Freelancer writer Mark Jenkins has been writing the "On Exhibit" column at the Washington Post Weekend magazine lately. Today he delivers a pretty good review of the Douglas Gordon show at the Hishhorn.

Gordon was also reviewed earlier in the Post's Sunday Arts by Blake Gopnik.

Only a few days left to apply! The deadline is March 1, 2004.

The Bethesda Arts and Entertainment District is accepting applications for the 2004 Bethesda Fine Arts Festival, an outdoor Fine Art and Fine Craft festival that will take place in the Woodmont Triangle area of Bethesda, Maryland.

The festival will take place, rain or shine, on Saturday, May 15 and Sunday, May 16, 2004. 150 booth spaces are available, $275 for a 10' x 10' booth, $25 application fee. All original fine art and fine crafts are eligible, no mass produced or commercially manufactured products are allowed. $2,500 in prize money.

Deadline for applications is March 1, 2004. To download an application form, visit www.bethesda.org or send a SASE to:
Bethesda Urban Partnership
Bethesda Fine Arts Festival
7700 Old Georgetown Road
Bethesda, MD 20814

For more information contact the Festival Director, Catriona Fraser, at (301) 718-9651.

Note: This is a great opportunity for artists to take their artwork directly to the buying public. The top fine arts festivals, such as Coconut Grove in Florida get well over a million people in attendance, and this one, in its first year, will present area residents with a great opportunity to see 150 artists and fine artisans all in one place. Since it is a juried fine arts festival, only fine arts and fine crafts will be exhibited. One of the rare local opportunities where an art venue actually will get tens of thousands of visitors in two days.

For Marylanders...

The Maryland Humanities Council Has Two Grant Categories.

The MHC awards grants to support programs that engage public audiences in the Humanities - history; philosophy; languages; literature; ethics; linguistics; archaeology; comparative religion; jurisprudence; the history, theory, and criticism of the arts and architecture; and those aspects of the social sciences employing historical or philosophical approaches. The Council has recently revised the criteria and guidelines for its grant program, which can be found at their website.

There are two grant categories: Opportunity Grants (up to $1,200) which are accepted year-round on a rolling basis and Major Grants ($1,201 to $10,000) which are awarded in two competitive rounds per year. The next Major Grant round - for projects beginning on or after July 1,2004 - is about to start and Drafts Proposals are due March 1 to deadline April 15. For projects beginning on or after Jan 1, 2005, Drafts Proposals are due Sep 1 to deadline Oct 15, 2004. Earlier submissions are recommended so that they can give feedback or help. Complete information on Major Grants can be found at this website. If you have any questions or need further information, please contact Stephen Hardy at 410-771-0653 or email him at shardy@mdhc.org.

Oportunity for artists...

Deadline May 7, 2004
The City of Gaithersburg invites area artists to submit an application to exhibit in one of their four art galleries (Gaithersburg Arts Barn, Kentlands Mansion, Activity Center at Bohrer Park, and City Hall Gallery).

The exhibition season runs from October 2004 through September 2005. Applications are available as of March 1, 2004 and must be postmarked or received by 5 pm on May 7, 2004. For an application please call or email the Gallery Director, Andi Rosati at 301-258-6394 or email him at arosati@ci.gaithersburg.md.us.

Arts Club Call for Artists...

Deadline: March 15, 2004
The Arts Club of Washington issues an annual call for entry for monthly solo exhibitions from September to June of each year in three on-site galleries. The deadline for submission is March 15, 2004. Visit their website or call the Director of Development at (202) 331-7282 to have an application forwarded online or by mail.

The Curator/Juror will be Scip Barnhart, who is not only an Associate Professor of Printmaking and Drawing at the Corcoran College of Art and Design and an Associate Professorial Lecturer of Printmaking at the George Washington University, but also one of our area's best printmakers.

Today is "Galleries" day at the Washington Post's Style section and Jessica Dawson reviews Roberto Matta: An Architect of Surrealism, at the Art Museum of the Americas.

Brazilian artist Lara Oliveira (currently an MFA candidate at GMU) debuts with her first solo exhibition in the Washington, DC area. Originally from Sao Paulo, this contemporary artist explores and embodies trans-nationalism and contrasts not only through her key artistic themes, but through her lifestyle and artistic development as well.

The exhibition is titled Planalto: Abstract Oil Paintings by Lara Oliveira and it is at:
Latin American Cultural Space Inc.
Consulate of El Salvador
1724 20th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009
Phone: (202) 667-6674

The exhibition runs from March 4 – 28, 2004 with an Opening on March 5, 2004, from 6 - 8pm.

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Glen Friedel opens at Gallery Neptune on March 12, from 6-9 PM with a show titled "Experiments in Radiance." Artist Reception Friday, March 12, 6-9 PM. Artist Talk, March 13, 5 PM.

John Perrault makes an eloquent case why figurative sculpture can often carry the content that truly abstract sculpture cannot.

After you read that posting by Perrault, then please also read an earlier one on an exhibition of figurative sculptures at the Met.

I find the huge variance around one theme fasciating, and a window into the humanity of an art critic - liking "X" here and disliking "X" there because of "fill-in-the-blank."

Just finished the radio show with Voice of America. I believe it will be broadcast on Sunday. In addition to Cuban art, I managed to also discuss the general Washington art scene, how deep and diverse it is, how many galleries there are, how our museums are among the best in the world, and more importantly in this crusade, how it is generally ignored and even dismissed by our own mainstream media.

Dr. Claudia Rousseau, who was one of Latin America's most respected art critics, and who now lives in Montgomery County and writes for the Gazette has written an excellent review of our current Figurative Painting Show now on exhibition at Fraser Gallery Bethesda.

I'll be interviewed by the Voice of America radio network later on today as part of their cultural broadcasts to the world. The interview will be about our current exhibition by Cuba's three leading female photographers.

These photographers's works are just sensational in my biased opinion, and this is certainly our key photography exhibition of the year for Georgetown. It's the debut in DC by two of them (Cirenaica Moreira and Marta Maria Perez Bravo as well as the second showing of Elsa Mora's photographs.

The exhibition hangs until March 17, 2004 at Fraser Gallery Georgetown. See my earlier posting here. The exhibition will also be reviewed by Lou Jacobson in tomorrow's Washington City Paper.

This is one of four Cuban art exhibitions that we have planned between the two galleries for 2004. Later on this year we'll have Sandra Ramos, then Aimee Garcia Marrero and then a second iteration of our highly acclaimed From Here and From There group exhibition of Cuban artists and artists of Cuban lineage from the Cuban Diaspora around the world.

President Bush’s proposed FY2005 budget recommends an increase of $55 million for the nation's cultural agencies. Proposed increases include $18 million for the National Endowment for the Arts for the new “American Masterpieces” initiative, $27 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities, and $10 million for the Office of Museum Services.

Nicole Bouknight is interested in learning about photography and is seeking an apprenticeship with a photographer in the Washington, DC area. She's interested in learning the basics in photography, including: lighting, composition and darkroom procedures, also interested in learning to use digital cameras. She is also interested in assisting a photographer with on-location and studio assignments for exchange in education. Contact Nicole Bouknight via email at oceansblu143@yahoo.com

Some International Photography Call for Artists:

Deadline: Friday 2 April 2004
WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION.
The aims of this competition are to find the best wildlife pictures taken by photographers worldwide, and to inspire photographers to produce visionary and expressive interpretations of nature. The judges will be looking first and foremost for aesthetic appeal and originality, and will also be placing an emphasis on photographs taken in wild and free conditions. With digital images now being accepted, the competition judges will also be looking for images that are a true representation of life on Earth. Digital images submitted on CD are also accepted.

The competition is open to anyone, amateur or professional, of any age or nationality. Full details and entry forms are online here.

The 2003 exhibition is currently on display at The Natural History Museum, in London until 18th April, 2004.

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Deadline: 25th March 2004
ANNUAL CALENDAR COMPETITION
An opportunity to have your work promoted to the creative industry by having it picked for a 2005 Calendar Competition featuring the photography, digital imaging and mixed media work being used in advertising, design and the publishing market sectors.

Categories: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. Entry fees are 10% reduced if entries are received by 27 February 2004; however, if you reference "CN12Feb" the final deadline is 25th March 2004.

For entry forms e-mail info@refocus-now.co.uk and to read the guidelines visit this website.

Addison-Ripley in Georgetown has "Lost Images: Berlin Mitte," a photographic exhibition by Frank Hallam Day. The show goes on until March 27, 2004.

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Guillermo Silveira presents "The Cosmic Egg." This myth relates to the recent total solar eclipse. Silveira introduces us to an insane man who hopes to convince the audience that globalization will be possible if we all worship the Cosmic Egg. He sings, recites poetry, dances with cosmic chix, and creates a song with the audience, in his effort to find world unity and peace among nations and generations.

Location: The National Theatre
When: Monday, March 1, 2004 at 6:00pm and at 7:30pm

There are infuriating "high art" double standards that continue to bother me, as one discovers more and more variations upon the same theme.

The Theme:
J. Seward Johnson's "art" has been brutalized by the press everywhere. The reason given is not that Seward is a bad guy or even a bad artist, but that his concept of taking someone else's two-dimensional art works - in Seward's latest case the Impressionists - and making them into a three dimensional "new" work is both kitschy and reprehensible.

The Hypocrisy:
1. As I whined about it before, the British artist brothers Jake and Dinos Chapman's early work was based on the famous Goya etchings Disasters of War. Initially they used plastic figures to re-create Goya in a miniature three-dimensional form, and like Johnson (later on), one of these 83 scenes became a life-sized version using mannequins. Yet the Chapmans are darlings of the art world and were favorites in the last Tate show.

2. Whitney Biennial selectee Eve Sussman's "art" is to take Velasquez's Las Meninas and turn it into "ten minutes of a costume-drama feature film.”

3. Jane Simpson is one of Artnet.com's Artists to Watch for 2004. Her stellar reputation in the artworld has been acquired partially by her creation of sculptures based on Giorgio Morandi paintings.

Am I the only one who sees that all of these people are essentially working the same generic concept as J. Seward Johnson - but unlike Johnson, they are being lauded and praised?

What am I missing here?

Van Gogh Photograph

Purchased for one dollar in an antique store! Read the story here.

Photoworks at Glen Echo Hosts Portfolio Critique.

Photography enthusiasts are invited to bring their portfolios to Photoworks’ beautiful new studio space to be critiqued at no fee by professional photographers on the Photoworks faculty. Over coffee and bagels, photographers with all levels of experience will have the opportunity to share their work and receive feedback and comment and participate in fun and informal discussions with both amateur and professional photographers. Portfolios can consist of either digital or traditional work in either black and white or color.

When: Sunday, March 14, 2004 - 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon

Where: Photoworks, Glen Echo Park, Glen Echo, Maryland.

Founded in the early ‘70s, Photoworks is a self-funded photography program that offers classes, workshops, lectures, exhibit space and an open darkroom. The classes are designed to teach all levels of students camera, digital and darkroom skills and processes to make fine art photographs, and emphasizes a strong summer program for young people. All Photoworks teachers are professionals working in editorial, commercial and fine art fields, and Photoworks is proud to have launched the careers of many well-known area commercial and art photographers.

WETA's The Program radio show is supposed to be (according to their own description) about exploring "trends, events and issues in the Washington-area arts scene."

Sunday's program was about the story of Betsy, The Fingerpainting Chimp.

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The Call Box Project, a city wide project, is funded to make historical markers of the old, unused Fire and Police Call boxes. The Dupont Circle Citizen's Association (DCCA) has 23 boxes in the Dupont Circle Area and plans to mount a piece of art work in each box. DCCA does require that every picture include the fountain that is in the center of Dupont Circle, but the fountain doesn't have to be the only focus of the picture.

A description of the project, as well as the Artists' Call and Art Specs which give details on dates, times and methods of submitting art work, are available on this website.

Note: As the call documents state, the DCCA will not pay artists for their producing their work even if it is selected to be reproduced in a box. The artists who are chosen will still own their original art work and can sell, or do whatever they want, with it. Priority will be given to artists who live in, or work in, the Dupont Circle area. DCCA hopes to display art work from 23 different local artists, however, more than one piece may be accepted from an artist and art will also be accepted from artists who do not live or work in Dupont Circle. The level one submissions of art samples are due to March 31, but the deadline for final original art work that includes the fountain does not need to be submitted until the end of the year. More info: Carol Galaty carolgalaty@speakeasy.net.

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Deadline: Friday, April 2, 2004.
In2Words: Numbers & Words. An exhibition in two parts exploring the use of numbers and words in contemporary art. Hosted by Target Gallery in Alexandria.

Part One: Numbers, juried by Sarah Tanguy, Independent Curator, Washington, DC, exhibit dates: June 10-July 18, 2004.

Part Two: Words, juried by Krystyna Wasserman, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC, exhibit dates: July 24-August 22, 2004.

Deadlines for both exhibitions is Friday, April 2, 2004. Fee is $25 for slides of up to 3 works. All artists/all media. Broad interpretations encouraged. Artists can apply to either or both exhibits. Awards up to $650.

Call 703.838.4565 ext. 4 or email Claire at targetgallery@torpedofactory.org or send SASE to:
In2Words
105 N.Union Street
Alexandria, VA 22314

Today's Sunday Arts in the Post is a rare treat with not only a Blake Gopnik review of Douglas Gordon at the Corcoran, but also an incredibly rare gallery review by Gopnik's predecessor, Paul Richard of a couple of area painters at Fusebox Gallery.

First Gopnik...

In his review of Gordon, Gopnik (who is a big fan of video art - in fact he was once asked "what should artists be doing today, if they are serious artists?" and he answered "only manipulated photography and video") gushes about Gordon. If the New York Times' Roberta Smith is giddy about Gordon, then Gopnik is nearly orgasmic as he heaves praise after praise on the Scottish artist's video work. You can also see a video of Blake discussing the show here. A video of a video show... if Blake slows it down to a video frame a minute... then is it great art redux?

I will visit this show next week and let you know which bodily function of mine it affects.

Paul Richard used to be the Post's Chief Art Critic until he retired a couple of years ago and was replaced by Gopnik. Unlike Gopnik, who rarely if ever visits area galleries and concentrates nearly exclusively on museum shows (at least so far), Richard's longevity at the Post allowed him to become deeply immersed in Washington area artists, galleries and scene. His review of Fusebox in today's Sunday Arts is a rare treat from the Post, and offers us an insight into a couple of things beyond the review itself.

First, this is the kind of visual arts coverage that the Post should be doing every Sunday, or at least once a month, not once or twice a year. Fusebox, which is a very hard-working gallery, gets the kind of coverage with this review that most area gallery owners would trade their first-born for (if any had children that is). That is good for Fusebox and for Washington art, and the Post should do it more often.

But the review itself is something else...

Richard uses his ample and first-hand knowledge of Washington art, artists and history to give painter Jason Gubbiotti something worse than a bad review (such as Jessica Dawson once gave painter Andrew Wodzianski when she destroyed him in this review). He gives Jason a patronizing review, expressing some interest here and there, but also handcuffing Gubbiotti too close to the Color School guys that Richard probably used to hang around with. He even dubs Jason's work as "fey."

I think that a review is good if it's really super passionate either way - such as Gopnik's glowing review of Gordon and Dawson's brutalizing of Wodzianski and C.M. Dupre or Gopnik's now famous destruction of J. Seward Johnson.

Richard treats Ian Whitmore, the other painter in the show, with less attention but a bit more kindness. I quite like Whitmore's work and have reviewed it favorably in the past, when he exhibited at "Strictly painting IV" at the McLean Project for the Arts - a show co-curated by Fusebox's Sarah Finlay.

But, in case you missed it, he also sends his successor, Blake Gopnik a not so subtle message in the last paragraph of the review. Blake's position on the issue of "painting is dead" is well-known. So Richard closes his review by writing:

"I liked these shows. What I liked best about them is that neither offers videos or blown-up back-lit photographs. It is nowadays a treat to encounter ambitious young artists who love the smell of paint."

Who says art criticism is boring? Am I the only one who'd love to read a review of the same show, independently done and written, by these two guys?

How about the The Quilts of Gee's Bend?