Book review

My local newspaper (The Potomac Almanac) pops in with a nice article by Maya Horowitz on the 100 Artists of Washington, DC book.

Read the review here.

Come to this opening Friday

In Black and White is a four person show opening at Marymount University this coming Friday.

The exhibition features photography by Jo Ann Tooley, woodcuts by Kristin Reiber Harris, mixed-media work by Ann Marie Williams, and drawings by yours truly.

Pleased join me at the opening reception on Friday, September 9, from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

The show will run from September 9 through October 13 at Marymount University’s Barry Art Gallery.

Directions here.

New gallery to open in Bethesda

The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District and Bethesda Urban Partnership are opening Gallery B in downtown Bethesda!

This gallery, located at 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E in downtown Bethesda (the beautiful and bright, former airy space of the now closed Fraser Gallery) is available to interested artists and arts organizations for one-month rentals. All media including, but not limited to, painting, photography and sculpture is eligible to use the space. Gallery B does not take a commission on any artwork sold during the exhibition.

They are seeking applications from local artists and arts organizations for month-long exhibitions from November 2011 - May 2012. There is approximately 1,500 sq. feet of available exhibition space.

To be considered for a solo or group exhibition, and to review the gallery requirements, please complete this application.

Questions? Please send them an email to artist@bethesda.org.

Natural Selection Opens Tomorrow

Natural Selection - Paintings by Amy Lin and Sculpture by Paul Wolff. Amy
Lin appears courtesy of Addison/Ripley Fine Art.

Opening Reception and Artist Talk: Wednesday, September 7, 2011
5:30 – 7:00pm
Artist Talk: 6:00pm

September 7- December 7, 2011

The Heurich Gallery
505 Ninth Street, NW
Building located at 9th and E Streets, NW
Gallery Hours: Mon – Fri 8am – 7pm; Sat 9am – 4pm

New gallery in the DMV

The Mysteries of Place and Space is the inaugural show of the Adah Rose Gallery, which is a new art gallery located in Kensington's Antique Row. The gallery showcases contemporary art in a variety of mediums.

The inaugural show at Adah Rose Gallery features the work of artists Lori Anne Boocks and Elizabeth Grusin-Howe.

Ms Boocks, a painter, is the keeper of stories. The act of remembering and sharing stories is a powerful influence on her work. Just as the passage of time creates layers of experiencing -- the remembering of an event, the misremembering of it, the distancing, the forgetting -- are all important pieces in her process and thinking. In her paintings, text serves as both subject matter and the basis for mark-making. Texture for each piece comes from her hands, brushwork, and a subtractive process where layers of poured washes are added to the surface, then partially removed with cloth. Ms Grusin-Howe, a printmaker, also uses layering in her one of a kind prints that revel in the splendor, decay and serenity of Venice. In layers of paint, metallic pigments and waxes, she builds layer upon layer reflecting the experiences of the city itself and the intrigue and stories implicit in such a mysterious place.

Opening Reception with the Artists: Saturday, September 10, 6-9pm. Music by Walker Road and catering by "Cookies".

See ya there!

Amnesty International Demands Release of Cuban Dissidents

Eleven members of a dissident organization and three of their relatives have been detained, without being told of any charges against them, since their arrest on 28 August in Cuba. They have not been allowed access to their families.

Eleven members of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (Unión Patriótica de Cuba, UNPACU), an umbrella group of dissident organizations from the east of Cuba have been detained without charge since 28 August. Three other men, who are relatives of the detainees, are also in detention. According to relatives they are being held at a State Security facility on the outskirts of the city of Santiago de Cuba.

Twenty-seven members of UNPACU met at the house of Marino Antomarchit in the town of Palma Soriano, in the south-eastern province of Santiago de Cuba, to discuss the current crackdown against dissidents in the province.

Witnesses state that around 140 members of the security forces, including the National Revolutionary Police (Policía Nacional Revolucionaria), State Security and members of the prison service surrounded the house at 1pm.

Shortly afterwards, tear gas canisters were launched into the house, where Marino Antomarchit's two-year old daughter and 76-year-old mother were also present, causing nausea and coughing of those who were there. At 5:40pm, between 30 to 40 members of the security forces entered the house and reportedly beat the men and caused damage to the house. The 27 UNPACU members were arrested as were three relatives who had come to the house after the arrival of security forces. Sixteen of the men were released on 31 August, all without charge. Eleven of them remain incarcerated in overcrowded conditions and have not been allowed family visits.

Please Take Action here.

Also, more Ladies in White were arrested today in Cuba.

At least 10 Ladies in White, including one of their leaders, Laura Pollan, were arrested today in the central province of Matanzas.

Also re-arrested was Sara Marta Fonseca, who led a courageous protest on the steps of the Capitol building in Havana early last week. Fonseca is part of the Movimiento Feminista por los Derechos Civiles Rosa Parks (The Rosa Parks Civil Rights Feminist Movement).

Some of the others were Yaneris Perez Rey, Caridad Brunate, Mercedes Evelin, Teresa Castellanos, Rosario Morales, Mayra Morejon and Ivonne Mayesa.

Their crimes? Peaceful marching together, dressed all in white, as a form of civil protest, on their way to Mass.

Sooner or later the criminal Castro Brothers will be held accountable for their crimes against humanity.

Triathlon of the Muses

Performance artists Kathryn Cornelius and Jeffry Cudlin are getting physical. On Saturday, September 24 (12-2pm), the two DC-based artists will stage their own battle of the sexes, competing head-to-head in a two-person sprint triathlon during the (e)merge art fair.

At the Capitol Skyline Hotel, Cornelius and Cudlin will engage in three very real tests of physical and mental stamina: They'll both swim 750m in the hotel pool, pedal 20k on stationary bikes, and run a 5k on treadmills. Immediately after the competition, in a pomp-filled ceremony held poolside, a champion will be declared; a loser will be shamed; and gold and silver medals will be awarded.

About the Athletes (that's them to the left, photo courtesy of Max Cook):

The competitors could not be more physically different: Nearly a foot in height and 50 pounds in weight separates them.

Cornelius is, of course, a woman; stands 5' 6 3/4" tall; and weighs somewhere between 118 and 121 lbs--depending on whether or not she's had her daily constitutional.

Cudlin, meanwhile, we think is a male (usually); stands 6' 4 1/2" tall; and weighs between 171 and 180--depending on his cupcake intake.

The two also sit on opposite ends of the food chain: For the past 14 years, Cudlin, in line with his insect-like (stick insect) appearance, has eaten a strict vegan diet, eschewing meat, dairy, eggs, and all other animal products in favor of grains, legumes, and vegetables. Cornelius, meanwhile, eats a strict Paleo diet, avoiding grains, legumes, and dairy in favor of meat, nuts, seeds, some fruit and little sugar.

In addition to totally dominating one another, Cornelius and Cudlin aim to counter the stereotype of artists as weak, non-athletic sensitives who are notoriously bad at sports.

About the Competition:

The "Triathlon of the Muses" attempts to insert the conventions of popular sporting spectacle into the structure of the art fair—replacing one form of competition, costume-wearing, and role-playing with another. In this way the piece provides a more clearly legible analog for transactions both prior to and within the fair. It also presents a symbolic battle between artists of opposing genders for the same limited resources of audience, patronage, and cultural capital.

The performance's title is a nod to Pierre de Coubertin's "Pentathlon of the Muses," a series of art competitions typically held at the Olympic games during the first half of the 20th century. In the Pentathlon, the sport-inspired work of amateur artists would be judged by arts professionals and other dignitaries. Gold, silver, and bronze medals were awarded.

Watch the pre-competition drama unfold:

Team Cornelius (Twitter training log) - http://twitter.com/TeamCornelius
Team Cudlin (Twitter training log) - http://twitter.com/TeamCudlin

For more details...
Triathlon of the Muses (Performance info) - http://www.facebook.com/groups/229067177144345/
Triathlon of the Muses (RSVP) - http://www.facebook.com/groups/229067177144345/#!/event.php?eid=231500870235589

(e)merge art fair - http://www.emergeartfair.com/