Select


The Washington Project for the Arts (WPA), the mid-Atlantic's premier alternative arts organization, has announced the dates for its Annual Art Auction Exhibition and Gala, SELECT. The curated exhibition will be on view Saturday, February 19 through Saturday, March 12, 2011.

Saturday, March 12, 2011 marks the 30th anniversary of the organization's well-known arts gala that includes a curated silent auction of more than 100 contemporary works by top contemporary artists, formal dinner, and performance art. Tickets to the auction gala start at $300. I have been selected to participate in this auction for the second year in a row.

The event will be held at 700 Sixth Street, an Akridge-managed property, in northwest Washington; it is expected to draw over 500 art enthusiasts.

In advance of the March 12 event, WPA will host an exhibition opening reception on February 19 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm and Curators' View on March 1 from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm. These two events are free and open to the public. At the Curators' View, each Select curator will present and discuss their exhibition selections. In addition, WPA's prized Alice Denney Award will be presented by Robert Lehrman to Washington-based artist William Christenberry for his support of WPA and sustained commitment to the DC arts community.

The SELECT exhibition will be on view 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, Wednesdays-Saturdays, through March 12th. For a complete list of participating artists or images, please contact Kristen DeMarco at auction@wpadc.org.

Rattner Museum theft

"Bronze sculptures stolen from a Bethesda museum and vandalized were reportedly worth about $90,000. The thief allegedly sold them to a scrap dealer for $150.

The artworks are back at the Dennis and Phillip Ratner Museum, after a worker at Montgomery Scrap in Rockville realized he had bought stolen goods. But most were "damaged beyond repair," Montgomery County police said Wednesday."

The cops had issued an arrest warrant Wednesday for Daniel Conticchio, 27, of the 4500 block of Ninth Street NW. Read the WaPo story here.

According to a later story in The Gazette, "Jessica Rivas, 22, listed on court records as living on the 9300 block of Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda — about a mile from the museum — was arrested Thursday at the same time as Daniel Conticchio, 27, of Washington, D.C., police said."

According to the Gazette, "Police issued a warrant for Conticchio's arrest Wednesday and found him and Rivas asleep in Conticchio's car in the Wildwood Shopping Center parking lot at Old Georgetown Road and Democracy Boulevard in Bethesda Thursday."

Makes my head hurt.

Early Campello

They have this computer program display at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum where you line up your face on the screen and it takes a shot and then transforms you into what you may have looked like as one of pre Homo Sapiens species. At the risk of opening myself to a million jokes (such as my wife: "You don't look that much different"), below is the Lenster as a Neanderthal.


By the way, read this fascinating NYT article on Neanderthal mating with modern homo sapiens and leaving his DNA on Europeans.

Torpedo Factory Art Center Visiting Artist Program

Deadline: February 28, 2011.

The Torpedo Factory Art Center invites emerging and experienced artists to apply for one, two, or three-month residencies between June 1 and August 31, 2011.

The Torpedo Factory Art Center (www.torpedofactory.org) in Alexandria, Virginia is home to more than 140 visual artists working in 82 studios. Artists create in a wide variety of media including painting, fiber, jewelry, ceramics, printmaking, cast and stained glass, and sculpture. The Torpedo Factory is open to the public every day; visitors are invited and welcomed into studios to watch artists at work, ask questions, and purchase original art – allowing the public an opportunity to share in the excitement and fascination of the creative process.

The projects undertaken by Visiting Artists for this self-directed, creative residency must be compatible with available working studio spaces and facilities.

Visiting Artists will be provided with studio space and will be able to display and sell original work.

Finalists will be selected by yours truly. There is no application fee.

Download the Prospectus and Application Form from www.torpedofactory.org/vap.

Annual Jury for TF Artists

The Torpedo Factory Art Center has announced the 2011 Annual Jury for Artist Members (February 28-March 3, 2011).

The application form, submission requirements and instructions are available at this website. Please direct inquiries to Michele Hoben, jury chair.

Next at the Arts Club

There are three openings coming up at the Arts Club of Washington (2017 I Street, N.W.), but the one that I'm really looking forward to is the one of new paintings by the superbly talented Michal Hunter.

The reception is Friday, February 4th, 6:30 to 9 PM, in the Monroe Gallery. (There are three shows opening same night in different galleries).

Opportunities for Artists

On-line gallery. AddictionAndArt.Org is seeking artworks addressing the complexities of addiction and recovery to post/share with a worldwide audience - for the good of mankind. Works in any media, completed in any year are eligible. www.addictionandart.org - go to "Share Your Art" in the menu. Questions: editor@addictionandart.org or call 301-639-3520 for submission information.

By the way, Big Think just listed the Addiction and Art book as one of the top 10 art books of 2010!