Near Disaster at 1708 Gallery in Richmond, Virginia

Richmond's 1708 Gallery had a bit of a close call with fate as last Sunday a building two doors down from their space went up in flames. The gallery escaped with only minor water and smoke damage.

The timing for this sort of event is never good, but it is particularly bad this time around. This month is the gallery's annual live auction. This event contributes greatly to the annual budget of this non-profit gallery in Richmond. So, with the fire, their need for support is even greater.

There are still tickets available for the event and there is some really great work available. There are several components to the auction, with work for collectors with various budgets. There is work by gallery members (Bill Fisher, Diego Sanchez, Travis Fullerton, Cindy Neuschwander), regional artists (Ledelle Moe, Richard Carylon, Benjamin Jones, Suzanna Fields, Fiona Ross), as well as national artists like Sally Mann, Ed Paschke, and Richard Serra. There are too many great artists to list.

Details here.

Opportunity for Sculptors

Deadline: March 30, 2007

The Washington Sculptors Group, The Katzen Center at American University Museum, and Juror John Beardsley invite artists to submit work that responds to the architecture of the 6,000 square foot Syvia Berlin Katzen Outdoor Sculpture Garden of the Katzen Center at the American University Museum, in a Call for Outdoor Sculpture for “Architecture/Sculpture” Show (September 4, 2007 to December 30, 2007).

Details at www.washingtonsculptors.org or call: 202.686.8696.

Opportunity for Artists


Deadline: March 30, 2007 (postmark)

The Arts Council of Fairfax County announces Arts Council @ GRACE, a juried art exhibition offering $2,000 in prize monies. The exhibition is produced in partnership with the regional visual art center GRACE in Reston, VA.

Artists from DC, MD, or VA are encouraged to apply. Artists working in any media can submit up to five (5) images on CD, or video totaling no more than five (5) minutes on DVD. Juror: Irene Hofmann, Director of the Contemporary Museum in Baltimore, MD. Cash prizes totaling $2000. Entry Fee: $35 (waived for Arts Council and GRACE members). Exhibition will take place June 21 - August 3, 2007. The Call for Entries is also available for download from this website. For more information please visit the website or contact Susanna Rosenbaum at srosenbaum@artsfairfax.org.

Call for Artists

DC gallerina Kristina Bilonick has taken on a new extra-curricular gig: organizing a monthly outdoor arts market that will take place at the Ballston Metro on the second Saturdays June - October.

It's called the Ballston Arts + Crafts Market, and she's just created a blog where she's posted the call for artists and will eventually post info on the selected artists, live music and other activities surrounding the monthly event. The blog is here.

Kristina says that so far she's received a lot of jewelry and pottery submissions, but they're also looking for fine art, photography, woodworking, indy fashions, etc...

Contact Kristina at kbilonick at earthlink.net.

Wanna go to a Philly opening tonight?

Kay Hwang and Jackie Tileston open tonight at one of my favorite Philly galleries, Pentimenti Gallery.

The reception for the artists is tonight, Friday, March 16 from 6 - 8 p.m. The exhibition goes through April 28, 2007.

DCist Exposed

By Katie Tuss

Today is the last day to take in DCist Exposed on view at the Warehouse Art Gallery on 7th Street NW. Organized by the indispensable purveyors of capital city activity at the blog of the same name, DCist Exposed highlights the work of 38 metro area photographers and their unique interpretations of all that the district has to offer.

DCist Exposed is the first gallery exhibition organized by DCist and the debut show for many of the featured artists. The Guy Who Powerwashes Your Gravestone, by Thomas Anderson, juxtaposes the daily brush with the grave and serious, as a worker at Arlington National Cemetery cleans the headstones. John Ulaszek’s DC Park Police captures a mounted cop indulging in a red lollipop while surveying a ubiquitous Washington protest.

The diverse images were selected from a pool of over 200 submissions to Flickr.com, the photo sharing website that DCist regularly uses to supply its images. Stop by the Warehouse for a TGIF beer and experience neighborhood stalwarts in a new light.

The gallery is open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Save the date!

Cause and Effect: What Impact Does Art in the Workplace Have on the Workforce? is a panel at The Phillips Collection on Thursday, March 29, 2007 from 8:45-10:45am (8:45-9:20 Registration/Continental Breakfast; 9:25-10:45 Forum).

Following the forum, participants are invited to tour The Phillips Collection. $35 Registration Required - details here.

Presenters are:

- Paul Boulis, president, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois & Chairman of Arts & Business Council of Chicago, Illinois

- James Fitzpatrick, senior partner & chair of Art Committee, Arnold & Porter; Trustee, The Phillips Collection

- Abel Lopez, chair, Creative Communities for Community Foundation for the National Capital Region.

The Moderator is Glen Howard, President of Strategic Philanthropy Advisors.

Two new Smithsonian American Art Museum curators

The Smithsonian American Art Museum has appointed two new curators. The Consulting Senior Curator for Film and Media Arts is John Hanhardt and The James Dicke Curator of Contemporary Art is Joanna Marsh.

Hanhardt will be responsible for a media arts initiative at the museum which includes acquisitions, exhibitions, educational programs and archival research resources related to film, video and the media arts. Marsh will be responsible for research, exhibitions and acquisitions related to the museum's growing contemporary collection.

Hanhardt was the senior curator of film and media arts at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City from 1996 until last year. From 1974 to 1996, he was curator and head of the film and video department at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Before that, he established the film department and film study collection at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minn.

Marsh comes to the museum from the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Conn. where she currently is the Associate Curator of Contemporary Art. She will report to the SAAM on April 30, 2007; Hanhardt is already there.

Wanna go to a MICA multi-studio opening tomorrow?

Accompanying the annual series of thesis exhibitions at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), 31 first-year candidates in MICA’s master of fine arts (M.F.A) programs are featured in a parallel series of group exhibitions. First-Year MFA I, II, and III Exhibitions showcase works by students from the College’s Hoffberger School of Painting, Mount Royal School of Art, Rinehart School of Sculpture, and photography and digital imaging program. The exhibitions take place in Bunting Center’s Pinkard Gallery (1401 Mount Royal Avenue), in Baltimore.

First-Year MFA I Exhibition runs Friday, March 16 through Sunday, March 25, with an opening reception on Friday, March 16, 5–7 p.m., and open studios on Friday, March 16, 7–9 p.m. The 11 students exhibiting are Mount Royal School of Art students Meaghan Harrison, Jimmy Roche, Mary Tait, and Courtney Wrenn (Scrapworm); Rinehart School of Sculpture students Sebastian Martorana and Virginia Warwick; Hoffberger School of Painting students Jessie Boyko, Alan Reid, and Justin Storms; and photography and digital imaging program students Sarah Jablecki and Christine Tran.

Role of Criticism Today

David Waddell over at ARTifice reports on the "Role of Criticism Today," panel discussion that took place at the Provisions Library in Dupont Circle in DC last Wednesday.

You have to read this.

And the nation's favorite buildings are:

From Slate:

Last month, the American Institute of Architects released the results of a national poll that asked the public to name its favorite buildings in the United States. Probably no one but an architect would be interested in exactly who made the cut. Meier and Gehry did (for the Getty Center and Disney Concert Hall, respectively)—although their buildings rank below Michael Graves' cartoonish Dolphin and Swan Hotels in Walt Disney World. Such firebrands as Thom Mayne, Peter Eisenman, and Steven Holl did not. But it is the list as a whole that casts an interesting light on what Americans think of the recent spate of signature buildings. The short answer: not much.

The list is here and six of the top ten sites are in DC.

New DC area gallery Grand Opening

Habatat Galleries, initially established elsewhere in 1971 opens their newest Greater DC area outpost this coming Saturday, March 31, 2007 with a grand opening reception from 7-10PM at their new space in Tyson's Corner. Directions here.

UPenn MFA Open Studios Sale Next Month

The University of Pennsylvania's Master of Fine Arts department offers an evening of open studio tours, performances, video screenings, music, and a chance to purchase work by emerging artists.

Friday, April 27, 2007, 5 p.m. - 8 p.m., free admission, drinks and refreshments

The UPenn MFA Open Studios Sale ushers out the academic term with a special event for collectors and art fans. First- and second-year Master of Fine Arts candidates at the University of Pennsylvania will open their studios for tours and informal chats about their work. Approximately 150 drawings, prints, paintings, photography, and sculptures will be for sale at accessible price points of $50, $100, and $150. All proceeds from these sales will support the Class of 2008 Thesis Show.

The UPenn MFA Open Studios Sale will take place in the Morgan Building, the university's main art studio building, at 205 S. 34th St. (between Walnut and Spruce streets) in Philadelphia. Live music and performances by MFA candidates will occur throughout the building, and refreshments will be served.

For more information, contact: Gianna Delluomo: 215-900-9714, delluomo@design.upenn.edu or Simon Slater: 917-763-7034, simonslater@gmail.com

Information about the event can be accessed on-line at this website.

Wanna go to a DC party tomorrow?

And also get a free 2007 Washington DC Guide?

Then come help Not For Tourists celebrate the release of their 2007 Washington DC Guide. The launching party is again this year at Local 16 on U Street, on Friday, March 16, 6-9pm (no cover charge/open to public) to officially herald the arrival of the latest version of the invaluable guidebook.

They are also looking for writers for their 2008 guidebook. Details here.

Randall School Update

Earlier this week I discussed the issue of the Randall School, the Corcoran and the neighborhood meeting about this hot issue.

A reader writes that:

"...a couple of my comrades attended the meeting of the ANC [Advisory Neighborhood Commission ] a few days ago on the Cork's plans. They are proposing to preserve the oldest parts of the building (as they are required to do under historic preservation law) and build a massive, undistinguished, even Stalinesque, 400 unit condo project on the rest. And they are a non-profit?"

Here's an idea: why doesn't the Corcoran hold a lottery for 10 of the 400 planned condos and give those 10 condos for free to 10 low income DC area artists?

Congratulations

To DC's Zenith Gallery, which is celebrating 29 years, which in gallery years is like 28 more years than the average gallery in the US survives being open.

Their 29th Anniversary Exhibition opening is Thursday, March 15th from 6 – 9PM and features 29 Zenith Artists:

Painting: Gloria Cesal, Renee duRocher, Drew Ernst, Christine Hayman, Robert C. Jackson, Shelley Laffal, Stephen Maffin, Joey Manlapaz, Anne Marchand, Davis Morton, Reuben Neugass, David Richardson, Sica, Ellen Sinel, Cassie Taggart, Wayne Trapp.

Mixed Media & Tapestry: Sue Klebanoff, Joan Konkel, jodi.

Sculpture: Margery E. Goldberg, Stephen Hansen, David Hubbard, Donna M. McCullough, Carol Newmyer.

Neon: Phil Hazard, Craig Kraft, Candice Watkins, Michael Young

Photography: David Glick, Colin Winterbottom.

Art-O-Matic Registration is now open

Artists can now register online at www.artomatic.org. There are also "newbie" meetings on Wednesdays 6 pm at 2121 Crystal Drive, 6th floor in Crystal City, Virginia. Meetings are: March 14, 22, 28, and April 4, 11, 2007.

WaPo profiles another DC artist

I don't know what's going on at the WaPo, but even if it's just a coincidence, I like it.

First its Chief Art Critic profiled a DC area artist, his first ever such profile, and now writer David Montgomery delivers an excellent piece on DC area artist Nikolas Schiller. Read that profile here.

Wanna go to a great DC opening tomorrow?

Women's Work: Five Distinct Points of view from Young Female Artists, featuring the work of Molly Brose, Mary Chiaramonte, Jenny Davis, Laurel Hausler and Abbe Mcgray opens tomorrow at DC's Nevin Kelly Gallery on U Street. The opening reception is Thursday, March 15th, 6 - 9 PM.

Two of my favorite young artists are on this list: the super talented Molly Brose, whose work hangs in my house, and the equally talented Jenny Davis, whose work first amazed me when she was 13 years old.

Tip of the Year

There's a small 8x10 inches painting by Clark/Hogan that has found its way to Miss Pixie's shop on 18th St in Adams Morgan in DC. She's selling it for $135.

While they were married Michael Clark and Felicity Hogan used to be my neighbors in Canal Square in Georgetown, where they usually painted together and ran MOCA/DC, and this is one of their signature pieces: a Washington portrait. I have one in my personal collection.

Clark is in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, and has also been in a past Corcoran Bienial, and is also in the permanent collection of the Corcoran. Hogan now lives in New York, where she is an art dealer and an artist.

The Trawick Prize

Deadline: Tuesday, April 10, 2007

The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District is now accepting submissions for The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards. The 5th annual juried art competition awards $14,000 in prize monies to four selected artists. Deadline for slide submission is Tuesday, April 10, 2007 and up to fifteen artists will be invited to display their work from September 4 – September 28, 2007 in downtown Bethesda at Creative Partners Gallery, located at 4600 East-West Highway.

The Trawick Prize is without a doubt, the key fine arts competition available to DC, MD and VA artists and has already produced some spectaculaer results for its winners.

This year's competition will be juried by Anne Ellegood, Associate Curator at the Hirshorn Museum & Sculpture Garden; Amy G. Moorefield, Assistant Director and Curator of Collections for Virginia Commonwealth University’s Anderson Gallery and Rex Stevens, Chair of the General Fine Arts Department at Maryland Institute College of Art.

The first place winner will be awarded $10,000; second place will be honored with $2,000 and third place will be awarded $1,000. A “young” artist whose birth date is after April 10, 1977 may also be awarded $1,000.

Artists must be 18 years of age or older and residents of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. Original painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, fiber art, digital, mixed media and video are accepted. The maximum dimension should not exceed 96 inches in any direction. No reproductions. Artwork must have been completed within the last two years. Selected artists must deliver artwork to exhibit site in Bethesda, MD. All works on paper must be framed to full conservation standards.

The Trawick Prize was established by local Bethesda business owner Carol Trawick. Ms. Trawick has served as a community activist for more than 25 years in downtown Bethesda. She is the Chair of the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District and past Chair of the Bethesda Urban Partnership. Additionally, the Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation was established in 2007 after the Trawicks sold their successful information technology company.

For a complete submission form, please visit www.bethesda.org or send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the Bethesda Urban Partnership, Inc., c/o The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, 7700 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD 20814.

Opportunity for Painters

Deadline: Monday, April 9, 07, 4pm.

Last year I told you all the story of my experience with this very good painting competition. Read it here and then enter this show.

The McLean Project for the Arts: Strictly Painting VI has their call for the sixth version of this show. They will notify accepted artists on May 4. Artists will be notified by email or postcard. Please do not call.

The juror is my good friend Kristen Hileman, who is the Assistant Curator at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

Eligibility: All Mid-Atlantic artists (DC, VA, MD, PA, NJ, DE, WV) are invited to submit up to 4 slides or jpegs of paintings on any two-dimensional surface completed in the last two years and not previously exhibited at MPA. Paintings that are influenced in some way by the Washington Color School will be considered. Work that combines painting with other media is acceptable as well. Each of the submitted works must be available for exhibit if chosen by the juror. Works must fit through an 81" x 65" doorway.

Awards: Cash prizes up to $2,000 will be awarded by the juror.

Entry fee: $25. Fee waived for current MPA members. Fee includes one-year artist membership to MPA. Make checks payable to: McLean Project for the Arts. Artists may submit up to four 35mm slides in a slide sheet or four digital images on a CD. Submit to:

Strictly Painting
McLean Project for the Arts
1234 Ingleside Avenue, McLean, VA 22101

For further information email Nancy Sausser: nsausser@mpaart.org.

Opportunity for Textile Artists

Deadline: June 29, 2007

The Julia A. Purnell Museum, a museum of regional history with a substantial textile and costume collection is seeking fiber artists and fashion designers to participate in a fashion show to take place in October 2007. The show, entitled "Once Upon a Runway: Tradition & Innovation," will stress the artistic nature of fashion design.

The museum is seeking to represent a wide variety of styles and techniques, including, but not limited to: quilting, hand-weaving, knitting, and hand-dyeing.

Hobbyists, students, professional and non-professional designers and artists are encouraged to apply. Work from patterns is acceptable, especially in the cases of knitwear, historic costume recreations, and hand-wovens, as long as the pattern-maker is noted and credited. The show will be juried by members of the museum staff and the Central Delmarva Fibers Guild, and applicants will be notified of their acceptance no later than July 27, 2007. The fashion show and luncheon will take place on Saturday, October 20 at the Nassawango Country Club in Snow Hill, Maryland. To request an application, or get more information, contact the Julia A. Purnell Museum at (410) 632-0515 or mail@purnellmuseum.com

Multimediale

Multimediale is a four-day multimedia DC area arts festival that brings together artists from the Washington, DC region centered around the theme: Capturing the Capital!

Multimediale seeks to energize the DC arts community with new ideas about art, society and politics. Visit their Web site at www.multimedialedc.org for news and dialogue. Multimediale is organized by Randall Packer and curator Niels Van Tomme. All events are free and open to the public.

Sirius on Tate

Sirius Satellite Radio will be recording a segment on DC area uberartist Tim Tate sometime next week. Details to follow.

Smithsonian to launch TV station

I was reminded today that the Smithsonian Institution will be launching its own television station later this year. It's a joint venture between the SI and CBS/Showtime Networks.

2007 DC Mayor's Arts Awards

The fun, entertainment and presentation of the awards will take place on Monday, March 19, 6:00pm, at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.

Hizzoner Mayor Adrian Fenty will preside over his first Mayor's Arts Awards, the highest honor conferred by the District of Columbia in recognition of artistic excellence and service among artists, organizations, and patrons in the District.

The 22nd Annual Mayor's Arts Awards will be held on Monday, March 19th at 6:00 p.m. in the Concert Hall at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Grammy Award winning a cappella group, Sweet Honey In The Rock will perform and accept the Lifetime Achievement Award.

My good friend WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi is the evening's Master of Ceremonies. Legendary choreographer, director, producer Debbie Allen, D.C. Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Clifford Janey, and Norman Scribner, Artistic Director, Choral Arts Society of Washington are among the presenters.

The evening will feature an award presentation for Excellence in an Artistic Discipline, Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education, Excellence in Service to the Arts, and Innovation in the Arts and others.

Winners will be announced "live" from the stage and receive a statuette specifically commissioned for the ceremony. This event is free and open to the public and I have attended many times over the years and it is a boatload of fun. No tickets are necessary for the award ceremony, but reservations are recommended. The audience should RSVP to artsawards@dc.gov or 202.724.5613.

Grants for Artists

The LEF Foundation accepts grants applications on an ongoing basis. They offer funding for contemporary works in the visual arts, performing arts, literary arts, architecture, design, film and new media. The intent of the grants are to provide opportunities to produce and present new work; to honor creative merit and foster critical discourse; encourage dissemination of work by emerging and under-recognized artists; increase exposure of established artists in regions where they have not been widely represented; to promote new concepts, technologies, and approaches that are experimental or innovative; to support work that may be considered controversial or provocative; and to enhance the voices of marginalized cultures. Interested applicants should send a one page Letter of Intent. For more information or program guidelines, contact:

LEF Foundation
945 Greene St.
San Francisco, CA 94133

Wanna go to nude body painting opening in DC this Friday?

On Friday, March 16, 2007, the five Canal Square Galleries in Georgetown (Parish, Alla Rogers, Rebecca Cross, Anne Fisher and MOCA DC) have their usual 3rd Friday Georgetown openings and MOCA DC is hosting its Erotica 2007 show opening starting at 6 pm until the beer and wine runs out. They will also have a nude body painting event (three females and three males) as part of the festivities.

Oh yeah! The event is free and open to the public.

Jasper Johns and Target

Adam Benforado (identified as "a lawyer and art history buff") writes a really insightful and sensitive piece for the WaPo on corporate sponsorship of art, an issue which has been largely ignored by most art critics, writers and other artworld symbiots.

Currently hanging outside the East Wing of the National Gallery is a large banner of Jasper Johns's 1955 "Target With Four Faces," advertising a show celebrating the first decade of his work. The painting is dominated by the title motif: a blue dot surrounded by four concentric circles of alternating yellow and blue. Walking in recently, I joked to my companion that I was surprised that Target wasn't sponsoring the show.

Out of the mouths of babes . . .

It turns out Target is sponsoring it, "proudly," in fact.

Offering financial backing to the exhibition was undoubtedly a savvy move for Target. After all, the show is filled with paintings that, though they aren't red and white, evoke Target's corporate logo. Johns's targets also appear on the exhibition catalogue and posters for sale in the gift shop. On the busy Sunday I was there, hundreds of people were strolling through, staring intently at various depictions of an image that has been engrained in our heads as standing for one of America's most powerful and successful companies.

And then Adam Benforado offers up a solution:

First, if we care about art -- if we value it as a social good -- we must increase public funding so that museum directors and artists can remain independent. While the United States is unlikely to shift to the centralized European model of art sponsorship, the federal government's stingy arts budget could be increased without any of us feeling much of a bite in our pocketbooks.

Second, we should demand that corporations give money to art galleries without sponsoring particular shows. If Target is really committed to "arts and education," as it says in the Johns show brochure, then it should be just as satisfied with its donation going to support the excellent exhibit on Rembrandt's prints and drawings in the adjoining building.

Or the operating budget for the WPA/C, or finding a place for the Wyeth mural, etc. My kudos to Adam. Read the whole article here.

Sight Scene

Several writers from the WaPo Express have been surveying the DC area art scene including some good postings by SSGT Capps and Kriston & Co. have been doing an excellent job. His most recent survey of some terrific DC area shows is here.

On the Lot

My good friend, the very talented Jon Gann has applied for a new reality TV show called "On the Lot." This American Idol styled show will involve 16 filmmakers from across the country competing for a $1 million development deal at Dreamworks. The show is a co-production of Steven Spielberg, Mark Burnett (Survivor) and FOX, and is scheduled to air in May.

The show's producers have finally uploaded Gann's 2004 award-winning film, "Signs" as a sample of his work.

We can help: Please visit a web site that Gann has put together at PutJonOnTV.com. The site has information on how you can register, watch his film, rate it, and leave a comment on his blog. By participating in this process, we can all help increase his chances of getting the interview that he needs to be cast.

Randall School renovation discussions

The Southwest advisory neighborhood commission draft agenda for its March 12 meeting has a discussion on the Randall School renovation issue.

For interested artists and other interested parties, the meeting begins at 7 p.m. on March 12 at 25 M St., SW. For more information, call (202) 554-1795.

A Breath of Fresh Art Writing

One of the most pleasantly shocking things to unexpectedly find in the Washington Post's Style section on a Monday morning is a huge profile by the WaPo's chief art critic of a DC area artist.

Gopnik profiles DC area glass sculptor Graham Caldwell, whose show at G Fine Art runs through March 31, 2007. We also learn that Graham, is apparently soon leaving the DC area and heading back to NYC as well as the fact that "Caldwell, normally a trendy dresser -- a shy smile, slight build and artfully tousled hair give him teen-idol looks -- is in old khakis and a scruffy shirt."

This is the first time in my memory that I recall the WaPo profiling a living DC area artist; usually such profiles come in the form of an obit-type article. Kudos to Gopnik.

While I was gone

And nu, I am back from Sedona after an unexpected one day stop at Phoenix courtesy of US Airways.

I have tons of interesting stuff to discuss and report, but first I'd like to make sure that no one misses on the good stuff that happened while I was gone and playing hooky on blogging duties.

DCist Exposed opened at the Warehouse Gallery and it appears that Heather not only did a great effing job, but all of us in the rarified atmosphere of the fine arts arena may have seen the shape of things to come. From the volume of emails that I have received about this show, the opening was a spectacular success and has once again proven the power of the web. I add my vote to those hoping that DCist does this again and maybe even expand the concept, say to my idea about videos and DC, or painting, or sculpture. Bravo to DCist and Heather Goss! Go see this show and buy some really good affordable photography.

One of DC's best-known artists (with hundreds of Indie films about him) Tim Tate opened at Fraser Gallery [formerly co-owned by blah, blah, blah], sold a ton of stuff and had a cool article about the show at the Washington City Paper and a nice mention in the WaPo. Which brings me to the question: This is Tate's fourth solo show in DC and still he has never, ever been reviewed by the sole WaPo art critic charged with reviewing DC area art galleries. Why is GWU art history student Jessica Dawson ignoring Tim Tate? Who knows? Is the fourth time a charm? Maybe Jessica will now take the Metro to Bethesda and offer her thoughts on the artist bringing glass to the 21st century like Stieglitz brought photography to art. Go see this show and this may be the last chance for budget-minded collectors to acquire an original piece at very, very reasonable prices by this artist - news to follow!

My good friend Staff Sgt. Capps has a really good update on the hot issue of the Randall School, the Corcoran and the artists who have studios there. Read Capps' piece here and artist Karen Joan Topping's issues here and also artist Ellyn Weiss issues here.

Artomatic is one of the United States of America's premier visual art events, especially for emerging artists and beginning art collectors. It is usually denigrated by repressive art neocons and traditional art writers stuck on the mental payroll of an elitist artworld itself stuck on the shift gear of booshwah museum curators, symbiotic writers and critics, and a handful of NYC art dealers, all so far removed from 9to5 jobs and glued to oversized glossy magazines and books, that they (we) have failed to realize and actualize on the beauty and raw power and energy of the common human and their visual art creations. If you live anywhere near the DC area and want to know what being an artist, feeling like an artist and rejoicing in the spectacular sensuality and power delivered by being able to create and showcase art, then make sure that you become part of (as a participant, volunteer or visitor) Artomatic. And don't let the Hamelin-pied-piper minded neoconcritics scare you away from Art-O-Matic; I can fill pages of this blog with the success stories of artists who first surfaced through this most plebian and democratic of art events, including the top three new DC area 3D artists (artists that these same critics now (probably) wish they had acquired back in those seminal AOM exhibits). Who will be the new star of this coming AOM?

N.C. Wyeth mural to be moved

"The Apotheosis of the Family" is a 60-foot-by-19-foot mural by American art icon N.C. Wyeth which is to be moved from the Wilmington Savings Fund Society in Wilmington, Delaware (where it has been since 1932) to an unknown location.

I am told that the developer will move it to another spot (so far unknown to me). The final location of this massive mural has been uncertain since 2005, when the Wilmington Savings Fund Society announced plans for a new headquarters.

As part of the project, the WSFS "struck a deal to sell the building for about $4 million to Wilmington real estate developer Buccini/Pollin Group Inc. The deal is expected to close in early April."

This huge work of art belongs in Delaware, and "art conservators have estimated the cost to remove the painting's five canvas panels would range from $100,000 to $200,000," which is a very realistic and affordable price for a work of art that belongs in the tiny state for which it was created. Furthermore, considering the massive "old money" wealth of some Delaware families and businesses, this seems to be a prime (and cheap) opportunity for some company to get some great positive publicity in moving and re-installing this work of art in a Delaware institution.

"So far, "discreet inquiries" to find a new home in either a public building or a museum have not been fruitful, said Joyce Hill Stoner, a professor at the Winterthur/University of Delaware program in art conservation and the expert who oversaw conservation work on the mural in 1998. Stoner has been consulting with Buccini on the mural for more than a year.

Danielle Rice, director of the Delaware Art Museum, said Wednesday the museum has no space to accommodate such a large work.

"We would have to build a building for it," Rice said.

James M. Duff, director of the Brandywine River Museum echoed that sentiment."

"We hope this wonderful mural will be preserved, but it is too large for the Brandywine River Museum," Duff said in a statement.

The Delaware State Arts Council has had trouble finding a potential spot because of the "overwhelming size," said Stoner, a member of the council.

So far the real estate developer (Buccini/Pollin Group Inc.) has stated that "if possible he would prefer to see the work stay in the region," which is good news.

This is a call for the ubercompanies to come through with a good solution. Calling AOL, Lockheed Martin, MickeyDees and others.

Update: Check out a video of the mural by BB's Video Press here.

Returning home all sun burned and charged up from all the hiking and eating and gallery hopping. More later...

Sedona Vortex


A few days ago we hiked up to one of the Vortex sites overlooking Boynton Pass near Sedona.

One to watch

Every once in a while I keep harping about some DC area artists that in my professional opinion, sometimes colored by nepotism and enthusiasm, are not only "must haves" for collectors, but also excellent buys due to their current price points and level of artwork being produced.

Amy Lin is one of those artists that I have been recommending for a while. Her recent last solo at DCAC sold extremely well and now Washingtonian magazine is including her in a forthcoming article on "people to watch" under 40 years of age and they're profiling her for the article.

Venuszine recently also interviewed Amy; read that interview here.

I'm still in Sedona, AZ, and it continues to amaze me. Later today after some hiking I'll be doing some gallery hoping.

Weekend Openings

Even from way out here in Sedona, it's easy to see that the coming weekend is certainly one filled with the opening of important and interesting shows in the Greater DC area. Take a look below, set aside some gallery time and go out and see some shows.

Greater DC

Friday, March 9: It's the second Friday of the month, so it is time for the Bethesda Art Walk.

Tim Tate's "...but what have we gained?", his fourth solo at Fraser Gallery opens in Bethesda with an opening reception for the artist who [total lack of objectivity follows] many recognize as one of the leading forces in the movement that is dragging glass from the confines of craft and firmly plants it in the conceptual realms of contemporary art. I'm far from being objective with Tate's work anymore, but be ready soon for a major jump for this artist, and in this show Tate takes glass to new places again, including video. Go see the marriage of video and narrative glass. Opening reception for Tate from 6-9PM. Through April 7, 2007.

Jayme McLellan's Civilian Art Projects stops roaming around the capital and finds a permanent home at Cheryl Numark's original space on 7th Street, and Jayme has double Jasons for an opening offering: Jason Falchook "Contours & Detours" and Jason Zimmerman "Natural Acts" as well as a group exhibition in the project space with works by artists including Ken Ashton (DC), Jason Balicki (NY), Lisa Blatt (CA), Keshaun Blunt (VA), Breck Omar Brunson (DC), Erick Jackson (DC), George Jenne (NY), Jason Kalogiros (CA) and Nilay Lawson (DC). Opening Reception is Friday, March 9, 2007 - 6:30-8:30 p.m.

9x10 : WPA\C Member Show. In tribute to the late William Warren Parker’s support for emerging DC artists, his family has generously donated space at the William W. Parker (WWP) Gallery – housed in Mickelson’s Fine Art Framing at 629 New York Ave NW - to WPA\C for a new "nine-by-ten" exhibition series: 9 shows of 10 member artists each. These shows will provide a new outlet for WPA\C member artists, and each exhibition will present a diverse cross-section of the WPA\C membership to the public, showcasing works in all media. The 9x10 exhibitions will run monthly from March 2007 to January 2008. Show #1` runs from March 9 – April 6, 2007and features Stephen Borko, Sabine Carlson, Sheila Crider, Joel D’Orazio, Kid Flash (Steve Frost), J.T. Kirkland, Jeanette May, Betsy Stewart, Gia Tkablazde and Andrew Wodzianski. Opening reception: Friday, March 9, 6-8pm, WWP Gallery (Mickelson’s Fine Art Framing), 629 New York Ave NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20001. Info: 202.639.1737.

Saturday, Match 10: Long View Gallery in the city has opening on Saturday, March 10 from 6-8pm for Chicago-based artist Gerard Erley’s Poetic Landscape.

Sunday March 11: Super-talented photographer Jim Steele has an opening reception for his exhibition at the beautiful Athenaeum in Old Town Alexandria. The reception is from 2-4PM.

In Sedona

I'm in amazing Sedona, Arizona for the week for some hiking and some gallery visits to Scottsdale.

This place has been called the most beautiful spot in America and they were right! More later, including a very important DC area opening this Friday.

Hot Rockwell Found

“Russian Schoolroom,” a Norman Rockwell painting stolen in 1973 has been found by long-time Rockwell collector Steven Spielberg. Read the story here.

Airborne again today and heading to Sedona, Arizona for a little R&R and some gallery hopping around Scottsdale. More later...

Drawn to Art

Every once in a while I get an email from someone asking about where to take drawing classes in the Greater DC area.

The WaPo's Michael O'Sullivan answers that question and more in today's excellent article "Drawn to Art."

The League of Reston Artists also organizes and monitors life drawing sessions at the Reston Community Center at Lake Anne in Reston. Their schedule is on their web site here. The fee is $6 for Reston residents, and $8 for non-residents.

This coming Sunday

If you saw the piece about the Nevin Kelly Gallery and the 4Traits on DC's Fox5 Morning News this morning then you may know that The 4Traits, a group of four artists doing assembly line portraiture, will be in the Nevin Kelly Gallery on this coming Sunday from 1-5pm. Stop by 1517 U St NW in DC to have your portrait drawn for free.

Last Night

Was a packed house at Mate in Georgetown, where nearly everyone and anyone with a footprint in the Greater DC area visual art scene was present for the launching festivities for artDC.

Believe it or not, I hadn't been to G'town since we closed the original Fraser Gallery, which is about a block up the street on 31st Street, NW in Canal Square. The Parish Gallery, which used to be our neighbor in the Square knocked down the wall between the two galleries and now Norman Parish's old space looks really nice with the expanded area.

Anyway, Mate was packed to the gills and there was good food and an open bar, and all the head honchos for ArtDC were there, as well as their media co-sponsors, DC Magazine.

In addition to a significant number of handsome men and goodlooking women, who came clearly because of the magazine's co-sponsorhip of the event, many of DC area [also goodlooking] gallerists such as Leigh Conner, Martin Irvine, Julia Morelli and others were present, as well as some of the folks from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, a museum director or two, including Jack Rasmussen from the Katzen, a lot of curators like Vivienne Lassman, Sarah Tanguy, Angela Jerardi and others, and even some of the folks from the mainstream media who rarely come to openings showed up, including WaPotistas Michael O'Sullivan and the fair Jessica Dawson. Also saw some of DC's rare and few ubercollectors, such as Dr. Ognibene, Podestas, etc., some of which were actually co-sponsoring the event.

Didn't see too many artists, other than painters Candace Keegan and Sondra Arkin.

We were told by Ilana Vardy, the fair's director, that so far 80 or so galleries from 12 countries have been accepted into DC's first major international commercial fine arts fair, and it is clear that the artDC organizers are trying to align every possible thing that can be aligned to ensure that the fair takes root and that it becomes not only a commercial success, but also a recurring event.

The fair will take place April 27-30, 2007 at the Washington Convention Center, Hall E. Details here.

Lilith Waiting for the Apple

While I was in Colorado last week, I did a couple of drawings while watching TV in the hotel room at night.

Below is "Lilith Waiting for the Apple," 14" x 4" on 300 weight Rising white paper and executed while watching Rome on HBO, by far the best series on TV these days. Click on the drawing for a larger version.

Gopnik and African Art

The WaPo's chief art critic's recent review of "African Vision: The Walt Disney-Tishman African Art Collection" again presents this intelligent man's Oxford-made and flawed Anglocentric view of the art history of the world (remember the El Greco fiasco?) and has raised some interesting comments here and the ire of the Right Reverend.

Wanna go to an opening tonight?

The head out to the University of Maryland's Union Gallery for "I Walk the Line: Three Abstract Artists in the 21st-Century: Mary Early, Linn Meyers, and Douglas Witmer" curated by Jonathan Walz – PhD Candidate, Art History. Opening Reception: Thursday, March 1, from 5-7 PM and the exhibition runs through April 12, 2007.

Jury Duty

Last night was the first of a few nights hanging around Flashpoint in DC as part of a jury team selecting new media works for artDC. Together with ubercollector Philip Barlow, David Gariff from the NGA, independent curators Angela Jerardi and Laura Roulet, and Art in Embassies boss Sarah Tanguy, we spent a few hours reviewing the submitted works and found several good ones, but loads more left to review.

It was a long day, as I had spent the entire day in meetings in DC prior to circling 9th and G for 15 minutes looking for a parking spot at 5PM.

More later...