Jury Duty

Last night was the first of a few nights hanging around Flashpoint in DC as part of a jury team selecting new media works for artDC. Together with ubercollector Philip Barlow, David Gariff from the NGA, independent curators Angela Jerardi and Laura Roulet, and Art in Embassies boss Sarah Tanguy, we spent a few hours reviewing the submitted works and found several good ones, but loads more left to review.

It was a long day, as I had spent the entire day in meetings in DC prior to circling 9th and G for 15 minutes looking for a parking spot at 5PM.

More later...

Congratulations

To super hardworking DC area artist Matt Sesow, who has one of his paintings being shown on the VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown (started last Saturday Feb. 24th). It repeats until this coming Saturday. Matt has built a mini-video on his website that shows the segment where they show his work. Click here to see it.

Matt also has a solo show opening next Saturday, March 3, 2007 in Oceanside/San Diego at the D Gallery. They have just under 70 of his paintings on display. Matt Sesow paints, shows and sells a lot.

Weekend Openings

Because it is First Fridays, the coming weekend is certainly one filled with the opening of important and interesting shows across the Middie-A. Take a look below, set aside some gallery time and go out and see some shows.

Greater DC

Friday: It's First Friday and most of the Dupont Circle area art galleries will have either openings for new shows or extended hours.

Studio Gallery will be featuring Jan Willem van der Vossen, who will be showing paintings on tile, cityscapes, and collages. A reception will be held Friday, March 2, 6- 8pm (in conjunction with the Galleries of Dupont Circle 1st Friday openings) and a second reception will be held on Sunday March 4, 2.30 - 5.30pm.

Conner Contemporary will be kicking-off Matthew Sutton's "The Kudzu Project" from 6-8 PM. Details here. Leigh will also have new drawings by Mark Bennett (same opening times).

Saturday: Andy Moon Wilson is at it again and this time Curator's Office will showcase a 1000 business card drawing installation plus additional large-format and scroll drawings. Let me be the first one to congratulate Andrea Pollan on taking on this hard-working young artist and also the first one to feel sorry for her in having to hang 1000 drawings in her office/micro-gallery! Business by Andy Moon Wilson runs Saturday, March 3 through Saturday, April 7, 2007 and opens on Saturday, March 3 from 6:30 - 8 pm.

Also on Saturday, Irvine Contemporary has "Joseph McSpadden: Flesh and Bone," on exhibition from March 3 - April 7, 2007 and opening reception with the artist on Saturday, March 3, 6-8 PM.

Baltimore

Thursday (OK, OK not really weekend): The Maryland State Arts Council 40th Anniversary celebration multi-media exhibition "New Legacies and Living Icons" at the James Backus Gallery in Baltimore, Maryland from March 1 - May 4, 2007. On exhibit recent works by Denee Barr, Min-Jung Cheon, Linda Day Clark, Richard Cleaver, Pepe Coronado, Jane Cottis, Annet Couwenberg, Brent Crothers, Laure Drogoul, Luis Flores, Carol Frost, Joan Gaither, Craig Herndon, Jose Mapily, Ulysses Marshal, Nancy Roeder, Jann-Rosen-Queralt, Joyce Scott, Rene Trevino, Deborah Winram, Gene Young, and Al Zaruba. Opening Reception Thursday, March 1st from 5-7pm with Gallery Talk at 6pm. Curated by Dr. Leslie King Hammond, Dean of Graduate Studies at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Location: Maryland State Arts Council James Backus Gallery 175 West Ostend Street, in Baltimore.

Friday: It's also First Fridays in Baltimore and most of the Fells Point galleries and art venues will have openings and extended hours. Details here.

Philadelphia

Friday: It's also First Fridays in Philly and most of the Old City's galleries and art venues will have openings and extended hours. Details here.

Projects Gallery concludes its group show season as it stages an exhibition that challenges the typical vision of the landscape show. Projects Gallery has selected artists who present a different view of the subject of landscape: “Altered Landscapes” opens Friday March 2 with a First Friday reception from 5-9PM. Work by Douglas Wirls, Nic Coviello, Frank Hyder, Steve Cope, Tom Brady, and Venezuelan painter Henry Bermudez. The exhibition continues through April 1st, 2007.

ColorField remix

More than 30 Washington area museums, galleries, arts organizations and businesses are participating in ColorField remix, the largest celebration of painting ever held in the Washington area.

Per the news release and website, "the event honors the 1950s and 1960s Color Field visual art movement and the Washington Color School, which put Washington, DC on the art world map. ColorField remix includes exhibitions, public art projects, artists' talks, lectures, children's programs, and special events honoring Color Field and Washington Color School painters as well as contemporary artists influenced by those movements. The project was conceived by The Kreeger Museum and is being held in partnership with Cultural Tourism DC, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the Washington, DC Convention & Tourism Corporation."

Check out all the events, details and exhibitions that will be synchronized across the DC area between April - July 2007. Details here.

Around the Reviewsphere

Greater DC

At ARTifice, Lauren Rice reviews Stanley Lewis at the Katzen. Also at ARTifice, David Waddell reviews the third Maria Friberg exhibition at Conner Contemporary.

At Thinking About Art, JT reviews Colby Caldwell at Hemphill Fine Arts and also reviews Graham Caldwell at G Fine Arts.

At the Washington City Paper, Jeffry Cudlin reviews the Phillips Collection’s current show, Moving Pictures: American Art and Early Film. The CP's photography critic Louis Jacobson also reviews the Sixth Annual International Photography Competition at Bethesda's Fraser Gallery. The CP also has a Kriston Capps review of "5 + 5" at the District of Columbia Jewish Community Center’s Ann Loeb Bronfman Gallery. Also at the CP, Dave McKenna profiles High School photographer Fireu Retta.

The Baltimore Sun's art critic Glenn McNatt takes a rare trip outside of Baltimore and also reviews the Phillips Collection's "Moving Pictures: American Art and Early Film."

And The Examiner's Robin Tierney also reviews the Phillips Collection's "Moving Pictures: American Art and Early Film." Robin also delivers a superb profile and review of "Together One Hundred and Eight," at Art Enables’ new location.

In the Gazette newspapers, Dr. Claudia Rousseau reviews Baltimore-based artist Joan Erbe at the Heineman-Myers Gallery in Bethesda.

At Solarize This, Alexandra has a review of Tim Laman at the National Geographic Society.

In the WaPo, Blake Gopnik questions African art in his review of "African Vision: The Walt Disney-Tishman African Art Collection" at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art. The Gopnikmeister also has this to say about the exhibition. Also in the WaPo, art critic Michael O'Sullivan reviews "Girl Power! Girls' Comics From Japan," at the Japan Information and Culture Center.

The Georgetowner's John Blee reviews Marsha Mateyka's group show.

Maryland

In the Baltimore City Paper Deborah McLeod reviews Maryland Institute College of Art’s retrospective "The Visual Journalism of Jan van Toorn". The BCP also has a byline-less review of Glittering Ruin at Current Gallery.

At the Washington City Paper photography critic Louis Jacobson reviews the Sixth Annual International Photography Competition at Bethesda's Fraser Gallery.

At the Gazette, Dr. Claudia Rousseau reviews Baltimore-based artist Joan Erbe at the Heineman-Myers Gallery in Bethesda.

In the Annapolis Capital, Theresa Winslowprofiles some of the art treasures at The Hammond-Harwood House.

Philadelphia

At the Inquirer, Edith Newhall reviews Jina Valentine at the Fleisher/Ollman Gallery and also Jon Poblador at Larry Becker Contemporary Art.

In the Philly City Paper, Shaun Brady reviews Ted Knighton at International House. Also in the PCP, Robin Rice reviews Mark Blavat, Syd Carpenter, Quentin Morris, David Stephens at Art Around Gallery.

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: Nov 30, 2007

The Korean Cultural Center in LA is seeking submissions from US artists for the Center's 15th Annual exhibition. Open to all media. Awards of up to $2,900. No entry fee. Send SASE to:

Korean Cultural Center
15th Annual Exhibition
5505 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Or call them at 323-936-7141 or fax them at 323-936-5712(FAX) or email them at exhibition@kccla.org

Opportunity for Video Artists

Deadline: March 10, 2007

Call for Video Submissions. In 2007 VVVF, Venturous Vanguard Video Festival, is celebrating its third year. VVVF is curated by the artist Shoshana Brand and funded by Contemporary MAP: Contemporary Modern Art Projects.

In April, 28, 2007 VVVF will be screened in Mission College, in Sylmar, California, together with the 4th Annual Carless Drive-In Video Festival.

VVVF presents video shorts made by international artists. The 2007 Festival theme is: "Laugh, Cry, Be Poetic, Get Crazy" for which all interpretations will be considered. They are accepting short movies, 10 minutes max, from all over the world. Entries are juried. No entry fee. Submission deadline: March 10, 2007. (postmark) Selected movies will receive a VVVF Favorite Cash Award. VVVF is accepting few experimental movies, longer than 10 minutes, for a special guest screening. To obtain an entry form and guidelines, email them at info@contemporarymap.org.