Gotta Quit The Undercut

Come on artists, where is your sense of solidarity? Your admiration for the integrity and commitment of others? PUT ASIDE YOUR EGOS. PLEASE.
Artcade forum posted a particularly unfair entry on its "critique night" with the American University MFA students. They implied that the students were uninformed, unprepared and inarticulate during their bizarrely organized, choppy critiques and guest talk with Jeffry Cudlin.
I find it very inappropriate to ostensibly organize an event for generating dialog and run home to unexpectedly slam both the students and the institution online. I left the event feeling pleased that these students had been offered suggestions, had a chance to speak about their work with a semi-professional audience and hopefully had some information to chew on in the weeks before their first year and exit shows.
I am terribly disappointed to discover that the presupposition of support and excitement the students had going into this event was met with an unnecessarily cold assessment of their progress.
Blog for good, it doesn't make you any less of a person to say something nice about your fellow artists, students, and community members.

That being said:
A really awesome job done by all, it was a pleasure to get to see a preview of their end of year shows!

Zac Willis and his many interpretations of the self portrait

Kate Gartrell and her gestural figures

Lauren Rice's mixed media wall installations

Lana Stephens' Pastel portraits

Bradley Chriss' surreal, sexual drawings

Nikki Painter's drawing and collage work

(detail)

We're all entitled to our opinions, we have the capacity to articulate and/or publish them, and we'd be boring without them, but: the best way to be supportive is to extend yourself as a resource, offer useful suggestions, and don't write people off, especially when they're still learning.
THESE KIDS ARE YOUNG, THEIR FUTURES ARE BRIGHT.

This is not a joke, its the FUTURE

The multi Vs, cutest kids on the block

AK Slaughter totally owned the crowd at Lo Fi last night, but thats no surprise. Those kids brought out some new tunes, revived a couple classics, had the entire room shakin' it and their devoted front-row fans freaking out....:




But the spotlight was all but stolen by The Multi Vs, two teenage ladies from Alexandria, VA who clapped half their percussion and made no less than 3 costume changes during their set.
They baffled the slightly jaded audience as they appeared on stage in matching white jumpsuits and dragging a life-size stuffed person (named Amelia, we later learned) but had completely won them over by the second song.

Jared of Mr. Moccasin dancing with Amelia

They changed into woodland creature/Hansel and Gretel costumes for their song "I love the forest OH!":

Check the Xs on their hands, too damn cute.

And again for the "vulgar" portion of their set:


Yeah, thats right, I'm going to put this out there: I love the MULTI VS!
Come back to Baltimore PLEASE.

What Planet R U From? @ Sitar Arts Center

Sitar Arts Center will host an exhibition of art works by Daniel Stuelpnagel from April 3 through April 24, 2008, with an opening reception on Tuesday, April 8, 2008 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

The exhibition, part of the Sitar Arts Center Gallery Series, is entitled "What Planet R U From ?", and features art works describing the artist's creative journey with the analogy of interplanetary space travel.

Sitar Arts Center (www.sitarartscenter.org) provides for more than 320 young people in its inner-city community the opportunity to discover their gifts in the visual and performing arts. Sitar Arts Center is located at 1700 Kalorama Road, NW, Suite 101, Washington, DC 20009.

Hope to see you there!

American University MFA shows

Painting by Bonner Sale

Opening Reception for first year MFA candidates' show will be held Friday, April 11, from 7-9 pm.

Opening Reception for MFA Thesis exhibition will be held Friday, April 18, from 6-9 pm.

Both shows will be in the Katzen center at American University
4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20016

Artomatic--Opportunity for Artists

ARTOMATIC is coming up!! Its a really nice opportunity to show your work, get some feedback, meet new people and see some ART!

From Artomatic.org:

Up to 800 artists and 50,000 visitors expected in D.C.’s most exciting new neighborhood

The NoMa (north of Massachusetts Avenue) Business Improvement District (BID) will host this year’s Artomatic, the Washington, D.C. area’s homegrown art extravaganza. From May 9 through June 15, 2008, up to 800 local and regional artists will exhibit their works on eight floors of the Capitol Plaza 1 building, located at 1st and M Streets, N.E., just one block from the New York Avenue Metro station.

Held regularly since 1999, Artomatic transforms an unfinished indoor space into an exciting and incredibly diverse arts event that is free and open to the public. In addition to displays and sales by hundreds of artists, the event features free musical, dance, and theater performances; holiday celebrations; films; educational presentations; and much more.

This year’s Artomatic, occupying 200,000 square feet at Capitol Plaza 1, will be the largest to date. Designed by renowned architect Shalom Baranes and owned by an affiliate of The Polinger Company, Capitol Plaza 1 offers 293,000 rentable square feet of Class A office space, with dramatic Capitol and city views from the upper floors.

“We are thrilled to partner with Artomatic in an event that will bring tens of thousands of people to NoMa,” said Elizabeth Price, president of the NoMa BID. “It is a great opportunity to showcase the transformation that is underway in NoMa and infuse it with the energy and creativity of the artistic community.”

"Artomatic has come back to its roots in D.C. with our largest event ever,” said George Koch, Chair of Artomatic. “We are excited about our partnership with the NoMa BID and their help in bringing this new space to our attention. Artomatic 2008 will have an abundance of exhibit and performance space that will be open to all — from recognized artists to undiscovered talents.”

Registration for artists and performers who wish to participate in Artomatic will be open soon. To stay up to date on the event details and schedule, visit www.artomatic.org and sign up to receive the Artomatic newsletter.

Who's Siked for Transmodern???!!!

Me. I am. You should be:



I am totally optimistic for this year's Transmodern festival. Perhaps its because the festival has a single location--and therefore a more organized feel, or maybe its my unwavering adoration for the work of Erin Womak and Jackie Milad, but I can't wait for April!

Check out their website for more information on the artists and schedule.

ALSO: Make sure to check out all the Load Of Fun artists' open studios, including Bart O'Reilly who will be screening his abstract videos. Get a sneak peek here:

Ironing @ Metro Gallery

Okan Arabacioglu and Brian Payne 's show at Metro Gallery opens on April 4th:

Upcoming AK Slaughter!

Yes! Yes! Yes!
Excitement! Excitement! Excitement!

GO TO THIS SHOW:


Check out AK Slaughter's Myspace

Laundry Masala

Laundry Masala: Spicy New Art by Indian Explorers Emily C-D and Jessie Unterhalter

I just met Jessie the other night, and got a chance to talk to her a little about her time abroad (comparing notes/locations, etc - We both agreed that we're heading back ASAP) and her upcoming show. It sounds AMAZING.
This show poster makes me wish I had spent more time in India, and less of the time I had there taking pictures. These ladies collected print materials as they absorbed the culture, bringing home a unique and creative exhibition based on their travels.

Opening Saturday April 12th 7-11pm / thru May 11th by appointment

@ the WHOLE gallery
405 W. Franklin St.
3rd Floor of the H&H Warehouse
Baltimore, MD

CONTACT Emily C-D at mentalelephant@gmail.com
and check out www.laundrymasala.blogspot.com

Thanks Internet, Art Community!

Sunbathers by Orly Cogan

Thanks to Bmoreart for the link!

Bill Schmidt @ Paperwork Gallery

Pictures from the opening of Bill Schmidt's Outside of Time exhibition at Paperwork:

Cara Ober

Jordan Bernier, Even though he doesn't like having his picture taken

To see it yourself:
Paperwork Gallery
107 W. Preston Street
Baltimore, MD 21202

Tim Campbell and Marty Weishaar at The Cork Gallery

Tim and Marty, both students (current and former) of the American University MFA program, opened their under-publicized show at The Cork Gallery yesterday:

Marty (left) and Tim

Zoe Charlton (right) with Marty and Cory in front of Marty's installation

Tim and Bonner Sale

Tim's paintings and print

Emily Slaughter

Christine Tillman in front of Tim's paintings

Rick Delaney (left)

Tim's prints and paintings of word abstractions (while captivating in their own right) complimented the grids of the industrial windows and lent themselves beautifully to the overall atmosphere of the space.

Check it out @ The Cork Gallery
302 E. Federal St
4th Floor (Buzzer#9)
Baltimore, MD 21202

Baltimore Artists Seek Success

On Bmoreart, local artists are reaching out to one another to find an answer to the question that has been plaguing everyone since under-grad: "how does an artist become successful?"

The answers they seem to be uncovering are, predictably, to lean on your art community - be it local, internet or academic.

Beginning this campaign with a heartfelt, open letter to her readers, Cara Ober hopes that artists will share their experiences and find success through one another. She and fellow (awesome) Baltimore artist, Jackie Milad, are making themselves available as resources, offering their best advice, and generating dialog on the "how-tos" of the professional art world.

Keep it up, ladies, if no one is talking community, its hard to have one.

Musicals Don't Suck

Center Stage's A Little Night Music

Get excited for this musical. Seriously.
This is the modest description offered on the Center Stage website:

A Little Night Music
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim | Book by Hugh Wheeler | Directed by Mark Lamos

The sun sits low on Midsummer’s Eve and Fredrik Egerman waits for his young wife to warm up to him. Then his former mistress proposes a weekend in the country—and hearts and eyes, spouses and lovers, wander to a series of matchlessly witty waltzes. Featuring his most famous song, "Send in the Clowns," Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning score elevates musical theater to new heights of sophistication and proves that love can make glorious fools of us all.

But what they've forgotten to mention, or call the proper attention to, is the cast...well, one cast member in particular:
Yes, Sexy Rexy (Maxwell Caufield), live in Baltimore. Don't miss your chance.

Not Noteworthy

This is another review of the show that appeared on Bmore Art, apparently I'm not noteworthy:

"In Home: In Response" Review by Eileen T. Wold
The recent one night only exhibition of In Home: In Response, provided a unique opportunity to consider how many interesting works of art don’t make the cut for one reason or another in juried group exhibitions. Representing artists that were not selected for the original home themed exhibition at the Current Gallery, this exciting show was the brain child of Kerry Adams, a Baltimore artist, who was curious to see what other talented artists were not selected due to logistical issues and/or curatorial decisions. Adams saw this as a way to expand and continue the original show and give opportunity to those who could not be included in the Current Gallery version. Adams suspected that a strong show could come of the rejected work and the overall quality of the show this past Friday night, made a persuasive argument for her assumption.An ambitious endeavor, this group show not only investigated the limitations of the juried gallery show, but also commented on where art is viewed and why. Although much of the world's art is displayed inside private residences, it is still felt that a gallery or museum is the ideal place in which to view artwork. Adams' response to this idea is a great example of new trends we see among young artists, collectives and emerging curators. "As curator, I was forced to think about each piece and how it represented the artist's idea of home and how that would best be represented in my own home." Adams shares the living space with another Baltimore artist, Julie Benoit in Charles Village. It was a fun night and chance to see local and national art in an intimate setting, in the heart of Baltimore city. There were several examples of refreshing work within this eclectic show of personal experiences and intimate ideas of home and place. Eliza Lamb's two small photographs, Home Mirror and Home Vase, presented soft interior architectural snapshots that embodied the memories of a home but not the definition of a specific place. Similarly, Jenee Mateer, a photographer who recently moved to Baltimore from Providence, RI, observes how light plays within the walls of her space to present a soft interior of home. However, her photograph, Fish Tank, is not a frozen memory like Lamb's but rather a delightful discovery of light and space through layers of reflection, shadow and the passing of time.D.C. artist, Maria Mclean had 3 pieces in the show. Her poetic work reflects her own deep rooted personal experiences while still leaving points of entry for the viewers own reflection. The most successful of the three, How to make a star, reveals history in layers of paint that peel off an antique door sprinkled with unfinished origami stars of aged paper torn from books layered with dark colorful drawing. Four photographs that document a performance piece by Syracuse artist, Matthew Keeney, attracted as much attention as if he were performing live that night. In this entertaining and enlightening performance, Keeney wears a wooden house-like structure on his head during mundane tasks like filling his car with gas. His presentation questions how much of our home we carry around with us throughout the day, while confronting the boundaries of private and public space. Amanda Gogel's four photographs of what I assumed to be Baltimore project housing, were beautiful and symmetrical (emphasized by Adams curating) explorations of a modern political conflict. Can communal low income housing be beautiful AND necessary? She supplies a vision of these buildings that feels alive and on the verge of ideal socialism with a nod to the modernist grid aesthetic, however one walks away still aware of the reality of these institutional structures.Other notable works included two accomplished sculpture installations by Kerry Adams, a drawing by Jon MacNair, video work of Christine Dehne, an innovative wall piece by Jody Isaacson, and several interesting works exploring gender issues by Tara Campbell

Dumpling Dynasty

Totally digging on: Fiona Hewitt...

Just got some of her things in at the 'gine (that's Pangina) and I am absolutely crushin on how cute it all is...check it out: a fucking shoe shine kit? Breaking my heart...not on that site, is the adventurer's kit and the pigtails kit that we're selling at Pangaea.
Although, I do think some of her stationary stuff looks a little Limited Too/Tramp Stamp if you know what I mean...utilizing Asian references in American advertising thinking its an inspired, original concept rather than a gimmicky format...you get the feeling that those characters could spell out "American Asshole" rather then "Good Fortune Lucky Cat".
However this newer work of hers kinda reminds me of Mark Ryden...see: fresh-faced young children as subjects, symbols as ideas, fantastical imaginary friend-type characters, and hyper realism (except she uses illustrator).
..................................
And so speaking of Mark Ryden!....can we talk about how his ex-wife Marion Peck totally rips him off?! I mean I know they were married for 14 years, and I understand that their styles could've developed together and would therefore be pretty similar, but to THIS extent?

She even modeled her web page to look like his Blood Show! I dunno, perhaps I'm way off base...maybe it's a Rodin/Camille Claudel, all "Anonymous"s are women kind of thing...
But looook at how beautiful Ryden's new series "Wood Nymphs" is....

.........
See the complete Tree Show bigger, better and for real here.