Bicycle Stories Collaboration Project

From artspace:

Dear Artists,

artspace is collaborating with Richmond Young Writers in a project called "Bicycle Stories." artspace is pairing professional artists with young writers to illustrate their short written pieces about bicycles.

The stories and artwork will be displayed in the Plant Zero Hallways Project Space from September 18 through October 18, 2015. The opening will correspond with a closing event for the August/September artspace gallery exhibitions and is the day before the World Bike Races will begin in Richmond.

We are planning a meet up with the Young Writers on Saturday, August 8, 2015 to determine which artist will illustrate which written piece.

If this sounds interesting to you, please contact the gallery by email: artspaceorg@gmail.com or call (804) 232-6464. Feel free to share with other local artists you think might want to participate.

Thank you,
Dana Frostick
artspace President

The curious case of Vocal Fry

A while back I wrote about the hypnotizing voice of the new NPR ads voice over person, and even postulated what the owner of that melodious voice would be like (somewhat like Parmigianino's Madonna dal Collo Lungo).

Of course, several of you constant readers researched the issue and identified the voice in question, and not surprising (at least to me), she is almost exactly as I described her, based on her voice. She is also a vastly talented actress, by the way.

Case closed; listen to her amazing voice here.

However, in the process of obtaining that last unrequested bit of information, I've also discovered the uniquely young American female phenomenon of "vocal fry", and now I'm afraid that my radio listening habits have been profoundly affected.

If you don't know what vocal fry is, I would recommend that you avoid finding out. If you can't resist, then click here.

Now I hear it everywhere! Especially with younger NPR female correspondents, and it has somewhat affected my listening ear, as I tune to detect it.

Another interesting voice in the air is that of WMAL's Maria Leaf. While the NPR ad voice over person is generally anonymous and her voice is a like a drink of 100 year old port, Maria Leaf's recognizable 150 MPH voice is like a high dose of caffeine mixed with a lot of enthusiasm for the job!

Her voice wakes you up! The manner in which she drags the "L" in the station's call letters (WMAL) at the end of her reports is a thing of beauty, as is when she pronounces the name of traffic guy Matt DeFazio... she drags "De Faaaaazio" as a sport announcer would describe an amazing B-ball three-pointer!

Listen to Maria here.

If you can't resist the vocal fry challenge, then see the below video.

SOFA Chicago

The biggest thing in the 3D art fair world is SOFA... they're the ABMB of the art object universe... and in 2015 they've decided to take on the big boys and girls of the art fair circuit and "add" 2D art to their offerings.

And guess who is a "plank owner" in the first SOFA Chicago that allows paintings and photographs and prints and such other 2D work?

We are!

See ya at SOFA Chicago!

New Hamiltonian Fellows

From Hamiltonian:

As we conclude our seventh year of artist-centric programming, Hamiltonian is proud to announce the five new, distinguished 2015 Hamiltonian Fellows to join our five existing fellows.  We are thrilled to introduce:

• Kyle Tata (BFA, Maryland Institute College of Art)
• Nara Park (MFA, Maryland Institute College of Art)
• Christie Neptune (BFA, Fordham University)
• Jim Leach (MFA, Maryland Institute College of Art)
• Rob Hackett (MFA, University of Maryland)

The 2015 Hamiltonian Fellows were selected from a pool of 144 very promising artists. The External Review Panel, comprised of seven acclaimed art professionals, caucused together and evaluated every application based on criteria regarding artistic merit and relevance to today's art world.  We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the panelists for their generosity and enthusiastic support of this endeavor:

• Camilo Álvårez - owner, director and curator of Samsøñ Projects 
• Dadi Akhavan - art collector and patron
• Brian Dailey - artist
• Joyce Yu-Jean Lee - artist and Hamiltonian alumna
• Susan Main - artist and curatorial consultant at VisArts at Rockville
• Sanaz Mazinani, artist, curator and educator
• Mika Yoshitake - assistant curator at The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Artwork by all five new fellows will be on view in the debut group exhibition new.now., opening at Hamiltonian Gallery on Saturday, September 19th from 7-9 pm.