Thursday, July 08, 2010

Arts on N Street

An exciting new outdoor arts market brought to you by the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

They are looking for DC artists to help activate the Shaw neighborhood for two weekends in August (7th & 8th and 14th & 15th). They are thus looking for artists and crafters based in DC to sell their works and wares. Looking for 22 vendors for each day (it is not required to do all four days. They are happy to let people chose their level of participation). Space is FREE.

In addition to the craft fair, there will be an affordable art fair called Paper Pushers where they are looking for artists to sell original works on paper (size restrictions do apply- no bigger than 20" in any one dimension and nothing priced above $200) where people can buy the artwork right there and go. Artists will receive full sale price of artwork less any processing fees that may occur.

They are also looking for people who would be interested in leading workshops with kids- live painting, decorating your own skate deck, bike repair, juggling, dj-ing… this would also be a paid position.

Other ideas are forming and their ears are open! If you have something you're itching to try out, don't hold back- let Beth Baldwin know! If you have an idea or would like to apply, please contact Beth Baldwin at gobethgo@gmail.com to participate.

Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Trawick Prize Finalists

Eleven artists have been selected as finalists for the eighth annual Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, easily the DMV's premier arts award.

The work of the finalists will be on display from September 1 – 25, 2010 in downtown Bethesda at 4728 Hampden Lane.

The prize winners will be announced on Wednesday, September 1st at a special press event at the space. The Best in Show 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 April 9, 1980 will also be awarded $1,000.

The artists selected as finalists are:

Barbara Bernstein, Amherst, VA
Milana Braslavsky, Reisterstown, MD
Ellen Burchenal, Baltimore, MD
Anne Chan, Silver Spring, MD
Kathryn Cornelius, Washington, D.C.
Adam Davies, Washington, D.C.
Bernhard Hildebrandt, Baltimore, MD
Magnolia Laurie, Baltimore, MD
Sara Pomerance, Washington, D.C.
Ding Ren, Washington, D.C.
Dan Steinhilber, Washington, D.C.

A public reception will be held on Friday, September 10, 2010 from 6-9pm in conjunction with the Bethesda Art Walk. The Gallery hours are Wednesday - Saturday from 12-6pm.

Entries were juried by Harry Cooper, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.; Robert Haywood, Deputy Director, Contemporary Museum in Baltimore, MD and Emily Smith, Curatorial Fellow in Modern and Contemporary Art, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Established by my good friend Carol Trawick in 2003, The Trawick Prize honors the work of local artists and establishes a foundation for a solid arts community in downtown Bethesda. Founder Carol Trawick has served as a community activist for more than 25 years in downtown Bethesda; including working on legislation to designate communities in Maryland as Arts & Entertainment Districts. She is past Chair of the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, past Chair of the Bethesda Urban Partnership, current Chair of Strathmore, and Founder of The Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation and the Bethesda Painting Awards.

The Trawick Prize is one of the first regional competitions and largest prizes to annually honor visual artists. To date, The Trawick Prize has awarded over $98,000 in prize monies and has exhibited the work of 83 regional artists. Best in Show recipients include: Richard Clever, Baltimore MD (2003); David Page, Baltimore, MD (2004); Jiha Moon, Annandale, VA (2005); James Rieck, Baltimore, MD (2006); Jo Smail, Baltimore, MD (2007); Maggie Michael, Washington, D.C. (2008); and Rene Trevino, Baltimore, MD (2009).

Who will win this year? It depends who is the real HMFIC out of the three judges. Five will get you ten that Steinhilber is being pushed by Cooper, Burchenal or Hildebrandt by Haywood, and Bernstein by Smith. Since Bernstein is the only VA artist in the mix, I suspect that Smith was the quiet one in the junta of jurors, and since 6 of the 11 artists are DMV, that Cooper was the lead general of the junta.

So, since Steinhilber has been a finalist before, and since I suspect that Cooper is the arm twister in the group, I bet that Dan will be the winner of the 2010 Trawick Prize. If he wins it will be well-deserved and bring the prize to one of the DMV's local art stars.

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Heard on Univision

Earlier today, towards the end of the World Cup game between Holland and Uruguay, as it seemed certain that the last Latin American team in the running was about to be eliminated (they almost tied it in the last few seconds), the commentators had a really interesting discussion in Spanish.

They were wondering if they should root for Spain in tomorrow's game between La Furia (Spain) and Germany. One of the commentators was making the case that they should root for Spain, simply based on the commonality of language. One of the two other commentators, who was a former player himself, was against that, claiming that the Spaniards were very racist and discriminated against South Americans, so why should they (all three commentators were apparently South American), root for Spain?

He expanded on that point by giving as evidence the fact that when he played for several years in the Spanish soccer leagues (which means he must have been very good, as they are the highest paid ones in Europe), he was constantly under the pressure of discrimination from the Spanish teams.

I found this very interesting, and thought to myself how comments like this, say on ESPN, would cause a maelstrom of controversy in this nation.

Update: The commentator who made the comment was José Luis Chilavert, a former goalkeeper from Paraguay, and considered one of the the 10 best goalies in soccer history; and Univision's "futbol" forums are buzzing with comments about his comments.

City Gallery First Annual Regional Juried Competition

Time is running out to submit for the First Annual City Gallery Regional Juried Competition. The show will be judged by Washington artist and gallerist and my good amigo, Jack Rasmussen. Rasmussen is currently Director and Curator of the American University Museum.

Accepted work will be exhibited at City Gallery located in the heart of the Atlas Arts District from August 7-28. There will be an opening reception on August7 from 6-9pm.

To download a complete prospectus and entry form go to www.citygallerydc.com or email info@citygallerydc.com.

All entries must be postmarked by midnight July 12.

Fridaphiles of the world: Unite!

Check out Google today to see how the celebrate Frida Kahlo's birthday today. Below is a huge Frida Kahlo collage that I did in art school in the 80s.

Frida Kahlo by Campello

Free: Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: July 19, 2010.

Location: Landslide Gallery, Chicago (July 23-31). The Foster Collective, a Chicago based artist collective, seeks visual and written responses to the Gulf oil disaster. All entries must be on gas station paper towels. You can draw, paint, collage or write directly on the towel. Or, you can glue/tape artwork to the towel. Paper towels can be any color or texture. They are usually kept in the same container as the windshield squeegee. Requirements: -Leave 1" margin at the top for hanging. -Please submit the whole paper towel. Do not cut or add to the dimensions, which are typically 9 1/8 x 10 1/8 inches. -Write your name, email address, and location on the back. If you want your piece returned, include SASE. We are currently exploring venues for future exhibitions in other cities. NO FEE... let me say that again: NO FEE!

Send to:

The Foster Collective
C/O A. Watters
2531 N Talman, 1E
Chicago 60647

More info: fostercollective@gmail.com

Sunday, July 04, 2010

Happy 4th!


American flag by Jasper Johns
American Flag by Jasper Johns