Cuba de Ayer Restaurant

Last week I took three friends with me to Cuba de Ayer Restaurant in Burtonsville, MD. One of them is addicted to Cuban food, but the other two - one a Canadian and the other a Brit - had never had Cuban food in their entire life.

This was my also first visit to Cuba de Ayer, although (since as some of you know, I'm of Cuban ancestry) every time someone who knows me goes there, they tell me what a great place it is, so I was overdue for a visit.

The restaurant is very cozy and when we came in at lunch time it was packed, which is always a good sign.

The pretty waitress took our orders and my alarm bells went up a little when she asked if we wanted our black beans and rice "together" or "separate." I say that my alarm bells went off because "Moros y Cristianos" -- the Cuban name for black beans and rice -- is NEVER served together; never, ever, ever! It is a cultural error and a true and easy test of the Cubanosity of any restaurant.

I ordered my favorite Cuban dish in the world... OK, OK, one of my favorites, "lechon asado", which came with black beans, white rice and tostones (actually a choice of tostones or sweet fried plantains).

I breathed a sigh of relief when my friends' dishes came... what the waitress meant as "together" was actually "congri" which is a separate dish where the black beans (or red) are indeed cooked together... a Cuban version of dirty rice, but much tastier.

Both the Brit and the Canadian ordered "ropa vieja" with "congri" and they both loved it... my English friend actually said: "I can't believe that a simple rice dish can taste so good!"

So Cuba de Ayer gets my highest endorsement!

One last thing: When the food came, I was explaining some of the cultural references that I mentioned above. I must have been loud enough to be heard by other people, because as we filed out of the restaurant, the very attractive daughter of the owners came out, introduced herself and asked me if I was Cuban, as she had overheard me describe the cultural aspects of the food.

So we met, chatted a little, and we all passed to her our enthusiastic thumbs up of the food... I will be back

Cuba de Ayer is located at 15446 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville, MD 20866, (301) 476-9622.

Heading to Artomatic tomorrow...

Just returned to the DMV from a week in Bethany Beach... and Jonesying for AOM, so I will make my first visit to the 10 floors of artists tomorrow...

I plan to return a second time with a couple of gallerists looking for new talent... more on that later.

Art Scam Alert

A DMV area painter recently received the below art scam email - this is a new twist:

From: Murphy Lawrence <murphylawrence77@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, May 25, 2012 at 5:31 AM
Subject: PERSONAL ASSISTANCE NEEDED

Dear Sir/Ma,

I got your email through the Monster.com employment database. In the past,
 you either posted your resume online or applied for a job that was
similar to the one that I am hiring for.

I am looking for someone who can handle my personal and business
errands during his or her spare time.
I need your service because I am constantly traveling abroad  on
business. I own an Art Gallery that specializes in international art.

Your Responsibilities are below.

1.   Receive my mail and correspondences. Drop them off at the post
office or shipping center.

2.   Pay my bills on my behalf and sit for delivery at home.

4.  When you get my mail or package, you would mail all items  to
where I want them shipped. .All expenses and shipping charges will be
covered by me.

The contents of the packages are mostly art materials and paintings.
In addition, there will be clothing I need for business and personal
letters. No heavy packages are ever delivered!

I would love to meet  with you to discuss this job in more detail,
but I am currently away on business to Taiwan.  If you decide to
accept the position, please read the employment requirements listed
below.

EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS:

A. You Must be a honest human.

B.  Your Work hour ls only for 15 and 20hrs a month

C  You must be able to check your email 3 to 4 times daily

WEEKLY PAY IS $705 GOOD ENOUGH FOR A START?

In closing, I have a couple of questions for you.
First, If I were to mail you money to do my shopping plus an upfront
payment for your service, where would you want it mailed to?
Second, how would  you like for your  name appear on the money or check?
Maybe you can provide me with the following details below

NAME:

 STREET:

 CITY:

 STATE:

 ZIP:

 CELL:

 EMAIL:

 OCCUPATION:

 AGE:

 Bank Name(for direct deposit of some payments):

Mark Jenkins on Artomatic

The WaPo's Galleries art critic, Mark Jenkins (I wonder how many times people confuse the two DC-based Mark Jenkinses in the DMV art world?) has a really good piece on Artomatic - read it here

James George on AOM

Arlington Examiner's James George with an AOM focus piece on Greg Minah. Read it here

B&W Beach Ball

A Stunning Collection - HeART Art 2012 Dazzles!

Black and White Beach Ball 2012 - Sunday, June 3, 5-8 pm

The 2012 HeART of the Community Art Auction will be featured at the Black and White Beach Ball on June 3. The stunning collection of art by 25 artists can be previewed online. Proxy bidding is available for those who cannot attend the event.

View HeART Curators and Artists
Preview HeART Art and Artists
Read More about HeART 2012 (by Sondra Arkin)
Purchase Black and White Ball Tickets

The Black and White Beach Ball is hosted by CAMP Rehoboth and our presenting sponsor PNC Wealth Management.

Black and White Beach Ball 2012

Sunday, June 3, 5-8 pm

Clear Space Theatre, 20 Baltimore Avenue
Open Bar and Food by Plate Catering 

  

Auctioneer: Lorne Crawford

Dress: Black and White Casual

Tickets: $75. Tickets are limited and may be purchased online or by calling 302-227-5620.

American Contemporary Art Magazine

The May issue has a DC article plus three gallery reviews.

Read it here.

Jury Duty

Deadline: June 30, 2012

Later this year I will be honored to jury RSVP 2012 for The New Wilmington Arts Association. They support the careers of artists by providing opportunities for uncensored experimentation, professional presentation, and critical dialogue and RSVP is their annual juried exhibition open to all artists and media.

You can download the prospectus here - hurry and do not leave it to the last minute!

Ebner on Artomatic

Juliette Ebner has a piece in the Washington Blade: read it here

Artists' Websites: Joe Shannon

Joe Shannon has been one of the most influential DMV area artists for many decades and his new website allows you to explore what makes Shannon tick.

Diana with Acolytes, 2011, Oil on Canvas, 27x40

Joe was born in 1933 in Puerto Rico, raised in D.C. He studied art at the Corcoran School of Art, but he was largely self taught. Looking at masterworks, lots of practice and self-criticism revealed his direction. He loved Degas for his technique, composition and even psychology; but for subjects, salty and mythic it was Picasso graphics, like “The Sculptor’s Studio” and the drawing therein that had deep impact.

Joe worked for the Smithsonian for 26 years as an exhibition designer and curator. He has organized world class exhibitions, and written articles in major art magazines and newspapers, and juried many shows. He teaches currently at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore; he lectures, and has taught at other universities.

His work has been shown in galleries and museums around the world. Joe’s work is in many important collections, private and public – i.e. – The Corcoran, Hirshhorn, and Brooklyn Museums among others.

 Visit his website here

James George on Artomatic

Arlington Examiner.com's James George has a piece on Artomatic artist Joseph Corcoran - read it here

Montie Martin on Artomatic

The Connection Newspapers' Montie Martin on Artomatic's opening; read it here

Opportunity for Artists

Vitale on Artomatic

Tammy Vitale has a quick view of Artomatic, floor by floor... see her photos here.

Manifest Destiny on Artomatic

Manifest Destiny went to AOM and...

I took a bunch of photos, but I have to admit I concentrated on the most absurd pieces (or those that reminded me of something else and which I wanted to share with friends). 

See the post here and the pics here.

Big Artomatic Photo Essay

ARLnow.com has a big photo essay on Artomatic and a couple of hilarious comments... See it here.

Mexico at the Katzen

When you think of Mexico, what images pop up in your mind’s eye? The AU press release says that "You may think of stereotypical icons such as the Mexican flag or a sombrero, or news stories about Mexico such as those focused on tourism, immigration policy, poverty, or violent drug cartel crime. The stereotypes may also inform your thoughts about Mexican art: you may have prescribed ideas of what Mexican art would or would not look like." 

I also think of some of the paradoxes of this gorgeous country, such as their demands for an open US immigration policy towards Mexicans while Mexico has one of the toughest and most brutal anti-immigrant set of laws on the planet (Mexico has its own illegal immigration problem from its southern borders); or the justified Mexican pride on the influence of its indigenous Native American population on Mexico's ample cultural fottprint, while at the same time being a very repressive government towards its own Native American nations. It is with these paradoxes in mind that I am really looking forward to this exhibition at the Katzen.

MEXICO: EXPECTED/UNEXPECTED— an exhibition that will make its East Coast debut at the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center on Saturday, June 9— defies commonly held stereotypes about Mexico and its art, exposing unexpected images and perspectives created and communicated by some of Mexico’s most influential contemporary artists. The goal?  To encourage new thoughts about Mexico and its place in the international, contemporary art scene.
 

The exhibition, the largest one of contemporary Mexican art to show in Washington, D.C., comprises works selected from the Isabel and Agustín Coppel Collection, one of Mexico’s most comprehensive contemporary art collections.  Works by leading contemporary Mexican artists such as Francis Alÿs, Jorge Méndez Blake, Gabriel Orozco, and Pedro Reyes, are presented beside works by artists from other Latin American countries, Europe, and the United States, including Gordon Matta-Clark, Ana Mendieta, Ed Ruscha, and John Baldessari.

MEXICO: EXPECTED/UNEXPECTED at the American University Museum is sponsored by the Mexican Embassy and the Mexican Cultural Institute. As part of the collaboration with the Mexican Cultural Institute, Mexican artists will visit D.C. for a few months while creating installations for the exhibition.

Gallery Talk: Mexico: Expected/Unexpected
Saturday, June 9, at 5 p.m.
Featuring Exhibition Curators Carlos Basualdo and Mónica Amor

Artists' Reception
Saturday, June 9, from 6–9 p.m.

John Anderson's AOM Top 10 (sort of...)

The WCP's John Anderson pops in with his top 10 Artomatic picks - read it here.

One always wonders...

Just noticed that one of my drawings from about a decade ago just showed up on Ebay being sold by a British dealer. 

The piece, titled Daphne (see it here), represents the nymph Daphne, the daughter of the river god Peneus. 

Through the malice of Eros, Apollo the god was seized with love for the maiden. But she abhorred the thought of loving men. Her delight was in woodland sports and the spoils of the chase. Many lovers sought her, but she spurned them all. Apollo chased her into a ravine and was about to ravish her. She called for help and a great Earth magic reached from under and turned her into a laurel tree, which subsequently became the tree of lovers and of victory. 

The drawing was done in 2000, and if my memory serves me right, it was sold to a lawyer in Charlottesville, Virginia. Thus I find it curious that it is now somewhere in Britain being offered on Ebay at a great price.

Mussels, Russians, Pigs and a Blue Crab

The story: We're at the Blue Crab Restaurant in Bethany Beach, waiting for two big plates of mussels to be delivered and a crab cake for Little Junes, when the Russian waitress brings over a box of crayons for the little guy.

Two things flash through my mind: We're told that jobs are very difficult to find, especially for young people, so how come it seems that throughout the Mid Atlantic, all beach season jobs are filled by hard working, good looking young Russian girls and boys?

They travel a million miles from their frozen tundras to bust their buts in the Eastern seaboard's beach shops, restaurants and pools; where are our local good looking boys and girls? Not that I blame the Russians, I mean, would you rather be freezing your tuchis in Siberia or dishing out mussels in Bethany Beach?

But you get my point...

But let's get back on track with this post... ahem... so the other thing that crossed my mind was to kidnap some of Little Junes' crayons and start my own art project while we wait for our food.

At some point the pretty Russian waitress noticed and she brought over a second box of crayons and then I really went to town.

 Below is "Two Pigs Looking at a Red Crab", crayons on tablecloth kraft paper, circa 2012.

Food stains were accidentally added while the delicious mussels were being eaten...