Good News

Last August, The Washington City Paper added a new writer to the DC area art scene, and Maura Judkis has been a refreshing new voice to the region's critical dialogue.

Thanks to the art gods that the CP understands the critical importance of having different voices delivering art criticism to a region. It amazes me that the CP understands and can afford to do this, but the WaPo doesn't and won't - neither the "new" Style nor the "Weekend" section editors!

If you don't get it, you don't get it.

Much Ado About Oil and Water

The Smithies have to return a $5M donation because of mixing oil and water. Read it here.

Feh!

Use the money to do some roof repairs instead.

Don't give it back.

Botero Opens Tuesday

"Fernando Botero: Abu Ghraib" opens Tuesday at the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center in DC.



Tomorrow's WaPo will have this article on the works by Erica Jong.

This will be one of the major exhibitions of 2007 for the entire Mid Atlantic and I bet that it will set new attendance records for the Katzen.

My own thoughts on Botero and his torture paintings are here.

AAC Survey

The Arlington Arts Center has an online survey here to help them fine tune their programming.

It only takes a few minutes; take it here.

Saturday Openings in DC

Loads of good shows are opening in DC tomorrow: Kathryn Cornelius at Curator's Office, Linn Meyers at G Fine Art, and James Huckenpahler & David Byrne at Hemphill. The openings are from 6pm-8pm.

Also catch Nicholas Khan & Richard Selesnick at Irvine Contemporary (till 8PM) and Lori Nix & Dane Picard at Randall Scott (till 7:30PM).

Trinity College

I am honored to announce that some of my Pictish Nation drawings are now part of the permanent collection of The University of Dublin's Trinity College in Ireland.

Below is "Minotaur Waiting for Theseus" my most recent drawing. It's about 17" x 14." Anyone interested in acquiring it, send me an email and I'll email you back details Sold!

Minotaur Waiting for Theseus
By F. Lennox Campello
circa 2007 - Charcoal and Conte on Paper

David Hickey on Selling Out

"The question of how to sell without selling out is especially relevant in the contemporary art world and there are few people better qualified to grapple with this thorny topic than Dave Hickey.

Not only is he Professor of English at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Hickey is also one of America’s best known art and cultural critics, admired for his aversion to academicism and his robust analysis of the effects on art of the rough and tumble of the free market.

Last month he delivered a keynote speech at Frieze: 'Schoolyard art: playing fair without the referee.'"

The Art Newspaper has an edited transcript here or the lecture is available as a podcast here.