Wanna go to an opening this Saturday?

Apronology.

It’s defined as “the study of the art of the apron,” and it’s a word that appeals to Virginia-based artist Trudi VanDyke, curator of the upcoming mixed media exhibit “Personal Armor: Artists’ Concepts of Aprons” at BlackRock Center for the Arts.

“I thought that was just a hoot,” said VanDyke, an independent curator, consultant and juror who is also an adjunct professor of art management at George Mason University, a freelance writer on the arts and the former director of both the Ellipse Arts Center in Arlington and Alexandria’s Torpedo Factory. “But I like to work with themes that artists can interpret independently – and I’m always on the lookout for artists whose work I admire, because I want to see how their work might come together in the show.”

In this show, which runs from Wednesday, January 06, 2010 through Friday, January 29, 2010, the work of 31 artists from Maryland, DC, Virginia, Colorado, Florida, South Carolina and Pennsylvania reflect on the common theme of the apron – with intriguing results.

“What does the apron represent?” muses VanDyke. “There are a lot of feminist statements in the work: for some artists it represented how they’d been held back by the apron, the Father Knows Best sort of theme.”

Other artists used the apron to represent their own apron-wearing mothers; VanDyke says even the plight of battered women comes to light in the exhibit. Wood, wire, glass and metal make appearances, along with more unusual media, and the moods run from sentimental to mysterious to whimsical.

VanDyke points out that the Artist Reception will be held on Saturday, January 9, from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. She hopes art lovers will gather to learn more about this unusual and interesting show – whether they themselves wear aprons or not.

Personal Armor: Artists’ Concepts of Aprons
Wednesday, January 06, 2010 through Friday, January 29, 2010
BlackRock Center for the Arts
Gallery Hours: Monday to Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Admission is free
Artist Reception Saturday, January 9, from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

MIA – Day One: Travel and Hang

0200 – I’m having trouble sleeping, and the alarm is set for 2:45AM, and the taxi will arrive at 3:30AM. I look at the alarm clock and it reads 2:07. I hope to catch at least half an hour more of sleep. Today will be a long day, as I’m flying down to Miami with a 6:10AM departure from BWI. It’s installation day for the Miami International Art Fair (MIA), which opens formally tomorrow with a VIP reception.

0245 – The alarm rings and I’m surprised that while I thought I was awake most of the time, I was actually catching some Z’s. I spring from bed, hoping that Little Junes will not awake, and proceed to what the morning wake-up ritual known in the Navy as “shit-shower-and-shave.”

0305 – I’m out of the shower and dressed, and I close the luggage and carry it from the bedroom to the front door, hoping that the squeaky hardwood floors will not wake up Little Junes. My wife awakens and follows me to the door and kisses me goodbye. I send her back to bed; this will be a tough week for her as a single mom to a four month old. I pack up the laptop, remember to grab a box of red dots and then step outside to the 25 degree Potomac early morning to get my Blackberry ear plugs out of the van. Bones (that’s his real name), my cab driver, is already there in the driveway and waiting for me.

0320 – On the way to BWI Bones tells me about his daughter who is about to graduate from Maryland. This burly cab driver has three daughters and he’s put all three of them through college. He is a hero. Bones is originally from Nigeria, and he likes to talk about art. On this trip I discuss the work of artist Viktor Ekpuk for him. Bones dissects the name and tells me where in Nigeria Viktor is from. He promises to look for Viktor’s work in the Internet.

0410 – We arrive at BWI. Outside the airport is quiet, almost deserted. Inside it is also deserted except for a huge line at the American Airlines counters. I’m flying AA, so I resign myself and join the line. I’m really early anyway. A gregarious AA Skycap is herding people along to the check in counters. When I check in I discover that AA now charges $20 for your first checked in bag. It used to be $15. It also used to be explained that the charge was because the price of airline fuel was so high and was “temporary.” But now that the price of fuel has dropped, the checked-in charge not only remains but has increased. And flights are packed but airlines still lose money. Something doesn’t make sense to me in this industry.

0430 – I’m surprised to find the security line almost non-existent and go through the TSA portals. Something in my laptop backpack catches their attention and they search for it. The backpack is filled to the brim with assorted electronic junk such as the GPS unit (I find that now I can’t drive without GPS aid), the removable hard drive, the Flip video recorder, the digital camera, assorted power cables and books. Finally they find the offending item: a wine corkscrew. I had no idea that it was inside the backpack. Since the corkscrew doesn’t have a blade, it’s OK and I’m passed through.

0440 – I find a seat by a wall outlet and plug in the laptop to do some Facebooking and surfing. A teen it’s a couple of seats from me and begins to alarm me with his coughing, sneezing and snorting. It is obvious that he has a cold. It is also obvious that no one has told him that he should cover his mouth when he sneezes. I debate whether to move seats or tell him to cover his mouth. As electric wall outlets are not easy to come by at BWI, I elect for the latter and tell him. He doesn’t respond, but simply moves away from me, to infect someone else.

0540 – We begin boarding. The flight goes to Miami and then to Cancun. It is loaded with folks dressed for tropical weather and who earlier on froze their butts getting to the airport, but by noon will be sipping Margaritas by the beach while I’ll be installing the artwork at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

0610 – We actually depart on time, and I get prime seating on the first row, with the extra leg space and on the aisle with two empty seats in my row. Good start to the flight day. I’m reading “Seven Days in the Art World” by Sarah Thornton and rediscover what an asshole Chris Burden is.

0840 – We actually land a few minutes ahead of time.

0915 – 1100 - I swing by Casablanca Bakery in Hialeah and have breakfast (eggs, Cuban bread, ham and coffee for $3) and pick up two boxes of Cuban pastries and two Cuban breads. I visit my parents in Hialeah and my aunt in Miami Beach, drop the pastries and bread. I am also forced to eat in both places even though I am full.

1130 – I arrive at the Miami Beach Convention Center; the big leagues of art fairing and home to Art Basel Miami Beach. I meet Philadelphia artist Frank Hyder and his wife, Helen, director of Philly’s hardworking Projects Gallery. They are my Philly dealers and we’re doing this fair together. They tell me that my booth has been moved to a new location by the fair management. Also, about 75% of the booths still have not been finished nor painted. There is clearly a lot of work still to be done before a single thing can be hung.

1230 – 1430 – Lunch at the Hyder’s Miami Beach condo – the one with a breathtaking view of the ocean. We load up a vanload of artwork and take to the Convention Center. Poor Frank is hobbling because he took a nasty spill in Philly ice recently. The booths are still far from being finished. Lots of painting and wall re-arrangements being done. Frank Hyder walks me through the spectacular sculptural works by Federico Uribe. His work, done from shoe laces, sneakers (Puma gave him 30,000 running shoes for a particular project), and other common objects – including a toilet plunger which has been transformed into a flower via the use of wooden clothes’ hangers – make him the best WalMartist that I have ever seen. Uribe’s work alone is worth the price of the entrance to the fair. The bright yellow sun made out of yellow shoelaces, thousands of them is a transformative piece worth of worship by the Egyptians.

1500 – I find the guy in charge of painting and construction and tell him (more like beg him) that my booth has been moved from its original location and now the booth design closes up the booth too much and I need one wall moved. The booth still needs to be painted. It may be hours before a crew can get to it. I used the Cuban angle and the HMFIC sends the painting crew to my booth. Now I just need to get one wall moved to open up the gallery.

1700 – Construction guy shows up and says that the wall will be moved in ten minutes. 45 minutes later I am still waiting.

1800 – Wall crew arrives. They are very friendly and quite experts at their work. After a 15 minute Union-mandated break, they start adding a new wall and removing the blocking wall in my booth. It is hard work.

2000 – All the booth hard labor is done. The crew has done a terrific job. And I have a shiny, newly painted booth, in a new arrangement and in a new spot. Now at G-11 instead of G-13.

2001 – I hang one large photograph by Cuban artist Cirenaica Moreira, and exhausted call it quits for the night. Loads of other galleries are nowhere to being close to being ready.

2015 – The Hyders and I have a terrific meal at a Peruvian Restaurant called Chalan in Miami Beach (at 1580 Washington Ave) . I have one of the most amazing seafood dishes that I’ve had in a long time. It has a rather forgettable Peruvian name, Cau Cau something. It is very yummy.

2345 – I'm at my cousin's beautiful home in Little Havana, staying in his empty maid's quarters' apartment in the rear of his home. I post this blog and exhausted get ready to sleep a few hours. Tomorrow we hang the artwork and by 6PM the VIPs arrive.

Great exhibition opportunity for artists

Deadline: January 17, 2010

This is the kind of opportunity that I like: absolutely no fees to submit and zero commission on sales: click here for the prospectus.

I'll be jurying this show, which will be in Norfolk's best gallery (in my opinion).

Airborne

Heading to Miami for the Miami International Art Fair at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Fair is from 6-10 January.

If you want some free tickets to the fair, drop me an email.

Drawing Show Extended

More art writing

Philippa has a superb round-up of the sudden surge in visual art writing around the DC region. Read it here.

I agree with her. I also know that now that I'm back in the DC area, I plan to get back to my old ways and write a lot more about the DC area visual arts.

Running for cover(age) Tonight

Running for cover(age) is a panel discussion on arts criticism in the DC area presented by the WPA.

Moderator: Kriston Capps
Panelists: Jeffry Cudlin, Isabel Manalo, Danielle O’Steen
When: Monday, January 4, 2010 from 6:30-8:00pm
Where: Capitol Skyline Hotel (lounge), 10 I Street SW, Washington, DC 20024
(Free and open to the public)

Coverage of Mera Rubell’s DC studio tour by journalist Jessica Dawson in The Washington Post touched a critical nerve in the DC arts community, and set off impassioned conversations here and on social networking websites such as Facebook here, about the quality of life for artists in the area. Artists, writers, and arts professionals weighed in on aesthetics, isolation, ambition and support for the visual arts.

This panel discussion will address questions about local arts media coverage and its effect on the cultural life of the city. During the Q&A portion of the program, panelists will provide suggestions of both existing and new models for generating dialogue about the arts.

I've noted this before, several years ago, but when I was the co-owner of the Fraser Galleries, one thing that I noted, and thus qualifies as empirical, rather than anecdotal data, was that we would get a lot more responses and new visitors to the gallery when our show was mentioned in the recommendation section on the first page of the Post's Weekend section.

You know the section that I mean (its title escapes me now)... the one where someone recommends a theater show, or a dance show, or a visual arts show?

I know this for a fact, because the usual mention would detail a bit about the gallery show, give the gallery name and the phone number. For the next few days our phone would ring off the hook with people wanting to know the gallery's address.

In fact, a mention on that Weekend section spot did a lot more to get new visitors to the gallery than any review in the Galleries column! I suspect this is because the Galleries column's demographics tend to be mostly people interested in art: artists, gallerists, art symbiots and the rare collectors. On the other hand, the people who glance and read that recommendation section in Weekend are your average reader and average public; precisely the "new" section of the population that a gallery hopes to reach.

Interesting huh?