Gallery of Photography Ireland Opens Carlotta Hester Exhibition

Carlotta Hester

THE PURE DROP

Drawings of Traditional Irish

Musicians, Singers and Dancers

 Joe Ward, Co. Tyrone, Fiddle, Bodhran & Singer,

Cross Border Session, Peace III Office, 16/8/2010

© Carlotta Hester / Govinda Gallery

January 26 – February 21 2016

in Gallery II

Opening Reception: Tues Jan 26, 6.30pm

GALLERY OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Ireland's National Center 

for Contemporary Photography

Meeting House Square

Dublin 2, Ireland

During the summers of 2010, 2011, and 2012, American artist Carlotta Hester made over 150 drawings in County Cavan. Each is an exquisite rendering of traditional Irish musicians, singers and dancers captured at the height of their creative flow. For this exhibition, the artist has selected 24 drawings which present a visual distillation of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, the largest of all traditional Irish music festivals. Hester’s drawings are created direct from life, while listening to the music in every festival setting – street sessions, theatres, dance classes, pub sessions, masterclasses, outdoor concerts, cross-border gatherings, and more.

Musical artists from all over Ireland (North and South), as well as Scotland, England, and the United States are depicted in these drawings. Well-known names including fiddlers Tommy Peoples and Oisin MacDiarmada, harpist Catriona McKay and filter Seamus Fay rub shoulders with newer talents and rising stars of the next generation. Presented during Tradfest as a companion exhibition to Ted Russell’s photographs of Bob Dylan, Hester’s work captures the spirit of traditional music that was such a major inspiration for Dylan back in the sixties. More than this, The Pure Drop is a forward looking celebration of the artistry of deep-rooted Irish traditions which continue to thrive today.

Acknowledgments: The Gallery of Photography would like to thank TradFest 2016 - Temple Bar’s festival of traditional music and Govinda Gallery, Washington DC. Special thanks to Jim Staunton of Staunton’s on the Green for his generous support for the exhibition.

EVENTS

Official launch of The Pure Drop and Bob Dylan – NYC 1961-64 exhibitions will take place Tuesday January 26 at 6.30 – 8.00pm. HE Kevin O’Malley, US Ambassador to Ireland, will be present. The evening will include a short performance by the award winning Irish singer/songwriter, Adrian Crowley.

About Carlotta Hester, the artist:

Carlotta Hester gained a BFA from Washington University, St Louis, MO and has exhibited in Washington DC, in Ireland and in Cuba. She combines her art practice with art teaching, and has been the art teacher at the prestigious Maret School since 1994. She received the Fishman Fellow Award for Outstanding Teaching in 2012. She is represented by Govinda Gallery, Washington DC.

About the Gallery of Photography Ireland:

Established in 1978 the Gallery of Photography is Ireland’s centre for contemporary photography. The Gallery provides an important platform for established and emerging artists from Ireland and abroad. In addition to exhibitions, the gallery also provides photography courses, a specialist photography bookshop, membership programme, fully serviced studio/darkroom facilities, and digital printing and scanning facilities available for hire at subsidised rates. The Gallery, which is nonprofit making, is funded by the Arts Council and Dublin City Council. It also welcomes donations, sponsorship and support from those interested in promoting photographic arts. www.galleryofphotography.ie/

Exhibition Opening Hours:

The exhibition is open Tues-Sat 11am-6pm, Sundays and Mondays 1–6pm. Guided group tours are available, tel 01 6714654 or email info@galleryofphotography.ie to book a time.

Admission is free. Guided group tours are free. Donations are welcome.

Gallery of Photography, Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, Ireland.

Tel. 353-1-671 4654 www.galleryofphotography.ie info@galleryofphotography.ie/

Hemphill Opens Colby Caldwell Exhibition

Colby Caldwell

how to survive your own death

January 16 - March 5, 2016

Opening Reception: Saturday, January 16, 2016

Colby Caldwell, how to survive your own death (222), 2015, archival pigment print mounted to Dibond and waxed, 36" x 120", Ed. 5.

how to survive your own death;­­–– what is in a title? Is it a key or simply a tag? Is Caldwell’s provocative name for this series of digital images a declaration, or is it a question? The artist borrowed the title from a poem by Bernard Welt, but it is hard to think that he is simply referencing to the poem. Caldwell describes the title as illustrating how the accidental corruption of visual information created the data from which his images were generated, reborn. With this description of the original how to survive your own death is he suggesting he glimpsed something beyond the mortal realm? Does this mean if you look long enough and hard enough you will see a way to dodge your inevitable demise? It is un-modern and disconcerting to make such a claim. So much of Western art before our time contained or implied instructions on methods of surviving this earth so as to pass in to everlasting life. No such demand is placed on today’s art, no modern artist expects the void to answer back. So, is the title part of a joke? Is Caldwell drawing you in with an antiquated straight-line, then delivering a deadpan punch-line, “All you get is a pretty picture, sucker!” And you cannot ignore the lower case of Caldwell’s title. Is it meant to be humble, passive or self-deprecating? Is it his admission - the agnostic admission of so many artists - that hangs on to the hope something of the self survives in art after death?

The works in the series, presently numbering more than 200, arise from that first corruption of data, a common origin. Each piece is related and each piece different – much like individuals within a species, within a family. Could how to survive your own death be seen as an expression of genetically related generations? Is Caldwell saying there are structures arising from the past, reaching into the future, binding us together, normally unseen sublimely beautiful structures? Maybe

Colby Caldwell’s work is included in numerous private collections as well as the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC, and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, LA, among other museum and public collections. Caldwell received a BFA from the Corcoran College of Art and Design in 1990 and currently lives and works in Asheville, NC.

HEMPHILL was founded in Washington DC in 1993. The exhibition schedule features modern & contemporary art in all media by artists ranging from emerging to mid-career to modern masters.

Image: Colby Caldwell, how to survive your own death (222), 2015, archival pigment print mounted to Dibond and waxed, 36" x 120", Ed. 5.

GALLERY HOURS: Tuesday–Saturday, 10:00am–5:00pm, and by appointment.

HEMPHILL
1515 14th St NW
Washington DC 20005
tel 202.234.5601
www.hemphillfinearts.com

GEOMETRIX: Line, Form, Subversion 3 Venues, 3 Months, 3 Opening Receptions

Curator's Office announces a 3 venue exhibition GEOMETRIX: Line, Form, Subversion 3 Venues, 3 Months, 3 Opening Receptions January 14 - April 16, 2016 GEOMETRIX: Line, Form, Subversion is a large mischievously educational exhibition that explores how artists use the vocabulary of geometric abstraction to explore ideas far beyond the purely formal. Admittedly eclectic, the exhibition is a big beta version of what will become an annual series of focused thematic shows. The artists allude to such diverse inspirations as music, physics, occult studies, racism, social issues, gay aesthetics, incarceration data, textile design, interactive computer design, memorials, the environment and perverse homages, to name but a few.   Each gallery venue will be open on Saturdays from 12 - 6 and by appointment. E-mail andrea.pollan at gmail dot com for appts. * * * * * * * * * Friday, January 15, 2016    6 - 8 pm Curator's Office @ Home   RSVP required for address.  There will be a strict guest list at the door. Please respond to andrea.pollan at gmail dot com    Lori Ellison, Peter Fox, Christopher French, Kendell Geers,  Jason Gubbiotti, Raymond Salvatore Harmon, Jason Hughes,  Warren Isensee, Linn Meyers, Gary Petersen, Eduardo Santiere  Jo Smail, Andrea Way, Andy Moon Wilson, Patrick Wilson * * * * * * * * * Saturday, January 16, 2016   6 - 8 pm Curator's Office @ Gallery 2112 2112 R Street NW Washington, DC 20008 RSVP appreciated. Email to andrea.pollan at gmail dot com          Lisa Beck, Joan Belmar, Brian Dailey, Tim Doud, Tom Downing  Peter Fox, Tom Green, Logan Grider, Jason Hughes, Warren Isensee  Paul Laffoley, Sharon Louden, J.W. Mahoney, Gary Petersen  W.C. Richardson, Eduardo Santiere, Jered Sprecher, Don Voisine  Andrea Way, Andy Moon Wilson, John Zinsser  * * * * * * * * * Sunday, January 17, 2016   6 - 8 pm Curator's Office @ 703 Edgewood Studios 703 Edgewood Street NE Washington, DC 20010 RSVP appreciated. Email to andrea.pollan at gmail dot com Please dress warmly!   Seth Adelsberger, Joan Belmar. Sharon Butler, Travis Childers  Mike Childs, Charles Cohan, Paul Doran, Alex Ebstein Peter Fox, Ted Gahl, Robert Gutierrez, Eric Hibit  J.T. Kirkland, Amy Lin, Maggie Michael  Thomas Müller, Betsy Packard, Jefferson Pinder .  * * * * * * * * * PDFs of artworks from this exhibition will be available by request beginning Friday, January 15, 2016. Images Above: Linn Meyers, Untitled, 2015, acrylic ink on mylar, 19" x 13.5",  Courtesy of the Artist Patrick Wilson, Crimson Queen, 2011, acrylic on canvas, 17" x 17" Gary Peterson, Pink Drift, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 36" x 30", Courtesy of the Artist Special Thanks and Courtesies Extended: Special Thanks to ALL the artists Tim Doud exhibits Courtesy of Randall Scott Projects Lori Ellison exhibits Courtesy of McKenzie Fine Art Jason Gubbiotti exhibits Courtesy of Civilian Art Projects Warren Isensee exhibits Courtesy of Danese/Corey J.T. Kirkland exhibits Courtesy of Adah Rose Gallery Sharon Louden exhibits Courtesy of Morgan Lehman Gallery Don Voisine exhibits Courtesy of McKenzie Fine Art Curator's Office + 202.360.2573

New Exhibitions Opening January 14 at McLean Project for the Arts

 McLean Project for the Arts, 

Opening exhibit reception, Thursday, January 14, 7-9pm.

View new exhibits, meet the artists, and enjoy a special wine tasting provided by The Vineyard and appetizers from J.Gilberts! This event is free and open to the public, RSVP or follow on Facebook.  

 

January 14 - March 5, 2016

Emerson Gallery: Absence and Presence: Al Mutanabbi Street Starts Here 

Artists worldwide have created work in response to the 2007 bombing of Baghdad’s historic book-selling street, exhibiting in venues all around the world as part of the Al Mutanabbi Street Starts Here project. This exhibition features a selection of prints, broadsides and artists books from the project that commemorate this event and celebrate the free and creative exchange of ideas and knowledge everywhere. This exhibition is part of a diverse coalition of DC-area universities and arts and literary organizations taking part in the project. Other exhibition sites include the George Mason University School of Art Gallery, the Gelman Library and the Corcoran School of Art and Design at the George Washington University, the Brentwood Arts Exchange, Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, Olly Olly Gallery, and the Smithsonian American Art/Portrait Gallery Library. 

 

Atrium Gallery: Hushed Revolt: Works by Nasrin Navab and Nahid Navab 

Sisters Nasrin and Nahid Navab have collaboratively produced this exhibition as an exploration of the social and cultural spaces they have occupied as two Iranian-Ameri- can artists. In homage to the mythological sisters Shahrezad and Shahrnavaz, Nasrin and Nahid embarked on an intimate journey of sharing their stories and creating art that captures those experiences in the form of drawings, prints, artist books, and installations. The many-textured and multi- layered array of influences and interests leading on this body of work include Persian calligraphy and miniature painting, mythology from around the world, contemporary spatial and urban experiences, and individual and communal identity. 

 

Ramp Gallery: Les Fleurs du Livre: New Paintings by Carol Barsha 

In this exhibition, artist Carol Barsha shows paintings that playfully explore the role of the book as an entry- way into the world. Executed in a dynamic combination of mediums, including watercolor, ink, pastel, oil paint and pencil on paper, this exhibit features a series of works, both large and small, that situate the book within the landscape. In this way, the complexity and exuberance of the natural world is thereby considered along with the open territory of the imagination and the age-old practice of storytelling. 

 

For more information, please visit website.  

 Gallery Hours: Monday – Fri 10 am-4 pm; Sat 11 am-5 pm. Free and open to the public.

Location: McLean Project for the Arts, 1234 Ingleside Avenue, McLean VA. 22101.

 

Kinetic Instrument Exhibition at Montgomery College’s Open Gallery

 Montgomery College’s Department of Visual and Performing Arts presents Luminescent Anthologies: Matthew McCormack and Jenn Fig at the Open Gallery. The exhibit opens January 11. A reception follows February 11 from 6–8 p.m. This interactive exhibit features playable sound and light instruments. 

Luminescent Anthologies is the second in the themed exhibition series Interactivity: Sight and Sound. This exhibit consists of futuristic instruments that gallery visitors are invited to play. The instruments produce sound and light when played. McCormack and Figg’s collaborative art investigates the connections between ecology, industry, science, and identity. 

Jenn Figg and Matthew McCormack are multimedia artists who incorporate advanced technology and performance into their practice. They are recipients of a MacDowell Colony artist residency, among many other awards and recognitions. The pair has exhibited and performed throughout the United States. 

About The Open Gallery: The Open Gallery’s exhibitions compliment the Department of Visual and Performing Arts’ academic programs while bringing art to the community. The Open Gallery hosts a themed, open call exhibition series each academic year. This year’s theme is Interactivity: Sight and Sound. As part of the Silver Spring arts community, exhibitions focus on current pieces by working artists. The gallery is on the ground floor of The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Arts Center on the west side of the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus. The center is located off Georgia Avenue at 930 King Street. Parking is available in the West Campus Garage, located immediately behind the center. 

Gallery Website: http://cms.montgomerycollege.edu/arts-tpss/exhibitions/ 

The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Arts Center 

930 King Street

Silver Spring, MD 20910