Randy Ray, RIP

My best friend from when I was in the Navy, Randy Ray died unexpectedly on the 28th doing what he did best: serving his country in a submarine somewhere in the planet underwater.

From his obit:

William Randall Ray (AKA Randy), 63, of Santee, CA, passed away at sea on June 27th, 2019, doing what he loved. Randy is survived by his wife, Karen, of 44 years, mother Shirley Ray, daughters Misty (Jesse) Rubinol, Rachael (Valentine) Chavez, Amy (Matt) Knippel, grandchildren Riley Rubinol, Cecily Rubinol, Mateo Rubinol, Amelia Chavez, Gabriella Chavez, Owen Knippel, Wyatt Knippel, Joaquin Chavez, 5 siblings, and many loving nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family and friends.

Randy served his country faithfully, 20 years active duty and 25 as a Department of the Navy civil servant. He enlisted in the US Navy in June of 1973. While his latest role as an Ice Pilot working with the Arctic Submarine Laboratory was his most fulfilling, he held several enlisted and officer positions during his career in the US Navy and was respected by men & women up and down the chain of command; seamen, airmen, captains and admirals alike.

When he wasn’t navigating glaciers & reefs to guide submarines safely to their destinations, he enjoyed music, sports, spending time with family & catering to his wife’s & daughters’ every want & need. He had dreams to retire from civil service in September of 2020 and to move to Tennessee with wife, Karen. Randy aspired to spend his retirement fishing Tennessee rivers, coaching little league and possibly even dabbling in community theater. Randy was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and a friend to every person he met – his passing is felt deeply by many near and far. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for your support in memorial contributions to Autism Speaks as Randy was a fierce advocate for all of his grandchildren.

I remember when we were stationed together in San Diego, and then in Newport, and then at the University of Washington, and we were commissioned together... but my strongest memory of Randy, is when we were in the San Diego Navy softball finals, and Youngblood was at bat, and all we needed was one out to win the championship, and we were up by one, bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, two outs... 

And I was the pitcher and the count was 3 -2, and for some reason I always seemed to walk her, and Randy called time out, ran to the pitcher's mound from the outfield, and said to me, "If you walk her again, I will kick your ass." He then ran back to the outfield, and I thought about it, and pitched her a perfect strike... 

Fair winds and following seas my dear friend.

Opportunity for Artists

 Artist Opportunities 

Click links below for more information.

 Open Call for Art Lab (MFA Students) 

 Open Call for General Exhibits 

 Open Call for Warrior Way Gallery (Military Service Members) 

Four artists demanded their works be removed from the Whitney Biennial

The four artists’ letter comes just two days after Artforum published an essay by Hannah Black, Ciarán Finlayson, and Tobi Haslett titled “The Tear Gas Biennial,” in which they called out the artists in the biennial for not boycotting the exhibition over Kanders’s presence on the museum’s board.

What this really means: We (anyone) can now start going throught the boards of all museums, and universities, and 503(c) and whatever, and if we don't like what one of the trustees or board members does for a living, of where his/her samolians are invested in, we can now demand that artist do not show in those museums or organizations!*

Read the whole puzzling article here.

* This of course, does not apply if the person in question is also a major donor to the right causes... cough, cough... 

Hamiltonian Artists has announced their five new Fellows! Introducing:

• Amber Eve Anderson (MFA, Maryland Institute College of Art)
• Tommy Bobo (MFA, Maryland Institute College of Art)
• Akea Brionne Brown (BFA, Maryland Institute College of Art)
• Madeline Stratton (MFA, Maryland Institute College of Art)
• Yacine Fall (BFA, The George Washington University Corcoran School of Arts)

The 2019 Hamiltonian Fellows were selected from a competitive pool of 95 high quality of applicants nationwide. The External Review Panel, comprised of five art professionals, evaluated every application and gathered to discuss each artist based on criteria regarding "artistic merit and relevance to today's art world."

The jurors were:

Colette Veasey-Cullors - an Associate Dean for Design and Media at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)

Ryan Dattilo - a lawyer, art collector, and is also on the board of the Washington Project for the Arts

Nara Park - a sculptor and installation artist based in Washington, D.C.

Springsteen - a contemporary art gallery founded by Hunter Bradley and Amelia Szpiech in Baltimore, MD

Review of my current solo show

He has examined insular communities from the Galician Massif to the Hasid in Brooklyn, incorporated the Mexican artist Frieda Kahlo into his work (just before a movie about her life took the world by storm) and depicted Che Guevera, the controversial, and revolutionary, physician, author, activist, guerrilla leader and diplomat who, Campello labeled somewhat dismissively in his show as “T-shirt man” because of his unlikely pop-icon status. Fantasy, reality, romanticism and realism — Campello centers his art deeply in context, whether it’s special lighting, revealing code or multimedia interactive experience. 

“The main piece in this show is, at least for me, my up-to-date culmination of the incorporation of technology,” he said. “What you see is the back of a woman in a museum, looking at two pieces of artwork on the wall — every five seconds a new portrait pops up — famous artists, politicians— and hidden in the middle of the piece is a spy camera, so as you approach the work, you staring at it becomes part of that portrait gallery. You now are the artwork.”

Read the whole cool piece by Chris Slattery here. 

Call to Maryland artists!

This September, Maryland Art Place (MAP) in partnership with the Maryland State Art Council (MSAC) will host a statewide juried exhibition curated by a panel of jurors to highlight the wide range of artists and artwork featured on the Maryland State Arts Council Artist Registry. The exhibition will take place at Maryland Art Place located at 218 West Saratoga St. from September 19 – November 10th. All Maryland artists who reside within the state are eligible and encouraged to apply. To be considered for the exhibition you must reside in Maryland, have a Maryland State Arts Council Artist Registry profile, and have created or updated your registry profile on or between the dates of June 26, 2019 – July 20, 2019. Please note: In order for an artist profile to be visible on the registry at least one image must be uploaded; otherwise your profile will be invisible and unsuitable for review/consideration. 

To join the registry please visit : https://www.msac.org/user/register.

 How It Works:
Create or update an artist profile on the Maryland Artist Registry between the dates of June 26 – July 20, 2019. Artists may add up to 6 images, sound or video files (3 minutes max of sound or video will be viewed per artist). All media (including literary arts) will be considered with a heavy emphasis placed on visual and performing arts. When adding artwork users are required to include size, dimensions, and titles. It is advantageous to upload artwork that is recent and currently available. If selected for the exhibition the work must be available throughout the duration of the show from September 19 - November 10th. For questions or help creating your Registry Profile please contact Caitlin Gill:    caitlin@mdartplace.org

MEET THE JURORS! 

Visual: 
Dr. Susan J. Isaacs 
Jeremy Stern

Performance:
Ada Pinkston
Hoesy Corona
Laure Drogoul


Timeline:

Dates For Open Call: 
Wednesday, June 26 – Saturday, July 20
AMENDED: Notification of Selection Sent Out:
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Performance artists will be contacted before September 1st with an invitation to participate.
Artwork Drop Off:
Tuesday, September 3rd– Saturday, September 7th
Exhibition Dates: 
Thursday, September 19th – Sunday, November 10th
Artwork Pick Up:
Tuesday, September 12th – Saturday, November 16th

Call for Black Female Artists

Deadline: August 19, 2019. 

Sweetwater Center for the Arts in Sewickley, PA is seeking works created by Black female artists that explore ideas, experiences, triumphs and struggles specific to being a Black woman in America. LISTEN seeks to illuminate intersectionality, give voice to Black women, and encourage all to hear their realities. LISTEN is part of the 23rd Annual MAVUNO Festival of African American Art & Culture. 

Exhibition dates: September 19 – October 26, 2019. 

For details and to apply - click HERE.