Did anybody?

Did anybody happened to take any photos of the three people who were climbing the USAF Memorial today?

I was driving by when I noticed that there were two bodies near the top of one of the three spires. About an hour later, when I was driving by on the return leg, there was a third body and all three were on a different spire.

I assumed that they were either cleaning it or inspecting it for earthquake damage? In any event, it looked really surreal and I wished that I had a camera at the time.

Mystery Painting

Can you help identify this painting?

Mark Jenkins

The last few weeks, at openings, at (e)merge and other artsy hangouts, I've noted that one interesting item of discussion has been the drastic and (I would add) positive change that Mark Jenkins' galleries writing in the Washington Post has brought to what had been not only mostly a negative view of nearly everything and anything that DMV galleries hung on their walls, but a very small universe of galleries covered by the former freelancer that used to write the Galleries column.

Jenkins has brought a refreshing set of new eyes (new but experienced, as this guy has been writing about DMV culture for years for the WCP) to the WaPo's visual arts coverage, and I for one, welcome this new byline to the Post's scant coverage of the DMV gallery scene.

And... this Mark Jenkins is not the same Mark Jenkins who is the famous street artist.

Keeping time...


(From the archives) Even the Man of Steel has to keep time somehow... and now we know where Clark Kent keeps his clothes after a quick changeover.

Some more

Sold several drawings at Bethesda Row today - gorgeous day! Come by tomorrow...

At gallery plan b

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 exhibtiing her work locally and internationally over the past 36 years.

O Project this Saturday

A full scale version of Rosemary Feit Covey's The 0 Project will be mounted for the MoveOn.org March this Saturday. 200 masks will be distributed and two full-sized banners will be a part of the march.

What is the 0 Project you ask?

The 0 Project is an interactive participatory political art project from the mind of Rosemary Feit Covey, involving both local and global participation. The project has wrapped buildings, been projected on walls, and acted as creative catalyst for dancers, poets, musicians, and social activists. The 0 Project expresses voicelessness but also the inverse, a howl of protest. The project is designed to demonstrate that when art acts as a catalyst and invites responses, the ensuing dialogue becomes a form of art in itself. The 0 Project is collaborative by nature and open to all who wish to participate.

This weekend!


Bethesda Row Arts Festival

October 15 from 11am - 6pm and October 16 from 11am - 5pm

The 14th annual Bethesda Row Arts Festival will be held October 15th and 16th. This year the festival features the work of 185 leading fine artists and crafters from around the country. Media includes ceramics, drawings, fabrics, glass, graphics, jewelry, metalwork, paintings, pastels, photography, printmaking, sculpture, wood and 2D and 3D mixed media. The streets around Around 7200 Woodmont Ave. in Bethesda within walking distance of the Metro.

You've just gotta read this!

Paula Cleggett, the Associate Director for Policy of The Curb Center for Arts, Enterprise, and Public Policy, Vanderbilt University, recently spent some time looking around the Greater Washington, DC area art scene and has just published one of the best articles, from the perspective of an outsider looking in, about the Greater DMV art scene that I've ever read:

Like most cities, artists, gallery owners, critics, curators, collectors and the curious weave a nebulous network to sustain a creative community. Unlike most cities, the DC art scene operates in the shadows of national monuments, free national art museums and internationally recognized art centers. Cities across the U.S. battle against the pervading myth that you can only make it as an artist in a culture-rich metropolis like New York, Los Angeles or Chicago. True, DC has distinct offerings and challenges…but clear indications show that emerging artists don’t settle for DC, they choose DC.

This article explores:

How well does the region nurture emerging visual artists?
What efforts lead the way in opening new markets for local artists?
Are public and private support structures in place to attract and retain talented visual artists?
What does a Washington-based artist have to do to get noticed?

Read the whole article here.

New art gallery to open in DC

Lauren Gentile, longtime art professional and former director of Irvine Contemporary, sets up shop in Washington, D.C. After serving as the Director of Irvine Contemporary and working in the art profession for 13 years, heading to New York or Los Angeles, might be the conventional wisdom. Instead, inspired by Washington’s promise of becoming a major national platform for emerging and contemporary art, Gentile is committing her considerable talent, energy, and creativity to opening her own gallery, Contemporary Wing.

“For awhile now, there have been rumblings about the Washington’s burgeoning arts community breaking through and becoming a force for contemporary art, and I want to be a part of that change. The Rubell’s plan to open a contemporary art museum in the nation’s capitol, the recent success of the (e)merge art fair, and a committed art community, all convince me that the time is now,” according to Ms. Gentile, “Washington is an ideal destination for contemporary art, and I am prepared to invest in that vision.”

With the rounding support of her colleagues, artists and collectors, Gentile will launch Contemporary Wing on November 1. While Gentile is in the process of finalizing her Northwest Washington location, Contemporary Wing will be open for sales and appraisals, at www.contemporarywing.com.

The first exhibition, a multi-work video installation designed to run concurrently with Art Basel, Miami Beach, will take place on December 1-4, 2011 in Miami, Florida. For “Ivory Tower” artist Tiffany Carbonneau will project an original art work onto the exterior of the Marquis Miami, where the exhibit will be held. Her site specific projection will be visible from the surrounding area as well as from I-95 North and South bound, I-395, I-195, and the Venetian Causeway. Once inside the exhibit, viewers will be immersed in a conceptual and humorous feast of sight and sound. Gentile is co-curating the exhibit with New York curator Ginger Shulick, of Big Deal Arts. Participating artists include: Nia Burks, Sean Capone, Tiffany Carbonneau, Paul D. Miller (DJ Spooky), Paul Moakley, Phillip David Stearns and Alex Villar.

For more information about the gallery and exhibitions, please visit contemporarywing.com or contact info@contemporarywing.com

New Arts Commissioner

Congrats to Lionell Thomas, who has just been appointed as the new Executive Director of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

Thomas' considerable experience and deep insider knowledge of the DC art scene are alone a great qualifier for this job, but what I like best is that this new Commissioner worked his way up from the bottom to the top.

Congrats!

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: November 7, 2011

The State University of New York at Cortland announces a call to artists for a group exhibition at the Dowd Gallery, January 18–March 2, 2012. Open to all artists nationally and internationally, to submit work for consideration that represents innovation in concept, subject or media use. All work must be the original work of the applicant, suitable for gallery installation. Full color publication produced.

Juried by committee of 5-9 professional artists. No entrance fee.

Artists are responsible for shipping fees. Selected artists may be invited for a subsequent short term visiting artist program with undergraduate studio art students including presentation of work, discussion and studio visit. The selected artist will receive a stipend of $1000 for his/her time and travel expenses. For more information contact Bryan Thomas at dowd.gallery@cortland.edu or visit the gallery website here.

On Columbus Day

If you think that you know early American history (I thought I did), then read A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World by Tony Horwitz and prepare to be left not only open-mouthed but well informed and armed with a spectacular knowledge of early American history seldom discussed in school.

"By the time the Pilgrims came to Plymouth, St. Augustine was up for urban renewal"

- Michael Gannon
Prof. of History
University of Florida

Bad Art Destruction Party

Time: Thursday, October 13 · 7:00pm - 10:00pm
Location:
Warehouse Theater
1017 7th St NW
Washington, District of Columbia

Facebook details and RSVP here.

Tsk... tsk...

Billions of dollars in arts funding is serving a mostly wealthy, white audience that is shrinking while only a small chunk of money goes to emerging art groups that serve poorer communities that are more ethnically diverse, according to a report being released Monday.

Read the AP story here.

Two will be heading for Miami

The Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series has teamed up with Russell Simmons’ Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation to search for a new generation of cutting-edge visual artists and the show now at International Visions Gallery, showcases winning work by Washington semi-finalists.

Across all markets, a total of twenty artists will advance to the Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series Finale Competition exhibition, held during Art Basel Miami Beach in December 2011. From that group, two finalists will be invited to exhibit at Rush Arts Gallery in New York City in February 2012.

Artists in this DC exhibition include Michael Anthony Brown, Zoma Wallace, Shaunté Gates, Julian Lytle, Farah Ahmed, Rob Chester, Edward Savwoir, Miles Burrell, Osereime J. Aimua, David Allen Harris, Cheryl Edwards, Jay Coleman, S. Ross Brown, Al Burts, Nicole Marshall, Ann Marie Williams, Victor Ekpuk, George Kochev, Eusebio Choque, Cedric Baker, Jesi Pace-Berkeley, Larry Cook, Michael Singletary, Jamea Richmond-Edwards, Leonard Harris, Lawrence Charity, Helina Metaferia, Stephen Evans, Keah Fryar, Richard Thompson, Donivan York, W. James Taylor, and Tanekeya Word.

The cool thing for me is that I'm only familiar with the work of 3-4 of those named above. For information, visit the gallery’s Web site.

Percy Martin coming to Parish Gallery

Georgetown's Parish Gallery will showcase one of the DMV's most venerable and influential printmakers, Percy Martin, whose exhibition entitled “Bushmen Dreams” will open with a reception from 6:00 – 8:00 pm on Friday, October 21st and will run through November 15, 2011.

Percy Martin is a printmaker and teacher of art who has lived in the Washington, DC area since 1947. For over 25 years, he has been quietly working on a series of lush and technically complex prints detailing the daily lives and rituals of the Bushmen, a mythological people and culture born of Martin’s imagination. He studied printmaking and graphic design at the Corcoran Gallery of Art where he received a Ford Foundation Fellowship in 1966. In 1975 the National Endowment for the Arts awarded him with an Artist-in-Residence.

Mr. Martin taught private classes in etching and has been the Director of the W.D. Printmaking Workshop in Washington, DC, since 1947. He taught at the New Thing Art and Architecture Center, University of Maryland, Corcoran School of Art, printmaking to inmates at Lorton Prison, the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and finally the Sidwell Friends School, from which he is now retired.

Mr. Martin has shown his work widely in the U.S., Russia, the Ukraine, and Africa. His works have been in traveling exhibitions of the Smithsonian Institution and are found in numerous private collections and the collections of the Washington Post, University of Maryland, and the National Collection of American Art.

There are a lot of DMV area artists, mostly those who were schooled around here, who received the spark of creativity from this talented artist, and I know that no art collection with any sort of focus on DMV artists, is complete without a Percy Martin in the collection.

Don't miss this show.

Heard on Univision

There are as many Americans from Latin American ancestry who despise the term "Hispanic" (my Dad is one of them) or "Latino" (he doesn't even know what that means and neither do I) as those who like that Nixonian label.

I think that Univision newscasters have begun a semantic revenge upon Non Hispanic Americans of European ancestry; lately I've noticed that they refer to this group as "Anglo-Saxons".

That ought to piss off Scots, Italians, Spaniards, French, Russians, Bulgarians, Greeks, Welsh, Irish, Swedes, Norwegians, Estonians, Finns, Laplanders, Andorrans, Belgians, Poles, Danes, and all the other folks who live from Portugal to Russia, etc. as much as being labeled under one label pisses me (and a lot of other gente) off...

You describe a Scot as an Anglo-anything; you better be ready to fight...

Heh, heh... makes my head hurt.

Airborne

Heading back home today, and almost finished with the almost 1,000 page-long A Dance with Dragons: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book Five by the "American Tolkien" George R.R. Martin.

I told you before that I could never stomach Tolkien, but absolutely devour this guy's writing and that in my eyes Tolkien is the British G.R.R. Martin. Part of his genius is how his made-up world and characters are so human while being fantastical... and how he traps you into rooting for a character which he then kills -- because in the "real world" of savagery where they live, they would be killed.