Art Whino

Looks like the Greater DC area will get a massive new arts presence in a couple of months.

I'm referring to Art Whino, which will be opening a new art space in Alexandria: 22,000 square feet, of which 7,000 feet will be a new gallery and the rest available as artists' studios.

This will be by far the largest commercial fine arts gallery in the Greater DC region, and we wish them loads of success.

Dawson on Hernandez

The WaPo's freelance galleries' critic, Jessica Dawson, checks in with a small review of my good friend Nestor Hernandez's show at International Visions Gallery in DC.

One of a handful of Cuban-Americans in the DC area, a brilliant street photographer and a soft-spoken, amazing human being, Nestor passed away unexpectedly last year.

We all miss you Nestor.

New Painting

It only took me about six months of taping and painting, but below is a new oil painting from my "Digitalism" series.

It's about six feet long, and joins these guys from the late 1990s. Read the story as to how these paintings and concept came along here.



This painting is already sold (and set a new Campello record!).

Now we know where

Jessica Gould of the CP has the scoop on the imminent move by the Warehouse Galleries and Theatre complex. Read it here.

More on some other gallery moves later...

Correction: Paul Ruppert from Warehouse tells me that they "aren't moving the theater and gallery to that location. Just the music venue - if I can negotiate the lease. Still looking for a theater/gallery space."

Sesow on YouTube

One of DC's hardest working artists is Matt Sesow; he's got a cool interview below.

A great Friday for art lovers

This is going to be a fun Friday for art lovers along the Mid Atlantic. Some tough decisions will have to be made!

In Baltimore, the new Patricia Touchet Gallery opens "Moving Beyond Craft: Artists of the Washington Glass School," one of three multi-city gallery shows which focus some attention at the movement that I have dubbed "The Washington Glass School School," and which is dragging glass away from craft and putting it firmly in the fine arts camp. Opening is 6-9PM and runs through Sept. 3, 2007. Work by Michael Janis, Erwin Timmers, Tim Tate, Deborah Conti, Cheryl Derricotte, Sean Hennessey, Syl Mathis, Betsy Mead, Evan Morgan and Alison Sigethy. By the way, last Friday WETA TV had a segment on the Washington Glass School - see it here.

In DC, there's a really strong group show opening at Gallery Myrtis, one of DC's newest galleries. Look for the work of Elsa Gebreyesus to stand out in this show. Also Washington Printmakers has its National Small Works 2007 Exhibition, Juried by Greg Jecmen, from the National Galley of Art, as some of the Dupont Circle area galleries will be open for First Fridays.

In Frederick, MD, the Artists' Gallery has a 23-artist group show opening on Friday, although the opening reception is on Saturday, August 4 as part of Frederick's First Saturday Gallery Walk. Work by Palma Allen, Janet Belich, Joy Boudreaux, Steven Dobbin, Nina Chung Dwyer, Lesa Cook, James Germaux, Christine Hahn, Linda Agar-Hendrix, Phyllis Jacobs, Regina Kaiktsian, Jan McIntyre Lamb, Craig Leonardi, Johan Lowie, Christina Lund, Nancy McLoughlin, Joanna Morison, Doug Moulden, Diane Santarella, Robert Sibbison, Irina Smulevitch, Shelley Stevens, Christine Stovall, Washington White.

In Philly it's time for First Fridays and time to wonder around Old City's 40-plus galleries, most of them open from 5 until 9 p.m.

Longhairs

I was looking through Osvaldo and Roberto Salas' brilliant photography book "Fidel's Cuba: A Revolution in Pictures" the other day, when a conversation that I had a few years ago with Irv Toefsky, a very well-known DC photography collector, who is unfortunately no longer with us, came to mind.

I don't know which Salas took the above photo, which depicts Comandante Camilo Cienfuegos on the left, and an unidentified guerrilla, both posing in front of the Lincoln Monument in DC during a visit to DC in 1959.

Popular history anchors the growing of long hair by American youths in the early 60s, and eventually a symbol of rebellion, mainly to the Beatles and their longish haircuts.

But according to this savvy Washingtonian, when the Cubans showed up in DC in 1959 with their long hair, ponytails and huge beards, it caused a sensation in crew-cut America, and especially in Washington, DC.

"We had never seen young people with such long hair," he said to me. "And there was something romantic about the Cubans; their youth, their Revolution and their hair. So we started growing our hair."

Soon afterwards the Cuban Revolution started to go sour and like all revolutions, began devouring its own heroes. Cienfuegos was one of the heroes of the Revolution, and he disappeared at sea in the early 60s. Many claim that he was killed under the direct orders of Raul Castro.

But Salas' beautiful photo remains, as evidence of another revolution, a hair revolution, possibly started by these valiant young men.