Explore a Post-Pandemic District or Connect with Local Artists on Facebook

Check out this great little blurb by Lou Jacobson in the Washington City Paper about what artists are doing online during the Covidian Age and its associated Coronavirulization of Art!

Read it here!

Art I am looking at every day - COVID19

That DMV area jewel known as Judith Olivia Heartsong has created a very cool Facebook page for everyone to share some of the artwork that is helping them to survive the quarantine of the Covidian Age.

See it here.

I've been posting including...

I generally do not hang much of my own work in my house - this piece is one of the exceptions: It is a rather large Frida Kahlo portrait collage done in 1979 at a collage class by Prof. Jacob Lawrence when I was a student at the University of Washington School of Art. I used it both for the collage class and for a portrait class project... I used paper from art magazines of that year, and the pieces all have clues about Frida's life and impact... she wasn't as well-known back then...

Art Scam Alert!

Beware of this scammer:

From: james anderson -- jamesanderson361@hotmail.com

Hi, I'm  James from PA I noticed my wife viewed your website on my laptop and i guess he likes your piece of work. I'm also amazed to have seen your nice works too. I would like to purchase the piece attached as a surprise for my wife on our Anniversary, is the piece available and what is the final price? Thanks and best regards

The Corona Portrait Project

The Corona Portrait Project invites submissions of self-portraits created in response to the current pandemic. Accepted entries will be exhibited online and select entries will be featured. 

Submissions accepted on a rolling basis, do not wait to submit. See website for submission instructions. 

No Entry Fee. 

Details here.

City of Alexandra: Step up!!!

The City of Alexandria, Virginia owns the Torpedo Factory building - one of the greatest art jewels of the United States. In these strange times, this is what one of the artists who rents a studio in that building notes:

Its a surprising to me that the AlexandriaVA.gov hasn't waived rent for the artists at the Torpedo Factory. Actually, it disgusts me. I mean, I get it, it now runs on tax dollars and our rent but what is the Office Of The Arts (no facebook page, weird but unsurprising) going to do when they are faced with several empty studios come the end of this bc artists are struggling and don't want to face owing the city thousands of dollars? The city said they would waive rent for now but we'd have to pay it back, but they will work with us on a payment plan. No fucking way, I'm already struggling, not going into hock to a tyrannical government. "We're from the government and we're here to help."

The city really hasn't been very effective. There was one studio empty for months bc they couldn't fill it, another that is rented but the artist is never there, never. I know of at least 2 studios that will be empty soon, before this mess. Under the watch of the Torpedo Factory Artists' Association that never happened. Never. Ever. Maybe the city needs to reconsider allowing a thriving artist association to manage the studios again, or at the very least, allow our 2019 artists to sublet and be eligible for studios. After all, they went thru the same blind jury process that's been in place for 45 years and created the center that is today so beloved. Weird, right, that the city would draw such an arbitrary line, especially when they can't fill studios on a slow day. It sure will be interesting to see how this unfolds....

Wuhan Virus Impact Survey for Artists

Americans for the Arts has developed a COVID-19 Impact Survey. also with a companion survey for individuals (artists) to complete. Please take a moment to take part in the survey as the VCA is tracking the data relative to the state, and using it as a reference point in impact updates to the Administration, other key policy makers and stakeholders. 

You are encouraged to complete the survey periodically in the time ahead, as the Americans for the Arts is poised to track increasing impacts as time goes on. 

Do the survey here.

The curious case of Michael Barbaro's voice cadence

Five years ago I wrote about the hypnotizing voice of the then new NPR ads voice over person, and even postulated what the owner of that melodious voice would be like (somewhat like Parmigianino's Madonna dal Collo Lungo).

I also lamented and discussed uniquely young American female phenomenon of "vocal fry." Young, that is, until Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's spectacularly annoying voice made its debut during the attempted lynching of now Justice Kavanaugh.

Enter another radio voice into the arena: the strangely-patterned diction of Michael Barbaro, who is an American journalist and the host of The New York Times news podcast, The Daily.

Barbaro, who sounds like a really nice guy, is clearly a graduate of the William Shatner School of Diction, as his melodious voice seems to speak in "chunks."  He starts a sentence, makes unexpected stops after random words, has a delay of game second or two, and then continues the sentence as if nothing unusual has just been delivered to the airwaves.

Sort of like (my imaginary trascript): 

"Good afternoon. Today's podcast is...  ....  ... fascinating.  We will speak with Lenny Campello, who can best be described... ... ... as a legend... ... ... in his own mind, and perhaps... ... ... in a few other... ... ... ... ... minds - welcome Lenny."

The voice starts - first gear goes in smoothly, second gear no problem... but then neutral kicks in... and then Mikey pops the clutch back to second gear -- it is spectacularly addictive!!!

Listen to The Daily here.