The Thursday Reviews

It appears more and more that the WaPo has essentially turned its corporate back, under its new Style editor, on area galleries, and we will just have to live with a couple dozen reviews a year.

Today there are several theatre reviews, and several music reviews, and a nice profile on a New York City ballet choreographer, but other than this nice review of the "Asian Games: The Art of Contest," which will open Saturday on the Mall at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, there's zip once again on the day facetiously dedicated by the Style section to "Galleries and Arts News."

Thanks to the Web Gods that now other venues exist to write intelligent words about art and artists besides a reluctant newspaper that probably wishes that it could drop visual arts coverage all together. And stepping up to the plate is Kriston over at grammar.police with a super review of Robert Olsen's "Elements, Particular" show at G Fine Art and this BLOG cop does another superb job.

And at Thinking About Art Kirkland comes through again with an early look at the WPA/C Auction; super job JT.

Which reminds me... in the past I've offered, and now I renew my offer: Please email me your reviews and impressions of any visual art shows that you have visited and I will publish them here; nothing anon please, lest I be accused of being flavorless by easily bruised egos.

P.S. WCP what happened this week? No reviews? But I gotta give big props for the piece on Frank Warren and his Art Secrets.

Sunny and pleasant

Here.

I understand that DC is under the white stuff; I suppose that means that all that's scheduled around the city today, such as this panel has been cancelled.

Wanna see some new artwork?

"Elegant Violence" (who picked that title?) runs until the 27th, and features the work of the BFA Senior Thesis artists exhibiting at the Hemicycle at the Corcoran and thus the shape of things to come (Fabian apologies to H.G. Wells).

This is one of the best venues to see and experience what the new crop of artists are creating... As I am in sunny (yep right!) California, I would love for someone to go and see this show and then email me a review or impression for publication in DC ART NEWS.

"The principle which gives support to a work of art is not necessarily contemporary with it. It is quite capable of slipping back into the past or forward into the future. The artist inhabits a time which is by no means necessarily the history of his own time."

Henri Focillon (1881-1943), French art historian.

I bet that Focillon is not in Oxford's art history curricullum.

Underwear

Life has a subtle way of putting one's arrogance back into place every once in a while. It's now almost 7AM Pacific Time and this "seasoned traveler" has just discovered that he forgot to pack all his undershirts and thus (at least today) will have to "freestyle" his dress shirts.

Oh well... everyone in Europe does it.

Oh God!

Raining in San Diego

Not an usual thing to happen here, but raining nonetheless when I arrived tonite. The flight here was a small miracle: a direct, non stop flight from DC to San Diego. Sweet! But when I checked in, I noticed that my seats had been changed, and instead of my usual aisle seat, I'm in the middle!

And since the plane was sold out, it was time to pour the charm to get the seating arrangement re-done. The trick? They usually leave the row with the emergency exits open to the last minute, so that the agent can eyeball the person and decide that he/she can physically take that small door off and allow the passangers to escape via that row (as if).

So I smiled, and said to the jaded airline lady: "I will gladly sit in the exit row, and can physically do the task, if needed." She eyeballed me carefully, realizing that she was dealing with a seasoned traveler. I blinded her with a smile and to make a long story short I ended in the sweet, extra space exit row.

Time permitting, I will try to keep up with the posting.

And I was able to re-discover Emily Dickinson on the flight here. I think that I last read her in college, and I had forgotten how sensually surprising she could be:

Wild nights! Wild nights!
Were I with thee,
Wild nights should be
Our luxury!

Futile the winds
To a heart in port,—
Done with the compass,
Done with the chart.

Rowing in Eden!
Ah! the sea!
Might I but moor
To-night in thee!

Synergy Deadline Extended

Evolving Perceptions has extended the deadline for their Call for Art for SYNERGY until March 15, 2005.

Per the hardworking organizers: "SYNERGY is a new movement in creative energy. The artists of the Washington D.C. metropolitan area are engaging in a project that is bringing the artistic community together in a powerfully innovative way. Evolving Perceptions (EP) is making SYNERGY their gift to the aesthetic energy of our Nation’s Capital. Through the synergy of the artists, community, supporters and media, the SYNERGY project will empower, articulate and educate the communities of the Metropolitan Washington D.C. area about the arts with a totally new paradigm. We are forming 6 teams of 3-4 artists in collaboration to create works that will be exhibited, voted on by the public and auctioned. There is a $3,000 stipend per artist. Visit EP's website for details on the call and to download an entry form.

For more questions please email Marsha Stein, SYNERGY COORDINATOR, marshasart@aol.com or call at 301-564-0707.