Heading to Miami tomorrow...

1. Artwork shipped - Check
2. Bags packed - Check
3. Computers backed up - Check
4. Heat set on vacation mode - Check
5. VIP passed mailed - Check
6. Hotel reservations confirmed - Check
7. House sitter while we're gone - Check
8. Heated blanket for house sitter - Check
9. Ride to airport arranged - Check
10. Pick up from airport arranged - Check

Context Art Miami - here we come!

I still have some free passes - drop me an email if you want some... In booth E-82 we will have Dulce Pinzon, Simon Monk, Audrey Wilson, Ric Garcia and yours truly!

Northern VA Fine Arts Festival Deadline coming!

GRACE's terrific Northern VA Fine Arts Festival's deadline is coming! Applications close on Saturday, December 7, 2013.

The 2014 Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival will be held in the streets of Reston Town Center. The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival is produced by the Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) and is a competitive, juried, out-door event that showcases the best contemporary fine art and craft from around the country.

Details here.

DMV area galleries heading to Miami

I probably don't have a complete list, but from what I've gathered, the usual group of DMV and neighboring cities' galleries are heading south next week for the Art Basel Miami Beach week of fairs around the Greater Miami area.

We are heading to the Context Art Miami fair in Wynwood - come see us in booth E-82.  Connersmith, C.Grimaldis and Goya Contemporary will be next door at Art Miami; Adah Rose and Adamson are heading to Pulse; Mayer Fine Art, Ghostprint, Hamiltonian and Morton Fine Art are all heading to Aqua Art Miami (where we were for the last three years and had our best fairs ever!); Project 4 is in Scope, and Randall Scott Projects is at Miami Project.

As I've noted many times before: if you are a 21st century gallerist or artist, you gotta go to the dance.

There's a truckload of more art fairs... check them out here.

Channeling Jackson Pollock

As I noted earlier, recently I was approached by the chief curator for an outfit that is hired by firms all over the world to acquire artwork for their spaces. In this case this curator was acquiring art to include in the collection of a brand new luxury liner currently being built.

She wanted me to submit a proposal that fit a particular theme for one of the decks of the ship. I struggled with an idea that has been growing little by little in my brilliant mind... cough, cough. 

Here's the proposal that I sent them:

In response to the request for an art proposal for _____________’s collection for the ship’s third deck along the theme “_______________” I hereby submit the following proposal. It should be noted that the concept is adaptable since it will be created specifically for this project.

“Rock, Paper, Scissors.” This work would be a mixed media piece with three embedded video components. The painting part of the work is a large, colorful drip painting done in the style of Jackson Pollock. Embedded in the piece are three video windows, which start as “part” of the painting (in other words, the video starts as a drip painting window as well, and at first sight it is just a continuation of the painting). After five seconds of the video windows being part of a Pollock-style painting, they all fade into three individual videos of (1) rock, (2) paper and (3) scissors. In all three cases the video will be customized to show a falling object (i.e. a rock, or a sheet of paper, or the scissors) falling in slow motion and bouncing on a hard surface. The video loops and starts all over again. The size of the piece is adaptable to the space, but will be framed under glass and requires access to electricity. The largest dimension that it can be is 40x60 inches.

A variation to this approach could be a Piet Mondrian approach, where one, two or three of a Piet Mondrian-style painting’s squares shift colors, thus forever showcasing an ever changing work. This can also be approached in the same “Rock, Paper, Scissors” playful idea discussed above; that is, three of the painting’s windows shift to videos of rock, paper, scissors.

Installation of this work requires access to US electric wall outlet standards, which all ships generally have. The electrical cord and connection will require an electrician to hard-wire the piece behind the wall, or it can also be channeled on the wall itself to the nearest electric outlet. The work comes with a remote control, which allows the piece to be turned off and on as desired.

The artwork and framing can all be done within the budget assigned for this project ($______ USD), and installation would be the responsibility of ________.

I am honored to be considered for this project. Please feel free to contact me at my cell (301/_______) or via email (lenny@lennycampello.com) if there are any questions.

After I submitted this proposal I decided to see if I could create a variant on the idea for the Miami art fairs... I will be at the CONTEXT Art Miami (within Art Miami) fair in Wynwood in booth E-82. In the variant, I've created a large painting in the style of Jackson Pollock, with a window in the middle where a video plays and shows that part of the painting (where the window has been cut) as it is being created... below is the video itself.

Below is the piece drying inside my studio in between layers of paints... note the window in the center...

And here is the work, still with the cut out window in place, but now with all the Pollockian layers of paint...

And below you can see several images of the finished piece with various parts of the video playing where the painting develops... some shot inside studio and one outside in bright sunhine... but behold "Channeling Jackson Pollock"

Channeling Jackson Pollock
Oil and embedded video on Gessoed Paper. 2013. 30x60 inches.

Grant for Latino/a artists

DEADLINE: 2/6/2014

The NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA) is a national grant program open to US-based Latino working artists, ensembles and Latino arts organizations that demonstrate artistic excellence in pursuit of social justice through the arts. To date, the NFA has awarded over one million dollars to a diverse range of artists and organizations representing every discipline and region of the country. Applying to the NFA is a benefit of NALAC Membership.

Details here.

New Executive Director at GRACE

The Board of Directors for the Greater Reston Arts Center today announced the appointment of Holly Koons McCullough as the Center's Executive Director. Ms. McCullough, who currently serves as the Center's Curator, will keep that responsibility as well. 

The Board praised Ms. McCullough as uniquely positioned to not only manage the institution and envision its future as part of the "Destination Reston" proposition with the coming of Metrorail, but someone who can articulate and model that vision in ways that are essential for fundraising. 

"My goal is to lead GRACE to a position of growth and prosperity, allowing the organization to better serve its mission to enrich community life by promoting involvement and excellence in the visual arts," Ms. McCullough said. "I intend to bring in exhibitions that inspire and educate, in addition to promoting Reston as a cultural destination. I also hope to expand the reach of our educational programming that currently serves over 20,000 students in more than 40 schools regionally, and take our highly-anticipated annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival to an even higher level of quality and success." 

Ms. McCullough has a 17-year career devoted exclusively to the visual arts. She served as the Director of Collections and Exhibitions at the Telfair Museum of Art in Savannah, Georgia, in the 15 years prior to her appointment as the Center's Curator. She managed the Telfair's prestigious permanent collection and twelve to sixteen changing exhibitions annually, was responsible for an extensive curatorial budget and staff of six, and pursued grants and fundraising in support of exhibitions, collections, and acquisitions. 

Moving to the Center in 2012 she inherited an exhibition program largely structured through 2013, but has infused it with her personal choices. She has scheduled upcoming exhibitions featuring nationally-recognized artists and has proposed collaborative installations beyond the gallery’s walls, cultivating a greater awareness of the Center and its mission. As Curator she has gained an understanding of the Center’s operations and built positive relationships with staff, Board Members, and partner organizations. 

Ms. McCullough holds a B.A. in English and Art History from the University of Georgia and an MA in Art History from the University of Notre Dame. She will assume the Executive Director role January 1. 

"The Center is a special place, and with the coming of Metrorail we are uniquely poised for growth," said Ms. McCullough. "I am delighted to be working with such a talented staff and engaged Board of Directors to launch the next chapter in the organization's development."

50% off coupon

And with your teacher ID you get an extra 10% off! Now go get some art supplies and create something!

Click here. Coupon good today through Wednesday only.