Freelancer writer Mark Jenkins has been writing the "On Exhibit" column at the Washington Post Weekend magazine lately. Today he delivers a pretty good review of the Douglas Gordon show at the Hishhorn.

Gordon was also reviewed earlier in the Post's Sunday Arts by Blake Gopnik.

Only a few days left to apply! The deadline is March 1, 2004.

The Bethesda Arts and Entertainment District is accepting applications for the 2004 Bethesda Fine Arts Festival, an outdoor Fine Art and Fine Craft festival that will take place in the Woodmont Triangle area of Bethesda, Maryland.

The festival will take place, rain or shine, on Saturday, May 15 and Sunday, May 16, 2004. 150 booth spaces are available, $275 for a 10' x 10' booth, $25 application fee. All original fine art and fine crafts are eligible, no mass produced or commercially manufactured products are allowed. $2,500 in prize money.

Deadline for applications is March 1, 2004. To download an application form, visit www.bethesda.org or send a SASE to:
Bethesda Urban Partnership
Bethesda Fine Arts Festival
7700 Old Georgetown Road
Bethesda, MD 20814

For more information contact the Festival Director, Catriona Fraser, at (301) 718-9651.

Note: This is a great opportunity for artists to take their artwork directly to the buying public. The top fine arts festivals, such as Coconut Grove in Florida get well over a million people in attendance, and this one, in its first year, will present area residents with a great opportunity to see 150 artists and fine artisans all in one place. Since it is a juried fine arts festival, only fine arts and fine crafts will be exhibited. One of the rare local opportunities where an art venue actually will get tens of thousands of visitors in two days.

For Marylanders...

The Maryland Humanities Council Has Two Grant Categories.

The MHC awards grants to support programs that engage public audiences in the Humanities - history; philosophy; languages; literature; ethics; linguistics; archaeology; comparative religion; jurisprudence; the history, theory, and criticism of the arts and architecture; and those aspects of the social sciences employing historical or philosophical approaches. The Council has recently revised the criteria and guidelines for its grant program, which can be found at their website.

There are two grant categories: Opportunity Grants (up to $1,200) which are accepted year-round on a rolling basis and Major Grants ($1,201 to $10,000) which are awarded in two competitive rounds per year. The next Major Grant round - for projects beginning on or after July 1,2004 - is about to start and Drafts Proposals are due March 1 to deadline April 15. For projects beginning on or after Jan 1, 2005, Drafts Proposals are due Sep 1 to deadline Oct 15, 2004. Earlier submissions are recommended so that they can give feedback or help. Complete information on Major Grants can be found at this website. If you have any questions or need further information, please contact Stephen Hardy at 410-771-0653 or email him at shardy@mdhc.org.

Oportunity for artists...

Deadline May 7, 2004
The City of Gaithersburg invites area artists to submit an application to exhibit in one of their four art galleries (Gaithersburg Arts Barn, Kentlands Mansion, Activity Center at Bohrer Park, and City Hall Gallery).

The exhibition season runs from October 2004 through September 2005. Applications are available as of March 1, 2004 and must be postmarked or received by 5 pm on May 7, 2004. For an application please call or email the Gallery Director, Andi Rosati at 301-258-6394 or email him at arosati@ci.gaithersburg.md.us.

Arts Club Call for Artists...

Deadline: March 15, 2004
The Arts Club of Washington issues an annual call for entry for monthly solo exhibitions from September to June of each year in three on-site galleries. The deadline for submission is March 15, 2004. Visit their website or call the Director of Development at (202) 331-7282 to have an application forwarded online or by mail.

The Curator/Juror will be Scip Barnhart, who is not only an Associate Professor of Printmaking and Drawing at the Corcoran College of Art and Design and an Associate Professorial Lecturer of Printmaking at the George Washington University, but also one of our area's best printmakers.

Today is "Galleries" day at the Washington Post's Style section and Jessica Dawson reviews Roberto Matta: An Architect of Surrealism, at the Art Museum of the Americas.

Brazilian artist Lara Oliveira (currently an MFA candidate at GMU) debuts with her first solo exhibition in the Washington, DC area. Originally from Sao Paulo, this contemporary artist explores and embodies trans-nationalism and contrasts not only through her key artistic themes, but through her lifestyle and artistic development as well.

The exhibition is titled Planalto: Abstract Oil Paintings by Lara Oliveira and it is at:
Latin American Cultural Space Inc.
Consulate of El Salvador
1724 20th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009
Phone: (202) 667-6674

The exhibition runs from March 4 – 28, 2004 with an Opening on March 5, 2004, from 6 - 8pm.

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Glen Friedel opens at Gallery Neptune on March 12, from 6-9 PM with a show titled "Experiments in Radiance." Artist Reception Friday, March 12, 6-9 PM. Artist Talk, March 13, 5 PM.