Mary Coble at the corner of 13th and U

Can you see what I wrote?

Aleatoric

ALEATORIC: Several local artists fill up two floors with installation art that will overflow off the walls. Emerging bands will be performing to keep up a lively atmosphere.

Who:

ArtCadeMagazine.com, LLC
Marissa Botelho, Curator
Reuben Breslar, Music Coordinator
Local arts students, artists, musicians, and creative writers
Bands 'Pontiak,' 'The Show is the Rainbow,' and 'Black and Tan Fantasy Band'
Civilian Arts Projects
Panache

When:

Wednesday, August 1, 2007
7:45pm – 12am

Where:

Bobby Fisher Memorial Building (aka Borf Building)
1644 North Capitol St, NW,
Washington, D.C., 20002
*3 blocks north west of New York Ave. Metro Station

Music and progressive arts will merge under one roof for this event.

(Donations for the bands are encouraged.)

Parking lot art

Wow, lots of cool art stuff going on this summer.

Kata Mejia

HEALING
a performance/installation

August 1st-4th
6pm-7pm nightly

this public performance will take place at...

BodySmith Parking lot
1622 14th Street NW
(between Corcoran and R Streets)

Healing is a performance-installation which represents a breaking point with life caused by sudden, violent death. Symbolic, ritual actions expressing the pain and chaos this wrenching of life creates will be performed along with those expressing transcendence and healing of the departed soul and the loved ones who remain.

This performance commemorates the first anniversary of the death of the artist's little brother, who was kidnapped and murdered in Colombia by the FARC terrorist guerrillas.

Colombian born, Kata Mejia is no lightweight performance artist. Her work is raw emotion played without pretense. She attacks her concerns with everything she has: her body, mind and soul. That attack is dramatic, sometimes violent and speaks to the human condition.

Mary Coble performs Marker (DC)

This looks cool!

Saturday, July 28th, 2-5pm
at the entrance to the U Street / Cardozo Metro Station
13th and U Street, Washington, DC

In Marker, performance artist Mary Coble expands the focus of her previous performances, Note to Self 2005 (on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered persons murdered in hate crimes) and Aversion 2007(shock aversion therapy). The artist now invites viewers to emulate the physical + verbal assaults marginalized groups have endured by penning hate-inspired epithets such as 'dyke', 'spic' or 'nigger' on her body.

Coble anticipates that the act of marking another person will elicit emotional discomfort for both artist and participant. By granting permission to express these terms on her body, the artist hopes this act will engender a larger community of people assisting in collective history of the 'reclaiming' of hateful speech.

Marker (DC) is a part of the WPA/C's SiteProject DC events.

Marker (NYC) was performed at the DUMBO Arts Center, Brooklyn, NY in October of 2006.

Pediatric Aids fundraiser

The Pink Line Project will host a fundraiser for Pediatric Aids/HIV Care on Wednesday. Please come!

Wednesday, July 25
6 to 8 PM
@18th Street Lounge
1212 18th Street, NW

Music by Ben Gilligan!

Video art by:
Kathryn Cornelius
Kathleen McGlaun
Koike Susumu, courtesy of 88
Jeff Wyckoff

Another Renee Z sighting

Some of you may recall that I have often been told that I look like Renee Zellweger. It's been a while since I reported any such incidents - mainly because they happen so often that it'd overload my server if I tried to tell you about every single occurrence. However, just heard a good story from my friend Grace last night that unfortunately bolsters the myth that Renee Z is the bizarro hoogrrl.

Grace said she met a fun couple at a wedding in Napa last weekend and ended up hanging out with them in their hotel room after the rehearsal dinner. For some reason, Grace was telling them about my art events and pulled out her computer to show them my blog. She said that when they saw my picture from the Spaces article, they both exclaimed, "She looks like Renee Zellweger!" Argh!

Midsummer's Nightmare

Caroline and Dan hosted a great party last Saturday night, themed Midsummer's Night Dream. The best outfit that night was a sprightly fellow in tight white tights and a few sprigs of fake greenery to hide the personal bits. I didn't arrive at the party properly costumed thus the furry pink Princess crown that Caroline plopped on my head (not that I minded). Lots of fun folks, good music, and the party was even sponsored by Cristiana vodka.

But one thing marred the evening: I was robbed of $70! And I know who did it. The incident was surreal and so weird that it didn't completely ruin the evening, rather it made for good story telling for the rest of the night. It's not like I carelessly left my purse unattended in a crowded bar filled with drunk people at two o'clock in the morning. This happened in someone's nice house in Woodley Park, for crying out loud. I haven't revealed the person's identity and don't intend to. However, I've asked him/her to make a donation to my charity, Pediatric AIDS, rather than give me back my money. I don't think that's going to happen. I naively thought that I could turn an unpleasant situation into something sort of positive. It'll be awkward, to say the least, when I see him/her at another social function, which is inevitable.

Oh, and I had to hitch a ride home with a friend because did not have cab fare after that!

Pye Lovers

Nicholas & Sheila Pye, The Lovers II, chromogenic print, 2004

Donated by Patricia Lewy Gidwitz, The Lovers II is currently on view at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in the Highlights of the Collection exhibition. It will also soon be on view in my living room!

There is an 8-page article about Nicholas and Sheila Pye in "Eyemazing" magazine, a glossy art magazine dedicated to international photo-based work. It is published quarterly out of the Netherlands. Andrea has a copy at the Curator's Office if you want to take a look.

The Pants Suit

You've probably heard about the Pants Suit. A summary: a DC administrative law judge named Roy Pearson sued a neighborhood drycleaner for $54,000,000 (no, I did not mis-type the number of zeros), claiming they had lost his pants and tried to give him back the wrong ones a few days later. The trial judge ruled in favor of the Chungs and ordered Pearson to pay their court costs. More details on the story here. Hopefully, he'll be ordered to pay their attorneys fees, as well, however, that may not mean much as Pearson will likely be out of a job himself very soon. His term as an administrative law judge has expired and he's awaiting reappointment. In the meantime, he has said he intends to appeal the decision.

The Chungs have significant legal fees to pay as a result of this two-year litigation so a fund has been created to collect money to offset the cost of this frivolous lawsuit. The tort reform folks have also stepped up and will host a fundraiser on the Chung's behalf on Tuesday, July 24. I hope you can help out these hard-working, small business owners!

Full disclosure: my good friends Chris Manning and Mendi Sossamon have represented the Chungs from the beginning. Although they have heavily discounted their fees, two-years of litigation can still rack up hefty fees. Pearson represented himself so he was able to pursue this case with abandon.

Custom Cleaners Defense Fund
Chung Fundraiser
Manning & Sossamon

X at BeBar

X
Sat. July 21st
A 21st Century Live-Art Happening : $5
(Electronica + Projections + Fashion + Art + Performance) + YOU = X
At BeBar: 1318 9th St, NW
6-10pm

Above is last month’s winning design by Johnathan Sexton, inspired by the 3 words selected by curator Andrea Pollan: Orbit, Obesity and Omnipotent. For his efforts, John won an HP Printer! Congrats and thanks HP!

This month's X will feature:

Live PA performances from: A Drop In Silence (North Carolina) www.myspace.com/adropinsilence and Yoko K (DC, Ashara) www.myspace.com/aphrodizia

Graphic artists: Vu Nguyen, Cynthia Cardimon, Cesar Maxit

Performance: Mavi: www.myspace.com/mavidancer

Projections/Live Digital Drawing: Shuhei/Megasleepyhead: www.myspace.com/megasleepyhead

Art: One Small Star: www.onesmallstar.com

Live Painting: Emma O’Rourke: www.emmaorourke.com

Curator: Billy Colbert: www.billycolbert.com

Got a digital camera? Bring it! 3 HP printers will be on hand for you to instantaneously print your pictures on site for free.

This month, we are also excited to be bringing back Exquisite Corpse. This game, played and created by the surrealists in the mid to late 1920s, asks participants to draw a head, torso or bottom half of a body. Come ready to play Saturday. :)

We'll also have CDs for sale ($X) featuring: Aligning Minds (www.aligning-minds.com) live set from the first X event and original art work by Mal Jones (www.maljones.com).

Saudade

My good friend Anne Pelliciotto has a photography show up at the Brazilian-American Cultural Institute. She's planning some events around the show. Hope you can make it over there to see her work and to experience Brazilian culture, too.

Gallery receptions on July 12th, 19th, and 26th -- from 7-9 pm. Also, mark your calendars for these special associated events:

Thurs July 19th will be a fundraiser reception and artist talk sponsored by Partners for the Americas, and 10% of sales will go to their DC-Brasilia student exchange program, Ambassadors of Hope. Please stop by and take a look at my photos, have a glass of wine, chat with the photographer and other Brazilophiles, and get a taste of saudades.

Friday July 27th will be a rockin' night of Forro dance and music from the Northeast , featuring Gigi and the Forroboda band, and my NE Brazil images in background. Just the combo to send you to Planet Brazil.
For info about the these programs, click here.

Brazilian American Cultural Institute
4719 Wisconsin Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20016 – Tenleytown Metro
www.bacidc.org - 202.362.8334
Gallery hours: Weekdays 9 am-9 pm; Saturdays 10 am-4 pm

Saudade Brazil – June 8-July 31, 2007

Sau.da.de [saw'da'gee] s. f. longing, yearning, ardent desire; homesickness, nostalgia.

An installation of photographic works by award-winning Washingdon, DC-based artist Anne Pellicciotto, who traveled and lived on the Northeast coast of Brazil for 8 months, and captured images of saudade - reflections of her own longing and that of the proud Nordestinos she met along her path. This exhibition pays homage to them.

View a sample of Anne's photographs from the gallery. 'Canoa Kids,' a shot featured in this show, earned first prize in The Washington Post Travel Photo Contest for 2006, first prize in the International Visions Gallery 'America in Focus' contest in Washington, DC in December 2006, and runner-up in National Geographic Adventure's Wide-Angle Lens Contest 2007. Her shot 'Janela ao Brejo' was a finalist in the Arlington Ellipse Center photography contest 2007.

Lulacruza @ Aphrodizia

Lulacruza, a duo from Argentina and Colombia based in California , instinctively weaves female vocals, South American instruments, found sound objects and field recordings through electronic manipulation. Their music unfolds as hypnotic prayers and electronic pop with lush vocals; aquatic textures and up-tempo, handcrafted South American rhythms.

Aphrodizia, an experimental music ensemble featuring Yoko K., presents the hypnotic soundscape of ethereal vocals, violin, flute, saxophone, conga and djembe atop electronic beats and sounds, digitally manipulated on the flow. At once fierce yet serene, it is futuristic and nostalgic, innocent yet sensual - described as "listening to a dream." The debut album "012906" was named a finalist for "Best Album in Electronica" by the 6 th Annual Independent Music Awards.

Photography exhibit - A Good Time Is Right Now

My friend Bill Monet will exhibit some of his amazing underwater photographs in the Knew Gallery's group show opening on Thursday. Please go see his works along with some other great artists.

When: Thursday, July 19 at 6 PM.
Where: 1639 Wisconsin Avenue
Knew Gallery

I love the way Bill juxtaposes human form against nature. Plus, taking pictures underwater isn't exactly easy - yet he's mastered depth of focus, the compositions are fantastic, and the light is beautiful. Wow!

Hot

Even this squirrel thought it was pretty hot yesterday.

Surfin' Safari

Driving south on I-5 near San Onofre State Park when I spotted this red Corvette hauling a very long board in the passenger seat. (Probably should not have been taking pictures with my cell phone while driving!)

Urban Expression in Spaces Magazine

Spaces magazine did a nice piece on art collecting featuring Allison Cohen, Sightline, and us. Read it here.

Abstract Nude at Fringe Festival

My uber talented friend Gwydion Suilebhan has written a play called Abstract Nude, which will be performed during the Fringe Festival. Some of you might have attended the reading at last year's Fringe Festival, which received an amazingly positive review from the Washington Post. Gwydion has revised the play and it's in full production this time around. I plan to go July 27 if anyone is interested in joining me. Please go see it!

Presented as part of the second annual Capital Fringe Festival, Abstract Nude is the story of an enigmatic, sexually-charged portrait that reveals more about the people who view it than about itself. A reading of the play was dubbed "the find of the festival" last year by Washington Post critic Peter Marks. This newly revised and expanded version, directed by Merry Alderman, features a fantastic cast: Naomi Jacobson, John Lescault, Teresa Castracane, Jen Plants, Clay Steakley, Josh Thelin, and Peter Vance.

Tickets go on sale today, July 9th, and are available by visiting www.capfringe.org or www.theatremania.com or by calling the Capital Fringe Festival box office at (866) 811-4111. Early buzz has been, well, big, so if you're interested in coming, I suggest you purchase tickets quickly.

The show will be running at the Source Theatre (1835 14th Street NW) in the following slots:

Friday, July 20, 5 pm
Saturday, July 21, 9:30 pm
Tuesday, July 24, 5 pm
Wednesday, July 25, 9:30 pm
Friday, July 27, 7 pm

Artcade party made Wonkette

Wonkette sent intrepid photographer Liz Gorman to cover the Artcade launch party a couple weeks ago. The event was a huge success. (Why am I holding my beer in this awkward manner??) Over 600 people attended! Several Corcoran art students showed their work and all received offers to buy. The music was top-notch and included one of my favorite local bands Deleted Scenes. Most importantly, the party made an important statement - art is fun and art is for everyone! Artcade is changing the stuffy status quo.

City of Angels

Went to Los Angeles last weekend for Iona's opening at Sandroni Rey, which is located in a little arts district in Culver City. Several galleries along a three block stretch of La Cienega Boulevard opened shows the same night so it felt festive and fun, especially after the taco truck pulled up and the Cuervo people set up a table that flowed with free margaritas in the alley behind the galleries. Felt weird to walk around the opening receptions and not know anyone at all! Kinda forced me to look at the art, unlike when I go to openings here and spend most of my time shmoozing it up. Iona's show was, of course, fabulous. The Rubells bought the piece I wanted and a museum in Milwaukee bought my second choice. Although disappointed that I didn't get one, I'm glad those works went to such good homes.


Veronica and me poolside on the roof of our hotel, Le Montrose. The weather was absolutely perfect - dry warmth during the day and cool desert air in the evenings.

"If you're going to get into trouble, do it at the Marmont."

We had dinner at the Chateau Marmont one night - lovely garden setting and excellent service. And a great place for celebrity sightings. We spotted Sean Penn and Julianne Moore!


Couple things to add to the graffiti image collection from Venice Beach:

31Grand gets a new home

One of my favorite New York galleries 31Grand has found a new home at 143 Ludlow Street, in the Lower East Side. Super cool location for a super cool gallery. Official opening is Thursday, July 12 at 7 PM.