Monday, July 31, 2006

THE VIBRANT LIFE

New Paintings and Glasswork by Trevor Mikula and Thomas Stevens
AUGUST 3RD - SEPTEMBER 6TH, 2006

District Fine Arts and Weber Fine Art present "THE VIBRANT LIFE," a two man show featuring Nashville painter Trevor Mikula's new landscapes and abstracts along with New York glass artist Thomas Stevens.

Trevor Mikula is a self-taught artist with an unmistakable style. He is a young man uninhibited by paint, who interprets traditional subjects with palette knife, vibrant paint and little regard for conservation. The results are beautiful pieces full of life. Trevor's fresh approach to the canvas stems from his personality, creating pieces that glow with a whimsical and childish charm that anyone can cherish.

Thomas Stevens began as a graphic artist. In 1996, he discovered the thrill and charm of molten glass at Urban Glass in Brooklyn, NY. Later, in 1998 he trained in Holland incorporating molds and venetian traditions into his work. His unique art glass designs are shaped using freehand techniques. Molds are used for some special effects but never to create the basic forms. This handcrafted process encourages each piece to evolve into an organic shape and express its unique character. Thomas uses various colors, shapes and opacities allowing the works to play with surrounding light while interacting with its surroundings. His vision is of an art that is used and lived with, and goes beyond mere display.

OPENING RECEPTION: AUGUST 3rd 6pm - 9pm
RSVP: 202-271-6342 ART@MIKEWEBER.COM
WWW.MIKE-WEBER.COM/INVITE.PHP

District Fine Arts 202-328-9100
Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 11a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
1726 Wisconsin Ave. N.W. Washington, D.C. 20007
dfa1726@earthlink.net www.dfaonline.com

Write to your Lawmakers to Oppose The Orphan Works Act

A dubious law that will give visual art copyright protection away under the guise of not being able to find or identify the copyright rights holder!

FROM Bruce Marion: THE ILLUSTRATORS’ PARTNERSHIP 7.27.06'
Here it is...good news about the Orphan Bill. Please feel free to distribute it.
Bruce Marion Studios www.brucemarion.com

The Orphan Works Act will not leave the Judiciary Committee before fall. That’s the news from Ms. Corinne Kevorkian, Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary of F. Schumacher & Co., one of our allies in the fight against the Orphan Works Act:

“On July 20, the Decorative Fabrics Association, the National Textile Association and the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition sent [a] letter in opposition of the Orphan Works Act to the leadership of the House Judiciary Committee.

“We have since heard from members of [Representatives] Coble and Inglis' staff that, because of the concerns raised by the textile industry, the bill is not coming out of the House Judiciary Committee before Congress recesses for the summer, which is good news.

“In the meantime, DFA and NTA continue to have discussions with staff members in Senators Specter's, Hatch and Leahy's offices in order to put the marker down in the Senate that this proposed legislation has serious problems. NTA and DFA will also try to schedule meetings with staff members of the full HJC [House Judiciary Committee].”

Textile companies joined this fight shortly after June 20th, when we met with greeting card companies and others at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan. It was they who brought this bill to the attention of the textile and manufacturing industries and all groups met by conference call on July 11th to discuss strategies for opposing HR5439.

Our congratulations to the textile manufacturers for getting the word out to these critical Congressmen. In their letter, the organizations said this:
“Unfortunately, HR5439 poses a significant new and unanticipated risk to the textile and home furnishing sector. Under the bill, commercial or non-commercial infringement of any visual art, past, present, and future, regardless of age, country of origin, published or unpublished, is permissible whenever the rights holder cannot be identified or located. Because the U.S. Copyright Office does not have a searchable database for visual designs (and no such searchable database otherwise exists) the rights holder of many creative designs will go unidentified – even in cases where the rights holder would have clearly sought to protect its legitimate rights or where such designs were previously or are currently exploited by the rights holder.”

This development points up the need to keep writing our Congressional representatives with clear and reasoned arguments for defeating or seriously amending the Orphan Works Act.

Our groups continue to work towards amending or killing this poorly conceived legislation.

— The Board of the Illustrator’s Partnership

If you haven’t already contacted your representatives, please visit the Illustrators’ Partnership's Orphan Works Resource Page for Artists http://www.illustratorspartnership.org/01_topics/article.php?searchterm=00185 There you’ll find sample letters which you can personalize and fax to your Congressional representative.

To identify your representatives, type in your area code at:. http://www.house.gov/writerep

For a priority list of lawmakers to contact, go to:

http://www.illustratorspartnership.org/01_topics/article.php?searchterm=00175

Please post or forward this email in its entirety to any interested party

Aletta de Wal, M. Ed , Director & Artist Advisor
“I help artists make a better living making art.”
aletta@artistcareertraining.com
650.917.1225 Pacific Time
“Business sense for the art world.”

Artist Career Training operates as a virtual university, delivering expert art marketing advice and art business tools to prospering fine artists all over the world.

Focus: STEVENS JAY CARTER, the artist with three names

I have a bias for artists who are working to lift the vibrational rate of the world and Stevens is one who's work I truly admire. Check out more of his artwork at his website, www.stevensjaycarter.com/. Stevens Jay Carter is a 2006 recipient of The Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant Award.

SOLO Exhibition
September 23 - October 22, 2006
Opening Reception
Saturday, September 23, from 2 - 5 PM

AMERICAN PAINTING
formely the Kushnir Taylor American Painting Gallery
208 E. 6th St.
New York, New York,10003
212-254-2628

"Carter is interested in creating a world where all of our energies are handled in a positive and harmonious manner: "I love making all of the colors work together regardless where they fall on the color wheel". Stevens thinks artists should take the lead in creative pursuits to shape the world around us with their artwork. He is working on a large scale public commission in Maryland."

"Over the last two decades I have always tried to diversify my artistic skills and vision... I am a visual scientist and as this century unfolds I remain committed to my goals. As I stated twenty years ago, I continue to explore the fears and inhibitions that control our minds".

Saturday, July 29, 2006

Ledelle Moe’s massive Memorial (Collapse)

Metropolis in collaboration with G Fine Art is please to present Ledelle Moe’s massive Memorial (Collapse) in the commercial ground floor space at the recently completed building at  1520  14th Street. Memorial (Collapse) is composed of 3 massive heads that seem to be relics of history, but unlike most relics, their humanity is intact and is the content of the installation.

 Moe’s Memorial is about memory, permanence and impermanence, strength and vulnerability. They confront our contemporary loss of life and artifact. Her work refers to conflict around the world where cultural iconic symbols are destroyed or plundered while the faces of the living are lost. At the same time she engages with her own personal past, growing up in conflict-ridden South Africa. Moe describes her work as a continual reinterpretation of past experiences via memory and imagination.

The artwork can be seen 24/7, and will remain on view through September 20th.

G FINE ART   1515 14TH STREET N.W. WASHINGTON DC 20005
T  202 462 1601   F  202 462 1604  www.gfineartdc.com
METROPOLIS  www.metropolis-dc.com

Friday, July 28, 2006

DC Shorts Film Festival 2006

Host a Visiting Filmmaker
Thursday – Sunday, September 14th – 17th
Overnight quarters needed during the festival

If you have a spare bed, a sleep sofa, or room to set up an air mattress, please consider hosting a filmmaker

For your hospitality, you will receive
Tickets to screenings
Entry to the opening night party
Invitation to the closing awards brunch

Now in its third year, the DC Shorts Film Festival has grown from 30 films in an afternoon at Flashpoint to more than 90 films being screened over the course of a week at the E Street Cinema and Canadian Embassy. With this amazing growth has come some challenges, including the need for more volunteers to house the filmmakers.

DC Shorts encourages filmmakers to come to Washington and attend the festival; this year, more than 140 filmmakers will attend, some of whom need a place to stay for a few days. Filmmakers are scheduled throughout the day so they really only need a place to sleep and shower. In the past, people who have housed filmmakers have found the experience to be simple, non-intrusive, and rewarding.

Please forward this to your friends and colleagues
who might be interested (or willing) to host a filmmaker

To host a filmmaker
jon@dcshorts.com

For festival information
www.dcshorts.com
DC Shorts Film Festival
Mather Studios 203
916 G Street, NW
202.393.4266

DC Circulator

Washington DC’s newest public bus system

In Celebration of the DC Circulator’s First Anniversary
Riders Will Not Be Charged
Friday, July 28

Route1 – Union Station/Georgetown
via K Street and Massachusetts Avenue
Route 2 – Convention Center/SW Waterfront
via O Street/7th & 9th streets
Route 3 – National Mall/Smithsonian Loop
via Constitution & Independence/ 4th & 17th streets

The DC Circulator accepts Metrobus and Metrorail transfers
Smartcards can be used on the DC Circulator
Information 202.962.1423
www.dccirculator.com
www.godcgo.com

The DC Circulator is supported by the DC Department of Transportation, the Downtown BID & other BIDs, NCPC, WMATA, the Washington Convention Center Authority, & WCTC

info sent by Jo-Ann Neuhaus
Pennsylvania Quarter Neighborhood Association

Thursday, July 27, 2006

INTRODUCTIONS 2


IRVINE CONTEMPORARY Presents:

Work by recent MFA and BFA graduates
New paintings, works on paper, photography, video, and sculpture
Curated by Martin Irvine and Heather Russell

August 4 to September 2

Opening Reception with the Artists:
Friday, August 4, 6-8 PM

Round table discussion with the artists:
Saturday, August 5, 2PM

Live! on Woodrow Wilson Plaza

A Free Summer Performance Series
Monday through Friday
June 1 - August 31, 2006
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

Grab a bite from Aria or from one of the 17 food court eateries,
go outside, and enjoy the entertainment!

Tuesday, August 1 The Grandsons - Rockabilly
Wednesday, August 2 Ballet Folklorico Mexico
Thursday, August 3 Nick Lipkowski - Guitar
Friday, August 4 Let It Flow - R&B

Monday, August 7 Dave Cosby - Guitar
Tuesday, August 8 Melanie Mason - Blues-Rock
Wednesday, August 9 Jabali Acrobats
Thursday, August 10 Unified Jazz Ensemble - Acoustic Jazz
Friday, August 11 Metropolitan Baptist Church Choir

Monday, August 14 Dani Cortaza - Brazilian Jazz
Tuesday, August 15 Jamboree J - Country & Western Roots
Wednesday, August 16 Orquesta Ashé - Cuban Music & Dance
Thursday, August 17 Maxwell Street Blues
Friday, August 18 Michelle Walker

Monday, August 21 Reverend Hookems - Funk & Rock
Tuesday, August 22 Lucky Day Band - Pop Rock
Wednesday, August 23 Flamenco Aparicio
Thursday, August 24 Amikaeyla - Fusion
Friday, August 25 Chris Norman - Celtic Roots

Monday, August 28 The Orioles - Doo Wop
Tuesday, August 29 The Jewels - Doo Wop
Wednesday, August 30 Star Spotlight! - Talent Contest
Thursday, August 31 Grand Finale with Chuck Brown


For the complete schedule
www.itcdc.com or
202.312.1300 or
sign up for email updates at
Live@itcdc.com

REMIX: East West Currents in Contemporary Art

I had the pleasure of meeting a lovely artist, Van Nguyen last Weekend who works from her studio in the Arlington Arts Center. She explained her abstract art in relation to her Vietnamese heritage as well as the power of art to address peace as a state of being.

Van Nguyen has recently introduced figurative elements into her paintings. Elongated women with symbolic references to strength, shelter and beauty dominate her recent canvases. Birds resembling doves rest on the tree like branchs of the women's arms. Van Nguyen's paintings are poignant reminders, like subtle whispers that evoke a reflective stillness about the active nature of love and peace.

You can see her work in REMIX at the Arlington Arts Center opening
on August 15, 2006
Reception: September 8, 6:00-9:00 pm




Van Nguyen
Arlington Art Center
3350 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201

Studio 206
www.nguyenvan.com

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

CHALK4PEACE - It's not too late to get involved

CHALK4PEACE: A young person’s global art project - VA
is a young person’s global art project planned for SEPTEMBER 16-17, 2006 with the GOAL to have ONE MILLION young artists of all ages using sidewalk chalk to create their visions and messages of Peace. We encourage school districts, libraries, art centers and town squares and businesses all over the world to to take the lead and mobilize and create a CHALK4PEACE event in your neighborhood. Contact: John Aaron, Director. www.chalk4peace.org, Aaron@ModernARF.com or 703-528-4800 to find out more about how you and your community can be part of CHALK4PEACE. CHALK4PEACE invites the World to participate in one of the premier international artistic expressions of 2006.

Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man

Bob Dylan is loved and so is Leonard Cohen for his poetry which fed a generation of idealist minds! "I'm Your Man", a documentary on the legendary singer-songwriter, with performances by those musicians he has influenced is playing at the E Street Cinemas and is worth the ticket price. if you ever reveled in the nostalgic, dark, witty, inspired, poignant lyrics of Leonard Cohen, then you will enjoy this intimate look behind the words fom the mouth of the poet himself. If you haven't heard of him, now's a good time to get acquainted.

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some sex-related material.
Runtime: Canada:98 min (Toronto International Film Festival) / USA:105 min
Country: USA
Language: English
Color: Black and White / Color
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Certification: USA:PG-13

Landmark E Street Cinemas
555 11th Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
(entrance on E Street between 10th and 11th Street)
(202) 452-7672

Monday, July 24, 2006

Riding 'the 70'

Play highlights 'community' on city's bus routes
Click headline above to read the article by Erica Pitts in the Common Denominator.

"thumbs-up is symbolic of the recent praise that youth advocates Justin McNeil and John Muller of the DreamCity Theatre Group have been receiving for writing and presenting a play called "The 70," which premieres at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library on July 25. With the main character being a bus driver named "Mr. Wonderful," the play is about "the community that exists on the city bus system and the different struggles and successes that riders encounter in their daily lives," according to its producers."

DreamCity is an arts organization that consists of the DreamCity Theatre Group, DreamCity Poets and DreamCity Productions. "The 70" will be performed at MLK library at 901 G St. NW in auditorium A-5 at 6:45 p.m. July 25-27, Aug. 2-3 and Aug. 8-10; and at 3:30 p.m. July 29, Aug. 5 and Aug. 12. Admission is free.

A light on the Fringe Festival

There's an article in the Washington Times this morning on the Capital Fringe Festival. Night's Events Put Insiders Happily On Fringe

Anselm Kiefer: Heaven and Earth

Another good museum show not to miss, there's still time until September 10, 2006.
And after visiting the exhibition at the Hirshhorn, pop in to their Museum shop to browse for wonderful books on Modern Art and creativity.

Sunday, July 23, 2006

DCAC open call to artists

1460 Wall Mountables
DCAC's annual fundraising event where you can show your art, sell your art, and compete with other artists to win $100!
July 28 - August 13, 2006
Reception July 28, 7-9pm
Installation dates: July 26th 3-8pm, July 27th 3-8pm, July 28th 3-6pm

SUMMER WORKS 2006


KNEW Gallery, Georgetown
1639 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20007
202.338.4588

Paintings by John Fasano and Photography by Marissa Long are among featured works in this Summer 2006 exhibit.

You are invited to join the featured artists at Saturday's reception -- July 29th 6-10 p.m.

-- John Fasano received his BFA from the Corcoran College of Art + Design in May. He will begin pursuing his MFA in painting at the Rhode Island School of Desigh. "constructed in a very labored manner, consisting hundreds of lines that initially cover the surface" ... "the tension of the illogically produced hand-made quality in an image that could easily be replicated on a computer propels his painting somewhere beyond the decorative"

-- Marissa Long holds a BFA from the Corcoran College of Art + Design. All of her images were seen through the lens and have not been further manipulated in the digital or traditional darkroom.

Friday, July 21, 2006

"Erotica 2006" in NY Arts

NY Arts Magazine featured MOCA DC in their July/Aug edition
Read here

Smooth Jazz @ the Smithsonian Jazz Cafe

The Smithsonian Jazz Cafe & The CALPRO Group, Inc.
PRESENT Smooth Jazz @ the Smithsonian Jazz Cafe
Friday, July 21, 2006

at the National Museum of Natural History / Atrium Cafe
10th Street & Constitution Avenue, NW - Washington, DC

Featuring "Phaze II" the Award Winners of the 2005 Capital Jazz Challenge
Smooth Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Rhythm & Blues
David Prince - Guitar
Steve Perkins - Congas
Wayne Davis - Bass
William Truss - Drums
Ronald Palmore - Sax
Trendle Thomas - Keyboard
**********************************************
Doors open at 5:30pm. Music program is from 6:00pm–10:00pm
Admission is only $10 - Happy Hour Specials

Smithsonian employees with valid ID, children under 12,
and persons with same-night IMAX ticket stubs are admitted free
Cash bar and gourmet a la carte dining
Come early, seating goes fast!
Telephone: 202-633-7400 Website: www.mnh.si.edu/jazz
Closest Metro Station: Smithsonian or Federal Triangle
*********************************************************************************
All events open to the General Public

For more information and additional performances, contact:
The CALPRO Group
301-345-1141,
email: ramon@thecalprogroup.com
or log onto: www.thecalprogroup.com

See...."Blogging Off"

Singing anyone?
refrain
Lenny don't go.......
ple e e e aaeeze, Lenny don't go-oh.

in Washington City Paper, July 21, 2006
"D.C. art booster Lenny Campello is leaving his posts".
By Nell Boeschenstein

"Don’t worry, Campello assures his fans. Even though he’s no longer a D.C. gallery owner, he claims he’s still all about D.C. With his more relaxed schedule, he’s going to investigate becoming a private dealer, and he’ll be traveling to art shows and fairs up and down the East Coast to explore his options. He sees this as an opportunity to introduce D.C. artists to an audience beyond the Beltway."

Whew! Change is optional.

Forefront: Chakaia Booker

National Museum of Women in the Arts
May 26, 2006 - September 4, 2006

Along with the Corcoran's new "hot" exhibitions, redefined and Robert Weingarten 's Palette Series,Washington DC is loaded with powerful exhibitions this summer. The weather may have slowed some folks down in the city but the museums are racheted up to premiere some excellent exhibitions not least of which is the National Museum of Women in Art's, Chakaia Booker in Forefront . Stepping into the one room exhibition space, I was awed with the power of the mammoth pieces made of rubber tires, cut up and recycled into sculptures, powerful objects that address major issues in our society. I highly recommend this experience, a combination of beauty and repulsion that sneaks through the mind to offer an opening, a birth canal of consciousness in a postmodern world.

"In this large one-gallery installation, Chakaia Booker continues her sculptural exploration of the African American experience, feminism, and the work ethic in America. In her a “post-industrial" objects made from automobile tires, Booker develops her own version of environmental consciousness and rehabilitation. At the same time, her works comment upon the industrial machine and what it makes of men and women and their relationships, “the ensuing conditions of unmet needs and desires," as she calls it. Ultimately, her sculptures are barb-tongued images in which formal innovations dovetail with force exercised and force absorbed."

One of her more chaotic works on view "Acid Rain" was featured in The 48th Corcoran Biennial: Closer to Home, March 19 - June 27, 2005..."their surfaces display surprising patterns and can vary from a flat- to a high-gloss finish. The worn treads are particularly evocative, and Booker emphasizes their rich textural quality through her deft deployment of repetition."

Repetition is a major key to the success of this work. Ms. Booker takes a stand on order by creating patterns through the repetition of shapes. Also in reverse, she reminds us that through repetition, repeated communication creates a groove in the mind - whether true or false, a conditioned response, that is forefront in today's world communications. It's an interesting anaolgy to mass media and political mantras.

From a 2001 review at the Marlborough Gallery in NYC....ART IN REVIEW; Chakaia Booker By GRACE GLUECK.
"Chakaia Booker's tough, aggressive signature medium, and in this show they are given even more expressive power. She uses patterned treads, thicknesses, textures, subtle differences in color (steel radials give the most chromatic effect) to different advantage in each object."

Definitely worth a visit!

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Capital Fringe Festival

Check the Culltural Tourism DC Calendar
and
2006 Official festival guide pdf

Thursday, July 20, 2006 - Sunday, July 30, 2006
Location: Citywide

Bush's Poverty Talk Is Now All but Silent

In today's WaPo an article By Michael A. Fletcher addresses poverty in our country.

"We've been talking about eradicating poverty in this country since the 1960s," said Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson. "We had the Great Society. If that had worked, we would not have had generation after generation of poverty. The president is trying to address this in a systematic way by addressing the elements that are needed to lift people out of poverty."

"Nonetheless, many advocates for the poor insist that Bush has squandered an opportunity presented by Katrina to once again make fighting poverty a national cause." "He had a prime opportunity right after Katrina," Cummings said. "But I'm afraid it just got swept away like so many homes and businesses did in that horrific storm." Read more here

An artist's worst nightmare.

Good lord! Where were the adults????

Flashpoint Exhibit Destroyed by Partiers

Flashpoint Gallery

An Exhibition About Drawing Conjures a Time When Amateurs Roamed the Earth

One of my students brought this article in the New York Times to my attention.

"We’re addicted to convenience today. Cellphone cameras are handy, but they’re also the equivalent of fast-food meals. Their ubiquity has multiplied our distance from drawing as a measure of self-worth and a practical tool. Before box cameras became universal a century or so ago, people drew for pleasure but also because it was the best way to preserve a cherished sight, a memory, just as people played an instrument or sang if they wanted to hear music at home because there were no record players or radios. Amateurism was a virtue, and the time and effort entailed in learning to draw, as with playing the piano, enhanced its desirability."....Something happened between then and now, and it wasn’t just the invention of gadgets that eliminated the need to draw." Read article here

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Sizzling Summer Sampler

Zenith Gallery presents             
 
Patrick Cochran: Patrick Cochran constructs his wall reliefs from bronze, steel and resin; incorporating everyday objects and artistic elements into sophisticated and humorous objects.
 
Christine Hayman: Thick layers of uncommon colors characterize Hayman’s dynamic abstracts, giving the viewer the feeling of looking down from the sky at a richly textured landscape.
 
Joan Konkel: Her current work explores dimensional boundaries by merging diverse materials such as colorful acrylic mesh, aluminum and stretched canvas to create pieces that must be seen in person to fully understand their dimensionality.
 
Leslie Exton: Fresh from her curatorial and artistic Lewis and Clark exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery, Exton’s uncanny realism evokes the sensuality and anthropomorphic nature of roots.
 
 
Contact: Jodi Walsh, Marketing Director
jodi@zenithgallery.com
413 7th Street NW   • Washington DC  20004   • 202-783-2963   • art@zenithgallery.com   • www.zenithgallery.com
Gallery Hours: Tues – Fri, 11am-6pm  Sat, 11am-7pm  Sun, 12-5pm  

Sunday, July 16, 2006

A Legacy at the Nevin Kelly Gallery

This afternoon, I strolled down the baked streets of DC to U Street, stopping at the Vegan bakery, Sticky Fingers on 18th Street for a muffin snack and then to Cake Love for a chai to complement my snack. (I hadn't eaten breakfast!) I headed over to a gallery talk by Sondra Arkin and Mary Beth Ramsey, two artist friends who collaborated on the exhibition, Poetic License, at the Nevin Kelly Gallery. Both artists discussed their theme, processes and materials exploration which got them to their finished pieces on the day of the installation. A good turnout of about 25 folks came out to hear the artists. It was a delightful way to interact with the artists about their new work. Here are some pictures from today's event. Stretch your feet and go see this multi-layered exhibition before it closes on July 19, 2006. You'll be delighted too.






"Like most good friends, Washington, DC artists Sondra N. Arkin and Mary Beth Ramsey have similar worldviews. Each believes that our lives are shaped by a countless array of emotions, experiences and other influences that layer one upon another to define us as individuals. How they influence us affects how we influence others. The layers become both a part of us and a part of our legacies."

Previous Link

Saturday, July 15, 2006

When Art Goes Public, Neighborhoods Notice



There's a nice write up about Public Art on NPR online by Melissa Pachikara which features a mural at the Westminster Playground in Shaw that I completed in 2002. Read the NPR article here

For those of you who haven't heard, I've also just completed an interior mural at the Takoma Community Center in DC this April! You can see it anytime at 300 Van Buren Street NW, Washington, DC

Hillyear Art Space

Scratching the Surface: A Survey of Artists in the Washington Region
dedicated to the memory of Kevin MacDonald, a well-known and much-loved artist who worked in the DC area.
Jody Bergstresser with two of her paintings.

Hillyer Art Space at 9 Hillyer Court, NW initiates the first of two related exhibitions featuring works by artists from the Washington, DC area and Mid-Atlantic region. It will remain on view through August 24, 2006 and aims to bring recognition to a variety of artists living and working in the Washington region. Scratching the Surface features works by Jiha Moon, Erin Root, Jody Bergstresser, Dan Dudrow, Zachary Jackson, Amy Lin, Mai Kojima, Jeffrey Meizlik, Conrad Meyers II, John Trevino, and Steven F. Kijek.

Last nights opening was a hugh turnout. The crowd spilled out onto the front area of the gallery. Pictures from the opening.....




David Byrne - Bending Minds With PowerPoint Art

Check out this post on Authentic Art's blog about David Byrne's creative expansion.

David Byrne is well known as the musician who co-founded the group Talking Heads (1976–88) in New York. On record and in concert, the band was acclaimed by critics and audiences alike; more importantly, however, they have proven to be extremely influential. Talking Heads took popular music in new directions, both in terms of sound and lyrics, and also introduced an innovative visual approach to the genre.

David Byrne has been involved with photography and design since his college days and has been publishing and exhibiting his work for the past decade. Like his film and musical projects, his artwork is often described as elevating the mundane or the banal to the level of art, creating icons out of everyday materials to find the sacred in the profane. Byrne's works are about interiors, both physical and emotional, as much as exteriors.

http://www.davidbyrne.com

A Clean Canvas

Corcoran Gallery Director Promises a New Look and a New Mission

There's a splendid article (click title above) in today's WaPo about the Corcoran Gallery's new exhibits and new Director, Paul Greenhalgh By Jacqueline Trescott. I had the pleasure of being invited to the grand opening of redefined and Robert Weingarten: Palette Series on Wednesday night and I must say that I was WOWED by the sheer scope and quality of the two installations. The photographs by Robert Weingarten, who took photos of the palettes of more than 20 artists, including Jasper Johns, Wayne Thiebaud, Ed Ruscha and Chuck Close are stunning in concept and vision, melding the art of photography with abstraction and technology.

Anyone who loves modern art MUST see the survey exhibition, redefined of the Corcoran's modern and contemporary art, most of it from the museum's storehouse. This monumental exhibition includes Washington, DC artists, Maggie Michael and Jeff Spaulding. Paul Greenhalgh promises much to the Washington, DC Art Scene and if this show is an indication of his committment, he has already delivered a quality and focus that breathes excitement and depth into our art scene. Kudos! Great article Ms. Trescott.

The Corcoran
500 17th Street, NW
Washington DC 20006
http://www.corcoran.org/

Main Information Number
202.639.1700

Friday, July 14, 2006

CONVERSIONS



The Ellipse Arts Center and Washington Project for the Arts\Corcoran present: CONVERSIONS

An exhibition exploring spatial interpretations juried from three distinct points of view.

Dates: July 20 – September 29, 2006
Opening Reception: July 19, 7 – 9 pm

Juried by: Sam Gilliam, Dennis O’Neil, and Heather & Tony Podesta

Featuring works by: Renee Butler, Kathryn Cornelius, Susan Eder/Craig Dennis, M. Sedestrom Guthrie, Lisa Kellner, Michelle Kong, Tomas Rivas, Tai Hwa Goh, Joan Sarah Wexler, Ami Martin Wilber and Amy Glengary Yang

--
WPA\C
Phone 202.639.1828
wpainfo@corcoran.org

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Maggie Michael talks at the Hirshhorn this Friday, July 14

G Fine Art is pleased to announce that Linn Meyers, Maggie Michael and Jeff Spaulding are included in the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s show Redefined; Modern and Contemporary Art from the Collection, opening to the public July 15.

Maggie Michael is giving a gallery talk at the Hirshhorn this Friday, July 14 as part of the Artist to Artist series. Her talk, “Anselm Kiefer: Subject to Material,” will be at 12:30 pm and begin at the information desk.

Iona Rozeal Brown was recently in a show at the San Francisco Art Institute’s Walter and McBean Galleries, titled Three Decades of Contemporary Art.
Brown will also be included in Complicit, an upcoming show at the University of Virginia Museum of Art. The show is curated by Johanna Drucker, Andrea Douglas and Jill Hartz and presents artists who are engaged in a studio-based but conceptually self-conscious dialogue with mass culture. There will be a catalogue and the show is expected to travel.
In October Brown will have a show at the University of Arizona to accompany a show of traditional Japanese prints.

G Fine Art
1515 14th Street N.W.
Washington DC, 20005
T: 202 462 1601
F: 202 462 1604
info@gfineartdc.com
www.gfineartdc.com/

redefined

Modern and Contemporary Art from the Collection.
Corcoran Gallery of Art

opens July 15

redefined is the largest exhibition of modern and contemporary art from the Corcoran’s permanent collection since the founding of the museum. It provides an unprecedented opportunity to experience many of the museum’s most important works from the 1950s to the present.

BEGINNINGS: A Charity Art Auction

Sharon Burton of Authentic Art Consulting is co-sponsoring a charity auction. (click above for link to her blog)

Wednesday, July 19, 2006
6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Free and open to the public

Sponsored by Creative Artisans
Co-sponsored by Authentic Art Consulting,
Visual Echoes and Brown Sugar Restaurant

Smith Farm Center for the Healing Arts
1623 U Street, NW
Washington, DC

Regina Miele at Homebody

Deadline extended / Dulles Call to Artists


The deadline for the Dulles Call to Artists has been extended to
August 4, 2006. Hand delivered applications must be received by this
date. If materials are mailed they must be post marked by August 4,
2006.

Michael Mc Bride
Manager
Environmental Graphic Design & Public Art
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Washington, DC 20001

(202)962-1381

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Poetic License: Mixed Media Works by Sondra Arkin and Mary Beth Ramsey

Artist's Talk: Sunday, July 16, 2 -4 pm
Exhibit runs thru July 19, 2006

"Like most good friends, Washington, DC artists Sondra N. Arkin and Mary Beth Ramsey have similar worldviews. Each believes that our lives are shaped by a countless array of emotions, experiences and other influences that layer one upon another to define us as individuals. How they influence us affects how we influence others. The layers become both a part of us and a part of our legacies.

Nevin Kelly Gallery
1517 U Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
202.232.3464

Lenny's last show

Go see Lenny Campello''s last juried show this Friday at the Fraser Gallery in Bethesda.

10th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL ART COMPETITION
Reception Friday, July 14 from 6pm - 9pm

Read Lenny's exciting plans for his blog and his future (and ours) on Washington, DC Art News.

Goodbye and HELLO Lenny!

New Art Space

Scratching the Surface: a Survey of Artists in the Washington Region.

Opens July 14, 2006 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. It will remain on view through August 24, 2006 and aims to bring recognition to a variety of artists living and working in the Washington region. The exhibition is dedicated to the memory of Kevin MacDonald, a well-known and much loved artist who worked in the DC area.

International Arts and Artists
9 Hillyer Court, NW, 2nd floor,
Washington, DC, 20008, USA

Katrina Remembered:

District Fine Arts presents
Six Mississippi Artists Display Major Works to Benefit Artists on the Storm Ravaged Gulf Coast

July 13 - July 26, 2006
July 13th - Opening Reception 5:00 - 9:00 pm
A $50 donation is required to attend the reception

A truly remarkable event is about to occur in several major cities across the United States. A gala opening in Washington, D.C., on July 13th at the District Fine Arts, 1726 Wisconsin Ave. NW will be the first offering of the new exhibit. All proceeds from the show will directly benefit artists living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, whose homes and galleries were destroyed by Katrina.

Richard McKey - Sculptor, Painter
Josh Hailey - Photographic Artist
Ginger Williams - Painter Living on the Coast
William Goodman IV - Painter
Jason Twiggy Lott - Graphic Artist
Jason Marlow - Filmmaker

Hors d'oeuvres donated by Casbah Cafe.

District Fine Arts
1726 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20007
dfa1726@earthlink.net
202.328-9100

Lila Snow Exhibition

International Visions - The Gallery
This exhibit will run
June 21 – August 6, 2006.

Artists Talk
Sunday, July 16, 2-5 p.m.
2629 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington DC 20008

Lila Snow continues her exploration of cultural icons with mixed media construction paintings. She is known for her rich use of color and unusual materials, she has made wall sculptures from paper board supported by wood, covered in hand made Japanese papers and layered with paint - acrylics, oils and powdered pigments. An overlay of calligraphic symbols including Chinese characters, petroglyphs and Hebrew letters adds to the textural variety and thematic complexity of the sculptures. Sometimes tar paper and other materials are used as the artist explores different possibilities. Snow sometimes uses computer parts to evoke the wisdom of the written word over time. Snow has exhibited her works in Washington, New York, Philadelphia, Paris, Bologna and Japan. She is best known for her wit and her interesting combinations of colors and materials.

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Artomatic is coming, looking, coming, looking.....

Keep up with news from Artomatic here www.artomatic.org

14th annual Arts on Foot - Saturday, Sept. 16, 2006! Be an exhibitor.

Mark your calendar for the 14th annual Arts on Foot Saturday, September 16! This celebration of the arts is seeking Visual Artists to Participate In the 2006 Art Market. All fine art and fine craft are accepted, including but not limited to: original painting, photography, sculpture, fiber art, mixed media, clay, textiles, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, ceramics, and wood. Don't delay, application materials must be received by 5:30pm on Friday, July 14 to be considered for the jury process. For more details, go to www.artsonfoot.org .

Arts on Foot will feature the city's visual and performing artists at multiple venues between 4th and 14th Streets, Pennsylvania Avenue and L Street.

Friday, July 07, 2006

WWC Art For Life Auction

Whitman-Walker Clinic Art For Life Auction is held annually in the fall. This year the event is Nov. 17.  

The deadline for artist submissions is approaching fast.   July 14.

The Auction supports the Clinic's Latino Services, and is a major event each year. They are looking to build artist participation by donating artwork, to grow a broader attendee base, and to grow sponsorship and participation from local artists, galleries, etc. making this a signature DC event for the arts community and art lovers.
 
ART FOR LIFE
13th Annual Art Auction
Benefiting Whitman-Walker Clinic
November 17, 2006

DEADLINE:
The deadline for receipt of a completed donation contract is July 14, 2006, and an electronic files or 2 slides (of same image)) by July 28, 2006. We must have all of the materials in hand at that point in order to produce the auction catalog. Information not in our possession by the deadline may not be reproduced in the full color catalog.

Each artist is entitled to two complimentary tickets for the art auction on November 17, 2006.

FOR MORE INFORMATION and to have the donation forms and an information sheet emailed to you, please contact:

SANDRA ROTTMAN
Art for Life Curator
4703 MacArthur Boulevard, NW
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 965-2202
Email: sandra.rottmann@starpower.net

MARTHA MIERS
Associate Director of Special Events
Whitman-Walker Clinic
1407 S Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 797-3529 office
(202) 797-3560 fax
mmiers@wwc.org

Call for Entries - Regional Juried Exhibition

Click above for prospectus. Deadline extended to July 14, 2006.

Touchstone Gallery
MUD, SAND & STRAW
A Regional Show of Ceramics, Glass, Fiber & Wood
August 9 – September 2, 2006

JUROR: Binnie B. Fry

Summer Clouds Day



www.annemarchand.com

1/2 of 4th of July


I only saw 1/2 of the Washington, DC July 4th fireworks display but hey, that's better than nothing. It's like looking out of one eye. I hope you got a good look. They were dazzling this year!



.... and so was the moon lit night. Happy freedom!

studiooneight / Brian Knight’s photographs

2452 18th Street NW | DC | 20009 | www.studiooneeight.com | 703.395.1932

Tomorrow night is the opening reception of Focusing on the District; a solo exhibition featuring Brian Knight’s photographs of Washington D.C.  The reception will begin at 7pm and remain open until 10pm. Cocktails will be provided.  Look forward to seeing you there!

Opening - 07.08.06 |  Closing - 07.22.06

In his habitual travels through various sections of the city, photographer Brian Knight amassed a comprehensive collection of images for our July exhibition, Focusing on the District. With subject matter including monuments, architecture, people, street life and events, the exhibition will feature sixteenof what our curators' considered the best of Knight's work.  The result is a skillful and insightful portrayal of our nation's capital. We invite you to join us for the opening reception as we celebrate this photographer's quest to define the city through a unique paradigm of documentation.

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Near Metro and MARC, leaving their mark

Created by 24 Montgomery County students, a renowned Washington, D.C.,-area muralist, Byron Peck and a dedicated arts educator, the Arts on the Block public art project, titled the ‘‘Silver Pass” and unveiled June 9, incorporates elements of abstract art and art deco motifs with transportation imagery. Read article here

Building on a transportation theme connecting Silver Spring’s locomotive past to its commuter and freight-line present, this mural, created by 24 students with help from renowned Washington, D.C., muralist G. Byron Peck and arts educator Carien Quiroga in the Arts on the Block program, was installed recently on the underpass between Blair Mill Road and Sligo Avenue on Georgia Avenue.

After the Storm: Mississippi Gulf Coast Artists

Artwork from The ARTS Group, Hancock County Mississippi
Galleries I & II
Exhibit dates: July 5 - July 30
RECEPTION: Friday, July 7, 6 –8 pm
Read article in today's WaPost "A Brush With Destruction" by Bravetta Hassell

Foundry Gallery in Northwest Washington. (Foundry Gallery)

Hours Open: Wednesday–Sunday 12–6 pm
Foundry Gallery
1314 18th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
202-463-0203

Parking is available at a commercial lot on N Street, NW between 17th and 18th Streets.

Interview with ELIZABETH BROUN

Margaret and Terry Stent Director
Smithsonian American Art Museum

We are all excited that the Smithsonian American Art Museum is re-opening. I have met Ms. Broun a couple of times and always found her to be friendly and involved in her work. So naturally I was delighted she agreed to share her thoughts and knowledge with me and my readers.
-Marilou Donahue
www.artisticallyspeaking.tv

Historical Society of Washington, DC

Exhibit Reception and Program
Thursday, July 6, 5:30 – 7:30pm

From Freedom’s Shadow: African Americans & the United States Capitol
Constantino Brumidi: Celebrating the Bicentennial of His Birth, 1805-2005

Worthy of National Commemoration
The District of Columbia’s Nominations for Statuary Hall

RSVP by July 6, Noon
Mary Hughes
202.543.8919, ext. 31 or
mhughes@uschs.org

Historical Society of Washington, DC
The Carnegie Library
(formerly known as the City Museum)
801 K Street, NW at Mount Vernon Square
Metro: Gallery Pl-Chinatown, Chinatown exit

Monday, July 03, 2006

Building for the 21st Century – Building in Post-Katrina Louisiana:

National Building Museum

Wednesday, July 26, 12:30 – 1:30pm
Building for the 21st Century – Building in Post-Katrina Louisiana: Hindsight is 20/20, Foresight is Priceless

Why is the gulf region housing recovery taking so long? What can and should we learn from Louisiana's experience? Rebuilding stronger, safer and smarter is easier said than done—but essential and possible. Dr. Claudette Reichel, director of Louisiana House Resource Center (LaHouse), professor and extension housing specialist with the Louisiana State University AgCenter, will describe post-storm building code developments and issues with implications for other states, and provide a brief overview of what's new, what's coming and what's available for building in the post-Katrina gulf region and any coastal state. She will also present highlights of best building practices for the gulf region exhibited at Louisiana House Resource Center. Since hurricane Katrina and Rita devastated her state, Dr. Reichel spearheaded the development and distribution of more than 100,000 Storm Recovery Guides for Homeowners, launched a Rebuild Stronger, Safer, Smarter Homes Initiative which brought building science education to 700 local building professionals, and was thrust into the national media limelight. No charge; registration not required.

To register for programs, visit the Museum's website
www.nbm.org

National Building Museum
401 F Street, NW
202.272.2448

Artscape 06 Visual Arts Exhibitions

Opening Receptions
Baltimore, MD
AND IT'S ALL FREE!

Openings Friday, July 14 - 6-9pm
Award Presentation, 7pm

Janet & Walter Sondheim Prize
Meyerhoff and Decker Galleries, Fox Building, Maryland Institute College of Art

+es+ pa++erns; an exhibition of alternate surface treatments on ubiquitous surfaces
Pinkard Gallery, Bunting Center, Maryland Institute College of Art

Outdoor Sculpture Annual
Mt. Royal Ave. between Cathedral & Lafayette

Independent Gallery Pavilions
Current Gallery / Sub-Basement Artists Studios / Lump Project Spaces
Lyric Park at Mt. Royal Ave. & Oliver St.

The Inflatables
Lawn at Brown Center

Fiber Arts Exhibition
Theatre Project, John Fonda Gallery

Dangerous Books; Pushing the Pop-Up
Area 405
Reception/After Party, 8-11pm

Opening Thursday, July 13
Code: no code - Villa Julie College Gallery
Reception: 6-8pm

Openings Saturday, July 15 – Reception Times Below
1-3pm
Pulse - Gormley Gallery, College of Notre Dame of Maryland

2-4pm
Material Matters - Maryland Art Place

3-5pm
Idiomatic - The Gallery at CCBC Catonsville

3-5pm
Only Human - School 33 Art Center

4-6pm
Sign Language - Eubie Blake Cultural Center

6-9pm
Composite - Current Gallery and Artist Cooperative

6-8pm
Self Taught - Creative Alliance, Amalie Rothschild Gallery

7-9pm
Naked Abstraction - Sub-Basement Artist Studios

7-10pm
Dwell, Bond, Connect - Gallery Imperato
http://www.artscape.org

Sunday, July 02, 2006

KUROI SHIROI

Don't miss this exhibition! Curator Anne Surak has put together a monumental exhibit by clay artist Laurel Lukaszewski. It is soothing and mysterious at the same time whimsical and haunting. Clay is transformed into lively, growth-invoking memories, a very engaging exhibition, one of the best in DC this summer!

Project 4 presents :
Laurel Lukaszewski

June 16 - July 22, 2006

Project 4 is proud to present Kuroi Shiroi (Black/White), an installation of black stoneware and white porcelain by Washington DC artist, Laurel Lukaszewski. The works are stark, organic, extruded forms resembling three-dimensional line drawings or calligraphic brushstrokes. The interrelation of the pieces is based on the artist’s study of Japanese Buddhist mandalas and a habit of incessant doodling. Living in Japan has greatly influenced her work.

“I lived in a small, rural village that was very traditional and centered around agriculture,” says Lukaszewski. “My work reflects that experience in the purity and simplicity of the raw clay. The Japanese have a deep respect for nature but cultivate environments in a very controlled manner. Each sculpture is composed of individual pieces that are assembled on site which give the work a spontaneity and randomness while still being constructed in a very specific manner.”

Laurel Lukaszewski received her MA in Asian Studies and BA in International Affairs from Florida State University. She is currently a member of the Red Dirt Studio seminar in Mount Rainier, MD. This is her first solo exhibition.

Project 4 is a new Washington D.C. gallery that plans to be as diverse as the art world itself. That diversity will be encouraged by Project 4’s exhibition model: guest curators who will bring a spectrum of exhibits not limited by the mindset of a single gallery director. It will, in effect, be a room for art and ideas.
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DIRECTIONS AND INFORMATION :

Project 4 
Contact:
903 U Street NW  Washington DC 20001
tel: 202 232 4340  fax: 202 232 4341  
info@project4gallery.com

Hours:
Wednesday - Friday 2:00 - 6:00 pm,  Saturday noon - 6:00 pm and by appointment.

Map:
See our location on Google Map (We are located at the intersection of 9th Street and U street NW).

Metro Access:
Project 4 is easily accessible by metro. We are located one block east of the green line U St/African-American Civil War Memorial/Cardozo metro station, 10th Street exit.