Randall School Update

Earlier this week I discussed the issue of the Randall School, the Corcoran and the neighborhood meeting about this hot issue.

A reader writes that:

"...a couple of my comrades attended the meeting of the ANC [Advisory Neighborhood Commission ] a few days ago on the Cork's plans. They are proposing to preserve the oldest parts of the building (as they are required to do under historic preservation law) and build a massive, undistinguished, even Stalinesque, 400 unit condo project on the rest. And they are a non-profit?"

Here's an idea: why doesn't the Corcoran hold a lottery for 10 of the 400 planned condos and give those 10 condos for free to 10 low income DC area artists?

Congratulations

To DC's Zenith Gallery, which is celebrating 29 years, which in gallery years is like 28 more years than the average gallery in the US survives being open.

Their 29th Anniversary Exhibition opening is Thursday, March 15th from 6 – 9PM and features 29 Zenith Artists:

Painting: Gloria Cesal, Renee duRocher, Drew Ernst, Christine Hayman, Robert C. Jackson, Shelley Laffal, Stephen Maffin, Joey Manlapaz, Anne Marchand, Davis Morton, Reuben Neugass, David Richardson, Sica, Ellen Sinel, Cassie Taggart, Wayne Trapp.

Mixed Media & Tapestry: Sue Klebanoff, Joan Konkel, jodi.

Sculpture: Margery E. Goldberg, Stephen Hansen, David Hubbard, Donna M. McCullough, Carol Newmyer.

Neon: Phil Hazard, Craig Kraft, Candice Watkins, Michael Young

Photography: David Glick, Colin Winterbottom.

Art-O-Matic Registration is now open

Artists can now register online at www.artomatic.org. There are also "newbie" meetings on Wednesdays 6 pm at 2121 Crystal Drive, 6th floor in Crystal City, Virginia. Meetings are: March 14, 22, 28, and April 4, 11, 2007.

WaPo profiles another DC artist

I don't know what's going on at the WaPo, but even if it's just a coincidence, I like it.

First its Chief Art Critic profiled a DC area artist, his first ever such profile, and now writer David Montgomery delivers an excellent piece on DC area artist Nikolas Schiller. Read that profile here.

Wanna go to a great DC opening tomorrow?

Women's Work: Five Distinct Points of view from Young Female Artists, featuring the work of Molly Brose, Mary Chiaramonte, Jenny Davis, Laurel Hausler and Abbe Mcgray opens tomorrow at DC's Nevin Kelly Gallery on U Street. The opening reception is Thursday, March 15th, 6 - 9 PM.

Two of my favorite young artists are on this list: the super talented Molly Brose, whose work hangs in my house, and the equally talented Jenny Davis, whose work first amazed me when she was 13 years old.

Tip of the Year

There's a small 8x10 inches painting by Clark/Hogan that has found its way to Miss Pixie's shop on 18th St in Adams Morgan in DC. She's selling it for $135.

While they were married Michael Clark and Felicity Hogan used to be my neighbors in Canal Square in Georgetown, where they usually painted together and ran MOCA/DC, and this is one of their signature pieces: a Washington portrait. I have one in my personal collection.

Clark is in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, and has also been in a past Corcoran Bienial, and is also in the permanent collection of the Corcoran. Hogan now lives in New York, where she is an art dealer and an artist.

The Trawick Prize

Deadline: Tuesday, April 10, 2007

The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District is now accepting submissions for The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards. The 5th annual juried art competition awards $14,000 in prize monies to four selected artists. Deadline for slide submission is Tuesday, April 10, 2007 and up to fifteen artists will be invited to display their work from September 4 – September 28, 2007 in downtown Bethesda at Creative Partners Gallery, located at 4600 East-West Highway.

The Trawick Prize is without a doubt, the key fine arts competition available to DC, MD and VA artists and has already produced some spectaculaer results for its winners.

This year's competition will be juried by Anne Ellegood, Associate Curator at the Hirshorn Museum & Sculpture Garden; Amy G. Moorefield, Assistant Director and Curator of Collections for Virginia Commonwealth University’s Anderson Gallery and Rex Stevens, Chair of the General Fine Arts Department at Maryland Institute College of Art.

The first place winner will be awarded $10,000; second place will be honored with $2,000 and third place will be awarded $1,000. A “young” artist whose birth date is after April 10, 1977 may also be awarded $1,000.

Artists must be 18 years of age or older and residents of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. Original painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, fiber art, digital, mixed media and video are accepted. The maximum dimension should not exceed 96 inches in any direction. No reproductions. Artwork must have been completed within the last two years. Selected artists must deliver artwork to exhibit site in Bethesda, MD. All works on paper must be framed to full conservation standards.

The Trawick Prize was established by local Bethesda business owner Carol Trawick. Ms. Trawick has served as a community activist for more than 25 years in downtown Bethesda. She is the Chair of the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District and past Chair of the Bethesda Urban Partnership. Additionally, the Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation was established in 2007 after the Trawicks sold their successful information technology company.

For a complete submission form, please visit www.bethesda.org or send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the Bethesda Urban Partnership, Inc., c/o The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, 7700 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD 20814.