Arty stuff this week...

Civilian's Spring Fling at Local 16

Thursday, April 2
6:30 - 11pm
$10

@ Local 16 - top floor and roof deck
1602 U Street NW

When Objects Work
with Apartment Zero's Douglas Burton
Discover how household objects have changed over time and how you can arrange the objects that occupy your own space with style.

Thursday, April 2
5 - 8:30pm
lecture starts at 6:30pm

@ The Philips Collection
1600 21st Street NW


Take Me to the River
April 2 - April 29

Opening reception:
Thursday, April 2
6:30 - 9pm

@ Momento Art Gallery
2141 Wisconsin Avenue NW
3rd floor, Suite N


Tanja Bos, Gary Bowers, Gary Fisher, Jill Finsen, Susan Finsen,
Jill Garrity, Anne Marchand, Liz Wallen
Viewscapes
February 27 - May 1

Opening reception:
Friday, April 3
6 - 9pm

@ Art 17 (Coldwell Banker)
1606 17th Street NW


Fleming Jefferies, Visitor's Guide to Cloud Garden, 2009

Fleming Jefferies
Impossible Tourist
March 31 - April 26

Opening reception:
Friday, April 3
5 - 8pm

@ Washington Printmakers Gallery
1732 Connecticut Avenue NW


The Return of Laced: The Art Show

Friday, April 3
6 - 10pm
$10

@ 2136 Wisconsin Avenue NW


Johanna Mueller
Creature Alterations, Myth & Transformations

Special viewing of engraved prints, paintings, and limited edition books:
Friday, April 3
5 - 8pm

@ Reyes + Davis
923 F Street NW


Freda Lee-McCann

Freda Lee McCann: From Traditional to Contemporary,
Jacqui Crocetta: Into the Light, Marina Reiter: All the Creatures Big and Small
April 1 - April 25

Opening receptions:
Friday, April 3, 6 - 8pm
Saturday, April 4, 4 - 6pm
meet the artists, Sunday, April 19, 3 - 5pm

@ Studio Gallery
2108 R Street NW


Eduardo Santiere, Bio construction 15, (extreme detail) graphite & color pencil on paper, 2008

Eduardo Santiere
Calm Complexities
April 4 - May 2

Opening reception:
Saturday, April 4
6:30 - 8pm

@ Curator's Office
1515 14th Street NW

Robin Rose

Robin Rose: Endeavor
Aboriginal Bark Paintings from Western Arnhem Land, Maningrida
April 4 - May 30

Opening reception:
Saturday, April 4
6:30 - 8:30pm

@ Hemphill
1515 14th Street NW


Texas Underground Art

Saturday, April 4
7pm - midnight

@ 2771-B Hartland Road
Falls Church, VA


Linda Plaisted
The Arborist: Roots, Resilience, Re-Birth
April 4 - April 26

Opening reception:
Saturday, April 4
3 - 5pm

@ Delaplaine Visual Arts Center, The Kline Gallery
40 South Carroll Street
Fredrick, MD


Erik Sandberg, Fleet - 2009, oil on canvas, 60 x 40 inches

Eric Sandberg: Cyclical Nature
Dean Kessmann: Archetectural Intersections
Isaac Maiselman: Entre El Diablo, El Dios
April 4 - May 23

Opening reception:
Saturday, April 4
6 - 8pm

@ Conner Contemporary Art
1358-60 Florida Avenue NE


Blues Improvisation, Frank Smith, mixed media on canvas, 2008

Kevin Cole and Frank Smith
Dancin' with Colors
April 1 - May 2

Opening reception:
Saturday, April 4
6:30 - 9pm

@ International Visions Gallery
2629 Connecticut Ave NW


Jane Benson, Map of the World, 2006

Jane Benson Lecture

Monday, April 6
1:30pm

@ Corcoran Gallery of Art Armand Hammer Auditorium
17th Street & New York Avenue NW


Lee Garrett and William Hawkins
Close to Home
April 6 - May 8

Opening reception:
Tuesday, April 7
7 - 9pm

@ Sitar Arts Center
1700 Kalorama Road NW
Suite 101

VIPeeps pictures

Look at how much fun everyone was having in the VIPeeps lounge at Hirshhorn After Hours on Friday. More awesome images here by Dakota Fine.

Apply for a Small Projects grant from DC Arts Commission

Apply for a Small Projects Program grant from the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities here. The next due date is Wednesday, April 8. Call the Arts Commission at 202-724-5613 for help in applying for this grant.

The Small Projects Program (SPP) offers quick response grants of up to $2,000 to individual artists and arts organizations. The program seeks to make grant funds more accessible for small-scale arts projects with total budget that do not exceed $4,000. Projects may include but are not limited to:

• Art presentations
• Assistance in fundraising, marketing and management
• Documentation of artistic activities through photography, brochures, portfolios and demo tapes
• Conferences, workshops or seminars that will enhance artistic and professional development

Surf Barbados?

Photo: Todd Heisler/The New York Times

Surfing in Barbados? I could think of worse things. Story from New York Times.

“I’ve been going for over 20 years, and I’d put Soup Bowl as one of the top three waves in the world,” said Kelly Slater, the Tiger Woods of surfing, who recently won his ninth world championship. “It’s got a really good curve and allows all sorts of maneuvers and airs. The only problem is that there are sea urchins all over the bottom — just don’t fall and you’re fine.”

Swedish Scene at After Hours

Rouzita Vahhabaghai, Bita Vahhabaghai and Karim Chrobog

Swedish Scene has been very active in covering art fun in DC! See here for more images of arty revelry.

Newest play from Gwydion Suilebhan

My favorite DC theatre company Taffety Punk, winner of the first ever John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company Helen Hayes Awards, teams up with Gwydion Suilebhan, finalist for a Mayor's Arts Award this year, to bring you his latest and greatest, "The Faithkiller."

...setting our restless and ever-questioning punk aesthetic to a bold new work that upends conventional notions of American religion and media. "The Faithkiller" tracks the revival of a bold story about a hero with a mind-changing weapon and the life-changing consequences it has on the creators, the audience, and the public at large.

"The Faithkiller"
by Gwydion Suilebhan

April 1-18, 2009
Capital Hills Arts Workshop
More info here.

p.s. Though I have been on the board of this awesome theatre company, I had nothing to do with the pink poster. It rocks, of course!

Last night at the 'horn

You can still get a ticket to After Hours!

So you tried to get tickets to After Hours but found that it was sold out? There is still one way to get tickets: join the museum! Even joining at the entry level of membership gets you a ticket, PLUS you get to hang out with VIPeeps in the VIP lounge hosted by The Pink Line Project, where there will be swag! Join and you won't have to wait in the general admission line either.

More info about joining the Hirshhorn here.

Still deciding on whether you should go? Well here is one man's opinion:

In the riveting sequel to "There Will Be Blood", Daniel Day Lewis channels the stubbly art aficionado Cliff Lechapeau who will stop at nothing in his quest to join the Hirshhorn, even if it means doing so at the last minute. See "There Will Be Swag" in area theaters starting tonight.

Seriously, I heard this event is going to be great!

Cory is second best!

City Paper anointed Cory Oberndorfer's opening at Flashpoint back in January the second best "Gallery Opening-Night Party Hosts." Ha! Well at least he came in second to art star Shepard Fairey.

Irvine Contemporary’s openings this year were the glitziest by far, thanks entirely to Shepard Fairey. Fairey’s magic touch brought in crowds for both “Regime Change Starts at Home” and “Manifest Hope,” which boasted a Belvedere Vodka sponsor and a party from MoveOn.org. Second best, though, belongs to Flashpoint, which has become a total scene on opening nights. For each exhibit, a DJ sets up in the front of the gallery while people push past him to pack tightly into the space. Though each opening feels like reliving the crowds of inauguration weekend all over again, you’ll never hear a soul complain—in fact, they’ll wait in long lines in the cold to get in, as hundreds did for the recent “DCist Exposed” exhibit. That’s because a Flashpoint opening is always different from the last, and never dull. For Cory Obendorfer’s “Flavor of the Month,” the gallery invited the roller dirby girls featured in the artist’s work to skate around the opening. To match the artist’s lollipops-and-gumdrops aesthetic, guests were invited to munch on Ring Pops and Laffy Taffy, or peanut butter and Wonder bread sandwiches. After an evening at Flashpoint, don’t be surprised if your photo turns up on Brightest Young Things. 

You can still buy works from this exhibit too! Go to Cory's website.

Former DC artists in Mt. Pleasant North

The Washington Post's Blake Gopnik reports on why two of DC's best and among my favorite artists, Ian Whitmore and Graham Caldwell, moved to NY in the last couple years. One thing that stuck out for me was Ian's statement that:

In his new home, he gets "a big inspiration from something" at least once a week, from the music scene to the latest art in Chelsea to the Old Masters at the great museums.

Reminds me of a life-changing book I recently read called The Warhol Economy, which proposes that "creative industries like fashion, art, and music drive the economy of New York as much as--if not more than--finance, real estate, and law." But more importantly, economic development driven by creative industries relies on a "vibrant social scene--the social, cultural, and economic mix" that is the Warhol economy. Exactly. We need a heckuva lot more of a vibrant artsy, creative social scene in DC so that we can keep awesome artists like Ian and Graham here.

Conversations About Iraq

It Is What It Is: Conversations About Iraq
Nationally touring public art project by Jeremy Deller
Produced by Creative Time, NYC

In DC on the National Mall
Thursday, March 26, 2009,
11am – 6pm
Jefferson Drive SW, between 12th and 14th Streets

Provisions Library, Foreign Policy Focus, Institute of Policy Studies and Street Scenes are pleased to coordinate the Washington, DC presentation of It Is What It Is: Conversations About Iraq, a new project by Turner Prize-winning British artist Jeremy Deller, commissioned and produced by Creative Time and the New Museum.

Deller's project is a catalyst for public discussion about the history, present circumstances, and future of Iraq through unscripted, nonpartisan conversations in cities across the country. These talks will be held in public sites such as shopping malls and parks by guest experts Jonathan Harvey and Esam Pasha, specially selected by Deller to participate in the tour. The presentation includes the remains of a car destroyed in a bombing in Baghdad.

Please come and participate and feel free to bring objects related to Iraq that could serve as a focus for discussion. More information about the project, including daily video updates as the project travels can be found at www.conversationsaboutiraq.org.

Washington is the first stop on a three-week, 10-city road trip from New York to Los Angeles, featuring Jeremy Deller and guest experts Jonathan Harvey (an Iraq war veteran and recently demobilized Psychological Operations platoon sergeant) and Esam Pasha (an Iraqi refugee, artist, and former translator for the Chief Advisor in the British Embassy of Baghdad).

Also on tour is a car destroyed in a bombing on Al-Mutanabbi Street, Baghdad in March 2007. This tragedy killed over thirty people, and has taken on added significance because the street, named after a well-known Iraqi poet, was the site of numerous book markets and cafés, and was considered the nexus of Baghdadi cultural and intellectual life. The car is meant to ground conversations in the facts, figures, and eyewitness descriptions that have been lacking in most information about the Iraq war, and is intended to serve as a visual aid to prompt open dialogue and civil conversation. It was also one of a sparse selection of objects in the presentation at the New Museum.

Big week at The Pink Line Project!

Breaking Through: Women Leading Museums
Thursday, March 26
6:30 pm
@ National Museum of Women in the Arts
1250 New York Avenue, NW
Register here.

A lively discussion with four women museum directors exploring the role of women in our nation's cultural life.

• Camille Giraud Akeju, Director, Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

• Leslie Buhler, Executive Director, Tudor Place Historic House and Garden.

• Dorothy Kosinski, Director, The Phillips Collection.

• Susan Fisher Sterling, Director, National Museum of Women in the Arts.

• Susan Stamberg, nationally renowned interviewer and N.P.R. Morning Edition special correspondent, will moderate.

Buy a print made by Kate McGraw and Ann Tarantino by Thursday, March 26, and be one of the first to view the Workbook video on March 28 at a champagne & pizza party at the Gallery at Flashpoint. Your name will also be included in the Workbook video as a patron who helped support the making of this art piece.

More information about Workbook here.
Purchase a print from PayPal.

Each 7 ½ x 7 ½ inch print will be hand-marked and embellished by Ann and Kate and hand-stamped with a signature seal created by the artists. Each unique piece will be printed on 300 gsm, 100% cotton Crane Museo Portfolio Rag paper.

Save the Date!

Cherry Blast
A Pink Line Project in association with the National Cherry Blossom Festival
Friday, April 10
9 pm to 2 am

art + live music + dance + dj fashion + anime + origami + more!

More info coming soon!

Hirshhorn After Hours is sold out! But if you join the museum, you can still get a ticket to After Hours. PLUS, you can hang out with Very Important Peeps in the VIP lounge hosted by The Pink Line Project. Why would you want to hang out in the VIPeeps lounge?

(1) No waiting in the general admission line!

(2) One free signature drink inside the lounge!

(3) Swag!

After Hours
Friday, March 27
8 pm to midnight
@ Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden

Go here for info on joining.

Free Lecture: Mel Chin

Free Lecture: Mel Chin
Speaking about the Fundred Project

Tuesday, March 24
7- 8:30 pm
@ Arlington Arts Center
3550 Wilson Boulevard

The FUNDRED DOLLAR BILL PROJECT is an innovative artwork made of millions of drawings. This creative collective action is intended to support OPERATION PAYDIRT, an extraordinary art/science project uniting three million children with educators, scientists, health care professionals, designers, urban planners, engineers and artists. Together they are working to make safe the lead polluted soil of New Orleans that places thousands of children at risk for severe learning disabilities and behavioral problems, including violent crime.

Tonight! Ayyoko Confidential

ayyoko confidential
performiang "drop"
@ TAP DC's “Something Beautiful” Gallery

Opening and Reception:
Tuesday, March 24
7:00 pm

"drop" is a narrative multimedia composition by video artist Ayo Okunseinde and electronic composer Yoko K. (http://www.dissidentdisplay.com/labs/ayyokolab.html) which is to be performed at UNICEF's World Water Week / Tap Project's "Something Beautiful" Exhibition Opening and Reception on March 24, 2009. Through a live performance of video and electronic music, the artists chronicle the journey of an enigmatic drop of water from birth to consumption. The ode traces the drop through the natural processes of clouds, rain and rivers to situations of wells, industry and human consumption. The piece investigates issues of potable water, access to water resources and water borders, both natural and man-made.

Drop utilizes video footage and photographs of nature, water, consumption and industry. Additionally, the music sources sounds of water and electronic samples of water related sounds. Since the theme of the 2009 World Water Week is "Shared Water - Shared Opportunities," with special focus placed on the waters that cross borders and link us together, the soundscape incorporates the various human voices that symbolize the message that "we are all in the same boat." The combination of these elements through creative electronic montages create an environment of immersion for the conveyance of works concept.

Arty stuff this week...

National Gallery of Art
Gallery Talk/Lecture
Henri Matisse: Notes of a Painter

Tuesday, March 24
Noon - 2pm
To register click here

@ National Gallery of Art
Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW


Mel Chin Lecture

Tuesday, March 24
7 - 8:30pm

@ Arlington Arts Center
3550 Wilson Blvd., Arlington VA


Laura Elkins: HOMEwRAP at the ACLU-NCA Bill of Rights Luncheon

Thursday, March 26
11am - 2pm (ticket holders only - for tickets, please call 202.457.0800)

@ Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
2660 Woodley Rd NW


Tina Palmer, Sun Through the Forest

Tina Palmer
Wine Tasting and Meet the Artist Event

Thursday, March 26
6 - 8:30pm

@ Broadway Gallery
12231 Fair Lakes Promenade Drive, Fairfax, VA


Laura Elkins

Laura Elkins: The First Ladies & Me

Opening reception:
Thursday, March 26
6:30 - 8:30pm

@ Sixth & I Historic Synagogue



Breaking Through: Women Leading Museums
A Panel Discussion Celebrating Women's History Month

Thursday, March 26
6:30pm
Admission is $20 for ArtTable members, $25 for non-members, and $10 for students (with ID). Tickets are available at www.arttable.org or 212-343-1735 x 25

@ The National Museum of Women in the Arts
1250 New York Avenue NW


Kaveh Sardari
Curtain Call

Friday, March 27
6 - 9pm

@ Caramel
1603 U Street NW


Billy Colbert
Love is a Losing Game
March 27 - April 24

Opening reception:
Friday, March 27
6 - 9pm

@ Long View Gallery
1320 9th Street NW


Paintings by Ellington Robinson
Yesterday's Tomorrow

Opening reception:
Friday, March 27
7 - 9pm

@ DCAC
2438 18th Street NW



Hirshhorn After Hours
Members' VIP Lounge hosted by The Pink Link Project

Friday, March 27
8pm - 12am
Tickets must be purchased in advance:
http://hirshhorn.si.edu/afterhours/


Korbet Moering, Manipulation

Korbet Moering
Original Pastel Paintings
March 27 - 29

Reception:
Saturday, March 28
10am - 7pm
Meet the artist 5 - 7pm

@ Athena Gallery
6701 Franconia Road, Springfield, VA



Fundraiser for Workbook, an art installation and video project
buy a unique print by Kate McGraw and Ann Tarantino to support the project

Visit www.wedrawdc.com to purchase a print for $50!

Purchasers of the print are invited to attend the special video launch event:
Saturday, March 28
6 - 9pm

@ The Gallery at Flashpoint
916 G Street NW


Artini

Saturday, March 28
8pm - midnight
1869 Society Members $80 • Corcoran Members $90 • Non-Members $100 • VIP $125
To register visit www.corcoran.org/artini

@ Corcoran Gallery of Art
500 Seventeenth Street NW


Rachelle Puryear, Anne Bouie, Shelia Crider, Billy Colbert, Paul So,
Barbra Blanco, Bill Dallas, Alonzo Davis, Bryan McFarlane
Between East and West
March 28 - May 30

Opening reception:
Saturday, March 28
6 - 8pm

@ Millennium Arts Salon
1213 Girard Street NW

New DECOY on Georgia Avenue