The Sustainable Clothed Body: Embroidery on Garments For Mending & Embellishment

Tuesdays, February 6 – 27
6:30 – 9:00 pm, American University Museum

Join all kinds of creative kindred spirits for a new class at the Alper Initiative for Washington Art: The Sustainable Clothed Body: Embroidery on Garments For Mending & Embellishment.

The super-talented artist Kate Kretz teaches clothing embroidery and embellishment on Tuesday evenings in the Alper Space. Cost is $200 for the 4-week class. Materials are provided.

Registration and more information online: www.tinyurl.com/AUMtix

You can find Kate Kretz's amazing artwork at katekretz.com 

Methods of Inquiry: Fields of Discovery Artist Talk

McLean Project for the Arts will host an artist talk featuring the artists behind our current exhibition, Methods of Inquiry: Fields of Discovery. Presenting artists will discuss the processes and concepts behind their respective work. This talk is FREE and open to the public.

 

WHAT:          Methods of Inquiry Artist Talk

Methods of Inquiry: Fields of Discovery features six artists whose work is influenced  by science. Exhibited together, the works of these six artists offer views from multiple angles of the wonder found in the natural world, both inner and outer, and the processes human beings employ in order to gain a greater understanding of them

 

WHO:             Methods of Inquiry artists Michele Banks, Atsuko Chirikjian, Spencer Dormitzer, Leslie Holt, Susan Main, and Mark Robarge

 

WHEN:           Saturday, February 10, 2018
3:00 – 4:30 pm 

 

WHERE:         MPA@ChainBridge Bullock | Hitt Gallery
1446 Chain Bridge Road, McLean (in the Chain Bridge Corner Shopping Center)

 

HOW:             Admission is free. RSVP: http://bit.ly/2E3oLoz

Coriana Simon at Artists & Makers

Release of DC Cultural Plan Working Draft for Public Review

The DC Office of Planning (OP) is excited to release the DC Cultural Plan working draft for public review. The Plan was led by OP in consultation with the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH) and the DC Office of Cable Television, Film, Music and Entertainment (OCTFME).

Culture is important to the District of Columbia. It embraces who we are; reflects our diversity; and brings us together. Culture is also an important part of our economy, where it accounts for an estimated $30 billion in annual spending and 112,370 jobs.

The Cultural Plan's recommendations strengthen arts, humanities, culture and heritage in neighborhoods across the city by increasing cultural participation, expanding capacity building, stimulating cultural production and informing decision-making. The Plan lays out a vision and recommendations on how the government and its partners can build upon, strengthen and invest in the people, places, communities and ideas that define culture within the nation's capital.

Check out the working draft of the DC Cultural Plan here. 

Comments on the draft will be accepted through February 28th, 2018 via email at DCculturalplan@dc.gov.  

Plae adult sketchbook

Plae is "the innovative, customizable, fashion-forward shoe brand that encourages children and now adults alike to never stop playing. In the light-hearted spirit of fulling its mission, the brand recently launched a sketchbook coloring contest, giving doodlers, scribblers, colorers and sketchers the chance to let their creativity soar."

In collaboration with Swedish artist, Mikael Selin, the contest invites users to download the vibrant adult sketchbook on their website, color them to their heart's desire and submit their masterpieces by 1/29/2018. 

Prizes for the lucky winner include a limited first edition Mulberry Plae shoes (the first ever Plae adult shoe offering), a Boosted Board, a custom Mission Bike, and $250 Plae gift card. 

You can find more info and contest details here.

Sam Gilliam

Lots has been written recently about the well-deserved "revival" in interest in the works of my good friend Sam Gilliam, and no one deserves it more than this hard-working artist (never identify Sam as a "DC artist" or he may kick your ass.

Anyway - Gilliam's work has enjoyed not only a "rediscovery" in recent years (a lot of it associated with his increased exposure via art fairs), but also finally a significant increase in price; after all, art is a commodity.

It wasn't that long ago that one could show up at a local auction house and find an original Gilliam for a few hundred bucks. For example, the below work, identified at the auction site as:

Sam Gilliam (American b. 1933) Untitled (Abstract): A Double-Sided Work The first, signed Sam Gilliam and dated 68 twice l.r.; and the second Sam Gilliam and dated 68 l.r. Mixed media on paper; apparently in good condition. Framed.* Sight size: 17-1/2 x 23 in (44.5 x 52.4 cm) 

Sold for $1400 in 2011!!!

Not anymore! Check out a "local" history of Sam's prices via a local DC area auction house here.

The the bear turned his attention the other way