Fulano de Tal

Things Cubans (and by default Americans of Cuban ancestry) say which make people who understand Spanish look puzzled: "Fulano de Tal" which was and still is, and will always be a puzzle to me, since it means something like "John Doe"... cough, cough... except that Cubans have another guy named "Mengano"... so it is "Fulano y Mengano" --- what??? It's like two made up names that cover Tom, Dick, Harry and Jane all at once...

And I am told that there's also even two more characters: "Sutano" and "Perengano."

Ephemeral at Olly Olly

Ephemeral
Olly Olly
June 6, 2015-July 18, 2015
Opening Reception
Saturday, June 6, 2015, 7pm-10pm

Olly Olly is pleased to present a new art exhibition, Ephemeral, inspired by the elusive here and now, and the role of delicate forms of reality at play in the understanding of emotion, life, and meaning making. On Saturday, June 6, 2015, from 7pm to 10pm, spend an evening with the artists:

Bita Ghavami

Jay Hendrick

Samantha Sethi

Lisa Marie Thalhammer

The artists of Ephemeral create situations of opportunity for the viewer to experience the fragile and temporary nature of art and life. Destruction becomes a powerful mode of creation through processes that utilize objects of the everyday. Wood, metal, ice, concrete, paper, paint, band-aids, memory, and the performance of bodies embrace and transform fleeting moments of existence in order to call into question systems, functions, and transitory relationships of space, place, and time. 

Special musical performance will be provided by local goth/jazz/punk/new wave/experimental rock twosome Space Waste.

We will be collecting healthy non-perishable food items for the Food Bridge Program at Our Daily Bread, which provides short-term emergency food assistance to Fairfax County area residents who are in crisis. We encourage you to bring a healthy non-perishable food item to donate. The Food Bridge Program is most in need of cooking oil, brown rice, dried beans, canned fruit in its own juices, and pasta sauce.

Olly Olly, located at 10417 Main Street, 2nd Floor, in Fairfax, VA, is open Mondays 10am-4pm, Tuesdays 6pm-9pm, Wednesdays 10am-4pm, Thursdays 6pm-9pm, Saturdays 11am-4pm, and by appointment. Ephemeral will be on view at Olly Olly from June 6, 2015 through July 18, 2015.

DC FY16 Grants Deadlines

This is a friendly reminder to all DC artist who bitch about

art opportunities in DC that

FY16 Grants Deadlines begin Wednesday, May 13

Starting with the deadline for City Arts Projects, the bulk of DC's FY16 Grant applications are due between Wednesday May 13 and Friday May 22. The one grant due after that is for the Public Art Building Communities program, which is due August 21.

See below for all the deadlines, and click on the link below for its respective guidelines.

FY16 Grants Deadlines

Artist Fellowship Program	Friday, May 15
Arts Education Program	Thursday, May 21
City Arts Projects - Individuals	Wednesday, May 13
City Arts Projects - Organizations	Wednesday, May 13
Cultural Facilities Projects	Monday, May 18
East of the River	Monday, May 18
Grants-in-Aid	Friday, May 15
Public Art Building Communities	Friday, August 21
Sister Cities International Arts Grant	Wednesday, May 20
UPSTART	Friday, May 22

FY16 Advisory Review Panelists

As you may also know, the DC Arts Commission (for which I have served for many years) is  currently seeking advisory review panelists for the FY16 grant season. Panelists are integral to the DCCAH's grants process because they review applications, provide comments, and score applications in order to recommend recipients of DCCAH grant awards.

Click here for more information and further instructions.

Please do not hesitate to contact the Commission with any questions, by calling their main line at (202) 724-5613 or emailing them at cah@dc.gov,

Mark Halperin: Asshole of the Week

Other than my frequent ramblings on the brutal Cuban dictatorship, and an occasional political cartoon, this blog seldom discusses politics, so please forgive this nauseating excursion into that world.

Last night I watched the Mark Halperin interview of Senator Ted Cruz, an interview that, as a Cuban-American, not only made me immensely uncomfortable, but also revealed the disturbing insides of this "journalist."


Senator Ted Cruz is Cuban-American, and because the Texas Senator is one of those rare politicians that actually says in a very loud voice what he believes, and then sticks to his beliefs, you either like him a lot, or despise him even more, depending if you agree with Cruz (as the majority of Texans who voted him into the Senate apparently do) or disagree with him (as practically every Democratic Senator and even some Republicans does), and that is just one of the beautiful things about living in this great nation: Politicians (and the rest of us) can (and often should) have widely differing views on things, and disagree, and argue, etc.

Watching Halperin's revolting interview of Cruz, I actually wanted to throw up.

Up to last night, I had never heard of the online interview show that Halperin co-hosts on BloombergPolitics.com. It is called "With All Due Respect", but the last thing that Halperin showed Cruz was respect; in fact what Halperin revealed about himself was not only a disturbing and sickening inside look at his mind, but also evidence of his lack of journalistic ethics.

Imagine Halperin interviewing Senator Obama in 2008:

"Senator Obama, as a historical matter, when you applied to Harvard, did you list yourself as a Kenyan-American"?

"Who's your favorite African-American performer?"

"What's your favorite kind of black music?"

"What's your favorite soul food?"

Or imagine Halperin interviewing Senator Elizabeth Warren today:

"Senator Warren, what's your favorite Native-American dance?

"Can you say something in Wampanoag?

Had those interviews happened, Bloomberg would have fired Halperin (who has since then somewhat apologized... cough, cough).

What Halperin was doing when he asked Senator Cruz to speak in Spanish (when everyone knows that Cruz is not fluent in Spanish), or to reveal his favorite Cuban dish, or to list what sort of Cuban music the Senator likes, was to challenge Cruz's Cubanosity and to diminish his Hispanic/Latino "credentials."

Halperin wanted to diminish and embarrass Senator Cruz because Ted Cruz does not fit the stereotype of what the main stream press and the Democratic Party (but I repeat myself) wants us Hispanics/Latinos to be: homogeneously brown, solid Democrats, poor, and victimized. Cruz, on the other hand, is white, right wing, and very vocal and proud about his extreme right-wingness.

Why did this interview bother me so much? I thought about this overnight, and I've come to the conclusion that, for the first time, starting when I was a child in Brooklyn, grew into a man while serving in the US Navy, and the many years since, I've now personally felt, for the first time in all those years, the slimy touch of racism.

It sickens me that Halperin can give a half-assed apology and go on pretending that he's an unbiased, objective journalist, when it is clear to the most casual observer that all along he had a goal and a focus in his sickening interview of Senator Cruz.

It sickens me that it took a Mark Halperin to make me feel insulted, nauseated, violated and angry. And it sickens me that he's tarnished my American dream.

Corcoran’s 17th Street building's renovation

LEO A DALY, an internationally renowned architecture, engineering and planning firm with expertise in arts and education spaces, will lead the phased renovation of the Corcoran’s 17th Street building, the George Washington University announced Monday.

The firm, which already has assisted with preliminary space planning at the Corcoran, will be responsible for detailed planning as well as historically sensitive architectural design work for the renovations at the 17th Street building. Initial work will include design of roof and façade repairs; upgrades to critical infrastructure; and design of program spaces, such as computer labs, which will be used in the fall. Long-term efforts will include design to support academic programs and student needs.

The National Gallery of Art, GW, The Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Corcoran College of Art + Design signed the historic collaboration agreements last year that, in part, created the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at GW and transferred ownership of the 17th Street building to the university.

“LEO A DALY brings a high level of knowledge and experience to this project and has successfully led our initial space planning efforts,” said Alicia Knight, GW’s senior associate vice president for operations. “We look forward to working with the firm as we renovate the Corcoran to ensure that it supports our students and continues to serve as a showplace for the arts.”
The firm, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, is an international leader in the practice of architecture and engineering. Its design expertise in the arts, museums and learning environments includes the Savannah College of Art and Design in Hong Kong and the Strategic Air and Space Museum in Ashland, Nebraska. LEO A DALY is also leading the renovation of the historic Burlington Passenger Station, built in Omaha in 1898, transforming it into a state-of-the-art television studio facility for the Hearst Corporation’s ABC affiliate KETV News Watch Channel 7.

“It is a rare privilege to lead the renovation of such an iconic Beaux Arts building,” said Leo A. Daly III, chairman and CEO of LEO A DALY. “The Corcoran Building is a significant Washington landmark, just steps from the White House. Breathing new life into such a structure, while transforming its classic gallery space into a world-class arts education environment, is an architect’s dream.”
Mr. Daly, a fellow of the American Institute of Architects, serves on the Trustees’ Council of the National Gallery of Art and is a former trustee of the Corcoran Gallery of Art. A respected collector of 20th century art, Mr. Daly previously served as chairman of the American Architectural Foundation, vice chairman of the Kennedy Center International Committee, vice chairman of the National Building Museum, and on the Advisory Board of the Blair House Fine Arts Committee.

The university recently announced that it has entered into a contract for S&R Foundation to purchase the Fillmore building. The nonprofit organization intends to use it as an arts incubator supporting talented artists. The university will use funds from the sale of the Fillmore for the renovation of the 17th Street building and for programs within the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design.

American Sniper Saga: UMD responds

As you know, I was furious at how UMD caved in when faced with a set of students who do not understand fully the concept of freedom of speech - in this case about the showing of the film American Sniper.

UMD has responded with the following:

Dear Lenny:

 

Thank you for your message to President Loh and for reaching out to voice your concerns regarding the decision to postpone the viewing of American Sniper. We understand this decision has caused a strong reaction, and we appreciate your feedback.

It was announced on Tuesday afternoon that a showing of American Sniper, sponsored by the UMD College Democrats and the UMD College Republicans, will happen on the University of Maryland campus on May 4th at the Hoff Theatre.  There will be no charge to students, and anyone who wishes to stay afterward will be invited to participate in a thoughtful dialogue.

We appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts.

Sincerely,

 

Ann Tonggarwee

Assistant to the President

University of Maryland

Call for artists and curators

Deadline: Rolling

Summary
The Athenaeum Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia exhibits visual arts created solely by artists living or working in the region and strives to present visitors with a wide variety of excellent art and unique experiences.  In addition to the shows curated by the Gallery Director, the Athenaeum Gallery invites artists and curators to submit show proposals.

Eligibility
Artists who live or work in Virginia, Maryland, or the District of Columbia may submit a proposal for a solo show.  A group of artists who live or work in the area may submit a proposal for group show.  A curator, living or working anywhere, may submit a proposal for a show featuring works by artists living or working in this area.

Sales
The Athenaeum Gallery will retain a 30% commission on works sold, and will issue a check for 70% of the sales price to the artist no longer than thirty days after the show has closed.
For a curator-proposed show, the commission structure can be adjusted with the full agreement of the gallery and the curator.
Sold work remains in the gallery until the last day of the show.
Work does not have to be for sale to be included in a show.

Insurance
All works in the show will be insured by the Athenaeum Gallery for 100% of the retail price during the run of the show.

About the Athenaeum
The Athenaeum Gallery is the headquarters of the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association (NVFAA).  Founded in 1964, the NVFAA is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in all forms of art, and to establishing programs that will enrich the cultural life of Northern Virginia and the surrounding metropolitan area. The Athenaeum Gallery exhibits work created solely by artists living or working the region and strives to present visitors with a wide variety of excellent work and unique experiences.

Details here.

A Free eBook Just for Visual Artists

Click on the above image or visit this link.

Wanna go to an artist's talk tomorrow?

Saturday, May 9, 1:30 - 3:30pm

DMV artist Molly Springfield talks about her work with large scale prints and book marginalia. She will connect her work to objects on view in the Luce Foundation Center.

Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center

Tickets: Free

Event Link:  http://americanart.si.edu/calendar/event.cfm?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D113666413

This weekend!

Bethesda Fine Arts Festival

Delight in fine art created by 130 of the nation's best artists, live entertainment and Bethesda restaurants. 
Located in Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle, along Norfolk, Auburn & Del Ray Avenues. Admission to the festival is free and free parking is available in the public parking garage
on Auburn Avenue. This event is held rain or shine.

2015 Festival Dates: Saturday, May 9, 10am - 6pm
Sunday, May 10, 10am - 5pm

The Corcoran 30th Annual Print Portfolio

FOREVER: The Corcoran 30th Annual Print Portfolio 
May 8 - August 14, 2015

Opening Reception: Friday, May 8, 6:00 – 8:00pm

WORKS BY: Rawan Alferaehy, Ken Ashton, Raya Bodnarchuk, Marte Newcombe, Andrew Christenberry, Y. David Chung, Georgia Deal, Kristine DeNinno, George Fox, Julie Garcia, Carolyn Hartman, David Hodgson, Elizabeth Klimek, Jihae Kwon, Caroline Lacey, Yaroslav Karpoulin, Pam Lawton, Kerry McAleer-Keeler, Conor Martin, Sarah Matthews, Jayme McLellan, Jessica Metzger, William A. Newman, Dennis O'Neil, Trish O'Meara, Paulette Palacios, Jennaway Pearson, Arel Peckler, Tom Pullin, Mariana Rivera, Claudia Smigrod, Casey Smith, Bob and Carol Stackhouse, Susan Sterner, Shane Sullivan, Lynn Sures, Kohei Urakami, Greg Vita, Lauren Wright, Na'ama Zussman.


The Portfolio, which began in 1985, is one of the oldest traditions at the Corcoran. It reflects not only who we are as students, teachers, and as artists, but also the times we live in. With prints alike to forever stamps, we want to capitalize on this moment in Corcoran's history by commemorating the places, objects, and people that are the Corcoran.

Corcoran faculty, staff, undergraduate and graduate students, and many distinguished alumni, such as David Chung, George Fox, Bill Christenberry, Andrew Christenberry, Jayme McClellan, Dennis O'Neil, and many others have each printed an edition of 30 to be a part of this landmark project.

Carroll Square Gallery
975 F Street NW, Washington DC 20004
202.347.7978
www.hemphillfinearts.com

Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival

The much anticipated annual Greater Reston Arts Center’s Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival is coming! May 16-17, 2015. A nationally top-ranked fine art and craft festival that typically attracts 30,000+ patrons, the Festival is also Greater Reston Arts Center's primary fundraiser, and it allows GRACE -- the area's largest non-profit dedicated exclusively to enhancing community life through excellence in and the promotion of the contemporary visual arts -- to offer its free-to-the-public exhibitions at its Town Center Gallery and art education programs across all ages.

Each year the competitive, juried, Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival features over 200 skilled artisans who utilize both traditional and unconventional materials and techniques to create hand-crafted, original works of art available for purchase. The sheer diversity of fine art and craft at the Festival, now in its 24th year, ensures that there is something for every taste and budget. If you would like a chance to mingle with the festival artists, The Festival Launch Party will take place at the Reston Town Center Pavilion on May 15, and will feature savory treats, specialty wine, music and a silent auction.

To learn more and to purchase tickets, please visit northernvirginiafineartsfestival.org

Bummer

I'm Oh for like every year so far!

Good Morning,

Thank you very much for your recent submission to the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities Art Bank Collection through the DC Creates! Public Art Program.  Our two panel Selection Committee, consisting of eight arts professionals and artists, reviewed over 300 applications for this FY15 acquisition cycle. Unfortunately, I regret to inform you that your submission was not selected to continue into the second in person review panel of artwork to be purchased.  The exceptional caliber and diversity of artwork submitted made this year’s selection process especially competitive.

Although your application was not selected this year, the Commission values your individual contribution to the D.C. arts community and strongly encourages you to reapply to our future Art Bank calls for work, public art opportunities, and grant programs we offer.  Should you have any questions about the Selection Committee process, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email. We look forward to seeing your application at the next available opportunity.

Sincerely,

Ron Humbertson
Art Collections Registrar
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH)
200 I (Eye) Street, SE, Suite 1400
Washington, DC 20003
dcarts.dc.gov

Opportunities for artists and curators

Deadline: June 1, 2015

The Rehoboth Art League (RAL) is a non-profit arts center, located in Henlopen Acres, Delaware, which currently contains four gallery spaces on its historic 3.5 acre facility and The Homestead, an historic home which also serves as a gallery space. In addition to several pop-up galleries in the surrounding area the RAL has just developed and opened The RAL Art Studios, a 6400 sq. off-site arts complex which houses two additional gallery spaces as well as an arts education center and four artist-in-residency studios. The RAL is actively seeking both solo and group show proposals for their 2016 season. Over 29,000 people attend RAL activities each year. $20 Application fee.

Visit website for more information at:https://www.rehobothartleague.org/explore/call-for-entries.html.

Questions? Please contact Jay Pastore, Exhibitions Director at Jay@rehobothartleague.org or call 302.227.8408.

Do this on Saturday

This Saturday, May 9th from 12pm to 5pm is the Washington Glass School's 14th Anniversary Open House and Party!

This popular annual event is a great time to come by and see what they are doing lately. This year is particularly exciting as the WGS has two new large studios opening next to them.

First, my good bud Sean Hennessey, their resident artist for the last five years is branching out to the new space next door. He and other artists, such as David Mordini and the amazing Scott Brooks, will be taking over Margaret Boozer's former Red Dirt studio and making their own 5000 sqft Otis Street Art Projects! Also, Laurel Lukaszawski has taken over Novie Trump's former Flux Studio (Novie has an amazing new studio in Jerome, AZ) and opened White Point Studios!

This amazing arts complex continues to expand with some of the best artists in this region! Come on Saturday and see what its all about!

What: Washington Glass School's 14th Anniversary Open House and Party!
When: Saturday, May 9th from noon to 5pm
Where: Washington Glass School
            3700 Otis. St.
            Mt. Rainier, Md. 20712
            202-744-8222
Cost: Free!

Amy Lin at Addison/Ripley Fine Art



AMY LIN 

DREAMWORLDS

 May 9 - June 27th, 2015 

opening reception for the artist

Saturday, May 9th, 5-7pm
Addison/Ripley Fine Art (1670 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington DC)

Don't Mess with Texas

In Rockville, MD

Is there a better way to spend a super nice weekend than at an outdoor art fair?

Campellos in the news

At the dawn of the 1930's in Berlin, the Nazis are rising to power. In the Kit Kat Klub, a seedy cabaret full of interesting characters and decadent celebration, we find the naïve English cabaret performer Sally Bowles (Elise Campello), along with the cabaret girls and boys, and the infamous Emcee (Mauro Bozzo). We follow her relationship with American writer Cliff Bradshaw (Niclas R. Olson) as the Nazis begin their takeover of the city.

Details here.

This weekend in Rockville

A-RTS Rockville Arts Festival at Rockville Town Square

Saturday, May 2, from 11am to 6pm

Sunday, May 3, from 11am to 5pm

 

160 artists!

 

Walk the streets of downtown Rockville as it is transformed into a brilliant spring outdoor art gallery highlighting the some of the best local, regional and national artists. See the industry’s best in glass, ceramics, jewelry, painting, photography, sculpture, woodwork and more.

 

Live Musical Entertainment on the beautiful outdoor stage at Rockville Town Square.

• Todd Baker and Dave Marsh (Accoustic String Fusion)
• Wytold (Electric Cello, World Percussion, Bass Trio)
• Dave Chappell (Guitar)
• Colonel Josh (Accoustic Blues)

 
Admission is FREE.
 
The outdoor event is held rain or shine located on the streets of Rockville Town Square, Rockville, Maryland (Maryland, Ave., Middle St, and Gibbs St.). Streets are closed to traffic for the Festival. The Festival is in easy walking distance from the Rockville Metro station and numerous garages are conveniently located around the site.  For more information about parking and travel, visit their  parking and directions page.

 

Details here. See ya there!