Nevin Kelly Gallery closes

Here's the news release:

With a little bit of sadness and great appreciation for your support over the years, Nevin Kelly Gallery will close its permanent gallery space effective January 31, 2010 in favor of a different approach to exhibiting art. For the past seven years or so, we have tried to bring a fresh perspective to offerings of contemporary art in the Washington, DC area. We have featured work by established Polish and European artists and have showcased works by many talented local artists. Along the way, we have made some great friends and have had the pleasure of being surrounded by some really fine art.

The past year has been exciting. After six years on U Street, we moved to the Highland Park Building in Columbia Heights. We are grateful to Chris Donatelli and Bozzuto Management for their support of our efforts and for the use of public space in the building to display art. We also made a second trip to the Affordable Art Fair in New York City and received a heart-warming nomination for Best Gallery in DC courtesy of the readers of Express Newspaper, owned and printed by the Washington Post. In this last year, we hosted two solo shows featuring works by H. Wesley Wheeler and Ellyn Weiss, respectively, and staged two group exhibitions that reflected the issues of the day. The first, Stimulus, was meant to stimulate the mind and the economy by offering all works at $500 or less. The second, Zeitgeist II: What's Important Now?, a follow-up to 2008's Under Surveillance, presented the participating artists' views on the most important issues we currently face as Americans.

Although we are closing our retail space, we hope to continue our participation in DC's vibrant art scene. We will seek opportunities to host shows in pop-up locations and will continue to gather artists together to talk and showcase their ideas.

So, stay tuned by checking our blog or receiving updates via our newsletters. Thanks for being a part of our community for the last few years!

Airborne

Heading home today... with a 6:30AM departure that means a 5AM arrival at the airport... feh.

Mellema on CHAW

Damn we need more good art critics like Kevin Mellema! See his published review of the current CHAW show here.

Sixth Annual Bethesda Painting Awards

Deadline: Friday, February 26, 2010

The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District is currently accepting applications for the sixth annual Bethesda Painting Awards, a juried competition honoring four selected painters with $14,000 in prize monies. Deadline for slide submission is Friday, February 26, 2010. Up to eight finalists will be invited to display their work from June 1 – 26, 2010 in downtown Bethesda at the Fraser Gallery.

The competition will be juried by Dr. Carolyn Carr, Deputy Director and Chief Curator of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.; Mark Karnes, drawing and painting teacher at Maryland Institute College of Art and Erling Sjovold, painting professor at the University of Richmond.

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 February 26, 1980 may also be awarded $1,000.

Artists must be 18 years of age or older and residents of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. All original 2-D painting including oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, encaustic and mixed media will be accepted. The maximum dimension should not exceed 60 inches in width or 84 inches in height. No reproductions. Artwork must have been completed within the last two years and must be available for the duration of the exhibition. Digital entries on CD will be accepted.

Each artist must submit five slides, application and a non-refundable entry fee of $25.

Applications are available online at www.bethesda.org or please call 301/215-6660. You may also send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the Bethesda Painting Awards, c/o Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District 7700 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD 20814.

About the prize:

The Bethesda Painting Awards was established by local business owner Carol Trawick in 2005. Ms. Trawick has served as a community activist for more than 25 years in downtown Bethesda. She is the former Chair of the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, Past Chair of the Bethesda Urban Partnership, Inc. and founder of The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards. Ms. Trawick is the owner of an information technology company in Bethesda, Trawick & Associates.

Catriona Fraser, award-winning photographer, curator and juror is the non-voting Chair of the Bethesda Painting Awards. Ms. Fraser has directed the Fraser Gallery in downtown Bethesda since 2002. Ms. Fraser is also the Chair of The Trawick Prize and Director of the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival.

The fifth annual Bethesda Painting Awards was held in June 2009. Camilo Sanin of Jessup, MD was awarded “Best in Show” with $10,000; Heidi Fowler of Reston, VA was named second place and was given $2,000; Magnolia Laurie of Baltimore, MD was awarded third place and received $1,000 and Lillian Bayley Hoover of Baltimore, MD was bestowed with the Young Artist award and garnered $1,000.

New Administrator at the Factory

The Torpedo Factory Artists’ Association has welcomed John Luna into a newly created Administrator position to oversee the day to day business and operations of the Torpedo Factory Art Center.

TFAA Board President Rosemary Covey says, “We are thrilled to have John Luna come on board. His unique mixture of business and marketing skills combined with his genuine interest in the arts make him a great asset to the organization.”

After the consideration of some 20 well suited applicants to the position, the TFAA board selected Alexandria resident John Luna to lead their managerial endeavors. Mr. Luna’s background includes over 16 years experience in various managerial roles spanning key industries of merit for the Torpedo Factory. His experiences include work in the construction industry, media, manufacturing and operations management, healthcare, education, and project management for government and military agencies. He has worked for some notable organizations such as ESPN where he was a technical director and program producer, Bose Corporation where he still holds a top sales record, and Drexel University College of Medicine where he was senior administrator overseeing the first fully accredited on-line Continuing Medical Education program in the United States.

Mr. Luna’s education includes three degrees spanning Business with a focus in Public Relations, Audiovisual Engineering, and a scientific degree in Communications with a focus on Rhetorical Studies.

Mr. Luna is also active in the arts. In addition to being a published graphic artist and independent film actor, John can also be found playing a wide variety of music as a guitarist and bass player. He has produced and directed television as well as industrial film projects and has also been published as a voiceover artist. His past work in paint and digital photography are a personal hobby. As such he brings a solid merger of business acumen and creative talent to the Torpedo Factory for the benefit of all.

While Mr. Luna is a recent addition, as of November 2009, he’s already settling right into the daily needs of the Torpedo Factory Art Center. John is actively engaging the membership and affiliates of the TFAC daily and believes in an open culture of progressive action and personal accountability.

We wish Luna the best as the TF continues to reinvent itself.

San Diegoing

I'm in beautiful San Diego for the week and returning home on Friday. I once again want to encourage artists to enter this competition. It is not often that an opportunity comes which has no entry fees and no commission.

The deadline is the 17th - ignore the 7 January postmark requirement - that's a typo; it's the 17th. Click here for the prospectus.

Update: You can also register online here.

Deadline is almost here!

Deadline: January 17, 2010

This is the kind of opportunity that I like: absolutely no fees to submit and zero commission on sales: click here for the prospectus.

And, O yea... I'm the juror! I'll select the prizewinners once the committee selects the artists to exhibit.