Harriet Lesser

Harriet Lesser notes that she "started out as a poet. Slowly the images behind the words and phrases overwhelmed the words themselves, and I became a painter."

She adds that she "lived as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nigeria, where I met artist Uche Okeke and had the great opportunity to understand narrative line.

In India I experienced working with a new palette and met fearless artists.

In Belgium I encountered new outlooks in art history, and in Rwanda I could work and teach in two languages."

Lesser has been a magnetic leader of the DMV art scene for decades - she has not only exhibited her work, but also curated countless exhibitions and notes that for her, "curating is another form of composing. It is producing artwork of another genre."

Behold "Sugar Cane", a wondrous mixed media work that allows Lesser to showcase her artistic super powers - it will be part of the Women Artists of the DMV survey show coming to eight venues around the DMV this Fall!"

From Instagram to art world darling: The meteoric rise of Danielle Mckinney

From CNN:

Danielle Mckinney’s ladies are in a permanent state of relaxation.

They lounge alone on couches or in bed. They sleep. Some are playful — toying with a butterfly or eying a praying mantis. Others are naked and seemingly unaware of the viewer, cigarettes in hand and gazes soft.

The 44-year-old artist has been painting these women her whole life, she said. As a little girl, she painted little girls, too, but her subjects have aged as she has. In conversation, Mckinney refers to them singularly as her “lady,” and, taken together, the moody portraits reflect intimate moments of solitude and repose.

For years, however, these works were private endeavors by an artist who formally trained as a photographer and only painted on the side. They were never meant to see the world.

Now, a little over four years after first publicly posting her portraits on social media, Mckinney has become one of the art world’s buzziest painters. 

Read the full article here.

For the record: "prints" of a painting are "reproductions", not "prints" - cough... cough...

Art Scam Alert!

Beware of the below asswipe trying to rip off artists!

From: Lisa Martinez -- martinezlisa269@gmail.com --

Hello,

I discovered your artwork on artbuy  and I'm impressed by your talent. I'm currently curating pieces for a project and would like to inquire about the availability and pricing of certain works from your portfolio. I eagerly await your response.

Thank you.

Art Scam Alert!

 Beware of this asswipe trying to rip off artists:

From: ministerpeg@mail.com

​Hello there.

I came across some  of your art piece online and I feel in love with your work and talent. You deserve to be seen and known on a global level, and I can help your with that.

But first i would love to purchase some of your art work on behalf of my clients. I have notable art lovers and collectors like Steve Cohen on my clients list.

My clients are always willing to pay a fortune for an art piece that resonate with them and some of your art work fit into the kind of art work my client likes.

So kindly send some of your available art work or a link to a website so I can see more of your work and have them sent to my clients.

kindly reach me with the details below

Email: art_piece@collector.org

Phone: +13105644618(text only)

I will be looking forward to a response from you.

Best regards.

Updated list of invited artists for Women Artists of the DMV

Another updated list of the DMV area female artists who have agreed to participate so far in the 2025 "Women Artists of the DMV" survey show!

Before I forget: If I've invited you to the show and you've agreed to participate, but you're not listed below, please email me (lennycampello@hotmail.com) and let me know... or if I've misspelled your name :-) 

I've received nearly 4,000 emails, DMs, Facebooks, texts, etc. from female artists interested in being considered for the show.  Granted, there are a LOT of emails from artists living waaaay far from the Greater DC area who are not eligible, but still...

Deadline to apply: April 30, 2025

I have eight venues lined up, and at best I will be able to physically exhibit 240+ artists... but all applicants who meet the "DMV criteria" will be surveyed and catalogued for the SI American Art Archives, as I've contacted the Smithsonian American Art Archives with a proposal to document and archive ALL artists - of them - see that here.

I am also contacting ALL local universities/colleges and ALL of the DMV art commissions to ask them to buy one work by one alumni or county resident for their permanent collections.  I can use some help with that if you know board members, big donors, etc.

I need your help with the various DMV Art commissions/councils from the counties surrounding the DMV (Montgomery, Prince George's, Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun, Arlington, etc.  See this letter/email as an example - feel free to copy and adapt and send to your council members, county executive, art commission, etc.

And the "in the show" list so far...

Shiri Achu 

Esperanza Alzona

Maremi Andreozzi 

Erin Antognoli  

Courtney Applequist

Sondra N. Arkin

Suzi Balamaci 

Michele Banks 

Marilyn Banner 

Kate Barfield 

Veronica Barker-Barzel 

Jennifer Barlow 

Denée Barr

Holly Bass 

Lisa Battle

Jennifer Lynn Beaudet 

Judith Benderson 

Sarah Bentley  

Anne Bouie

Karin Birch 

Jennifer Bishop

Julia Bloom 

Lori Boocks 

Margaret Boozer  

Vian Borchert  

Claire Brandt

Laurie Breen

Lisa Brotman  

Amy Bruce

Dianne Bugash 

Shante Bullock

Melissa Burley 

Judy Byron 

Denise Calisti 

Stephane Calvin

Rachel Carren 

Elizabeth Casqueiro 

Shanthi Chandrasekar

Mei Mei Chang 

Hsin-Hsi Chen 

Anne Cherubim

Irene Clouthier 

Amanda Coelho

Diane Cooper Cabe

Ellen Cornett 

Kathy Cornwell

Rosemary Feit Covey  

Lea Craigie-Marshall

Sheila Crider 

Jacqui Crocetta

Andrea Cullins 

Andrea Cybyk

Joan Danziger 

Delna Dastur 

Anna U. Davis 

Jenny Davis 

Tanya Davis 

Elizabeth Davison 

Danni Dawson 

Patricia de Poel Wilberg 

Wendy Donahoe

Margaret Dowell  

Jen Droblyen

Mary Early 

Susan Eder

Bria Edwards

Cheryl Edwards

Dana Ellyn 

Rita Elsner 

Hyunsuk Erickson 

Cynthia Farrell Johnson 

Felisa Federman Cogut 

Sharon Fishel

Cianne Fragione  

Mary Annella Frank

Helen Frederick   

Jenny Freestone 

Emily Fussner

Marie Gauthiez-Charpentier

Genie Ghim 

Carol Brown Goldberg 

Margery Goldberg

Susan Goldman

Janis Goodman 

Pat Goslee 

Freya Grand 

Graciela Granek 

Josephine Haden 

Debra Halprin 

Beatrice Hamblett

Elyse Harrison

Muriel Hasbun  

Seemeen Hashem

Rania Hassan 

Jennifer Hayes

Mira Hecht 

Michelle Lisa Herman 

Francie Hester 

Ellen Hill 

Pattee Hipschen 

Leslie Holt 

Susan Hostetler 

Sarah J. Hull

Michal Hunter 

Melissa Ichiuji 

Sadieh Ilchi

Selena Jackson 

Martha Jackson Jarvis  

Barbara Januszkiewicz 

M. Jane Johnson 

Jessica Kallista 

Jenny Kanzler

Maria Karametou

Lori Katz 

Sally Kauffman  

Trish Kent 

Megan King

Zofie King 

Kate Kretz 

Bridget Sue Lambert

Susan LaMont 

Linda Lawler 

Ngoc Le 

Jun Lee

Kyujin Lee 

Harriet Lesser 

Carol Levin 

Jennifer Lillis 

Amy Lin

Kara Lin 

June Linowitz 

Barbara Liotta

Kirsty Little

Taina Litwak 

Shelley Lowenstein 

Laurel Lukaszewski 

Dalya Luttwak 

Caroline MacKinnon

Akemi Maegawa 

Susan Makara

Isabel Manalo  

Joey Mánlapaz 

Sheryl Massaro

Katherine Mann

Anne Marchand  

Lucinda Marshall

Isabella Martire 

Amy Marx  

Sheryl Massaro

J.J. McCracken

Sophia McCroklin

Donna McCullough 

Anne Meagher-Cook  

Maggie Michael 

Regina Miele  

Ramona Militaru

Marily Mojica 

Michele Montalbano 

E.J. Montgomery

Sharon Moody 

Ally Morgan  

Meredith Morris

Camille Mosley-Pasley  

Adrienne Moumin

Jody Mussoff

Georgia Nassikas 

Leslie Nolan

Teresa Oaxaca 

Ronnie Offen 

Claudia Olivos 

Helena Gallegos O'Neill 

Erica Orgen 

Marian Osher 

Betsy Packard 

Dora Patin

Judith Peck 

Monica Perdomo

Sandra Pérez-Ramos  

Anne Pham

Pearl Ping Shen 

Patricia Edwine Poku-Speight

Susana Raab 

Gail Rebhan

Carol Reed 

Cindy K. Renteria  

Marie Riccio

Lesley Riley

Marie Ringwald 

Amber Robles-Gordon

Sarah Rodman  

Alla Rogers 

Roxana Rojas 

Lisa K Rosenstein 

Lori Niland Rounds

Christine Ryan 

Madalaine Sargent

Nancy Sausser 

Karen Schmitz

Deanna Schwartzberg  

Martina Sestakova

Lian Sever 

Susan Shalowitz 

Janathel Shaw 

Gail Shaw-Clemons 

April Shelford

Alison Sigethy

Elzbieta Sikorska 

Alexandra Silverthorne 

Pauline Siple  

Judy Southerland 

Molly Springfield 

Pritha Srinivasan

Renee Stout 

Veronica Szalus

Zsudayka Nzinga Terrel  

Kat Thompson

Patricia Underwood 

Christine Uskievitch

Jessica Van Brakle 

Gloria Vasquez  

Rosa Inés Vera  

Claudia Vess

Marite Vidales 

Lori Walsh

Andrea Way 

Ellyn Weiss 

Joyce Wellman 

Marcie Wolf-Hubbard

Sharon Wolpoff 

Helen Wood

Sue Wrbican 

Shawn Yancy

Suzanne Yurdin  

Paula Zeller

Barbara Ziselberger

Helen Zughaib 

The Montpelier Arts Center: 8th venue added to Women Artists of the DMV survey show!

We are now up to eight art spaces to exhibit what is now the largest ever curated fine arts exhibition in the history of the DMV!

The art exhibition spaces at the Montpelier Arts Center in Laurel, MD confirmed yesterday that they will participate in the survey exhibition -- that means that I can now curate about 30-40 more female artists for this DMV-wide show.

The Center is located at 9652 Muirkirk Road in Laurel, MD and online here.

The eight confirmed venues are:

• The American University Art Museum at the Katzen - Washington, DC
• The Athenaeum - Alexandria, VA
• The McLean Project for the Arts - McLean, VA
• The Strathmore Mansion Art Galleries - Rockville, MD
• The Artists & Makers Studios and Galleries in Rockville, MD
• The Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center - Hyattsville, MD
• The Writer's Center in Bethesda, MD
• The Montpelier Arts Center in Laurel, MD

RFQ: Ceiling-based/hanging & wall artwork at New Highmark Stadium

Entry Deadline: 3/24/25

Budget: $200,000 to $250,000

The Buffalo Bills Public Art Program seeks to commission professional visual artists, or artist teams, to create site-specific public artwork(s) to be placed in (new) Highmark Stadium. This artwork will be thematic, public-facing, and part of the permanent collection at the Stadium.

Through an open Call for Artists Request for Qualifications (RFQ) /  Request for Proposals (RFP) process, the Public Art Program will solicit applicants, review portfolios, and select qualified artists or artist teams who can innovatively and thoughtfully design within the context of the new stadium.

Over three separate Calls for Artists, the Buffalo Bills Public Art Program will be seeking sculptural ceiling art, murals, and wall-based artworks of various sizes and budgets to be curated on multiple levels of the Stadium.

The public art at Highmark Stadium should reflect the city’s diverse demographics, team and fan engagement, and be welcoming to travelers of all backgrounds to experience artwork in an inclusive environment. Arts and sports are universal languages that allow people to express themselves and connect with others across communities, cultures, and generations.

About the Buffalo Bills Public Art Program & General Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are located at https://www.buffalobills.com/new-stadium/public-art-program

The Buffalo Bills Public Art Program at Highmark Stadium is for new site-specific work created to best fit each stadium location.

Please do not send portfolios or links directly to us. Applications will only be accepted through the CallForEntry.org platform. Creating a profile and applying is free.

Details here.

Separate call for wall based artwork at https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=15001