Sandra Ramos at the Katzen

Curator Diane Camber, me, Sandra Ramos and Mayer Fine Arts' Sheila Giolitti at Sandra Ramos' members preview last night at the Katzen Museum at American University.

EXHIBITION OVERVIEW

Curated by Diane Camber, this exhibition is comprised of prints, video, collage, and installations created by Cuban artist Sandra Ramos. This artist reflects on the conflicting experiences of living in her beloved homeland with all of its many challenges. Her work often takes a narrative form in which she depicts herself as a child-like explorer or modern day Alice in Wonderland. Ramos' prints and mixed media works feature exquisite craftsmanship and use of color and naiveté, tempered by wit and irony. This exhibition reflects the mordant wit for which Cubans are famous, as well as a kind of nostalgia and exuberance particular to the artist.

Great opportunity! Deadline next week!!!

Deadline: September 8, 2014

There is not enough that I can say to recommend The Strathmore Fine Artists in Residence initiative (Fine AIR) to all emerging artists.... I have been lucky enough to have been a mentor twice, and can therefore testify what a boost to an artist's career this program is... and it deals and teaches so many diverse areas.... there is nothing even close to it in the DMV, maybe even the nation.

It was established to help cultivate local visual arts talent by connecting established professionals in all aspects of the field with up-and-coming artists.  Emerging artists will be in residence in the Mansion at Strathmore from January – August 2015. During this time, each artist will have the opportunity to develop an audience in the DC metropolitan area, perfect their craft, create and implement an outreach, educational, or special event proposal for Strathmore’s consideration, and premiere a new body of artwork, including a collaborative piece with one’s mentor, commissioned by Strathmore in a culminating exhibition. 

The exhibition of new work will take place in August of 2015 and will reflect the artistic growth of the artist in residence.  Throughout the residency artists meet with a professional artist mentor for career guidance and artistic critique; attend career development workshops; and have the opportunity to teach, lecture, volunteer, exhibit or otherwise participate in Strathmore visual arts programming. Apply here: http://www.strathmore.org/education/series/view.asp?id=10102314

Eligibility:
The Strathmore Fine Artist in Residence Program is open to all emerging visual artists.  All media accepted.
Fine AIR Program Timeline
•             September 8, 2014   Deadline for application
•             September 15 – 18, 2014  Select applicants invited to interview
•             September 29, 2014   Notification of acceptance
•             October 2014   Fine AIR contracts finalized
•             November 2014  Incoming Fine AIR class announced to the public
•             January 2015   Official start of the Fine AIR program
•             August 2015   Exhibition of new work

A Residency at Strathmore includes:
•             An exhibition of new work at the Mansion at Strathmore, Summer 2015
•             Strathmore’s consideration of an outreach, educational, or special event proposal
•             A professional artist mentor throughout the residency
•             Career Development workshops and experiences provided by Strathmore
•             A stipend of $1,000 (Studio space and housing are not available with this residency)

Artist responsibilities include:
•             Mandatory attendance at a Fine AIR welcome event, scheduled meetings with artist mentor, and career development workshops provided by Strathmore.
•             Creation of a new body of saleable work, including a collaborative piece created with one’s mentor, to debut at the 2015 Fine AIR Exhibition at the Mansion at Strathmore.
•             Creation of an outreach, educational, or other visual arts event proposal for Strathmore’s consideration for future seasons.
•             Volunteering at “Discover Strathmore” and “Strathmore Arts Festival” events and by providing an artist demonstration, pop- up of artwork for exhibition and/or sale, or related artistic presence.
•             Volunteer to teach, lecture, and/or demo for the visual art department at least once during residency.  Strathmore charges admission for these programs and all proceeds go toward supporting the Fine AIR program.

Miami in sight

Yay! We just got accepted (again) into the 2014 Context Art Miami art fair in Miami during Art Basel week...

Most expensive GIF file ever

Check it out here.

Read all about it here.

Do not miss this opening!

Bridging the Past, Present, and Future: Recent Works by Sandra Ramos

When I was with Fraser Gallery, we first brought the work of Cuban artist Sandra Ramos to the US by giving Ramos her American debut in an independent fine arts commercial gallery in the epic "De Aqui y De Alla" show (that gallery's first "sold out" show) - subsequently Fraser Gallery gave Ramos her first US solo gallery show at our Georgetown gallery.

There are many DC area savvy collectors who bought Ramos back in those early shows.

Ramos has been in many museum and gallery shows worldwide since then, but this special Sandra Ramos traveling museum show comes to DC this weekend September 6 - October 19, 2014. Do not miss the opening!

Opening Reception: September 6 from 6 - 9 PM (My birthday!)

American University Museum at Katzen Arts Center

Tel: 202-885-1300     
Fax: 202-885-1140 museum@american.edu

4400 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington, DC 20016

Admission Free
Tue-Sun, 11:00-4:00
Fully Accessible
See Directions

(e)merge coming up!

We will be in rooms 205 - 206... Please come by and say hello... We will be showcasing the work of Tim Vermeulen, Judith Peck, Jeannette Herrera, Simon Monk, Audrey Wilson, Elissa Farrow-Savos and the kid.

The WaPo on Lida Moser

The Washington Post has a terrific piece on Lida Moser in today's Sunday edition. 

In her own work, Ms. Moser captured the Escher-like geometry of the Exxon building, the confident smiles of four boys in Harlem, the distance between two men seated inches apart on a city bench, the lonely anonymity of an office lobby and the peaceful solitude of a man resting next to a neat row of garbage cans.

One of her most noted works was “Judy and the Boys,” or “Mimicry.” Taken in 1961, the image reveals an encounter between a model — Ms. Moser’s intended subject — and a group of youngsters who invite themselves into the photo shoot. Surrounded by the grittiness of New York, the model strikes a sophisticated pose and raises her middle finger to the boys as they mimic her stance.

Read it here.

Upshur Street Books

Calling all Artists! Please join me in contributing to this Kickstarter Campaign to bring a new bookstore to Washington!

One of their areas of concentration will be Art Books! Consider buying a bookmark for $10, a Tote for $25 or a T-shirt designed by Nick Pimentel for $50.

Details here.

Upshur Street Books will be the first new independent bookstore to open in Washington, DC in 10 years and we need your help to open the doors. With the support of the community, we believe that this venture can be a successful one. The growing dominance of online retailing, digital books and widespread closures have all increased awareness of the challenges of opening a bookstore. Despite these challenges, the passion for printed books and the fellowship they create in our communities lives on and now independent bookstores are making a comeback. 

With both popular titles and niche selections that focus on Washington’s arts and literary communities, Upshur Street Books will also stock indie publications, unique gift items and host a variety of events, such as readings, book club meetings, exhibitions and other events that are free and open to the public. With the funds raised on this platform, we can create a vibrant space that meets the needs of our community and attract visitors from afar.

Independent bookstores sit at the center of our creative and intellectual community and encourage well-reasoned discourse and the spread of new ideas. Stocking the shelves with books that you may not be able to find on the internet or through big box retailers with the help of knowledgeable and passionate staff is something that Upshur Street Books seeks to promote.

Coming this weekend

"Man at MOMA" 1971 by Lida Moser

It took a tiny bit of arts activism, but finally both the New York Times and the Washington Post will be running obituaries of the legendary Lida Moser this weekend... 

Read a very nice piece in the Washington City Paper here.

Grace Hartigan: A Survey 1966-2007

Strathmore opens its 2014-2015 season of fine art programming with the museum-caliber exhibition Grace Hartigan: A Survey 1966-2007, a highlight of the art center’s 2014-2105 Season featuring 22 of the artist’s works on view in the Mansion at Strathmore from Saturday, September 6 through Sunday, November 9, 2014. 

Though her career started with the fabled New York School and friendships with contemporaries such as Jackson Pollock, Larry Rivers, Willem and Elaine de Kooning, and poet Frank O’Hara, this exhibit focuses on her decades of independent  aesthetic development, leading to the years just prior to her passing in Baltimore in 2008. The exhibition was organized with the generous support of C. Grimaldis Gallery, Baltimore; Maryland Art Place, Baltimore; the private collection of Suzi and David Cordish; and an anonymous collector. This is the first exhibition of its kind presented in the Mansion since 2005, when The Art of Music debuted with 45 musically-inspired works from the Baltimore Museum of Art. A free Opening Reception will be held Friday, September 19 from 7-9 p.m. For more information, call (301) 581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.

Largely a self-taught painter, Hartigan was initially introduced to the work of Henri Matisse by a peer at the Newark College of Engineering, which sparked an enduring interest in modern art. She relocated to New York after World War II and moved into the world of Abstract Expressionism. She began to form her own artistic identity after seeing a Jackson Pollock exhibition in 1948. Pollock encouraged Hartigan to look at the work of Willem de Kooning, who would become a lifelong friend. She began to combine the large scale of Pollock’s works with de Kooning’s commitment to the Old Masters of art history, inserting recognizable imagery into her abstractions. This departure earned her a solo debut at New York’s Tibor de Nagy Gallery in 1951.

Hartigan was also intensely dedicated to literature, which provided themes and a broad cultural overview—a passion tied to her association with such poets as Frank O’Hara and Barbara Guest.

Her paintings were included in the 1956 exhibition 12 Americans at the Museum of Modern Art, and in the international touring exhibition The New American Painting from 1958-1959. Hartigan was one of few women painters to garner this level of exposure and recognition.

Hartigan’s work continued to evolve. Though she had distaste for Pop art, some stylistic elements were incorporated into her landmark works of the period, while her later work, beginning in the 1980s, was more representational. However, she continued to reference the Old Masters and to experiment with balancing figuration and abstraction.

Her marriage to Dr. Winston Price, research professor at the Johns Hopkins University, led to a move from New York to Baltimore in 1960. From 1965 until her death in 2008, she served as a teacher at and director of the Maryland Institute College of Art’s LeRoy E. Hoffberger School of Painting.
While relocating to Baltimore denied Hartigan the regular New York exhibition opportunities that she had been afforded previously, it might be argued that it benefited her artistic vision. Hartigan became a keen observer of urban culture in Baltimore—a major theme in her art. Her distance from New York also allowed her to take a circumspect view of the rapidly changing art climate.

Education Programming
Strathmore will enhance the visitor experience of Grace Hartigan: A Survey 1966-2007 with public education programs.

The panel discussion Grace Hartigan: A Unique Force on Sunday, September 21, 2014 at 11 a.m. convenes experts and acquaintances of Grace Hartigan to discuss her work and impact on the world of modern art. Panelists include Virginia K. Adams, art historian and Trustee of the Baltimore Museum of Art; Rex Stevens, Chair of the Drawing and General Fine Arts departments at the Maryland Institute College of Art, a longtime friend of Hartigan’s, as well as her studio manager for 30 years; and Terence Diggory, curator, author and former Chairman of the English department at Skidmore College.

Art & Wine Night: Grace Hartigan on Friday, October 17, 2014 from 7-9 p.m. includes a guided tour of the exhibition and hands-on art activity reflecting Hartigan’s aesthetic, with wine and snacks. Admission is $35 per person and can be purchased through Strathmore’s website.
On Saturdays, September 13 and October 25, 2014 at 10:15 a.m., Children’s Talk & Tours invite children and their families to explore the exhibition and exercise their creativity through a hands-on abstract arts activity with professional working artists. Admission is $5 per child, with no charge for parent chaperones. Reservations are required for the Children’s Talk & Tours and can be made on Strathmore’s website.
At the Art Talk & Tour on Saturday, September 13, 2014 at 1 p.m., adults will learn about the artwork in the exhibition from curator Harriet Lesser. This event is free, but registration is required and can be done on Strathmore’s website.

Harry Reid and The Internet Tax Freedom Act

From Ebay...

With the end of the 113^th Congress swiftly approaching, Congress has only a few short weeks left in the legislative calendar.  With the clock running out, proponents of the Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA) are actively trying to push the legislation through Congress and to the President’s desk by the end of the year. Although the Senate passed the MFA in May 2013, leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives have announced their intention to find an alternative to the Senate-passed Internet sales tax bill and have refrained from moving the Senate-passed bill. Due to the fact that there appears to be little support to move the Senate passed MFA in the House, Senate leaders announced in July that they would try and pass the MFA by attaching it to the must-pass Internet Tax Freedom Act and bypass regular legislative procedure in the House.

The Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA) is an important piece of legislation that would make permanent the law that prevents state and local governments from imposing new taxes on Internet access and prohibits any multiple or discriminatory taxes on e-commerce. The current law is set to expire on November 1^st, which means if Congress fails to pass an extension, consumers and businesses across the country could see their Internet access bills go up in November. On July 15^th, the House passed a permanent extension of the law by voice vote and sent the bill to the Senate for consideration.

However, instead of agreeing to take up the House-passed ITFA, Senate leadership announced plans to combine ITFA with the Senate-passed MFA.

Although it is unclear if and when the Senate may move the newly combined ITFA/MFA bill, a group of bipartisan Senators has called on Senate leadership not to attach the Senate-passed Marketplace Fairness Act to the Internet Tax Freedom Act. Like eBay Inc., these Senators have expressed concerns with how the Marketplace Fairness Act would impact small tech-enabled small businesses that rely on Internet and mobile platforms to compete in the retail marketplace.

eBay Inc. continues to believe that small tech-enabled businesses should be protected from a new burdensome sales tax regime and opposes the Senate-passed Marketplace Fairness Act, because it lacks strong small business protections. If you share our concerns with the Marketplace Fairness Act, we would encourage you to visit our Action Center and tell your Members of Congress that you oppose Internet sales tax legislation that hurts small businesses.

For more information on the Internet sales tax issue and eBay Inc.’s position, please visit their issues page.

6th Annual Expressions Portrait Competition

Deadline: Tuesday September 9, 2014 at 2 PM

 

Finalists from the competition will be featured in the 6th annual Expressions Portrait Exhibit at ArtSpace Herndon Tuesday, October 7 through Sunday November 2, 2014.  This year's judge is Jordan Xu and the jurors are Judith Peck and Michela Mansuino.

Jordan Xu will announce the winners at during the awards reception on Saturday, October 11, 2014. 

First Place - $500
Second Place $200

Third Place $100
Four Honorable Mentions

Artists 18 years or older residing in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, West Virginia, and Delaware can enter original 2-D or 3-D portraiture. (No photography, electronic or computer generated/ assisted art, or reproductions).

 

There is a nominal $25 entry fee (non-refundable) for up to 2 entries.

Click on the links below for full details and to enter.

Get more information

Register Now

Thumbnails Are Not An Infringement

The ubiquity of digital cameras has had a dramatic effect on professional photographer fees, yet stock companies like Getty Images have benefited greatly from the new paradigm, helped in part by a Draconian lawsuit strategy that some have categorized as nothing short of extortion. However, with Getty Images sending out so many copyright infringement demand letters, the company was bound to extort the wrong target, which in this case is the Florida law firm, Schneider Rothman Intellectual Property Law

Read the whole article here.

Judy Collins 1962

Judy Collins. c. 1962 by Lida Moser

This is why...

If posting has been a little slow lately, it is because my youngest daughter Elise was getting married over the weekend and we've been hanging out in gorgeous Gig Harbor, Washington!

And here's the bride and now Mrs. Elise Torralbo Campello

rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock

Training the boy to do his Vulcan salute so that he can play rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock...

Looking at Maurice Sievans paintings

"Looking at Maurice Sievans paintings from L to R Anna Moser, Lee Sievan, Berenice Abbott."

This is a vintage 1952 Lida Moser photograph. Moser hand-printed all her own photographs and rarely printed more than 5-6 images of any photo.

The photo was hand-printed by Moser on 8 x10 inch paper and it is signed, dated and annotated by Moser in pencil recto on verso. On the verso Moser has written in pencil: "Looking at Maurice Sievans paintings from L to R Anna Moser, Lee Sievan, Berenice Abbott."

(e)merge art fair announces exhibition roster

The (e)merge art fair returns for a fourth year with the 2014 edition featuring an international roster of 85 exhibitors presenting works by 150 artists from 30 countries. Exhibitors will show new works in painting, sculpture, video, performance, installation, and other media. For four days, the public is welcome to view a carefully curated selection of emerging art at the Capitol Skyline Hotel, exhibited on three levels inside the hotel and throughout the hotel's grounds and public spaces.

GALLERY PLATFORM > galleries and art spaces:

ARGENTINA: Acuarell Contemporary Art, Buenos Aires / C-Arte, Buenos Aires / Centro de Edición, Buenos Aires / Deseado Arroyo, Buenos Aires | BELGIUM: NOMAD, Brussels / GKV/Magenta Projects, Ostend | BOLIVIA: Salar Galería de Arte, La Paz | FRANCE: galerie bruno massa, Paris | GERMANY: polarraum, Hamburg | JAMAICA: ARC & NLS, Kingston | THE NETHERLANDS: Amstel Gallery, Amsterdam | SAUDI ARABIA: Naila Art Gallery, Riyadh | U.S.A.: Adamson Gallery, Washington, DC / Alida Anderson Art Projects, Potomac, MD / All We Art, Washington, DC / Atanda Gallery, Washington, DC / Aureus Contemporary, Providence, RI / Blind Whino, Washington, DC / Bodega de la Haba Presents, New York, NY / Causey Contemporary, New York, NY / CONNERSMITH., Washington, DC / DCCAH, Washington, DC / Flashpoint Gallery, Washington, DC / Hamiltonian, Washington, DC / I.B.Clark Gallery, New Hope, PA / KiloWatt Gallery, Newark, NJ / Mindy Solomon Gallery, Miami, FL / Pleasant Plains Workshop, Washington, DC / Present Company, Brooklyn, NY / Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Philadelphia, PA / Touchstone Gallery, Washington, DC / Transformer, Washington, DC / Victori Contemporary, New York, NY / Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, DC

ARTIST PLATFORM > independent artists:

Adam Hager, Washington, DC | Amy Finkelstein, Takoma Park, MD | Ana Schmidt, Getxo, Spain | Andrey Ustinov, Cologne, Germany | Anne Bouie, Washington, DC | Annie Albagli, Richmond, VA | Apollonia Vanova, Toronto, Canada | Becky Borlan, Takoma Park, MD | Ben Schonberger, Alexandria, VA | Ben Tolman, Washington, DC | Christopher Capriotti, Philadelphia, PA | Cici Wu, Beijing, China / Baltimore, MD | Dan Hildt, Alexandria, VA | Edel Gregan, Waterford, Ireland / McLean, VA | Eduardo Terranova, Cali, Colombia / New York, NY | Elizabeth Brown, Manassas, VA | Evan Hume, Washington, DC | Fawna Xiao, Washington, DC | Fiorella Gonzales Vigil, Lima, Peru / New York, NY | Galen Odell-Smedley, Mt. Rainier, MD | Heloisa Escudero, São Paulo, Brazil / Arlington, VA | Holly Bass, Washington, DC | Jake Singer, Johannesburg, South Africa | James Bernard Cole, Washington, DC | Jarri Hasnain, Leesburg, VA | Jeffrey Hensley, Ellicott City, MD | Joana Fischer, Ahlen, Germany / Miami, FL | John Franzen, Aachen, Germany / Maastricht, Netherlands | Joshua Bennett, Richmond, VA | Justin Wood, Miami, FL | Karine Falleni, Tucson, AZ | Madeleine Cutrona, Baltimore, MD | Magali Hébert-Huot, Jim Leach + Zack Ingram, Quebec City, Canada / Baltimore, MD | Mercedes Teixido, Claremont, CA | Nara Park, Seoul, South Korea / Washington, DC | Nicole Salimbene, Takoma Park, MD | Rachel Schmidt + André Singleton, Arlington, VA / Brooklyn, NY | Rebecca Ruige Xu, Beijing, China / Syracuse, NY | Sebastian Martorana, Baltimore, MD | Sha Sha Feng + Tami Gold, Brooklyn, NY | Sheldon Scott, Washington, DC | Stephen Hendee, Baltimore, MD | Sui Park, Seoul, South Korea / Brooklyn, NY | Tatiana Gulenkina, Washington, DC | Terence Hannum, Parkville, MD | Travis Beauchene, Fargo, ND | Trisha Kanellopoulos, Munich, Germany

FAIR HOURS + ADMISSION:

> Thursday, October 2
5pm – 7pm / (e)merge VIP & Press Preview. By invitation only.
7pm – 9pm / OPENING NIGHT PREVIEW
9pm - 11pm / Concert by the Pool with Furniteur, Pleasure Curses, and Chris Burns (dj set)
> Friday, October 3: 12pm – 7pm
Students with valid ID free: 12pm – 3pm
> Saturday, October 4: 12pm – 7pm
> Sunday, October 5: 12pm – 5pm

Trawick Prize

A friendly reminder that the annual Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards exhibit opens in two weeks on Wednesday, September 3 at Gallery B in Bethesda. The exhibit will showcase the work of this year’s nine finalists who were selected from more than 400 applicants. The award winners will be announced on September 4.

The public opening reception will be held Friday, September 12 from 6-9pm in conjunction with the Bethesda Art Walk. Gallery hours for the duration of the exhibit are Wednesday through Saturday, 12 – 6pm.

Larry Cook, Landover Hills, MD

Lisa Dillin, Baltimore, MD

Neil Feather, Baltimore, MD

Zoe Friedman, Baltimore, MD

Nicole Lenzi, Baltimore, MD

Kim Llerena, Washington, D.C.

Jonathan Monaghan, Washington, D.C.

Martine Workman, Washington, D.C.

Naoko Wowsugi, Washington, D.C.

Here come the Pandas!

CALL TO ARTISTS: REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS THE PANDA PROJECT

Deadline for Submission EXTENDED: September 2, 2014

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) is pleased to join with the DC Office of Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (OAPIA) to invite local artists or artistic teams to provide two- dimensional design proposals for a pre-fabricated panda sculpture.

Individual Artists and Artistic Teams are requested to respond to this Call to Artists with professional and emerging qualifications. Artists or teams are asked to submit up to three (3) designs in the form of two-dimensional drawings, renderings or paintings. Digital media designs illustrating the design on the panda and mixed media proposals will also be accepted.

Artists must be able to replicate the design in a three-dimensional format -hence the panda sculpture as pictured (below).

Background:

The Panda Project is part of a special artistic exchange for the District of Columbia's Sister Cities Program within the DC Office of the Secretary. In late September 2014, a Chinese Delegation from Beijing will visit the District for a series of events and programs. The panda statue will be used to highlight the city as a symbol of cultural and economic exchange between the District of Columbia and the Chinese Embassy.

Eligibility:

This opportunity is open to artists based in the Washington, DC metropolitan area (including surrounding areas in Maryland and Virginia) with special preference given to artists living in Washington, DC.

Budget:

The selected artist will receive a $4,000.00 honorarium, which will include design fee and all costs associated with design execution, materials and travel. The applicant should also have an appropriate studio space that can accommodate the sculpture during the painting process. Transportation of the panda sculpture to and from the studio space and associated costs will be covered by DCCAH.

Timeline:

July 11, 2014	Release of Invitational Request for Proposals
September 2, 2014, 5:00 PM EST	EXTENDED Deadline for receipt of application materials
Week of September 2, 2014	Review proposals and select finalist
September 2014	Project execution and completion
TBD September/October	Sculpture dedication

Selection Criteria: DCCAH will convene a Selection Committee representing diverse interests and expertise to review proposals and qualifications of the applicants that respond to this call. The committee will use the following criteria in selecting a finalist for the project, which candidates should address in their letter of interest:

• Artistic excellence and innovation as evidenced by past work.
• Creativity in enriching the public realm, streetscape or other public environments and the ability to animate public space.
• Manner in which the artist interprets cultural, social and aesthetic intersections between the District of Columbia and the Republic of China.
• Ability to connect with and engage the local community as well as the visiting public.
• Ability to work within a condensed and aggressive timeline (2-3 weeks for project completion).

About the Panda Statue:The pre-fabricated panda sculpture is fabricated from polyurethane and foam insulation with a steel armature inside the body of the statue for stability.

The statue is primed with stratum white powder and weighs 150 lbs. It will be mounted on a 500 lb. cement base. Specific recommendations for painting and/or adhering materials on the panda will be provided in detail to the selected artist or artist team.

Dimensions:

Statue - 54" (H) x 42" (W) Base - 46" (W)