Art Chat: Sacha J reports on the power of art to change lives

Graham Caldwell at G Fine Art, The Widow Maker, 2009

Fellow art addict Sacha J reports on the DC art scene:

Last Saturday night an all girls band saved my life. noon:30 rocked the Eatonville sneak preview party. These 3 women "from DC by way of many parts of the universe", to quote the band's drummer, Vivian, are fabulous. And let me tell you, this woman is a beast on the drums! It was beautiful to witness their set. It was like being at the birth of a band that you know will be famous. And I was in DC to experience it. I almost passed on the event, but my girl PBH invited me to her spot to share the Costa Rica surfing pics, so I was in the neighborhood and knew that art would help me out of my funk. Once Blue let out the vocals and Aissa plucked those beautiful chords on the guitar, the funk flowed from me like a river. And if those two couldn't chase it away, once I was caught up in Vivian's exuberance as she kicked ass on the Ludwig drum set, the funk demon was exorcized. I preach that art is a transformative experience, and music is art, so once again, art has been true to me and done me right. The other art present at Eatonville was in the form of wall murals that covered almost every inch of wall space. Local street art celebs like Decoy and Kelly Towles have contributed to the scene.

Speaking of art directly on the walls, Kate McGraw and Ann Tarantino's installation at Flashpoint opened last night. The installation is titled "Workbook" and by the beautiful aggressiveness on some of the walls, these two ladies have used this piece to work through some issues. It's worth a look, and don't forget to check out the bathrooms. The installation continues in both the men's and women's rooms. Yes, Andrea Pollen and I checked out the men's room. We knocked before entering.

I am so proud of the art scene and the contemporary emerging art that is being exhibited in DC currently. There are many shows to mention, but here are two that I loved. If you have time this weekend, definitely check out Bull's-eye at Long View Gallery. Anna U Davis has outdone herself in this show. The titles of her work are always intriguing and the intricate detail executed in each piece lets you know that this woman has a level of patience and focus that would make Jesus jealous. See it before it ends this Saturday.

And speaking of patience and detail, Graham Caldwell's solo show, "Light Field View" at G Fine Art is stunning. The way that Graham manipulates glass and transforms it into items resembling arabic text or antlers or tusks or skin cells moves my soul. And how the glass is mounted seems to hold as much importance to the artist as the item in front. As a person who loves detail, I found myself walking around these pieces, especially looking at them from the side to check out how the mount so perfectly integrates with the glass. But don't get too close to some of the works, you could poke an eye out. Just kidding, well not really, these works are simultaneously beautiful, delicate, and dangerous. I'm sure there is a reason why one is titled "The Widow Maker". But you'll have to ask Graham about that.

Happy art!

Sasha J.