This coming Saturday, March 12, "Material World" opens at artdc Gallery in Hyattsville

The group show, curated by Stephen Boocks, deals with artistic media & how it relates to the artist's work - why does the artist choose that medium to make their artwork? Does the material support the work or does it get in the way? Do all elements work in concert with each other? And how do they achieve their own balance?

A number of familiar DMV artists are featured - from the 100 Washington, DC Artists book: Marie Ringwald & Michael Janis and from the Sondheim Prize shortlist - JT Kirkland and Hamiltonian Projects Fellow Katherine Mann.

Also featured are the very talented paper artist Sherrill Gross and painter Matthew Langley.

Material World
artdc Gallery at The Lustine Center
5710 Baltimore Avenue
Hyattsville, Maryland 20781

Opening Reception Saturday, March 12 from 6 to 8 p.m. Two artists talks will be held: Michael Janis and Marie Ringwald on Saturday, March 19, and Matt Langley on Saturday, April 2.

Click here to jump to the gallery website.

DCist Exposed

One of the most awesome photography shows of the year, the fifth annual DCist Exposed Photography Show will be at Long View Gallery, running March 15 to 27, 2011.

Out of over 1,000 individual entries, 43 winning images were selected by a panel of judges to be included in this year's DCist Exposed exhibit.

According to the organizers, this year's opening reception "will be twice as awesome, since we’re holding twice as many: Tuesday, March 15, and Wednesday, March 16 from 6 to 10 p.m." This year’s sponsor is Yuengling (America's oldest brewery and makers of the gorgeous Black & Tan beer), and they will provide a selection of their beers, including their Lager, Light Lager, Bock spring seasonal, and the hoppy Lord Chesterfield Ale and DJ Sequoia is back to spin tunes. Wine, soft drinks and hors d’oeuvres will also be provided. Tickets are $10 in advance at Eventbrite, with limited $15 tickets at the door.

To celebrate their 5th anniversary, DCist and Ten Miles Square have produced a special edition magazine featuring the winning photographs from all five years. The issue can be purchased online at MagCloud for $27.50, which comes with a digital version, or at Long View Gallery during the receptions for $25.

Long View Gallery is located at 1234 9th St. NW, just a few blocks from the Mt. Vernon/Convention Center Metro. All photographs displayed at DCist Exposed will be for sale at prices well below traditional gallery shows to encourage new art patrons. Regular gallery hours are Wednesday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 12 to 5 p.m.

Opportunities for Artists

Deadline: April 11, 2011 (4 pm)

McLean Project for the Arts has a call out for Strictly Painting 8, which will be juried this year by Civilian Art Project's Jayme McClellan.

Details and entry forms here.

The more things change...

"At the height of the Washington Color School's popularity, Washington and New York art elites inhabited the same circles. Reed recalls meeting the abstract painter Robert Motherwell at an opening. Motherwell was married to Frankenthaler but was accompanied by Lisa Fonssagrives, the world's first supermodel, who was married to iconic photographer Irving Penn. "He moved in great feminine circles," Reed says.

But financial success eluded the artists. The Jefferson Place Gallery that supported so much of the Color School's work closed in 1975. The '80s were a bitter period for Washington art dealers, but the pressures on Reed did not change much for the worse. "It was always difficult. I have to sell. It's curious. I'm just about poverty level. Here I am this famous artist," Reed says.

He doesn't say whether the spotlight would have shined on Washington longer had a collector base emerged to support its painters."

The more they stay the same... Kriston Capps has an excellent piece on Paul Reed, the last of the Washington Color School painters; read it here.

Critical mass

A critical mass is about to occur between many art organizations.

Target Gallery, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, is sponsoring an outdoor exhibition of artist-made nests created by local arts groups. The event will take place just outside of Washington, DC at the Torpedo Factory Art Center along the waterfront of the Potomac River in Old Town Alexandria from Sunday, April 10 through Sunday, May 15, 2011.

The goal is to inspire people to look more closely at their own habitat. Coinciding with Earth Day and Mother’s Day, they hope to increase environmental awareness and encourage care for the planet that we all call home. They will also highlight Habitat’s work for building decent and affordable homes.

All nests will be composed primarily of natural renewable resources like leaves, twigs and driftwood, as well as recycled or re-purposed materials. The intent is to do no harm to the natural environment or wildlife, and everything will be removed at the end of the exhibition. Nest sites will include docks, decks, tree stumps, outcroppings of rock, and selected trees.

Free maps will guide visitors on a nest spotting walking tour, along the waterfront, through a park, into the Torpedo Factory and ending at Target Gallery, where the exhibition Nest can be seen.

What Does Home Mean to You? The public will be invited to participate in the building of a large community nest installed on the main floor of the Torpedo Factory, right outside the Target Gallery. They will provide long strips of paper for the public to answer the question “What does home mean to you?”

They will then be invited to weave their paper into the nest structure. The strips of paper will be for sale for $1 with all proceeds going to benefit the Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia.

To learn more, or donate to fund this project and make it a reality, visit this link.

American Contemporary Art magazine

The current issue of the magazine is out and I have a two page spread on pages 28-29 which cover a few key DMV area shows. Read it online here.

Little Havana Drinks

They don't call it Little Havana for nothing.... the last time that I was in Miami for the MIA Art Fair in January, I dropped by a local bodega for some pastelitos and a medianoche sandwich, and when I opened the cooler to get a cold drink I was amazed by the selection being presented:


Check out the "Cuba Herbal Energy Drink" can... heee heee... only in Miami...