Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that you all have the luck to spend today with your families and that we all think a thought for all those who can't, especially our men and women in uniform around the planet and their families...

Below is Little Junes and his mother cutting and assembling paper turkeys to give to his teachers.

American idiot

The picture below is of an idiot from Massachusetts named Lindsey Stone who's gone viral with this image of her flipping off the sign at Arlington Cemetery during a work-paid visit to the DMV. Because of the fact that this brainiac then posted this pic on Facebook, and it really offended a lot of people, someone then started a viral campaign to get Ms. Stone fired.

 And she got fired.

And I'm not sure that this is right. As much as I am offended, both as a veteran and also as a veteran who has former shipmates killed on active duty buried at Arlington, one of the reasons that people like me wore the uniform of the United States Armed Forces was to defend and protect the right of people like Ms. Stone to express their views freely.

We used to (and I'm sure that people serving today still do) have a saying that went along the way of "I may disagree 100% with what you're saying, but I am willing nonetheless to put my life on the line to defend your right to say it."

Lindsey, you're an idiot, but you're an American idiot, and you have the right to do this abhorrent act and should not get fired because of it.

Top 10 Please...

What are your 10 favorite galleries in the DC metro area?

ArtDC wants to know... check it out here.

Call for Entries: On The Verge

"On the Verge" - At the Lowe House Office Building

Prince George's Delegation Area, Annapolis, MD.

January 11 - April 9, 2013

Presented by the M-NCPPC, Department of Parks of Recreation, Prince George's County, Arts and Cultural Heritage Division

APPLICATION DEADLINE - December 7, 2012
All submissions must be received by 4:00pm

The M-NCPPC, Department of Parks of Recreation, Prince George's County, Arts and Cultural Heritage Division, with support from the Prince George's Arts and Humanities Council, is pleased to announce On the Verge: Extension, Transition, Conversation, this year's exhibition of Prince George's County artists in the Lowe House Office building in Annapolis, during the Maryland General Assembly's Legislative Session for 2013. Verge is verb, signifying a shift, a switch, and evolution. Verge can also mean modification, expansion, and a substantial moment. This exhibition calls on Prince George's County artists to share their interpretation of what it means to be on the verge. As artists our perception of transition and change vary; is verge a meeting of artistic minds, a collaborative effort? Are you on the verge of a major decision in your studio? Or perhaps verge is an important moment for you conceptually or formally, on the cusp of a breakthrough in a new direction? The meaning of verge may present itself symbolically, through the exploration of boundaries, or literally through juxtapositions in ideas and materials. On the Verge provides an opening to reflect upon the interpretations of verge, or verging, asking artists to present work related to insightful, prospective and major transitions, as they define it. This exhibition celebrates Prince George's County artists as well as art's ability to represent these shifts and express the experiences that bring us all together.

DATES                                                                                   Deadline for receipt of entries: December 10th Notification of selected works: December 17th *All notifications will be sent by email. Artwork drop-off period: December 27st - 31th Exhibition Opens: Week of January 9th Opening Reception: TBA Exhibition closes: April 9th Artwork pick-up period: April 15th - 26th ELIGIBILITY & SUBMISSION CRITERIA This call for entries is open to all artists 18 years old or older who live, work, attend school or have studio's in Prince George's County, MD. Artists may submit a maximum of 5 artworks for consideration. All works must be original and may use any media. Art works must also be presentation-ready and able to hang on a wall without projecting off the wall in such a way that they could obstruct or endanger foot traffic in the exhibition area. Art works must be able to safely hang on Walker Display system hanging rods. All works must follow the Maryland House of Delegates guidelines for displaying artwork. To receive a copy of these guidelines artists may contact staff at the Brentwood Arts Exchange at (301) 277 - 2863. HONORARIUM Artists selected to have their artworks exhibited in On the Verge will receive an honorarium of $100.

WHAT TO SEND Submission materials should be mailed or delivered in person to the Brentwood Arts Exchange, 3901 Rhode Island Avenue, Brentwood, MD 20722. Please send: Your name and contact information, including address, telephone number, and email. A CD containing up to 5 images. A printed list of the works submitted with titles, media, and dimensions. If your mailing address is not in Prince George's County but you are eligible to apply under other criteria, please provide a very brief explanation of your eligibility (i.e. your in-county studio address, etc.) *Optional: An artist's statement If you would like your materials returned, please include an SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope). Materials sent without an SASE will not be returned. Please note: Only entries sent in digital formats will be accepted for entry. We will not review printed images, slides, or original artworks. We regret that we cannot accept submissions via email. Digital files must be submitted on a CD. MAILING ADDRESS FOR SUBMISSIONS:   Attn: On the Verge Brentwood Arts Exchange 3901 Rhode Island Ave. Brentwood, MD 20722 GUIDELINES FOR DIGITAL FILES Effort will be made to review all submissions, regardless of format. However, please be aware that incompatible files may cause submissions to be rejected. Applicants are encouraged to format files as described below. Image files should not be larger than 1MB, and should be formatted as jpeg or tiff. Name each file according to the following format: "last name" underscore "document". Example: jones_imagelist.pdf. Please number each image/video file corresponding to the work sample list. Example: 01_jones_stilllifewithguitar.jpg

NOTIFICATION

All artists will be informed of acceptance or rejection by email. Artists who do not have email addresses may request to be notified by mail.

DELIVERY & INSTALLATION

Artists are responsible for transporting work to and from the drop-off/pickup location at the Brentwood Arts Exchange. Artwork must be delivered ready to hang and appropriately presented. Artworks that differ significantly from the images submitted for judging or are not ready for gallery installation may be rejected. If you need to ship the work, please call us to let us know what arrangements you have made.

The exhibition will be transported, installed, and dismantled by
M-NCPPC staff or third parties contracted by the M-NCPPC. All work accepted for exhibition will remain at the exhibition site for the duration of the exhibition.

SALES & INSURANCE

The M-NCPPC will retain a 25% commission on all artworks sold during, or as a result of the exhibition. The M-NCPPC will insure all consigned artwork in the custody of the Brentwood Arts Exchange from the time they are received by delivery, until the pick-up date only.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact: Rushern Baker IV, at the Brentwood Arts Exchange 3901 Rhode Island Ave.  Brentwood, MD 20722, rush.baker@pgparks.com; tel. 301-277-2863; tty. 301-446-6802

Black Friday Sale at Brentwood

Black Friday Sale

Brentwood Arts Exchange Craft Store

Friday, November 23, 2012; 10am - 7pm 

"Mugs" Gary Irby.

Stop by the Brentwood Arts Exchange craft store Friday, November 23, 2012, from 10am - 7pm, for their Black Friday Sale. For the first time, customers will find the store's line of fine ceramic ware, hand-made jewelry, glass-blown vases, hand painted silk scarf's, and handbags available at a 20% discount. The Brentwood Arts Exchange craft store features a dynamic display of fashionable and functional items by local artists and is a favorite stop for customers looking to buy one of-a-kind gifts for loved ones and looking to support the local arts community. At this year's inaugural event over 90% of the sales on each item will go directly to the artists.  Click here to view their virtual craft store.

Dali

When an anonymous donor gave art to the Goodwill as an early holiday gift this month, the staff thought it was junk.

"Across the board they thought it was ugly," said Shea Munroe, who sorts the art and collectibles donated at Goodwill Industries in Federal Way, Washington.

Co-workers told her: "What is that? And why would anybody want that?"

The art is actually a Salvador Dali original, by the master surrealist who in his day relished the role of public provocateur with his mind-bending imagery.

Read the story on CNN here.

Opportunity for Photographers

The Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW) is currently seeking submissions for its seventh annual contemporary Photography Exhibition running February 2^nd through March 1, 2013 at CHAW, 545 7^th Street, SE.   CHAW is looking for any and all types of contemporary photography including traditional, alternative, black and white, color, photojournalism, fine art, time based, performance, installation…if you think it involves photography, please submit by December 14, 2012 at www.chaw.org.

The exhibition will be curated by Bruce McKaig, chair of the Photography Department at CHAW (www.brucemckaig.com).  All submitting artists will be invited to participate in a workshop on business tips for artists and receive a marketing packet with exhibition, publication, marketing and funding sources.  CHAW will present cash awards and one or more participating artists will be invited to a public art project at Canal Park in 2013.

The entry fee is $25 and artists may submit three to five works or three to five minutes of video. Please call (202) 547-6839 or visit www.chaw.org for more information and to submit work.