“ELLIPSIS”

Anne Marchand and Alan Binstock
May 5 – June 4, 2006
Opening Events: Friday, May 5, 6-9pm and Sunday, May 7, 2-5pm

I helped install the show on Wednesday. It's always amazing to take the work out of the studio and see it in a new light. The gallery is tweaking lighting and we are all getting ready to celebrate my newest body of work on Friday and Sunday. I have family coming in for the event. I hope you can share the joy to have this energetic work up on the gallery walls. Between this show and the mural installation for the Takoma Community Center, my art life has been full this winter and spring. If you can't make the opening, I'll be in town during the month of May. We can arrange a meeting through the Zenith gallery. Alan Binstock's glass sculpture is stunningly beautiful and our themes resonate. Be sure to visit soon. Here's the gallery press release for the exhibition.

Anne Marchand, "Sarpej," mixed media, 68" x 58"

Zenith Gallery is proud to host concurrent solo exhibitions for longtime resident artist, Anne Marchand, and newcomer, Alan Binstock. Both are fixtures of the Washington DC and Maryland art communities. Anne, a Washington artist and New Orleans native, has been an important contributor to the Washington community for many years. Her murals and public art projects can be seen throughout the city.

Anne Marchand sees space through movement. In this latest body of abstract, mixed media paintings, her compositions explore the connectedness of energy in the universe. Drawing inspiration from images of the Hubble telescope, her paintings contain the vastness of galaxies that morph into more recognizable and intimate earthly landscapes.

Mt. Rainier, Maryland artist, Alan Binstock is a sculptor, yoga devotee and NASA architect. His current body of work incorporates stone, glass and steel and is self-reflective. The sculptures balance, support and cantilever their way towards a visual resolution. Nancy Ungar of Sculpture Magazine writes, “he uses his art to give shape to the spiritual and intellectual searching that has informed his life. His elegant, minimal forms are honed to a poetic accuracy that illuminates complex statements through form, contrasting materials and, especially, color.”

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
Washington DC 20004 · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

PASSTENSE

•••••••••TEN YEARS OF WASINGTON ART •••••••••

OPENING RECEPTION : FRIDAY MAY 5 • 7-10 pm. Gallery open : Tuesdays and Saturdays 1- 5 pm. This show continues thru May 30, 2006

Painting, Sculpture, and Photography by

Michael Gessner • Rogelio Maxwell • Clark • Chris Sky Shaw • Richard Siegman • Gail Gorlitzz • Mary Anne Pollock • Stuart Greenwell • Joanne Kent • Tom Moriarty • Dan Shay • Willem de Looper • Wilfred Brunner • Perraoult Daniels • Maggie Standley • Beti Ellerson • Christophe Poulenc • Donald Depuydt • Anne Marchand • Joe McKenna • June Shadoan • Sandy Sugar • Ruth Robertson • Rebecca Crumlish • Dan Kiernan • Kevin MacDonald • Scott Patti • Nancy Bowman • Stuart D. Gosswein • Karen Schmitz • Mark Planisek • Guy Waynes • Freya Grand • Joseph Lammirato • Albert Schweitzer • Rocky Wang • Felicity Hogan • Stephanie Young • Jamie Wimberly • Jim Dadey • Jake Watling • Todd Gardner • Christopher Goodwin • Lamontez Jackson • Margaret Veerhoff • Gail Vollrath • terry a. debardelaben • Bill Miller • Minna Newman Nathanson • Bailey Ann Rosen • Richard Blackmore • Joel D'Orazio • James Doglass Haley •Channing Houston • Willy Fish Yowaiski • Brian Judy • Tiffany Mielcarek • Tory Cowles • Nilay Larson • Ken Ashton • Matt Batista • Carl Dahlke • Kate MacDonnell • Peter Penczer • Kathleen Shafer

PASS GALLERY is located at the rear of 1617 S Street NW. Enter alley off 17th Street between Swann and S Streets NW

Contact Richard Siegman (202) 745.0796

PASS GALLERY • WASHINGTON DC • 2006

58 Women of Accomplishment Portray Hidden Dreams and Real Hopes

Extraordinary Women: Fantasies Revealed
Tuesday, May 9, 2006, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Purchase price includes a copy of the book, an invitation to the book signing and reception:
May 9, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Come explore the hidden dreams and real hopes of 58 exceptional women featured in the recently published book Extraordinary Women by local authors Ilene Leventhal and Francine Levinson. Meet some of these amazing women including the Founder of NMWA Wilhelmina Cole Holladay, jewelry designer Ann Hand, NBC4 TV morning anchor Barbara Harrison, author Kitty Kelley, artist Phyllis Greenberger, restaurateur Nora Pouillon, lifestyle editor of Washingtonian magazine Leslie Milk, and many more. Celebrate their achievements and accomplishments at this reception and book signing. Tickets should be purchased in advance by calling 877-226-5294, e-mailing museumbymail@nmwa.org or online. Ticket prices: $50/general admission; $45/NMWA members. Tickets include a copy of the book and admission to the reception. Proceeds from this event go to support educational programming and exhibitions.

National Museum of Women in the Arts
1250 New York Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20005-3970
202-783-5000, 1-800-222-7270

The National Museum of Women in the Arts is conveniently located in the heart of Washington, D.C., at the corner of New York Avenue and 13th Street, NW. Many other museums, the Convention Center, and the White House are within easy walking distance.

MIGUEL COVARRUBIAS

GENIUS OF MEXICO IN THE UNITED STATES
May 3rd - July 7, 2006
Monday to Friday 9:30 am to 6:30 pm
http://www.instituteofmexicodc.org/

“MAY: MEXICAN CULTURE MONTH”
a unique program of special events throughout the month to celebrate

MUSIC CONCERT
Thursday, May 4th 7:30 pm
Cultural Institute of Mexico
2829 16th Street, NW,
R.S.V.P. (202) 728 1675
instituteofmexicodc@sre.gob.mx
Free Admission – CASH BAR

Saturday, May 6TH 6:00 pm
National Museum of The American Indian
INDIAN SUMER SHOWCASE Na’rImbo.
Welcome Plaza
Rain Location: Potomac Atrium

Music Concert by:
Na'rimbo
THE VERY BEST OF MEXICAN MARIMBA

• Na'rimbo combines the distinctive sound of the marimba (an instrument with roots in the Chiapas region) with Latin rhythms and jazz

Art and the City: Artist Profile Anne Marchand

Artist and writer, Jim Magner recently visited my studio after a cup of tea and an inspired conversation on meaning making in art. I shared thoughts on my new body of abstract work for the Ellipsis Exhibition which is opening this Friday at the Zenith Gallery in Washington, DC. Jim spotlighted my work in an article in the May issue of the Hill Rag.

"Anne Marchand dives into the dark emptiness of possibility for the fright of absolute freedom—a leap from her structural cityscapes to her new abstract series" Read Article Here

Anne Marchand "Raga Turning" Mixed Media on Canvas 48"x48"

Anne Marchand, paintings & Alan Binstock, sculpture
"Ellipsis"
May 5 - June 4, 2005
Opening Receptions: Friday, May 5, 6-9pm & Sunday, May 7, 2-5pm
Zenith Gallery
413 7th Street NW
Washington, DC
202.783.2963
art@zenithgallery.com
www.zenithgallery.com

MAY 2006 HILL RAG

Anybody recognize this painting of Washington, DC? The original, one of my cityscape paintings, is in a local collection. The newspaper's cover image was selected from poster images on my website. www.annemarchand.com. Thanks, nice cover!

Hill Rag is available today, free of charge, at Metros, street corners and fine establishments across the city.
phone: 202.543.8300

Capital Community News, Inc.
224 7th Street, SE
Washington DC 20003

Community Design Workshop

Hines|Archstone-Smith &
DC Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning & Economic Development

Community Design Workshop

Old Convention Center Site
Master Plan for a New Downtown Neighborhood

Thursday May 4th, 6:00 – 9:00pm
At the City Museum of Washington, DC
801 K Street, NW at Mount Vernon Square

The Deputy Mayor’s Office and the development team will update attendees on the continuing evolution of the project’s Master Plan.

Information
www.oldconventioncenter.com
hines-smith@hines.com
202.347.6337, ext. 269

THE SCROLLS:

a traveling international arts project that asks the question, "Why?"

When:
Friday, May 12 – Sunday, July 14, 2006
Opening reception: Saturday, May 13, 2006 6-9 p.m.

Where:
Museum of Modern ARF
1116 N. Hudson St.
Arlington, VA 22201
703-528-4800
www.Modernarf.smugmug.com
Aaron@Modernarf.com

Contacts:
Local(DC): John Aaron, Director
Scrolls-Global: (SC)
Mary Walker, Founder
mwalker4588@earthlink.net


Who: 77 contributing artists from 4 continents

Why:
The Scrolls,” is an international discourse and “rolling” conversation amongst artists regarding the war in Iraq, including works by 8 Iraqi artists currently living in Bagdad. The exhibition also contains a scroll created by artists from Washington, DC and Arlington, VA. The exhibition asks the question “Why?” the War…Mary Walker of South Carolina sent a piece called “Why” to a number of her colleagues and asked them to add to it in the manner of a scroll. Seven scrolls were created; They opened at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park, sponsored by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs in 2005.

Cleveland-based artists Barbara Chira and Julie Friedman, organized the presentation of the Scrolls at Gallery West, Cuyahoga Community College/Western Campus, Parma, Ohio in early 2006.

The Scrolls make their debut in the Washington area at the Museum of Modern Arf in Arlington, VA.
May 12-July 14, 2006

The public reception is Saturday, May 13 from 6-9 pm and coincides with the return of the American Friends Service Committee’s “Eyes Wide Open” Memorial of Boots that commemorates the US Fallen. It returns to DC for the third time. “Eyes Wide Open” will be on the National Mall on 14th Street from May 11-14. This year, a new Memorial to the Iraqi children, women and men killed in the war will be unveiled as well.

Mary Walker, founder, curator and visionary of the Scrolls, will be in attendance at the May 13th reception, at Modern ARF
in addition to a number of the artists who contributed to the Scrolls.

The Museum of Modern Arf is the closest gallery
to a Metro stop in the Washington, DC area, across the street from the Clarendon Metro Elevator (Orange Line)

"Don't Bring No Bad News"

District of Columbia Arts Center presents
"Don't Bring No Bad News"- curated by Barbara Blanco

April 28 - May 21, 2006
opening reception Friday April 28th 7-9pm

Featuring the work of: Michael Platt, Harlee Little, Kasha Stewart + Kim Johnson
The exhibit focuess on positive imagery that reflects the African American experience. It captures our spirit, our hopes, our joy, our laughter, our faith and the inspiration we encounter everyday in our lives.

It is essential that we show the African American experience is the human experience, as our stories share a common history with our families, friends, and neighbors. These images will include everyday messages of love, hope and appreciation. The overall aim of this exhibit is to share visual stories whose good news should be told. - Barbara Blanco

District of Columbia Arts Center
2438 18th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009

Tel: (202) 462-7833
Fax: (202) 328-7099
www.dcartscenter.org

Co-Conspirators: Artist and Collector: Chelsea Museum, NY

"Co-Conspirators: Artist and Collector" is a collaboration in three ways:
1. Between the pair of collectors, James Cottrell and Joseph Lovett
2. Between the artists and the collectors
3. Between the aggregate and the viewer.

James Cottrell, an anesthesiologist interested in the human brain, and his partner, Joseph Lovett, interested in the lives of artists, were among the "top" 100 Collectors of 2001 named by Arts and Antiques magazine. They have assembled work throughout the career-spans of many of the artists they regard. Curator Sue Scott took the opportunity of their domicile renovation to assemble their trove, which then became a traveling show of paintings and works on paper that began at the Orlando Museum of Art, and is currently on view throughout two floors of the Chelsea Museum. Most of the pieces share several visual characteristics, and one definite, but more ephemeral aspect: methodology.

Read more NY ARTS

GREATEST BLAKE DISCOVERY IN 100 YEARS

LOST WATERCOLORS TO BE SOLD BY SOTHEBY’S IN NEW YORK
From Art of the Day Weekly

MOST IMPORTANT OFFERING OF WORKS BY THE ARTIST EVER TO APPEAR AT AUCTION ESTIMATED TO BRING $12/17.5 MILLION ON MAY 2, 2006
Sotheby’s has been more discreet in advertising another auction this week, regarding the drawings by William Blake. This unique ensemble of 19 watercolours, done in 1805, and called Studies for Blair’s Tomb. Obviously Blair is not the politician we all know (who, they say, is disturbed by the homonymy) but rather Scottish writer Robert Blair whose most famous poem The Grave was written in 1743. Art historians and museums curators are mad because the famous ensemble that was miraculously discovered intact in 2001 in Glasgow, will be divided for the sale. Unless a “white knight” is capable of meeting the price for each of the 19 lots and offer them in one block to a museum. But he would need to pay over 15 million dollars…Press Release here

Art Chicago 2006

For its 14th edition, Art Chicago, one of the largest American contemporary art fairs, will host 125 galleries. From 28 April to 1 May.

Art Chicago announces a change in venue from Butler Field to the historic Chicago Merchandise Mart, 8th Floor exhibition space. With the generous assistance of the Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc., Art Chicago has been given the opportunity to mount its International Exposition of 104 dealers in one of its massive exhibition halls!

Opening Night
Please join us Thursday April 27th from 6-10 pm for the opening night of Art Chicago 2006. The fair will be held at the Chicago Merchandise Mart on the 8th floor exhibition space.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Thomas Blackman Associates
2550 West Lexington Street
Chicago, IL 60612
tel: 312.226.4700
fax: 312.226.4704
email: infoac@artchicago.com

Art Chicago 2006

COW PARADE

Ever wonder what happened to the animal public art projects? Well, it seems tha tthey're all the rage in Paris. Fancy that!

Cow Parade

PARIS – Crowned by its success in various countries (last March one could see painted cattle in Mexico City, in the Chapultepec park), the Cow Parade is finally landing in Paris. The principle is simple: glass resin cows are scattered throughout an itinerary taken by many people (in Paris, the axis between the Arc de Triomphe and the Concorde). Each one of these ruminants, symbols of peace and placidity, is decorated with the help of a sponsor, by an artist who gives free rein to his inspiration. Among the participants, Thierry des Ouches, Marika de Moro Giaff eri,Yanne Kintgen, Hubert Le Gall. Colours, motifs or materials: all is possible except to sacrifice the cow. Cow Parade in Paris, from 26 April to 16 June 2006.

A pleasant virtual herd of coloured bovines
http://www.cowparade.com/

What's In a Name?

by Helen Levin

Come the late fall of 2006, this sleepy 17th century Dutch village will see the world’s first museum devoted solely to abstract art and abstract thought as it relates to the arts and sciences, global and corporate stewardship. The Yellow Fellow Foundation is the brainstorm of art collector and business entrepreneur, Jan Verhoeven, and his partner, Menna Kruiswijk, an MBA who shares his abundant enthusiasm and eye for art.

The majority of the work is by abstractionists whom Verhoeven and Kruiswijk feel history and the art market have ignored.

A signifying artist in the collection and for whom the name Yellow Fellow is derived, is Erik van der Grijn ("yellow fellow" is his nickname). Van der Grijn, now residing in Argentina, was picked up by Verhoeven around 1984 in Amsterdam. Van der Grijn had just returned from 20 years of creating and exhibiting muscular, large, abstract paintings for an appreciative, buying public in Dublin.

"Of course the new dictum, ‘It’s art if the artist says it’s art,’ still has to include abstract painting and sculpture. As far as the ‘art object’ being passé, conceptual artists still create art commodities in the form of documentation of their events or work. So, their point about de-materializing art never, ever occurred, despite the predictions. If artists want to add ‘meaning’ as the new value in art, that’s fine–but it doesn’t make the Ab-Ex artist passé. The fact is what moves me personally is a chance to buy the work I love and then to share it. I chose the work by the deep feeling it conveys, not by what the critics had to say."

Read Article here

"Pennies Per Peek," Canadian Concept of Artist remuneration

It's always interesting to see how other countries/ galleries conduct business with artists.

This from Canadian Artist, Robert Genn

For the next couple of months I have a retrospective exhibition
in a public gallery. Something that surprised me was that the
gallery issued me a cheque for $2065.50. (This was just about
enough to pay for three stretch Hummers to take our friends to
and from the opening--something we ended up not doing. But I
digress.) Known as an exhibitor's fee, this payment has been in
effect here in Canada for some years. The fee is based on
guidelines provided by CARFAC, an overseeing, non-governmental
body that looks out for artists' interests. The actual size of
the exhibitor's fee is based on the annual operating budget of
the public gallery. Thus, the fee paid by a gallery with a
budget of less than a million dollars is smaller than one with
a budget of over five million. In fact, the amount that a
gallery might pay an exhibitor is discretionary. Some public
galleries, I'm told, don't pay artists at all--others pay more
than the guidelines suggest.

I rather thought that payment might be based on a formula that
included show duration, number of works shown, traffic
achieved, whether or not there's an entry fee, and other
factors. In any case, it's "pennies per peek," and this, to a
guy who has always lived by selling work, has to be an
interesting way to get green feedback. While I would have done
a show like this without remuneration, I also know that there
are many artists whose work is not collected or even
collectable, and who could well use the exhibitor's fee as a
source of income. In many ways the system is a breath of fresh
air. With the advent of "pay per view" and all the
micro-billing that's going on these days--why not
"micro-paying"? While my particular show is free to the public,
the idea of galleries charging an entry fee and sharing the box
office with the artist--as many a musician does--may have legs.

Several years ago I was on the board of a regional theatre. It
seemed that every meeting consisted of dreaming up new ways to
get "bums on seats." In a way, this is what fine artists also
require. "Eyes on pics," is a similar quest--whether the
artists have shock, scenery, sophistry or sales on their minds.
(Try saying that quickly.) It's nice to have a prestigious
venue such as a public gallery, but it may not always be
necessary. As everyone knows, I'm an advocate of the Internet
as the "Greater World Gallery." It's hardly prestigious. One
day it too could be "pennies per peek." Maybe artists could
make a living from it.

PS: "Since 1968 and approximately every two years, CARFAC has
issued exhibition fee schedules that were developed from rates
established by painters Jack Chambers and Tony Urquhart.
Updated through negotiation and usage, they reflect increases
in the cost of living. All fees are considered minimum payments
for the use of the copyrights and/or the professional services
of visual/media artists." (CARFAC statement)

Esoterica: The CARFAC guidelines are divided into a number of
types of exhibitions that public galleries (categorized by
annual budget sizes from 1 to 11) might hold. An example: "For
retrospectives, or solo exhibitions that feature more than ten
years of an artist's production, the rate is the listed solo
rate plus 25% for galleries in the major size categories
(9-11). For galleries in the medium categories (5-8) the rate
is the solo rate plus 15%; for galleries in the standard
categories (1-4), the rate is the standard rate plus 10%."

Rreprinted with permission from
Robert Genn-The Painter's Keys

Women's Caucus for Art Annual Networking Day 2006

Artwork by Members
Women's Caucus for Art of Greater Washington, D.C.
April 5 - April 29, 2006

Annual Networking Day 2006
Saturday, April 29, 2006

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Artwork by Members of the Women's Caucus for Art of Greater Washington, D.C. (WCA/DC - www.wcadc.org includes works by women artists from Northern Virginia, Maryland and District of Columbia. WCA artwork will be on view from April 5 through April 29, 2006, in Gallery West Goodwin House Bailey's Crossroads located at 3440 South Jefferson Street in Falls Church, VA 22041.

The Goodwin House will host the 2006 Annual Networking Day for WCA/DC on Saturday, April 29, 2006 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Featured speaker is Lenny Campello, co-owner of Fraser Gallery, Bethesda, MD. Title of the talk will be: Exhibiting and Marketing Your Art. Lenny is widely recognized as a successful gallery co-owner, exhibiting artist, blog host: http://www.dcartnews.blogspot.com/ and reviewer. His talk will be a short version of his all day marketing workshop. Lenny talks the talk and walks the talk. He will use his expertise to speak about general information on exhibiting and marketing your artwork. In the afternoon, members from the Philadelphia Chapter of WCA will present: Pricing Our Art.

The Networking Day is free and open to the public. Space is limited to 120 people. RSVP for event reservation and/or lunch Lunch is catered $8.00/person or bring your own.

For more information see Authentic Art DC

Fraser Gallery Art Seminars: Success as an Artist

Sunday June 11, 2006

This is the original one day seminar for emerging artists, designed to give practical information and advice towards a successful fine arts career. Each seminar is limited to 50 people per session. The cost is $80 per person and each seminar is seven hours long. It's 100% satisfaction-guaranteed or your money back. We've had incredible results since we started doing this in August of 1999. This will help you as an artist -- the issues covered and discussed are not based on theory, but grounded on actual experience. The next seminar will be held on Sunday, June 11, 2006 in partnership with Art-O-Matic and the Warehouse Galleries... please send an e-mail or call the gallery at 301/718-9651 if you would like to attend. Read feedback from artists who have attended the seminar.

This seminar is sponsored by:

The Fraser Gallery
7700 Wisconsin Avenue
Suite E
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
Tel/Fax: (301)718-9651

DC Mayoral Candidates Forum on the Arts

Monday, May 1, 2006 ~ 6:00- 8:00pm
GALA Theatre (Tivoli Theater) ~ 3333 14th Street, NW
Moderated by: Renee Poussaint, National Visionary Leadership Project and Former ABC News Anchor

Very important forum! If you live in the District and the arts are an important part of your life, come to this Forum to hear what the candidates have to say – and even ask some questions yourself. Or just show up to demonstrate the importance of support for the arts community. Bring a friend.

TERRIE PIPA - SMALL GESTURES at PROJECT 4

APRIL 22- May 27, 2006

This blogger wants to fill you in on a kool new space on historic U street. One that you will want to keep your eye on and visit often.


Brainchild of four colleagues; two architects, a journalist and a graphic designer,


Project 4 gallery proposes a new concept for the Washington, DC hip art public. "Project 4 is a new Washington D.C. gallery that plans to be as diverse as the art world itself. That diversity— from painting to video to photography to sculpture— will be encouraged by Project 4’s exhibition model: guest curators who will bring a spectrum of exhibits not limited by the ideas of a single gallery director. It will, in effect, be a room for art and ideas."
Ok, I'm excited about this new venue and wish them luck and great exposure! There's room for this creative melding of art and ideas in Washington, DC. I say, the more, the merrier.

I left painting in the studio to attend Project 4's second opening tonight, an exhibit of oil and watercolor paintings by Terrie Pipa.

"Pipa is a figurative artist, and the paintings chosen for this exhibit all demonstrate a mastery of detail, of subtlety, and of the small, psychological gesture." Pipa's work is well executed and striking in its ability to transfix the viewer with questions about her subjects. The storyline is left to the eye of the beholder with glances to past Renaissance masters and their penchant for intrigue.

Our very own Anne Surak will be directing the events of Project 4 in the coming months. A curator in her own right, Anne will bring a plethora of contemporary, edgy visions to her new post. Here's wishing her well and lots of art visitors.




Designed by Architect Greg Kearley, the gallery is 900 square feet on two levels, including a twenty-foot double-height space.


It's a contemporary space with a Soho feel to it. White walls and open space dominate. From the second floor one can look down to the first floor visitors. Let's welcome Terrie Pipa and Project 4 to the Washington, DC art scene with the enthusiasm that her art and the new gallery space deserve.


Here's more photos of tonight's jam packed opening - in the pouring rain no less!








Project 4 is located at the intersection of historic U. St. and 9th St. N.W., a burgeoning area of restaurants, galleries, bars and stores half a mile east of Dupont Circle. It is less than a block from the U. Street/Cardoza stop on the Metro’s Green Line.

Project 4 is open Thursday and Friday 6 - 9 pm, Saturday 1 - 8 pm and by appointment. Space is available for private events.

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

FREE MURAL WALKING TOUR WITH DC MURALIST G. BYRON PECK

Anybody wanna go walking with the leading muralist in DC to see his murals celebrating DC's lively communities? Put your walking shoes on and show up.

Sunday, April 23, 1 – 2:30 pm
Artist G. Byron Peck's Shaw/U Street Mural Tour Meet outside the U Street/African-Amer Civil War Memorial/Cardozo Metro station (13th Street exit).
Tour Shaw and Dupont Circle in the company of beloved DC artist, G. Byron Peck, and get an eyeful of some of his best-known Washington murals. Begin by looking back on U Street's history as Black Broadway when you consider the Duke Ellington mural and portrait. Then consider some of the cultures that contribute to this neighborhood's character, evident in the Black Family Reunion and Mayan Murals. Finally, turn your attention to the area's architectural legacy at the Dupont Circle mural.

Cultural Tourism DC is offering WalkingTown, DC SPRING EDITION 2006(Saturday, April 22 and Sunday, April 23), a weekend of 50 free walking tours (and a few bike and boat tours) in neighborhoods across Washington, DC. For more information call 202-661-7581.

All tours are free.
Reservations are not required, with the exception of bike tours. Just show up!
Tours are held rain or shine.

FIERCE FRIENDS: ARTISTS & ANIMALS, 1750–1900

This fascinating show, mixes science, art, sociology, natural history, cultural history, and several other areas of study in looking at how artists viewed and depicted animals from 1750-1900. The ideas implicit in the show--about animal rights, evolution, and so on--are still really relevant to the current world.

Fierce Friends: Artists & Animals, 1750–1900
Through August 27, 2006

In the 18th and 19th centuries, modern theories of evolution and the proliferation of machines elevated animals to a new status in religion, philosophy, and the arts. This exhibition, co-organized by Carnegie Museum of Art and the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, explores the ways that artists of the period addressed the issue of humanity’s relationship with nature as exemplified through our treatment of animals. Through paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and photographs, the exhibition shows how the visual arts drew upon science, natural history, and literature about animals, and how those fields, in turn, were shaped, inspired, or influenced by the work of artists. Designed to create visual juxtapositions that suprise, delight, and provoke, the exhibition presents great paintings and sculptures next to fossils, specimens of taxidermy, ground plans of zoological gardens, illustrated books, bird cages, and steam engines.

Fierce Friends: Artists and Animals, 1750-1900 is the opening venue for Pittsburgh Roars, a celebration of the region's arts, culture, and family attractions.

Carnegie Museum of Art
4400 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-4080
Tel: 412.622.3131

GRAND COVARRUBIAS EXHIBITION

THE CULTURAL INSTITUTE OF MEXICO
UNIVERSIDAD DE LAS AMERICAS (PUEBLA)
HUMANITIES TEXAS

Cordially invite you to the great opening of the exhibition
Opening Reception
Wednesday, May 3, 2006
7:00 p.m

R.S.V.P. (202) 728-1675
2829 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009
www.instituteofmexicodc.org

One of the artists who transformed the art of caricature drawing in the United States. 52 sketches from the collection of Universidad de las Américas
45 facsimiles from Miguel Covarrubias: Caricaturista, a Humanities Texas exhibit created in cooperation with the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin

Films and other audiovisual materials about Miguel Covarrubias
Special guests: María Elena Rico Covarrubias and Adriana Williams, author of Covarrubias (University of Texas Press, 1994) and Covarrubias in Bali (Editions Didier Millet, 2006 )

WHAT'S UP?

An illustrator friend, Loel Barr sent this over for fun.

What's up? must come down. Click here - Pen on Paper/ from ljudbilden & piloten

WALKING TOWN, DC

Cultural Tourism DC

Saturday and Sunday, April 22 & 23
WalkingTown, DC – Spring Edition
A weekend of 50 walking tours city wide without charge

WalkingTown, DC is an annual invitation to enjoy Washington’s neighborhoods at their springtime best
The weekend features guided walking tours in neighborhoods across DC as well as a few bike and boat tours

Featured tours

Metro: Behind the Scenes with Interim General Manager Dan Tangherlini
Saturday, April 22, 9:00 – 10:30am
Meet at the Metro Center Metro station (13th Street exit)
On Metro’s 30th Anniversary learn about the system’s history, hear some of the stories behind the stops and some little-known facts, and find out what to expect next while you spend a few hours wandering underground learning about the region’s transportation network

Penn Quarter (Downtown)
Sunday, April 23, 11:00am – 1:00pm
Meet outside the Archives-Navy Mem’l-Penn Quarter Metro station
The 19th and 21st centuries meet in Penn Quarter. Hip hotels, restaurants, and loft apartments are sprouting up amidst attractions like the International Spy Museum, Shakespeare, Ford’s, and Woolly Mammoth theatres, and National Building Museum. Many of these are housed in buildings from the 1800’s, others are next store to them or their facades, which makes this walk an irresistible urban scavenger hunt to a bygone era – a time when Chinese, German, and Italian immigrants lived and worked on and around Seventh Street.

Tours and schedules
www.WalkingTownDC.org
202.661.7581
Only bike tours require advance reservation

Cultural Tourism DC
1250 H Street NW
202.661.7581

SLIDELUCK POTSHOW: WASHINGTON DC

Sounds like this could be a fun night.

Greetings, Washington DC-
Some of you may have heard the rumblings, the hearsay and the untruths--but consider THIS your formal submission invitation to the SLIDELUCK POTSHOW DC.

Born in the tiny livingroom of a NYC photographer fond of food, drink, friends and photos--Slideluck Potshow is a slideshow, and a potluck. This show has grown into an inspiring and spirited event that regularly brings hundreds of creatives to interesting New York City venues. For a better sense of past shows please peruse:

www.slideluckpotshow.com

And now, SLIDELUCK comes to DC. Photographers-we are looking for submissions. Show us anything you like. You have a
maximum of five minutes. There is no theme, so feel free to submit portraits, stories, outtakes from a job, personal work, it's up to you. Please feel free to pass this invite on to others you know in the DC area who might be interested.

Submission guidelines can be found at: www.slideluckpotshow.com/index2.php?PageName=submissions IGNORE the dates on the site, and keep in mind these two:

SUBMISSION DEADLINE:
Friday, April 28th.

SHOW DATE:
Saturday, May 6th at the Numark Gallery
www.numarkgallery.com
After you have prepared your submissions, email Karine Aigner for FTP instructions: dc@slideluckpotshow.com

So, bring a tasty dish, something good to drink, and join us for a great show!

Karine Aigner
Senior Photo Editor
National Geographic Kids Magazine
1145 17th Street, NW
Fourth Floor, Room 426
Washington, DC 20036
(p) 202-828-6696
(f) 202-775-6112

COMPELLED BY CONTENT II

The Fraser Gallery

APRIL 2006 - COMPELLED BY CONTENT II
April 14 - June 4, 2006

New glass sculptures by artists who use glass as narrative rather than vessels or bowls. Challenging work that pushes the genre away from craft and towards the narrative genre of the fine arts. Work by Jeanne Brennan, Mel George, Michael Rogers, Carmen Lozar, Tim Tate, Michael Janis, Syl Mathis, Alison Sigethy and others. An opening reception for the artists will be held on Friday, April 14 from 6pm - 9pm.

An artists' talk, sponsored by the James Renwick Alliance will take place at the gallery on Saturday, May 20, 2006 at 2PM. The talk is free and open to the public and will also offer an opportunity to learn more about the Renwick Alliance.

7700 Wisconsin Avenue
Suite E
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
Tel/Fax: (301) 718-9651
Hours: Tues - Sat 11:30 - 6:00 PM
Or By Appointment

http://www.thefrasergallery.com
Member of the Art Dealers Association of Greater Washington
Sothebys.com Associate Dealer
Member of the Bethesda Chamber of Commerce

WCA Annual Networking Day 2006

Artwork by Members
Women’s Caucus for Art of Greater Washington, D.C.
April 5 – April 29, 2006

Annual Networking Day 2006
Saturday, April 29, 2006

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Artwork by Members of the Women’s Caucus for Art of Greater Washington, D.C. (WCA/DC) includes works by women artists from Northern Virginia, Maryland and District of Columbia. WCA artwork will be on view from April 5 through April 29, 2006, in Gallery West Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads located at 3440 South Jefferson Street in Falls Church, VA 22041.

The Goodwin House will host the 2006 Annual Networking Day for WCA/DC on Saturday, April 29, 2006 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Featured speaker is Lenny Campello, co-owner of Fraser Gallery, Bethesda, MD. Title of the talk will be: Exhibiting and Marketing Your Art. Lenny is widely recognized as a successful gallery co-owner, exhibiting artist, blog host: http://www/dcartsnews.blogspot.com and reviewer. His talk will be a short version of his all day marketing workshop. Lenny talks the talk and walks the talk. He will use his expertise to speak about general information on exhibiting and marketing your artwork. In the afternoon, members from the Philadelphia Chapter of WCA will present: Pricing Our Art.

The Networking Day is free and open to the public. Space is limited to 120 people. RSVP for event reservation and/or lunch by 12:00 noon on April 24, 2006. Lunch is catered $8.00/person or bring your own. Call or e-mail Lynda Smith-Bugge, Art Center Coordinator, at 703.578.7218 or lsmith-bugge@goodwinhouse.org to reserve.

Artist Profile: Eric Westbrook

Just two weeks left to see the paintings of Eric Westbrook, professional illustrator and director of Dumbarton Concert Gallery in Washington, DC.

April 7 through April 29, 2006.
“Urban Nature”
Arts Club of Washington
2017 I Street NW. Washington DC
202-331-7282 x23

Art and the City
Artist Profile: Eric Westbrook

by: Jim Magner
At first glance it’s another pretty painting of an idyllic setting: a rustic building, a brook under a bridge or a set of cement stairs down into the woods. Look again and you see the comings and goings of all things natural and the nature of man. The story here is the harsh yet exhilarating rush of the transitory. Nature is fighting to survive and demanding a place in our engineered lives. In works like Tumble Down and Intersection, cement structures crumble and return to sand as we build new instruments of a civilization hurtling toward something.
Eric Westbrook digs to the core of existence. Things in nature die and are replaced; the things we build also decay and are replaced. Yet there is a comfort in his work. These are welcoming places—familiar. Like old family photographs. And if they make us unsure of our superiority over nature’s determination, that’s a good thing.

About 10 years ago, he began to paint his personal visions of life. “Some places just hit a chord.” He is captured by visual surprises in out of the way nooks or jarringly familiar urban sidewalks. He starts with sketches and photographs, but most is done from memory in the studio which adds to the enhanced reality with intense dream-like impact. But a work of art is ultimately about shapes, lights and darks, warms and cools and color harmonies. Eric Westbrook goes beyond visual storytelling and is not held captive by the objects depicted—he lets the paint be paint.

Eric is a successful professional illustrator. He graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Graphic Communication. All of his work is acrylic on canvas, illustration as well as his paintings and this has led to a mastery of the media. He has done work for clients in many fields and is a director of the Dumbarton Concert Gallery where he exhibits regularly.

You can see and purchase from an extensive collection of his most recent works at his one-man show entitled “Urban Nature” at the Arts Club of Washington, 2017 I Street NW. Washington DC from April 7 through April 29, 2006. The opening reception is Friday, April 7 from 6:30-9:00. 202-331-7282 x23, or see www.ericwestbrook.com.

Jim Magner is a Capitol Hill artist and writer.

Graffiti Beyond Scribbling

A brief mention in today's post of Kelly Towles prints....

Galleries
By Jessica Dawson
Special to The Washington Post
Saturday, April 15, 2006; Page C02

Graffiti Beyond Scribbling

· In the wrong artist's hands, graffiti-style gesture -- I'm seeing a lot of it these days -- devolves into mannered motif, a 21st-century rococo. Local talent Kelly Towles skirts the pitfall, just barely, by layering street-inspired strokes in engaging pigment prints that mingle photography, animation and graffiti. Also on view in this four-person print show: Donald Sultan's rich, sepia-toned smoke rings; Victor Schrager's drowsy pictures of books; and Robert Longo's photos of his friends performing epileptic seizures on a Manhattan rooftop -- images the artist used to make his iconic early '80s "Men in the Cities" series.

Adamson Editions at Adamson Gallery, 1515 14th St. NW, Tuesday-Friday 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday noon-5 p.m., 202-232-0707, to April 29;http://www.adamsongallery.com.

"Where Eagles Fly" until April 19

March 30 thru April 19, 2006
WEF, LLC & OFT/ON present:
Where Eagles Fly
Executive Producer, Ibrahim Mumin
Written by Carole Mumin; Directed by Mike Malone
Special Guest: Phyllis Yvonne Stickney

Written by DC native Carole Mumin and directed by Helen Hayes recipient, Duke Ellington School of the Arts Co-founder, and Howard University Professor of Theater, Mike Malone, "Where Eagles Fly" vividly brings to life the rich, African American heritage of DC's Shaw neighborhood. Home to many African American scholars, educators, activists, and performing artists such as Mary McLeod Bethune, Carter G. Woodson, Mary Church Terrell, and Duke Ellington, Shaw's rich educational and cultural history provides the setting and impetus for this stunning musical production.

Councilmember Jack Evans recommends this play about Washington DC's Shaw neighborhood...

"If you have not had the chance to make it over to the Lincoln Theater for the must see production of "Where Eagles Fly", a journey into Shaw's rich history and tradition, you only have until April 19 - so make room in your calendar. Written by Shaw resident and local playwright Carole Mumin, "Where Eagles Fly" illustrates the importance of preserving and passing along the legacies of the communities in which we live.

The play uses music, dance and verse to tell the story of the incredibly rich legacy of Shaw, a neighborhood that has been an integral part of the modern development of African American culture. Over 10 years ago, the play made a successful run at the Lincoln Theatre. Now it's back and a must see for everyone, but it will close soon.

The Shaw neighborhood has experienced many changes since the early '90's and it's important that its history is memorialized and honored. It's important to support our own and I hope everyone will come out and see this magnificent production. For additional information about the play and to purchase tickets, visit www.whereeaglesflyllc.com or call 939.0560."

Stuart Klipper panoramas of Antarctica

Washington Post/Frank Van Riper CameraWorks profile of photographer Stuart Klipper.

For information on Stuart Klipper's work and that of other photographers: Sandra Berler Gallery, 7002 Connecticut Ave., Chevy Chase, MD 20815. Phone: 301-656-8144

See more photo hits on Tyler Green's Modern Art Notes

DIRT CHEAP EATS AT SIMPLY HOME CUISINE

Looking for an affordable lunch or dinner place? DC Artist Mike Weber has opened a wonderful little Thai Place on U Street NW. If you haven't already discovered it, try it soon in the heart of Duke Ellington's neighborhood.

Here's a great review of the food.
February 2005
Washingtonian

RESTAURANT REVIEW
Simply Home Cuisine
Thai, Asian

U Street
1412 U St., NW between 14th & 15th St. NW
Washington, DC
202-232-8424
simplyhome@aol.com

Open daily for lunch and dinner.
CHEAP MEALS TO GO

It's no surprise this tiny Thai place is so pretty--it was opened by the team behind the chic Simply Home furniture store and the Logan Circle Thai restaurant Rice. Though there's no (waiting) place to sit, white walls lined with jars of loose tea, candles, and fresh flowers make a zen-cool waiting area.

Grab a Thai iced tea ($2.50) and start with the chicken nuggets ($2.95), fried patties of chicken ground with aromatics and served in a paper cup with peanut-chili dipping sauce. Pad Thai ($9.95) is light and balanced, with crushed peanuts, shreds of spring onion, and large shrimp. Sautées, like chicken with ginger ($9.95) and tofu and vegetables with green curry ($9.95), come with jasmine rice and spring rolls on the side. Don't miss the fries combo ($2.95)--a paper cup filled with shards of taro, yucca, and sweet potato.

By Ann Limpert, Cindy Rich, and Jeremy Stahl

Studio One Eight is proud to announce a solo exhibition with Byron Peck

Stopped by Byron's show. It's worth a look!
G. Bryon Peck | 4.15.2006 | 7-10pm reception

G. Byron Peck lives in Washington DC and has created over 80 murals throughout the United States and abroad. Here in the District, some of his best known murals include the Duke Ellington mural overlooking 13th and U Streets, the DC-Themed montage in Metro Center, and the mural mirroring the DuPont fountain high above the Circle on Connecticut.

While it is difficult to travel the streets without running across one of Peck’s larger works, the opportunity to see his smaller works is quite rare. Studio One Eight would like to give the District the opportunity to acquaint itself with pieces they can encounter in a more personal setting. This show will include work Peck completed between 1986 and 2006.

Studioneight
Location: 2452 18th St NW, (18th and Columbia)

Gallery Hours: By appointment and on opening nights only.

For all inquiries, 703.395.1932 or info@studiooneeight.com.

BRAZILIAN CONNECTION 2006

BRAZILIAN CONNECTION 2006
An exhibit of Paintings
Reception: Friday, April 21, 2006, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Featuring: George Iso, Carlito Rodrigues, Marcus André, Cristina Oiticica, Pietrina Checcaci and Patricia Secco.

BACI requests the pleasure of your company for the opening reception to meet the artist and preview the show. The exhibit will be open through May 8, on weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Free admission

Brazilian-American Cultural Institute

Micro-Monumental: A Juried Exhibition of Matchbox Sized Sculptures

FLASHPOINT
April 6 – May 27, 2006
Opening reception: Thursday, April 20, 6 - 8 p.m.
Juror’s Talk at 7 p.m.

Can a sculpture the size of a kitchen matchbox have monumental impact? In Micro-Monumental, Kristen Hileman, Assistant Curator at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, has selected 47 tiny sculptures by artists from four regional sculpture groups who sought to answer that question. According to Hileman, this unusual collaboration between Washington Sculptors Group, Baltimore’s Sculptors Inc., Philadelphia Sculptors and New England Sculptors Association is a “microcosm of the world of sculpture in 2006, exemplifying the diversity of artists, their materials and themes in the Northeastern United States.” Washington, DC, a town full of monuments, provides a distinctive context as these artists reinterpret the meaning of monumental with works whose scale belies their presence.

916 G STREET NW
WASHINGTON, DC 20001
Gallery Hours
Tuesday - Saturday, 12 - 6 p.m.
OR BY APPOINTMENT

Contact Rebecca Lowery , Gallery Manager
t 202.315.1310
f 202.315.1303
WWW.FLASHPOINTDC.ORG

Seagull

Hmmmm. I'm staring at the sky and wondering where did the crows go? Just an observation, we have fewer crows and many more seagulls in our neighborhood. Don't get me wrong. I didn't like the sound of the crows but there was something familiar about their long time caws. Now we're seeing these seagulls and no signs of the crows.

Cherry Blossom Parade Tomorrow

From Penn Quarter's Jo-Ann Neuhaus about tomorrow's Cherry Blossom Festivals.....



The Cherry Blossom Parade
and 45th Annual Sakura Matsuri - Japanese Street Festival
This Saturday, April 8

The Cherry Blossom Parade
10:00am - Noon
Constitution Avenue beginning at 7th Street, going west to 17th Street

The DC website has a start time of 8:00am for closing streets. Expect traffic tie ups, especially if you want to enter downtown via the 14th Street bridge or Independence Avenue. The Metropolitan Police Department will reopen the streets to traffic when they believe it is safe to do so, which may be after the noon hour indicated.

The Sakura Matsuri - Japanese Street Festival
12th Street between Constitution and Pennsylvania avenues
and Pennsylvania Avenue between 10th and 13th streets
Begins right after the parade ends estimated to be some time between 11:00am and noon. The festival ends at 6:00pm. The DC Website, states that streets will be closed for the festival at 9:00am and open at 6:00pm. However, my experience is that streets will not be reopened before all the equipment is completely removed.

For more information
National Cherry Blossom Festival and click on April 8 at the top or go directly to Events

To minimize traffic hassles, vehicles should head north from Penn Quarter and approach Penn Quarter from the north.
Attend the Parade and the Festival and avoid traffic jams

TOUR OF THE PUBLIC ART

Washington Convention Center
Tour of the Public Art
Thursday, April 13th
12:00 Noon

The works of art on display at the Washington Convention Center are among the largest public art collections not in a museum. Public tours are led by curator Vivienne Lassman. The $4 million permanent art installation features paintings, sculptures, photography, graphics, and mixed media works created by local, national, and international artists.

Advance reservations required
There is no charge to participate in the tour

Call the 24-hour Washington Convention Center Authority Community Hotline
202.249.3200
A staff member will return your call to confirm your tour

Washington Convention Center Authority
801 Mount Vernon Place, NW
202.249.3042
Metro: Mt. Vernon Square, Green LIne

CONNECTING LINES and LÍNEAS CONECTADAS

The Cultural Institute of Mexico
and National Endowment for the Arts

Cordially invite you to a poetry reading to celebrate the publication of
CONNECTING LINES and LÍNEAS CONECTADAS

A two-volume bilingual anthology of contemporary poetry from Mexico and the United States
Featuring readings by Elsa Cross, Pedro Serrano, and Diane Thiel
With introductions by Dana Gioia, Chair, National Endowment for the Artsand Hernán Lara Zavala, National Autonomous University of Mexico City

Wednesday, April 19, 2006
7:00 p.m.

Cultural Institute of Mexico
2829 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009

Free admission / Reception to follow
RSVP: 202-728-1675

www.instituteofmexicodc.org

Copyright, Fair Use, and the New Borrowers

by Herb Tam

Concurrent with the explosion of sophisticated methods of appropriation in visual art, music, and most other artistic genres is a mounting confusion regarding America’s fair use laws for artistic pursuits. Responding to the situation, New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice has recently released a report documenting how and when artists are protected by the country’s fair use laws.

Read article

A HARD RAIN'S GONNA FALL

Anne Marchand, "A Hard Rain"

I captured the inkiness of our pollen washing rain storm tonight, Man o' man the power of Mother Nature even here in Washington, DC. Who's in charge anyway?

A NOT TOO FUNNY SCENE IN DUPONT CIRCLE

Anyone thinking, "Lord of the Flies"?
This from comedian Chris Douchette's blog about the fight in Dupont Circle on April Fool's.

Subject: The Scene Yesterday At Dupont Cirle

Not really a photojournalist, but I caught the fight at Dupont Circle
on film yesterday...http://chrisdoucettecomedy.blogspot.com/

Le Ballet mecanique

In conjunction with the Dada exhibition, automated musical instruments, including sixteen programmed grand player pianos, play portions of George Antheil's score for the Fernand Leger film, Le Ballet mecanique (1924), on the mezzanine of the East Building. The installation, activated for a ten-minute performance each weekday at 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. as well as Saturdays and Sundays at 1:00 p.m., will continue through the close of the exhibition on May 14, 2006. Leger's 16-minute film may be viewed in the exhibition, without sound.

NOT TO SCALE

The exhibition NOT TO SCALE will open April 19 at the Target Gallery in the Torpedo Factory Art Center. Curated by David C. Levy, former Director of the Corcoran Museum, Washington, DC, and the Parsons School of Design, New York, this show investigates aspects of size and scale including literal and conceptual interpretations.

"NOT TO SCALE" at the Target Gallery: April 19-May 28, 2006
The Artists' Reception will be on Sunday, April 23 from 3-6 PM.

The Target Gallery at the Torpedo Factory Art Center is located at 105 Union Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, is open Wednesday through Sunday from 12 to 5 PM.

Wheel of Time

Zenith Gallery
Wheel of Time

Canadian Artists
Renee duRocher and Mary Ann Prack

Opening Receptions To Meet the Artists
Friday, March 31, 6:00 – 9pm
Saturday, April 1, 1:00 – 4:00pm

On Exhibit
March 31 - April 30

Preview the show at
www.zenithgallery.com

Zenith Gallery
413 7th Street, NW
202-783-2963
art@zenithgallery.com

One Fun Loving Girl - Building Blocks

Today's front page in the Dupont Current Newspaper carries a picture of me with my latest mural and the feature article by Jessica Gould on page 7. You can pick up a copy in coffee shops around Dupont Circle. Dupont Current Newspapers.Thank you Jessica Gould and Davis Kennedy for helping the arts flourish in our neighborhoods.

I've been up to my eyeballs in projects this month. I'm nearing completion of my winter mural project, "Building Blocks, High Up Close to Heaven" for the Takoma Community Center in Washington, DC. I'm wrapping the ten panels tonight for David to pick up in the morning. And away we go for installation. The mural is commissioned by DC Creates Public Art, a program of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities in partnership with the Dept. of Parks and Recreation. This will bring full circle my vision for the lobby of the community center; ten panels depicting youth, teens and seniors of diverse cultures interacting in leisure and fun in a DC neighborhood whose name has been said to mean, High Up and Close to Heaven.

And oh boy, what not so timid colors dominate the cityscape scene....my favorite red predominates with supporting yellows, oranges and blues in a bright orchestra of color and FUN. I'll take that word and translate it into my own requirement for living a truly fulfilled life. Excuse me if I bow out for some leisure next month, I mean the month of May after my exhibition opens at the Zenith Gallery on May 5 with, surprise, abstract paintings. More on that later.

While I've been undercover, I managed a sneak peek at the Dada Exhibition but not yet heard the automated instruments that supposedly play an irritating yet captivating symphony of sounds at the National Gallery of Art. I was taken by surprise at the Dadaist images provoked by World War One and how relevant they are to today's war theme. I've got to get back to see it in more detail.

Hmm, I've been feeling a little punchy from the varnish fumes. Excuse me while I go back to the studio. I have some more work to do. This Friday, Zenith Gallery opens a new exhibition, The Wheel of Time by Renee duRocher & Mary Ann Prack. Reception 6-9pm. Maybe I'll catch you there!

National Building Museum - National Cherry Blossom Festival

National Building Museum
National Cherry Blossom Festival
Family Day and Opening Ceremony

Saturday, March 25
10:00am – 5:30pm

Family Day, 10:00am – 4:00pm
Opening Ceremony, 4:00 – 5:30pm

The National Building Museum and the National Cherry Blossom Festival celebrate the official opening of Washington’s 2006 cherry blossom season with a family festival full of hands-on fun exploring Japanese arts and design

There is no cost for this event
All ages
Drop-in program
Registration not required

Please forward this announcement to friends, family, and colleagues

National Building Museum
401 F Street, NW
202.272.2448
www.nbm.org

Chalk4Peace

John Aaron - Artist and Director of The Museum of Modern Arf in Arlington, Virginia is leading the charge on a global pro-peace art project for children. If you would like to participate with your own site event, email John Aaron

ModernARF
CHALK4PEACE
SEPTEMBER 16 - 17, 2006

CHALK4PEACE is the young person's global arts project planned for September 16-17, 2006 that brings together more than one million young artists of all ages around the world to create sidewalk chalk paintings about peace at the same time.

It is a one weekend event in September 2006 that happens everywhere...rain or shine...

Donations to chalk4peace.org to support this event are welcomed.This concept was designed and created in America by John Aaron of the Museum of Modern ARF.

The Sept. 16 Global Greeting of CHALK4PEACE N.A. is 10 a.m. EST at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, DC.
London, Washington, DC, Arlington, VA, Berkeley, Oakland, Santa Barbara, Boulder, Pasadena, Gambier, OH, Vermont, are participating along with hundreds of places we haven't heard from yet...

CHALK4PEACE GLOBAL NEWS: Chalk 4 Peace of http://www.Infinitepossibility.org the originators of the Chalk 4 Peace events in Europe in 2003, has joined forces with CHALK4PEACE N.A. and is exploring the possibility of a national convergence upon Trafalgar Square in London on September 16, 2006.Up to 50,000 people may participate at that location alone!

This event is a true Thousand Points of Light...maybe more! Be a part of the Path of Color that wraps around the world...
The children are our beacons; help let their light shine... September 16-17, 2006- CHALK4PEACE N.A..

"BODY WORLDS: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies"

My chiropractor told me to go see this show in Philadelphia. I had heard of Body Worlds but didn't know it is being exhibited so close to DC. Could be a bit queasy for the sensitive, but I think it will be an eyeopener to the beauty and health issues of the human form for all us laymen.

The Franklin Institute
222 North 20th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-448-1200

The Franklin Institute Science Museum hosts "BODY WORLDS: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies" from October 7, 2005 through April 23, 2006.

Throughout the ages, medical scholars and students have strived to understand how our bodies function through exploration of real human specimens. BODY WORLDS, one of the most highly attended touring exhibitions in the world, takes this tradition one step further by presenting a new look at the human body.

The exhibition features more than 200 authentic human specimens, including entire bodies, individual organs and transparent body slices that have been preserved through the process of "Plastination," a technique that replaces bodily fluids and fat. BODY WORLDS offers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see and understand our own physiology and health and to gain new appreciation and respect for what it means to be human.

Marchands on the Mississippi and the St. Lawrence

Neither good nor bad - just an interesting tidbit of history, I'll share with you on New Orleans and the Marchands.

MARCHANDS HELP CLEAR THE SITE OF A CITY
from Marchands on the Mississippi
by (Mayor) Sidney A. Marchand, 1968, Donaldsonville, Louisiana

"Governor Bienville founded the great city of New Orleans in 1718. The Marchands began arriving to assist in the hugh task of removing the trees, stumps and debris from the semi-marshlands which then stood on the site selected by Bienville and his Indian guides, whereon was to rise the great city of New Orleans.

In August 1718, Bienville received about 800 recruits from overseas and everyone pitched in to clear the tangle of trees and underbrush. The Marchands began arriving at the very beginning of the city...Governor Bienville founded the city in 1718, and, in 1719, built a thatched-roof hut on the site of this great metropolis for his personal use...the city was nothing more than a group of huts, shops and small houses."

NBC News coverage

With spring in the air, I'm hoping for good news days. The first is.... MCA Artists, Mike Weber and I and galley owner, Nevin Kelly were covered by NBC's Wendy Rieger for Mid City Artists Open Studios this past November. You can see and hear Wendy Rieger's interview of Mike and I here.

This spring Mid City Artists holds its semi-annual Open Studios on May 20 & 21, 2006 so stay tuned for more information.

Grant Wood's Studio: Birthplace of "American Gothic" (Renwick)

Now through July 16, 2006

"Grant Wood's Studio: Birthplace of 'American Gothic'" will, for the first time, present his decorative art and design work within the larger context of his paintings, drawings and prints. 'American Gothic'—one of the most recognizable American paintings—is featured in the exhibition through June 11. The Art Institute of Chicago, which owns 'American Gothic,' rarely lends the painting, so this is an exceptional chance to see the painting in the nation's capital.
The exhibition coincides with the renovation of the artist's historic studio in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, known as "5 Turner Alley," where he lived and worked from 1924 to 1935. Wood converted the loft of this turn-of-the-century carriage house into a showcase for his decorative arts work and a backdrop for some of his most famous paintings. The exhibition features works from the collection of the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, studio artifacts and heirlooms that served as props, as well as significant loans from other museums and private collections that rarely travel. Together these works help to re-create Wood's studio and demonstrate the importance of craft in the development of the artist's work. The showing at the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery is the only presentation besides the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. Jane Milosch, curator at the Renwick Gallery, is the curator of the exhibition. "Grant Wood's Studio: Birthplace of 'American Gothic' " is presented under the Honorary Patronage of Congressman Jim Leach and Deba Leach.

The Renwick Gallery is located on Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street N.W., steps away from the White House in the heart of historic federal Washington.
The Renwick is accessible by Metrorail at Farragut North (Red line) and Farragut West (Blue and Orange lines). Limited on-street and public garage parking is available in the neighborhood.
The museum is open seven days a week (except December 25) from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Admission is free.

Art projects for children at Tacoma Community Center

The first of three art projects introducing my new DC Creates Public Art mural to the Takoma Community went well yesterday. The young children came first with original drawings and this afternoon the teens take a turn at drawing. Tomorrow morning, the seniors. Creativity reigns this week! See you on the flip side. Varnishing the mural comes next with installation set for two weeks.

Art of War; a group show inspired by conflict.

:. studio one eight .:

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

Studio One Eight is please to announce Art of War; a group show inspired by conflict.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — March 18, 2006 — Studio One Eight presents “Art of War” featuring work by artists Anna U. Davis, Dana Ellyn, J Coleman, Jordin Isip, Kelly Towles, Lisa Marie Thalhammer, Matt Sesow, Peter Excho, Scott G. Brooks and others. Studio One Eight’s “Art of War" will take place on Saturday March 18th, from 7-10pm.

The exhibition marks the 3-year anniversary of the war that began in the Middle East on March 20th 2003. Bringing together pieces inspired by current events surrounding this hostile engagement, the exhibition will include artwork that has little regard for the popular aesthetic of beauty. The Artists were in no way censored, and simply asked to respond to the conflict at hand. This show makes no apologies and reflects the artists’ personal, unmitigated reactions to a subject that has affected thousands of lives across our country and across the world. The result; a striking commentary on war and the current state of the Middle East. Utilizing the multiple interpretations brought to the table by this eclectic mix of artists, works range from controversial and morose, to satirical and thought provoking. The beautiful, yet (in many cases) disturbing results will undoubtedly engage and challenge viewers.

Please join us for the opening reception on Saturday, March 18th 2006 from 7-10 p.m.

" How to Get Your Work Noticed By Newspapers, Galleries and Museums"

******Special Seminar******
" How to Get Your Work Noticed By Newspapers, Galleries and Museums"

Ever wonder how certain artists seem to have such access to press, galleries and museums? This is your chance to get on the inside track! We bring several experts together to share with you the methods and secrets of getting your work noticed by the people who count most. Our most popular seminar we've ever held.....sold out last time with standing room only.

Panelists : Michael O'Sullivan / Washington Post Art Critic - Lenny Campello / Gallery Owner, Art Critic and Blog Writer - Lee Lawerence , Contributing Editor for American Style Magazine, Claire Huschle/ Executive Director- Arlington Arts Center, Phylis Rosenzweig / Former Curator -Hirshhorn Museum

Location : Tiffany Theater - Arlington Arts Center
Date : March 15
Time : 7 to 9:30pm
Cost : $40 in advance - $45 at the door

Arlington Arts Center
3550 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, Virginia 22201
(703) 248-6800

Directions from Washington D.C. and points north of Arlington (by car):
Take I-395 South from Washington to exit 7B, Glebe Road North. Follow Glebe Road 2.7 miles to Quincy Street. Turn right onto Quincy Street and proceed 1/2 mile to Quincy and Wilson Boulevard. Turn right onto Wilson Boulevard. Travel Wilson Boulevard 2 blocks to the first traffic signal. Building will be on the right at the corner of Wilson Boulevard and North Monroe Street.
From 66 West, take Glebe Road exit. Turn left at light, heading south on Glebe Road. Cross Washington Boulevard. intersection. Turn left onto Wilson Boulevard., heading east. The Arlington Arts Center will be on the right at the intersection of Wilson Boulevard and North Monroe Street.

REPORTING FROM NEW ORLEANS

And the beat goes on......

"Not giving up on city he loves, Mid-City resident artist Noel Wright, 43, said he and his wife Gina have drained their life savings and their credit cards are near the limits.

An artist and massage therapist, Wright wants to get back to business. But with the city more than half empty he's got no clients. Instead, he spends his days refurbishing their two-story duplex on Cortez Street."

Read more Article by J. JIONI PALMER Here.

After Katrina, Artists Find a New Colony

Article in the New York TImes tells tale of fifteen displaced artists from the Katrina disaster.

"The loft, a former printing business on Hudson Street, was provided free for the six months ending in mid-May by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, which was founded by David Rockefeller to bring culture to downtown after the World Trade Center was built. Tom Healy, the council's president, said the council, financed by charities that include the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, has been trying to raise money to extend the artists' stay, and this week received financing so that the program can continue into June.

An Open Studio Weekend exhibit for all 15 artists is scheduled for April 28 to 30."
Read whole article here..

Cuisine des Artistes: 2006

Cuisine des Artistes is an annual spring fundraiser held for the DC Arts Center. This unique event showcases the talents of local area chefs and artists who collaborate to create works of edible art. The night begins at 6:30 with an hour long cocktail hour featuring artist produced appetizers. At 7:30 the night moves into a second room showcasing a new décor and the main courses of the evening. It is rounded out with a desert hour featuring among other things, eclectic entertainment that has in past years included poetry readings, as well as musical and performing artists.

Previous cuisine evenings have included a George Bush bean dip and tapas served from the front half of an antique car. This year's Cuisine will take place on May 10, 2006 at the H. Leonard's Mansion on O Street NW. Past participating artists and chefs have included Margaret Boozer, G. Byron Peck and Judy Jashinski, Bart Seaver (Saint-ex), Josh Wigham (Zaytinia) and Carol Greenwood. The great entertainment and edible art are sure to make this one of the "must see" events of the year.

This year's event will be held on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 from 6:30 - 10:00pm
The "O" Street Mansion: 2020 'O' Street, NW Washington, DC
Tickets are $120.00 for non-members (includes a one-year membership) or $100 for current members

for reservations contact DCAC at: 202-462-7833 or info@dcartscenter.org
DCAC is located at 2438 18th Street NW, between Belmont and Columbia Roads, in the heart of the Washington's Adams Morgan neighborhood.
DC Arts Center

Songs of Spring

Oh yeah. What else can I say?


"Bird Song" and "Orchids," Blodiphoto, Any" x Size", you want to imagine.
Anne Marchand ©2006

(Once only, it stands for Blog Digital Photo.)

Divine and Human at National Museum of Women in the Arts

Divine and Human: Women in Ancient
Mexico and Peru
March 3, 2006 - May 28, 2006
Interactive preview

In ancient Mesoamerica and Andean civilizations, women had daily roles in both the spiritual and actual worlds. They were not only daughters, wives, mothers, and grandmothers, but also healers, midwives, scribes, artists, priestesses, warriors, governors, and even goddesses. Divine and Human brings together 400 archaeological treasures from the unparalleled museum collections of Mexico and Peru. Magnificent sculptures, textiles, pottery, and jewelry explore the feminine “sphere” in cultures as varied as the Aztec, Mayan, Zapotec, Moche, Mixtec, and Incan.

One of the unfortunate truisms of history is that few women are mentioned by name and fewer still get their stories told. Over the past 30 years, things have begun to change for the better, thanks largely to burgeoning archaeological, anthropological, and feminist scholarship directed to consideration of the proper status and role of women in ancient cultures.

Divine and Human: Women in Ancient Mexico and Peru examines the important and varied roles played by women in a “Who’s Who” of the major civilizations of ancient Mesoamerica and in the Andean region, including the Aztec, Mayan, Zapotec, Moche, Mixtec, and Incan cultures.

Organized into seven sections—Society, Politics and Religion; Sacred Origins of Food; Textiles and Clothing; Physical Ornamentation; Magic and the Occult; Daily Life and its Origins; and Goddesses—this groundbreaking exhibition explores the “feminine sphere” in detail.

NMWA will host the exclusive United States showing of Divine and Human: Women in Ancient Mexico and Peru.

Touchstone Gallery, Washington, DC USA

Tory Cowles: Catch Me if You Can
Aina Nergaard-Nammack: Rooftops and Facades
in the Main Gallery

The Exquisite Corpse
in the Annex

Opening Reception
Friday, March 10, 6:00 – 8:30pm
On Exhibit March 8 – April 9

Programs

Third Thursday
March 16, 6:00 – 8:00pm

Second Sunday Play Readings
March 12, 2:00pm
wRighting Women: A Venus Theatre staged reading of March Shorts

Touchstone Gallery
406 7th Street, NW, 2nd floor
202.347.2787
www.touchstonegallery.com

Itsy Bitsy Bollocks

March 18 - April 22, 2006

With artists:
Mr. Eggs, Mark Jenkins, Travis Millard, and Kelly Towles

Opening Reception:
Saturday, March 18, 2006, 7-9 pm

Artists' Talk:
Sunday, March 19, 2006, 3 pm

Itsy Bitsy Bollocks is a site-responsive, collaborative exhibition
featuring drawing, painting, sculpture and mixed media installation
by Mr. Eggs (Manchester, England), Mark Jenkins (Washington, DC),
Travis Millard (Los Angeles, CA) and Kelly Towles (Washington, DC).
Influenced by skate and punk culture, graffiti, comic book art, and
pop art, each artist's work has a distinct visual style that comments
on urban life, current political and pop culture news and issues, as
well as personal anecdotes that convey the laughable and mockable in
humanity and society.

The artists in Itsy Bitsy Bollocks choose to present their work in a
multitude of urban settings to allow for immediate and unrestricted
viewer response. Presenting similar bodies of work within the
context of Transformer's store-front project space, Itsy Bitsy
Bollocks encourages dialogue around what constitutes fine art ˆ the
work itself or the context in which it is presented?

Evolving from the one night Bollocks event organized by Kelly Towles
in 2005 at Adamson Gallery (the commercial gallery who represents
Towles) ˆ an artistic intervention and convention of sorts that
featured the raffling of free works by over 100 `street' artists -
Itsy Bitsy Bollocks furthers the relationship of four emerging
artists and their work through a curated exploration of their playful
yet defiant street art aesthetics. With their art work presented
both outside and inside the gallery space, the artists in Itsy Bitsy
Bollocks bridge their rebellious street art-making processes and
keenly tuned contemporary and graphic art sensibilities creating a
unique exhibition at Transformer that highlights the irreverent humor
each of these artists brings to their work.

Transformer
1404 P Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
202-481-1102
www.transformergallery.org
* new photos on the site *

"Piranesi: A View of the Artist through the Collection of Engravings of the Royal Academy of San Carlos" (Valencia, Spain).

In collaboration with the Generalitat Valenciana.
In addition to the etched portrait of Piranesi executed in 1750 by Felipe Polanzani, the exhibition is comprised of pieces from the collection of the Museo de Bellas Artes de Valencia. Ten engravings selected from Piranesi’s most famous work, the Carceri d’invenzione (Imaginary Prisons), which exists in a first edition of 1745 and more importantly in a later edition of 1760 – 1761. In this second edition, Piranesi retouched the older plates created in his youth, accentuating elements already present in the first edition in order to enhance their overall effect. Ten of the sixteen engravings that make up the later edition may be viewed in the present exhibition, including two engravings (II and V) not present in the earlier edition, which consisted of only fourteen prints.
Four prints from the Vedute di Roma (Views of Rome) are exhibited. Besides the Carceri, these prints constitute the artist’s finest work. In them, Piranesi best displays his painterly skill as well as his love for the city where he spent the greater part of his life. It is also in this series, composed of 135 large plates, that he left the greatest testimony to his skill as a master of etching. Begun in 1748, this work occupied Piranesi for thirty years until 1778, the year of his death.

Also exhibited are eight prints from Le antichità romane (Roman Antiquities), a four-volume work published in 1756 by Angelo Rotilj, a press located in Rome’s Palazzo Massimi. This work is the result of Piranesi’s constant studies of the monuments of Rome and its surrounding area. Its first volume includes a total of 87 prints depicting different buildings in the city as well as the portrait of Piranesi engraved by Polanzani in 1750, while the second and third volumes include 90 prints of funerary monuments; the 57 plates that make up the fourth and final volume depict the bridges, theatres and porticos of Rome.

The exhibition concludes with two prints from the Antichità d’Albano e di Castel Gandolfo (Antiquities of Albano and of Castel Gandolfo), a work completed in 1764 and dedicated to Cardinal Rezzonico, who had been elected Pope as Clemente XIII in 1758. Rezzonico, who, like Piranesi, was from Venice, invited the artist to live at his summer residence on several occasions, giving rise to the work that Piranesi would later dedicate to the Pontiff in gratitude.

Exhibition dates and hours:
March 7 - April 3
Mon - Fri from 10:00 AM - 12-Noon
and from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Ferruccio Magatelli

Istituto Italiano di Cultura
2025 M Street NW, Suite 610
Washington, DC 20036
Tel (202)223-9800 Ext. 26
Fax (202)223-1129
www.italcultusa.org

Artscape Baltimore is coming up

The mid-Atlantic's largest celebration of the arts, Artscape features 120+ arts and craftspeople from across the country; visual art exhibits both on and off site; incredible live concerts on four outdoor stages; a full schedule of performing arts including dance, opera, theater, fashion, film and classical music, hands-on projects, children's entertainers, three street theater locations; and a delicious, international menu of food and beverages.

July 21-23, 2006

Apply now to be a part of the 25th annual celebration! Details here

Janet & Walter Sondheim Prize Decker & Meyerhoff Galleries, Fox Building, MICA
For its landmark 25th anniversary year, Artscape will award a $25,000 prize to an artist working in the Baltimore region. The prize will be in conjunction with the annual Artscape juried exhibition. This exhibition is limited to artists living in Maryland; Washington, DC; Delaware; Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties in Virginia; and Adams, Chester, Franklin and Lancaster counties in Pennsylvania. There is a $25 entry fee. Jurors; Kathy Grayson, Matthew Higgs and William Pope Artscape application

Songs of Love

Our own mixed media artist and chorus member, Chuck Baxter performs with the Washington Men's Camerata. I saw the last concert at this location and the voices are truly heavenly. You won't want to miss this early spring concert.

Washington Men’s Camerata sings
Songs of Love
at Church of the Epiphany

Enjoy a program with new work, traditional favorites and little-known gems featuring the rich, warm sounds of male chorus singing at its finest.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Washington Men’s Camerata with Music Director Frank Albinder, will perform “Songs of Love” featuring the world premiere performance of Sonnet 22, a new work by composer Joel Hoffman for men’s chorus and two harps. The work is a setting of a sonnet by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and was commissioned by James Pinkerton and Jack Harrington. The Camerata will be joined in performance by harpists Susan Jolles and Deborah Hoffman, principal harpist of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. (Bios for J. Hoffman, Jolles, D. Hoffman, and Albinder are attached.)
Other music on the program includes popular tunes by Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, and Cole Porter, along with madrigals, part songs and folks songs – all on the subject of love. Composers include Gerald Finzi, Orlandus Lassus, Thomas Morley, Stephen Paulus, Thomas Tallis and more.

The concert will be performed on Sunday, March 26, 2005 at 3:00 p.m. at Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G St., NW, Washington, DC. Metro: Metro Center.

General admission tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for students. There is a special $50 family ticket which will admit up to six people. Tickets may be purchased online at www.camerata.com or by calling 202-364-1064.

The mission of the Washington Men’s Camerata is to perform and preserve the heritage of men’s choral music by offering concerts of the highest artistic quality to the widest possible audience, helping to educate young people about classical music, collaborating with other arts organizations, encouraging composers to write music for male chorus, and preserving threatened repertoire through its National Repository Library of Men\'s Choral Music.

CONTACT: Jill Strachan
202-364-1064
camerata@camerata.com

# # # # #

Opening is tonight at Zenith Gallery.

28th Anniversary Exhibition, March 3 - March 28, 2006
Opening Receptions: Friday, March 3, 6-9pm & Sunday, March 5, 2-5pm

Come by and see my work & 35 other artists. See you there.

413 7th Street NW • Washington DC 20004 • 202-783-2963 • art@zenithgallery.com • www.zenithgallery.comwww.zenithgallery.com

New Orleans Museum to Re-Open

New Orleans Museum to Re-Open With a Salute to the Arts
Friday March 3, 10:27 am ET

NEW ORLEANS, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Good News! Six months after devastating Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) will re- open its doors on March 3, 2006, with a weekend celebration of the arts called "The HeART of New Orleans."

The festivities begin on Friday with a ribbon cutting and press conference at 10:00 AM. Richard Ford, recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and PEN-Faulkner Award, and Ernest Gaines, MacArthur Fellow and recipient of the National Humanities Medal will be NOMA's honored guests and will address the issue, Arts, Culture and Louisiana after Katrina & Rita: Now What?

Saturday and Sunday highlight all aspects of art including the visual, performing, and literary, and include the ever-popular, Mid-City Art Market with over 60 artists. The three-day weekend is FREE TO THE PUBLIC and will feature a full roster of music and dance performances, demonstrations, lectures and family activities.

Among the performers scheduled to appear are: Irvin Mayfield, Dr. Michael White, Bryan Batt, NOCCA Jazz, Nomadic Tribal Dancers, Delta Ramblers, Panorama Brass Band, Soul Rebels, Lionel Batiste & Lars Edegran, McTaggart Irish Dancers, New Orleans Ballet, Lionel Ferbos Palm Court Jazz, Phil Melancon, Fredy Omar, Delta Festival Ballet, Celtic Harpists, and the acclaimed Anemone Ballet of New York City.

Many New Orleans writers are lined-up to present readings, answer questions and sign their latest books among them are Richard Ford, Julia Reed, John Barry, Chris Rose, Patty Friedmann, James Gill, Chris Wiltz, Patricia Brady, M.A. Harper, C.C. Lockwood, Josh Clark, Tom Varisco, Christina Vella, Kerri McCaffety, and George Rodrigue. Best known for his Blue Dog paintings, George Rodrigue will also be on hand to sign his Hurricane Katrina prints. Children's writers and performers entertain families throughout the weekend. The finale to this festival is a performance by the Imagination Movers taking place in NOMA's Besthoff Sculpture Garden.

The Museum re-opens with three new exhibitions with works being seen for the first time in New Orleans. First, Seen in Solitude: Robert Kipniss Prints from the James F. White Collection presents both the quietly evocative prints and vivid paintings of this New York Artist. Kipniss describes his work as, "an endless range of feelings and thoughts evoked by the basic act of seeing, usually in isolation, and with a haunting intensity."

Second, Inside the Congo: An Introduction to Field Research Archives of Frere Joseph Cornet introduces the rich collection of photographs and field notebooks from a man who, during several decades in Africa, painstakingly documented the beauty and complexity of several African cultures. Third, NOMA will display 40 paintings by Louisiana artists titled, A Keen Eye: Louisiana Art from the Collection of Martha Ann Samuel.

Following the grand re-opening, the New Orleans Museum of Art and the Besthoff Sculpture Garden will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 AM - 4:30 PM. For more information on exhibitions, events, schedules, membership and how to contribute to NOMA's Katrina Relief Fund log onto www.noma.org .

Creativity-rich brain waves

Hmmm. I'm aways courting inspiration. Maybe it's time to shift gears into the Careless abandon mode. I'll try it this week and see if life gets sweeter.

The high-buzz mode by
Robert Genn

Back in 1978 Colin Martindale of The University of Maine put
some electrodes on some students' heads and made an art-shaking
discovery. Subjects were asked to create stories while the
electroencephalogram recorded their brain waves. Creativity, he
found, had two main stages--with vastly different types of
waves. He called the two stages "inspiration" and
"elaboration." While stories were being dreamed up, brains were
surprisingly quiet--mostly alpha waves indicating a low level
of cortical arousal. It was the same sort of activity that's
often found in sleep, dreaming or rest--which could explain why
sleep and relaxation can help people to be creative.

However, when these quiet-minded people were asked to "work on
their stories" their brains became suddenly busier--flashing
messages back and forth between lobes. Vastly more
connectivity, focus, corralling and organization appeared to be
going on. Martindale found that the people who had the most
creative storylines also showed the greatest contrast between
the two types of brain activities.

Many creative folks know about this. But it's been my
observation that about 20% of artists never get into the second
stage at all. Without this cortical shift they short-change
themselves. The question becomes how to set yourself up to
enter the high-buzz mode. Here are a few parallel,
creativity-rich modes that might surprise you:

Lackadaisical boredom mode
Sublimated anger mode
Dreamy love mode
Deadline mode
Relaxed time-off mode
Automatic joy mode
Careless abandon mode

It's in this "abandon" mode that you can actually feel the
brain change. Your tools quicken and they begin to run the
show. The mind seems to think ahead, or giddily moves somewhere
else. Some artists need a small change of location or posture
to go into this elaboration stage. It may also take a
trigger--music, memory, pressure, subconscious lapse. Or it may
simply happen when the first mode has gone on long enough to
play out and let the high-buzz mode begin. Ideally, as in a
hybrid vehicle, the power is constantly shifting back and forth
to whatever is appropriate and needed at the time.

www.painterskeys.com

(c) Copyright 2006 Robert Genn.
Reprint permission granted by rgenn@saraphina.com