Digital Change

Now that Barack Obama has officially assumed the presidency, the nation anxiously anticipates his fulfillment of his promise of change.

But before the new legislative agenda takes shape, several transformations have already occurred. Former visual representations of our presidents rarely ventured beyond press photos or political cartoons. But Obama artwork has already encroached upon new realms.

For the first time in history, Obama's official presidential portrait was captured by a digital camera. Pete Souza, the White House's new photographer, snapped the shot on Jan. 13. He used a Canon 5D Mark II and took the picture without using a flash.

Read the article by Jennifer Gambrell in The Davidsonian here.

It doesn't make sense to me

The Washington Post's erudite chief art critic is Blake Gopnik, the brother of New Yorker magazine art critic Adam Gopnik.

For some reason, the Washington Post's editors allow their chief art critic to ignore the Greater Washington area art galleries and only focus on museums. By now Washingtonians have grumbled about that odd process for years, but are resigned to it.

But when Gopnik goes through New York City galleries and provides an entire page of mini reviews of NYC galleries, each with a nice color image, something which he has never done for his own hometown art galleries, the message is very clear to the Washington area art galleries.

The message is: "You are not good enough for my time."

And the message that the Washington Post sends to its core readers and hometown is: "Your art scene is not worthy of Blake Gopnik's time."

Shame on the Washington Post, you suck.

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: February 15, 2009

The Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts in New Castle, PA is currently seeking artists to fill its 2010-2011 Solo Exhibition Schedule. Artists living in the Mid Atlantic region (PA, OH, NY, NJ, MD, VA, W.VA, DE and Washington DC) are invited to apply. Please submit a proposal that includes contact information, exhibition statement, 10-20 images on CD(jpeg format 500kb max) or slides, image list (including title, media and dimensions), resume or curriculum vitae, SASE for return of materials and $30.00 review fee to:

Solo Exhibition Proposals
Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts
124 East Leasure Ave
New Castle, PA 16101

Register for Artists' Boot Camp

Mannie Garcia's Source Photo of Obama Poster Found

First we thought that the below item had solved the mystery of the source of Shepard Fairey’s image of President Barack Obama that became an icon and is now in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery.

"Blogger Michael Cramer created the composite photo above after sifting through countless images to find a match. The poster has Obama facing the opposite direction; Cramer flipped it to correspond with the original source photo."

Read the Reuter story here.

However Philadelphia Inquirer photographer and blogger Tom Gralish then found another potential source discovered by Steve Simula here!



And in the comments section of Simula's Flickr page, Cramer writes "You definitely found the right one. My match was close, but you got it spot on. Congrats."

Good detective work by Simula.

It gets better; after Simula identified the photograph (it was reproduced in this blog without any references so no one knew who the photographer was), the Inky's Tom Gralish began diggging around and he found that the original photograph was "made by freelance photographer Mannie Garcia who was on assignment for the AP in April of 2006." Details here.

Good detective work by Gralish.

Mannie Garcia is a DC-based photographer!

So Mannie Garcia is the uncredited source for Fairey’s artwork now at the NPG.

I think that Mannie's photograph should accompany the artwork and that the NPG should exhibit them side by side.

And thus I hereby call for the National Portrait Gallery to acquire the original Mannie Garcia photograph.

And kudos to Gralish and Simula.

Update: Brian Sherwin, Senior Editor at MyArtSpace.co Blog has some words on how this whole issue relates to copyright and Orphan Works Legislation.

Update 2: Mannie Garcia writes in his website: "The Danziger Gallery which represents the artistic works of Mr. Fairey contacted me on the 21st of January 2009 to inform me that my photograph was in fact the basis for the artwork that has become better known now as the “HOPE” and “PROGRESS” posters"

Virginian Waves

New Waves 2009 is the title of the exhibition of Virginia artists at the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia which says that "New Waves 2009 is an opportunity for CAC to support the work of Virginia artists by assisting them in garnering recognition from the public and nationally recognized galleries and collectors."

The opening reception is from 7-9pm on Friday, January 23, 2009 and the New York and Atlanta gallery-owner jurors selected Susana Almuina, Clover Archer, Nicole Baumann, Stephanie Bingham, Mikael Elliot Broth, Travis Childers, RJ Clark, Derek Cote, davmo, Miriam Ellen Ewers, Peter Geiger, Kirsten Kindler, Lisa McCarty, Megan Mueller, Michael Ohgren, Kristen Rego, and Rainham D.M.H. Rowe.

Because from of all those names I recognize only two (and I think that I have a pretty good handle on a lot of Virginia artists) I am really curious as to whom the jurors selected. In fact, I'm going to visit this show and see what the works looks like.

As outsiders, the two jurors would have brought in a couple of fresh, unprejudiced eyes to the selection process, rather than a priori knowledge to the process.

I'm a little surprised in that I think that this is a good thing.

In fact, the more that I think about it, the more that I think that other jurying processes or award processes that are regional in nature, should employ as jurors qualified outsiders who look only at the work and its visual and collective merit, rather than "recognize" the work and thus the artist and thus bring in immediate opinions and prejudices to the contest.

The drawback would be when an outsider fails to recognize a copycat artist. In the card below I see at least someone channeling Dan Steinhilber and half a dozen Art0matic artists of the past.



But I think that the gains from clear, unprejudiced eyes, outweigh the occasional copycat from getting into the list. It could even be a case of remarkable confluence.

The reason that I have been able to predict a lot of direct hits at such major regional awards such as the Trawick Prize is because that very prestigious award employs local jurors for their process, and so far it has been my impression that many, not all, of the jurors bring in too much knowledge, and too close a relationship in a few cases, with some of the award winners.

It would be interesting to see the Trawick employ three jurors this year from other neighboring states, rather than a Virginia, Maryland and DC juror. In fact, they could switch off every year.

One year DC, MD and VA jurors; the next year other states, and so on.

I bet that more interesting results would come out, instead of the usual suspects getting the award almost every year.

Chia Obama

(Via ArtofObama.com)

You can buy it from Chia for $20 bucks...

Grants for Arlington County, Virginia artists

Deadline: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 9:00 PM

Spotlight Grants are intended to encourage Arlington-based Visual, Media and Performing Artists to develop and present innovative new arts projects or programs that benefit Arlington County and its residents, increase access to and involvement in arts experiences for Arlington residents, and respond to diverse community needs.

Details and application here.

Christina's World on view

The family of Andrew Wyeth and the Brandywine River Museum invite the public to a celebration of the life and work of Andrew Wyeth, who died on January 16. This special event will be held Saturday, January 31, from 9:30 to 4:30 p.m. Complementary admission will be offered to all visitors on this day.

Andrew Wyeth's most famous painting, the iconic Christina's World, will be on view at the Museum for the celebration.* On loan from The Museum of Modern Art in New York, this is the first time the painting has been on view in the region. It is rarely seen outside New York City. The Brandywine River Museum currently displays 38 other paintings and watercolors by the artist.

"Andrew Wyeth once told an interviewer that 'Painting has been my one interest, nothing else but art,'" recalled Jim Duff, Director of the Brandywine River Museum. "The finest way to honor him is to enjoy the art he created."

The documentary film, Self Portrait: Snow Hill, produced by Betsy James Wyeth and narrated by Stacy Keach, will be shown in the Museum's Lecture Room every hour on the hour starting at 10 a.m. Incorporating many of Andrew Wyeth's works of art along with family photographs, home movies, personal letters and footage of Andrew Wyeth, this moving program provides insight into his private world.

In addition, memory books in which visitors can leave their thoughts will be located in the museum.

Exhibiting American art in a 19th-century grist mill, the Brandywine River Museum is internationally known for its unparalleled collection of works by three generations of Wyeths and its fine collection of American illustration, still life and landscape painting.

The Brandywine River Museum is located on U.S. Route 1 in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. The museum is open daily, except Christmas Day, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Visit the museum's website here.

Tim Tate at the LA Art Show

Shasta McBride at the LA Art Scene Examiner reviews the LA Art Show and highlights DC artist Tim Tate.

Read it here.

Call for Fiber Artists

The Washington D.C. metropolitan area has some of the finest national and internationally known fiber artists in the country. BlackRock Center for the Arts is proud to present the 2nd Annual “Tribute to Fiber Art” Juried Exhibition. Their goal is not only to support our local area fiber artists but to give East Coast collectors an exhibit of exceptional quality.

Juror Jodi Walsh first started this exhibit at APEX Gallery on 7th Street in Washington DC. “Tribute to Fiber Art” was reviewed by the Washington Post and grew into an outstanding exhibit that was supported by the Smithsonian by giving annual tours to their collectors.

Because of her extensive travels overseas Jodi understands the importance of fiber art to the art world. Waslh says that “fiber artists have given new life to their medium by exploring new techniques and media. Combining the old and the new creates art work that is both stimulating and highly collectable. With the support of BlackRock Center for the Arts fiber artists have a new home to exhibit their work and fiber art collectors will enjoy visiting this pristine gallery to view an exceptional exhibit.”

Eligibility: Open to all fiber artists residing in Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC over the age of 18. Fiber Art: artwork that is created of fiber material. Please note that they will not be accepting clothing pieces. Fiber artists interested in the exhibition should contact Lee Stern at lstern@blackrockcenter.org or call Lee at 240-912-1050 for a copy of the prospectus.

Award: As in the tradition of the original “Tribute to Fiber Art” Juried Exhibition a solo exhibition the following year will be awarded.

Dates and Deadlines 2009
Saturday, January 31 - Deadline postmarked or delivered by 2:00pm
Thursday, February 5 - Jurying
Week of February 9 - Notification
Thursday, February 26 - Delivery: between 9am – noon
Tuesday, March 3 - Installation of work
Friday, April 10 - Pickup 9am - noon

Exhibition Timeline
Exhibition - March 4 thru April 9
Reception - Saturday, March 7, 5:30 – 7:30pm
Gallery Hours - Mon – Fri: 9am – 5pm, Sat: 10am – 2pm

Art of Obama

Art of Obama.com has an ever growing collection of pro Obama artwork online. You can submit your own Obamart by emailing it to contact@artofobama.com with all the appropriate details.

Congrats!

To the capital region's Michael Janis, who has just been selected as the Outstanding Emerging Glass Artist 2008-2009 - from the Florida Glass Art Alliance.

Janis was nominated by Myrna and Sheldon Palley (uber glass collectors whose glass collection makes up Miami's Lowe Art Museum via the just opened Palley Pavillion).

For years I've been telling you: buy Michael Janis now!

Congrats Mike!

Ronaldus Magnus

Nearly 38 million Americans watched inauguration coverage of President Barack Obama on Tuesday, the most popular inauguration day on television since Ronald Reagan took office in 1981.

Nielsen Media Research said Reagan's 41.8 million remains the record.

Details from the HuffPost here.

Also in the HuffPost is this story about MSNBC's poor ratings. I can understand that; during the election year, I was an avid MSNBC watcher.

But somehow now that the election is over, and we're all trying real hard to support the new president, and unity is the word in the air, MSNBC (especially the once fun Keith Olbermann, whose feud with Bill O'Reilly has gone from funny to stupid) seems boring, repetitive and divisive, and more and more a self-licking ice cream that is more and more the exaggerated ying to the FoxNews' yang.

So part of my "change" resolution for 2009 is to stop paying attention to those from the extreme right and the nutty left who profit by feeding us division as the only solution.

And to create more art.

Flying Pigs

The WaPo on flying pigs; read it here.

Christie's woes

“We have begun to implement a companywide reorganization, which includes significant staff reductions, not renewing many consultants’ contracts and the continuation of other cost-reduction initiatives, that will ensure we remain competitive and profitable in 2009,” Christie’s said in a statement on Monday, without saying how many positions might be cut or giving any further details.

In the last months, auction prices dropped together with financial markets, ending a decade-long boom in the art market that was buoyed by record bonuses paid to financial executives.

Read the NYT article here.

The Latest from Pink Line Project

Art Market

...we look at the effect the credit crunch is having on the art world as the new year begins. In the art market, there have been a few early victims of the crisis, including the 18 employees sacked by PaceWildenstein in New York, and the 17 “fabricators” of pill cabinets, butterfly paintings and pickled animals axed by Damien Hirst. “I want to make sure that we are the best swimmers on the block. The luxury of carrying under-performing employees is now a thing of the past,” warned Mr Gagosian, in a similar vein, in the same memo to his staff.

In Miami, the trendy French dealer Emmanuel Perrotin has shuttered his gallery, and now will only reopen it for Art Basel Miami Beach next December. Sotheby’s is also trimming its workforce, and has announced it has abandoned guarantees for the foreseeable future. The firm, and its arch-rival Christie’s, were badly hit by the collapse in art prices during New York’s sales of impressionist, modern and contemporary art in November, which garnered only half the expected totals. Those sales were prepared before the autumn, when art prices were still riding high. Some works sold in November for half their low estimates, and up to 75% of the works in some sales were bought in.

Read Georgina Adam at the Art Newspaper here.

Age of Obama

Congratulations to President Obama on his spectacular and history-making achievement. And now, regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum, let's see if we can set aside our differences and get behind this man regardless of what the extreme left wing nuts and the extreme right wing nuts do and say.

World History Series: The Age of Obama
F. Lennox Campello
Charcoal on paper, c. 2009
13 x 9 inches matted and framed to 24x18 inches
In a private collection in Dublin, Ireland
This is my first drawing of 2009 and it will be on exhibition at Projects Gallery in Philadelphia next month. More on that show later.
Update: Sold by Projects Gallery to a collector in Ireland.

Opportunity for Curators

Deadline: March 1, 2009

The Philadelphia Museum of Art seeks applicants specializing in modern and contemporary art for a post-doctoral fellowship, funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and offered beginning June 2009. Available to outstanding scholars who wish to pursue a curatorial career in art museums, this two-year fellowship, with a possible third year renewal, will provide curatorial training while also supporting scholarly research related to the renowned collections of modern and contemporary art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Details here.