Me in the Med
That's me and my second-born (Elise) floating in the Mediterranean around 1992... Check out that tan line! And below is a pic of her now as an actress and model...
Elise Lenna Campello
Since 2003... the 11th highest ranked art blog on the planet! And with over SIX million visitors, F. Lennox Campello's art news, information, gallery openings, commentary, criticism, happenings, opportunities, and everything associated with the global visual arts scene with a special focus on the Greater Washington, DC area.
Opportunity for Artists
Deadline: Friday, October 28, 2011
The gorgeous BlackRock Center For the Arts is accepting entries for their October 2012 - August 2013 exhibit season.
You can download the prospectus here.
Eligibility: Open to all artists 18 years and over residing in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC.
Special Consideration: Artists who are willing to conduct a lecture or workshop for a BlackRock standard fee will receive special consideration during the selection process.
About the Gallery: BlackRock Center for the Arts gallery is 1500 square feet of exquisite gallery space located in Germantown, Maryland. With its high neutral walls and beautiful windows strategically placed it allows in just the right amount of natural light. The windows are located above the walls which makes it an ideal space for fiber art. BlackRock Center for the Arts takes pride in the eclectic group of artists we have exhibited in the gallery since 2002.
Jurors: Jack Rasmussen: Director and Curator of the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center in Washington, DC.
Jodi Walsh: mixed medium artist, curator, national speaker, owner and Gallery Director of Gallery 555 in Washington, DC.
Carol Brown Goldberg: professional fine artist and lecturer, Carol has been exhibiting her work locally and internationally over the past 36 years.
Artomatic baby!
Now that the Big Bang of (e)merge and 30 Americans has taken the DMV by storm and following in the footsteps of the DMV's amazing Artomatic's footsteps, Artomatic @ Frederick opens its doors on September 28 and runs through November 6.
Artists are occupying 27,000 sq ft in the former Frederick County Public School Central Office Building at 115 E. Church St. in historic downtown Frederick. This mega, mega, mega arts event includes 300+ visual artists and 100+ performing artists.
Did you get that performance art lovers?....... 100+ performing artists!
A ribbon cutting ceremony and "Meet the Artists" night is being held on Saturday, October 1, starting at 5 PM. More information: www.artomaticfrederick.org!
Five gets you ten that the WaPo ignores this...
Artinfo on (e)merge
So, will (e)merge return? The nation's capital, according to the fair organizers, has youth, vitality, a "tremendous interest in culture," and, perhaps most importantly of all, wealth (the suburbs of Washington include many of the wealthiest communities in the nation). All that is left is convincing the D.C. upper crust that they should be spending their money on art.Read the whole article here.
That, it seems, might prove to be harder to do than to say. As Mayer Fine Art's Lenny Campello said during a Friday lull, "A curator here would rather take a cab to Dulles to see an emerging artist in Berlin than take a cab to Georgetown to see an emerging artist at a local gallery." Still, (e)merge was a step in the right direction.
Anne Marchand at King Street Gallery
Anne Marchand will give a short talk about her work in the show, "Of Shining Worlds: Recent Paintings by Anne Marchand" curated by Claudia Rousseau. Artist Tom Block, a scholar of medieval literature, will do a reading of poems by Rumi, the great early thirteenth century Persian mystical poet. Maurice Sedacca, a musician and composer from New York, will play a prelude and accompanying music on the the guitar and the oud, a middle eastern instrument that is the forerunner of the lute.
Location: The King Street Gallery is located on the ground floor of The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Arts Center on the west side of the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus off Georgia Avenue at 930 King Street. Parking is available in the West Garage, which is located immediately behind the Arts Center.
RSVP Facebook Event Page here
The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Arts Center
The King Street Gallery
930 King Street
Silver Spring, MD 20910
240-567-5821
until every shape has found its city
Reston, VA: GRACE (Greater Reston Arts Center) is pleased to present until every shape has found its city with Evan Reed from September 29 through November 12, 2011. The exhibition explores the intersection of art, literature, and architecture through complex sculptures and drawings that transcend literal interpretations.Using commonplace materials – lumber, plaster, wall board, and nails – Evan Reed creates fantastical sculptures that reference reality but travel beyond into the realm of imagination. His “impossible buildings” with skewed framing, walled-off rooms, and disappearing passages invite the viewer to slip through reality and enter an alternative space where architectural forms become departure points for dreams.
What's the next big art event in town?
"30 Americans showcases works by many of the most important African American artists of the last three decades. This provocative exhibition focuses on issues of racial, sexual, and historical identity in contemporary culture while exploring the powerful influence of artistic legacy and community across generations."Check it out online here.
(e)merge day three
That somewhat odd pic of me was taken at (e)merge by Tim Tate.
Today was the last day, and even though people traffic was a little slower, towards the 4PM hour, it increased and then suddenly there were five good sales at once: one of the very cool self contained video installations by the very young John Miles Runner (who I think was the hit of the MFA room), two paintings by Sheila Giolitti and three more drawings by yours truly.... yeah buddy!
The hot wire known as Mera Rubell dropped by the space during the day (she'd also come by the day before to chat), bringing in some of her friends and colleagues, and said some very nice things about both my work and Giolitti's paintings. Several of them stayed behind after she left, chatting and asking for business cards. That dynamo of a woman is something else, and her presence in the DC art scene is electric; I also met her gigantic husband, who is also a very nice guy.
Who was the (e)merging star from (e)merge? I predict that it will be Wilmer Wilson IV. The kid was on fire and I am told that some key collectors were picking up the photographs of his performances. Get him now (I've already have and plan to get some more).
Was (e)merge a success? Only time and 2012 will tell, but as an experienced art gallery participant (as critic, artist and dealer), I can tell you that (e)merge's success can be best measured by the fact that in its first year, it felt like an established art fair. I know, I know... were people buying art? That's the key question and the main one that gallerists use to measure a fair's success, especially in these times of financial austerity.
However, and lacking any empirical financial/sales data, it certainly "felt" like most other successful art fairs: some galleries appeared to do well, some appeared to have broken even (always a "success") and some appeared to have sold nothing. That's what happens at every art fair on the planet.
However Number Two: (e)merge is more (at least for the DMV) that just a fair:
(a) It sparked a satellite fair which in turn gestated a couple more satellites of its own; this is good for our art scene.
(b) It brought a small number of art collectors from New York and other places to DC instead of the other way around and I think they were pleased.
(c) It broke through the art apathy of the Washington Post, even if it was the typical snarkellitist diatribe of Philip Kennicott (did you notice that I've just invented a new word?) Note to the WaPo: Next time send Michael O'Sullivan please.
(d) It brought cool, new (and even snarkier) art bloggers to DC.
(e) It was a key element in getting the immensely talented Victoria F. Gaitán hooked up with Conner Contemporary.
(f) It will prove to be the launching pad for Wilmer Wilson IV's art career and I'm betting that several other unrepresented artists will be picked up by galleries.
(g) It got semi-naked people into the Skyline Hotel's pool - that's tame by Miami standards, but a first for a Washington art event.
(e)merge 2012 coming up...
(e)merge day two
Whatever ends up happening with (e)merge - and I think that good things will happen - one issue is clear: they have brought in the crowds.
People were constantly streaming in throughout the day, and very heavy at night. It is clear the buzz of (e)merge has worked in bringing in people to the Skyline Hotel, and the question now is: "is anyone selling artwork?"
I can only discuss what's happening on the third floor, since I haven't had the time or opportunity to escape room 313 and visit the other galleries on the second floor, but today was the first day that red dots began to show up in the rarified upper floor of the fair, as most of the spaces there were selling work today.
My dealer sold a massive 7 feet by 7 feet woodcut by Virginia artist John Miles Runner (currently living in Japan - see image above) to a Baltimore collector. She also sold one of my video drawings (yay!) to a well-known DC art collecting couple who have recently re-located as well as a couple of loose drawings.
That's Tim Tate below reversing the process on art paparazzi and uberartcollector Steve Krensky.
And that's someone checking out two of my video drawings. The one on the left is the one that sold.
Tomorrow is the last day - let's hope it doesn't rain when we all have to compete for the elevators to take the art to the street and reload all the vans and trucks... come see some artwork!
(e)merge day one
I never got to the pool deck last night, but I was told by reliable sources that at one time about 1500 people were jamming the Skyline's famed pool area for (e)merge's opening party.
"Some folks were jumping in the pool and swimming around in their clothes or their underwear," reported the very young reporter from one of the newspapers' covering DC's cool new art fair.
"Was anyone naked?" asked you-know-who.
"Naw..."
OK, so maybe next year.
The pre-opening party night was packed, as I reported yesterday, and (as an astute observer of the DC art scene) I can tell you that there were a lot of new faces, in addition to the usual suspects; this is a good thing... and I've never seen so many gigantic women in one place in my life. Where are all these Amazons coming from all of a sudden?
Meander: Did I mention that I was involved in a car (actually van) crash on the way to the fair? Don't ask.
I have my work in room 313, as I am being represented by MFA, my hardworking Virginia dealer.
I have three video drawings there; this is the one (which is hanging in the bathroom... oh yeah - The Lenster tricked out the head into a cool mini gallery), which has been gathering the most commentary:
(e)merge
(e)merge opened tonight and the joint was packed to the gills... saw lots of familiar faces, many of whom were greeted by Kristina Bilonick's crew of cheerleaders.
I didn't have much time to look at the artwork in most of the galleries, but I've already picked an amazing piece of artwork to buy from one of the galleries on the third deck - I think I'll get it tomorrow. The very quick walk-through through the ground floor revealed a lot of really good work from the individual artists showcased there.
Opening Tonight
Zenith Gallery hosts "Visual Voices" - an exhibition of DC area artists profiled in the new book "100 Artists of the Mid-Atlantic" by E. Ashley Rooney. The show at Zenith Gallery will open with a Book-signing Party with the author and artists, tonight, September 21, 6:00 – 8:30pm, and remains on display through October 29, 2011.
Visual Voices - featuring works by: Alan Binstock, Joan Danziger, Julie Girardini, Margery Goldberg, Robert Jackson, Michael Janis, Joan Konkel, Ann Marchand, Donna McCollough, Davis Morton, Carol Newmyer, Marc Rubin, Barton Rubenstein, Sica, Ellen Sinel, Betsy Stewart, Cassie Taggert, Tim Tate, Erwin Timmers, Paul Martin Wolf, Joyce Zipperer and yours truly.
Book Party, Meet the Author and Artists
Wednesday September 21, 6 - 9 PM
Exhibition: September 21 - October 29, 2011
Zenith Gallery at Chevy Chase Pavilion, second level next to Embassy Suites Chevy Chase Pavilion, 5335 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington DC 20015
Opportunity for Photographers
Deadline: November 15, 2011
Call For Exhibit Proposals 2012 - Photoworks Exhibit Committee
The Photoworks Exhibit Committee invites photographers to submit a proposal for a group or solo photography exhibition in 2012 at Photoworks Gallery in historic Glen Echo Park. Proposals must be received on or before the November 15, 2011 deadline.
Photography Exhibition Dates:
1. March 2 - April 9, 2012
2. June 15 - July 23, 2012
3. September 7 - October 15, 2012
4. November 16, 2012 - January 17, 2013
Deadline for Exhibit Proposal Submissions: NOVEMBER 15, 2011
Visit www.glenechophotoworks.org for more details.
Meanwhile at Obama, Japan...
Here's the gist of the story: Two artists, Joe Beddall and Gregory Coates, left DC in the mid 80’s. Long story since – they both stayed in touch having bonded over color theory (Greg was at Corcoran/Joe via Kutztown) – and eventually both end up in Pennsylvania.
And now, both get selected for Artist in Residence in – seriously – Obama, Japan, which is just north of Kyoto. They’re there now creating public sculpture, which will open this Friday – Sept. 23rd.
But, I am told that there's more DC connections: these two artists are extensions of the DC color theory school. They met in the early 80’s, appreciated art here but also moved on.
Fast forward: Obama, Japan! Is that cool or what? Check out some of the new sculptures here.
Flight woes
So I boarded my plane in San Diego on Friday around 3PM, and had a plane change in Dallas for my return to Reagan National.
Around the time that we were supposed to arrive in Dallas, I noticed that the plane was doing the racetrack flying thing that they do when they are circling the airport but not landing.
20 minutes later the pilot announces that Dallas airport is closed because of rain and lightning. It seems it has been around 100 years since it rained on Dallas, and ahh... anyway - he says that he expects that we'll get the green light to land in 20 minutes or so.
Half an hour later he announces that we will need to land in Killeen Airport because the plane is running out of fuel.
We land in Killeen, where we notice that there are a lot of other airplanes on the tarmac... waiting. The pilot comes back and says that all those planes are waiting to refuel, and it seems like there's only one refueling truck at the airport. He points out that the huge plane to our left is the same model as ours, and that we're next after them.
He continues to advise that the fuel truck can only load 5,000 pounds of fuel a trip, and thus we will need three trips (and so will the guy who's before us). A little while later the fuel truck shows up and begins to fuel the big plane who is before us in line. We start a game to time how long it takes to fuel - soon we notice that it has been 20 minutes and the truck is still fueling our neighbor.
The pilot comes on and tells us that (in case we haven't noticed) that the plane to our left is being fueled and that as soon he's done we're next. He says he expects that to be 20 minutes or so. The whole planeload of people groan, and someone shouts "bullshit!" As my fellow passenger to my left notes, it has taken over 20 minutes for the first fuel load, and since the pilot said each plane needs three loads... well... you do the math.
A few minutes later, the fuel truck departs and goes away, presumably to reload and come back for part two. To our surprise, another fuel truck shows up and begins to fuel us.
"I thought he said there was only one truck in the airport," someone notes. But the fact that apparently our pilot was wrong, is good news, as we're sucking up the first 5,000 pounds of fuel now.
Soon we notice that our neighboring plane is lighting off and moving away. "Looks like that guy decided that 5,000 pounds was good enough for him to get to Dallas," someone notes.
"Someone tell our pilot," suggest another passenger.
20 minutes later, our fueling truck departs and our pilot announces that as soon as everyone sits down, we can take off for Dallas. None of us mention that he had said (several times) something about us needing three trips to fuel up... after all this is good news, and his math hasn't been very good so far.
A fellow passenger has been listening to my tale of woe about missing my connection to DC, and she has checked the web and notes that my flight has been re-scheduled to depart at 10:56PM (original departure was around 9PM).
As we prepare to take off, it is around 10PM and we're told that the flight will take 25 minutes and we'll be at the gate at 10:39PM. Looks like I'm going to make my connection.
As we approach Dallas again, once again I notice that we're doing circles around the airport, and we actually do not land until 11PM or so - more than an hour for a 25 minute trip.
And, after we land, as I had already figured out, we're told that all the gates are occupied and we'll have to wait on the tarmac until gates open up.
An hour later, almost at midnight, we get a gate and disembark.
I stand on line to get some info on what to do next... I figure that I'm sleeping at the airport tonight. Soon the lady at the counter notices the long line and informs us all that she's closing, but that we can go to any other line for help.
I switch lines, and begin to scan the horizon for shorter lines. 20 minutes later, the same person who had been at the counter is still there and there are 4-5 people in front of me.
I notice that several counters away, a new service agent has opened a desk and there is no line. The Japanese guy behind me has noticed the same thing, but by the time he's reached for his huge carry on, I'm already ten steps ahead of him and bolting (more like hopping on one foot - more on that later...) for the open counter.
It is now almost midnight, and I ask the nice American Airlines lady when the next flight is, expecting her to say 6 or 7 am. "We have a flight leaving," she looks at her watch, "in a few minutes..." She notes the look of despair on my face. "But there are still boarding." She begins to punch numbers in to get me a ticket.
I thank her profusely, and get my ticket and groan when I see that I have to take the rail to another terminal, and then I'm bolting/hopping to Terminal A. Have I mentioned that my right foot had been killing me - for some mysterious reason - since Thursday? A really scary intense pain on the top of my foot that had me limping like an old man...
I arrive at terminal A, and limp run to my gate, which is of course the farthest one away from the rail terminal. When I get there, I note the large crowd awaiting to be board and breathe a sigh of relief, as I haven't missed the plane.
It is then that I notice that this flight is going to Dulles, rather than National. Did I mention that I had driven my van to the airport and left it at the parking lot at National Airport? So I'm heading to the wrong airport.
Oh well, I figure, at least I'll be in the DMV, and maybe I can share a cab to National from Dulles to pick up my van... I'll worry about my checked in luggage later.
An hour later, after the crew shows up, we finally take off. While we're taxing to the runway, I smell vomit and an alarmed flight attendant begins to bring bags to the guy sitting behind me. The poor bastard is clearly either suffering from food poisoning or from a massive hangover, as he throws up multiple times during the flight, especially five minutes after the attendants bring him Ginger Ale and crackers. It could have been worse: I could have been sitting next to him.
We land at Dulles around 3AM, and of course, nearly everyone's bags are missing, so a huge line forms to report the missing bags to the one bleary-eyed attendant on duty. The huge line is moving very slowly when a guy tries to cut in front, and soon a near fist fight is taking place in front of me, with a female Army general almost kicking this jerk's ass in front of us. I decide that I can report the missing bag on the phone and decide to grab a cab for National.
Soon I get to the huge line waiting for taxis, and of course, there are hardly any taxis around 4AM, so it's moving slowly. The same Army general asks if anyone is heading to National and wants to share the cab with her. Soon me and another guy join her and we're heading to National and I'm praying that the $25 bucks that I have left in cash in my wallet are enough to cover my share. The fare turns out to be $64 for all of us, so I'm safe.
I hobble over to the parking garage and begin to look for my van. To my horror, my system of remembering where my van is parked has failed me, and 45 minutes later, I'm still looking for my van and my foot is really killing me.
I give up and head to the exit gates to talk to a parking attendant and see what I need to do. As I limp to the exits, I continue to click my remote.
And then I hear my van and see it, about 50 feet in front of me, right by the exits, and nowhere where I recalled I had left it (on the lower level, by the other exit). But I don't question this complicated issue dealing with chaos theory and quantum physics and head to my van, fully expecting a tire to be flat or the battery dead.
But it all fires up OK, and soon I'm on the George Washington Parkway and heading home with a gorgeous view of Washington and once again I note what a beautiful city our capital is.
I get home around 7AM, completely exhausted, crash on my bed without waking up Alida, and smile as I hear Anderson begin to awake and he shouts: "Mamma! Mamma! Find Dadda!"
Visual Voices at Zenith
Zenith Gallery hosts "Visual Voices" - an exhibition of DC area artists profiled in the new book "100 Artists of the Mid-Atlantic" by E. Ashley Rooney. The show at Zenith Gallery will open with a Book-signing Party with the author and artists, on Wednesday, September 21, 6:00 – 8:30pm, and remain on display through October 29, 2011.
Visual Voices - featuring works by: Alan Binstock, Joan Danziger, Julie Girardini, Margery Goldberg, Robert Jackson, Michael Janis, Joan Konkel, Ann Marchand, Donna McCollough, Davis Morton, Carol Newmyer, Marc Rubin, Barton Rubenstein, Sica, Ellen Sinel, Betsy Stewart, Cassie Taggert, Tim Tate, Erwin Timmers, Paul Martin Wolf, Joyce Zipperer and yours truly.
Book Party, Meet the Author and Artists
Wednesday September 21, 6 - 9 PM
Exhibition: September 21 - October 29, 2011
Zenith Gallery at Chevy Chase Pavilion, second level next to Embassy Suites Chevy Chase Pavilion, 5335 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington DC 20015
American hero
Later today President Obama will present the Medal of Honor to Sergeant Dakota L. Meyer, a Marine sergeant who braved a hail of enemy fire in Afghanistan to rescue trapped fellow Jarheads and recover the bodies of fallen ones.
We salute this courageous Leatherneck, whom I am told, shared a brewski with POTUS yesterday.