Sunday, November 17, 2013

Getting ready for Miami...

Working overtime trying to get ready for the Context Art Miami fair next month in Miami. I'd like to finish two more pieces before the shipment leaves. If anybody wants some free tickets - and these are good as they you in to not only Context, but also Art Miami and Aqua.


Friday, November 15, 2013

A new idea and a new series begin

Recently I was approached by the chief curator for an outfit that is hired by firms all over the world to acquire artwork for their spaces. In this case this curator was acquiring art to include in the collection of a brand new luxury liner currently being built.

She wanted me to submit a proposal that fit a particular theme for one of the decks of the ship. I struggled with an idea that has been growing little by little in my brilliant mind... cough, cough. 

Here's the proposal:

In response to the request for an art proposal for _____________’s collection for the ship’s third deck along the theme “_______________” I hereby submit the following proposal. It should be noted that the concept is adaptable since it will be created specifically for this project.

“Rock, Paper, Scissors.” This work would be a mixed media piece with three embedded video components. The painting part of the work is a large, colorful drip painting done in the style of Jackson Pollock. Embedded in the piece are three video windows, which start as “part” of the painting (in other words, the video starts as a drip painting window as well, and at first sight it is just a continuation of the painting). After five seconds of the video windows being part of a Pollock-style painting, they all fade into three individual videos of (1) rock, (2) paper and (3) scissors. In all three cases the video will be customized to show a falling object (i.e. a rock, or a sheet of paper, or the scissors) falling in slow motion and bouncing on a hard surface. The video loops and starts all over again. The size of the piece is adaptable to the space, but will be framed under glass and requires access to electricity. The largest dimension that it can be is 40x60 inches.

A variation to this approach could be a Piet Mondrian approach, where one, two or three of a Piet Mondrian-style painting’s squares shift colors, thus forever showcasing an ever changing work. This can also be approached in the same “Rock, Paper, Scissors” playful idea discussed above; that is, three of the painting’s windows shift to videos of rock, paper, scissors.

Installation of this work requires access to US electric wall outlet standards, which all ships generally have. The electrical cord and connection will require an electrician to hard-wire the piece behind the wall, or it can also be channeled on the wall itself to the nearest electric outlet. The work comes with a remote control, which allows the piece to be turned off and on as desired.

The artwork and framing can all be done within the budget assigned for this project ($______ USD), and installation would be the responsibility of ________.

I am honored to be considered for this project. Please feel free to contact me at my cell (301/_______) or via email (lenny@lennycampello.com) if there are any questions.
After I submitted this proposal I decided to see if I could create a variant on the idea for the Miami art fairs... I will be at the CONTEXT Art Miami (within Art Miami) fair in Wynwood in booth E-82. In the variant, I've created a large painting in the style of Jackson Pollock, with a window in the middle where a video plays and shows that part of the painting (where the window has been cut) as it is being created... below is the video itself (still being edited).

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Nude art censored

Just in case you thought this only happens in post-1800s American public art:
A GROUP of Bundaberg artists are out to show that art cannot be censored in the region by announcing plans to hold a nude-only art exhibition.
The move comes after vision-impaired artist Dennis Mealor's naked photograph of a mature-aged woman, titled Viva Italia, was suddenly withdrawn from the Bundaberg Arts Festival without an explanation last month.
Jacky Poulter, and about seven other volunteers with the Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery (BRAG), will hold "Just Nudes" at the Dirty Linen Artspace next March.
The group is calling itself the BRAG Traders, and has created the independent exhibition because of the expulsion of Mr. Mealor's artwork from the 2013 festival.
Details  here...

And (Oh yeah...) Bundaberg Arts Festival: You suck! The winners of the 2013 festival are here, and "Placoderm" by John Olson actually rocks!

PS - Anybody knows what "acquisitive" means? Cough, cough...

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Kessler & Weiblinger at BlackRock

Up Close and Personal: Opening Reception

Main Gallery | Thursday, Nov 21, 2013 | 5:30 PM | $ Free

Up Close and Personal: Opening Reception
Artists: Glen Kessler (painter) and Richard Weiblinger (photographer)
A modern perspective through the eyes of a photographer and a painter
Exhibit: November 13 –December 20, 2013.

These two hardworking artists are great examples of DMV artists who work hard at exhibiting their work and don't waste time complaining about lack of exhibition opportunities... go check them out! 

Details here.

Ahhh...

Monday, November 11, 2013

Thank you to all veterans!

Thank you!

U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class David Danals
To all US veterans, both those who have served and those who are serving in all corners of the planet while we're home with our families. A well-deserved thank you to all the soldiers, sailors, airmen/women, Marines and Coasties.

Below is Petty Officer Third Class Lenny Campello back in 1975 while stationed aboard USS Saratoga (CV-60) in Mayport, Florida.

Lenny Campello, USN
And then Lieutenant Commander Lenny Campello back in 1992 while assigned as the Executive Officer (XO) of NSGA Skaggs Island, California.

LCDR Lenny Campello, USN

Sunday, November 10, 2013

ABMB Art Fair Guide

In less than a month, the Miami metro area will be the site of numerous contemporary art fairs and art events including Art Miami, CONTEXT, Art Basel Miami Beach, Pulse Miami, and many more.  Art-Collecting.com takes an in-depth look at all the festivities in their free 2013 Miami and Miami Beach Art Fair Guide.

We will be at CONTEXT (within Art Miami) in booth E82.

Saturday, November 09, 2013

World's tallest statue

Opposition leader Narendra Modi launched the construction of the world's tallest statue on Thursday, a $338 million project in honour of one of the country's founding fathers, that he is using to undermine the ruling Nehru-Gandhi political family.
Read the story here 

Thursday, November 07, 2013

From my collection: Mark Jenkins

Mark Jenkins, Pubic Hair, Photograph, circa 2005
Mark Jenkins is now one of the world's best known and most widely traveled street artists. This very cool photo by Jenkins was part of his 2005 solo show at Georgetown's iconic Fraser Gallery. You can see his work here.

Wednesday, November 06, 2013

Spectacular sunset tonight (phone pic)

Potomac Sunset, November 6, 2013,

Tuesday, November 05, 2013

Nazi stolen art found!

Tax authorities in Munich were searching the home of Cornelius Gurlitt, a suspected tax cheat. They surely hoped to find something implicating him in chiseling the tax system. Since Gurlitt is the reclusive son of a Munich art dealer, perhaps the tax authorities thought they might find some art in addition to evidence of tax evasion.

However, they surely didn’t expect to stumble across an astounding 1,500 paintings by masters like Matisse, Picasso and Chagall. The treasure trove of priceless art vanished during the Nazi regime and is valued at $1 billion. 
Read the whole thing here.

Monday, November 04, 2013

La Rubell and Baltimore artists...

Washington Project for the Arts (WPA) has announced the names of the artists whose work was selected by Mera Rubell, Co-Founder of the Rubell Family Collection,  from the WPA  36 Studios/36 Hours marathon in Baltimore October 26 and 27.
WPA, a 38-year-old nonprofit organization presenting contemporary art and supporting artists in the Greater Washington region, invited Mrs. Rubell to serve as one of eight curators for its 33rd Annual Art Auction Exhibition, SELECT 2014. Each year, WPA invites prestigious curators from renowned institutions to select works which are exhibited for approximately one month and then auctioned to benefit the organization and artists. As an artist service organization, WPA is proud of its long history of equally sharing proceeds of the auction art sales with the artists  (a 50/50 split).

Beginning at 6am on Saturday, October 26, 2013, Mrs. Rubell set out on a 36-hour studio visit marathon throughout the city of Baltimore accompanied by Lisa Gold, WPA Executive Director, and a constantly changing entourage of reporters, photographers, collectors, gallerists, curators, and other arts professionals. From School 33 to the Creative Alliance and at many studios in between, Ms. Rubell listened to, questioned, prodded, and bonded with the 36 artists who were selected through the 36 Studios /36 Hours lottery.

The marathon ended Sunday, October 27 at 6pm and culminated in a reception for all of the artists who applied for a studio visit as well as people in the Baltimore art community. The party, held at Rubell's Lord Baltimore Hotel, was attended by over 200 people and brought together the community in a veritable "love fest" of Baltimore art.

Mrs. Rubell was initially tasked with selecting approximately 10-15 works by 10-12 artists. She ended up selecting 25 works by 19 artists. "There were so many amazing artists," exclaimed Mrs. Rubell. "People should know what's happening in Baltimore." As the visits were made in her role as a curator for WPA's Art Auction Exhibition, many considerations went into Mrs. Rubell's decision-making process, such as scale of the work and availability for exhibition. "The choices were very difficult," Rubell professed. "All of the work I saw was of high quality and the artists were extremely professional and talented."

In a surprise announcement, Mrs. Rubell has arranged for the works she selected to be previewed in New York before the WPA SELECT 2014 exhibition. From January 11 through January 18, 2014, Marianne Boesky Gallery's uptown space (118 E 64th Street) will host Baltimore Artists + WPA + Mera Rubell = LOVE, an exhibition featuring the 25 works chosen through the 36 Studios/36 Hours adventure. The New York preview is a first for WPA and the SELECT auction. "I'm thrilled to be able to offer this incredible opportunity to these talented artists, the majority of whom have no gallery representation, and to be able to bring together the Washington, Baltimore, and New York art communities through our inspired adventure and this wonderful exhibition," said Lisa Gold.
The selected artists are:

Amanda Burnham, Michelle Dickson, Dave Eassa, Alex Ebstein, Cliff Evans, Sean FitzPatrick, Ryan Hoover, Jason Hughes, Tiffany Jones, Gary Kachadourian, Magnolia Laurie, Curtis Miller, Cara Ober, Rachel Rotenberg, Ginevra Shay, Jo Smail, Ryan Syrell, Alessandra Torres, and Stewart Watson.

SELECT 2014 will be on view February 27 through March 21, 2014 at Artisphere, 1101 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22209. Hours are Wednesday-Friday: 4 - 11pm; Saturday: Noon - 11pm; Sunday: Noon - 5pm; Monday & Tuesday: Closed. Admission is free.

Baltimore Artists + WPA + Mera Rubell = LOVE will be hosted by Marianne Boesky Gallery, 118 E 64th Street, New York, NY 10065 from January 11 through January 18, 2014. Hours are Tuesday - Saturday: 10am - 6pm. Admission is free.

From my collection: Grant Silverstein

Diana and her huntresses surprised by the sudden appearance of Actaeon by Grant Silverstein
This is Diana and her huntresses surprised by the sudden appearance of Actaeon by the immensely talented Pennsylvania self-taught printmaker Grant Silverstein. You can buy Silverstein etchings here.

Saturday, November 02, 2013

Hey! That's my moustache!

I don't know how long this will be online, but WJLA has the picture of my moustache illustrating this story.

Ahhh... thank you! I think?

Friday, November 01, 2013

The art of the fake...

Frida Kahlo, cough, cough.... click here ... then sort through some of the listings and see how many "undiscovered" Frida Kahlos you can find...

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

And the DCCAH grants go to...

This year, the DCCAH received 632 applications requesting over $18 million in funding. All eligible applications are reviewed by Advisory Review Panels, which are convened by DCCAH board members (yours truly was one of the Advisory Panel members). For FY14, the DCCAH held 20 Advisory Review Panels and enlisted the expertise of over 120 Advisory Review Panelists (I was one of them) who read, discussed, and scored each application.

The DCCAH funded a broad spectrum of innovative and exciting artists, programs, and organizations. For example, individual artists in music and visual arts, programs that teach young people, and institutions that serve residents and visitors across the city will be awarded grants this year. These grantees contribute to the District's cultural landscape that provides an economic impact of over $1.1 billion to the city.

Follow this link to see a complete list of FY14 grant recipients. Below are the key Artist Fellowship program awardees (with a lot of the usual suspects)... Congrats to all of them!

In spite of the severe financial austerity environment, DC seems to be somehow still kicking ass and taking names when it comes to sheckels and the arts...

FY14 Grant Awardees - Artist Fellowship Program

FY14 Artist Fellowship Program Awardees
Name Ward Official Amount
Abdul Ali 6 $5,000
Adam Davies 3 $10,000
Alexis Gillespie 4 $10,000
Anna Edholm Davis 4 $7,500
Anne Marchand 2 $10,000
Anu Yadav 4 $10,000
Armando Lopez-Bircann 1 $5,000
Assane Konte 5 $7,500
Ayanna Gregory 4 $10,000
Brian Settles 5 $10,000
Carmen Wong 2 $10,000
Carolyn Joyner 1 $5,000
Cecilia Cackley 6 $10,000
Christylez Bacon 1 $5,000
Dan Steinhilber 6 $10,000
Dana Burgess 3 $5,000
Dana Ellyn 2 $5,000
Daniel Flint 6 $5,000
David Keplinger 2 $10,000
Dean Kessmann 3 $10,000
Elizabeth Acevedo 6 $10,000
Ellie Walton 1 $10,000
Emiliano Ruprah 4 $5,000
Eric Gottesman 1 $5,000
Fawna Xiao 6 $5,000
Fred Joiner 6 $7,500
Gregory Ferrand 4 $10,000
Holly Bass 1 $10,000
James Byers 7 $10,000
Joey Manlapaz 6 $7,500
Jonathan Tucker 6 $10,000
Juan Gaddis 4 $5,000
Julia Bloom 3 $10,000
Karen Baker 5 $5,000
Karen Evans 5 $7,500
Karen Zacarias 1 $10,000
Kate MacDonnell 1 $10,000
Kim Roberts 1 $5,000
Krys Kornmeier 3 $5,000
Linn meyers 4 $7,500
Lisa Farrell 5 $5,000
Liz Maestri 1 $5,000
Maggie Michael 2 $7,500
Marjuan Canady 4 $5,000
Mark Parascandola 1 $10,000
Matt Sesow 1 $7,500
Matthew Mann 6 $7,500
Maureen Andary 4 $7,500
Maurice Saylor 5 $10,000
Michael Janis 5 $10,000
Michael Sirvet 2 $10,000
Michelle Herman 4 $7,500
Mickey Terry 7 $10,000
Miya Hisaka 3 $5,000
Molly Springfield 1 $5,000
Naomi Ayala 1 $10,000
Norman Allen 4 $10,000
Paul Bishow 1 $7,500
Paul Reuther 2 $7,500
Paul Thornley 6 $7,500
Rania Hassan 5 $7,500
Regie Cabico 1 $10,000
Renee Stout 5 $7,500
Rik Freeman 7 $7,500
Ruth Forman 5 $7,500
Sam McCormally 5 $5,000
Sandra Beasley 1 $10,000
Sara Curtin 1 $7,500
Sean Hennessey 5 $7,500
Siobhan Rigg 5 $7,500
Sondra Arkin 2 $10,000
Stanley Squirewell 5 $5,000
Stephon Senegal 4 $7,500
Thomas Colohan 1 $10,000
Tim Tate 2 $7,500
Trevor Young 2 $7,500
Valerie Theberge 3 $10,000
Yi Chen 3 $10,000

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

White House blues...

Redux: It all depends on what the meaning of the word "is" is...

Cough, cough...

Lisa Montag at AU