 from 10am - 5pm at:

Hanover Center
3501 Oleander Drive
Wilmington, NC
(behind Stein Mart inside a 30,000 square foot warehouse)
Rain or Shine

$3 donation requested at the door. Among the 200 artists will be:

Abigail Blackerby
Abigail Perry
Aiden Kenny
Alisha Payne
Amy Winston
Angela Johnson
Anita Larko
Ann Conner
Anuzia Rodriguez
Barb Scalia
Barbara Tuzzeo
Barton Hatcher
Ben Keys
Bonnie Gaynor
Brian Peterson
Brooks Pearce
Camden Noir
Candy Pegram
Cape Fear Art Studio
Cape Fear Camera Club
Carol Williams
Carroll Crouch
Casey Scharling
Cassandra Skrzypek
Charles Bowden
Charles Wilkinson
Cheryl Snyder
Christine Maclellan
Christine O'Connell
Cilla Dahlbeck
Cindy Ella Rhodes
Cindy Martin
Cindy Weaver
Claudia Croom-Cole
Courtney Chappell
Dana Laymon
Deborah Cavenaugh
Deborah Hendricks
Deborah Petoskey
Dixon Stetler
Doug Kazantzis
Dreams of Wilmington
Edge of Urge
Elizabeth Bender
Elizabeth Norton
Eric Paige
Erika Lawrence
Erin Owens
Erin Wenzig
Flo Simpson
Francisca Dekker
Frank Bielski
Gail Henderson
Gail O'Neil
Gail Powell
Gail Smith
Gail Sue
Garrett Clark
Gaye Murphy
George Rabito
Ginnie Kuhn
Grayson Bowen
Harry Davis
Heather Pack
Holly Diehl
Holly Nettles
Jan Beyma
Jane Baldridge
Jane Hanck
Jean Chasmer
Jennifer Marano
Jennifer Royall
Jennifer Stockman
Jeremy Millard
Jim Edwards
jo bellamy
Joan Croft-Jones
John Gaynor
John Golden
John Greenwood
Julia Jensen
Julie Olson
Julie Reed
Karen Mason
Karen Pait
Kathleen Dentinger
Kathryn Bilisoly
kathryn graham
Katie Palacios
Katrina Fairbank
Kay Ballard
Kee Wilde-Ramsing
Keely Steelman
Keith Ketchum
Kelly Starbuck
Kids Making It
Kimberly Baker
Kinga Baransky
Kyle Page
Lauren Caddell
Lee Chappell Monroe
Lee Spivey
Leslie Isaksen
Leslie Pearson
Linda Hudspeth
Linda Kidd
Linda Parker
Lisa Haskins
Liz Hosier
Logan Mock-Bunting
Lois DeWitt
Loraine Scalamoni
Lynette Ashby
Lynn Graham
Lynn Manock
Macon Cathey
Marcelle Hooks
Marie Szendrey
Marissa Coley
Marlene McDonald
Martha Odins
Marty Relan
Matthew Dols
Maureen Mountcastle
McKenzie Constantino
Meg McGrew
Meghann Smith
Melanie Walter
Merv Wilkinson
Michael Baker
Michael Polomik
Michael Steele
Michelle Connolly
Mike Bryand
Miles Lewis
Mitzi Jonkheer
MJ Cunningham
Monique Mueller
Nancy McCurtin
Natasha Caine
Nicolle Nicolle
Noel Wilcox
Pam Toll
Patrick Raynor
Paul Boroznoff
Paul Hill
Paul Krauss
Peggy Cleary
Pete Cozart
Pete Paterson
Phil Meade
Polly Tait
Quentin Warshauer
Rachel Kastner
RDG Designs and Glassblowing
Rebecca Romulus
Rebecca Yeomans
Renato Abbate
Rhonda Willett
Robert L. Bullock
Robyn Chapman
Ronald Williams
Sally Bullers
Sandra Sharpe
Sandra Siemering
Sandra Wagnon Honeycutt
Sara Pepper
Sara Westermark
Sarah Collier
Sarah Holstein
Sarah Tector
Satu Harris
Sean Carr
Shade Maret
Simone Barbe
Stephen Cain
Steven Heiner
Susan Day
Susan Kirkendol
Tammy Clark
Teresa Bland
Three Hounds Gallery
Timothy Dols
Todd Carignan
Tony Forrest
Tracy Kellogg-Brodeur
Tracy Kirchmann
Tracy Weaver
Wendy Pittillo-Rae
Will Olney
Willard Fields
William Hubbard

Opportunity for Spineless Art

Deadline: November 30, 2008

Atrium Art Gallery, University of Southern Maine, Lewiston-Auburn College, 51 Westminster Street, Lewiston, ME 04240. September 8 - December 18, 2009. Reception, Friday, September 18, 2009. "Spineless Wonders" celebrates the diversity of species for the 2009 bicentennial of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of "On the Origin of Species."

Paintings, prints, sculpture, poetry, sound, and work in clay, metal, fiber, glass, wood, and stone will all be part of the multi-dimensional exhibition. Invertebrates are animals without a spine, comprising 97% of all animal species. This vast group includes worms, insects and their larva, spiders, jellyfish, shellfish such as crabs and shrimp, sponges, and more. From fairy shrimp and glow worms to luna moths and giant squid, invertebrates include both aquatic and terrestrial forms. If it's not a fish, reptile, amphibian, bird, or mammal - it's an invertebrate. They are seeking paintings, drawings, printmaking, textiles, and work in clay, metal, fiber, glass, wood, and stone. Also poetry and projects that include sound, video, or any combination of media. Please contact Robyn Holman, director of exhibitions, holman@usm.maine.edu, 207-753-6554 for more information. Web: www.usm.maine.edu/lac/art

Be Still my heart

"Decades ago, when a husband and wife moved into their new home, a friend gave them a painting by the man's former college professor.

Fast-forward 40 or 50 odd years and the oil painting, still in the same family, is appraised during an "Antiques Roadshow" stop in Palm Springs, Calif., for a cool half-million bucks - the most valuable object ever discovered in the show's history."

Read all about it here.

MFA Auction at Penn

From what I am told, the annual MFA auction at Penn is a hot ticket in town and usually sells out.

As I've often advised, student artwork is a great way to get started collecting art and this auction is a great a good place to start, although it is also attended by a lot of savvy collectors.

It takes place this coming Friday, Nov. 21st to benefit the 2009 MFA thesis exhibition.

Again... there you will find one of the nation's best venues to get some good original artwork on your walls and finally get rid of those college posters (and if you are a gallerist, a terrific opportunity to scope out some new talent).

The auction is from 5:30-9 PM at the University's Meyerson Gallery. Work from over 40 artists will be available including work by Terry Atkins, Jane Irish, Doug Martenson, Eileen Neff, Nigel Rolfe, Judith Shea, and Jackie Tileston.

The art being offered includes drawings, paintings, ceramics, prints, sculptures, and photographs. There will also be gift certificates from Philadelphia restaurants and businesses. Everything is affordably priced with some items starting as low as $10. Appetizers, beer, and wine will be served and DJs will provide music through out the evening. Free and open to the public.

For more information check out this blog or contact the Graduate Department of Fine Arts at the University of Pennsylvania at 215-898-8374.

The gallery is at 210 S. 34th St. at Walnut. For building locations on Penn's campus, please consult the online maps here.

The Palin Hoax

This story in the New York Times got me to thinking...

"It was among the juicier post-election recriminations: Fox News Channel quoted an unnamed McCain campaign figure as saying that Sarah Palin did not know that Africa was a continent.

Who would say such a thing? On Monday the answer popped up on a blog and popped out of the mouth of David Shuster, an MSNBC anchor. “Turns out it was Martin Eisenstadt, a McCain policy adviser, who has come forward today to identify himself as the source of the leaks,” Mr. Shuster said.

Trouble is, Martin Eisenstadt doesn’t exist. His blog does, but it’s a put-on. The think tank where he is a senior fellow — the Harding Institute for Freedom and Democracy — is just a Web site. The TV clips of him on YouTube are fakes.

And the claim of credit for the Africa anecdote is just the latest ruse by Eisenstadt, who turns out to be a very elaborate hoax that has been going on for months. MSNBC, which quickly corrected the mistake, has plenty of company in being taken in by an Eisenstadt hoax, including The New Republic and The Los Angeles Times."

Are there more hoaxes out there in other realms of information? - of that I am pretty sure, but my focus is the visual arts and thus my question to myself is: could such a hoax be executed in the fine arts?

I don't think so, and the reason that I don't think so is because unlike the need to demonize our political opponents that exist in places like Fox and MSNBC, the fine arts world is sort of a self-licking ice cream where 95% of the people who pay attention to it and want a lick at the ice cream are somehow involved in the art world itself, and very few are interested "outsiders," who are the ones needed to consume such a hoax and spread it eagerly.

And I'm not sure if the people who write about art lack the very basic "check the story" and "check it again" mentality of the political press, always frothing at the mouth to report something negative about the other side.

And of course, news outlets generally could give a rat's ass about the fine arts unless it involves some sort of scandal, sex, censure or shock.

Mmmm...

New Art Scam

This is a scam... posted exactly as received, with all the grammar errors which usually characterize this sort of scam...

From: kevinstokes12345@rocketmail.com
Date: Mon, Nov 17, 2008 at 10:59 AM
Subject: Artists File Online: Your artworks
To:

**This following message was sent to you by a person who found your artwork on Artists Space's Artists File Online website. www.artistsspace.org/artistsfile Please report any problems or concerns regarding this email to artfile@artistsspace.org

My name is kevin, I am an individual art agent and interior decorator from Glasgow, scotland. I got an order for the supply of some artworks from a group of client, and when i came across your portfolio on your site, while searching for good artworks, I found some of them to interest me and fit what i am looking for, and I intend to market these items to my client and also negotiate a price that will include your price (i.e your selling price) and a mark-up as a profit for my effort.
Payment will be made directly to you at the price i am selling and i will expect you to ship after payment clears and send me my commission /margin afterwards.
My client prefers to make payment using a credit card as this is much easier and cost effective for an international transaction thus will provide you directly their credit card for payment.
Please let me know if you do commission work and if you accept master card payment after which I will let you know the items we are interested in, and we can proceed with the order.
I am looking forward to a long term working relationship beyond this order.I am sorry I do not have a website yet but it should be ready soon however you can always contact me if you have any question and I would get back to you as soon as possible.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Best Regards.
kevin Stokes
kevinstokes12345@rocketmail.com

Delete this email if you get it or email Kevin back and tell him to go fuck himself.

Lauren Sherman on the new art fairs

Forbes' Lauren Sherman has an interesting article on the "other" art fairs at Miami and elsewhere.

Gallerists are holding their breath at Miami; I know now of four dealers in DC and Philly who have pulled out of the fairs in Miami because of economic fears.

On the other hand, I have been told that SOFA Chicago, after a dreadful start, ended up being surprisingly good for many galleries.

Read the Sherman report here.

Artists Websites: Priscilla de Lima

Greater DC area photographer Priscilla de Lima-Ledesma has been "assembling photos, video, art installations internationally since 1997," and her works focuses on social realism.

Visit her website here and her blog here.

Working and Surviving as an Artist Seminar

When: Wednesday November 19, 2008 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Working and Surviving as an Artist: Establishing and Maintaining Professional Relationships: The seminar will examine strategies and practices needed to work and survive as a visual artist. The seminar panelists: June Linowitz, artist and founder of ArtSeen, Inc; Ellyn Weiss, artist and curator; and Claudia Rousseau, PhD, art historian and critic.

The panelists will draw on their professional visual arts experiences as artists, curators, gallery directors, art historians and art critics to provide valuable strategies for conducting business in the visual arts world. Susie Leong, Director of the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County's Public Arts Trust will serve as moderator for the seminar.

This seminar is the first in a series on working as a visual artist. Reception & Tour 6:00 - 6:45pm Join them for a reception with light fare, open gallery, Cafritz Art Center tour and viewing of the Cafritz Art Center exhibition American Psyche, curated by the Brooklyn Arts Alliance and sponsored by Pyramid Atlantic and Montgomery College's Takoma Park/Silver Spring Visual Arts Department.

At the Lecture Hall of The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Art Center, 930 King Street, Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus of Montgomery College.

Registration is required. Advanced registration $20. Day of registration, $25.

Please visit www.creativemoco.com for more information, or contact Mark Puryear at 301-565-3805, or mark.puryear@creativemoco.com

Want some alabaster stones?

The Soviet Socialist Republic of Montgomery County government in Maryland will be taking down pieces of white and tan alabaster stone from one of its buildings in Rockville soon.

They are striated in color (like bacon strips). I am not sure how long the pieces are, but I am told tha they are about 2-3 feet wide, 3/4 inch thick.

If you are a sculptor and would like to reuse it, then please contact Susie Leong at the Arts and Humanities Council, susie.leong@creativemoco.com, 301-565-3805, ext 26.

Have Art? Will Lend $$$$

One art-world business is booming: collectors looking to borrow against works they own, especially before the fall sales threaten to lower values. “We’ve been contacted by lots of people who are feeling some sort of margin call,” says Sotheby’s CEO, Bill Ruprecht. Other lenders have virtually stopped lending against art recently, but Ruprecht says Sotheby’s is still “very comfortable” doing so. (At 2007’s end, the auction house had $176.4 million loaned out; by the middle of this year, it was $212 million.)

Read the entire NY Magazine piece here.

Paper at Projects in Philly

No matter how you print, fold, layer or carve it, paper is often the primary media to which an artist applies their talent.

“Paper” at Philadelphia's Projects Gallery seeks to engage the audience in both the simplicity and the complexity, the universality and the uniqueness and even the humor of paper in the hands of about 20 multi-faceted artists.

Work by Henry Bermudez, Elizabeth Bisbing, Jim Brossy, Peter Gourfain, Frank Hyder, Florence Putterman, Alex Queral, and Caleb Weintraub. Also participating are Virginia Batson, Aubrie Costello, Michael Edwards, Talia Greene, Brooke Holloway, Itsuki Ogihara, Mia Rosenthal, Krista Rothwell, Gregory Farrar Scott, Heather Sundquist and yours truly!

“Paper” opens November 19th with an artists’ reception First Friday, December 5th from 6-9 p.m. The exhibition continues through December 20th.