Call for Artists

Deadline: Saturday August 18, 2007

Somerville, Mass' Nave Gallery's Young Turks returns for a second year with an exhibition featuring art and artists "taking a walk on the wild side." The show aims to highlight all that is not part of the status quo. They seek work that questions, confronts, and, yes, attacks ideas, images, and ideology that others take for granted.

No submission fee!

Anger, disassociation, a rejection of the societal norm are some of the
emotions they expect artwork in this show to explore. Commentary on larger societal issues such as world poverty, the Middle East crisis, global warming or of issues closer to home such as the Big Dig mess, gas prices, gang violence, or drugs, left wing and right wing rhetoric, are just some examples of possible themes. Or it can be strictly personal, an illustration of the artist using the creative process to express a specific state of being or growth.

Artists are invited to submit work that addresses their connection with this theme as described above. Work of all mediums is encouraged. Both established and emerging artists are welcome to apply.

Applications should include:
- Artist resume, email contact info, image list (medium, dimensions, year
created)
- Artist statement 150 words about artwork and relationship to the call
- Supporting images may be either slides or digital. Label slides or
CD-ROM with their full name, and the name of their piece.
- Include a self-addressed envelope with adequate postage for return of
materials
- postmark deadline of Saturday August 18, 2007
- email submissions accepted: info@artsomerville.org

The Nave Gallery
155 Powderhouse Blvd.
Somerville, MA 02144

And the answer is...

Zoe's answer to my question below is: "it's a close second to the biennial. It's in a "suite" area so it's not open to everyone who comes to a game. If it was in a public area, it might tie the biennial."

Congrats!

To Philly's wonderphotog Zoe Strauss, who tells us that The Philadelphia Eagles will be purchasing a vinyl print of her photo "Mattress Flip" for display in the "Red Zone" at Lincoln Financial Field.

So what's cooler, being selected for the last Whitney Biennial or being selected by an NFL powerhouse?

Time for the 'skins to step up and ante up some artwork for their stadium.

Mary Coble



Mary Coble will be performing "Marker DC" this Saturday, July 28th, 2-5pm at the entrance to the U Street / Cardozo Metro Station (green line) 13th and U Street, in Washington,DC.

In Marker, performance artist Mary Coble "expands the focus of her previous performances, Note to Self 2005 (on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered persons murdered in hate crimes) and Aversion 2007 (shock aversion therapy). The artist now invites viewers to emulate the physical + verbal assaults marginalized groups have endured by penning hate-inspired epithets such as 'dyke', 'spic' or 'nigger' on her body."

Marker (DC) is a part of the WPA/C's SiteProject DC events curated by Welmoed Laanstra. Coble is represented by Conner Contemporary.

Renoir at the PMA

The Philadelphia Museum of Art will be the only U.S. venue for the first exhibition to explore the inventiveness and importance of the landscape painting of Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) during the first 30 years of the artist’s career.

“We are delighted to collaborate with our colleagues in London and Ottawa on this major exhibition from public and private collections around the world to explore a little studied aspect of Renoir’s genius that is so central to his overall vision,” said Anne d’Harnoncourt, Director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. “It will be especially gratifying to see the exhibition in the context of our own collections, which are renowned for their representation of Impressionism and particularly rich in figure paintings by Renoir. It will be a great pleasure to welcome visitors from throughout the United States and beyond to Philadelphia.”

Renoir Landscapes is organized by the National Gallery, London, The National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The exhibition was seen in London and is currently on view in Ottawa through September 9, 2007.

Hard Questions

David Genovesi has an interesting list of 22 art questions that he hopes he is never asked in an interview:

- What is art?

- Does art have a purpose, if so, what is it?

- Who determines whether an artist is an artist?

- Why do you create?

- Does the art you create have any particular meaning?

- Does the art you create have any social implications?

- Does the art you create pay the rent?

- What effect is the digital revolution having on art?

- Who has the final authority for determining the “validity” of contemporary art?

- Would you advise a young person to become an artist?

- Must art be beautiful?

- Is there such a thing as "good art" or "bad art", if so, what's the difference?

- Is there such a thing as "a good artist" or "a bad artist", if so, what's the difference?

- Is painting still a valid art form?

- Is a print of a painting art?

- To what extent must an artist consider his audience?

- What’s the most important asset an artist needs to survive today?

- Why buy art?

- Is buying art a good investment?

- Who is the best living artist?

- Is a painting by Jackson Pollock worth 140 million dollars?

- If you’re such a good artist, why aren’t you rich and famous?

WCP Sold

The Washington City Paper has been sold. Details here.

If it wasn't for the CP's visual arts coverage, all that we'd have in the nation's capital is the voice of a freelancer writing 20 odd columns a year for the WaPo's Style section and O'Sullivan's weekly column in the Weekend section.

Let's hope that the new ownership continues the CP's tradition of leading the visual arts coverage in the printed media in DC.