Art is enlightenment

Last Saturday, I attended a panel discussion entitled "Art From Different Perspectives," hosted by the Second Baptist Church Tea Society. I didn't know what to expect, but the title intrigued me and so did the impressive slate of speakers: Artist Lou Stovall, Washington Post Senior Art Critic Paul Richard, and DC Public Schools Director of Visual Arts Paula Sanderlin-Dorosti. The Tea Society hosts this event semi-annually with different topics each time. This was the first time they'd delved into the art world, maybe with a little nudge from the Reverend James Terrell, who is also an artist. What a delightful experience it was! It was so great to be part of a group experiencing art as something more than just stuff that hangs on the wall and matches the sofa.

The Spirituality of Art
By James Stephen Terrell

Art is more than just ink on a piece of paper. Art is more than just colored paint placed on interwoven strands of cotton canvas. Art is a communication beyond words, which triggers our emotion.

It is reflection and contemplation on ideas which brings about a form of meditation. Art is a historical account, a cultural documentation of humanities achievements, fears, triumphs, spiritual development and concern.

No longer can we allow art to be typecast as seductive, or twisted and manipulated into pushing forth ideas of decadence. Art is much more than entertainment. Art is enlightenment. It projects not only human circumstances, it projects the internal and external spiritual experience and existence. Art is a language beyond words. It speaks with sincerity and integrity to the soul of humanity.

Art does not only involve drawing, it involves reading, writing, science and math. It is centered not only on the use of shadow, depth of field, color theory, pattern, texture, 3-dimensional design, curvilinear, angular line, shape, and rhythmic application of paint.

Art is a gateway to meditation, centering and focusing the mind. It is born out of a deep love and a deep devotion consumed with sympathy and immersed in spiritual understanding and enlightenment.

Art at its core expresses and exposes the multiplicity of human emotion and ideas which are not particular to a specific race or culture but exist within and inside all of humanity. Art is not just visual imagery. Art is historical text and commentary, which captures emotional power, exhibits social relevance and promotes spiritual awareness.

Art is a door way into the inner most being of the creator and observer. Art is a window into an ever so present past and ever so distant future reality. It identifies the ideas of people who inhabit the world and although we as people are culturally distinct and physically unique, what lies beneath the layers of so many mundane physical boundaries is a truth, a truth that humanity at its core is spiritually, intricately interlocked, woven together, intermingled and united to an unseen creative force.

Wooster Collective is awesome!

This image of street artist Gaia's work showed up on the Wooster Collective site on Tuesday. Coincidentally, I got to meet Gaia last night at the Katzen before the founders of the Wooster Collective, Marc and Sara Schiller, gave a talk about how they started their site, which is dedicated to "showcasing and celebrating ephemeral art placed on streets in cities around the world." And it just happens that they included a piece by Gaia in their presentation without knowing he'd be in the audience. Then by happy coincidence again, Gaia ended up joining us for dinner after the talk. This kid is going places people! I wish I could have been that articulate, insightful, and confident at that age. Hell, I wish I could be that articulate, insightful, and confident at THIS age. Plus he has crazy amazing talent. Keep an eye on him.

The value of art

This fun image of Adrian, Ayo, and Lauren lounging on Akemi Maegawa's piece entitled Your Sunny Side Should Be Up Chair was taken at Saturday's opening reception of Invisible, Inc. at Irvine Contemporary. It's a fantastic and creative show about how we value art. From the press release:

The exhibition investigates the invisible cultural values that surround art objects and the making of art value, opening up the art world's practice as Invisible, Inc. The works engage playfully with ongoing questions about an art work's conceptual basis, the status of the material object, and the effects of scale, size, and materials.

Got me thinking about a post I made a couple weeks ago in which I said: "When collecting, I simply buy what I like and enjoy living with it." That's not exactly true. When deciding whether to buy a piece of art, I absolutely give thought to its current and future market value. And there are numerous tangible factors that an art collector or investor can consider in determining market value - what kinds of gallery and museum shows the artist has been in, what collections the artist's work belongs to, etc. That said, I have never bought any art for pure investment purposes, but I have bought art for pure pleasure or otherwise despite the fact that it is not a "good investment." I collect art because I connect with it in some personal way or because I see some potential in a young artist who hasn't had a gallery show yet. Even after having considered market factors, these emotional aspects of art collecting can still win out because in the end, collecting art for me is about living with and experience art that helps me live a creative life.

Arty stuff this week...

Conversations With Artists Elizabeth Diller
Diller Scofidio and Renfro
Wednesday, February 27
5:30 pm
@ The Phillips Collection
Center for the Study of Modern Art Carriage House
RSVP Required

From the Streets to the Gallery:
How Contemporary Art is Being Influenced by the Urban Experience
Sara & Marc Shiller, Founders of the Wooster Collective
Wednesday, February 27
6:30 - 8 pm
@ Ensemble Room, Katzen Center
4400 Massachusetts Ave., NW

Jenny Davis
recipient of National Society of Letters $10,000 Nicholson-Nielsen Award and
NSAL Water Media On Paper Competition 2007 Finalists
February 27 - March 23

Opening reception:
Thursday, February 28
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
@ Nevin Kelly Gallery
1517 U Street, NW

Preview of art exhibition for
Washington Project for the Arts Auction Gala
Thursday, February 28
6 - 8:30 PM
@ Katzen Center
4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW

Mary Coble speaks with Ryan Turner
@ Hirshhorn
Friday, February 29
12:30 PM

De Rerum Natura: On the Nature of Things
Shinji Turner-Yamamoto
March 1 - April 25, 2008

Opening Reception:
Saturday, March 1
5 - 8 pm
@ Shigeko Bork Mu Project
1521 Wisconsin Ave, NW

Agnes Jacobs
March 1 - April 5

Opening recpetion:
Saturday, March 1
5 - 7 PM
@ Addison/Ripley Fine Art
1670 Wisconsin Ave, NW

"black and white and ... all over"
Curated by JT Kirkland
February 27 - March 29
Artist's Reception:
Saturday, March 1
5 - 8 PM
@ H&F Fine Arts
3311 Rhode Island Avenue
Mount Rainier, MD

Erin Antognoli, James W. Bailey, Danny Conant, Max Cook, Stephen Crowley, Justin Hoffmann, Michael Dax Iacovone, Nick Jbara, Jane Jeffers, J.T. Kirkland, Angela Kleis, Prescott Lassman, Thomas Paradis, Aleksei Pechnikov, Susana Raab, Alexandra Silverthorne, Jim Tetro, Bryan Whitson, Lloyd Wolf

Eric Finzi
"My Double Life: Musings on Sarah Bernhardt"

Saturday, March 1
6:30 - 9:00 pm
@ Heineman Myers Contemporary Art
4728 Hampden Lane
Bethesda, Maryland

Kojo discusses visual art in DC

Did you catch the Kojo Nnamdi show last Monday? Kojo interviewed three distinguished DC arts experts about the current state of visual art in our city. You can listen to that segment here.

Besides Jeffry Cudlin's nice mention of the Pink Line Project, I also enjoyed the discussion of how we can and should present art in a way that makes it feel more available and less intimidating to people who have an interest in making art part of their lives but haven't had the right opportunity. It's not about buying more art. You don't necessarily have to buy art to make art a part of your life. However, I am a huge proponent of living with art and experiencing it in daily life because I believe it plays a huge role in living the creative life, which can lead to greater rewards. Do I sound like a proselytizer?!

A peek into our local visual arts community. With the surprise cancellation of a high-profile spring art show, we hear about interesting gallery offerings, and how a tightening economy affects local painters, sculptors, and other art lovers.

Guests
Lenny Campello, art critic, artist, and gallery owner

Claudia Rousseau, Professor of Art History, School of Art and Design at Montgomery College; Art critic, Gazette newspapers

Jeffry Cudlin, Artist; Art critic, Washington City Paper; Lecturer, University of Maryland

Sunday School

"Fine art or Wal-mart?"

Take this quiz to see if you can tell the difference between a Donald Judd creation or cheap furniture.

Judging the intrinsic worth of modern art has always been one of those things we’re happy to leave to the experts, though occasionally we’ve wondered, in a moment of skepticism or philistinism, whether some universally worshiped abstraction is really worth its stratospheric market price. And now there’s an online quiz that tests your eye for value, by asking if you can spot the difference between the work of the minimalist artist Donald Judd and mass-produced furniture.

Graydon Parrish, a painter, created the quiz with Mikhail Simkin, an electrical engineer at UCLA, and it’s effective both as a clever time-waster and as offbeat art-world commentary. As you try to decide whether a plain-looking bookcase is a “priceless” (the quiz’s term) Judd work or something you’d buy for a dorm room, you’ll get a tutorial in the larger question of just what makes art, art.

This was from the Very Short List.

Lunar eclipse!

Did you see this last night?! So cool!

Collecting photography panel

Are you interested in collecting art but feeling a little too intimidated to get started? Perhaps you don't think there's anything worth buying that's in your price range. Or you're afraid to make a "mistake." Or you've been collecting art but photography mystifies you. The Emerge Exposed panel discussion on Wednesday, March 12 will be an excellent opportunity to learn more about art collecting, particularly collecting photography. We'll talk about editions, various printing processes, and much more. The panel will be held at Civilian Art Projects, where the winners of the DCist photography contest will be hanging at the same time. So you'll get an opportunity to discover an emerging artist at a very emerging price!

The panel begins at 7 pm and costs $10 to attend.
There will be a mix and mingle at 8 pm that is free to all.

Please RSVP to info@pinkline.org!

What is fine art?

Washington Times art critic Joanna Shaw-Eagle reviewed Collectors Select a couple weeks ago. The short review contained one major misquote regarding my curatorial effort: the author wrote that I feel "strongly that graffiti art is fine art." That's not correct and sorta misses the point of the installation. I intentionally avoided expressing an opinion about whether I think graffiti art is fine art to Joanna. In fact, whether anyone considers graffiti or any other work of art "fine" is not my primary question or concern when I think about art. When collecting, I simply buy what I like and enjoy living with it. And with regard to curating the Collectors Select show, painting the Tiffany Gallery with graffiti art was my effort to begin a conversation about how we define and value art. The act also communicates my belief that art is not just about objects that hang on the wall but about expressing ideas. Read the statement I wrote about the installation for a bit more on the topic.

Hitotoki

Hitotoki is calling for submissions of singular stories about DC to be published in an on-line magazine. The project definitely appeals to the flaneur in me! Stories are due February 29.

Hitotoki is an online literary project collecting stories of singular experiences tied to locations in cities worldwide.

The word Hitotoki is a Japanese noun comprised of two components: hito or “one” and toki or “time,” and is often translated as “a moment.” In common usage, it can be used to describe any brief, singular stretch of time (if we share a meal someday, you can call that a hitotoki).

Arty stuff this week . . .

Lattitudes
Ten contemporary artists explore mapping
borders and boundaries of Israel and Palestine
Hosted by the Ann Loeb Bronfman Gallery

Opening reception:
Thursday, February 21
5 - 7 pm
@ DC Jewish Community Center
1529 16th Street, NW

Glass3
February 21 – March 9

Opening reception:
Thursday, February 21
6 - 8 pm
@ The Shops at Georgetown Park, Level 1
3222 M Street NW

Winter 2008 Exhibitions at the American University Museum
Open Arts Night:
Thursday, February 21
6–8 p.m.
@ American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center

Ben L. Summerford
through March 16

Carlos Luna: El Gran Mambo
through March 17

Roger Brown: Southern Exposure
through March 22

Elena Sisto: New Work
through March 22

William Christenberry: Site/Possession
through May 11

Selections from the WPA ArtFile
through March 23

PHOTO 08:
A juried exhibition for photographers who live, work or have a studio in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, or Washington, DC
February 22 — April 12
Juror: David Griffin, Director of Photography for National
Awards: Total of $1500 in the form of three $500 Juror's Choice Awards

Opening Reception:
Thursday, February 21
6 - 9 pm
@ The Ellipse 4350 Fairfax Drive Arlington, VA
Parking is free and open until 9:30pm during the opening reception
Awards will be announced at 7pm

Emergence Art Party

Thursday, February 21
6-9 PM
Friday, February 22
6-8 PM

@ The Flats at Union Row
2125 14th Street, NW, Ste 417

Lisa McCarty
Astral Bodies
February 22 - March 23
Curated by JW Mahoney, assisted by Ellen Tani

Opening reception:
Friday, February 22
7 - 9 pm
@ DCAC
2438 18th Street, NW

Way, Shape, and Form: Small Abstract Paintings by Bill Schmidt
Tools As Art, Two: Selections from the Hechinger Collection

Closing party:
Evening of Art and Appalachian Music
Friday, February 22
6 - 8 PM
@ Hillyer Art Space
9 Hillyer Court

Peace Now!
February 22 - April 6
Artists Reception:
Friday, February 22
6 - 9 pm
@ The Warehouse
1017 7th Street, NW

Trip on Memory Lane:
The Solo Show of JoKa and
Art Whino's Collaboration Featuring 13 New Artists
Friday, February 22
6 p.m. to 12 a.m.
@ Art Whino
717 N. Saint Asaph Street
Alexandria, VA

Ricardo Zapata and Thomas Drymon
February 20 - April 15
@ Vastu
1829 14th Street

Joseph Mills Interviewed by George Hemphill
Saturday, February 23
10:00 - 11:30AM
RSVP - 202.234.5601
Limited seating available
@H E M P H I L L
1515 14th Street NW


Second Baptist Church Tea Society Presents
"Art from Different Perspectives"
Art Panel Discussion
Saturday, February 23
3 - 5 pm
Donation/Contribution $15 for adults $5 for children 7 and under
@ Second Baptist Church of Washington
816 Third St. NW

Presenting:
Mr. Paul Richard
Washington Post Senior Art Critic

Lou Stovall
Master Printmaker/Artist

Paula Sanderlin
Director of Visual Arts for the DC Public Schools

Rev. James S. Terrell- Moderator
Artist/Art Historian

Tea will be served at 3:00 pm

RSVP 202-441-1765
202-842-0233 church office

Black/White
Reuben Breslar

Gallery Talk
Featuring: Reuben Breslar, Mark Cameron Boyd and Dorothea Deitrich
Saturday, February 23
4:30 - 5:30 pm
@ The Athenaeum
Olde Towne Alexandria
201 Prince Street

Akemi Maegawa
Invisible, Inc.
Saturday, February 23
6 - 8 PM
@ Irvine Contemporary
1412 14th Street

DC Roller Girls Season Opener
Saturday, February 23
Doors @ 4:00pm
Bout Begins @ 5:00pm
Adults $12, Kids 6-11 $6, 5 and under free!
@ The DC Armory

"When Harlem Came to Paris"
Saturday, February 23
8:00 pm
@ Alliance Francaise de Washington
2142 Wyoming Avenue

$45 Alliance Members, $55 General Admission
$55 Alliance Members
$65 General Admission for tickets purchased after Friday, February 15
For tickets call 202.234.7911

Reel Portraits: Charlie Ahearn and Wildstyle
Sunday, February 24
2 PM
@ The National Portrait Gallery
8th and G Streets

Urbancode magazine

Latest edition now available.

Collecting art at the Pottery Barn

Pottery Barn wants YOU to collect art.

Pottery Barn is proud to present limited-edition giclée prints of some of the finest photographers in history – artists who have both shaped photography as an art form and redefined what it means to truly see. Each one is printed on thick archival paper and preserved with museum-quality framing – for a lifetime of enjoyment. Giclée – French for “sprayed ink” – is a sophisticated process for making fine art prints from a digital source. The technique allows for extra-fine image resolution, which permits retention of fine detail from the original image. The result is a high-quality print that exhibits the masterful technique of each artist. Each one is printed on archival paper, authorized, numbered and signed by – or stamped on behalf of – the artist. 22" sq. (print size 14" sq.).

Our exclusive new floral print of an original photograph made by Harold Feinstein brings the vibrant color and striking detail of nature into your home. Harold Feinstein is an American photographer best known for his trend-setting in the arena of digital photography and his ability to reveal the beauty in the familiar.

Prices run from $350 to $400.

A couple things about this item bug me. First, I could not find the size of the edition anywhere on the site. So to call it a limited edition, which implies the potential for increased future value, seems a little misleading if we aren't told the edition size. Plus, I assume the edition will be quite large considering it's being sold in the Pottery Barn catalog, therefore, it's not likely that the value will ever increase even if it is truly limited. I guess they stop printing it when people stop ordering it. Not that anyone buys art from the Pottery Barn as a "fine art" investment, but something about the implication rubs me the wrong way. People seem to find the "fine art" designation appealing but what exactly what do we mean by it when we use it in the context of a popular furniture catalog.

Second, and more importantly, not sure why you wouldn't just spend the same amount of money on original art, rather than an apparently uneditioned, mass-produced print of a photograph. For example, I bought a fantastic painting by Senor Tangcito from the Transformer Gallery last year for the same price. Or if you're into photography, why not discover and buy from an emerging photographer at the DCist Exposed show, which will run March 7-16 at Civilian Art Projects. Or for an additional $100, you could buy a super cool piece by Akemi Maegawa (see below), which is in Irvine Contemporary's current group show. There are loads of excellent original art options in DC!

Bridget Sue Lambert & Billy Colbert @ Pyramid Atlantic

DC Roller Girls Season Opener!

DC Roller Girls Season Opener
Saturday, February 23
Doors @ 4:00pm
Bout Begins @ 5:00pm
Adults $12, Kids 6-11 $6, 5 and under free!
@ The DC Armory

What is art?

Urban Code Magazine covers derby!

Hmm, roller derby seems to be attracting more and more interest. A local arts and culture magazine called Urban Code features the DC Roller Girls prominently in its most recent issue. Wouldn't it be so cool if someone were to produce a roller derby event or something in DC?

Salon Contra images from BYT

Those fun folks from Brightest Young Things stopped by Salon Contra on Tuesday and took some fab pictures. That's me and Trevor Young, whose art you should definitely check out sometime. A bunch of other really cool creative people mingled at Marvin despite the treacherous weather. The goal of Salon Contra is to create a casual and welcoming environment in which creatives can meet each other, because who knows what could happen!

David London of Divergency teased us with a little performance art magic during the evening. I just lost my train of thought..... woooo woooooo. I will never look at Wonder Bread in the same way again.

Arty stuff this week ...

Grand Opening Echo Park Contemporary Ballet
Preview Performances, Live Music, Light Refreshments
Featuring DJ Eric Moss of Soul Glow
Wednesday, February 20
6:30 PM
@ Echo Park Contemporary Ballet Centre
7014 Westmoreland Avenue
Takoma Park, MD

French Starlets from Gallery Zone Zero
Thursday, February 14
5 - 7 PM
@ Design Within Reach
3307 Cady's Alley, NW

Nellie Appleby, Vita Litvak & Amanda Sauer:
Anima Mundi

Thursday, February 14
6 - 8 PM
@ Flashpoint Gallery
916 G Street, NW

Washington Film Institute
Thursday, February 14
Amelie @ 7 PM
Before Sunrise @ 9 PM
@ Goethe Institute
812 7th Street

"You Won't Believe Your Eyes"
The 2008 Corcoran Print Portfolio Show

Friday, February 15
7 - 9 PM
@ Civilian Art Projects
406 7th Street, NW, 3rd Floor

The Shop at Civilian Opens!
"A curated shopping experience"
Friday, February 15

Get a sneak peek of the new micro-boutique inside Civilian Art Projects. Coinciding with Civilian's next opening, we will offer a sneak peek of "The Shop" at Civilian - our new store displaying and selling unique designs, for all budgets, made by local and emerging artist. The preview will include designs by "The Shop" buyer Kristina Bilonick, Glitterlimes by Debbie Tuch, and other treasures. Don't miss it!

Lucy Herrman
Driven to Abstraction

Friday, February 15
5 - 7 PM
@ Duality Gallery
2401 26th Road
Arlington, VA

An informal conversation between artists
Richard Chartier and Paul Vinet.

Saturday, February 16
2 PM
@ Transformer Gallery 1404 P Street, NW

Slideluck Potshow DC
Saturday, February 16
7:00 pm Potluck
8:30 pm Slideshow
@ Touchstone Gallery
406 7th Street NW, 2nd Fl.

CARLOS LUNA: EL GRAN MAMBO

Saturday, February 16
6 PM
@ The American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center
4400 Massachusetts Avenue

X
Saturday, February 16
6 - 10 PM
@ Bebar
1318 9th Street, NW