Kriston over at Grammar.police has some interesting words on the acquisition of Rachel Whiteread's "Ghost", which as Paul Richard put in his piece last weekend in the Post is "a signature piece of the "YBAs," the chic Young British Artists, and of London's soaring rise in the international art world, and of all that that implies."

Richard suggests that the piece cost in excess of a million dollars and that the billionaire who came up with that money is a local one: Mitchell Rales, who lives in Potomac, and who is an art collector.

The sculpture is on the mezzanine of the East Building, and just like Kriston, I must have walked past it without noticing it (if it truly was there over the weekend). I guess that's a true triumph of minimalism.

I'd like to know how much the piece cost, and frankly since the NGA is a government institution, it should not be a secret. After all, Mr. Rales will get a well-deserved tax write-off (that he can spread over the next five years) for his generous donation. Our kudos to him.

So Dear NGA, we're curious: How many sheckels did this thing cost?

Opportunities for Artists

Deadline: November 13, 2004. Baker Arts Center National Juried Art Exhibition. $8500 in prize money. 2 and 3-dimensional original Fine Art including Photography completed within the past 2 years. For More Information call 620/624-2810. For prospectus send SASE to:
Baker Arts Center
624 N Pershing
Liberal KS 67901

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Deadline: November 16, 2004. A new Chicago gallery is organizing artists and themes for upcoming Winter and Spring programs. Interested established and emerging artists please submit digital images (jpeg), slides, photos etc. along with artist statements, bios, proposals etc. All correspondence to:
Sacha Warholic
LUX Gallery
3036 N Lincoln Ave., Suite 3A
Chicago IL 60657

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Deadline: November 20, 2004. The Masters's Mystery Show, a high profile exhibition and sale of original artist's postcards to benefit the Florida International University's MFA program, will take place at the MB Ritz Carlton concurrently with Art Basil MB '04. The project will follow a format wildly successful in Europe. Works donated by established artists, including some international stars, will be shown along with famous architects, designers and celebrities. All works will have a fixed size (6" x 9") and will be sold at a fixed and very affordable price. The Mystery is that while the names of the participants will be widely publicized, the artists will not be identified during the exhibition, and the signature on each work will only be revealed after the sale is completed. So the public has to "play detective." If you want to participate, please contact them via this email or call 305/490-4852. They will provide the blank cards and return envelopes. All artwork must be received by November 20, 2004.

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Deadline: November 30, 2004. Juried Exhibition - Written Word IMAGINESTATION presents the first of its juried exhibitions for 2005. The theme of this juried on-line show is Written Word. Text must be incorporated into the piece. Artists are invited to interpret this theme in 2 or 3 dimensions in any media. November 30, 2004. Exhibition Dates: January 15 - February 28, 2005. Application Fee: $12 - Members, $15 - Non-Members. Send SASE to: ISQ105 - Written Word
C/O IMAGINESTATION LLC
Box 20326
Lehigh Valley PA 18002-0326

Web site: here or email them here.

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Deadline: January 31, 2005. Art.com and Cultural Institute of Mexico, AN HOMAGE TO FRIDA KAHLO, curated by yours truly. Inviting works in photography, painting, watercolor, drawing and mixed media that feature new portraits of Frida Kahlo, or images influenced by the artist, her life or her work. Prizes include paid trip to Kahlo Museum in Mexico City, cash award and print-on-demand package.

Potential exposure to more than five million art lovers every month. No entry fee, and easy, online image upload and submission process. DEADLINE JANUARY 31, 2005. Virtual collection displayed April 5 through July 6, 2005. For more information, visit Art.com, or email originals@art.com or call toll free 866/308-8597 (US and Canada) or 919/831-0015, x3135 (international).

As an art dealer, one of the things that I have discovered (as the web progresses and artists and artwork become an integral part of the Global Information Grid), is how adept the new young, savvy collectors are at detecting emerging young artists by the art of Googling them.

It is easy to see that lamestream media reviews are slowly but surely becoming a thing of the past, and what's more important (at least to a collector who is not familiar with an artist - but attracted to the work), is the digital footprint that the artist in question has on the Web.

Some, many artists do not seem to understand this yet... some do. Many gallerists certainly don't understand this. I know that our success as a gallery is a puzzle to many elitist people in this area who think they know a lot about art and galleries and yet have never ran one or sold any artwork. I was recently asked by a very important museum curator: "So, you guys are doing pretty good... getting a lot of press and making museum sales... who is your backer?"

She probably thought that I was kidding her when I answered that for our first couple of years it had been "Mr. Visa and Mr. Mastercard."

But I meander... look at your computer screen and see the future of art history. And the meat of selling art (and selling the artist).

The above rant was triggered by the failure of DC area artists and galleries to respond to Thinking About Art's call for artists to discuss their work and ideas and thoughts in 100 words or less. Several have responded and yet Kirkland is justifiably astounded as to the apathy which his project has encountered.

Sometimes I think that the "A" in Art around here stands for Apathy; and yet, now that Thinking About Art has opened its project to all artists (not just DC area), we should see a surge in interest from national artists, and a kick in the ass to our area's artists.

Our Fraser Gallery of Bethesda, Maryland, has an opening this coming Friday Nov. 12 at 6-9 PM. We will host a show titled Cuban Artists: Three Generations which will include new works by Sandra Ramos and Jacqueline Zerquera Tejedor, as well as works from the Estate of Carlos Alfonzo.

These artists represent three generations of Cuban contemporary artists. Alfonzo is regarded as one of the most important Cuban artists in recent years (he died of AIDS in 1991), while Ramos is without a doubt the most talked-about and one of the most collected contemporary Cuban artists alive today (in the collection of many American museums already).

Zerquera is a very respected Havana artist who is now emerging in the international scene.

Opening reception on Friday, Nov. 12 from 6-9 PM. In addition to our famous Sangria, we will also have Cuban music, Mojitos and Cuba Libres.

The opening is part of the Bethesda Art Walk, which now provides free walking tours of the various participating galleries. Free and Open to the public.

See ya there!

WCP vs WP

The Washington City Paper has taken a swing at the Washington Post Sunday Source.

Ben Watson writes: The Washington Post’s Sunday Source section offers light and bubbly how-to’s on burnless dinner parties, easy outings, and mistake-proof craft projects. As the typical young, urban reader whom the section caters to, I thought it would be good to put the Source—and my skills—to the test. I decided to take on Laura J. Vogel’s craft column, “15Min.” Could I find all those craft supplies without a car? Could I assemble them into something cute and useful? Could I do it all in 15 minutes?

It's quite funny! read the whole thing here.

What I don't understand is why this guy was naked...

Art Jobs

The Textile Museum, 2320 S Street, NW, Washington, DC is currently looking for a Director, an Accounting Manager, and a Assistant Curator for Eastern Hemisphere Collections.

The Textile Museum is an international center for exhibition, study, collection and preservation of textiles with a mission of furthering understanding and appreciation of mankind's creative achievements in the textile arts.

Full position announcement and qualifications here.

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The Creative Arts Center at Community College of Baltimore County is seeking Artist-instructors and they are needed in dance, art history, vocal and instrumental music, visual art, design, photography, theatre, writing, and culinary arts. For more information, please contact the Creative Arts Center at CCBC at 410-780-6533

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Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation seeks a Development Officer who will be responsible for the initiation, oversight, planning, implementation, and management of a development program that secures significant financial resources from government, foundations, corporations, and individuals to support the Foundation's mission.

Qualifications include: a bachelor's degree in business, marketing, communications or a field related to the arts; two to three years of progressive experience and responsibility in development in an arts or cultural agency; strong research, planning, writing, grantwriting and budgeting skills; and proficiency in computer technology including the ability to use various software applications for project and data management (especially Access and Excel).

The starting salary for this position is in the low $40's. A full benefits package accompanies the position. Send letter of application, resume, writing samples, and names and addresses of three references to:

Development Officer
Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation
201 N. Charles St.
Suite 401
Baltimore, MD 21201