Dr. Fred at the WPA

Dr. Frederick P. Ognibene, Deputy Director for Educational Affairs and Strategic Partnerships at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD, has been elected Chair of the Board of Directors for Washington Project for the Arts (WPA).

A notable collector of contemporary art and a generous patron of emerging and mid-career artists, Fred Ognibene has twice been a member of the WPA board (1995-2003 and 2008-present). His collection, which he has been cultivating since 1984, includes over 200 works by national and international artists. Many works in his collection have been loaned to museums and arts organizations for exhibition; a number have been donated by Dr. Ognibene to the permanent collection of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

"WPA plays a vital role in promoting excellence in contemporary art throughout the greater Washington area," said Dr. Ognibene. "It's quite an honor to be entrusted with leading this 35-year organization through its next phase of growth and development." Since its inception in 1975, WPA has showcased the work of thousands of artists and has touched hundreds of thousands of visitors and viewers with its programs and projects.

Ognibene succeeds outgoing board chair Andres E. Tremols, co-founder and partner of Vivo Design. Tremols's three-year tenure began with WPA's separation from the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 2007. During his years as board chair, Mr. Tremols reestablished WPA as a fully-independent non-profit organization, rebuilt the Board of Directors, and initiated WPA's long-term Strategic Plan, among other initiatives. "I could not have accomplished so much without the tremendous talent and effort of our entire board, including my successor, Fred Ognibene. With Executive Director Lisa Gold at the helm and Fred steering the board, WPA is in excellent hands." Tremols will remain a Director on the WPA board.

In addition to changes in the leadership role, three new directors have been elected to the WPA board. They are Michael Rankin, Managing Partner of TTR Sotheby's International Realty, DC, MD and VA; Judy J. Sherman, an independent curator and Project Manager/Art Consultant at The Ralls Collection in Washington, DC; and Jocelyn Sigue, an independent producer and writer with a background in broadcast journalism. "I am delighted to welcome this trio of thoughtful, energetic and productive board members," said Fred Ognibene. "They join a very strong and effective board - WPA should anticipate very exciting results."

Norfolkin'

I'm in Norfolk, where it is very cold and rainy, but I hear that it is snowmaggedin' in the DMV and now I have to look forward to driving back tomorrow in the middle of all that!

Feh!

Seventh Annual Bethesda Painting Awards

Deadline: Friday, February 25, 2011

The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District is currently accepting applications for the seventh annual Bethesda Painting Awards, a juried competition honoring four selected painters with $14,000 in prize monies. Deadline for submission is February 25, 2011. Up to nine finalists will be invited to display their work at a Bethesda gallery.

The competition will be juried this year by Philip Geiger, an art instructor at the University of Virginia; Evelyn Hankins, associate curator at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. and Jinchul Kim, a painting professor at Salisbury University.

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 25, 1981 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. No reproductions.

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

Applications are available online at www.bethesda.org.

The Bethesda Painting Awards were established by my good friend and Bethesda philanthropist, art collector and community activist Carol Trawick in 2005.

Dawson leaving the WaPo

The WaPo's Galleries critic Jessica Dawson, who for about 10 years has freelanced the Galleries column for the Washington Post (and who prior to that used to freelance art reviews for the Washington City Paper) will be departing the Washington Post as that newspaper's visual art critics' bleeding continues and Jessica is heading to a new gig at the Hirshhorn Museum, where she will join the museum's staff working on the Hirshhorn's Bubble.

We wish Jessica the best at her new job.

More later...

The Dynamics of the DC Art Scene

The Art Dealers Association of Greater Washington, in partnership with The Kreeger Museum, are putting together a panel discussion on how Art Dealers, Collectors, Curators and Museum Directors interact to support the visual arts in the DC area.

The Kreeger Museum,
2401 Foxhall Road NW
Washington, DC 20007

Thursday, February 24, 2011
6:30pm - 9 pm

Tickets: $20 / The Kreeger Museum Members: $15
Includes a cheese and wine reception.

Preceding the panel discussion, guests will have an opportunity to view In Unison: 20 Washington, DC Artists, the culmination of a project initiated by artist Sam Gilliam, consisting of monoprints by 20 artists from the DC community, who typically work in different styles and mediums.

For reservations, call 202-338-3552.

Panelists include:
- Juliette Bethea, Collector
- Dr. Johnnetta Cole, Director, National Museum of African Art
- Judy A. Greenberg, Director, The Kreeger Museum
- Gisela Huberman, Collector (and proud owner of my work)
- Jack Rasmussen, Director and Curator, American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center
- and moderator Bill Dunlap, Artist and Art Critic and TV talking head, and one of the 100 in my book about DC artists.

Considering the focus of the panel, am I the only one who finds it odd that missing from the panel are any art dealers?

Grouchoquotin'

"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."

- Groucho Marx

Sacred Heart Of Healing


I am often asked by collectors about Tim Tate's former signature pieces, his series of hearts. The above is Sacred Heart Of Healing (about 16 x 8 x 4 in. or 40.6 x 20.3 x 10.2 cm) and this is the sister piece to the one in the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

The Tate hearts are only available in the secondary art market, as is this one. If you are interested and would like details, send me an email to lenny@lennycampello.com.