For TBT: 1998

1998 - Self Portrait by F. Lennox Campello

A letter from Yuslier Saavedra to President Obama

I don't know who Yuslier L. Saavedra is, but her open letter to President Obama touched a raw nerve with me:

Mr. President, I am a young Cuban woman who lives in Cuba and I do not want to leave. Exile hurts and I lack the courage to miss my homeland. I want to stay in Cuba and the reality of my people leaves me with many questions. I think it is up to Cubans alone – all of us without exception – to resolve our problems; peaceful change toward democracy is ours and is in us. I dream of a sovereign people, with self-determination because we have a voice, rights and freedom. I dream of an independent, democratic and sovereign Cuba, where there is a genuine rule of law and democracy, the indispensable foundations for Cubans to be able to achieve prosperity and well-being.

You have said you want to help Cubans to improve our quality of life, which leads me to ask you some questions:

• What has improved in Cubans’ quality of life since 17 December 2014?
• You have called Raul Castro ‘president’; does this mean you consider him your counterpart?
• Can a dictatorship turn itself into a democracy?
• Do you believe that the dignity of the human person, as well as his or her well-being and quality of life starts with rights?

Thank you for your time.

Yuslier L. Saavedra
La Salud, Mayabeque Province
Cuba

Opportunity for Artists

Artists wishing to be considered for an exhibit in the Howard County Arts Council galleries (located in Ellicott City, Maryland) are invited to submit a general exhibit application. The HCAC Exhibits Committee meets quarterly to review applications and select artists for the exhibit space. Artists, ages 18 and older, working in all media and styles including time-based and installation artists, are encouraged to apply either individually or as a group. The Committee also welcomes proposals from curators and organizations.

Detailed entry guidelines are available on the ‘Exhibits’ page of the HCAC website, http://hocoarts.org/exhibits.php; for pick-up at the Howard County Center for the Arts, 8510 High Ridge Road, Ellicott City, MD 21043; or by mail by calling 410-313-2787 or emailing exhibits@hocoarts.org. The next deadline for submissions is Friday, April 1, 2016.

Teresa Oaxaca's Natura Morta Solo Show

I've been hearing really good things about this show and now Teresa Oaxaca's Natura Morta solo show Has been extended until February 29th. 

You can visit it any time free of charge between the hours of 10-5, Monday through Friday.  She has 20 works of art including mainly paintings, drawings plus a few prints.  The works range in theme from portraiture to still life. 

Location- The Embassy Of Slovenia, 2410 California Street, NW  Washington D.C. 20008 

You can email Studio@TeresaOaxaca.com for purchase or commission inquiries.

 You can (of course) see a lot more works by this talented artist here... these drawings, by the way, are absolutely gorgeous!

WPA Gala

It has been my honor multiple times in the past to have been selected to participate in the WPA Gala auction; this year's version is coming up!

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS ______________________________________________________________

Elia Alba * David Antonio Cruz * Damon Arhos * Holly Bass * Sherry Bittle * Calder Brannock * Tom Bunnell * Carolyn Castano * Mary Chang * Natalie Cheung * Jerome China * Dave Choi * Hoesy Corona * Andy Cross * Aimee Crouch * Erin Elizabeth Curtis * Micah Danges * Victor Davson * Marley Dawson * Rachel Debuque * Regina DeLuise * David East * Deborah Ellis * Annie Farrar * Kate Fauvell * Jeremy Flick * Adrienne Gaither * Edel Gregan * Carl Hazelwood * Karen Heagle * Ellen Hill * Philip Hinge * Allen  Hirsch * Martha Jackson Jarvis * Allison Janae Hamilton * Haley Josephs * Shunhee Jung * Lori Katz * Jayson Keeling * Dean Kessmann * Fawad Khan * Sharon Koelblinger * Suzy  Kopf * Ya LaFord * Zofie Lang * Nate Larson & Marni Shindleman * Pepa Leon * Andrea Limauro * Dale Loy * Doreen McCarthy * Patrick McDonough * Mike McKee * Andrew Mezvinsky * Jimmy Miracle * Jonathan Monaghan * Irvin Morazan * Georgia Nassikas * Leslie Nolan * Veronika Pausova * Marta Perez Garcia * Emily Piccrillo * Alejandro Pintado * Julia Policastro * Julia Policastro * Ralph Pugay * Lynn Putney * Beverly Ress * Ellington Robinson * Gerald Ross * Jose Ruiz * Soledad Salame * Kevin Sampson * Sol Sax * J. Alex Schechter * Will Schneider White * Sheldon Scott * Joyce J Scott * Leslie Shallow * Donna Sharrett * Devan Shimoyama * Bernardo Siles * Alexandria Smith * Diane  Smith * Cameron Spratley * Altoona Sultan * Martin Swift * Naomi Taitz Duffy * Kyle Tata * Marisabela Telleria * Sylvie Van Helden * Christine Wang * Kate Warren * Clare Winslow * Julie Wolfe  2016 WPA AUCTION GALA CURATORS ______________________________________________________________ Julie Chae, Independent Curator, New York and Washington, DC; Kimberly Gladfelter Graham, Independent Curator, 1013 Artistry, Baltimore; Arnold J. Kemp, Chair & Associate Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond; Bree Pickering, Executive Director, Vox Populi, Philadelphia; Danny Simmons, Director / Co-Chair, Rush Arts / Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, Philadelphia and New York; Vesela Sretenović, Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art; The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC; Virginia Treanor, Associate Curator, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC; and the WPA Board of Directors.

Cam Newton Meltdown

The only thing that I have to say in reference to Cam Newton's so called "meltdown" after his Superman skills evaporated in yesterday's SuperBowl is: "Cam, if you want lessons on how to act with class when you're all bummed out because you lost... call Russell Wilson, the best quarterback in the NFL"... the 12th man is everywhere!

Why doesn't anyone pick up on this?

Read this and then this...