Art Gallery of Potomac

I finally dropped by the check out The Art Gallery of Potomac (10107 River Road, Potomac, Maryland 20854), which as far as I know is the only art gallery in uberwealthy Potomac, Maryland (more on that later).

The gallery occupies a huge space next to Walgreens, on a former store space of horse riding supplies. After they tore down the stalls and assorted other horsey stuff, what remained behind, an industrial shell of a large space, is perfect for an art gallery: white walls, industrial-looking and raw.

After the horse store closed and the space remained empty and vacant for a while, I was told that a couple of years the artists from Potomac Artists in Touch (PAinT), got together and approached the landlord, and offered to run a gallery in the space until a paying tenant could be found (the "for lease" sign hangs prominently on the front window).

So far they've managed to last a couple of years and instead of an ugly, closed up space, Potomac's only local source of original art is now a mainstay in the Village and the only art gallery in one of the nation's wealthiest barrios.

Most of the work on exhibit appeared to be from PAinT members (Judith Bourzutschy, Colette Calilhanna, Karin Colton, Terri Cunningham, Cherry Dearie, Felisa Federman, Claire Howard, Anne Martinez, Yolanda Prinsloo, Bess Rodiquez Richard and Martha Lechner Spak), although I know that other artists also show there (the current featured show is by Anne Martinez, and it is titled "Portraits of Love" and is an exhibition of pet portraits as well as works by Stephen Dell'Aria, Merry Lymn, David Therriault and others), and I recall that the very talented Jessica Van Brakle also once showed there a while back.

Like any big group show, there was some saccharine work on exhibition, and artwork that ranged from raw amateur -both in display and artwork itself - to accomplished pieces breathing with talent and skill.

Of all the artists in the gallery, the only one that I was familiar with was the work of Argentinean artist Felicia Federman, who is a very dynamic artist and who is always exhibiting somewhere around the DMV throughout the year. Her mixed media works are her strongest skill set and those mixed media pieces are some of the best on exhibition now.

I also liked some of the work by South African-born artist Yolanda Prinsloo, who (if her portrait in her business card is accurate) is a dead ringer for Frida Kahlo!

Overall, my kudos to this hard working group of artists who took an empty shell of a space in Potomac Village and turned it into Potomac's only art gallery, which tells you something about art collectors in the DMV. I only hope that Potomac residents continue to support this artist-driven effort and hope that the landlord never leases this space.

Strasburg on the mound today


Stephen Strasburg will be taking the mound tonight for the Potomac Nationals in the opener of a three-game series against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans as the fireballer continues his comeback from Tommy John elbow surgery and thus allowing me to continue to create cartoons about him...

Rousseau on new shows

Dr. Claudia Rousseau, writing in The Gazette, reviews the show of the young artists mentored by Susana Raab, Tim Tate and yours truly.

Two interesting and high-quality exhibits, full of experiment and new ideas, are on view: “Fine Artists in Residence” at the Mansion at Strathmore in North Bethesda and “ARTbeat” at the Artery Plaza Gallery in Bethesda.

The Strathmore show is the culmination of FineAIR, a six-month residency program that paired local emerging artists with established professional artist mentors in related disciplines and media. The show demonstrates how successful this program has been in creating a nurturing environment for both mentors and AIRs. Included in the exhibit is new work by the four AIRs as well as work by their mentors. For its variety, its conceptual breadth and technical excellence, this is among the best exhibits I have seen in this venue. Kudos to Fine Art Program and Education Manager Holly Haliniewski who is largely responsible for managing the program and organizing the exhibit.

Read the whole review here.

Airport ditches art in favor of ads

(Via) This story is just another sad reminder of where art stands in many public organizations' list of priorities.

If you’ve been to the Indianapolis International Airport, you’ve probably admired the artwork in the main terminal. But if you want to see an Indiana artist's centerpiece project, you’d better look quickly because it's about to be taken down.

The artwork called “Chrysalis” sits at the center of one of the busiest passenger intersections in the terminal, and it was commissioned for the space where it hangs. Whether going to get your bags or just passing through, odds are you are going to see the piece.

Airport ditches art in favor of ads; artist disappointed : wishtv.com

Read the whole article and story here.

Registration for the Frederick Artomatic is now underway

Visit www.artomaticfrederick.org

Registration continues through September 9 - Sign up to reserve a space now!

Frederick Artomatic will run from September 28 - November 6.

Tomorrow: Synergy

Synergy is an exhibition of artwork by the Torpedo Factory's 2011 Visiting Artists - who were selected this year by yours truly!

Exhibition Dates: August 11 – 28

Reception: August 11, 6-9pm during Second Thursday Art Night

Location: Site 2 and Site 3 Galleries, Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 N. Union Street, Alexandria, VA

Additional information: To learn more about the Visiting Artist Program click here.

The Torpedo Factory Art Center presents this summer’s 2011 artists in the Visiting Artist Program in an exhibition entitled Synergy. The Visiting Artist Program, the Torpedo Factory Artist Association’s residency program, invites artists both emerging and experienced from around the nation to become a part of its art-making community for a summer. This year’s juror, F. Lennox Campello, international award-winning artist, author of leading art blog Daily Campello Art News, curator, art critic, and writer in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, PA, chose 11 artists for the 2011 summer program. This residency awarded these artists with the opportunity to create in a Torpedo Factory studio from June until August for one, two, or all three months.


This year’s selected artists are: Mark Thomas Anderson (Arlington, VA); M. Chava Evans (Baltimore, MD); Allison Long Hardy (Woodbridge, VA); Katie Latona (Champaign, IL); Heather McCaw (Washington, DC); Emily Moorhead (Cincinnati, OH); Linda Morrell (Castleton, NY); Liza Myers (Brandon, VT); Drew Parris (Stevensville, MD); Fierce Sonia (Alexandria, VA); Kazaan Viveiros (Alexandria, VA).

Synergy stems from the cohesive objective expressed by the visiting artists to fill their time at the Torpedo Factory Art Center (TFAC) with new audience exposure, fresh inspiration from within the TFAC and abroad, and productive studio time that, in totality, amounts to an influential and wholesome experience. Conversely, their synergy translates into quite diverse works that ranges from detritus-based installations to graphite renderings. The exhibition Synergy is centered on this aspect and displays artwork created by each artist during residency and presents interviews conducted at the start of summer on each as well. The exhibited imagery portrays each artist’s perspective and the questionnaire conveys each artist’s anticipations and aspirations for the program in a literary art form. The visiting artists’ unique creativity and individuality permeates through while collectively they comprise this summer’s 2011 Visiting Artist Program.

Join us August 11th from 6-9pm for the opening reception to Synergy held in conjunction with the Torpedo Factory Art Center’s (TFAC) Second Thursday Art Night. Come visit Site 2 and 3 Galleries on the second and third floors of the art center and view synergized art, read insightful interviews, and talk to the visiting artists!

See ya there

Trawick Opens Sept. 1

The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards will feature the work of 11 artists from Sept. 1 - 30 at the Artery Plaza Gallery located at 7200 Wisconsin Avenue.

Gallery hours are Wed. - Sat., 12-6pm.

An opening reception will be held on Friday, Sept. 9 from 6-9pm. The Trawick Prize is celebrating its 9th year of honoring regional artists with $14,000 in prize monies. See the complete list of exhibiting artists here.

Five of the 11 finalists are from Baltimore, and two from the District.

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: September 9, 2011.

Capitol Arts Network is accepting entries through September 9 for this all-media show opening October 14th.

Ladies, take off your aprons and join us in front of the sketchpad, canvas, or behind the lens! Cornucopia will present female artists' renderings of food, in celebration of October marking national apple, popcorn, caramel, pineapple, and vegetarian month, among others. Show us your best 2-d works of art for a show that will also benefit the The Manna Food Bank, serving Montgomery County, MD. Jurors Catriona Fraser, Judith HeartSong, and Missy Loewe are CAN board members. Catriona Fraser is the owner and Director of the Fraser Gallery, an independent fine art gallery established in 1996, specializing in contemporary fine art and photography. Judith HeartSong works as an artist, muralist, and arts educator in Metropolitan Washington, DC with work in numerous public and private collections. Missy Loewe is the Executive Director of the Washington School of Photography.

See www.capitolartsnetwork.com for further information.

Goodbye - Hello to Jeffry Cudlin

As of this week, Jeffry Cudlin, the curator of the Arlington Arts Center, is no longer a full-time employee of the Arlington Arts Center (more on the word parsing ("full time") later...

Starting this Fall, Cudlin will be teaching at MICA as a full-time Professor of Curatorial Studies and Practice. His duties include "running the undergraduate curatorial studies concentration and co-teaching the first year practicum of George Ciscle's brand new MFA in Curatorial Practice."

He already boasts that "Our students are going to build some great shows."

This is not the end of Cudlin's association with AAC, where in my opinion he has made a formidable impact for the better and truly steered the AAC in whole new direction, again for the better.

Cudlin says that he will continue working with them as a consultant, and he's currently curating a show set to open at AAC in January of 2012 titled SHE GOT GAME--a show about images of women in sports.

I know two things already: (a) AAC will miss Cudlin's curatorial eye and sensibilities, and (b) MICA will gain not only a talented artist who as a professor I suspect will continue to be somewhat of a theoretical Poindexter who is also a proven intelligent and versatile curator, but also a warm human being who is going to give it all and more to his students.

And I believe him: I bet that we'll soon be seeing some great student-built shows coming out of MICA.

Fair winds and following seas, Jeffry!

Jenkins on Zenith

Washington is not home to a lot of capital-A artists, whose personalities (and self-marketing mechanisms) are as big as their work. Such swaggering figures are especially unlikely in a show representing the upscale, near-suburban precincts of Chevy Chase. But Zenith Gallery’s “The Character of Chevy Chase” doesn’t feature the dabblers, even if some of the participants pursue (or pursued) their art part-time.

Read Mark Jenkins' review of the current show at Zenith Gallery -- in the WaPo here.

DC Arts Center Decathlon

The District of Columbia Arts Center (DCAC) announces the DC Arts Center Decathlon. After centuries of specialization in art that has relied on labels like painter, sculptor, photographer, etc., the District of Columbia Arts Center has asked individual artists who work or reside within a 100 mile radius of Washington, DC to submit proposals that explore the significance of what being “unspecialized” means to being a working artist today.

Submissions have been narrowed down by DC Arts Center’s Visual Arts Committee to a slate of semi-finalists: Shanthi Chandrasekar, Lee Gainer, Lisa Rosenstein, and Mary Woodall. These four artists will exhibit their works in the following ten artistic events: Textiles/Fiber Art, Painting, Drawing, Printmaking, Photography, Collage, Sound, Video, Conceptual Art, and Sculpture.

During the six-month run-up to the exhibition opening on January 13, 2012, commentators will “cover” the progress of the decathletes as they create the work for the show. The selected commentators, Buck Downs, Ryan and Hays Holladay (Bluebrain), Patrick McDonough, and Karen Joan Topping, have each been assigned an artist and will visit that artist once a month. After each visit the commentator will post interviews, commentaries, photographs, and/or video on DCAC’s blog (www.dcacdecathlon.wordpress.com). Artists are also encouraged to document their progress on the blog.

By hosting this good-natured competition, DCAC hopes to spark debate around the issue of what it means to be the best all-around artist, challenge individuals to try their hand at new disciplines, and give exposure to artists who already embrace working in various media. The competition will take place from July 2011 until the exhibition at DCAC from January 13 to February 5, 2012. The exhibition will culminate in a medal ceremony, but only one artist will walk away with gold.

The Facts:
DC Arts Center Decathlon
July 2011 – February 5, 2012
Opening Reception: Friday, January 13, 2012, 7–9pm
Closing and Medal Ceremony: Sunday, February 5, 2012
Contact: info@dcartscenter.org,call 202-462-7833, online at www.dcartscenter.org

Synergy

Synergy is an exhibition of artwork by the Torpedo Factory's 2011 Visiting Artists - who were selected this year by yours truly!

Exhibition Dates: August 11 – 28

Reception: August 11, 6-9pm during Second Thursday Art Night

Location: Site 2 and Site 3 Galleries, Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 N. Union Street, Alexandria, VA

Additional information: To learn more about the Visiting Artist Program click here.

The Torpedo Factory Art Center presents this summer’s 2011 artists in the Visiting Artist Program in an exhibition entitled Synergy. The Visiting Artist Program, the Torpedo Factory Artist Association’s residency program, invites artists both emerging and experienced from around the nation to become a part of its art-making community for a summer. This year’s juror, F. Lennox Campello, international award-winning artist, author of leading art blog Daily Campello Art News, curator, art critic, and writer in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, PA, chose 11 artists for the 2011 summer program. This residency awarded these artists with the opportunity to create in a Torpedo Factory studio from June until August for one, two, or all three months.


This year’s selected artists are: Mark Thomas Anderson (Arlington, VA); M. Chava Evans (Baltimore, MD); Allison Long Hardy (Woodbridge, VA); Katie Latona (Champaign, IL); Heather McCaw (Washington, DC); Emily Moorhead (Cincinnati, OH); Linda Morrell (Castleton, NY); Liza Myers (Brandon, VT); Drew Parris (Stevensville, MD); Fierce Sonia (Alexandria, VA); Kazaan Viveiros (Alexandria, VA).

Synergy stems from the cohesive objective expressed by the visiting artists to fill their time at the Torpedo Factory Art Center (TFAC) with new audience exposure, fresh inspiration from within the TFAC and abroad, and productive studio time that, in totality, amounts to an influential and wholesome experience. Conversely, their synergy translates into quite diverse works that ranges from detritus-based installations to graphite renderings. The exhibition Synergy is centered on this aspect and displays artwork created by each artist during residency and presents interviews conducted at the start of summer on each as well. The exhibited imagery portrays each artist’s perspective and the questionnaire conveys each artist’s anticipations and aspirations for the program in a literary art form. The visiting artists’ unique creativity and individuality permeates through while collectively they comprise this summer’s 2011 Visiting Artist Program.

Join us August 11th from 6-9pm for the opening reception to Synergy held in conjunction with the Torpedo Factory Art Center’s (TFAC) Second Thursday Art Night. Come visit Site 2 and 3 Galleries on the second and third floors of the art center and view synergized art, read insightful interviews, and talk to the visiting artists!

See ya there

Right now...

What book is #47 #39 in Amazon's Bestsellers in Museums & Art Collections Books??

Right now... when this post goes up - don't know about tomorrow, or an hour from now...

Dude!

Reviews Requested

Now that many of you have finally received your copy of the 100 Artists of Washington, DC book in the mail, I'd love some reviews on Amazon.

Click here to post a review.

Drawing: Opportunity for Artists

Herewith a Call for Artists to take part in an exhibition based on the theme of drawing. The title of the exhibition is "Drawing Connections" and brings artists from all over the world together to celebrate the act of drawing on a postcard-sized work.

Details here.

All work will be documented and exhibited during the inaugural exhibition of the Siena Art Institute, 24th Sept 2011. They will also make a free downloadable catalogue from the exhibition with the names of each of the artists, medium and title. A selection committee will choose the winning postcard to be published as the cover design for the exhibition catalogue.

What they request:

- Format: Artwork should be on a postcard-sized surface, paper, card, canvas or other material (15 x 10.5cm)

- Included with work a separate sheet of paper with title, name, date and medium.

- Entry Fee: None

- Title: Drawing Connections

- Medium: Any! Must fit within the dimensions of (15 x 10.5cm)

- Deadline: Sept 15th 2011

- Send to: Drawing Connections, Siena Art Institute, Via Tommaso Pendola 37, 53100 Siena, Italy.

- Contact : info@sienaart.org & www.sienaart.org

Return of works: Work cannot be returned to the artist, unless you wish to make payment-on-delivery arrangements through UPS for the return of your postcard. At the end of the exhibition, the original pieces along with the label information will be collected into a bound portfolio to remain in the collection of the Siena Art Institute library.

Selection: While we intend to display all submitted postcards, we reserve the right to not display artwork with profane or pornographic imagery since the "Drawing Connections" exhibition will take place alongside our community arts programming.

Contact: Lisa Nonken
email: info@sienaart.org
Phone: +39 0577 532001
Website: Click here

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: August 26, 2011

Toys: Re-imagine, Re-invent, Re-discover
October 14, 2011 – January 8, 2012
Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center
Prospectus: click here
All media; small to large scale works; cash awards

This exhibit seeks works of art that use toys and children’s playthings as the inspiration, subject matter, and/or medium with the goal of creating playful, amusing, nostalgic, or poignant commentaries on the role of toys in our lives. We all hold fond memories of special toys that yielded hours of entertainment, and many of us can vividly remember when a treasured toy was lost, broken, stolen, or otherwise retired. For these reasons and more, toys can be a powerful art medium, conjuring up both treasured and difficult memories of childhood, past friendships, and other recollections.

From the utterly outrageous to the sappy and sentimental, this exhibit will include all media, small to large scale. The exhibit will be installed in the Main Gallery of the Arts Building, but a small number of outdoor works will be considered for the Sculpture Garden. Cash awards will be presented.

The exhibit will be up during Garden In Lights, Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Art Center’s award-winning holiday light show. In the spirit of the holiday season, and with the thousands of families in mind who will visit during this festive time, the jury seeks works that are engaging, and fun, and above all, playful!

Rebecca D'Angelo on the book release party

Herewith some terrific photographs of the 100 Artists of Washington, DC book release party by the Washington Post's talented photographer Rebecca D'Angelo.

Alexa Meade and Victoria F. Gaitán

Jeff Spaulding, Andrea Pollan and Leigh Conner

Alexa Meade

Alexa Meade

Victoria and Alberto Gaitán

Academy 2011 at Conner

Erwin Timmers and Carolina Mayorga (in the background)

Erwin Timmers and Carolina Mayorga checking out the book

Leigh Conner

Me

Lida Moser and Dr. Alida Anderson de Campello

Steve Krensky, Lida Moser and Dr. Alida Anderson de Campello

Me again

Robin Rose

Academy 2011

Amy Lin

Amy Lin

Pat Goslee, Victor Ekpuk and Lynn Silvester

Manon Cleary

Renee Kitani and Margarida Kendall-Hull

J.J. McCracken

Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition

Deadline: October 31, 2011

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery seeks entries for the next “Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition.” The juried exhibition is open to artists over the age of 18 who may submit portraits in any visual-art medium, including painting, drawing, sculpture, prints, photography, electronic and digital media.

Works must have been created after January 1, 2010.

Submissions may be submitted online at portraitcompetition.si.edu between September 1 to October 31. The work of finalists will be shown in a major exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, March 22, 2013–January 4, 2014. The grand-prize winner will receive a $25,000 cash award and have the opportunity for a separate commission to portray a remarkable living American for the gallery’s collection. In addition, entrants may be featured on face2face.si.edu, the gallery’s blog, as the competition unfolds. Please visit this website for more information about the submission process.

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: Sept. 1, 2011

Lehman College Art Gallery is looking for work indebted to the style and energy of comic book imagery for its upcoming exhibition Under the Influence: The Comics and Contemporary Art (Feb. – May 2012).

The exhibition will explore the topic through a broad range of media. Please send: 1) a CD with up to 5 jpgs,. 2) a printout of each image. 3) a resume. 4) a stamped, self-addressed envelope for return if you want materials back. Address:

Lehman College Art Gallery
Attn: Under the Influence: The Comics
250 Bedford Park Blvd West
Bronx, NY 10468

Book on Ebay stores

For some reason, some of you are having issues getting the 100 Artists of Washington, DC book on Amazon - an alternative is Ebay, where a few book dealers have the book now and it ships free! Check them out here.