Housing for Artists in DC

Brand new renovation of existing units! Hardwood floors throughout , ceramic tile in kitchen and bath, built-in storage, new stainless steel appliances, central air conditioning, skylights, 500 square feet with one bedroom, 1 bath.

Address: 1706 16th Street SW, Washington DC 20020. They will be renting the units to local artists for $700/month (utilities not included). Qualifying artists can work in visual, performing or literary fields. They do not have to make their full living as an artist, but they must be able to supply documentation of being a working artist, for example a portfolio, recording, writings, etc.

For an application and to make an appointment to view the housing, email bevans@archdc.com or call 202-889-5000 x 113.

Some Philly Galleries

Last weekend I finally had some free time and once again I dropped by some of the excellent Philadelphia galleries located in a big cluster around North Second Street, in an area apparently once the center of the universe for restaurant supply retailers, none of which I visited, although next time I will pop into one of them and see if they will sell me a Jaccard machine, which is the real secret as to why steaks always taste better and are super tender in restaurants.

You never know whatcha gonna learn by reading MiddieArtNews do you?

Anyway, I spent quite a long while chatting with the fair Christine Pfister, owner and director of Pentimenti Gallery, who was getting ready to head down to Miami, where she will be at the Bridge Art Fair (booth 206). She was more than generous with both her time and sharing her knowledge of Philly's art scene. It was easy to discover that this is one of the key independent commercial fine arts galleries in Philadelphia.

Also saw Nexus, which is moving and will reopen January 2007 at the Crane Arts Building. Also spent some time in Muse Gallery, which is a nice co-op, at Artists' House, where I really liked the paintings of Anthony Palumbo, who also shows in the DC area at Principle Gallery in Alexandria.

One final quick pop in to the curiously named Third Street Gallery, which is also on Second Street next to Muse Gallery, and which also appears to be a nice co-op, and then ran out of time.

AOM and ArtDC

In part because they did not find a physical space in 2006, Artomatic has linked up with ArtDC.org to create a virtual Artomatic for participating galleries and performance venues to see the work of Artomatic visual artists and performers.

Details here.

Gross Protests

Philadelphians protest the sale of Eakins' Gross Clinic.

Details and pictures here from artblog.

Moore College Looking for new Curator

Moore College of Art and Design is looking for a new Senior Curator/Director of the Galleries. Interested applicants should forward their resume, statement of background and qualifications and salary requirements to:

President Fernandez
Moore College of Art and Design
20th Street and The Parkway
Philadelphia, Pa. 19103

William J. Marrazzo to Lead Effort to Keep Gross Clinic in Philly

The Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts announced today that WHYY President & CEO William J. Marrazzo will "convene and lead a committee of national cultural, civic, and community leaders to broaden the public’s understanding of the social and artistic importance of Thomas Eakins’ 1875 masterpiece, The Gross Clinic, and to ensure it stays in Philadelphia."

According to the news release, "Marrazzo will convene the group, members of which will be announced in the next few days. The members will be national and regional leaders who share the view that The Gross Clinic should remain in Philadelphia, the city in which it was painted."

"I am honored to have been called upon to facilitate the process of generating a dialogue," Marrazzo said. "I feel passionate about the importance of this artwork, and the richness of its history and importance to the city. For me, it is a surrogate of what a mature American city stands for. Projects like this committee represent what it takes for a community to become the next great American city by encouraging civic engagement about a city’s history, and what it means for the present and the future."

WHYY is the leading public broadcasting station in the greater Philadelphia region, and they also offer the Arts & Culture blog called The Sixth Square.

On Thursday, November 30th at 10PM, WHYY will air its documentary from 2001: Thomas Eakins: Scenes From Modern Life.