Obara-rama at Projects Gallery Not unlike the groundswell of support during our recent national election, what began as the bubbling excitement of a few artists has swelled into a tsunami of artistic pro Obama output. Through word of mouth and passing conversations, a wide range of artistic talent and media has enthusiastically embraced the idea of celebrating the historic Presidential event. Perhaps as no other elected official in history, Obama is a canvas on which is projected the hopes and fears of a nation.

  “Obama-rama” brings together many prominent Philadelphia area artists, as well as others, united in the celebration and critique of our nation's new commander in chief, including Elizabeth Bisbing, Jim Brossy, James Dupree, Roberta Fallon, Cheryl Harper, Frank Hyder, Tom Judd, Alex Queral, Libby Rosof, Shelley Spector, Ira Upin and others, including yours truly (I have a couple of drawings of Obama as well as several lithos and etchings done in 2007 and 2008).

 Projects Gallery is located at 629 N 2nd St Philadelphia, PA 19123. Gallery hours are Wednesday & Thursday 4 - 7 p.m. and Friday & Saturday noon to 7 p.m. The show opens with a First Friday's opening reception for the artists on Friday, February 6 from 6-9PM, and continues through February 28th, 2009.

Tax Dollars for the Arts

Singers, actors and dancers can stimulate audiences, but can they stimulate the economy? The authors of the current stimulus package seem to think so — they have included $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts and $150 million for infrastructure repairs at the Smithsonian.

NPR story by Elizabeth Blair here.

Free Podcast Tonight

I'm going to be doing a free radio podcast tonight at 7PM talking about some of the issues from the Artists' Boot Camp Webminars and answering questions. Click on the image below for details and to sign up for the free webminars.

Rosenbaum on Comforti

In early June, when Michael Conforti became president of the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), no one could have anticipated the challenges that he and his colleagues would face just a few months into his two-year term.

Read Lee Rosenbaum on the WSJ here.

Manslaughter

The creator of an inflatable artwork ignored safety concerns and blocked its evacuation shortly before the walk-in structure broke free of its moorings and soared into the sky with catastrophic consequences, a court heard today.

Two women fell to their deaths and others were injured when the giant PVC sculpture, hit by a gust of wind, became airborne as members of the public relaxed on a hot summer’s afternoon at a popular park in Chester-le-Street, County Durham.

Maurice Agis, the 77-year-old artist who designed and supervised the multi-coloured Dreamspace installation, is accused of manslaughter by gross negligence over an alleged litany of safety failings.

Read the article by Andrew Norfolk in the Times here.

Free Podcast Tonight and Tomorrow Night

I'm going to be doing a couple of free radio podcasts tonight and tomorrow night at 7PM talking about some of the issues from the Artists' Boot Camp Webminars and answering questions. Click on the image below for details and to sign up for these two free webminars.

Jury Duty

I'm jurying and curating nearly a dozen shows this year, but I wanted to let you know about this very special one that I will be jurying for The Fine Arts League of Cary in North Carolina.

Deadline is March 27, 2009 (postmark).

The Fine Arts League of Cary is seeking entries for its 15th Annual Juried Art Exhibition to be held from May 8th to June 27th, 2009 in Cary/Raleigh, NC. Show awards and purchase awards will total over $5,000. Entries can only be mailed via CD. The postmark deadline for the mail-in registration is March 27, 2009.

Full details and a printable prospectus are available
on the web at www.fineartsleagueofcary.org or call Kathryn Cook at 919-345-0681.

Show Highlights:

Location - Cary/Raleigh, NC
Awards and Purchase Awards total over $5000
Mail-in Registration (Digital images on CD) - Deadline: March 27 Postmark
Notification of accepted work: April 13
Receiving of shipped accepted work: April 27 - May 1
Receiving of delivered accepted work: Sunday May 3
Receiving of delivered accepted work: Monday May 4
Opening Reception and Awards - Friday May 8
Show ends: June 27
Pick up work: Sunday June 28
Pick up work: Monday June 29
Shipped work returned: June 29