(dis)figure

Jessika Dené Tarr
(dis)figure
Jan 13, 2012 - Opening Reception 6pm - 9pm

Curated by Jacqueline Hoysted, this exhibition showcases thirty-four new works on paper by Jessika Dené Tarr. Each piece explores the human figure by presenting ideas about its invention and reinterpretation.

CountDown Artspace
4526 Cheltenham Drive
Bethesda MD 20814

Nome is frozen!

...and the Coast Guard has ice breaker issues... read the NYT story here.

World’s first Art Decathlon to be at DC Arts Center

Four artists compete in 10 categories to claim the title of best artist.

If the best all-around athlete is one who most efficiently balances speed, strength, technique, and endurance, then what defines the best all-around artist?

This good-natured competition sparks the debate around the issue of what it means to be the best all-around artist, challenges individuals to try their hand at new disciplines, and gives exposure to artists who embrace working in various media.

In the spring of 2011 DCAC posted an open call for individual artists in the DC metropolitan area to submit proposals that explore the significance of what “unspecialized” means to being a working artist today. Artists were told they had to “compete” in ten artistic areas: Textiles/fiber art, Painting, Drawing, Video, Printmaking, Photography, Collage, Sound, Conceptual Art, and Sculpture.

Applicants from diverse backgrounds were narrowed by DCAC’s Visual Arts Committee to four semi-finalists: Shanthi Chandrasekar, Lee Gainer, Lisa Rosenstein, and Mary Woodall. During the six-month run-up to the exhibition, designated commentators Buck Downs, Patrick McDonough, Karen Joan Topping , Hays Holladay and Ryan Holladay, covered the progress of the decathletes on a blog as the artists created work for the show, with each commentator being assigned an artist to visit once a month. Shanthi Chandrasekar likened her experience to "learning to drive on the expressway" and Lisa Rosenstein states "this competition has changed the way I look at my whole working process."

The opening reception for The DCAC Art Decathlon will take place on Friday January 13, from 7:00 – 9:00 and will culminate in an artist’s talk and awards ceremony on Sunday, February 5 at 5:00.

The work of all the semi-finalists will be on view at DCAC from January 13 to February 5, during which time it will be viewed and judged by an eight-person panel including George Hemphill, Andrea Pollan and Vivian Lassman. Two discussion panels will be held during the exhibition, one focused on the relationship of athletic competition and a second on art and the creative process for the four finalists. Dates to be determined.

Follow the decathletes and their progress at dcacdecathlon.wordpress.com.

Great lecture and discussion

Yesterday's talk and discussion by the very talented Magda Campos-Pons at the National Museum of African Art was amazing!

And it was really well-attended.

Go to this today...

This Saturday, January 7, at 2 pm in Mezzanine, Sublevel 1 of the National Museum of African Art: The human hurricane known as María Magdalena Campos-Pons!!!

Cuban-born American artist Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons discusses her work of the last 20 years, focusing on the installation art, performative photography, and cultural activism that have gained her international recognition. Art historian Steven Nelson (University of California at Los Angeles) joins the artist in a conversation about her family history in Nigeria, Cuba, and Boston and its influence on her poignant artworks. This program is free, spread the word!!!

Image: still from "Not just Another Day", 1999, Version #2, silent video projection, María Magdalena Campos-Pons.

My 2008 studio visit with Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons can be read online here. Read it and prepare to be impressed by this dynamo of an artist.

“When I am not here/Estoy Alla” c. 1994 by Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons

SELECT: WPA 2012 Art Auction Gala


SELECT: WPA 2012 Art Auction Gala - March 3, 6:30pm - 11:30pm

Don't miss your opportunity to purchase original works of art by top talents and support the work of Washington's premier not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting artists and presenting the best in contemporary art!

New location: 1800 L Street NW, DC (Special Thanks to Somerset Partners)

Click Below To Purchase Gala Tickets Online

Individual Patrons

Corporate Patrons

For More Information or to Purchase by Phone or Email

Contact Christopher Cunetto at ccunetto@wpadc.org or 202-234-7103 x 5

Still damaged

A 36-year-old woman was accused of causing $10,000 worth of damage to a painting by the late abstract expressionist artist Clyfford Still, a work valued at more than $30 million, authorities said on Wednesday.

Read the whole story here.