Portraits of Lives Lived in the Shadows

By Robin Tierney

During a visit to Knoxville, I filled my journal with the stories of a dozen or so folks revitalizing the city’s core as a walkable arts district that retains its downhome roots. Just as interesting were the rootless Knoxvillians encountered through the photographs of David Habercom.

In the process of moving his studio from the Emporium Center for Arts & Culture downtown to his new home, Habercom now shows his work on the web. Three series capture the individual character and spirit of those pushed into society’s margins – those, he says, are commonly regarded as “gypsies, unattractives, these humiliations in the street.”

For “5th Avenue Motel,” he documented residents, some dwelling there for 20 years, soon before they were evicted a couple of years ago.

Habercom points to one photo: “The dog in 5th Ave 1 [below to right] is hard to see, since he was a huge, black Labrador-type guy. His name was Bear. The python was called Jake the Snake. This couple had lived in the 5th Avenue for eight years.”

After eviction, 5th Avenue residents moved into low-end apartments, public housing, or the streets, said Habercom. “Knoxville has a very good record of helping the homeless, so [they] had a number of reliable resources to get them reestablished.”

The sun bounced hot off the pavement as I tramped to the urban ruins at Fifth and Broadway. Built in 1913, by mid-century the Minvilla townhomes housed squatters as the neighborhood declined. While dismissed as derelicts, the dwellers included decent unfortunates who lacked family or government safety nets. It’s a reminder how fine a line exists between the have-nots and the haves who have gamed public programs, lax loan guidelines and tax/regulatory rules to spawn new breeds of burdens to society.

I imagine the souls pictured by Habercom in the hollow quarters decorated only by unartful tags. In 2007, following the eviction, the furnishings, interiors, windows and facades were stripped. A smiley face nests in the “O” of a jauntily drawn F*ck you inside one doorway.

A sign by the chain-link fence sagging around the property announces “Future Home of the Minvilla Manor.” A little digging reveals that VMC Volunteer Ministry Center across the street is helping some of the displaced, and the City of Knoxville is finalizing a Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program. Plans include restoring Minvilla as "supportive housing” model with onsite social workers, health services and drug/alcohol treatment to help the homeless grip those bootstraps.

In his “Viaduct” series, Habercom turned his lens to resourceful loners who made homes under Knoxville’s Gay Street bridge.

For his newest project, he collaborated with public radio news editor Matt Shafer Powell and musician/artist Bob Deck. "Adrift on American Streets" pairs formal studio portraits of 27 homeless people with a soundtrack of their stories, self-told. ”We published the project as a DVD because couldn't afford a gallery show. Which is too bad, since that format would blow everybody away.”

Check a 5-minute preview clip at this website.

There’s plenty to see by walking the streets of Knoxville. Walk north from the cluster of downtown galleries on South Gay to the industrial+art district dubbed Downtown North. At Ironwood Studios, look for John McGilvray’s clever woodworkings and Preston Farabow’s “Aespyre” metal creations from racetrack debris art to delicate finials.

If your feet get tired, hop on the free trolley.

Linda Evans of Dogwood Arts tells me about the city’s coalescing arts scene: new public art around town (Krutch Park, World’s Fair Park, the Convention Center), new galleries and juried competitions. Time a visit to catch the monthly First Fridays.

Want free tickets to the art fair?

The Affordable Art Fair NYC is next week in New York. Drop me an email if you want me to set you up with a couple of free tickets (they are $20 each).

Congrats!

To DC area artist and my good friend Tim Tate, who has just been announced as the winner of the Virginia Groot Foundation $35,000 award for sculpture.

Buy Tim Tate now.

Aqui Estamos opens today in Philly

Later today the Cuban contemporary art show that I curated last year and which has been exhibited in Norfolk, VA and DC opens in Philadelphia's Projects Gallery. It is titled "Aqui Estamos" (Here We Are) and in the show we find narratives and imagery that represent many of these artists’ historical dissidence to the stark issues of contemporary Cuban life. The works are images that offer a historical and visual sentence in the history of an island nation behind bars with a powerful world presence in the arts and events of world history.

"Consume Preferably Before 30 Years of Age" by Cirenaica Moreira
The opening, free and open to the public is on May 1st, 2009 from 6-9PM. Projects Gallery is located at 629 N 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123, tel: 267.303.9652 and on the web at projectsgallery.com. The exhibition is open through May 29, 2009.

Wanna go to an artist's talk tomorrow?

DC artist Robin Rose will be completing the 2nd half of his terrific exhibition at American University's Katzen Arts Museum on May 2 a 4:00PM with a talk at the Museum. Rose calls calls this section of the exhibition "The Stories". He will discuss the basis of each piece, much like a director speaks about particular scenes or concepts of a film.

Wanna go to an opening in DC tomorrow?

Loads of them at the many galleries around the Dupont Circle area... while there, do not miss Katya Kronick at Studio Gallery.

Cy Twombly Drawing lost in NYC cab

Cy Twombly, Untitled (2-sided drawing), 1957, graphite on paper, 13 3/4 x 19 in., signed and dated in pencil Cy Twombly, Roma, May 57
The above scribbly drawing by Cy Twombly was being taken by someone to the framing shop, when they either left it in the taxi or somehow lost it getting out of the cab somewhere in NYC.

The owner is offering $5,000 as a reward for anyone who finds it.

I am far from being a Twombly fan, but let's be honest... unless you are a big Twombly fan, the chances of anyone recognizing the pencil scribbles on the paper as an important work of art, even in a cultured city like NYC, are pretty slim to none. The fact that it is signed and dated in pencil may prove its saving grace, if someone did find it and took the time to actually examine it.

This is yet another reason why signatures are important when it comes to artwork, and begs the question as to why this is such a hard issue to grasp for so many artists who never sign their work.

If you had no idea as to the provenance or origin of this drawing and saw it, most of us would discard it as someone trying to sharpen up his pencil by running it back and forth across the paper a few times. Add a signature, location and date and immediately, with a little art history behind you, the finder may have a change to realize that he/she just found something very valuable as art.

But I still wonder if the cabbie just threw it out at the end of his shift when he was cleaning his cab. It wouldn't be the first time that someone thought that what some consider art, others see as trash.

Where are they now? Part II

You've heard this story before... I started to sell my artwork on a regular basis while I was at art school at the University of Washington in Seattle from 1977-1981. Back then I got myself a ten foot spot at the Pike Place Market, and once my school assignments were graded they were up for sale and through those years I sold hundreds, if not thousands, of art school assignments.

For almost four years, about three four times a week I would drive down to Pike Place, and later on when I was able to get some storage space for the art, take the bus... I loved those early morning bus rides, and the views of the mist rising from Montlake cut when the bus crossed the bridge from the University District where I lived, down to downtown Seattle are still some of the most wonderful memories of my life. Seattle is such a spectacularly gorgeous city.

And so I became a Pike Place Market "regular." One in the odd family of artists, craftspeople, hippies, farmers and oddfolk who made up the amazing tapestry of the market people. My prices for my student artwork were super good... most pieces went from around $20 and some were as cheap as $5. I think that the most expensive thing that I sold back in those years was probably around a couple of hundred bucks for a huge watercolor. I used to sell at the market two days during the week in order to qualify for a space on Saturdays, which was the best selling day for everyone.

The spaces were open, so in the winter it was cold and damp, and we used to get warmed by coffee from the original Starbucks, back when there was only one, or hot chocolate from the chocolate factory there.

But the bst thing that I received from my time as a Pike Place Market regular was the education in dealing with the public, presenting the work, and talking it up; that was priceless, and in a good way accounts for where I am today... I know this now.

Like I've said before, I often wonder where some of those pieces of artwork are... such as the very cool pen and ink wash piece below, which I actually did one day at the Pike Place Market itself... the subject was a Native American lady who was also a regular at the Pike Place Market, and she was nearly always knitting across from me (I think she sold knitted stuff and macramé - remember macramé?) ... and in some sort of surrealistic student path, I made her into a giant rock or massive statue... those are tiny Seattle sailboats under her. I also loved the spectacular shadow that she casts in the drawing, a shadows that demands a sun which never rises in gunmetal gray Seattle. It is a gray drawing, with a gray weather, in a gray land, with a non-existent black hole sun casting an amazing tropical shadow.


Someone in the Pacific Northwest bought it and who knows where it is now.

Best of 2005

Since I'm on the road with little time for blogging... below is a reprint (or is it repost?) from one of the most emailed-about posts in this blog... originally posted in 2005...

Waste of Time

Since we opened our first gallery in 1996, we have rarely worked with "art consultants" or "interior decorators."

Overall, the experience (in the very few times that we've worked with them) has been quite a waste of time (such as the time that we wasted months dealing with Sen. Hillary Clinton's Georgetown-based interior designers to select a work by New York painter David FeBland.

Because the focus of our galleries is contemporary representational work ("realism with a bite"), it seldom agrees with the bland, "cannot afford to insult anyone," art selection process of most major corporate and business buyers (and public art projects).

But yesterday I bit again, and delivered work by several of our artists that had been selected by a very major law firm's art consultant to possibly hang in their new meeting room in a beautiful building in downtown DC. Come in, get a badge, drive to the loading dock and start delivering work to the 9th floor. As soon as I got there I knew that our chances were slim to none, as I saw a lot of this stuff.

And the very nice and professional art consultant was horrified to see that I had brought this piece by artist Javier Gil.

"Get that out of here before anyone sees it," she advised. "Nothing like that can even be considered and it may poison their minds about the rest."

Her favorite from our four artist selection was the work of our best-selling artist David FeBland. I explained that David's works have been selling very well, especially since the Europeans have discovered his work. Since his prices have been skyrocketing (law of supply and demand), we both doubted that they'd be interested in his work, since he was by far the most expensive artist in what was being presented.

But I schlepped all the work over, including a massive, framed Maxwell MacKenzie photo.

After a few trips I return to the gallery van, which had been parked in the loading dock, as directed, to find it blocked by a truck delivering paper supplies. I ask the guy nicely if he can please move a foot so that I can leave. He cusses me out.

I then waste 10 minutes of cussing and yelling and threatening the very large truck driver, near to a fist fight with a guy who looks like George Foreman, before another huge guy comes in and breaks up the argument... all that before I can leave, now in a total black mood.

Return to DC around 3:30PM to pick up the work. Back up into the tiny loading dock, where I manage to put a huge gouge on the left side of the new gallery van (less than 800 miles on it). Then I get a large smear of grease from one of the dumpsters on the back of my new suit, which I had naturally just worn for the first time this morning. Things are going great uh?

Up to the 9th floor, which for some strange reason, in this building is actually a few steps below the 7th floor.

Not too surprisingly, none of our work had been picked. And what was picked can best be summarized as "big, bold, large abstract art," mostly by names I had never heard of.

I can't say that I blame corporate art buyers, especially in selecting work for their public meeting spaces. We're at a juncture in our history where anything that could remotely be offensive to anyone, is not part of the PC art process. When was it the last time that you saw a nude in an American airport?

On one of the trips I run into a very tall woman who had been (I think) the head of the "art pickers" from the law firm; she sees me packing the David FeBland. "That was our favorite among all the artists," she says.

"He's our best-selling painter," I replied, too tired to inquire as to why he wasn't selected (I already know: price). On the massive table I see the work selected; around 20-30 pieces of mostly abstract, large, work.

Waste of my time; scratch on my new van; possibly a ruined suit; and near fist fight with a huge burly truckdriver... another day in the life of an art dealer.

Roadtrippin'

On the road for a few days, but will keep up... meanwhile Craftweek in DC was a huge success last week as the collecting craft world big names descended upon the capital.

I've heard about the great talk at WPA on the distinctions of and issues raised by definitions of Craft vs Art - I am told that the moderator, my good friend Jeffrey Cudlin, a terrific artist and curator, and a superb critic who can be a bit of an egghead on art theory in my plebeian opinion, delivered quite a funny and thoughtful panel.

The tug o' war afterwards? The winner of the tug-o-war was craft.

On Thursday one of the events was the Smithsonian Journeys tour through the various artists' studio - bringing a national group of collectors to see our area artists.

Friday's demos of work by the artists in the Mt Rainier studios along the tracks went well and the gala - Venetian Carnivale - went very well - actually was quite a bit of fun I am told. Highlights included the full on, three-act, choreographed fire spinning performance (don't know the name of the local group of fire people) and having the party crashed by Mount Rainier Mayor Malinda Miles (not too often do you get your party crashed by the local Hizzoner).

My sources tell me that members of the James Renwick Alliance said that the event was the most fun they had in the 15 years that they have gone to these annual galas. They loved the interaction with the artist studios - the work, the spaces - it was all fun and fresh.

The heart and soul of a working artist, standing on the shoulders of giants can best be told by the exchange with an ubercollector and a DC area artist. The artist tells me that the collector

"had bought a piece of mine a year or so ago, and was telling me about where it was located in her home. She said that she put it next to the work of a 'famous sculptor' - but could not remember his name. Someone very famous... deceased... but could not remember his name. She was a bit flummoxed and tried to remember other things to jog her memory - he was Asian... but still could not remember. So I tossed out the most unlikely name I could think of - Noguchi?

That was it - Isamu Noguchi.

Talk about being gobsmacked. My work next to a Noguchi. I thought you being a Frida-phile would appreciate the story.

There's something simple and innocent and appreciative in that story that makes me proud to know such artists.

City-rama


Prints & drawings by Sidney Lawrence, opening Thursday, April 30, 5-7 p.m. at Leopold’s Kafe & Konditorei (3318 M St, NW (Cady’s Alley) in Georgetown). Show continues through July 6, 2009.

Party time

"In Washington, you'll never know who you'll meet on the social circuit. We gathered some of the interesting people we'd want to run into at a party, and got them on video talking about what they love about Washington, what makes a good party, and more."

Jessica Sidman
Washingtonian

See the video here.

Artists' Websites: Jessie Lehson

Jessie Lehson is inspired, hard-working, focused, and moving forward fast and she's been in a ton of activities lately.



She will have a focus exhibition opening soon at the Greater Reston Art Center (Exhibition: April 25- June 6, 2009, Reception: May 2, 2009); she is a Sondheim Prize finalist and will be in an exhibition at the Baltimore Museum of Art (Exhibition: June 20- August 16, 2009); and she was a 2009 recipient of the Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award.

She also had work featured recently in Once again, again; Rhythm and repetition, at the McLean Project for the Arts, McLean, VA; I Heart Art Auction & the 2008 Under the Bridge Festival, DUMBO Art Center, Brooklyn, NY; A Clean Break, curated by Angela Jerardi at Minima Gallery (off-site), Philadelphia, PA; and Bright Shin , New Paperwork Gallery, Baltimore, MD.

That's what you call an artist that everyone needs to keep an eye on. Visit her website here.

Where are they now?

I started to sell my artwork on a regular basis while I was at art school at the University of Washington in Seattle from 1977-1981. Back then I got myself a spot at the Pike Place Market, and once my school assignments were graded they were up for sale and through those years I sold hundreds, if not thousands, of art school assignments.

Mind you, the prices were good... most pieces went from around $20 and some were as cheap as $5. I think that the most expensive thing that I sold back in those years was probably around a couple of hundred bucks. I used to sell at the market two days during the week in order to qualify for a space on Saturdays, which was the best selling day for everyone.

But the education in dealing with the public, presenting the work, and talking it up, was priceless, and in a good way accounts for where I am today... I think.

Sometimes I wonder where some of those pieces of artwork are... such as the rather large viscosity print below, which I created in some long forgotten printmaking class, using my finger on the plate to create the female pear figure.


I got a pretty good grade on that piece... I kept changing its name... it was once titled "Hot Flashes." And who knows how much I sold it for, but someone in the Pacific Northwest bought it and who knows where it is now.

Pulitzering

The NYT's Holland Cotter won a Pulitzer for art criticism, which is a good (if rare for art criticism) thing... but deep in the weeds of this post about Cotter, in the updates between two clashing bloggers, is the news that for the first time the Pulitzer jury committee took the entry fee from an online visual arts blogger and reviewed the entry.

That's a good thing.

It is easy to predict that sometime in the near future, when the wheel of fortune clicks on art criticism again, that we may see a Pulitzer handed out to a blogging critic/reporter somewhere on the internets.

The power of the web.

Road trip

Starting tomorrow I will be on the road through the end of next week... two cities in six days... more later.

Newspaper bleeds

The Chicago Tribune has laid off a ton of people, including its art critic. Details and list here.

Wanna go to an opening Saturday?

Black and White, the art of three local artists (Tyler Matthew Oyer, Shawn Martinbrough and Anthony Patrick Jones II) opens at Art Whino on Saturday April 25th, from 6pm-Midnight.

More art scam artists

Beware of these email scam artists trying to rip you off:

Calos David
calos.david2504@gmail.com

Message:
Hi how are you doing,i will like to buy your art work (name of work) to my new apartment in Copenhagen,so let me know if we can a have deal on it Thanks
____________________________________
Penn Cage
penncage@dfsservices.us

Message:
Please Let me know your artworks that are still available for sale. Penn Cage.

____________________________________

Steve Adams
steveadams7199@yahoo.com

Message:
Hello to you out there. I am so excited that I came across of your work on internet search,I am interested in purchasing some creative artworks from you let me know their various prices.and how much discounts are you going to give? I will be happy to have these selected artworks hanged in our new home in South Africa. As well, I want you to take out the shipping cost.I have been in touch with a shipping firm that will be shipping other house decoratives, We are travelling from our Dallas home to our new apartment as soon as possible.On Paying for the artworks,I will be glad to pay you with a Cashier check or Money order from the U.S Bank that can be easily cashed at your local bank,please let me know on how to proceed, Have a wonderful day. Take Care, Mr Steve Adams....

____________________________________

Jane Francis
jan.fran01@yahoo.com

Hi,
Happy New Year. Hope this message finds you well. I saw these creatives works on your web site and i will like you to get back with more details if they are still available for purchase.
I will appreciate an urgent reply.

Best Regards,
Janet.

12x12

Jesse Cohen and his artdc.org crew will be hanging a show at their new space to coincide with the Hyattsville Arts Festival on May 16 11am-5pm.

They're going to hang a 12x12 show and they're looking for art that can fit 1ft x 1ft spots. All art must have a wire, capable of hanging on a hook, and be less than 10 pounds. Painting, printing, photography, 2-d sculpture, reliefs, and more. Each slot will be sold for $12.00, and all artists must be artdc.org members. They will hang at least 100 works of art, and slots will be first come first serve. All works from paid slots will have 0% commission and 100% of those sales go towards the artist.

Details here.

So far the following artists will be exhibiting work:

Tammy Vittale
Cheryl Edwards
Susan Crane
Sherill Anne Gross
Michael Auger
Jennifer Maben Bishop
Edward Hahn
Andrew Hendricks
Genevieve Lynn
Heather M. Schmaedeke
Paul Farley
Michael Woodward
Mara Odette Guerrero
Kimberly Stark
Matt Sesow
Dana Ellyn
Ric Garcia
Jennifer Verrier
John Grillo Lucien
Lisa Rosenstein
Jessica Hensley
Lynne Venart
Judith Kim
Meghan Taylor
Angela Kleis
Caren Quinn
Sean Welker
Jennifer Beinhacker
Jeannette Gordon
Julianne Fuchs-Musgrave
Liliane Blom
Loretta Thompson
Tara Kocourek
James Landry
Henrik Sundqvist
Laurie Breen
Eric Ginsburg
Steven Dobin
Jason James Cresswell
Davin Tarr
Liliane Blom
Deborah Winram
Roy Utley
Robert Fox
Caroline Dolan
Juan Pineda