A new art fair model for the Post Covidian Age

I first proposed a version of this model about a decade ago, when there was (even then) a sense of art fatigue brewing in the art world. 

In a post Covidian world, I suspect that a lot of people will still be a little leery of large group gatherings, and art fairs based on pre-Covidian standards may be a bit antiquated in the Brave Chickenized New World.

Herewith a revised Campello Art Fair Model

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The important thing to remember, as I mull, chew, and refine a "new" art post-Covidian fair model to replace the existing pre-Covidian art fair model, which in its American incarnations seemed to work well only in Miami and New York, but not so well in the West coast (and as we DMV-based folks have seen with (e)merge and artDC, not at all in the capital region), is the marriage of a legitimate art entity (a museum) with an art-for-sale process as a means to raise funds. 

The seeds for this model already exist in the DC region with the Smithsonian Craft Show, now in its third decade. 

Considered by many to be the finest craft fair in the world -- and from the many artists that I have spoken to over the years -- one of the best places to sell fine crafts as well, this prestigious and highly competitive juried exhibition and sale of contemporary American craft usually takes place each April for four days. It takes place at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC and it includes one-of-a-kind and limited edition craft objects in 12 different media: basketry, ceramics, decorative fiber, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, paper, wearable art and wood. 

There were 120 exhibitors in last year's show, including emerging artists and master craftsmen, over 30 of whom were first-time participants. Twelve of those selected were also first-time applicants to the show. All were chosen by a panel of expert jurors from a highly competitive field of close to 1,400 applicants.  

So we have a model for crafts in DC which has been working for over 30 years. 

See where I'm going? 

Can we envision the Smithsonian American Art Fair? 

Or... The Smithsonian American International Art Fair?

The SAIAF would dramatically expand the business model of the Smithsonian Craft Fair to a National Mall-wide - outdoors - or even a citywide art fair anchored and guided by the Smithsonian Institution, and possibly either:

(a) spread throughout the various accommodating outdoor spaces at the various SI locales around the National Mall or even

(b) in temporary art spaces, booth, or containers on the open spaces of the National Mall itself! 

The latter is not as big of a deal as it sounds. 

The National Mall already hosts a spectacular variety of outdoor events on the Mall spaces where complex display spaces are temporarily built, secured and just as quickly dismantled, grass re-seeded, and by Monday the Mall is back to normal. 

For art, all we need is protection from the weather and security. Perhaps even a combination of "free" (to the public) set of exhibitors (maybe out on the Mall) coupled with a paid admission set of exhibitors inside SI spaces -- or just make them all free to the public? 

Details... details... 

This new fair model would be open to both commercial art galleries and art dealers, as well as to art schools, and (and here's the key "and") to individual artists and cooperative artist-owned galleries. 

Size matters. 

Would 1200 galleries, dealers, schools and artists in a mega, new-model art fair raise some interests from art collectors to come to DC for a long weekend in May? 

It would if it attracted 100,000 visitors to the fair instead of 10,000 (like the long gone art fair artDC attracted). 

Are you aware that in May the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival in nearby Bethesda attracts 30-40,000 people to the streets of Bethesda for this artist-only street fine arts fair? or that also in May the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival attracts the same number of people to the streets of the Reston Town Center to buy art from individual artists? 

Both Bethesda and Reston have two of the highest median household incomes in the US. And I am told that the Greater Washington, DC region has the second highest concentration of multi-millionaires in the world. 

The money is here - the key is to get the disposable income crowd in touch with the art. 

Both Bethesda and Reston manage to accomplish this one weekend each year. Do not, under any circumstances assume that these are "street fairs" where teddy bears, country crafts, and dried flowers are sold. These are both highly competitive fine arts outdoor fairs where artists from all over the nation come to and compete for spots because artwork sells well. 

I have seen $80,000 worth of sculptures sell to one collector in Bethesda and a painter with a price point of $17,000 sell out in Reston. 

Do not let the snobby attitude of the high art world affect your preconception of what these two street art fairs are like; go visit one this coming (and hopefully post Covidian) May and open your eyes. 

And because of them, and because of the success of Art Basel Miami Beach, we know that given a certain critical mass, people will come out to an art fair. The primary key for art dealers to have interest in an art fair is sales (and also exposure to new collectors, museum curators, etc.), but mainly sales. 

If you are a British gallery, by the time you get yourself and your artwork to Miami Beach, you're in the hole a whole bunch of Euros and British pounds; if you don't sell anything (like it happened to a British gallery in artDC and an Israeli gallery at another fair), chances are that you won't return to that fair. 

But increase the public attendance numbers exponentially, and Economics 101 tells you that sales will also increase exponentially. And unlike the hotel-deprived artDC location at the Convention Center, I am told by DC's tourist gurus that the National Mall is already a magnet location where visitors, regardless of where they are staying around the Greater DC region, flock to during their visits to the capital. 

Since two major Greater DC area street art fairs already exist in May in the Greater DC area, we can even consider aligning the weekends so that both Reston, Bethesda, and the The Smithsonian American International Art Fair all take place on the same weekend! 

Offer free bus service between Reston and Bethesda and the National Mall for collectors to hop around during the fair weekend, and a public buzz alignment will begin to happen. The Smithsonian American International Art Fair starts on a Thursday through Sunday and both Reston and Bethesda continue to run on Saturday and Sunday. And the Smithsonian American International Art Fair is focused as a major fundraiser for the cash-hungry SI. 

A formula of booth prices + perhaps a 5% commission on all sales (both tax deductible for American galleries) would take care of temporary Mall booth construction, re-seeding of grass, and booth construction inside SI venues and still yield a nice chunk of cash for the SI. 

If there's commercial success and high public attendance, soon we'd see some satellite hotel fairs popping up all over DC and its easy-to-get-to suburbs; the Phillips will jump on the bandwagon right away. 

ABMB had 26 fairs all over Greater Miami last December.  Another DC-unique element to the above model, and an important element that only a Washington art fair weekend can add: include the Embassies! 

In addition to all the above events taking place, the fair could also align with shows at 15-20 embassy galleries around DC. The embassies would showcase one (or a group) of their national artists, and then the fair would really have an international flavor, and the beginning seeds of an American Venice in the DMV. 

DC is a small city; it's fairly easy to set up transportation between the embassies and the Mall. In fact, some embassies could probably set that up themselves.

I think that this "new" super model could (and eventually when someone delivers and implements it -- it will) challenge Miami Beach -- and yes, I am aware that DC in May is not Miami in December -- but I also think that the District's own museums and public attractions trump Miami's anytime, so the DMV has something different to offer the potential collector who may be considering attending a new art fair in a city (like DC) that also offers him/her some other cultural and visual attractions besides good weather and nice beaches and sexy Cubans. 

DC art commisioners... Smithsonianos... DC city fathers and mothers.... call me! 

Happy new decade

My son was born in 2009 - that means that he has now lived in three decades... sounds weird uh?

Let me start 2020 with some questions:

Dear artists who read this blog: this is the year to stop whining about lack of opportunities and do something! For art sake's! (Your art) - if you live in the DMV then come to one of my free seminars (thank you PG County) and revolutionize how you make sure that your artwork ends up in other people's walls! The next free seminar is April 18 - details here.

Dear Art League, Greater Reston Art Center, Rockville Art League, Fill-in-the-blank artists' group/league: I keep giving you hint after hint: When are you guys gonna reach out to me and ask: "Hey Lenster, how do we take this artist group to the next level in this new century?" (instead of still operating in the 20th century model). 

Dear DMV museum directors and curators (except for the Katzen): I've been asking this question since 1992: "When are you going to look at your own backyard for some museum shows for area artists?" Does anyone recall that last time that a DMV area art museum (other than the Katzen) had a full museum show for a DMV artist?

Dear art fair organizers: Thank you for trying to make an art fair work in the DMV - in the last decade the people who run Art Miami and the Superfine! people, as well as the (e)merge art fair stint, all tried to make a successful art fair around the DMV - after all, this area is the second highest concentration of wealth on the planet... and yet. But there are a few key things to try which no art fair organizer has ever tried.

"What about you Lenster?", you might be asking... "whatcha got goin' in 2020"?

For 2020 I'm planning to be doing the Art on Paper fair in NYC, then one of the two Affordable Art Fairs also in NYC, and then the Pulse Art Fair in Miami Beach during Art Basel week.  I've also got two major curatorial projects brewing - one will revisit the theme of Superheroes in art, and the second one (to open during January 2021 actually) will curate a three-gallery show on the 20th anniversary of my Survey of Washington Artists show that I organized in 2001 and which was one of the most popular shows of that year and one which marked a key point in my curatorial trajectory.

More on both of those later... meanwhile, have a great 2020!

Andrew Wodzianski is a Fanboy

Andrew Wodzianski in

Andrew Wodzianski is a Fanboy 

in Open Gallery at Montgomery College 

Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus

In my spectacularly informed opinion, Andrew Wodzianski is one of the most talented and best painters in the DMV. The man can paint, and he can also canvas-deliver his ideas, and interests better than anyone who I know.

The Open Gallery presents Andrew Wodzianski is a Fanboy, featuring the work of Andrew Wodzianski from November 13, 2019 – January 10, 2020.  Andrew Wodzianski’s work depicts self-portraits utilizing a variety of media representing identity roles. An Artist Talk will be held on November 20th from 1:30 – 2:30. A reception will be held on Thursday, December 12 from 6-8 P.M. The events and exhibition are located at the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Arts Center of Montgomery College on the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus. For more information, visit http://cms.montgomerycollege.edu/arts-tpss/exhibitions/. Free and open to the public.

Andrew Wodzianski is a Fanboy represents a ten-year retrospective of self-portraiture wherein Wodzianski has intentionally concealed his identity. Instead of introspective depictions of the human condition, Wodzianski reveals little of his true self. Whether a painting, photograph, or performance, each work is another layer of artifice. When viewed as a collection, an inkling of personality begins to materialize. Through an amalgamation of late 20th Century adolescent Americana, identity roles and contradictions and complexities can be gleaned. There is much left unexplained, but two things are certain; Wodzianski is clearly a pop culture fanatic and a self-described man-child. He is a fanboy.

About the Series:

This is the 3rd show of this year’s themed exhibition series, Self, which invites artists to explore contemporary ideas of Self Portraiture by engaging with the self through either representational or conceptual means.

About the Artist:

Andrew Wodzianski is an artist from Venango County, Pennsylvania. He holds an MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art and has exhibited widely as both a painter and performance artist, including the (e)merge art fair Washington, DC, Aqua Art Fair in Miami, and SCOPE NYC in New York. His interest in humor, satire, and popular culture permeates all his media. Says Andrew: “At parties, I tell trapped guests that I’m an interdisciplinary artist working in crocodile tears, puppy dog tails, and magpie chatter. I immediately assure them I’m not being literal. Collecting those materials from the animals would be cruel! Instead, I stress the supplies are silly metaphors for my constant exploration into falsehood, adolescent nostalgia, and appropriation. I shun adulthood, with most of my days spent embracing popular culture references introduced to me prior to 1989. I may create with diverse mediums, but I’m always reflecting on my fantastical youth with generous sprinkles of both reverence and satire.”

About the Open Gallery:

The Open Gallery’s exhibitions complement the academic programs of Montgomery College's Department of Visual and Performing Arts while bringing art to the community. As part of the Silver Spring arts community, exhibitions focus on current pieces by working artists. The gallery is on the ground floor of The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Arts Center on the west side of the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus. The center is located off Georgia Avenue at 930 King Street. Parking is available in the West Campus Garage, located immediately behind the center.

Contact: KatherineKnight, 240-567-1461 katherine.knight@montgomerycollege.edu

Gallery Website:      https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/academics/departments/visual-performing-arts-tpss/index.html

Gallery Address:     The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Arts Center - 930 King Street, Silver Spring, MD 20910

Job in the Arts

MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATE

(CONTRACTUAL)

STATE WAGE GRADE: 13

SALARY RANGE: $17.88 – 28.27/ hour

MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

DIVISION OF TOURISM, FILM AND THE ARTS - MARYLAND STATE ARTS COUNCIL

The Maryland Department of Commerce is seeking qualified applicants for the full-time, contractual position of Management Associate within its Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts’- Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC). The primary responsibilities of this position are to provide administrative, secretarial, operational, and technical support to the Grants and Professional Development Director. Duties consist of: database and grants management to include maintaining, updating, and merging grant applications; inputting contact information; reviewing application materials; assembling and compiling grant data, spreadsheets, and mailing lists, as requested; in addition to monitoring and tracking data submitted. Incumbent will provide technical assistance to grantees regarding grant awards regulations and reporting procedures; input and/or merge final report data for all grants using agency’s Customer Relationship Management (Salesforce.com) system. 

Individual will maintain the grant filing system for all MSAC grant programs; log in performance contracts and evaluation forms from artists and schools; and track incoming contracts and evaluation forms. Incumbent will establish contact and maintain communication links with official partners; maintain, schedule, and attend panel meetings preparing meeting and briefing documents, compile reports and routine correspondence; screen and direct calls; schedule appointments; arrange travel; and provide support to all MSAC events and meetings. The incumbent will assist in preparing internal and external professional development opportunities for grants processes and program-related content, assist with the implementation of an annual, statewide arts symposium, and coordinate and support local and regional, topic-specific professional development opportunities for all stakeholders and organize professional development requests from constituents.

The selected employee will be well organized; able to work independently; have an aptitude for detailed work; possess proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite – including both Excel and Access, Google Mail and/or other relevant programs; have experience with database software applications and the ability to prepare reports/charts; possess strong interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills; the ability to effectively present information, explain policy, respond to internal and external inquiries; and complete concurrent and high priority tasks. 

How to Apply:

Interested and qualified candidates should submit their resume AND completed supplemental questionnaire (next page) to Anna Halikias atAnna.Halikias@maryland.gov by the closing date listed below to receive consideration. Please describe in detail any job duties relating to the qualifications stated and include any computer software used (ex. Excel, Access, etc.) in each of the positions you held.  

Those unable to submit via email, please mail your resume and completed supplemental questionnaire to:

MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE -OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Attn: Management Associate- MSAC

World Trade Center – 401 E. Pratt Street, 10^th Floor, Baltimore, Maryland 21202

NO LATER THAN: Tuesday, January 29, 2018 – 5:00 PM

If you have any questions about this recruitment, please contact the Department of Commerce at 410.767.6300. 

You may also visit our website at: http://commerce.maryland.gov/commerce

Art fair coming to the District

The District has attempted to host international art fairs in the past... artDC was staged one year at the convention center (about a decade ago) by the same people who run Art Miami and Art New York. Then the (e)merge art fair rans for a few years at the Skyline Hotel...

The following is from the press release from Superfine! DC:

Why a Superfine! fair in DC?

That's the question many of you have been asking. Why exhibit in Washington DC when I can show in New York, Los Angeles, or Miami? Well, you can. We're launching an LA show next spring, revisiting Miami Art Week in 2019, and launching applications for not only our May New York fair but a second fall show as well. Even London is on our 2019 radar, giving new possibilities to jump the pond and interact with a collector base there. However, we believe strongly in Superfine! DC and want to invite you to join us in the capital this fall for what promises to be a banner inaugural fair.

The Art Market is Here

There are countless ways to be a part of the Superfine! revolution but to overlook DC is to miss a terrific opportunity to be at the forefront of something new and fresh in a city hungry for a contemporary art fair to call its own. Superfine! DC is not merely an afterthought on our calendar but the culmination of a two year search to find the perfect city for not just any art fair, but our own specific take on the fair model: transparent, approachable, and most of all- fair. We look for a market that holds not only an affluent and existing collector base, but also a highly educated young professional market with high disposable income - all attributes that DC has in spades, and the reason we're so confident that our formula will resonate.

Tapping Into the Cultural Core

A smaller but still highly culturally relevant city like Washington DC affords us the opportunity to own not only 100% of the art-related digital impressions in a city (New York's fair boasted 78.5 million of them), but to establish deep and lasting partnerships with major art + culture institutions. From the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum to the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Superfine! DC is a week-long hub for all of the capital's cultural institutions and their supportive audiences. A 50% makeup of DC-area-based galleries and artists cements our position as DC's own art fair.

Take a look at our recently updated floor plan with improved flow and sight lines for each exhibitor, and consider joining us on this next great adventure.

Superfine! DC Floorplan

Superfine! DC Applications 

An art fair coming to the DMV this fall

From the press release:

After Wowing Art Lovers in New York and Miami, Superfine! Brings its Unique, Inclusive Take on Art Fairs to DC This Fall 

More a haven for emerging contemporary art than a typical art fair, Superfine! is a sophisticated yet approachable means for real people to discover real, meaningful art, and to connect directly with artists and their representatives. Superfine! founders Alex Mitow and James Miille have devised a tried and tested non-traditional formula to build a better and more inclusive art market. Each fair is a unique cultural experience designed to inspire and inform while also providing a fun atmosphere where everyone's inner collector can shine. Following editions in Miami and New York that have succeeded in building new collectors while connecting established ones to the cream of the crop in emerging art, Superfine! DC will launch this fall at Union Market’s Dock 5 event venue in the historic Union Market neighborhood. 

 CLICK HERE FOR DC TEASER VIDEO

Superfine! DC will take place from October 31st to November 4th at the 13,000+ square foot Dock 5 venue at Union Market, a center of art and sophistication in DC’s urban core. The fair will host 85 exhibitors exhibiting under four exhibition platforms (Emerge, Elevate, Explore, and Establish).

One of the few leading contemporary art fairs open to both solo artists and galleries, Superfine! DC also recognizes the advent of non-traditional exhibition platforms such as mobile curatorial programs, artist-led galleries, and artist collectives. The fair’s Explore platform was designed to create space for 20 exhibitors that fit these criteria to exhibit within 16-linear-foot “mini-booths”, each creating unique multi-artist narrative presentations. 24 traditional brick-and-mortar galleries hailing from the DC metro area and around the globe will exhibit under the fair’s Establish platform. Solo artists new to Superfine! may choose 6’ wall spaces as part of the Emerge platform, where young collectors can have a field day discovering emerging artists with all work priced below a cap of $5,000. Artists may also apply to the Elevate platform, which will span 24 solo positions including past Superfine! exhibiting artists and first timers. Approachability is the name of the game at Superfine! with more than 70% of the artwork in the fair priced under $5,000 and each exhibitor also required to present multiple works in the under $1,000 price range. The overarching goal is to create a brisk art market open to all, where even the newest collector can find and take home work that speaks to them. 

Fair director Alex Mitow notes that “It is incredibly important to us that Superfine! DC embodies the capital’s unique position as a global city with rapidly swelling local pride in its arts and culture. With this fall’s fair, Superfine! will present a new, exciting, and approachable option for DC’s broad
range of art enthusiasts wherein they can discover and collect not only the best of the DC metro area, but also the best in global contemporary art.” The fair's release also notes that:

The typical exhibitor breakdown of a Superfine! fair is around 50% local, with the remainder hailing from as many as 20 different countries as well as the entire United States and Canada. Also unique among art fairs is the exceptionally high number of female artists and curators represented in the fair, who make up more than 60% of each fair’s exhibitor list.

As you dear constant readers know, I've been doing art fairs for over a decade now, and have seen multiple organizers try to decipher the DMV's art scene to run a successful art fair along the Miami and New York models - they have all failed so far or just given up (Art DC from the Art Miami family of fairs, and (e)merge). 

The folks who run Pulse and the worldwide set of Affordable Art Fairs also explored the capital region, but probably came to the conclusion that although the area has the second highest concentration of disposable income in the US, it is just not an "art conscious" or "art buying" public (my words, not Ramsay Art Fairs, LLC).

Don't misinterpret my words - the DMV has an amazing art scene, and our artists are amongst the best and most innovative on the planet, regardless of the narrative that some push about this being a backwater of the art world - it is simply not true and misinformed.

But this is a political town.

The main stream press could care less that (as an example), the group of once glass artists who "broke away" (no pun intendedd) from the vessel and the craft of glass as craft, and forced it to become just another substrate, are nearly all DMV artists. Or that the heart of the worldwide Glass Secessionism movement ticks in the DMV, or that the much maligned Artomatic is the world's largest open art show.

Politics is it... not art.

My best to these brave art warriors trying to break the mold again - I hope that you do well and that the fair is a success; good luck getting the Washington Post to notice you.

Trawick Prize winner announced!

The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, a juried art competition produced by the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, celebrated its 15^th anniversary and announced the 2017 prize winners last night during the exhibition’s opening. Larry Cook from Landover Hills, MD was awarded “Best in Show” and received the $10,000 top prize; Cindy Cheng from Baltimore, MD was named second place and given $2,000; Renée Rendine from Towson, MD was bestowed third place and received $1,000; and Giulia Livi from Baltimore, MD received the $1,000 young artist award.

Winner Larry Cook_with Catherine Leggett, Carol Trawick and Catriona Fraser

Larry Cook has shown his work in various group and solo exhibitions throughout the region. His work was included in group shows including It Takes A Nation at the Katzen Arts Center in Washington, D.C.,To Be Black in White America at Galerie Myrtis in Baltimore, MD and How We Lost DC at Honfleur Gallery in Washington, D.C. Cook’s solo exhibits have been shown at Hamiltonian Gallery, (e)merge art fair, and Pleasant Plains Workshop in Washington, D.C. He received his Master of Fine Arts from George Washington University. He is a visual art teacher at Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, MD. Cook was the 2014 Trawick Prize Young Artist Award Winner, a Hamiltonian Fellow from 2013-2015 and a finalist for the Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize in 2013 and 2016.  

2017 Trawick Prize Finalists

Cindy Cheng, Baltimore, MD

Larry Cook, Landover Hills, MD

Amy Finkelstein, Takoma Park, MD

Helen Glazer, Owings Mills, MD

Giulia Livi, Baltimore, MD

Michele Montalbano, Burke, VA

Ben Piwowar, Baltimore, MD

Renée Rendine, Towson, MD

 

The exhibit opening celebrated the talented finalists as well as recognized Carol Trawick for her generous and gracious support of the competition for the past 15 years. Established by Ms. Trawick in 2003, The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards is one of the first regional competitions and largest prizes to annually honor visual artists.

 

A longtime community activist in downtown Bethesda, Ms. Trawick has served as the Chair of the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, Bethesda Urban Partnership, Strathmore and the Maryland State Arts Council. The Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation was established in 2007 after the Trawicks sold their successful information technology company. A former teacher and entrepreneur, Ms. Trawick remains engaged in a range of philanthropic causes through the Foundation, which was established to assist health and human services and arts non-profits in Montgomery County. The Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation has awarded grants to more than 90 nonprofits.

 

The work of the finalists will be on exhibit at Gallery B, 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E, until September 30. The public opening reception will be Friday, September 8 from 6-8pm. Gallery hours for the duration of the exhibit are Wednesday through Saturday, 12 – 6pm.

 

Entries were juried by Zoë Charlton, Art Department Chair and Associate Professor at American University; Neil Feather, Maryland-based artist and former winner of the Sondheim Art Prize and The Trawick Prize and Elizabeth Mead, Art Department Chair and Associate Professor of Art and Art History at William & Mary.

 

To date, The Trawick Prize has awarded $205,000 in prize monies and has exhibited the work of more than 130 regional artists. Previous Best in Show recipients include Richard Cleaver, 2003; David Page, 2004; Jiha Moon, 2005; James Rieck, 2006; Jo Smail, 2007; Maggie Michael, 2008; Rene Trevino, 2009; Sara Pomerance, 2010; Mia Feuer, 2011; Lillian Bayley Hoover, 2012; Gary Kachadourian, 2013; Neil Feather, 2014; Jonathan Monaghan, 2015 and Lauren Adams, 2016.

The curious case of the WPA, one of its members, and the Gala Auction

The Washington Project for the Arts (WPA) has a long and storied history, and is without a doubt, one of the key components of the tapestry that makes up the DMV’s art scene.  The WPA is, and has always been, about its artist members.

In their own words:

Washington Project for the Arts (WPA) is an artist-driven contemporary art space in the heart of the nation’s capital. We produce public projects, present artist-curated performances and exhibitions, and host talks and workshops. Proceeds from this benefit sale are split evenly between the participating artists and WPA.

The annual WPA Auction Gala, of which I am proud to have been a part of multiple times in the past, is easily the organization’s key event – both as a critical fundraiser and as an art event.  Even in running this event the WPA is all about its artist members. I say this because many other organizations that run art auctions as fundraisers generally expect the artist to “donate” the artwork; the WPA gives the artist 50% of the proceeds. You can see all the selected/invited artists' works here.

In this most interesting Facebook discussion, DMV artist Barbara Januszkiewicz, noticing that many of this year’s invited Gala artists hailed from places other than the DMV, asked:

Did anyone noticedsomething odd about WPA's list of artists for Auction Gala this year?

And the comments poured in!  Clearly Barbara Januszkiewicz touched a raw nerve in the visual arts community!

“Why is WPA so heavily promoting individual artists from outside of Washington? Seems like a fail”, wrote an early commenter.

Another commenter explained that…  “The WPA has always shown a range of artists -- when I worked there we showed a lot fewer Washingtonians, it was an artist-directed organization NOT primarily a services-for-local-artists organization, like many in that movement. And the focus of the auction has always been, what will sell, it's a fundraiser. Although the program focus has changed a lot in the past 20 years, the auction has often featured a high % of curators and artists from other places and whether they had representation was not a consideration. I raised an eyebrow when I saw this year's list but it's not a major shift.”

Peter Nesbett, the WPA’s Executive Director soon joined in the discussion and that essentially developed into another whole angle as he writes in this most public of forums:

Hey all, WPA here. So the old-timers in this conversation -- those who remember WPA from the 70s and 80s -- know that the org has always worked with artists both from and not from DC. Mapplethorpe wasn't from DC. Nancy Rubin wasn't either. Nor was CoLab, Meredith Monk, Robert Rauschenberg, Robert Ashley, the list goes on and on. WPA was founded as a place that welcomed great artists from where-ever, and the mixing of local and non-local was one of the things that made it valuable and interesting. (Note that over the past year, our programs have been driven almost entirely by artists from the DMV.) Mary, as to our mission: while we are grateful to have so many amazing artist members, we aren't a collaborative, like Foundry. Yes, we work hard to connect our artists with opportunities, often recommending them for commissions, teaching opportunities, etc, but our mission is not to serve the members by showing their work, which given the number of members (700) would be impossible. So we try to serve them in other ways. I would caution you all against thinking too narrowly about the role and impact a place like WPA can and should have on the community and not to judge it by whether or not it is showing your work. Embrace the bigger picture!

Also it is worth noting to the rest of you that the O has a bit of an axe to grind with me because when pressed by her on numerous occasions to visit her studio and to take a group show she had curated (that included her own work), I told her that I didn't really understand what she was up to in her work because it seemed to ape the work of others a-critically, and for that reason I didn't understand its value. So that is possibly what spurred her post. Who knows. I think it is important to be honest with each other so we don't waste each other's time.

I will close by saying that for the WPA auction this year my goals were to a) put artists in charge of the selections, b) introduce people to work they may not already know, and c) introduce artists from outside DC to artists from DC in an effort to strengthen and expand our community. I think the auction will do that.

Nesbett’s comment directed at Januszkiewicz’s potential motives are one thing, but I found it odd that the Executive Director of an artist-run organization would also take an open forum to criticize the artwork of one of its artist members… and so I joined in:

With all due respect, I am a somewhat disturbed that the director of an artists' driven organization takes an open forum to personally criticize the artwork of one of its members - who by the way, as the intense series of comments testify to, has asked a very valid and clearly "needed" question. That is, if one is to judge that by the passion of the comments and thoughts. But what bothers me is that were one to also mimic your viewpoint of "ape the work of others a-critically", then I'd challenge anyone with a simple understanding of art history to not "see" a dozen artists in any and every group show on the planet, any major art fair, and any WPA Gala, regurgitating the concepts and ideas of others who came before them, which in an era of postmodernism - where anything and everything is art - I thought was not an issue... In fact it is often refreshing, as when in this year's WPA Gala I see Chuck Close, Basquiat, Jerry Uelsmann, Goldsworthy, etc. being channeled into new work. It is clear to me that this question poses an opportunity for the WPA to host a panel/discussion on the subject, and it is also clear to me that you owe Barbara Januszkiewicz an apology for angling the discussion to a personal angle... Respectfully, Lenny Campello

And that’s where we stand now… I think.

However, I also really think that it is a good idea for the WPA to “listen” to what this thread of comments have revealed amongst its members, not to explain it away. I am 100% sure that Peter Nesbett’s intentions and daily drive is to make the WPA better in every possible way, and I suspect that he will be open to hosting an open discussion, somewhere in the DMV to address this question.

I’ve been a member of the WPA since I first moved to the DMV decades ago, and have participated in many shows and opportunities offered by the WPA, including several Gala auctions, the (e)merge art fairs, etc. I was also one of the “Sweet 16” selected by ubercollector Mera Rubell during her storied2009 studio visit tour.

But it was when I was asked to curate for the WPA a show that would eventually be titled “Seven” (it spread across seven different galleries of the then Warehouse complex across from the then “new” Washington Convention Center, that I really hit pay dirt, as it was there that I met the person who would eventually become my wife.

“Seven” was a show designed (by me) to try to expose as many WPA artist members as possible to collectors and gallery owners. The vast majority of the artists selected by me had never before been “picked” by the WPA for anything. I then personally walked area gallerists and collectors through the show… eventually I lost count, but at some point nearly 20 of the 66 artists in “Seven” were picked up by galleries, and at least through 2009 it was the highest grossing fundraiser for the WPA, as well as getting major reviews in all the local newspapers and television attention from both local and national (CNN) stations.

And if you would indulge me, below is the storyline of how that show developed, fastidiously reported by me in DC Art News over the period that it took place. In looking back at these posts (I think I have most of them) I was somewhat surprised by the sheer amount of coverage that the show received, especially in these austere days of visual arts coverage around the DMV.

The Story of "Seven"

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

As many of you have already read, I have been retained by the WPA/C to curate a show for them. I will be assisted by two young WPA/C interns: Sandra Fernandez and Adrian Schneck.

Because this show will be exhibited at the three separate buildings that comprise the Warehouse Theatre and Galleries complex, a total of seven separate spaces are available, and all will be used, and thus the exhibition title: Seven.

Using the power of the web, I intend to keep this curatorial process open and available to everyone via commentary here on what I am doing, how and why. In doing so, I hope to bring to light all the many issues, baggage, ideas, agendas, nepotism, and a complete lack of objectivity that a curator brings to such a massive job as this will be. As well as a lot of hard work and a good work ethic to deliver a show that will make all involved proud to be part of it. All artwork and artists to be displayed will be picked by me.

I will also try to handcuff some of my fellow commercial gallerists and, once the exhibition is open, take them around and have them discover (hopefully) some new talent from our area. It is my hope that the final selection of artists will be a good blend of some well-known area WPA/C artists as well as an exhibition opportunity for WPA/C talent that we don't see as often.

To start, I have decided to focus each of the seven spaces on a specific theme, genre or subject... sort of. I will also bring to this selection process (and to one space) the commercial acumen of a for-profit gallerist. As such (for example), I will select the artwork that will go in the main gallery space (co-located with the Warehouse Cafe) to be that work that I feel represents the best compilation of all the remaining spaces and also stands the best chance (in my sole opinion) of being sold.

Other spaces will have different approaches; for example, on my first run through all of the WPA/C slides, I was pleasantly surprised at the high quality of a lot of abstract paintings, and will thus hope to deliver a gallery full of those artists that (in my opinion) are the best from the membership.

Another space will be focused on a particular agenda item of mine: the nude figure. And thus I hope to deliver a gallery full of figurative nudes. At this time, I am also toying with the idea (space and logistics permitting) of having a figure drawing class, nude model and all, present at the opening. This is in the hope that they (the artists and the model) will provide an in situ perspective on the trials, tribulations and joy of creating artwork from the live model.

Details on the exhibition and entry process is available online here. All members of the WPA/C are eligible for consideration, but all final decisions and selections are mine.

I've already gone through all the WPA/C slides once (about 20,000 of them I'd guess), and will review all new entries and slides that come in between now and some future date a couple of weeks before the exhibition opens on June 30, 2005. I also intend to re-review all slides in the registry next week.

And I've already made some surprising discoveries and even some selections! In fact the first artist selected, and one whose work I did not know, is a MICA graduate and VCU MFA candidate Alessandra Torres. The image above is hers, and that's the artist as part of a sculptural installation titled Possess/(pose-us).

More later... keep checking; I truly intend for this exhibition to be provocative and fresh, but in the end it still remains one person's opinion and the trite saying that art is in the eye's of the beholder never applied more aptly than in this case: My eyes and thus my Seven.

Monday, May 16, 2005

Seven Update One
I'll be walking through the Warehouse spaces sometime today, along with some artists whose work I'd like to include in the coming "Seven" exhibition.

Visit here to enter "Seven."

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Seven Update Three
I've re-visited about a third of the 24,000-plus slides in the WPA/C Artfile. There are a lot of old slides in there (including mine), and also a lot of WPA/C members don't have slides on file. Tsk, tsk...

I've also received quite a few entries electronically via email, and in some cases from members updating their files.

The selection process continues, and so far I've selected about thirty or so artists, most of which have or will receive an email from the WPA/C. I think that I will probably end up picking up about twenty or so more. After all the seven spaces at the Warehouse are quite ample, and I also have this salon-style vision for at least one of the spaces.

I've also invited (and they've accepted) Sam Gilliam and Manon Cleary, without a doubt two of DC's best known and most respected artists.

A few other artists that I wanted in this show have been unable to participate due to the fact that two of them have moved away and one is working furiously for a coming show and already has a waiting list for his next paintings!

There are also quite a few artists whose work I did not know... and this is part of the two way dialogue that happens between a curator and 24,000 slides.

There are dozens and dozens of very good artists who will not an invitation, but that have made a positive impression on me, and thus in a way are also gaining from this experience, as there's a good chance that their work may appear in something else associated with me in the future.

And that is why it is important to get out there and have slides in registries, and work online and so on: it needs to be seen!

Even being rejected has a possible positive footprint.

Case in point: Rebecca D'Angelo. Nearly ten years ago, Rebecca approached me with an exhibition proposal for a specific series of her photographs. The idea was interesting, but (for a then struggling commercial gallery) not very feasible, and so I told her no.

Years later, as I walked the seven various spaces that comprise the Warehouse holdings on 7th Street, one of them jumped in my mind as being perfect for Rebecca D'Angelo's project. I contacted her, she visited the spaces, and agreed!

Wait till you see it (her project that is). Opening night for "Seven" is June 30th from 6-8:30PM. Set that night aside.

Monday, June 20, 2005

Seven Update
Today, together with a few artists, one of the interns, and Kim Ward from the WPA/C and a photographer from the Washington Times, I walked the seven spaces at the Warehouse Gallery again.

We assigned some spaces already, and selected a few more artists. The WPA/C website will soon have the final list, which now includes Chan Chao, Adam Fowler, David Jung, Marie Ringwald, Rick Wall and many others.

I've also turned Mark Jenkins loose on the building, and I am sure that he will have an interesting tape people army present at the opening and for the duration of the show.

Now closing the loop on a drawing class that I want to have present at the opening. I have focused one of the seven galleries on the nude figure, and on opening night (June 30), I want to have a small drawing class present and drawing from a live nude model or two.

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Seven (Done)
From the several thousand eligible artists (WPA/C members), I've chosen 66 67 for Seven. That number was closer to maybe 75 at one point, but several artists, for one reason or another, although invited could not participate.

Sometime next week I will take several of my fellow DC gallerists for a private view and tour of the show, hoping that they will discover some new talent (new to them) in the exhibition.

I also have several museum and a handful of independent curators (two from as far as Los Angeles and two from New York and one from the Midwest) in the process of being lined up to visit the show in the next few weeks. More on that when it happens.

And I will also take some well-known DC art collectors on a group tour sometime in the next couple of weeks; this is (after all) a fundraiser for the WPA/C.

The opening reception is Thursday, June 30th from 6 - 8:30PM.

Friday, June 24, 2005

The Seven Chosen

Artists selected for SEVEN are listed below; about a third of them are completely new to me. The rest I either knew their work, or who they were in some way or form. I think it is a powerful lesson on the importance of keeping your work "out there," no matter where "there" is, so that the work is "seen."

There are some well-known, experienced and recognized names on this list, people like Manon Cleary, Chan Chao and Sam Gilliam, as well as hot, young new artists like Lisa Bertnick, John Lehr and Kelly Towles.

Also young emerging artists like Alessandra Torres, Ben Tolman and Susan Jamison (who's in the current issue of New American Painting and also hangs in the Strictly Painting V exhibition at McLean). And also artists whose work I've rarely seen anywhere around our area, such as Gary Medovich, Rebecca D’Angelo, Sonia Jones, Lou Gagnon and Fae Gertsch.

This exhibition, having been curated by a gallerist, defines a show from the perspective of a curatorial eye aimed at perspective of intelligent, strong and visually powerful art and art ideas; this is my view from the ground-level; not the 10,000 foot level of a museum office.

As such, it is very painting-centric show at at time when painting (in spite of the constant attack from academia and the written word) seems to have regained center stage in the international art arena.

It is not a competition between the genres, and because of the agenda, prejudices and humanity of my selection process, in the end, Seven somewhat places painting at the center of attention, although I suspect that a strong showing by WPA/C photographers and what I expect to be a very memorable performance by Kathryn Cornelius, and an arresting installation by Alessandra Torres, will definately gather a big share of the public and media attention as well.

Here's the list:

Virginia Arrisueño
James W. Bailey
Joseph Barbaccia
Lisa Bertnick
Margaret Boozer
Mark Cameron Boyd
Adam Bradley
Scott Brooks
Lisa Brotman
Jonathan Bucci
Diane Bugash
Graham Caldwell
Chan Chao
Manon Cleary
Kathryn Cornelius
Rebecca Cross
Richard Dana
Rebecca D’Angelo
Margaret Dowell
Mary Early
Chris Edmunds
Victor Ekpuk
Michael Fitts
Adam Fowler
Lou Gagnon
Fae Gertsch
Sam Gilliam
Matthew Girard
Pat Goslee
Kristin Helgadottir
Linda Hesh
Maremi Hooff
Michal Hunter
Scott Hutchison
Melissa Ichiuji
Susan Jamison
Michael Janis
Mark Jenkins
Sonia Jones
David Jung
J.T. Kirkland
Sonya Lawyer
Tracy Lee
John Lehr
Joey Manlapaz
Matthew Mann
Amy Marx
Jeanette May
Maxwell McKenzie
Gary Medovich
Adrianne Mills
Allison Miner
Peter Photikoe
Sara Pomerance
Marie Ringwald
Molly Springfield
Tim Tate
Erwin Timmers
Ben Tolman
Alessandra Torres
Kelly Towles
Rick Wall
Frank Warren
Sarah Wegner
Andrew Wodzianski
Denise Wolff
Samantha Wolov

Monday, June 27, 2005

Early starts for Seven
Mark Jenkins installation for Seven, titled "Tres Marias," has already been installed in the trees outside the Warehouse Theatre and Galleries; inside Kelly Towles is already laboring on a wall, and Alessandra Torres will soon start on transforming a room.

Seven's opening is this Thursday starting at 6PM.

Monday June 27, 2005

Seven: Installation Day One

As with any large, multi-gallery exhibition, there were some hiccups on the first day of Seven's installation, which forced the move of a very visible spot to another area (thank God for a very flexible artist); plus the mysterious move of some artwork from one area to another; and the selected artist whom we all forgot to add to the master list; and the usual last minute broken glass...

Sarah Wegner installing her cement furniture and kissing tea set

And Mark Jenkins' tape sculptures have somehow moved from the tree in front of the buildings to the building itself!

Mark Jenkins' Tape Sculptures on the facade of the building

I like the guy looking down from the corner of the building

And below is Kelly Towles painting a wall in the second floor gallery...

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Calm (NOT) Before the Storm

I am so tired! Early wake-ups all this week; plus late nights at Warehouse for the hanging of Seven.

A couple of small disasters today: One of Rebecca Cross' delicate ceramic pieces fell off the wall and broke; time to scramble and see if Rebecca can replace it with another work.

Then a major piece by a very good artist could not be hung due to weight and size, and now we are left scrambling trying to figure out what to do; things will resolve themselves by tomorrow.

And then there's the artist who wanted his work "hung just so," and so we reserved a very special place for this person, and so far the artist has not delivered any work or returned several messages. Where are you?

And (as anyone who has ever curated a show from slides knows), there's the "surprise."

The "surprise" is that piece of artwork that looks great in a slide, but that once you see it, it... well, uh... disappoints.

Oh well.... one surprise from 67 artists is not bad.

On the pleasant side, Alessandra Torres continues to astound me on the good side; seldom have a seen a young artist be so full of energy and zeal and talent. I predict good things for her.

And Kathryn Cornelius damned near made me a convert to video art; wait until you see her video piece (Titled "Resolve" and being projected on opening night at the top floor - all by herself - and later on a flatscreen in the second floor gallery).

And I predict that Scott Brooks and Samantha Wolov are going to raise some eyebrows (and maybe other body parts on Wolov's case).

The opening is tomorrow, Thursday June 30 at 6PM.

See ya there!

Thursday, June 30, 2005

Seven Opens Tonight
What: Seven, an exhibition of 67 WPA/C artists curated by me.

When: Opens tonight with a catered reception for the artists starting at 6PM. Work on exhibition until Sept. 9, 2005.

Where: The seven spaces that make up the Warehouse Theatre and Galleries complex. Located at 1021 7th Street, NW, across from the new Washington Convention Center.

See ya there!

Saturday, July 2, 2005

Breedloves... and Seven opening photos


Those of you who attended the huge opening of Seven last Thursday at the Warehouse, know that one of the highlights of the opening was the magnificent voice of Hisham Breedlove, who delighted the crowd with not only his painted body, but also with his magnificent voice.

Hisham walked around the seven galleries that make up the show, singing a variety of opera solos; and he was spectacular!

Adrienne Mills recorded the Breedlove's transformation in this series of photographs from the opening of Seven. See them here.

More photos from the opening below (all courtesy Adrienne Mills):


Breedloves talking with Seven co-curator Sandra Fernandez


Philip Barlow and Vivian Lassman




Breedloves with Rebecca Cross in front of her work



Hisham with Andrew Wodzianski and friend

Saturday, July 2, 2005

Me at Seven opening, courtesy of Adrienne Mills.

Wednesday, July 6, 2005

CNN to cover Seven

CNN News will videotape coverage of Seven sometime next week.

Since it is (apparently) of national interest... perhaps the local papers can consider it of local interest as well?

Thursday, July 7, 2005

Collector walk-through

I walked one of our best collectors through Seven today and he picked up three pieces from the exhibition.

These collector walk-throughs will continue throughout the exhibition; after all, Seven is supposed to be a fundraiser for the WPA/C.

Friday, July 15, 2005

CNN on Seven
CNN videotaped a segment with Kim Ward, the Acting Executive Director of the WPA/C. The interview covered the history and mission of the WPA/C, a bit about Warehouse, a few shots of the show, and a plug for the Artist's Directory. I do not have the schedule for the air times; hopefully next week. It will be on for the last five minutes at the top of the hour on CNN Headline News in certain markets. I do know that they will show the spot 8 times a day for one week before the show closes.

Thursday, July 21, 2005

WaPo on Seven
Jessica Dawson has a mini review of Seven in today's Washington Post's Galleries column. Read it here.

Sunday, July 24, 2005

CNN on SevenI am told that the CNN spots on Seven will be running this week; I'm on the road again this morning, so if anyone sees them, please let me know.

Wednesday, August 3, 2005

Watson on SevenAmy Watson of The Artery, reviews Seven at Thinking About Art.

Read the review here.

Sunday, July 31, 2005

Talking Done

Just back from the curator's talk at Seven. A nicely sized crowd showed up, which was a little surprising to me, since usually it has been my experience that these curator talks only attract the artists involved. Thanks to all the DC Art News readers who came by and said howdy.Bailey has a nice photo storyline of the talk here.He also managed to fall in love in the subway on the way to Seven and on the way back! The two photos below are courtesy of Bailey:

Me outside Warehouse discussing Seven

Me discussing Tim Tate's work

And the below photo courtesy of Mark Cameron Boyd:
Alessandra Torres discusses her installation

After the talk Alessandra and her family took me out to dinner to Lauriol, where I had some excellent Cuban food.

And Bailey also managed to whip out a monster letter to the Washington Post editors taking Jessica Dawson on for her dismissal of Seven.

It's OK; it's her right as a critic.

And yet, a bad review is better than no review at all. Jessica's expected dismissal of the show has nonetheless resulted in one major sale to an important DC collector.

In addition to Jessica's and John Blee's review, there are three separate other reviews being written right now, and hopefully they will be published soon; let's see what some other observers think.

Monday, August 8, 2005

Subject Matter

The visual arts carry a monkey on their back that none of the other genres of the fine arts have to deal with: the proprietarization of subject matter.

So, no contemporary artist would dare to, let's say, paint ballerinas (sorry but Degas closed that subject), or harlequins, etc.

And some subject matter, by the nature of the subject itself, would be labeled as saccharine by the nicest of critics. Say kittens, horses, puppies, mermaids.

Do we have a screwed up sense of what makes the visual arts tick or what?This powerful painting, titled "Allegory of a Gay Bashing" by Scott Brooks has been receiving a lot of attention in the "nude gallery" in Seven. It is an homage by Brooks to the brutal murder of Matthew Sheppard.

And this painting swings representational painting's most formidable weapon (and the one that keeps painting as king of the hill in spite of all the critics and curators trying to kill it): The ability to convey an entire and diverse range of emotions with just one glance."Allegory of a Gay Bashing" delivers horror, beauty, politics, history and homage all in one swoop.

And this tremendous work will probably never be sold to anyone by Brooks, because it would take immense courage to display this work of art anywhere in this nation; not just DC, but anywhere. Someone can prove me wrong and buy it from Brooks and display it in their home, or office or even a museum somewhere - but I doubt that there's a collector or museum in the USA with the cojones to hang this work.And to get to the beginning point of this ramble, in spite of the horror delivered by "Allegory of a Gay Bashing", many people get stuck on one area: the cute puppy and kitty at the bottom of the castrated nude.

I've been in the room when I hear people discussing it. It seems like the cute puppy and kitty sitting on the ground, and staring at the viewer, evoke a higher sense of revulsion than the castrated man himself.

I've noted people's sense of repulsion caused by juxtaposing the two disparate sets of images. I think that they are repulsed by the cute animals being forced to share a scenario with a tortured man. Why are they there? people ask each other, a note of discomfort in their voices. Even the eloquent Amy Watson was disoriented by the presence of the animals and (in her terrific review of the show) felt that they undermined the painting.Cute kitty and cute puppy... taking the attention away from disturbing image. How dare Brooks paint cuteness, especially in this context?

I don't know why Scott did it, but I think that it is the key that makes this painting truly repulsive and immensely successful all at once. Take them out, and you have a strong, powerful painting. Put them in, and you create a million questions, enormous angst and a desire to physically remove the creatures from the canvas itself.

And maybe without even realizing it, Scott has also reclaimed an artist's right to paint or draw anything that he or she so desires, and take the unjustified saccharinity of a subject and turn saccharine into anthrax with a few deft strokes of a painter's brush and a disorienting sense of juxtapositioning of subject matter.
Update: Sam Wolov has some thoughts on this subject.

Tuesday, August 9, 2005

Bailey on Wolov and Brooks 
Bailey interviews two of Seven's more controversial artists:Samantha Wolov here

and Scott G. Brooks here.

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Capps on Seven
Kriston Capps polices Seven.

Read his review here.

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Seven in Art Film
Seven will be filmed this week as part of a documentary on contemporary art being produced by Deno Seder Productions.

Their art films and videos have won top honors at the Paris Art Film Biennial at the Georges Pompidou Center, the Berlin Film Festival, the Taipei International Film Festival, the Chicago and Houston International Film Festivals, the New York Underground Film Festival and others. One of their films, "Andy Warhol," was screened at the Corcoran during their Warhol exhibition.

Friday, August 12, 2005

Seven on Film
Yesterday an international crew filmed the Seven exhibition at the Warehouse.

They seemed to prefer (and focused upon) Alessandra Torres' installation and photographs, Kathryn Cornelius' video, Tim Tate's glass sculptures, Margaret Boozer's floor "crack" installation and Joe Barbaccia's sculptures.

In the next few days they will be also filming Mark Jenkins' street sculptures around DC, which they also liked a lot.

It was interesting to me to get a sort of outsider "validation" about the quality of the show and the artists, from an experienced crew and director who have done a lot of traveling, filming, interviewing and art hopping around the world, and still have loads of praise for the artwork being created by our area artists.

Cool uh?

Friday, August 12, 2005

Torres Interview
Bailey has a terrific interview with Seven artist Alessandra Torres.

Read it here.  

Sunday, August 14, 2005

Seven side effects
One of the goals that I had hoped to accomplish for Seven (besides making it a success as a fundraiser and expose WPA/C members' work), was to also drag some of my fellow gallerists through the exhibition in the hope that they could find some artists of interest to them.

Thus far, I am told of at least five artists from Seven who have been signed up or offered contracts or exhibitions by area galleries.

Cool uh?

Friday, August 19, 2005

Hsu on Wolov

The Washington City Paper's Huan Hsu has a cool article on Seven artist Samantha Wolov in the current issue of the CP.

Read it here.