Review of my current solo show

He has examined insular communities from the Galician Massif to the Hasid in Brooklyn, incorporated the Mexican artist Frieda Kahlo into his work (just before a movie about her life took the world by storm) and depicted Che Guevera, the controversial, and revolutionary, physician, author, activist, guerrilla leader and diplomat who, Campello labeled somewhat dismissively in his show as “T-shirt man” because of his unlikely pop-icon status. Fantasy, reality, romanticism and realism — Campello centers his art deeply in context, whether it’s special lighting, revealing code or multimedia interactive experience. 

“The main piece in this show is, at least for me, my up-to-date culmination of the incorporation of technology,” he said. “What you see is the back of a woman in a museum, looking at two pieces of artwork on the wall — every five seconds a new portrait pops up — famous artists, politicians— and hidden in the middle of the piece is a spy camera, so as you approach the work, you staring at it becomes part of that portrait gallery. You now are the artwork.”

Read the whole cool piece by Chris Slattery here. 

Call to Maryland artists!

This September, Maryland Art Place (MAP) in partnership with the Maryland State Art Council (MSAC) will host a statewide juried exhibition curated by a panel of jurors to highlight the wide range of artists and artwork featured on the Maryland State Arts Council Artist Registry. The exhibition will take place at Maryland Art Place located at 218 West Saratoga St. from September 19 – November 10th. All Maryland artists who reside within the state are eligible and encouraged to apply. To be considered for the exhibition you must reside in Maryland, have a Maryland State Arts Council Artist Registry profile, and have created or updated your registry profile on or between the dates of June 26, 2019 – July 20, 2019. Please note: In order for an artist profile to be visible on the registry at least one image must be uploaded; otherwise your profile will be invisible and unsuitable for review/consideration. 

To join the registry please visit : https://www.msac.org/user/register.

 How It Works:
Create or update an artist profile on the Maryland Artist Registry between the dates of June 26 – July 20, 2019. Artists may add up to 6 images, sound or video files (3 minutes max of sound or video will be viewed per artist). All media (including literary arts) will be considered with a heavy emphasis placed on visual and performing arts. When adding artwork users are required to include size, dimensions, and titles. It is advantageous to upload artwork that is recent and currently available. If selected for the exhibition the work must be available throughout the duration of the show from September 19 - November 10th. For questions or help creating your Registry Profile please contact Caitlin Gill:    caitlin@mdartplace.org

MEET THE JURORS! 

Visual: 
Dr. Susan J. Isaacs 
Jeremy Stern

Performance:
Ada Pinkston
Hoesy Corona
Laure Drogoul


Timeline:

Dates For Open Call: 
Wednesday, June 26 – Saturday, July 20
AMENDED: Notification of Selection Sent Out:
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Performance artists will be contacted before September 1st with an invitation to participate.
Artwork Drop Off:
Tuesday, September 3rd– Saturday, September 7th
Exhibition Dates: 
Thursday, September 19th – Sunday, November 10th
Artwork Pick Up:
Tuesday, September 12th – Saturday, November 16th

Call for Black Female Artists

Deadline: August 19, 2019. 

Sweetwater Center for the Arts in Sewickley, PA is seeking works created by Black female artists that explore ideas, experiences, triumphs and struggles specific to being a Black woman in America. LISTEN seeks to illuminate intersectionality, give voice to Black women, and encourage all to hear their realities. LISTEN is part of the 23rd Annual MAVUNO Festival of African American Art & Culture. 

Exhibition dates: September 19 – October 26, 2019. 

For details and to apply - click HERE.

Lecture: On Identity in the Arts: What Does It Mean to be Latinx?

Lecture: On Identity in the Arts: What Does It Mean to be Latinx?

Montpelier Art Center

9652 Muirkirk Rd

Laurel, MD 20708

Saturday, September 14, 2pm.

I will be delving deep into the history and evolution of the Latino ethnic label and then discussing important questions on the issue while wrapping it around the context of the fine arts in a sometimes funny, but always informative presentation. 

Lecture is free and open to the public.

You learn something every day!

The Meaning behind One of the Most Oddly Erotic Paintings in Western Art by Hannah Williams

Portrait présumé de Gabrielle d'Estrées et de sa sur la duchesse de Villars (Gabrielle d'Estrées and One of Her Sisters), 16th century, Musée du Louvre

Despite what it might look like to the contemporary viewer, a purely queer reading of the work would be misguided. Rather than a depiction of lesbian foreplay, most art historians interpret the painting as an announcement that Gabrielle is pregnant with the King’s illegitimate son. It’s her sister who is signaling this to the audience, not her lover. The fingers wrapped around Gabrielle’s nipple symbolizes the latter’s fertility, an allusion emphasized by the presence of the figure sewing baby’s clothes in the back of the painting.

Read the whole fascinating article here. 

Virginia Commission for the Arts Announces Return of Artist Fellowships

The Virginia Commission for the Arts is pleased to announce the return of the Artist Fellowship program in FY20, in the discipline of crafts. Four artists will be considered for fellowships of $3,500 each, recognizing the creativity of Virginia artists and their pursuit of artistic excellence. 

Application Deadline

Applications will be accepted via the online grant portal. The deadline for application submission is Tuesday, October 1, 2019, at 5:00 PM.

Eligibility

• artists who are legal residents of Virginia;
• artists who plan to remain in Virginia during the grant period;
• a legal resident who possesses a valid Virginia driver’s license and/or pays income taxes in Virginia and/or is a registered Virginia voter;
• artists who are 18 years of age;
• artists may receive only one fellowship award from the Commission within a four-year period. 

Amount of Assistance

Four artist will be considered for fellowships of $3,500 each. Artists are not required to provide matching funds. 

Criteria

A complete application must contain:

• consistent quality of the artist’s work;
• applicant’s record of professional arts activity and achievement as reflected in the resume/CV;
• fellowship potential to result in significant advancement for the artist’s career. 

In speaking to the return of the Artist Fellowship program, Executive Director Janet Starke said, “We are thrilled to be able to reinstate the Artist Fellowship program, thanks to increased funding from the General Assembly for the year ahead. Too, we are pleased to reinstate the program with a focus on crafts, a genre that is really a cornerstone of so many cultures represented in the Commonwealth.”

As with all grants by the Virginia Commission for the Arts, applications for Artist Fellowships will only be accepted through their online grants portal. Visit here for more Fellowship information.  

The Louvre will move the Mona Lisa

Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa (ca. 1503–19), the most popular attraction at the Louvre—which itself is consistently the world’s most visited museum—will be relocating for the summer. Though the painting will remain in its air-conditioned and bulletproof encasement, it will be moved on the evening of July 16th from the huge concrete wall on which it has hung for the last 14 years. It will be relocated into its summer home in the Louvre’s Medici Gallery, some “100 paces” away, as the museum’s director Jean-Luc Martinez told the AFP.

Read the whole story here.