Tuesday, August 06, 2013

Bezos buys the WaPo

Jeff Bezos, whose father Miguel Bezos immigrated from Cuba at age 15 (cough, cough),  will soon be the new owner of the WaPo.

The Washington Post Co. agreed Monday to sell its flagship newspaper to Amazon.com founder and chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos, ending the Graham family’s stewardship of one of America’s leading news organizations after four generations.
I wonder if, considering what we somewhat know about the nerdy genius, this means that the paper will now steer a more centrist attitude and shift a little more to the middle, and also if Bezos has any interest in improving the WaPo's dismal and embarrassing arts coverage.

Talk and party at the Katzen this Saturday

This is the last week to see Tim Tate's spectacular video show at the Katzen Museum at American University

There will be a talk this Saturday at 4pm led by yours truly discussing the meanings and importance of the installation and of Tate's work. 

It is followed by a closing party from 5 to 7 - free and open to the public. 

I hope you get a chance to stop by. 

And here read Tony Harvey's review of the show.

Monday, August 05, 2013

We Don’t Need Monet—We Need Money!

Art Scam Alert!

Ignore emails from this mutant trying to rip off artists...

From:JUSTIN LIND (justin0lind28@gmail.com)
Sent:Mon 8/05/13 8:06 PM
To: lenny@lennycampello.com

Hello . How long does it take you to ship out if an order is completed with you ? . Kindly email me your current website so that i can pick my choice of order for you to quote me . I love your handwork . Thanks

Keep it this way!

Who needs the Hirshhorn Bubble when we got this new asskicking Washington Monument?

The WM is looking both like some Medieval weapon as well as a super-modern glass and lights and steel brutal sculpture -- and also like some new Christo and Jeanne-Claude art project - in fact, making all their previous projects looking a little lame by comparison.

I say, let's keep the Monument like this!

Who's with me?

Sunday, August 04, 2013

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: August 16, 2013
 
John Paradiso, artist and curator for the 39th Street Gallery, and Tim McLoraine, artist and independent curator based in the Gateway Arts District, invite emerging and established artists to participate in the Jewel Box Pop Up group exhibition during the month of September.  
 
The Jewel Box is a 2300sf former jewelry store located at 3104 Queens Chapel Road in Hyattsville, MD.  The Jewel Box will advertise and promote the exhibition and host an Opening Reception and other programming during the run of the show.  

Approximately 25 artists will be selected and be given a 10' section of wall (Art-o-Matic style) with 4' of floor space.  We also encourage 3 dimensional works to be displayed throughout the space. 

If interested, please send contact information and 3 work samples (or link to your online portfolio) by August 16th to jewelboxpopup@gmail.com

Deferral at the Corcoran

Starting August 7 and lasting for four days, the Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art + Design presents Deferral, a site-specific performance by Mary Coble that addresses the Food and Drug Administration’s policy of refusing blood donations from men who have had sex with men since 1977. 

The performance is the latest in the NOW at the Corcoran series – the Gallery’s contemporary art program dedicated to showcasing the work of emerging and mid-career artists. NOW Performance addresses issues central to the local, national, and global communities of Washington, D.C. 

Over four days, Coble and her collaborators encode the curtains of an anatomical theater—formed by hospital curtains in the Corcoran’s Atrium—with text and images from blood donor campaigns, regulations, and debates. The artist writes using her own blood, drawn onsite, while her collaborators work with thread as a stand in for their “illegal” blood. 

Over the course of the performance, their actions create an increasingly tangled web, enveloping and impeding their shared space while reclaiming the image of the male hero. 

Deferral is a reaction to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration policy of refusing blood donations from men who have had sex with men (MSM). The FDA’s deferral policy started in 1983, and since 1992 the FDA has permanently deferred MSM donations, explaining: “A history of male-to-male sex is associated with an increased risk for the presence and transmission of certain infectious diseases, including HIV…” 

Non-monogamous heterosexuals who have knowingly engaged in intercourse with an HIV/AIDS-positive partner are subject to a one year deferral before they may donate blood. 

For Coble, Deferral is a commentary on the FDA policy and marketing slogans from blood donation campaigns that laud donors as “heroes” and as “special” while calling those who do not donate “wusses.” According to Coble, “gay men are never allowed to be heroes.”

Saturday, August 03, 2013

Connecticut Avenue as canvas

It’s not every day that a busy sidewalk on Connecticut Avenue becomes an artist’s concrete canvas, but the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID) is doing just that with its “Explore Our Neighborhood in Chalk” project, Monday, Aug. 5 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (If it rains, the project will be moved back each day Aug. 6-8 until the weather permits.)
 
The chalk mural will be drawn by Whitney Waller who will transform the Connecticut Avenue Overlook into sidewalk scenery for commuters, office workers and tourists to enjoy. The Connecticut Avenue Overlook is located at the top of the Golden Triangle in the semi-circle above the underpass, near Dupont South Metro Station.  
 
Whitney Waller, of Virginia Beach, is currently a Bachelor of Fine Arts student at the Corcoran College of Art + Design.  She teaches for the Corcoran’s Aspiring Artists and Camp Creativity programs. She is also one of the Corcoran’s Summer Saturdays chalk artists, as she recreates gallery pieces on the front steps. She has previously studied at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts.
 
Waller will use chalk to recreate iconic destinations that are located within the 43 blocks of the Golden Triangle neighborhood, including the National Geographic Museum, St. Matthew’s Cathedral, the Heurich House Museum and the Tiny Jewel Box, located in a historic building on Connecticut Avenue.
 
While the chalk art project is temporary, the Golden Triangle BID has other permanent public art displays that have made the central business district one of the city’s most vibrant commercial areas. Last year, the BID unveiled the second phase of the Connecticut Avenue median, complete with colorful plants and a display of lights, pattern and movement programs that change the avenue into a magical scene at night.
 
“This chalk art project is part of the Golden Triangle’s ongoing effort to create interest and add texture and excitement to Connecticut Avenue,” said Leona Agouridis, executive director of the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District. “We’re using this chalk art project to showcase our treasured buildings, special events and numerous services. Our public art program is another way we’re promoting vitality in this neighborhood.”

Friday, August 02, 2013

Go to this opening tonight!

Carla Goldberg - Superman
The Washington Project for the Arts announces The Art of the Super Hero – Revisited, a group exhibition organized by Lenny Campello exploring our cultural fascination with masked men and caped crusaders. 

The artists included in the exhibition approach their topic with a mix of levity and seriousness, using the figure of the superhero to explore issues of identity, immigration, and the struggles of daily life.  

The Art of the Super Hero - Revisited features photography, painting, and mixed media work by F. Lennox Campello, Carla Goldberg, Jeannette Herrera, Simon Monk, Dulce Pinzon, and Andrew Wodzianski. 

The exhibition opens with a reception in the Capitol Skyline Lounge on Friday, August 2, 2013 from 6-8pm and runs from Friday, August 2 through Sunday, August 25, 2013. 


Friday, August 2 – Sunday, August 25, 2013
Opening Reception: Friday, August 2, 6-8pm
   at the Capitol Skyline Hotel , 10 I (eye) St. SW, Washington, DC

Participating Artists: F. Lennox Campello, Carla Goldberg, Jeannette Herrera, Simon Monk, Dulce Pinzón, and Andrew Wodzianski

ABOUT HOTHOUSE
Hothouse is a new series of exhibitions, installations, and events organized by Washington Project for the Arts and taking place in the Capitol Skyline Hotel Lounge. Created as a way to provide new opportunities for WPA member artists and forge new connections within DC’s creative communities, Hothouse will present member-initiated programming on a regular basis.

ABOUT WPA
Washington Project for the Arts (WPA) is an independent, nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization whose mission is to serve as a catalyst for contemporary art.  WPA supports artists at all stages of their careers and promotes contemporary art by presenting exhibitions, issues, and ideas that stimulate public dialogue on art and culture.www.wpadc.org.

Thursday, August 01, 2013

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: May 1, 2014

The Battle Creek Education Society, in support of the Calvert County Division of Natural Resources, is pleased to issue a Call to Artists to submit artworks inspired by the natural world of Southern Maryland. 

The exhibition, “Nature’s ARTcade,” will be held June 7 – June 29, 2014, at Flag Ponds Nature Education Center on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. 

Artist entry forms and show information may be found at www.calvertparks.org/ARTcade. Prize monies for this exhibition will total $2,000. 


The curator for this exhibition will be Dr. Margaret Dowell, artist and adjunct professor of art at the College of Southern Maryland. Prize jurors include Jayme McLellan, artist, educator, curator and founder/director of Washington DC’s Civilian Art Projects, and Tom Horton, former environmental editor for the Baltimore Sun and author of several books about the Chesapeake Bay. 


Deadline for submissions is May 1, 2014. Questions may be directed to Anne Sundermann, Executive Director, Battle Creek Nature Education Society: anne@calvertparks.org, 301-204-4730.

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Donate to Bike to the Beach

I donated to Bike to the Beach to support Autism awareness and research.  Did you know that:
  • Autism affects 1 in 88 children and 1 in 54 boys
  • Autism costs a family $60,000 a year on average
  • Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases
  • Boys are nearly 5 times more likely than girls to have autism
  • There is no medical detection or cure for autism.
A friend of mine is participating in this event -- to support his ride and help in bringing awareness to the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S. click here.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Wanna be part of a museum show?

Extreme Exhibit Makeover at the Sandy Springs Museum


The Extreme Exhibit Makeover is a process of creating new exhibits in the museum through the collaboration of professionals from different fields – history, art, exhibit design, and so on – and a member of the local community.

The process involves identifying experts in various fields who will be placed on one of two teams.  Each team will consist of a historian, an artist – either a visual artist or an exhibit designer – a curator, and a member of the public.  Working collaboratively, each team will come up with an idea for an exhibit that focuses on an aspect of local culture and its historic roots.  The teams will have three months to conduct the background research, select artifacts and photos, create graphics, and design the exhibit.  At the end of three months, the teams will be brought together to install their exhibits on the same day.  The exhibit installation will be open to the public who will vote on the “people’s choice” winner.

The purpose of this project is to reinvigorate the museum with new exhibits; to get new people involved in the museum; to get new perspectives on local history; to make the exhibit process more contemporary by incorporating pop culture (“extreme” reality shows and team competitions) and social media (by posting frequent behind-the-scenes updates); and to incorporate a performance art aspect by allowing the public to watch the installation.

The museum will launch this program in September and plan to have the exhibits ready for installation by January.  A $200 stipend will be paid to each participant. Help fund the Extreme Exhibit Makeover - Click here!

If you are interested in participating, please send the information below by August 25, 2013 to Allison Weiss at aweiss@sandyspringmuseum.org
  • A letter explaining why you want to be part of this program and what skills you bring
  • An example of something creative that you have done
  • Your resume

Monday, July 29, 2013

This week: The Art of The Superhero Opens


Simon Monk - Spiderman
The Washington Project for the Arts announces The Art of the Super Hero – Revisited, a group exhibition organized by Lenny Campello exploring our cultural fascination with masked men and caped crusaders. 

The artists included in the exhibition approach their topic with a mix of levity and seriousness, using the figure of the superhero to explore issues of identity, immigration, and the struggles of daily life.  

The Art of the Super Hero - Revisited features photography, painting, and mixed media work by F. Lennox Campello, Carla Goldberg, Jeannette Herrera, Simon Monk, Dulce Pinzon, and Andrew Wodzianski. 

The exhibition opens with a reception in the Capitol Skyline Lounge on Friday, August 2, 2013 from 6-8pm and runs from Friday, August 2 through Sunday, August 25, 2013. 


Friday, August 2 – Sunday, August 25, 2013
Opening Reception: Friday, August 2, 6-8pm
   at the Capitol Skyline Hotel , 10 I (eye) St. SW, Washington, DC

Participating Artists: F. Lennox Campello, Carla Goldberg, Jeannette Herrera, Simon Monk, Dulce Pinzón, and Andrew Wodzianski

ABOUT HOTHOUSE
Hothouse is a new series of exhibitions, installations, and events organized by Washington Project for the Arts and taking place in the Capitol Skyline Hotel Lounge. Created as a way to provide new opportunities for WPA member artists and forge new connections within DC’s creative communities, Hothouse will present member-initiated programming on a regular basis.

ABOUT WPA
Washington Project for the Arts (WPA) is an independent, nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization whose mission is to serve as a catalyst for contemporary art.  WPA supports artists at all stages of their careers and promotes contemporary art by presenting exhibitions, issues, and ideas that stimulate public dialogue on art and culture.www.wpadc.org.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

New Acquisitions at the NGA

The National Gallery of Art has acquired dozens of new paintings, sculptures and drawings, including its first paintings by 17th-century Dutch Golden Age painter Cornelis Bega and 19th-century French artist Jean-Léon Gérôme. The works were approved by the National Gallery of Art’s board of trustees in May and acquired with private money and donations. Among the other acquisitions were two sculptures by Robert Smithson, ambrotype self-portraits by the photographer Sally Mann, and a Florentine wax relief attributed to 18th-century sculptor Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi.
Details here.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Art traded for smiles

Bren Bataclan watched from behind a tree as a young couple approached the fountain in Dupont Circle and studied a small square object leaning against the base of the monument. From his hiding spot, he could see the woman reach down with empty hands, then stand back up clasping a canvas. The duo held a brief conference, their mouths moving but their words too faint for Bataclan to hear. Finally, they reached an agreement that pleased Bataclan: The woman walked off with the artwork, grinning broadly.

The painting was Bataclan’s eighth giveaway of the day and the 114th since he set out this summer on a cross-country expedition supporting his SmileyB project. More important, with this canvas, he released two more smiles into the world.

“I like to help others, and in my own small way, I’m doing that,” said the 44-year-old Boston-based artist.
Read the whole article by  Andrea Sachs in the WaPo here.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Swiss Freeports Are Home for a Growing Treasury of Art

They come for the security and stay for the tax treatment. For as long as goods are stored here, owners pay no import taxes or duties, in the range of 5 to 15 percent in many countries. If the work is sold at the Freeport, the owner pays no transaction tax, either.
(Via) Read this cool article in the NYT - the interesting thing is that I believe that there are several "off-the-grid" such locations around the world, including a massive one just outside of Boston... cough, cough.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Job in the Arts

 Deadline: August 10, 2013
 
The Brentwood Arts Exchange is in need of experienced instructors to teach comic book making for teens, painting and drawing classes for teens and adults and are requesting proposals from individuals interested in teaching those subjects.  Classes should run for 4 or 6 weeks, and be held in the afternoon (for teens) or evening hours (for adults).  Include a class outline and a materials list in your proposal.
 
They're always interested in hearing good ideas.  If you would like to send a proposal on other art related classes and have experience teaching, they will accept those as well.
 
Send to Frannie Payne, Brentwood Arts Exchange, 3901 Rhode Island Avenue, Brentwood, MD 20722 or send to FrannieD.Payne@pgparks.com

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Art and Labor in the US

How are artists who have been systematically denied fair wages and access to basic services like healthcare and unemployment protections gaining access to those things today?
Even after reading this article by Alexis Clement, I'm not sure who the systemic denier is/are, but I suspect that (like everything else) it is Bush's fault (not Bush The First, he's now a good guy, but Dubya)... Details here.

Alexis Clement will be facilitating a class on this subject (cough, cough), titled Rights, Demands, and Radical Reimaginings: Art and Labor in the US at the Hyperallergic offices starting August 27. Registration info is here. Hyperallergic readers can get $15 off with the code HYPER.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Art Scam Alert

Beware of this mutant who is currently trying to scam artists and galleries:
From: Gregory Butler <gregbutlergroups.llc@gmail.com> To: Sent: Tuesday, July 23, 2013 10:17 AM
Hi, 
My name is Greg, I recently visited your website and found your Work of arts to be appealing. I am very impressed with it and would be interested in purchasing it for my new apartment I am moving into this month. Please do provide me with the price and details if it is available.
 
Greg

New "Who's a Washingtonian?" Grant


Proposals Due: Sunday, September 1, 2013
Funding Amount: $5000
Match Required: 1:1; cash or in-kind  

Details here.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Head StART in ART program

Visual and performing artists are needed for residencies for the Head StART in ART program for the 2013-2014 school year. Residencies will take place at the Ellicott City Head Start Center or the Tubman Head Start Center in Columbia. Artists seeking a residency must have experience working with children; experience with pre-K is preferred. The performing artist residency will conclude with performances by the Head Start children. The visual artist residency will conclude with the completion of an art project for display at their Head Start Center or individual projects for students to take home. Applications are available online at www.hocoarts.org or at the Howard County Center for the Arts, 8510 High Ridge Road, Ellicott City, MD 21043. The deadline for proposals is August 15, 2013.
 
The Howard County Arts Council coordinates, administers, and funds Head StART in ART, with additional funding from Isadore and Bertha Gudelsky Family Foundation, Inc. and a grant from PNC for the 2013-2014 school year.  HCAC selects the artists and works closely with them and the Head Start staff to create a thematic program.
 
In FY2000, the Howard County Arts Council developed a partnership with the Ellicott City Head Start Center to establish an artist-in-residence program.  This partnership, Head StART in ART, provides the children with an in-depth, hands-on artistic experience they might never have otherwise and ensures them access to the arts.  Participation in such a program during the formative years can have a significant impact on a child’s future appreciation of and involvement in the arts and may also advance language and learning skills.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Jenkins checks in

I know that I've said this before, but the WaPo's Style art critic Mark Jenkins has really brought a fresh, new perspective to the WaPo's coverage of DC visual arts and is a huge improvement over his predecessors.

Read his current set of reviews here.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Celebrities Failing at Art

Allison Meier is a bit unfair to artsy celebrities in this cool article, but then again, it is hard to be a celebrity and then try your hand at art and then expect that people will take you seriously... cough, cough.

If anything the Bronx cheer should go to artists like Marina Abramovic for being part of the celebrity worship.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Announcing DC Artist Exchange (DCax)

Artomatic, in collaboration with several DC-based arts and cultural organizations, has announced the DC Artist Exchange (#DCax). 
 
This kick-off series includes five Panel Discussions on artist space in the city and four Swap Meets. Swap meets pDC Artist Exchange Logorovide a forum for the exchange of creative services or materials and the opportunity for community networking. 
 
Best of all, events are FREE to attend. 
 
Come to one session or the whole series. The series kicks off this Saturday, July 20th and runs through the summer season.
View the schedule and sign up today

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Becoming a Collector: How to Know What You LIke and Where to Find It


Thursday, July 25, 7pm in the Emerson Gallery at McLean Project for the Arts
MPA Exhibitions Director, Nancy Sausser, will give a talk about collecting art and how to get started.

Free, but reservations are required. Email info@mpaart.org to reserve your spot.

McLean Project for the Arts is located at 1234 Ingleside Avenue in McLean VA
For more information visit www.mpaart.org or call 703-790-1953

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

2013 Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize

Congratulations to Corcoran College of Art and Design faculty member Gabriela Bulisova, who was awarded the 2013 Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize on Saturday, July 13.

A faculty member in both the Photography and New Media Photojournalism degree programs, Bulisova was awarded the $25,000 prize for her multimedia project, "Time Zone."

The project - a collection of photographs and 12-minute video - focuses on 39-year-old Washington resident Lashawna Etheridge-Bey's effort to recreate a life after 18 years in prison. "Time Zone" features interviews with Etheridge-Bey, her mother, children and friend.

Gabriela Bulisova is a documentary photographer from the former Czechoslovakia, based in Washington, D.C. She travels to marginalized places such as Chernobyl, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria to give voice to those who have been silenced.

View images from "Time Zone" here. View the video here.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Amazon to Start Selling Fine Art On Line

Reports from the Art Newspaper and the Wall Street Journal say Amazon is making plans to sell fine art online. The reports say the company is working with galleries around the U.S.—perhaps more than 100—to act as an online art market and collect a commission on the sales.
Amazon tried this once before in 2001, but in partnership with Sotheby's. It was very successful, so much in fact that Sotheby's decided to go on their own, broke their contract with Amazon (and paid them a ton of money to do so) and was selling about a million dollars a day at one point.

Ebay noticed this and tried to start doing the same thing via a short-lived venture titled Ebay Premiere; they failed miserably.

Then Ebay started courting Sotheby's and the fools decided to partner up with Ebay and the whole entire thing tanked in record time, forever poisoning the well for online fine art auctions.

The formula for selling fine art online demands a legitimizing name (such as Sotheby's or Christie's or MoMA or such a recognizable "art name") - it fails miserably anytime anyone else tries it.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Woman as Color, Light and Form

Galerie Myrtis located at 2224 North Charles Street in Baltimore has an upcoming exhibition titled Woman as Color, Light and Form that has caught my eye.   The Opening Reception will be held Saturday, July 27, 2013, from 6:00pm – 9:00pm.  The reception is free and open to the public. An Artists’ Talk will take place on Sunday, August 11, 2013 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm and is part of the Tea with Myrtis series of art salons. Fee:  $20 includes tea sampling and sweet and savory treats.  
In challenging the notion of the feminine archetype, artists embrace and reach beyond the boundaries of the female form to express the essence of a woman, figuratively, conceptually and metaphorically. 
As Color, alluring imagery stretches the imagination and explores a woman’s sexual and intellectual power through aggressive gestures and symbolic references to the feminine life-giving force. As Light, provocative photographs portray a woman’s physical strength and ubiquitous presence in nature. As Form, moving two and three dimensional objects, emblematic of the ethereal qualities of a woman, reveal the complexities, convictions and intuitiveness of the feminine expressed as the divine; a ritualistic-based video serves as testimony to one woman’s personal journey of renewal, and others speak to healing, identity, memory and transformation in tableaus that embody a woman’s unbridled spirit.
Edwin Remsburg Diapotheque Series 9/22
The sixteen participating artists express their artistic voices through installations, paintings, photography, prints, and videos.




Artists:  Sondra Arkin, Maya Freelon Asante, David Carlson, Phylicia Ghee, Michael Gross, Nora Howell, Ada Pinkston, Edwin Remsburg (that's his powerful image Diapotheque Series 9/22 to the left), Jamea Richmond-Edwards, Rachael Rotenberg, Amy Sherald, Mary Walker, and Sigrid Vollerthun along with Sondheim Semi-finalists: A. Moon and Adejoke Tugbiyele

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Washington Studio School Annual Students Juried Show

The Washington Studio School 
is pleased to announce 
the Opening Reception of the Annual Students Juried Show 2013 

Friday, July 19th
From 6-8pm
"The work selected for this year's Juried Student Exhibition displays the progression of learning and skill-building that occurs at the Washington Studio School. The focus on drawing and understanding dynamic spatial relationships is evident in student's artwork of all skill levels.  

From figure drawing studies to sculpture, to drawings, paintings and collage that explore abstraction, to paintings in which one can detect a developing individual aesthetic and intuitive process, we can clearly see evidence of growth and the positive results of a highly focused and directed school environment. This exhibition is a showcase of some of the most dynamic student artwork as well as a wonderful insight into the Washington Studio School teaching approach." 
 Milena Spasic, Juror

Saturday, July 13, 2013

How the NSA Cracked the Kryptos Sculpture Code

It took more than eight years for a CIA analyst and a California computer scientist to crack three of the four coded messages on the CIA’s famed Kryptos sculpture in the late ’90s.

Little did either of them know that a small group of cryptanalysts inside the NSA had beat them to it, and deciphered the same three sections of Kryptos years earlier — and they did it in less than a month, according to new documents obtained from the NSA.
Details here.

Friday, July 12, 2013

John Anderson on "Washington Matters"

Read John Anderson's reviews of the Katzen's "Washington Matters" exhibition here. The show is derived from the recently published book Washington Art Matters: Art Life in the Capital 1940–1990 - a terrific book that represents the closing project of the Washington Arts Museum. You can buy the book on Amazon here for less that $11!
Until August 11, the top floor of the American University Museum presents a 50-year retrospective of D.C. art between 1940 and 1989, and it feels much like a multifarious Washington Project for the Arts auction. On view are some muscular works by Jim Sanborn and Robin Rose, as well as a few old standards by Martin Puryear, Sam Gilliam, and Kenneth Noland. But, with more than 80 artists represented in the exhibit—most by a single piece—the show doesn't distill the working careers of the artists involved or offer a coherent sense of identity or movement happening in D.C. The only exception is the featured work from the late 1950s and early '60s, when seemingly every artist in Washington was under the spell of Abstract Expressionism and the so-called Washington Color School. After that, District art hopped all over the map.
Of course, this is an exhibit of some compromise, pulled together in limited time. American University Museum Director Jack Rasmussen, a consistent supporter of D.C. art, found a hole for an exhibit last year when he learned The Washington Arts Museum was publishing Washington Art Matters, a book on local art from 1940 to 1989. Earlier this year, the book's authors gave Rasmussen a list of artists to include in the show, and the museum got to work plucking the relevant art from private collections and three area museums in under 10 weeks (the museum already owned about a third of the work).
Washington Art Matters, written by Jean Lawlor Cohen, Sidney Lawrence, Elizabeth Tebow, and Benjamin Forgey, is, by the authors' own admission, "well intentioned." Unfortunately, it struggles with the same hurdles the exhibit does. This summary of 50 years of Washington art, condensed into 213 pages, often reads like a summary of a summary.
Anytime that a "summary of 50 years of Washington art, condensed into 213 pages, often reads like a summary of a summary" is put into an art show, some art will be blurred.

In fact, at any group art shows, some art will be blurred.

Anderson's piece is a very good read of this show, and showcases this talented critic's finely tuned and wise insights into the DMV visual arts scene... and it also manages to focus on the Pyrrhic task of trying to write a book and then put up an exhibition that tries to sum up 50 years of anything...

If my first of the three planned books on DC visual artists drew so much air intake (every once in a while I still get an email from an artist being pissed off that he/she wasn't included in the first volume, and there's still one included artist who still fumes because he wasn't included on the cover - even though I had zip to do with that part), can you imagine what a book attempting to discuss 50 years of DC area art achieves in that area?

I was once advised that my first volume listing 100 artists would piss off 10,000 unlisted artists... 200 or so will be somewhat tranquilized by the next two volumes, but I can only think of how many 1940-1989 DC artists feel "excluded" from this volume - that's the real Pyrrhic task for the authors (Jean Lawlor Cohen, Sidney Lawrence, Elizabeth Tebow, and Benjamin Forgey), all of whom must be congratulated on the creation of this important and much needed documentation.

 Anderson asks way too much of this show when he writes:
But, with more than 80 artists represented in the exhibit—most by a single piece—the show doesn't distill the working careers of the artists involved or offer a coherent sense of identity or movement happening in D.C.
I'm not sure that it is possible to distill an entire career in such a setting - even retrospectives struggle to show an artist's career if that artists has had a few decades of production. I am also always puzzled why in the visual arts, we're always looking for a sense of order or as he puts it coherence. It is impossible to ask a diverse group of contemporary artists, much less an entire city or region to all collapse into a identifiable and coherent sense of identity - I challenge anyone to show me such a phenomenom in the last 150 years. In fact, the last time that this happened was probably in the 1800s, but we're still using it as a litmus test somehow.

I betcha that even in the halcyon days of the Washington Color School (I loved this part from Anderson's review: "Perhaps the most significant event that separates us from other cities is that Clement Greenberg came here, the colorful staining of canvas was declared a "school," and the recognition made the art-survey books" - the dude is so right!) there was a truckload of DMV artists who weren't staining canvasses or painting lines.

With respect to the latter, I am still astonished to see how many DMV area shows (two will open today/this weekend) include artwork by living artists who are essentially channeling the stripe painters of the 1960s and are yet being shown in 2013. I have never seen a Washington Color Schoolish type artwork in any art fair around the world in the last decade, but here in the DMV both recent graduates and older artists continue to channel Noland, Davis, etc. Somebody should write about that...

Anderson ends his review by stating:
Of course, there's no question that D.C. has contributed to 20th century art in important ways, and nurtured significant artists, as it continues to do. But Washington Art Matters recycles old, whiny arguments to make that point, and the companion exhibit in the AU Museum was afforded too little time and not enough space to give D.C. art the exclamation point it too often seeks.
Sounds like John is challenging American University Museum Director Jack Rasmussen to devote the entire Katzen to a Washington, DC show... cough, cough.

I'm going to see this show, and you have to go see it too... this is Washington, and this is visual art, and visual artists stand on the shoulders of other artists... so go and pay homage to your predecessors. Art school faculties around the region should also all take their classes to this exhibit, and I'd hope that all of our area's museum curators and directors would also take the opportunity to visit and learn about our area's visual arts footprint, but I know that this is asking too much of DMV art curators most of whom who'd rather take a cab to Dulles to fly and go see a group art show by Berlin artists in Germany than take a cab to American University to go see this show... feh!

And thank you to American University Museum Director Jack Rasmussen, whose drive and insight and skill  shows and demonstrates what a museum can do to become more than white walls that show pictures and instead essentially become a key part of a city. And thank you Jean Lawlor Cohen, Sidney Lawrence, Elizabeth Tebow, and Benjamin Forgey, for this intense and important labor of love.

Finally, there's a panel discussion at the Katzen on July 20 - details here.
Washington Art Matters: The 1980s
Saturday, July 20, 3 p.m.
American University Museum
Admission is free
Art Attack project artist Alberto Gaitán; curator-advocate Jim Mahoney; and on-the-scene writer Lee Fleming discuss the aesthetic and political issues of the 1980s. The panel is moderated by Sidney Lawrence, an emerging artist at the time and the Hirshhorn's PR person until 2003, who is one of the Washington Art Matters, Art Life in the Capital: 1940-1990's authors.
And a closing reception on August 10 at 5PM.

At Politics and Prose...


Thursday, July 11, 2013

And the world's fattest country is...

Holy enchilada!

Mexico is the world's fattest country!

Que pasa gorditos?

Cough, cough...

The Talking Walls of Buenos Aires

graffitimundo presents the group exhibition "The Talking Walls of Buenos Aires"  Opening Saturday, July 13th at The Fridge in Washington DC. This will be the first time Argentina's unique urban art culture has been presented in the US. 

Urban art in Buenos Aires reflects the city's turbulent history and rich cultural heritage. Throughout the last century the city walls have been extensively painted by artists, activists, political groups and the public and have become an established and dynamic channel for expression.

During the last two decades several different artistic styles have developed. The devastating Argentine economic crisis of 2001 created a generation of young artists determined to take to the streets and reclaim their city. As they collaborated in a spirit of solidarity a new and distinctive visual language began to emerge.

"The Talking Walls of Buenos Aires" features mural art and original artworks from leading Argentine artists and art collectives, as well as video works and historical and contemporary photography portraying the urban landscape of Buenos Aires and seminal moments in the country's history.

The exhibition celebrates a form of expression rooted in activism and a desire to transform public space, and in the process challenges conventional views on what graffiti is, what street art represents, who creates it, and why.
Artists
Buenos Aires Stencil / Cabaio / Chu / Defi / DobleG / Ever / Fede Minuchin
Gualicho / Jaz / Malatesta / Mart / Pastel / Pedro Perelman / Poeta / Pum Pum / Roma
Sam / Sonni / Stencil Land / Tec / Tester

Event information
The “Talking Walls of Buenos Aires” will open at 6pm on July 13th 2013 at TheFridge, 516 1/2 8th Street SE, Washington, DC 20003

Wanna show at the (e)merge art fair?

Call for Submissions: WPA Member Work on Paper
Deadline: Monday, September 2, 2013 at 5pm
Work Drop-Off: September 16 - 20, 2013, 10am-6pm
Work Pick-Up: November 5 - 8, 2013 10am-6pm
Drop-off and Pick-Up Location: WPA Office, Capitol Skyline Hotel, Suite 434, 10 I (eye) Street, SW, Washington, DC
Exhibition Dates: September 27 - October 27, 2013
Exhibition Location: Capitol Skyline Hotel Lounge, 10 I (eye) Street, SW, Washington, DC
Contact: Blair Murphy, Program Director, 202-234-7103 x 1 or bmurphy@wpadc.org
ONLINE REGISTRATION
 
Washington Project for the Arts is pleased to announce a call for 8" x 8" works on paper by WPA Member Artists to be on view and for sale as part of WPA's Hothouse series during the (e)merge art fair
 
Work will be exhibited in the Capitol Skyline Hotel Lounge from September 27 - October 27, 2013. All current WPA members are invited to submit one 8" x 8" work on paper. Work submitted MUST be 8" x  8" and must be delivered without a mat or frame. If a member artist wishes to submit a work that is smaller than 8" x 8", it must be submitted mounted to an 8" x 8" sheet of paper. WORK THAT IS LARGER THAN 8" X 8" WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Work will be installed on the wall using removable adhesive mounting squares. When not displayed on the wall, work will be stored in acid free, archival sleeves and must fit into one of these sleeves. For heavy works or works on especially delicate or unusual paper, artists must provide an appropriate display mechanism. These could include adhesive squares or a display hook or gator clip attached to the back of the work. If you have any questions regarding this requirement, please contact Blair Murphy, Program Director, at 202-234-7103 x 1 or bmurphy@wpadc.org.

Registration, Drop-off and Pick-up
Current WPA member artists who wish to participate must register online by September 2, 2013 at 5pm by submitting their contact info, cv, work details, and one image of the work they would like to include through this online form. Artists must be current WPA members in order to participate. You can join or renew your membership on the WPA website. 

All work must be dropped off at the WPA office at the Capitol Skyline Hotel, 10 I (eye) Street SW, Suite 434 between September 16 and September 20, from 10am to 6pm. You will be notified via email by November 1 if your work has sold. Unsold work must be picked up at the WPA office between November 5 and 8, from 10am to 6pm.

If you are unable to drop your work off in person, but would still like to participate or have any other questions regarding the submissions process, please contact Blair Murphy, Program Director, at 202-234-7103 x 1 or bmurphy@wpadc.org.

Artist Agreement
WPA Member Artists who participate must agree to the following term. 
   
By submitting to WPA's Member Work on Paper Exhibition, you agree to the following conditions: All work included in WPA's Member Works on Paper Exhibition must be for sale. Work that is sold will be given to patrons to take with them upon purchase. Washington Project for the Arts will take a 30% commission on works that are sold. Work will be insured by WPA while it is in WPA's possession. Unsold work must be picked up at the WPA office by November 8, 2013. WPA will not be held responsible for the work after that date. I hereby release the WPA, its Directors, employees and volunteers and agree to indemnify and hold them harmless against all claims arising out of damage to my artwork arising in connection with my participation in the WPA Member Work on Paper Exhibition. 

About Hothouse
Hothouse is a new series of exhibitions, installations, and events organized by Washington Project for the Arts that takes place in the Capitol Skyline Hotel Lounge. Created as a way to provide new opportunities for WPA member artists and forge new connections within DC's creative communities, Hothouse will present member-initiated programming on a regular basis. 

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Need Studio Space?

Studio Space is Available in AAC's Artist Residency Program! 
Application Deadline: Received by August 1, 2013
Notification Date: August 12, 2013
Studio available for move-in September 1, 2013

The Arlington Arts Center (AAC) invites Washington-area visual artists to apply for this prestigious six-year residency program, which supports artists by providing spacious and light-filled studios, subsidized rent, and a creative community of emerging artists working in diverse media. In addition to well-appointed spaces, studio artists enjoy tremendous exposure and the opportunity to exhibit their work biennially in AAC's Wyatt Gallery. The available space is within our group studio, to be shared with two other artists.
Why AAC? 
  • Beautiful studios with high ceilings, natural light, and sinks, and access to generous common areas, including an artists lounge and shower facilities, and a lovely park with tennis courts on the grounds
  • Wyatt Gallery devoted to exhibitions of Resident Artist work
  • Great location one block to the metro at Virginia Square with cafes and shops, right between Clarendon and Ballston -- two vibrant Arlington neighborhoods
  • Responsive staff eager to promote your career
  • Proximity to other emerging artists in AAC studios and in the community, and to exhibiting artists from the mid-Atlantic region and beyond
To apply:
Visit AAC's website at www.arlingtonartscenter.org/studios to learn more about the program, click here for a description of the Residency Program, and download an application here to get started!   
 
What past Resident Artists have to say:
"As a Resident Artist, I have had an extraordinary space in which to work, explore new materials, develop ideas and exhibit my work. And over time, the high-ceiling studio space influenced the scale of my work, spurring the creation of more sculptural room-size interior textiles. Exhibitions and open studios stimulated dialogue with the public and other artists about the creative process. And I made an invaluable gallery connection, thanks to an independent curator who came to opening receptions. AAC supporters, staff and board members have provided great environment in which to grow as an artist." - Paula Bryan 
 
"My six-year residency at the Arlington Arts Center has been extremely positive and has helped to push my studio practice to new levels. In addition to the support provided by affordable studio rent, the program served as a springboard for my professional development... The experience has been invaluable." - Evan Reed

"My residency here at AAC has been an extremely rewarding and inspirational experience. To be constantly submerged in a center that explores and presents contemporary art and to witness the effects it generates within a community is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I treasure." - Gilbert Trent

Academy 2013 and (e)merge pre-fair party

CONNERSMITH has announced ACADEMY 2013, the 13th annual invitational survey of outstanding work by MFA/BFA students in the Washington/Baltimore area.
Exhibition founder and curator, Dr. Jamie Smith invited 20 artists to participate from the region's arts institutions including American University, Corcoran College of Art and Design, Gallaudet University, George Mason University, George Washington University, Maryland Institute College of Art, and University of Maryland.
Artists: Ryan Carr Johnson, Larry Cook, Di Fang, Kyle Hackett, Annie Hanson, Jay Hendrick, Jeremiah Holland, Rachel Hrbek, Vincent Hui, Nathan Loda, Armando Lopez-Bircann, Kellie Martin, Ryan McCoy, Pat McGowan, Joan Oh, Laura Payne, Mihaela Savu, Rahshia Sawyer, Steven Skowron, and Jason Edward Tucker.
There will be an opening night reception at CONNERSMITH., Saturday, July 13th from 6 to 9pm with artists in attendance. In conjunction with ACADEMY 2013 opening, a pre-fair party celebrating the 3rd edition of (e)merge will be held.

Look for Ryan McCoy to steal this show...