Maryland Arts Directory Triennial Exhibition

Press release from MAP about this terrific Maryland artists exhibition:

In celebration of the talented and diverse array of artists across the state, the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) and Maryland Art Place (MAP) are pleased to present the third Maryland Arts Directory exhibition this month. Held Thursday, May 18 at 6pm, the triennial event will focus on visual artworks, literary works, and performers in the ever growing Maryland Arts Directory, and will be held in tandem with the Bromo Arts & Entertainment District Spring Art Walk.

Maintained by MAP for more than 25 years, the Maryland Arts Directory originated as a regional resource conceived by MSAC. Curators, collectors, and patrons could physically visit MAP to review new visual artworks using slides. As time went by, slides became outdated and an official online resource was created to make access to artworks much more accessible.

The Directory is a free online platform that showcases the high-caliber, diverse, and relevant work of Maryland’s artists and arts organizations and promotes the vitality of Maryland’s arts communities. Collectively, MSAC and MAP aim to present a comprehensive survey of Maryland artists for the Triennial exhibition. 

"We are excited to collaborate with MAP and work with these jurors to showcase the breadth and depth of the work of Maryland's artists," said MSAC Executive Director Steven Skerritt-Davis. "The Directory as an online resource is invaluable, and having the chance to experience participating artists' work in person is sure to be inspiring" 

This year’s roster of talented jurors includes: Jayme McLellan (visual art) - Founder and Director of Civilian Art Projects; José Ruiz (visual art) – Director and Faculty, Curatorial Practices Program at the Maryland Institute College of Art; Rahne Alexander (performance) – intermedia artist, writer and editor; and Gerry LaFemina (literary) – acclaimed poet, writer, professor and critic.

And all of you who have read this blog for the past 20 years know, I always advise that artists must have thick skins!

I applied for this exhibition, but was not accepted.  This is part of the journey of being an artist!

Here's my rejection note, forever preserved!

Hello,

Thank you for your submission to the MSAC Arts Directory Triennial Exhibition.

We received an overwhelming response. Unfortunately, your work was not selected for this exhibition opportunity. Due to the number of applications, we had to be very selective.  Please know this was a tough decision based on capacity and not artist merit. We hope you will continue applying for future opportunities with Maryland Art Place and MSAC. It was an honor and a privilege to review your work. Thank you for all you do as a Maryland creative! 

Warmly,

MAP staff

Annual Student Exhibition at Montgomery College Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus

The King Street Gallery presents the annual Student Exhibition featuring the work of Montgomery College students from the Department of the Visual and Performing Arts at Takoma Park, Silver Spring Campus. The exhibition will be on display from May 18th through September 8th, 2023.

King Street Gallery is open late on May 18^th from 5 PM to 7:30 PM for the exhibition opening. This event is located at the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Arts Center. This exhibition is free and open to the public. For more information, visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MCVPA

The exhibition features artworks made by Art & Design students over the past year and includes work from courses in 2D Design, 3D Design, Ceramics, Craft, Drawing, Graphic Design, Illustration, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, and Sculpture. 

Throughout the year, Montgomery College art students have worked hard to accomplish a variety of artwork that will make this year’s show something not to miss. Please join them to celebrate the student body's creativity. 

Carroll County Arts Council looking for artists

Carroll County Arts Council looking for artists to display in both of their galleries for the 2024 season. The goal of this call is to introduce new artists and artwork to the community. They believe in artistic collaboration, so there will be no solo shows. Instead, artists who apply and are chosen will be paired with other artists to create a variety of exhibitions.

Click here for more information about the galleries and to apply.

Legacy: A Conversation with Aesthetic Innovators

Legacy: A Conversation with Aesthetic Innovators

Applying Art Skills to Create Opportunity through Community Outreach

Presented by Washington Sculptors Group

Monday, May 15, 2023, 7- 8:30 pm On Zoom

Have you ever thought about extending your legacy through something other than the work you make for yourself? Three woodworking artists, Margery Goldberg, Lynda Smith-Bügge, and Joe Largess have harnessed their knowledge of craft and arts organization to teach carpentry to a new generation.

Learn how these aesthetic innovators built a vibrant mobile woodshop from scratch. Devising a program as comprehensive as Zenith Community Arts Foundation required vision, networking, institutional knowledge, grant writing expertise, proficiency in carpentry, and enough educational savvy to transfer its aspirations to its participants. These skills are highly transferable to other areas and can enlarge our footprint in an art world where finding multiple ways to plug-in opens more doors. 

Space is Limited, Registration Required - Click HERE to Register

Proposal: Women Artists of the DMV

Awrighty... I've got two of the three venues lined up + a tentative book deal for my idea to curate a massive three-space "Women Artists of the DMV" exhibition... just finished submitting the below proposal to the Alper Initiative gods at the Katzen.

Fingers crossed now! And oh yeah! 

Proposal: Women Artists of the DMV

According to the research done by the Washington City Paper in 2017, the term “DMV”, which is used to refer to the District, Maryland and Virginia first appeared in a DC ART NEWS blog post that I wrote in 2003 – And yes! I therefore do claim that I invented it!

The Greater Washington, D.C., capital region (the DMV) is not only home to some of the best art museums in the world, dozens of art galleries, non-profit art spaces, alternative art venues, and art organizations, but it also supports and fertilizes of the best and most creative visual art scenes in the nation.

This scene is kindled and ignited to a large extent by female artists of all ages, races and ethnicities – an artistic female universe significantly more diverse than just about any of other major city on the planet. By the same logic and path, the artwork created by these fertile minds examine every possible corner of the visual arts genres and creative corners.

Celebrating this art scene, which spreads across the three areas that make up the DMV, I propose to curate an exhibition of 100 works by 100 women artists comprised of both leading and established female artists plus talented emerging contemporary female visual artists who represent the tens of thousands of women artists working in this culturally and ethnically diverse region in order to assemble a group show to showcase the immense power of the visual arts being created by these artists.

Let me repeat myself: Equally diverse as the artists, are the artistic styles and media you will see in this curated exhibition, the first of its kind for the capital area.

With 100 works of art potentially available for curatorial selection, this exhibition will offer a primer for both the experienced art eye and the beginning art aficionado, highlighting a selection of talented artists who usually deserve more attention on a local, regional and national scale.

100 works of art take a lot of exhibition space, and thus this curated exhibition could either be:

(a)    Fully staged at the Katzen or;

(b)    Would be concurrently spread across three separate venues in the DMV: At the Katzen in the District, one non-profit in Northern Virginia and one independent gallery in Maryland.

                                 i.            For Northern Virginia I have obtained an approval for the exhibition from The Athenaeum in Alexandria.

                               ii.            For Maryland, I have obtained an approval for the exhibition from The Artists & Makers Gallery complex in Rockville.

I have the experience to curate a large, multi-space art survey exhibition. In 2007 I curated “Seven”, a seven-gallery exhibition in the District that surveyed the thousands of artist members of the Washington Project for the Arts (WPA). Over 6500 slides (remember slides?) were reviewed and a couple of hundred artists selected for the multi-gallery show, which received multiple reviews in the press, both local and national.  In 2001 I curated “Contemporary Realism: A Survey of Washington Area Realists” for the Athenaeum in Alexandria – another show that exhibited over 60 artists and received wide reviews in the regional and national press.  Those are just two of hundreds of curated shows since 1996.

My curatorial process for this large proposal will also involve “community input”, as I intend to approach the DMV artistic community to be able to propose up to 15 of the 100 final artists. 

I also have ample experience running this “community input” process, as in 2011 I authored the book 100 Artists of Washington, DC (published by Schiffer Press), which in part included “community input” to ensure that the diversity of the 100 artists – both in style, age, genres, etc. – was truly representational of the Greater DC area.

Lastly, I have a tentative “yes” to a book proposal focused on this exhibition to be published by Schiffer Press.  If the three-space exhibition moves forward, then the book moves forward.

I understand that a significant lead time is needed by American University to schedule approved Alper shows, and stand ready, willing and able to tackle this opportunity, regardless of the time frame.

Finally, I have started the tentative process of getting artists’ commitments to the exhibition, with the goal of aligning the leading female artists of the region to help “move” this proposal and so far have obtained enthusiastic “yes” from Margaret Boozer, Lisa Montag Brotman, Shanti Chandra Sekar, Irene Clouthier, Rosemary Feit-Covey, Claudia Gibson-Hunter, Carol Brown Goldberg, Janis Goodman, Muriel Hasbun, Melissa Ichiuji, Akemi Maegawa, Joey Manlapaz, Anne Marchand, Jody Mussoff. Teresa Oaxaca, Amber Robles-Gordon, Renee Stout, Helen Zughaib and 60+ other DMV female artists.

Let’s go!

When the onion became a garlic

 Then this...

Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum has quietly renamed a painting by the famed Dutch artist after realizing that its title referred to the wrong kind of allium. Red Cabbages and Onions, it turns out, should have been called Red Cabbages and Garlic all along.

Aaron Myers is the new DC Art Commission's Executive Director

From The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH):

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH) is thrilled to announce the appointment of Aaron Myers as our new Executive Director. Myers, a renowned jazz vocalist, pianist, educator, and activist, brings a wealth of experience in the arts and a passion for community engagement to his new role. Myers was nominated for appointment by the Commission in February 2023 following an extensive four-month search. The Council of the District of Columbia voted unanimously to confirm his appointment at today’s legislative meeting.

As a DC-based artist, Myers has a deep understanding of the city's cultural landscape and its diverse communities. He has been an active member of the DC arts community for over a decade, serving as the Artist-in-Residence at the Black Fox Lounge, Mr. Henry’s Restaurant, The Eaton and performing at venues across the city. He is the founding Board Chair of the Capitol Hill Jazz Foundation, serves on the Board of Governors of the DC Recording Academy and has been recognized for his work in arts education.

In addition to his extensive background in the arts, Myers is known for his advocacy for social justice and community engagement. He has served as a community organizer and principle organizer of the DMV Music Stakeholders, a grassroots effort to center relief and resources for members of the music community impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the Executive Committee of the DC Branch of the NAACP.

As Executive Director of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Myers will oversee the agency's efforts to support and promote the arts in the District of Columbia. This includes managing grant programs, public art installations, and cultural events that celebrate the city's vibrant arts scene.

"We are excited to welcome Aaron Myers as the new Executive Director of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Aaron's passion for the arts and commitment to community engagement make him the ideal person to lead the Commission in its mission to support and promote the arts in the District of Columbia. We look forward to working with him to build a more vibrant and inclusive arts ecosystem in our city,” said Reggie Van Lee, Chair of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

“I am excited to be given the opportunity to serve this community, in this capacity, at this moment, and I thank Chair Van Lee and the commissioners and staff, as well as Chairman Phil Mendelson and the Council for their confidence and support. I look forward to working together, along with Mayor Muriel Bowser, to meet the moment for our creatives, and to truly reinforce to the world that DC is the District of Creatives, the Creative Capital of this Country,” said Aaron Myers, Executive Director of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

Myers began working as Acting Executive Director on March 27, 2023. With today’s confirmation vote by the DC Council, he immediately assumes the role as Executive Director. The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities looks forward to the energy and vision that Myers will bring to this important role.

WALA Copyright "Basics" Workshop

 

Tuesday, June 20, 2023 11am   WALA Copyright "Basics" Workshop

Tue. June 20, 2023 - WALA Copyright “Basics” info & registration

Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants

Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants Cycle 18 is open through May 19. These national grants of up to $5,000 support direct treatment expenses for medical, dental or mental health emergencies that occurred September 1, 2022 or later; the deadline is May 19, 2023.

Choreographers, those creating in the visual arts, and those creating in the film/video/electronic/digital arts, living anywhere in the U.S., D.C, US territories, or tribal nations are eligible. Cycle 19 will open June 20, with a deadline of July 21, for emergencies occurring December 1, 2022 and later. A recorded information session, along with guidelines and the online application, are available on their website.

Tomorrow: Insights with Laura Roulet

Insights: Laura Roulet

Tomorrow, 4pm–6pm

Join the Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art in Reston, Virginia tomorrow for an Insights program spotlighting an academic perspective of the work currently on view at Tephra ICA. This Insights program will feature my good friend independent curator and writer Laura Roulet who will speak about the Hacia la Vida | Toward Life exhibition.

Please RSVP here. In addition to the in-person program, Insights will be livestreamed beginning at 4:30pm and guests are welcome to join via Zoom with this link. This program is generously supported by Reston Community Center.

Bethesda Fine Arts Festival

On May 13 & 14, 2023, the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival takes over Woodmont Triangle, along Norfolk, Auburn & Del Ray Avenues, welcoming over 100 of the nation's best artists, live entertainment, and Bethesda restaurants. 

Take a glance at the artists attending this year's festival by clicking here. 

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. Sign up to volunteer here.

Sold!

This is why I always tell artists to do the OUT OF ORDER show at the Maryland Art Place in Baltimore!

Black Art: In the Presence of LIGHT

Bethesda's Gallery B welcomes The Black Art Today Foundation for the first time, exhibiting their latest show, “Black Art: In the Presence of LIGHT.” 

Inspired by the documentary, Black Art: In the Absence of Light. This exhibit answers the challenging question to all Black and African American artists, “Are you willing to make [art] in the absence of light?” The foundation’s 27 member artists collectively respond that their work is LIGHT. 

The artwork will be exhibited from May 5 - May 28, 2023 with an opening reception on Sunday, May 7th from 2pm -5pm. Gallery hours for the show will be Friday – Saturday, 12-7pm, and Sundays, 11-6pm. Gallery B is located at 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E, Bethesda, MD, in the former location of the DMV's iconic Fraser Gallery.

Featuring Artists

DionJa’Y

Kibibi Ajanku

Tanya Bracey

Bryane Broadie

Jamil Burton

Karen Y. Buster

David W.M. Cassidy

Dr. Vanessa Chappell-Lee

Keiona Clark

Thomas E. Dade

Emery Franklin 

Scott Fulton

Marilyn Gates

Brayden Green

Anita Henley

Sarah Jones

Erasto Curtis Matthews

James E. Murphy Jr.

Esther Okehi

Babacar Pouye

Alma Robert

B/ue Robin

Harriet Smith

Dr. Yemonja Smalls

K. Sparks

Shirlene Thomas

Anthony Young

Project RestART looking for curators

What is Project RestART?

Project RestART provides sponsorship opportunities to Black curators residing and creating in Baltimore City to encourage the curation of cultural experiences centering Black creatives. Project RestART is a direct action to re-stimulate the cultural economy and to address some of the challenges caused by Covid-19.

- Sponsorships will be provided for the months of: January, February, April, June, July, September, November, December
- The application for sponsorships for a sponsorship month will open the first of the previous month. (Ex. Application for April sponsorships will open March 1st)
- The application will be open for 2 weeks. After that, applicants will be decided upon by the Programs team.

Click here for more information.

Call for Artists - Prince George's Arts and Humanities Council Digital Open Call

The Prince George's Arts and Humanities Council looks to showcase the diverse artistic and scholarly disciplines active in Prince George's County, Maryland. While our physical programs are on hold in support and compliance with the State's efforts to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we turn to our screens for connection. 

Additionally, all programs must be prerecorded and go through a vetting process with the exception of Studio Visits. Studio Visits will require a pre studio visit with PGAHC Senior Program Manager. Thereafter, we will determine the best platform to show your visual artworks with audience questions and feedback in real-time. 

If you are interested in showcasing your work for dispersal on their social media platforms please complete the form by clicking here for more information. Please note, all work must be family-friendly. There may be no suggestive or explicit content nor language. 

Eleanor Kotlarik Wang at Studio Gallery

 

Almost Forgotten

Eleanor Kotlarik Wang

Curated by Gaby Mizes

April 26 - May 20, 2023

Evening Serenade by Eleanor Kotlarik Wang

Opening Reception: Saturday, April 29th, 3-5 pm

First Friday: Friday, May 5th, 5-8 pm

Third Thursday: Thursday, May 18th, 5-8 pm

Closing Reception: Saturday, May 20th, 3-6 pm

Studio Gallery | 2108 R Street N.W., Washington, DC 20008

Harper Lee

Happy birthday to Harper Lee (1926-2016), whose first novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, about racial injustice in a small Alabama town, sold more than 40 million copies!

Photo: HarperCollins & Penguin Random 

The curious case of losing an art competition to AI

Hyperallergic's Rhea Nayyar details the story of German photographer Boris Eldagsen:

Could you imagine losing an art competition to a robot? It’s happened before, and it happened again when Boris Eldagsen, a career photographer from Berlin, Germany, submitted an AI-generated image for the 2023 Sony World Photography Awards (SWPA) under the Creative category. Eldagsen claims that he disclosed to both Sony and the competition organizer, Creo Arts, that his work was made using AI, but neither would outright acknowledge it until he took matters into his own hands.

To toot my own horn, I sorta, kinda predicted this waaaay back in 2003 in this post.

Listen to NPR's Scott Detrow talks with photographer Boris Elgadsen about this issue.

The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards

Application Closing April 26th

The annual Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards is seeking artists creating work in all media! 

The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards founded by Carol Trawick awards  $14,000 in annual prize monies. The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards will feature the artwork of eight finalists at Gallery B from September 7 – October 1, 2023. $14,000 in prize monies are provided to the winning artists. All artists from Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia are eligible, and the deadline to apply is April 26, 2023.

The Trawick Prize deadline is April 26, 2023.

Details here.

36th Annual Northern National Art Competition jurying - done!

I just finished jurying the 36th Annual Northern National Art Competition - 613 entries! Such a hard job to say "no" because there were sooooooo many really good entries! But this show will rock... and once I see the artwork in person, I may find a couple of surprise new artists to bring back to the DMV!

The "YES" entries will astound the national!

Buah... ah.. ah...

Women Artists of the DMV

According to the research done by the Washington City Paper in 2017, the term “DMV” to refer to the District, Maryland and Virginia first appeared in a post that I wrote in 2003 – And yes! I do claim that I invented it! 

The Greater Washington, D.C., capital region (the DMV) is not only home to some of the best art museums in the world, dozens of art galleries, non-profit art spaces, alternative art venues, and art organizations, but it also supports fertilizes of the best and most creative visual art scenes in the nation. 

This scene is kindled and ignited to a large extent by female artists of all ages, races and ethnicities – an artistic female universe significantly more diverse than just about any of other major city on the planet. 

Celebrating this art scene, I have and am compiling works by a number of leading and talented emerging contemporary female visual artists who represent the tens of thousands of women artists working in this culturally and ethnically diverse region.

Equally diverse are the artistic styles and media you will see in this curated exhibition, the first of its kind for the capital area. 

With more than 100 works of art potentially available for curatorial selection, this exhibition offers a primer for both the experienced art eye and the beginning collector, highlighting a selection of talented artists who usually deserve more attention on a local, regional and national scale.

Next: The potential venue(s) and dates for this show.

 

The Rampant Lilith

This is a new mixed media painting which will make its debut at the Volta Art Fair in New York City next May. It is "The Rampant Lilith" and it is part of my repetitive, obsessive works - it marries two of my artistic obsessions: The Lilith and the Pictish people of ancient Scotland. She is covered in woad-colored Pictish tattoos. 40x32 inches, mixed media painting on 600 weight paper.

The Rampant Lilith
2023 mixed media painting by Florencio Lennox Campello, 40x32 inches

Holly Buehler at Yellow Barn Studio

Yesterday we went to beautiful Glen Echo to check out some of the new shows at the various galleries hosted by that national treasure - while there we ran into the DMV's most prolific art collector (Steve Krensky), so I knew immediately that if Krensky was there, something good was being showcased.

The Yellow Barn Studio is part of that complex.  Founded by acclaimed artist Walter Bartman, The Yellow Barn Studio is "a haven for budding artists and experienced painters alike. We offer classes in watercolor, oil, acrylic, drawing, and printmaking, with a special emphasis on plein air painting."

The opening for the 2-day show was by artist Holly Buehler. Titled "Color Obsession" it provided ample evidence that Buehler is not only obsessed with color, but also that she has developed a remarkable mastery over that most challenging of visual art goals: to be able to deliver a representational scene solely based on the brushy application of pure color.

And now that the Covidian Age has officially ended, it was so nice to see an opening fairly crowded, red dots all over the place (Buehler's works are incredibly affordable) and people having a great time!

Coming next to the Yellow Barn Studio in 2023:

April 22-23 Shirin Shahram

May 6-7 Alvin M Cohen Retrospective 1923-2003

May 20-21 Roger Perez & Carolyn Boccella Bagin

May 27-28 Friends of the YB Small Works Show

June 3-4 Folk Festival at Glen Echo Park

June 10-11 Marian Willinger & Wendy Smith

June 17-18 Bill Johnson

June 24-25 Eric Westbrook

July 1-2 Arleen Cannata Seed & Maro Nalabandian

July 15-16 Emil Markulis

Aug 12-13 Paintings from Workshops Abroad with Walt Bartman

Sept 2-3 Friends of the YB Drawing Show

Sept 9-10 Jen Sterling & Michele Hoben

Sept 16-17 Cheryl Bearss

Sept 23-24 Jean Schlesinger & Eve Troncone

Sept 30-Oct 1 Leni Paquet-Morante & Steve Moen

Oct 7-8 Paul Zapatka

Oct 14-15 David Bottini

Oct 22-23 Ann Schlesinger – Jacob Memorial Show

Oct 28-29 Alexandra Cheshire

Nov 4-5 Helene Patterson & Margie Alagia-Ingram

Nov 11-12 Walter Bartman

Nov 18-19 Anatol Woolf

Nov 25-26 Jenny Wilson

Dec 2-17 Friends of the YB Members Show

J. Jordan Bruns

The missus and I went to beautiful Glen Echo today to check out a couple of new shows, including J. Jordan Bruns solo, which according to the news release:

The Popcorn Gallery is proud to present Playing with Reality: 15 Years at Glen Echo Park a solo exhibition by Glen Echo Park Resident Artist J. Jordan Bruns. Bruns has been creating a wide range of paintings in the Stone Tower Studio since joining the Park 15 years ago. He is known for his large-scale abstractions depicting themes of order vs. chaos. This retrospective show celebrates his range as an artist, featuring a stunning collection of paintings with varying degrees of realism. From portraits and landscapes that evoke mood and personality to still life paintings that border on "trompe l'oeil" realism, utilizing expert oil painting techniques, demonstrating the breadth of his artistic output.

This series of acrylic wash painting was executed when Bruns lived in Japan for a few years and explored that nation's artistic ancestry - both in media and subject

.

Detail of Bruns spectacular brush mastery from one of the above Japanese washes. I think that Bruns' Japanese period works speak for their own - they tell the tale of a brush master absorbing the Japanese scenery with the facility of a seasoned brush painter; they are nonetheless fresh and contemporary - this is a rare marriage indeed.

But it is Bruns immensely fresh series of studio portraits which (in my opion) dominate the show, not only for the facility with which Bruns delivers the brushy color application to define the subject with immense freshness and skill, but also by the unintended juxtapositioning that they deliver to the show when paired with the Japanese paintings - it is as if two master artists decided to hold a two person show: One a master color-wash painter, the other a master of the color scale.  And it works!

This is a terrific example of an artist's artists show - it allows Bruns to flex his formidable painting skills in two opposite directions and showcase his mastery over both!

The show runs through April 30th and there will be a Virtual Artist Talk: Thursday, April 27, 7 pm (Zoom) --  Join Zoom Meeting at the link here.