Artistic idealism

Zoe Myers shared with me this artist statement by Jonathan Stein, an artist she shows in her gallery Heineman Myers:

In the ebb and flow of our existence, we are confronted by great hindrances, as well as overwhelming moments of joy, which shape and define our character. It is my assertion that within each individual there lives and breathes a personal narrative that holds merit and deserves to be fully recognized. As a visual storyteller and conceptual artist, my life’s passion revolves around uncovering not only my own inherent story but the elaborate tales of those around me. . . .

My purpose as an artist and individual is propelled by an insatiable need to make a difference in this world for the good and to create artwork that can reach out and connect with audiences. Whatever the artistic medium, whatever the tools I may utilize, and whatever the lengths I must creatively push myself to realize my vision, this hunger is what serves as my foundation and allows me to claim the serious title of artist and visionary.

We need this kind of idealism in our artists. We need it for ourselves.

Artomatic pick

My favorite emerging artist exhibiting at Artomatic 2008: Connor Glenn 11 years old

Artomatic opened last night and you have until June 15 to check out this remarkable assemblage of artists. There are 9 floors of art so I suggest you go soon and often. I started a top 10 list but I only made it through three and a half floors so will try to finish it another time. But who really cares what I think is the best art at Artomatic. What's important is that Artomatic is an impressive open forum for artistic expression. We need more of that.

It was originally conceived as a way to break down the geographical and social segmentation of the Washington arts scene, to bring art directly to the public and to build cohesion among artists. The city's ongoing development in recent years has diffused the arts community by breaking up pockets of artist studios. In addition, local artists are sometimes overshadowed by national blockbuster shows and federal landmarks. Artomatic provides a forum for all of our area's artists to convene, perform and exhibit, strengthening the visibility, cohesion, and marketplace of Washington's arts community.

Artomatic starts tonight!

thepinklineproject.com
@

Artomatic 2008
May 9 - June 15

Opening reception:
Tonight!
7:30 - 9 pm
But you can hang out there til 2 AM.
@ 1200 1st Street, NE (1st and M Street, NE)

Perfection

Ruppersberg is a genius.

Sewn art is awesome

If you have not yet seen The Thread As the Line: Contemporary Sewn Art at the Ellipse Art Center, then get over there and take a look as soon as you can. This show is chock full of extremely awesome art, including work by Matt Nelson, who created the work you see above. Also, Steve Frost below:

Here & Now

Transformer is thrilled to present:

Here & Now

May 10 - 24
May 31 - June 14

Focusing on issues of place, time, fragility, security and fantasy, this two-site exhibition features 17 artists creating large scale, site-specific installations and environments within Transformer's project space, and in three floors of the former Church of the Rapture building space up the street from Transformer at 1840 14th Street, NW.

Artists Participating in Here & Now include:

May 10 - 24

At Transformer (1404 P Street, NW): Jennifer Burkley Vasher (Placitas, NM)

At 1840 14th Street, NW (entrance on T Street, NW):

Kyan Bishop & Kate Hardy (Washington, DC)
Sonya Blesofsky (Brooklyn, NY)
Mandy Burrow (Arlington, VA)
Graham Childs & Lily deSaussure (Washington,DC)
Derek Cote (Richmond, VA)
Mia Feuer (Richmond, VA)
Lisa Kellner (Hanover, VA)
Jong Sun (Jay) Lee (Baltimore, MD)
Chris Moukarbel (New York, NY)
Amy Rubin (British Columbia, Canada)
Paul Shoemaker (Richmond, VA)
Jiny Ung (Washington, DC)

May 31 - June 14

At Transformer (1404 P Street, NW):
Mariah Johnson (Los Angeles, CA) and Valerie Molnar (Richmond, VA)

* * *

Please join Transformer's staff and board, and the Here & Now artists in the following special programming:

Saturday, May 10, 2008

1:30 PM - Conversation between Ryan Hill, Manager of Interpretive Programs and Curatorial Research Associate, Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, and artist Jennifer Burkley Vasher (Transformer)

4 PM - Performance by artist Paul Shoemaker (1840 14th Street, NW)

Saturday, May 17, 2008 (@ 1840 14th Street, NW)

1:30 PM - Discussion of work between selected Here & Now artists and Kristen Hileman, Assistant Curator, Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden

3 PM - Guest lecture by current Whitney Biennial artist Matt Mullican (New York, NY), presented in partnership with Street Scenes: Projects for DC

Saturday, May 31, 2008 (@ Transformer)

3:30 PM - Conversation between Cynthia Connolly, Director of the Ellipse Art Center and Curator of The Thread as the Line and artists Mariah Johnson and Valerie Molnar

EXHIBITION HOURS for both Here & Now exhibition venues:
Wednesday - Saturday, 1-7pm & by appointment.

Weekend photo roundup

I had to be in two places at once - the CuDC Gala and the BYT Relaunch party - last Saturday due to a scheduling snafu that was not entirely my fault ... this time. Damien Ossi took some great photographs at both events.


The crew at Brightest Young Things killed it too! This one is from Bao Nguyen. See hundreds more images here.

Finally, thanks again to Scion for sponsoring the art at the BYT Relaunch party.

Cool video of Wreckfest

VIMBY - Wreckfest @ Tiffany's

VIMBY finally posted the video Sean O'Grady made of Wreckfest. It rocks!

Spillage reduced

Painting this fly onto the porcelain of urinals at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport reduced "spillage" by 80%. Who says art can't be functional too? Thank you Art Vent for highlighting this cute Duchampian reference.

Pink panels

The Pink Line Project presents:
a series of panel discussions to educate the emerging and experienced art collector.

@ Artomatic 2008
1200 1st Street, NE (at M Street, NE)
Metro stop: Red line, New York Avenue (M Street exit).
Panels will be held in the 7th Floor Education Room.

* * *

Fired Up About Ceramics!: Collecting Dirt
Thursday, May 15
7 pm

Novie Trump
Margaret Boozer
Mike Holland
Anne Surak
Moderator: Philippa P.B. Hughes

* * *

Information Overload:
Finding Reliable and Useful Information about Art Collecting
Wednesday, May 21
7 pm

Sharon Burton
JW Mahoney
Lenny Campello
Martin Irvine
Moderator: Dr. Fred Ognibene

* * *

Art Collecting 101: Inspiration and Passion
Saturday, May 31
2 pm

Minna Nathanson
Veronica Jackson
Mel + Juanita Hardy
Brian Aitken + Andrea Evers
Moderator: Philippa P.B. Hughes

Light refreshments will be provided at all panels.

Thank you DECOY for creating the artwork!

Arty stuff this week . . .

All Senior Thesis Exhibition
Corcoran College of Art

Opening:
Wednesday, May 7
7 - 9 pm
@ 500 17th Street, NW

Jason Zimmerman
"Feel better, longer"

Jen Stark
"Much-much"

May 9 - June 14

Opening reception:
Friday, May 9
7 - 9 pm
@ Civilian Art Projects
406 7th Street, NW

Lighting to Unite
Gerry Hofstetter:
Projection on exteriors of the Washington National Cathedral
Sunset to midnight
May 9, 10, 11

Janis Goodman
Cross Currents
May 9 - June 6

Opening:
Friday, May 9
6:30 - 9 pm
@ Reyes + Davis
923 F Street, NW

Spring Community Show
Friday, May 9
6 - 8 pm
@ ArtSpace
614 S Street, NW

Flash
Friday, May 9
7 pm - 3 am
@ Jackie's Back Room
8081 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring

Artomatic 2008
May 9 - June 15

Check the website for information about countless events that will take place.

Opening reception:
Friday, May 9
7:30 - 9 pm
@ 1st and M Street, NE
Metro: Red Line to New York Ave., M Street exit

Here & Now
May 10 – 24
Wednesdays - Saturdays
1 - 7 pm

Saturday, May 10
1:30 pm
Conversation between Ryan Hill, Manager of Interpretive Programs and Curatorial Research Associate, Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, and artist Jennifer Burkley Vasher
@ Transformer

4 pm
Performance by artist Paul Shoemaker
@ 1840 14th Street, NW

Artists showing:

@ Transformer
1404 P Street, NW
Jennifer Burkley Vasher (Placitas, NM)

@ 1840 14th Street, NW (entrance on T Street, NW):
Kyan Bishop & Kate Hardy (Washington, DC)
Sonya Blesofsky (Brooklyn, NY)
Mandy Burrow (Arlington, VA)
Graham Childs & Lily deSaussure (Washington,DC)
Derek Cote (Richmond, VA)
Mia Feuer (Richmond, VA)
Lisa Kellner (Hanover, VA)
Jong Sun (Jay) Lee (Baltimore, MD)
Chris Moukarbel (New York, NY)
Amy Rubin (British Columbia, Canada)
Paul Shoemaker (Richmond, VA)
Jiny Ung (Washington, DC)

Corcoran Friends
Art Anonymous
Saturday, May 10
More info here.

Gretchen Feldman
stitches in time, etc.
May 8 - June 1

Opening:
Saturday, May 10
5:30 to 8:30 pm
@ Nevin Kelly
1517 U Street, NW

Scott Brooks
Under the Skin
May 10 - June 7

Opening reception:
Saturday, May 10
5 - 8 pm
@ Longview Gallery
1032 9th Street, NW

Marlene Godoy
Considerations
May 7 - June 7

Opening:
Saturday, May 10
6:30 - 9 pm
@ International Visions
2629 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Bridget Sue Lambert
Preconceived Notions
May 10 - June 17

Saturday, May 10
5 - 7 pm
@ Pyramid Atlantic
8230 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring

Art Anonymous at the Corcoran

Art Anonymous

The Corcoran Gallery of Art and FRIENDS of the Corcoran are proud to host their first Art Anonymous fundraiser, benefiting the Corcoran College of Art + Design’s BFA Scholarship Fund. Leading contemporary artists will offer for sale original, postcard-sized works alongside the creations of students, faculty, and staff of the Corcoran College of Art + Design and the Corcoran Gallery of Art. All works are only $100—the catch: all artwork is signed on the back, so the identity of the artist will remain a mystery until after the purchase.

Art Anonymous is an exciting and affordable way to add to your collection. Anyone could walk away with a fantastic bargain—will you?

Reception, drinks, and dancing included.

SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2008
MEMBERS $50, NON-MEMBERS $65
ALL WORKS $100
RAFFLE FOR THE FIRST 10 PICKS $50

6 P.M. PREVIEW AND RAFFLE
7 P.M. BIDDING OPENS

DRINKS AND DANCING UNTIL 11 P.M..

CORCORAN GALLERY OF ART
500 SEVENTEENTH STREET NW
WASHINGTON, DC 20006

Kindly RSVP for this event by May 1, 2008. For more information and to register, please click here or call (202) 639-1753.

Participating artists include: Irene Abdou, John M. Adams, Dana Aldis, Geoffrey Aldridge, Shahdeh Ammadi, Alida Anderson, Tim Anderson, Sondra N. Arkin, John Aquilino, Geoff Ault, Patricia Autenrieth, Jennifer Axner, Malena Barnhart, Jessica Grace Bechtel, Diane Blackwell, Lisa Blas, Raya Bodnarchuk, Tanya Bos, Richard Boswell, Mark Cameron Boyd, Joseph Bradley, James Brantley, Courtney Bratun, Lindsay Bratun, Julia Braun, Jean Brinton- Jaecks, Andrew Brown, Jason Bulluck, Renee Butler, Craig Cahoon, Colby Caldwell, F. Lennox Campello, Julie Carrasco, Stevens Jay Carter, Julie Casey, Gloria Cesal, Sarah Chamberlain, Amy Chan , Mei Mei Chang, Natalie Cheung, Nannette A. Clark, Lauren Clay, Michael Clements, Genevieve Cocco, Cindy Ann Coldiron, Tim Conlon, Bryan Conner, Sarah Coombs, Ellen Cornett, Patricia Correa, Adger W. Cowans, Robert Creamer, Christopher Cunetto, Emily Cunetto, Christopher Cunningham, Jasmine Daraie, John Deamond, Adam de Boer, Marianela de la Hoz, Rosetta DeBerardinis, Francks F. Deceus, Kate Demong, Jennifer DePalma, Rosanna Dixon, Nancy D. Donnelly, Joel D’Orazio, Katie Drenga, Nekisha Durrett, Steven Eson, Lori Esposito, Steven E. Frost, Lee Gainer, Lacey Gentry, Casey Goldman, Janis Goodman, Pat Goslee, Liz Gordon & Anna (Na Kyung) Ahn, Melissa Green, Tom Green, Lauri Hafvenstein, Mohamed A. Hamo, Rion Harmon, Carol Harrison, Jonathan Hartshorn, Stephen Hay, Sean Hennessey, Dayan Herrara, Randall C. Holloway, Jackie Hoysted, Michal Hunter, Melissa Ichiuji, Megan Irving, Ema Ishii, Harry L. Jaecks, Chris Jamison, Susan Jamison, Ian Jehle, Ryan Carr Johnson, Sue Johnson, David Jolkovski, Adam Jones, Coty Jones, Benjamin Gray Jones, Courtney Jordan, Mila Kagan, Margaret Kepner, Amy Kincaid, Ed Kirkpatrick, Marti Deppa Kirkpatrick , Nick Kirkpatrick, Katherine Kisa, William Knipscher, Steve Lakatos, Nick Lamia, Joshua Levine, Gina Marie Lewis, Katie Lewis , Amy Lin, Heidi Lippman, Carol Lukitsch, Raymond MacDonald, Akemi Maegawa , Dana Maier, Susan Makara, Isaac Maiselman, Isabel Manalo, Joey P. Manlapaz, Katherine Mann, Nathan Manuel, Anne Marchand, James Marshall (Dalek), Madeline Marshall, Myra Maslowsky, Leah Matthews, Cory May, Lisa McCarty, John McDaniel, Joseph McSpadden, Robert Mellor, Ashleigh Nicole Meusel, Trace Miller, Adrienne Mills, Elizabeth Lundberg Morisette, Camille Mosley-Pasley, Marci Nadler, Otto Neals, Emilia Olsen, Kerry O’Neil, Jonathan Ottke, David Page, Paulette Palacios, Chul Beom Park, Annie Peters, Brian Petro, Pamela Phillips, Ryan Pierce, Michael B. Platt, Nick Popovici ,Antonio Puri, Carole Rabel Nicoteri, Camden M. Richards, Marcel Richter, Charlotte Riley-Webb, Emily Rockwell, Andrew Roda, Lisa Rosenstein, Michael Knud Ross, Ron Rumford, Anna Samaha, Nancy Scheinman, Kahn & Selesnick, Mike Shaffer, Joanna Silver, Kristy Simmons, John Simpkins-Camp, Kerry Skarbakka, Paul So, Judy Southerland, Ashley A.. Sullivan, Lynn Sures, Zach Storm, Erik Swanson, Jordan Swartz, Tim Tate, Steve Taylor, James Stephen Terrell, Katurah L. Thomas, Kevin Tierney, Erwin Timmers, Susan Powell Tolbert, Patricia Truitt, Alexia Tryfon, Nicholas Tryfon, Katie Tuss, Linn Meyers and Bert Ulrich, Jessica van Brakle, Izel Vargas , Oliver Vernon, Ivi Volanska, Christopher Walker, Cheryl Warrick, Ellyn Weiss, Moon Young Wohn, Sharon Wolpoff, Antoinette Wysocki, Thomas Xenakis, Lindsey Nicole Yancich, Michelle Yo, Trevor Young, and Toopy Zerotree.

Works will be available for viewing beginning May 1 in advance of the event in the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s Gallery 31. To access Gallery 31, please use the New York Avenue entrance.

Marc Ross designed chair at Vastu

So cool! Marc Ross, a recent Corcoran graduate designed this chair for his senior thesis project and it will be sold in limited edition at Vastu.

Designed by Marc Ross, a recent graduate of DC's Corcoran College of Art and Design, the Lore Swivel Chair (pronounced "Lori") incorporates mid-century modern design with simple fluid lines. The acrylic is cut, heated, molded and buffed by hand. The height of the aluminum base is adjustable.

During the month of May, Vastu will hold a silent auction for the clear prototype, #1 of 2,000, with all proceeds benefiting future Corcoran College of Art and Design thesis development.

Changing the world

An Artinfo interview with Jeff Koons.

Can art change the world?

I think that people — and people’s gestures — change the world. And art is a vehicle of people’s gestures. So yes, I think that art changes the world.

I could not agree more.

Cultural fun!

The CuDC gala was a blast last night! Raised a bunch of money to support a mission that I support wholeheartedly:

The Cultural Development Corporation creates opportunities for artists and arts organizations that stimulate economic development and improve the quality of life. We envision the arts driving economic and community development as an integral part of DC’s vibrant metropolitan area.

Successful economic development entails many components, including arts development and the rise of a creative class and CuDC is an integral part to making this happen in DC.

This time, I actually had my camera with me but took only this one picture, which makes Todd and Kevin look like such a cute couple. Sorry guys.

Pictures below are from Kevin:




My chariot awaited.

Dinner with Patti Smith

Dinner with Patti Smith hosted by Washington Life. Sooooo cool.

DINNER WITH PATTI SMITH

Teatro Goldoni

PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL

THE EVENT: This intimate dinner brought some of the city’s top art collectors, patrons and professionals together with the iconic musician and artist, Patti Smith. The four-course gourmet aff air followed Smith’s one-woman performance “An Evening of Spoken Word and Song with Patti Smith” at the Archives of American Art. THE SCENE:Forty lucky guests spent the evening chatting about art and the letters Patti Smith read from the book With Love: Artists’ Letters and Illustrated Notes. THE GUESTS: Archives of American Art director John W. Smith, the Hirshhorn’s Kerry Brougher, Tim and Shigeko Bork, artist Mark Smith, Susan Eisenhower and collectors Cindy and Evan Jones.

Brian looks exasperated but in fact, this is his usual demeanor.


Why am I dressed like this? Because I had been channeling Audrey Hepburn at Wreckfest @ Tiffany's earlier in the evening.

Art In America

JW Mahoney wrote a Report From Washington DC, subtitled To a Different Drummer, for the May 2008 issue of Art In America (page 95). The piece presents a fairly thorough overview of the Washington art scene and considers whether and how we've evolved since the Color School drew some notice back in the 60s. I can't find a link to it on-line to share with you but here is a section that I found interesting:

So is the contemporary art of the Washington area a distinctly specialized, “alternative”—or even “outsider”—art? Few Washingtonians think so, except, perhaps, its artists. The artists, however, may have a point. Undaunted in their ongoing investigations into whatever seems visually meaningful to them, Washington artists radiate a culturally wired but unapologetically visionary attitude that features an almost patronizing relation to the larger world of contemporary art. D.C. artists still go to New York (or London, Venice or Miami) to process international trends, and whatever they don’t reject they take back home for personal use. Information is power; accordingly, Washington artists tend to make art that is information-rich. This is a conservative radical art—the kind Washington might be presumed to produce—and it is a hothouse for autonomous, unregulated, undefined imaginative activity.

The DC art scene needs to figure out its identity without reference to another city's identity. It really bugs me when people say, and I hear this too often, "Well it's not New York." Well duh it's not New York. It can not and never will be New York. And why would it want to be NY anyway? We have a vibrant and thriving group of artists, galleries, and collectors that is unique and creative in its own right. Problem is: our art scene seems a little disconnected from each other. Here's a comment from an artist friend in response to my recent blog post:

As an artist I have the same complaint about the 'art world', I find it mystifying and unwelcoming too! I have no idea how to find exhibition opportunities or even approach galleries. I can be a complete extrovert except when it comes to the self-promotion of my art. What little exposure I have is directly from my website and networking. So I literally just have stacks and stacks (seriously, this is what happens when you make prints) of art and no idea what to do with them, except to buy myself a nice big set of flat files to store them in! Anyway I thought it was just interesting that people that want to buy art feel the same way.

More importantly and more detrimentally, our art scene feels disconnected from non art people, especially those who would like to participate but have told me they feel it is inaccessible and unwelcoming. That may be true of any art scene, but why? This makes no sense to me and I won't stand for it. :)

Mahoney also mentioned me in his article. Thanks Jim! Wait until you see what I've got in store for you later this year. [wink]

The other notable website is that of local collector and blogger, Phillipa Hughes (pinkline.org), who seeks to address three important shortcomings of the D.C. art scene. First, Washington’s educated young professionals remain generally undeveloped as a resource for the local art market. Second, the city’s older, more established artists are often hard to find on gallery walls. And finally, much of D.C.’s recent art history exists only orally or on the pages of older, often defunct art magazines. What pinkline.org offers is Hughes’s own, accurately sourced events calendar of Washington’s contemporary art life, including projects she sponsors herself—a night of graffiti art at the AAC, for example, or her occasional “salons” at a local bar.

Corrections to the article:

It's always lucky whenever the DC arts community gets any major art magazine coverage, and, with only a few exceptions, noted below, I stand by the edit of the text of this article. My image selection for the piece, however, was largely ignored by the editors. There are images I consider redundant by some Color School artists – the art world knows all these people by now – and, without any disrespect implied to the artists themselves, any images by artists unmentioned in the text were selected by my editors. The piece looks good, but it's not as I designed it to look.

Some textual corrections: Philippa Hughes' name is spelled that way. The gallery representing Tom Downing's estate is the Addison-Ripley Gallery, even as Leigh Conner has often featured Tom's work. And Michael O'Sullivan is noted as "the only DC art critic to be taken seriously by local artists," when the original text was, specifically, "the only Washington Post art critic to be," etc. And the original piece was longer, and included more artists, from Jae Ko to Borf, to Yoko Ono.

What's important is that our arts community continue to wake up to two significant conditions: first, that we're radically, originally, rich aesthetically, however slim or quixotic the validation feels from our greater social community and its media - and its museums. Second, that we have to validate (or keep validating) ourselves and each other first, before and whether or not an art world of 2008 or 2009 ever does.

J.W. Mahoney

Art auction frenzy

Faith pointed out an article from Slate.com about how media relishes predicting doom and gloom about the art market going bust, particularly around the art auction season when conspicuous consumption makes a gaudy appearance. Perhaps it's their way of chastising people who buy trophy art for outrageous sums so they can brag to their friends about how much they paid for it.

I have been trying to figure out why more people don't become art collectors even though they are interested in art, and I think this article touches on the answer. We hear too much about hedge fund managers and movie moguls buying art for millions if not hundreds of thousands of dollars, which sways us to believe that we can't get any decent art unless we spend a lot of money. Not true! There is a LOT of great affordable original art out there if you're willing to expend a little effort. And when I say affordable art, I mean great art in the complete range of prices. Something to suit every budget. To prove it to you, I'm going to start highlighting great affordable art. Affordable is a tough criteria, though, because it means something to different to everyone, so I'll just say that for now, it means under $500. Off the top of my head, I suggest you check out Heineman Myers gallery in Bethesda for a show called Stimulating Consumption. Most of the work is priced between $300 and $900.

The most important thing is to buy work that means something to you and not because you want to impress people. So it doesn't really matter how much you spend anyway. The bonus: if you amass a collection of original art to which you have given some genuine thought and you love it, then it will be impressive regardless of how much you spent on it

Art fanatic

I gave a little talk about art collecting on Friday night at Pyramid Atlantic and thought this picture taken by Taylor Wyant pretty well summed up my presentation. It conveys my fanaticism and passion for art collecting! Collecting art can change your life and I know this because it changed my life. Stop laughing. I am serious. Through art collecting, I have learned so much about myself. I have met many fascinating people who have inspired me to become a more creative person in my own right and to think of more creative ways to solve problems. Art collecting has also provided me with an avenue for creative self-expression and it has given me the opportunity to help others as well. Art communicates to us from the past and teaches us about the past, and it is also a way to engage with other cultures. Sounds like some kind of elixir doesn't it?!

Some other points from my talk: What makes a good collector? Passion, commitment to learn, and a willingness to make mistakes. I cribbed that from a lecture I'd heard earlier in the week by the director of the Chicago Art Institute at SAAM.

How do you know if what you want to buy is any good? Hone your eye by looking at a lot of art. Go to art fairs, galleries, museums. Talk to other collectors; sometimes they are your best source of information. Learn to articulate what you like and don’t like.

I kinda veered off my outline when people started asking me questions, which was almost right away. Basically, I think many more people would collect original art if the art world were less mystifying and more welcoming. Hope I can help change that.


Look how riveted everyone appears!

Arty stuff this week . . .

Verge: An Evening of Art and Music
Tuesday, April 29
7 - 9 pm
@ Reyes + Davis
923 F Street, NW

artini
1869 Society
Wednesday, April 30
7 - 11 pm
@ Corcoran Gallery of Art
500 17th Street, NW

The Thread As the Line: Contemporary Sewn Art
May 2 - July 12

Featuring the work of:
Steve Frost
Rachel Bernstein
Natalia Blanch
Jennifer Boe
Thomas Campbell
Natalie Chanin
Graham Childs
Sabrina Gschwandtner
Caroline Hwang
Brece Honeycutt
Jennifer Muskopf
Valerie Molnar
Zac Monday
Matt Nelson
Anila Rubiku
Megan Whitmarsh

Opening:
Thursday, May 1
5:30 - 9 pm
@ Ellipse Arts Center
4350 North Fairfax Drive
Arlington

Colors of the Wind
Mexican School of Down Art

Thursday, May 1
6:30 to 8:30 pm
@ Mexican Cultural Institute
2829 16th Street, NW

Benjamin Jurgensen
Don't Ready To Die Anymore

Opening:
Friday, May 2
6 - 8:30 pm
@ Meat market Gallery
1636 17th Street, NW

Lennon Michalski
and
Chris Milk Hulbert
May 2 - June 2

Opening Reception:
Friday, May 2
6:30 - 8:30 pm
@ Aaron Gallery
1717 Connecticut Avenue, NW

14th Street and the Creative Economy:
Unveiling of store windows on 14th Street created by Corcoran students
Redeem, Home Rule, Vastu, Muleh
Friday, May 2
6 pm

After party:
Donovan House
8 - midnight
$20 fundraiser

Black Rock City
Images by Osunlade from Burning Man

Opening:
Friday, May 2
6 - 10 pm
@ Dissident Display
411 H Street, NE

Afterburn:
9 pm - 5 am
@ 411 New York Avenue, NE
$20 (attend the exhibition for a $10 discount)

Anna Davis
May 2 - 30

Reception:
Friday, May 2
6 - 8 pm
@ Hillyer Art Space
9 Hillyer Court

Sparkplug Art Collective
Friday, May 2
7 - 9 pm
@ DCAC Gallery
2438 18th Street, NW

Sondra N. Arkin and Willem deLooper

Opening:
Friday, May 2
7 - 10 pm
@ PASS Gallery
1617 S Street NW, rear

Bobby Salthouse
Magic Squares
April 30 - June 1

Opening:
Friday, May 2
6 - 8 pm
@ Foundry Gallery
1314 18th Street, NW

Shelley Laffal & Chris Malone
Drama Queens
May 2 – June 1

Meet the Artists:
Friday, May 2
6 - 9 pm
Saturday, May 3
3 - 6 pm
@ Zenith Gallery
413 7th Street, NW

Spring Art Show

JEWELRY
Analya Céspedes
Gayle Friedman
Giselle Kolb

ACCESSORIES
Allison O’Flinn

PAINTING
Michele de la Menardiere
Amina Re
Kristen Stephens

CERAMICS
Kate Hardy

Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4
12 - 6 pm
@ Studio 4903
4903 Wisconsin Avenue, NW (2nd floor)

Foggy Bottom Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit
May 3 - October 25

Opening:
Saturday, May 3
5 - 8 pm
@ Watergate Gallery
2552 Virginia Avenue, NW

Cultural Development Corporation
Flash Forward
Annual Gala and Auction
Saturday, May 3
7 - 11 pm
@ Former Church of the Rapture
1840 14th Street, NW

Flash Forward
After party:
10 pm - 2 am

DJ Neville C & DJ Fatback spinning dueling decades
cocktails courtesy of SKYY Vodka & Campari

BrightestYoungThings.com Relaunch Party
Saturday, May 3
6 to 8 pm - Slightly Overexposed: Photography Exhibition
8 until forever - party and live art exhibition
@ Artomatic Space
1st and M Streets, NE

Funk 'n' Brunch

A benefit for Girls Rock!DC
Sunday, May 4
1 - 6 pm
@ 52 O Street

Mindy Weisel
Gallery Talk
Sunday, May 4
2 pm
@ Prada Gallery
1030 Wisconsin Avenue, NW

BYT Relaunch Party - Saturday night

Brightest Young Things will relaunch their website with a huge party this Saturday night. The festivities begin with a photo exhibit of Slightly Overexposed, in which BYT photographers show their best work from the past year.

The Pink Line Project brings you sensational art for the event created by:

Kelly Towles
along with American University MFA art stars:
Josh Baptista
Brad Chriss
Cory Oberndorfer
Amy Misurelli Sorensen

A couple of the artists will create their work live during the event. So cool.

Outstanding bands and DJs will play throughout the night:

Video Hippos
Food For Animals
Apes
The Dance Party
DJ Chris Burns
DJ Cale

Many thanks to Artomatic for letting us use this amazing space, where Artomatic will take place May 9 through June 15.

Many thanks also to Scion for their support of the art portion of this event!

Brightest Young Things Relaunch Party
Saturday, May 3

Slightly Overexposed
Photography Exhibit
DJ: Animal Collective
6 - 8 pm

Party
8 pm until forever

1st and M Streets, NE
$10 suggested donation.
Please rsvp here.
18+

Bad art

While relaxing with a frosty bottle of Imperial at the Casa Tucan at Playa Guiones one night last week after a long hard day of getting pounded in the surf, Dale asked me what I thought about the art for sale that was hanging behind the bar. I wrinkled my nose and pronounced it bad art. Paintings of tropical birds and majestic waterfalls. Then he asked, "Why? What is it about this art that makes it bad?" Hmm ... hem ... haw ... sputter ... gosh. My inability to give a coherent answer made me realize the importance of articulating what you like and don't like about a work of art beyond judging whether it's bad or not. For one thing, doing so helps you define and hone your taste. Whether it's bad or not is another question. So I'll practice doing that now.

This particular painting of a toucan and waterfall didn't appeal to me because it appeared to be something produced purely as a souvenir for tourists. I've been known to buy souvenir art so I'm not condemning anyone who does this. But in general I avoid this kind of art purchase because I am more interested in being inspired by the ideas and concepts behind art than its decorative or souvenir value. And I didn't see much more than a vacation keepsake in this painting. Of course, the artist didn't happen to be available just then for me to ask him what he was thinking when he painted it and I think it's very important to ask this question if you have the chance. I've often looked at art that I wasn't especially enamored with and then changed my mind once I understood the artist's intent. Also in this case, the artist's skill level didn't seem very high, maybe a little untrained. Sure the bird looked like a bird, but the painting lacked precision and depth.

About the book, which looks fun:

Located in the basement of a theater, the Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) is a unique institution dedicated to the celebration of artistic effort, however misguided. The Museum of Bad Art: Masterworks presents a pulsating collection of more than seventy never-before-published pieces of artwork from MOBA’s permanent collection. Comprised largely of canvases found discarded on curbside trash piles or obtained for a pittance at thrift stores, this innovative compilation occupies a niche previously ignored in the international community of art collection, preservation, and interpretation. If the subjectivity of art appreciation were ever in doubt, this astonishing assortment of artistic commentaries will fan the flames of controversy. It is clear that many of these artists suffered for their art; now it’s your turn.

Cary For Council Happy Hour

Happy hour to benefit:
Cary Silverman for Ward 2 Council Member
Thursday, May 1
4 - 7 pm
@ Merkado
1433 P Street, NW
Learn more here about Cary.

Holly Bass performance

Word, Breath & Movement
Led by Holly Bass

Saturday, April 26
12 - 3 pm
@ Flashpoint
916 G Street, NW
(Pay what you can.)

If I were going to be in town, I would definitely go to this.

More belly button

Weird art day today. Frankly, it's been a weird art week for me. Thought I'd cap it off with this lovely image by Jason Horowitz and a little review of his show at Curator's Office by Jessica Dawson.

You know those liposuction ads weighing down the back pages of this paper's Sunday magazine? Picture the "before" image as a fine color print stretching five feet wide and you've got a good idea of Jason Horowitz's work. The suite of photographs at Curator's Office posits human flesh as landscape; folds of skin stand in for rolling fields. Some exploit the unsettling, fleshy close-up: an outie bellybutton looks awfully embryonic when exploded to the size of my hand. Though I can't say you'll enjoy looking at them, the power of Horowitz's pictures is undeniable.

I think you know by now how much I love Jason's work.

Bad cat tat