Pilfered from DCist:

The Washington Post seems to be having a comic strip racial controversy!

Gene Weingarten's online chat at the Post's website discusses that:

"The Washington Post has decided not to run this week's episode of Boondocks, instead substituting an old sequence. Moreover, when this chat requested permission to LINK to the censored material, which is available to any and all on the Boondocks website, permission was denied.

The Washington Post has decided that it is inappropriate to disseminate this material in any way. Personally, this chat takes no position, pro or con, on this ruling, inasmuch as taking a position would amount to insubordination, a quality abhorrent to this chat."

You can view the controversial comics here. The censored series started on Sept. 20 and goes throughout this week, so after viewing the first set of strips, click on "next date" to see the others.

It is not the first time that the Post has decided to cancel Boondocks because of perceived offensive content.

Call for Public Art

Deadline: October 4, 2004

Kansas City Convention Center. Kansas City, Missouri's One-Percent-for-Art program is seeking artists or artist collaborations to develop innovative, original artwork for the Kansas City Convention Center renovation and expansion. The Convention Center spans eight city blocks in downtown Kansas City.

Interested artists should submit qualifications by Monday, October 4, 2004, at 5:00pm Central Daylight Time. For more information related to this project and to download the complete Request for Qualifications, please go to this website.

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Opportunity for Artists - $44,000 in awards

Deadline: December 15, 2004

The Art Renewal Center seeks applicants for its 2nd Annual International Salon Competition. Over $44,000 in cash awards; $10,000 Best in Show, and featured online gallery.

Send #10 SASE for prospectus to: Karen McCormack, Art Renewal Center, Box 837, Glenham NY 12527; E-mail: arcprogram@aol.com

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Design Competition - $2,500 Prize

Deadline: OCtober 15, 2004.

The National Symphony Orchestra is seeking an artist or graphic designer to create original visual art to commemorate its 75th Anniversary Season in 2005-2006. The NSO is coordinating this competition in partnership with the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

The competition is open to all artists and graphic designers; however, preference will be given to residents of the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

The winner will receive an honorarium of $2,500. Applications and additional information are available at this website. For additional information call: Jennifer Leed, Special Projects Manager: 202-416-8112.

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Grants for Painters

Deadline: October 15, 2004

The George and Helen Segal Foundation is accepting applications for grants ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 for painters only. Applications may be found on the Foundation's website or you may contact the Segal Foundation, 136 Davidson's Mill Rd., N Brunswick, NJ 08902.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has a very interesting exhibition of "casta" paintings detailing racial mixing among eighteenth-century Mexico’s native Indian, European, and African populations.

The exhibition reflects what many upper-class Spaniards thought about race, class and skin color during the 1700s, when Mexico was a colony of Spain.

Another sign that some sanity may be returning to contemporary art:

The 2004 Jerwood Drawing Prize actually went to... a drawing!

An actual, real drawing won, despite "the judges declaring that they were prepared to stretch the definition to breaking point."

Past shortlisted entries have included drawings in dust, string, and moving light recorded by a video camera.

But this year, the first prize of £5,000 went to a real drawing by Sarah Woodfine.

See all the prizewinners here.

For Women Photographers

The next Secondsight meeting will be held this coming Thursday, September 23 at 6.30pm in Bethesda, MD. The guest speaker will be Amy Lamb, a very successful fine arts photographer and highly respected scientist. For more information, visit www.secondsightdc.com or call Catriona Fraser at (301) 718-9651. Meetings are free for members - $10 for guests.

Secondsight is an organization dedicated to the advancement of women photographers through support, communication and sharing of ideas and opportunities. Secondsight is committed to supporting photographers at every stage of their careers, from students to professionals. Each bi-monthly meeting includes an introductory session, a guest speaker, portfolio sharing and discussion groups. Each photographer will have the opportunity to present their work within a small group of other photographers, ask for constructive criticism, gain knowledge or simply share their artistic vision and techniques.

Tonight, Annie Adjchavanich, Executive Director of WPA\Corcoran, will present an overview of the Artist Directory and Artfile, the organization's most recent publication, the "2004-2005 Washington Project for the Arts\Corcoran Artist Directory," the 540-page, full-color publication lists 500 artists living and working in the DC, Maryland and Virginia region. Its usefulness as an invaluable resource for finding art, locating artists to create commissioned work will be addressed. Some artists included in the directory will be available to talk about their artwork (bringing a sample with them) and share success stories with the WPA\C and the Artist Directory.

September 21, 2004 6:30pm-9:00pm
Design Within Reach Georgetown Studio
3307 Cady's Alley, Washington, DC 20007
(Near Hemphill Fine Arts) - FREE
RSVP: wpainfo@corcoran.org

Fifteen artists around the Dupont Circle and Logan Circle areas of DC are opening their studios to the public this coming weekend; great opportunity to meet the artists!

The artists participating include:

The Vastu Studios (1829 14th street, 14th street between T and S - enter through Vastu Gallery):
Kristina Bilonick
Colin Winterbottom
Brian Petro
Saturday and Sunday - noon till 5 PM

In the studios next to Maison 14 (1327 14th street)
Gary Fisher
Charlie Jones
T Santora
John Talkington
Glenn Fry
1 pm - 4 pm Saturday and Sunday

In the studio of Sondra Arkin (1764 Church Street)
1 pm - 4 pm Saturday and Sunday

The studios of Kelly Towles and Virginia Arrisueño at 1643 13th street, NW, #1
Sunday 1- 4 PM

The studio of Nicolas Shi (1500 P street, NW)
Saturday and Sunday 10am - 5 PM

The studio of Robert Cole (1714 15th street)
Saturday and Sunday 1 - 4 PM

The studio of Peter Alexander Romero (1320 Wallach Place - between T and U)
Saturday 12 - 5 PM
Sunday 12 - 4 PM

The studio of Gina Miele at Raven Arts (1833 14th street, #201)
Saturday 11 - 6 and Sunday 11 - 5 PM