Help MSAC build the future of the Independent Artist Award!

Paid opportunity for artists: revising the Independent Artist Award program.

Deadline: Friday, November 11, 2022

This fall, MSAC is facilitating a public-led revision of the Independent Artist Award (IAA) program, which has recognized achievement by Maryland artists making work independent of institutions or organizations. This revision effort is based on data collected since 2020 from applicants, panelists, and award winners, who have made suggestions on how to improve the IAA program’s service to the public. The next step of this process is to identify a panel of editors who will work with MSAC staff to further refine the suggestions into clear policy recommendations, which will be carefully considered as MSAC further develops the IAA program.

Consider completing an application to serve as an editor in this process. All selected editors will be expected to:

• Become familiar with previously collected data and current MSAC efforts to support artists through the IAA program.
• Work with MSAC staff to consider how to improve the service of the IAA program to Maryland artists in light of other MSAC opportunities, including the Grants for Artists program, set to pilot in winter 2023.
• Participate in at least two virtual meetings discussing the above issues and developing procedure and policy recommendations for further consideration by MSAC staff, council, and Department of Commerce leadership.

What they are looking for:

Maryland artists with backgrounds in a variety of disciplines (e.g., literary, performing, visual, media, and traditional arts, etc.), or who are interested in learning how changes are considered and implemented within MSAC.

IAA winners, applicants, and panelists from the past three years are strongly encouraged to apply.

How to apply:

Click here to log in or create a free account in SmartSimple. You must be registered as an “Independent Artist” to apply to be an editor. 

Under Funding Opportunities, select "Public Call."

Select "Program Editor" from the first drop down option. 

Select “Independent Artist Awards” as the Grant Program from the second drop down option.

Click "Save Draft" at the bottom to populate the application.

Complete the application and click “Submit.”

Editors will receive a minimum of $400 upon completion of assigned tasks, with the possibility of additional compensation if more than two virtual meetings are needed.

Space Foundation accepting artwork to send to space

The Space Foundation and Boeing are collaborating to send students’ artwork into space on Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner.

The Space Foundation said that the showcase called “Art in the Stars” was created in a partnership with the Space Foundation and Boeing, which will launch digitized artwork submissions into space aboard the upcoming Starliner Crew Flight Test. Every Student artist will be issued an official “Certificate of Flight” for each submitted piece of artwork.

The Space Foundation encourages young artists ages 3-18 to create original, space-oriented artwork based on the theme, “Breaking Boundaries in Space.” Students are encouraged to draw inspiration from diverse historical figures who broke boundaries to become a “first” or blazed trails for those who came after them.

Read the article by Brett Yager here.

Born to do this job

I am fascinated by this amazing lady, who is the ASL person always in the TV inset whenever Governor DeSantis briefs on TV about the hurricane recovery efforts in Eff -L-A.

This human being was born for this job! I am in love with the size of her hands and the energy and gusto that she brings to this important job!

Talking about born to do a job, I am told by a friend who works in the Supreme Court that Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, on her first case a couple of days ago managed to piss off both the Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts and Justice Kagan, as Brown Jackson repeatedly interrupted Kagan and others, apparently a faux pas in Supreme Courtin' - at one point Roberts passed her a note, which I hope the Smithsonian gets to keep one day.  What did the note say? Probably: "Please stop interrupting."

Rapture in a Dark Church

Tacoma Little Theatre's 'Off The Shelf' Presents a Reading of AMONG MANY WORLDS and my daughter Elise Campello is in it!

RAPTURE IN A DARK CHURCH

Book by Deanna Martinez - Music by Daniel J. F. Wolfert - Lyrics by Daniel J. R. Wolfert and Deanna Martine

Featuring: Arron Rorick Clark, Andreya Pro, Elise Campello, Richard Cubi Diaz, Chandler Thomas, Ariona Thompson & Keoni Dilay

Directed by Deanna Martinez

When Tabitha invites Amy to her youth group's overnight lock-in, skeptical Amy takes a chance on it. Instead of the clean, Christian fun she expected, Amy is met with an overzealous youth group leader and an adrenaline fueled game where she has the honor of playing the antichrist herself. Over one night and a groovy score with retro, Christian rock inspirations, Amy and the youth group will question what exactly being a good Christian kid means.

Wanna go to an opening this Thursday?

The Nomadic House Project • Cloud(s) 

An in situ installation by the Icebox Collective on view at the front garden of the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington DC through the end of November.  Please see attached for details.

Cloud(s) is the new version of The Nomadic House Project dedicated to immigrants at the US/Mexico border; it’s made out of water jugs, like the ones left by and for the immigrants on their journey. The artists responsible for this installation are Irene Clouthier, Courtney Applequist and Edgar Endress who want to invite people to be present and connected to the human aspect of this crisis and see or reflect for the human stories behind each water jug left behind, so that we can all be more empathetic and connected to each other.

Reception Thursday October 6, 6:30pm (artists present, and remarks by Ambassador Ana Luisa Fajer).

Details here.

Mexican Cultural Institute 

2829 16th Street N.W. 

Washington, DC 20009

Emergency Grant applications for Maryland artists

From the Maryland State Arts Council:

Emergency Grant applications for Independent Artists are currently being accepted for $2,000 grants! If you have experienced a loss of income due to an emergency scenario that impacts your work as an independent artist, we encourage you to apply. Reach out to Program Directors Laura Weiss at laura.weiss@maryland.gov and Emily Sollenberger at emily.sollenberger@maryland.gov for more information.

Applications accepted on a rolling basis and awarded monthly. Apply now!

Nevermore

One this day in 1849, Edgar Allan Poe was found delirious in a gutter in Baltimore ---  it was the last time he was seen in public before his death four days later.

The Fake artistry of Ebay fakery

eBay is chockablock with fake art. On one hand, if you do a search for any famous artist you’ll find sellers claiming to have pricy originals (or prints) that seem too good to be true. On the other hand, sometimes sellers are ambiguous about what you’re getting: they don’t quite say the piece is authentic, but they also don’t quite say that it is a fake or done as an homage.

Read the article by Brandon Zech here.

Multiple Exposures Gallery Photography Exhibition

In the last 30 years or so I have been honored with the task of jurying a show for Multiple Exposures Gallery three or four times, starting when it was called Factory Photoworks back in the 1990s.

See the show that I've just juried for MEG here.

These shows have always had one thing in common: they are exceptionally difficult to jury because of the exceptional quality of nearly every entry.  When essentially every entry presented to me or any other juror showcases the enviable talent roster that MEG possesses, it makes the selection process a combination that not only celebrates photographic skill, but also a wide array of other artistic vectors that influence the difference between a good photo and a great photo.

Issues such as composition, employment of light, range of tones, subject matter, and most human of all, the juror's own agenda and subjectivity, all come to play to deliver a final set of works for a show.

Over the same range of years I have juried and curated hundreds of art shows, and thus this next statement comes with the backing of all that experience and exposure to art (pun intended): This MEG exhibition is one of the best photography shows that I have ever juried!

And photographic history has come in full circle for me when it comes to jurying a show. I recall in the 90s when digital photography was still excluded from some exhibitions and only traditional darkroom or pinhole photography was allowed. How provincial must that look now when we're about to see an all digital show where powerful photographs and talented photographers flex their artistic muscles to show that it is the art of photography which delivers results, not just the means to create the photograph.

Many years ago I wrote in an essay for some magazine or newspaper about the DC area region, and in that essay I noted that MEG was one of the key artistic jewels which make up the tapestry of the Greater Washington region's visual arts footprint; this show will once again prove that, and I congratulate every single one of you selected for this show!

Chrissie Iles and Meg Onli will curate 81st Whitney Biennial

Meg Onli and Chrissie Iles
Photo: The Whitney Museum of American Art.

The Whitney Museum of American Art has announced that curators Chrissie Iles and Meg Onli will co-assemble/curate/organize the 81st Whitney Biennial, slated to open in the spring of 2024.

Onli rocking a super cool hairdo!

Another child art prodigy? Yawn. Wake me up when one of them paints the ‘Mona Lisa’

... But one thing I do know: Every few years, a child artist emerges from obscurity, hailed as a pint-sized Pollock or Picasso. Far too young to have attended art school or to have studied anything about the history of art or the development of abstract painting, the child emerges from diapers, allegedly, as a fully formed abstract artist.

Each origin story is similar to the next: The child started painting as a toddler, they need a step stool to reach the top of the canvas, their parents are perplexed by all the attention and worried it will be harmful to their emotional development. Until, that is, it becomes clear that people pay money, lots of it, for this sort of novelty. Then the parents reluctantly allow the child to keep working … and keep selling.

Read the opinion piece by Robin Abcarian here.

Studio space available!

Artists & Makers Studios flagship operation is an art center complex in Rockville, MD. Hosting a wide variety of Resident Artists and Affiliate members, it offers studios for rent, extensive classroom/workshop spaces, and several galleries. Exhibitions are juried and curated by Cathy Hirsh under the direction of executive director Judith HeartSong. They have some studio openings! Read on...

Vision Statement: Artists & Makers Studios is dedicated to providing a supportive and vibrant environment for artists to realize their creative goals – through studio practice, collaboration, education, opportunities, networking and connecting with the community beyond our doors.

To apply for their wait list, please email your resume/bio, website link and/or jpegs, studio requirements (how much space you are hoping for), whether you are willing to share a studio, monthly budget, and all pertinent details about your medium. Oil painters must use fume-free solvents. SPECIFY MARYLAND, ARIZONA, SAN GABRIEL, or NORTH HOLLYWOOD LOCATION in your email. Send to Judith@ArtistsAndMakersStudios.com

Studio 5 1/3 share of the space on the A hallway with two large windows to the outside will be available October 1 - $274/m for 81.02 sq ft

Studio 9 on the A hallway with a full glass door & tile floor will be available October 1 - $395/m for 104.77 sq ft

Studio 15 in the B1 hallway is freshly painted and available now -  $385/m for 91 sq ft

Studio 37 on the newly refurbished Gallery Hall with white tile floors will be available October 1 - $400/m for 92 sq ft

* Liability insurance is required for artists joining the program.

Paid opportunity for artists: revising the Independent Artist Award program

Paid opportunity for artists: revising the Independent Artist Award program.

Deadline: Friday, November 11, 2022

This fall, MSAC is facilitating a public-led revision of the Independent Artist Award (IAA) program, which has recognized achievement by Maryland artists making work independent of institutions or organizations. This revision effort is based on data collected since 2020 from applicants, panelists, and award winners, who have made suggestions on how to improve the IAA program’s service to the public. The next step of this process is to identify a panel of editors who will work with MSAC staff to further refine the suggestions into clear policy recommendations, which will be carefully considered as MSAC further develops the IAA program.

Consider completing an application to serve as an editor in this process. All selected editors will be expected to:

• Become familiar with previously collected data and current MSAC efforts to support artists through the IAA program.
• Work with MSAC staff to consider how to improve the service of the IAA program to Maryland artists in light of other MSAC opportunities, including the Grants for Artists program, set to pilot in winter 2023.
• Participate in at least two virtual meetings discussing the above issues and developing procedure and policy recommendations for further consideration by MSAC staff, council, and Department of Commerce leadership.

What they are looking for:

Maryland artists with backgrounds in a variety of disciplines (e.g., literary, performing, visual, media, and traditional arts, etc.), or who are interested in learning how changes are considered and implemented within MSAC.

IAA winners, applicants, and panelists from the past three years are strongly encouraged to apply.

How to apply:

Click here to log in or create a free account in SmartSimple. You must be registered as an “Independent Artist” to apply to be an editor. 

Under Funding Opportunities, select "Public Call."

Select "Program Editor" from the first drop down option. 

Select “Independent Artist Awards” as the Grant Program from the second drop down option.

Click "Save Draft" at the bottom to populate the application.

Complete the application and click “Submit.”

Editors will receive a minimum of $400 upon completion of assigned tasks, with the possibility of additional compensation if more than two virtual meetings are needed.

Sing Along

"Sing Along", Etching, Dry point and water colors by the great Marianela de la Hoz sold to an NYC collector at the Affordable Art Fair New York City in Chelsea!

Early start at 10 am today... long day through 8pm. That's Cory Oberndorfer working the stroller crowd at the Affordable Art Fair New York City.

AAFNYC Day 2

 Art fair people

Line of art lovers

 Line outside waiting to get in to the Affordable Art Fair New York City

AAFNYC Fall 2022

 Wall with Bisque works at the Affordable Art Fair NYC Fall 2022 - Opened tonight!

Star Trek at the Affordable Art Fair NYC

"Before Assimilation", Acrylic on vintage Star Trek blueprints by Andrew Wodzianski will be at booth D15 with Alida Anderson Art Projects, at Affordable Art Fair New York City in Chelsea Sept 22-25!

Before Assimilation
Acrylic on vintage Star Trek blueprints by Andrew Wodzianski

Frida Flower

This work, "Frida Kahlo Flower" will be part of the Nueva Vida Charity Auction for cancer survivors and caregivers to be held at the Cultural Institute of Mexico in Washington, DC.

Frida Kahlo Flower by Florencio Lennox Campello, c. 2022

Save the date!

Cultural Institute of Mexico

2829 16th St. NW

Washington D.C.

Oct 15th, 2022 5:30- 9:30 pm

https://instituteofmexicodc.org/

https://issuu.com/nueva-vida