Wanna go to an opening today?

The Jackson Gallery (118 Bryant St, NW in DC, near Howard University) opens "Works on Paper" tonight with an opening reception from 1-5PM.

Works by E. J. Montgomery, Samella Lewis, Elizabeth Catlett, Leon Hicks, Valerie Fair, Varnette Honeywood, Margo Humphrey, Clarissa Sligh, Victor Ekpuk, Betty Blayton, Shirley Woodson, Gilda Snowden, Eglon Daley, Renee Stout, Floyd Coleman and Jocelyn Rainey.

A portion of the proceeds will go to the Evangeline J. Montgomery Scholarship Fund.

For more info call my good friend Caesar Jackson at 202.285.1754

Shaw-Eagle on Compelled by Content II

Joanna Shaw-Eagle, the chief art critic of the Washington Times delivers a major review of our current Compelled by Content II exhibition. Read that review here.

Shaw-Eagle (who has been writing about art since I was a kid), provides yet more evidence of how "healthy" it is to have more that one critical voice look at an artist or a show, and offer a different perspective or opinion. I also used the recent multi-reviews of the Connie Imboden show at Heineman-Myers as such an example, and now our show adds more evidence why it is important in most cases (and whenever possible) to have more than one set of eyes and more than one pen on paper to deliver an opinion.

I'm not criticizing either of the views, as art criticism should have teeth, but pointing out how two independent writers view the same artist completely different.

In his otherwise very positive review of our show, the CP's Kriston Capps describes Carmen Lozar's work as "puerile figurines [that] look as if they could have been made by Walt Disney."

Looking at the same artist, Shaw-Eagle (who disses my news release in the second paragraph of the review) writes:

Other glass works, such as those by 31-year-old newcomer Carmen Lozar, a teacher at Illinois State University and Illinois Wesleyan University, delightfully intrigue and puzzle.

An artist with impeccable credentials -- study at Alfred University, Corning Museum of Glass and the Pilchuck Glass School -- Miss Lozar presents "Tenuous," three tiny glass sculptures named "rabbit," "lizard" and "baby with umbilical cord."

She writes that many of her charming pieces emerge from her dreams. "Sister in Butterflies," an intricate, four-piece construction of flameworked glass and mixed media, comes apart to reveal the engraved words, "I dreamt my sister has beautiful long eyebrows. I dreamt she fought off butterflies while laying beneath a dogwood tree, thinking they were threatening when really they were just searching for her smile."

Although there are still some missing images, you can see most of the exhibition online here.

An artists' talk, sponsored by the James Renwick Alliance will take place at the gallery on Saturday, May 20, 2006 at 2PM. The talk is free and open to the public and will also offer an opportunity to learn more about the Renwick Alliance.

Wanna go to an opening tonight?

Hemphill Fine Arts' opening for the new Steven Cushner show is tonight, Friday, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM.

Irvine

Irvine is having an informal re-opening tonight at their new gallery at the former Fusebox location at 1412 14th Street, with a continuation of Susan Jamison's and Robert Mellor's solo exhibitions, and they will be open from 11AM - 8PM today and tomorrow.

Talking about Irvine, I've heard from various sources that Heather (or maybe it was Martin?) saw the Washington Glass School's intern Evan Morgan's show at Warehouse and fell in love with Morgan's work and signed him up!

I hear from Tim Tate that Evan Morgan is immensely talented, and now that Irvine scooped him up, I am sure that we'll hear great things from this young man.

WaPo's Weekend Staff Online

The WaPo's Weekend staffers are online at 11AM today answering questions about Weekend and its coverage. You can email your question to them here.

I've sent mine in...

I'll bite

Today's CP has this curious item by Josh Eiserike:

Japanese artist Hokusai probably never imagined that his work would inspire tentacle porn. The Edo-period great master, who coined the term “manga,” created wood-block printings and drawings that are considered the forbearers of all things anime, from Sailor Moon to hentai and everything in between. In “Capricious Comics,” American cartoonist Colleen Doran will explain the connections between manga and anime, and how both relate to American comics, in conjunction with the current exhibit of Hokusai’s work. Though Doran’s résumé includes Captain America, Wonder Woman, and fantasy series A Distant Soil, she doesn’t enjoy the accolades in America that Japan showers on contemporary manga artists—in Japan, everyone reads comics, not just maturity-delayed men. In addition to a discussion of the Hokusai exhibit, Doran offers a showcase of her own work at 1 p.m. (see City List for other dates) at the Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Free. (202) 633-4880.

OK... I'll bite: what is "tentacle porn?"

It's Grant Time!

Applications for all Fiscal Year 2007 DC Arts Commission grant programs are now available. Please visit www.dcarts.dc.gov for more information.

If you don't apply, you definately won't get one!