First Fridays in Philly and DC

There are at least 21 gallery openings tonight in Philadelphia, a city known for "legendary stinginess toward the arts" according to the Daily News' Tom DiNardo.

Details on the gallery openings here.

In DC, Heather Goss details some key gallery openings around the nation's capital, which I think could also be accused of saving a sheckel here and there at the expense of the arts. Check out DCist here.

Another One Bites the Dust

The WaPo's Jackie Trescott covers yet another resignation by yet another director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

Judy L. Larson, the outgoing director is the 10th director since the museum was founded in 1987 - that's one every two years.

Clearly something is really wrong with the NMWA, and its inability to keep its directors is just the most visible part of what's brewing under the surface there.

And although Mary Mochary, the president of the museum's board "declined to discuss any circumstances of Larson's departure. 'I can't say what was going on,' Mochary said," rumors have persisted for years about frustrated NMWA directors handcuffed perhaps too tightly to a museum founder (and now chairman of the board) still trying to deliver her vision through them.

I'd love to hear the thoughts of some former NMWA directors on this subject!

Space

Last fall the Philadelphia Museum of Art announced that it had selected Frank Gehry to design an underground expansion beneath the museum’s east terrace on Fairmount Hill. The Gehry expansion will cost around $500 million and add 80,000 square feet of galleries and renovated spaces. No date has been set for the start of construction.

Yesterday the newly refurbished Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building was unveiled and will open to the public on Sept. 15, and the 114,000 foot building was expanded by 59,000 feet at a cost of $90 million dollars.

And, as noted yesterday, thanks to a $500,000 gift from Wachovia, the Museum will offer free admission to its new Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building through the end of calendar year 2007.

Last weekend I walked the perimeter of both buildings, and in spite of the construction eye sores, and the masses of people who get pissed off when they get to to the top of the Rocky museum steps only to find out that the Rocky statue is no longer there (it has been relocated to the right side of the steps as one faces the museum), one still gets a really strong impression of a museum with presence and vision, and the new addition is a smart step forward.

Now let's see how the Gehry addition develops. I am sure that the unfortunate Corcoran experience with its own Gehry non-addition will be studied by Anne d’Harnoncourt and the savvy PMA director will learn from it.

Oh oh...

Can a critic be sued when the critic is wrong or makes a mistake that causes a loss of income or reputation?

Apparently so. The Philadelphia Inquirer's food critic Craig LaBan is being sued by a Philly area restaurant for allegedly making a mistake in the review, which then reflected unfavorably upon the restaurant.

Let' be clear, LaBan is not being sued because of his opinion, that's a right guaranteed by the Constitution. He's being sued for libel because he allegedly opined on a steak that he claims he ate at lunchtime when that steak is only served for dinner.

It would be like a gallery suing an art critic because that critic opined on a piece of work that the critic called a watercolor when in fact it was an intaglio etching... I think. By the way, something like that did happen in a major newspaper not too long ago. No one sued but we all sighed behind the critic's back.

Sounds confusing? the current issue of Philadelphia magazine just outed LaBan, who apparently likes to wear disguises when he visits restaurants. The issue has a great article by Steve Volks on the subject that will clarify this confusing issue... I think.

Read that article here.

Ben Tolman

I also first came across the work of Ben Tolman when I curated a huge, obsessive pen and ink by Tolman into "Seven" a couple of years ago.

In 2005, right after "Seven," the WCP profiled this most interesting DC artist (read that profile here) and today Kriston has a highly interesting article in the WCP again detailing a most unusual story about this highly unusual character. Read that here.

Nepotista Declaration: I now own a few of Ben Tolman's pieces.

Sara Pomerance

I first came across the work of Sara Pomerance when I curated her into "Seven" a couple of years ago.

Pomerance is one of the hardest working artists in the region, and some of her work will be at the 2007 Corcoran Alumni exhibition curated by Molly Donovan, curator of modern and contemporary art at the National Gallery of Art, and opening tomorrow, Thursday, September 6, from 6:30–8:30 p.m. at the Corcoran's North Atrium.

Also in Washington DC, three of her photographs are also on display at the Parker Gallery. These images were written about as "The real stand out in this crowd," by Kevin Mallema (read the review here).

And in Albuquerque, her newest video "Yellow Cake with Sprinkles," was on display this summer at the John Sommers Gallery, which is part of the UNM art museum.

And oh yeah... Sara is soon moving to NYC... sigh.

Trawick Winners Announced

The usual surprises!

Jo Smail from Baltimore, MD was awarded “Best in Show” with $10,000; Nicholas Wisniewski of Baltimore, MD was named second place and was given $2,000; Bruce Wilhelm of Richmond, VA was bestowed third place and received $1,000 and the “Young Artist” award of $1,000 was given to Kathleen Shafer of Washington, D.C.

The artists who had been selected as Trawick Prize finalists are:

Mary Coble, Washington, D.C.

Mary Early, Washington, D.C.

Suzanna Fields, Richmond, VA

Inga Frick, Washington, D.C.

Jeanine Harkleroad, Chesapeake, VA

Linda Hesh, Alexandria, VA

Baby Martinez, Washington, D.C.

Kathleen Shafer, Washington, D.C.

Jo Smail, Baltimore, MD

Bruce Wilhelm, Richmond, VA

Nicholas F. Wisniewski, Baltimore, MD

The jurors for this year's Trawick are Anne Ellegood, Associate Curator at the Hirschhorn 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. Catriona Fraser, owner of the Fraser Gallery in downtown Bethesda, is the non-voting Chair of The Trawick Prize.

The Trawick Prize is clearly the DC area region's premier fine arts prize and once again kudos to Ms. Trawick! A public opening will be held at Creative Partners Gallery on Friday, September 14, 2007 from 6-9pm in conjunction with the Bethesda Art Walk. Creative Partners Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12-6pm.