Washington D.C. Metblogs » dc_lennox

Dan Flavin’s artwork is making the NGA guards sick

dc_lennox — Fri, 12 Nov 2004 13:38:56 +0000

The current issue of the Washington City Paper has a fascinating story by Chris Shott and John Metcalfe on the effects upon the National Gallery of Art’s guards to the continuous exposure to Dan Flavin’s bright artwork.

“Ever since the gallery

Cuban art, Mojitos, and Sangria this Friday in Bethesda

dc_lennox — Mon, 08 Nov 2004 16:09:11 +0000

The Fraser Gallery of Bethesda, Maryland (which I co-own), has an opening this coming Friday Nov. 12 at 6-9 PM. We will host a show titled Cuban Artists: Three Generations which will include new works by Sandra Ramos and Jacqueline Zerquera Tejedor, as well as works from the Estate of Carlos Alfonzo.

These artists represent three generations of Cuban contemporary artists. Alfonzo is regarded as one of the most important Cuban artists in recent years (he died of AIDS in 1991), while Ramos is without a doubt the most talked-about and one of the most collected contemporary Cuban artists alive today (in the collection of many American museums already).

Zerquera is a very respected Havana artist who is now emerging in the international scene.

Opening reception on Friday, Nov. 12 from 6-9 PM. In addition to our famous Sangria, we will also have Cuban music, Mojitos and Cuba Libres. Part of the Bethesda Art Walk, which now provides free walking tours of the various participating galleries. Free and Open to the public.

The gallery is at 7700 Wisconsin Avenue (Suite E), about a block north of the Bethesda Metro stopn on the Red Line.

Art-O-Matic Opens Next Friday

dc_lennox — Sat, 06 Nov 2004 17:21:41 +0000

Imagine 1,000 artists transforming en empty building into a massive, open, party-every-night art happening. It happens around here every couple of years, and it’s called Art-O-Matic!

More than 1,000 area artists, writers, and performers have transformed an exciting and huge space at 800 3rd St. NE into an open showcase for thousands of works, hundreds of performances, and dozens of educational presentations and discussions (and a lot of parties). Nearby Union Station provides easy Metro and there’s plenty of parking.

Art-O-Matic is one of the great things that happen to Washington art every couple of years or so. If it was staged in New York, or LA or even Frisco, it would be a worldwide acclaimed art happening.

But because it is here in Washington, DC, where the lamestream media ignores the visual arts, it is usually brutalized in the press, which can’t stand the fact that Art-O-Matic shows have drawn 20,000 to 50,000 visitors, who come to look, absorb, question, and identify what they like from this terrific community of area artists.

The shared discovery between the audience and artist is what makes Art-O-Matic unique and rewarding for all. There

Gallery Crawl in Dupont Circle is Tonight

dc_lennox — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 15:01:30 +0000

The first Friday of the month is tonight, which means that most of the art galleries in the Dupont Circle area will have extended hours (usually 6-8 PM) and will be offering wine and hors d’ouvres, as well as new art shows and an opportunity to meet the artists.

It is free and open to the public. About 15 galleries participate. Details here.

See ya there!

Auction in the Park for Art Collectors

dc_lennox — Mon, 01 Nov 2004 13:34:49 +0000

Annual “Auction in the Park” Offers Serious Fun for Art Collectors and Photo Enthusiasts

What: PHOTOWORKS

Reality Art TV in Washington, DC?

dc_lennox — Fri, 29 Oct 2004 14:43:36 +0000

Public art projects in Washington, DC, no matter how much the public or participating artists like them, tend to get panned in the press and even get curators fired.

So DC area artist Marsha Stein has decided to take the bull by the horns and is spearheading an effort to create a public art project that is led by artists from the very beginning.

Stein’s project will organize artist groups to begin the creative process. You can read more about it here and in today’s Voice of the Hill newspaper.

A novel concept has been the introduction of a videographer into the project, who is filming the entire history and development of the project and hopes to present it later to the TV networks as the seed for an art-based reality TV show.

Interested artists can contact Marsha Stein at: Marshasart@aol.com.

Janis Goodman at DC Fine Arts

dc_lennox — Tue, 26 Oct 2004 17:56:44 +0000

Ebb and Flow, recent paintings and drawings by Washingtonian Janis Goodman, explores the universal theme of constancy. Goodman

Don’t Miss this great art exhibition

dc_lennox — Tue, 26 Oct 2004 02:04:11 +0000

VSArts is an organization dedicated to helping handicapped artists expand their artistic horizons.

Organized by Maryam Ovissi, currently there’s a terrific exhibition in Washington, DC showing some of the most spectacular work by any artist that I’ve seen in many years.

Driving Force was a national competition to recognize and showcase young artists with disabilities, ages 16 -25, who are living in the United States.

The exhibition is currently on view at the S. Dillon Ripley Center, Smithsonian Institution through November 29, 2004. It will then tour for one year throughout the U.S.

The grand prize winner, Sunny Taylor, is a self taught hand and foot artist (only 22 years old) who is a spectacular painter.

Sunny Taylor is not only a very good painter, but a terrific example of what can be accomplished with determination, courage and loads of talent.

Huge Controversy Brewing at the Corcoran

dc_lennox — Thu, 21 Oct 2004 19:08:34 +0000

It has been ignored so far by the Washington Post, and it was picked up today by the Washington City Paper, but there’s a huge controversy going on right now involving the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the firing of a guest curator.

However, the story has been discussed extensively by several DC-based art BLOGs. Here’s the issue:

Several weeks ago, the Washington Project for the Arts/Corcoran, which is a terrific arts organization that gathers together many DC area artists and does exhibitions around town, etc. announced that it had selected Philip Barlow, a local arts collector as a curator for an exhibition called OPTIONS 2005, which is sort of a WPA/C Biennial aimed at selecting and showcasing works by emerging DC area artists.

Apparently Barlow made it clear to the WPA/C that he intended to exclude from this show all artists who had participated in the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities widely publicized Pandamania and Party Animals projects.

Barlow started visiting art studios and galleries and gathering the show together. On September 23, The Washington Post published a small interview in which Barlow made his curatorial thoughts publicly known outside of the WPA/C circles.

On October 13 DC Art News broke the story that Barlow had been fired as a result of his decision being published in the Post to exclude Pandamania and Party Animals artists from OPTIONS 2005.

My thoughts on this subject: I disagree 100% with Philip Barlow’s decision to exclude all artists who participated in these two projects from being considered for Options 2005; however, I respect and defend his right, as the curator, to make that decision. He has that right and it was wrong of the Corcoran to fire him from the job.

Barlow’s logic in excluding all Pandamania and Party Animals artists from Options 2005 is as flawed as the logic that says that all Art-O-Matic artists are bad, amateur artists. Barlow has worked very hard in the past to support and defend Art-O-Matic (which by the way, gets a large amount of financial support from the DC Arts Commission), and it is surprising that he doesn’t see the logical relationship between what he was doing to Pandamania and Party Animals artists and what most art critics in this town did to Art-O-Matic’s artists.

Having said that, I back Barlow’s right to make whatever decision he chooses to make as a curator. It is his goddamned right to exclude whoever and whatever he so chooses, just as it is my and your right to disagree with his decision – but he owns the right to make it!

Barlow made an eloquent defense of his position in this email published in DC Art News.

On October 19, the WPA/C sent out a news release explaining their position, somewhat back-tracking on who knew what when.

James W. Bailey, who is a very talented area photographer became very passionate about the whole issue and wrote to David Levy, Director of the Corcoran. Their correspondence adds more light on the subject and can be read here.

Until the Washington City Paper story today, it has been the BLOGsphere, specifically Thinking About Art, and also Grammar.police and lately Modern Art Notes who have pushed this issue to the front.

Is Placido Domingo leaving DC?

dc_lennox — Thu, 21 Oct 2004 03:14:13 +0000

Placido Domingo may be the world’s greatest living tenor (sorry to all Pavarotti fans); and he lives in DC and is the director of the Washington National Opera.

And he has had a tremendous influence on the Washington National Opera.

But as Ionarts reports, Domingo is one of the front-runners for the same job of running the The Metropolitan Opera in New York City.