Virginia Governor Ralph Northam Announces Commission Appointment

From the Virginia Commission for the Arts Chair:

On behalf of the Commissioners, I am pleased to share with you Governor Northam’s appointment of Janet Starke to serve as Executive Director of the Agency. We are very fortunate to continue to have experienced and enthusiastic leadership to support the work of the Commission and our grantee organizations. We look forward to working with Janet and the Commission staff, as well as each of Virginia's arts organizations dedicated to bringing outstanding arts experiences and educational programs to children and adults across the Commonwealth. – John V. Raneiro, Chair, Virginia Commission for the Arts

Prior to her appointment, Janet served as Executive Director of Richmond Performing Arts Alliance since November 2015, having served as the organization’s Director of Education for six years prior. A native of Chesterfield County, Janet has worked in arts education and performing arts institutions for 22 years, in Richmond, Nashville, Memphis, Charlotte and Cincinnati. Janet holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Arts Administration from Shenandoah University, and a Master of Arts in Arts Administration from University of Cincinnati College–Conservatory. She has served as a grants panelist for Virginia Commission for the Arts, Montalvo Teaching Artist Fellowship, The Kennedy Center and US Department of Education. She has presented nationally at conferences and symposia, including those of Arts Education Partnership, Southeast Center for Education and the Arts, Arts Schools Network, U.S. Department of Education, Americans for the Arts, and National Arts Marketing Project.

The Virginia Commission for the Arts is the state agency that supports the arts through funding from the Virginia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Commission distributes grants to arts and other not-for-profit arts organizations, educational institutions, educators, artists, and local governments. For more information about the Virginia Commission for the Arts, visit www.arts.virginia.gov or call (804) 225-3132.

This Weekend: Last Chance to See AU's Summer Exhibitions

This weekend is your last chance to see: Ralph Steadman: A Retrospective, Figures: Kiley Ames, Janice Nowinski, Kyle Staver, Jo Weiss, Things Unseen: The Fluency of Abstraction, and Latitude: The Washington Women's Arts Center. 

Stop by American University's gorgeus Katzen Museum -- Saturday & Sunday from 11-4PM. 

Call for Video, Sound Art, and New Media - MD

Deadline: October 15, 2018. 

Frame & Frequency 4 Vol. 2 is an ongoing International Video and Sound Art Exchange program presented concurrently at VisArts in our In(Site) Project Gallery in Rockville, MD and at PLECTO Galeria in Medellín, Colombia, opening October 26, 2018. Video, sound art (up to 8 channels), film, and new media work will be accepted: experimental, documentary, animation, narrative, non-narrative, multimedia, virtual reality, augmented reality, net art, interactive media, etc. All foreign language moving image artworks must have English subtitles. 

Submission specifications: Video/Sound Art: You may submit up to 3 works. Videos must be in .mp4 file format. Maximum length of 15 minutes. Sound Art files can be either .mp3 or .wav format. Upload files below through our online platform or provide Vimeo links for video previews. $5 application fee. 

Submit here.

Best courtroom artist ever

Those of us claiming to be art authorities and holders of the keys to what makes great fine art from illustration art, usually thumb our noses to the rather difficult art of police sketching - which has really delivered some fascinating and disturbing examples of befuddling "portraits" in the past - and courtroom artists.

And yet, Mr. William J. Hennessy, Jr., has stood out to me - clearly the final word on who and what makes great art - as a really, really good courtroom fine artist.

Hennessy has that somewhat rare ability to not only capture the likeness of the subject (in a limited time period in some cases), but also the evr rarer ability to infuse his portraits with a psychological trait of the character of the subject person.

My favorite set of drawings? The Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal!

Check out his work here.

Can you spot the fake Fridas?

There are lots of copies of Frida Kahlo's works in this pull of sold Ebay items listed under "Frida Kahlo Paintings." There are also several fakes being offered as works by Kahlo in the mix... can you tell which is what?

Click here.

Can You Tell a Real Artwork from a Fake?

Forgeries can be so convincing they become a form of art. Forgers have become famous in their own right, exhibitions have been devoted to fakes, and auction houses like Sotheby’s even hire in-house fraud experts.

But could you tell the difference between a copy and the real deal? Take our quiz to find out, and discover the history of art forgery along the way.

Take this quiz to find out: Click here.

Call for Howard County Artists

Artists wishing to be considered for an exhibit in the Howard County Arts Council (HCAC) galleries 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 at hocoarts.submittable.com/submit/, for pick-up at the Howard County Center for the Arts, or by mail by calling 410-313-2787 or emailing info@hocoarts.org. The next deadline for submissions is Monday, October 1, 2018.

HCAC manages two galleries at the Howard County Center for the Arts with over 2100 square feet of exhibit space. The HCAC gallery program was established to enhance the public’s appreciation of the visual arts, provide a venue to exhibit the work of local, regional, and national artists in a professional space, and provide leadership in the arts by presenting a broad spectrum of arts in all media from both emerging and established artists.

HCAC presents 11-12 exhibits per year of national, regional, and local artists, including two-person, small and large group, juried, curated, and community shows.

Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 10am- 8pm, Saturday 10am-4pm, and Sunday 12- 4pm.  To learn more about HCAC programs and exhibits, call 410-313-ARTS (2787) or visit hocoarts.org.