Congrats!

To super hard working DMV area artist Judith Peck, who just won the Juror's choice award from the (Louisiana) Masur Museum's juried competition from George T.M. Shackelford.

Peck is an artists' artist - by that I mean that Judy (whose work I love and have taken to art fairs many times) is admired by nearly every artist who is familiar with it.... she has exhibited widely around the US and her work has been featured multiple times in art magazines and newspaper reviews.

Among these, most recently in 2012 alone her work has been featured in The Artists’ Magazine, Combustus 13, Poets and Artists, The Birmingham Arts Journal and the book “Bourgeon, Fifty Artists Write About Their Work”, published by Day 8 Publishers.

This hard working and widely exhibited artist participated in eight exhibitions in 2012 alone, including a solo show at the Hoyt Institute for the Arts in New Castle, PA and an invitational show at the Georgia Museum of Art. 

And she works in one of the most difficult art niches that exist - nearly always doing portraits. That is one hard science... the subtle ability to not only capture someone's likeness, but also deliver someone's psychological and non kinetic make-up -- that's what makes Peck tick and cross over from a super gifted technical artist into that super rare upper artmosphere of the great portraitists of our time.

She sells well too... and as any art dealer can tell you, selling someone else portrait's is one of the hardest things to do on planet Artdealer... but collectors just fall in love with Peck's ability to "deliver" someone; not just an image of that person.

Peck’s work has also been exhibited widely in multiple art fairs, including the Aqua Art Fair in Miami Beach, and the Affordable Art Fair in New York and Red Dot in Miami.

Go Judith!

Senator Durbin... why?

For many years, large national retailers, big business and many hungry state tax collectors have hoped for new Internet sales tax collection policy. They want Congress to pass a federal law that would allow tax agents from one state to enforce their sales tax laws on retailers based in other states, even when a business is based thousands of miles away. Nearly everyone that I know opposes this misguided idea that goes against everything that the Internet stands for, and I (like millions of others worldwide) believe that small businesses selling via the Internet should only be subject to the tax laws of the states in which they operate.

The news from Capitol Hill is clear and just like the economy... it's grim.

Internet sales tax supporters are convinced that 2013 is their year, and they are determined to pass a new Internet sales tax bill when our out of control "tax everything" Congress (that refuses to face real financial austerity) tackles "corporate tax reform" in spite of the fact that "corporate" and the millions of small American businesses that operate on the Internet seldom share the same anything.

In December, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), the misguided idiot who smells more and more sources to suck money out of the economy and is the sponsor of Internet sales tax legislation, publicly announced that he had a commitment from the Senate Finance Committee to "take it up early next year and move it to the floor."  Why Durbin wants to lead an effort to bleed more and more taxes is something between himself and his big money donors...

Your opinion matters. If you oppose giving state tax collectors new powers to impose and enforce out-of-state sales tax burdens on small businesses that sell via the Internet, now is the time to make your voice heard.

This is not a Republican or Democrat issue - but an issue that deals with the freedom of the worldwide web and the never-ending appetite for some in Congress to try to tax any and everything that moves.

Take the time to email, call or write to your two Senators and your Congress person... feel free to use, edit and adapt the letter below, but DO SOMETHING!

 

Dear Member of Congress,

As your constituent and one of the millions of Americans concerned with this issue, I'm asking you not to impose any new sales tax laws on small businesses operating on the Internet.

In the 1992 Quill Decision, the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to allow state tax enforcement authorities to impose their sales tax laws on small businesses located in other states.  However, an effort backed by giant retailers and a group of state legislators is trying to push Congress to overturn the Quill Decision and establish an unfair tax regime that would force small online businesses to be subject to sales tax laws all across the country, regardless of where the small business is actually located.

Millions of American small business retailers, would be directly impacted by any new Internet sales tax system. It would increase the cost of doing business and shopping on-line, which would hurt sellers and buyers alike. I believe that small businesses selling via the Internet should only be subject to the tax laws of the states in which they operate. Instead of imposing new tax burdens on small businesses, I would encourage Congress to do EXACTLY the opposite and look at new policies that encourage small business growth and development on the Internet, which in turn will spur job growth and increase consumer choice.

As your constituent, I would ask that you please oppose any efforts to impose new tax burdens on small businesses operating on the Internet.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,
YOUR NAME

Mingering Mike in the museum!

Between 1968 and 1977, Mingering Mike released around 50 albums, each with its own hand-drawn album art, and played sold-out shows around the world. Yet if you haven’t heard of the prolific soul and funk singer, it’s because he was entirely fictional, but the art was real and has just been acquired by the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Details in Hyperallergic here.

Next week: SCOPE New York

Next week is Armory week in New York, which means that several art fairs will be going on the Big Apple, all anchored around the Armory fair.

Starting on Wednesday, we will be at the Scope Art Fair, booth J09... from the DMV Contemporary Wing will also be there, so if any of you are heading to visit the art fairs, please make sure to stop by and say hi to me and CW.

We're all hoping that the fiscal Omaggedon doesn't hurt the fair too much... feh!

DATES and TIMES

• VIP and Press First View, Wednesday, March 6: 3pm – 9pm (By Invitation)

Daily

• Thursday, March 7: 11am - 8pm
• Friday, March 8: 11am - 8pm
• Saturday, March 9: 11am - 8pm
• Sunday, March 10: 11am - 7pm

SCOPE NEW YORK PAVILION
Skylight at Moynihan Station
New York City Main Post Office
312 West 33^rd Street
New York, NY 10001

Open the flood gates!

One thing that nearly every artist on the planet (including myself) shares is rejection letters/emails from galleries, juried competitions, curators and your aunt Elvira... in fact, since I have been a juror, gallerist and curator for a ton of art shows, I hate to say that I've written a fuckload of rejection letters myself.

And now Worn Magazine wants them! Read the below note from them:

Dear Readers,  

I'm excited to announce that the Spring/Summer issue of Worn Magazine is well under way and will be released at the end of April. The theme of this upcoming issue is "Dreams." One way to interpret this theme is to consider the personal journey we're all on to accomplish our dreams.

One important part of this journey is enduring rejection and then going on to kick butt anyway. Because I want all aspects of dreaming to be represented in this issue (not just the typical ones) I'd like you brave souls to send us your rejection letters so that we can print them in the upcoming issue or on our website. In addition to your letter, please include a short paragraph that explains how you've gone on to kick butt since that once unfortunate correspondence.

This is your opportunity to stick it to the man! [My note: highly sexist... artists get rejection letters/emails from all sexual varieties... not just the man... that's me trying to be semantically hip as a Virgo... I know what they mean]

Personally, I have two rejection letters I'd be willing to share, one from the FBI and another from the L.A. Times. 

Please address your letters as follows:
Subject- Rejection Is the Best Protection
Send to: info@wornmagazine.com
Please include a scanned copy of your letter OR forward us the initial rejection email.

Deadline to submit letters is Monday, March 11. 

Be brave! 

Nicole Aguirre, Editor-in-Chief

Wanna go to an opening tonight!

AMY LIN

DIFFUSION 

March 2 -April 27, 2013

opening reception for the artist,  

Saturday, March 2, 5-7pm  

 

Addison/Ripley in Georgetown!

Norm Parish

That guy on the left has done more for African American artists and artists of all four races and thousands of ethnicities around the DMV than most people realize.

That guy on the left is one of the hardest working, least recognized, key members of the visual arts cultural tapestry of our capital region.

That guy on the left is one of the longest surviving independent fine arts commercial gallery owners in the region and a champion for the DC area visual arts.

That guy is Norm Parish, owner, director and curator of Parish Gallery, established in Georgetown in 1991, which means that in "gallery years", his gallery has not only survived but flourished in a town where art galleries struggle to stay open.

He was my neighbor for many years while I was half of The Fraser Gallery's original location in G'town from 1996 - 2006 and I consider him a friend and my earliest inspiration for trying to do something positive for the DMV art scene.

Tokesplace has a tribute to him here and I applaud that! Check out the video below...