J.T. Kirkland reviews Conner Contemporary's Academy 2004.

A few days ago I visited the Art League gallery on the first floor of the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria.

The Art League is our area's largest arts organization (and one of the largest in the world), with several thousand artist members. This year they are celebrating their 50th anniversary; Congratulations! To join the Art League, click here.

But I went to catch their annual International Landscape Show, which this year was juried by Prof. Richard Crozier, from the McIntire Dept. of Art at the University of Virginia. Crozier selected 179 works for exhibition from a set of 709 pieces submitted by artists for his review. Crozier is also the author of the book Inventing the Landscape: From Plein Air Study to Studio Painting.

The genre of landscape art, which belongs mostly within the painting genre of the visual arts, has all but disappeared from contemporary art, where I submit the word "contemporary" has been kidnapped by those who dwell in the rarified upper crust of the arts world. In fact, I cannot recall the last time that I saw a contemporary landscape painting show in any of our area museums, although they are still quite common in independent commercial fine arts galleries here and there.

Landscape photography, for some reason, has escaped the total aversion shown by curators and critics to other forms of landscape art, and in fact, many of today's famous Teutonic surnamed photographers, with their gigantic, and mostly boring photographs adorning empty museums, could be categorized as landscape photographers.

But if your personal tastes draw you towards landscape art in general (and of a more intimate size), including painting, then there's no better show around this area than the Art League's annual landscape show.

Crozier awarded the Jay & Helen Risser Award to Drema Apperson for a piece titled "Spring Creeps Up the Mountain: May, Germany Vallery, West Virginia," while the Potomac Valley Watercolorists award went to Sidney Platt for a piece titled "Shadow Play," and the Washington Society of Landscape Painters award went to Audrey Hopkins for a piece titled "October Light."

According the Crozier, the award to "Spring Creeps Up the Mountain: May, Germany Vallery, West Virginia" was chosen because "of the artist's attention to specifics without a lot of detail. It represents a real experience."

For the other two award winning paintings, Crozier said that "Shadow Play" and "October Light" both "possess a really strong sense of light and work as abstract pieces. To accomplish both is difficult to pull off."

Maybe it is my personal dislike to the Teutonic-sized photographs that we are being force fed in general by many of our museum photography curators, but one of my favorite pieces in this show was a lovely small photograph by Peggy Fleming titled "Delphini, Syros Island, Greece." I like the intimacy of being drawn in to a piece, and being required to look at it closely, rather than the twenty foot stare required by the contemporary posterization and gigantization of photography. Like Dali said: "If you can't paint well, then paint big."

Another lovely landscape was an oil by Sara Poly titled "One Moment in Time." I've been observing Poly gain mastery over the media for several years now, and she has clearly conquered the many technical nuances of oil painting and has now begun to flex her creative muscles and offers us pieces that not only employ forbidden technical virtuosity but also a keen creative mind and interesting compositional perspectives to offer more than a "recreation" of a pretty landscape.

Other pieces that I enjoyed were Trisha Adams' oil titled "Potomac Sunset," which shows many of the attributes I used for Poly's entry, Angela Muller's photo titled "Kansas Wheatfield" and Nancy Wallace's oil "Stable Destination."

The exhibition is on display until September 6, 2004.

Art jobs

The Textile Museum in DC invites applications for the position of Director. Primary responsibilities reflect the Museum's strategic priorities: programming that promotes public appreciation of the textile arts; expansion of local, national, and international audiences; and fundraising to address current and future needs.

Qualifications: knowledgeable and enthusiastic about arts, textiles and cultural history; ability to envision and articulate exciting, innovative programming; 6-8 years senior-level administrative experience, including strategic planning and fundraising, in museum or comparable organization; outstanding communications skills to interact effectively with diverse internal and external constituencies. Advanced degree preferred.

Full position announcement available at this website.

Apply to:
Director Search Committee
The Textile Museum
2320 S Street, NW
Washington, DC 20008 or searchcommittee@textilemuseum.org

Several other good job openings here.

Rob Goodspeed, at DCist is looking for DC photobloggers and or any unusual or newsworthy DC-centric photo.

By the way, DCist is already a must read for all of interested in what's going on around our capital area.

Their first photoblogger is Justin Florentine, who has a very cool photoBLOG site.

Art dealer caught selling fake Dalis.

So what else is new?

Opportunities for artists

The George and Helen Segal Foundation.

Deadline: October 1, 2004

The George and Helen Segal Foundation is accepting applications for grants ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 for painters only. Applications may be found on the Foundation's website or you may contact the Segal Foundation, 136 Davidson's Mill Rd., N Brunswick, NJ 08902.

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"Women On War": The National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum

Deadline: September 30, 2004

The National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum is seeking submissions for "Women On War," an exhibit of artwork that reflects the experiences of the women who have participated in America's wars and how those experiences have changed their lives.

Women from all branches of the military and support organizations, such as the Red Cross and USO, who served in a theater of war are invited. "Women On War" will open on Veterans' Day November 11, 2004 at the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, Chicago IL.

Artwork may be in any medium, including painting, photography, fiber art, video, performance art, poetry, stories or any method to express yourself and tell your story. Please submit images of your work on CD, photo, videotape, or slides to:
Women On War Curator
NVVAM
1801 S. Indiana Ave.
Chicago, IL 60616

Include description, medium, size, and date work was created. On slides please put your name and a red dot on the lower left-hand corner. Please include a copy of your DD214 or other documentation that substantiates your service, along with a short biography and a photo of yourself (preferably taken in country if available).

The art committee will also review images posted on websites upon receipt of required documentation. All entries must be at the museum by September 30, 2004 and artwork selected from images must arrive by October 20, 2004. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you want your submissions returned. For additional information, please contact: Jerry Kykiisz NVVAM General Manager by email: jk@nvvam.org or phone: (312) 326-0270, or Mike Helbing NVVAM Curator by email: mh@nvvam.org

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Sinclair Community College (SCC) in Ohio is seeking proposals for the 2006 exhibition season.

Deadline: November 1, 2004.

SCC has two separate, professionally designed galleries, including one dedicated to photography-based work. Exhibits are scheduled on a 4-6 week rotation. Send 10 slides, a slide list with sizes and media, resume, artist statement, and S.A.S.E. to the address below. SCC provides return shipping or an honorarium to defray return travel expenses. For further information, write to:

Cindy Tiedemann
Gallery Coordinator
Sinclair Community College
444 W. 3rd St.
Dayton, Ohio 45402-1460

Email: cindy.tiedemann@sinclair.edu

DCAC Gallery's Call For Artists!

Please send 8-10 slides or a CD of images, along with a resume, artist statement, and a stamped return envelope (for slide return) to:

Karey Kessler
Gallery Manager
District of Columbia Arts Center
2438 18th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20009

A Visual Arts Committee made up of selected curators, the gallery manager, and the director of DCAC will work together to review the slides.