"The DCCAH", or "What Rich Culture?"

( click for gigantic version)

The district of columbia commission on the arts and humanity.

here is the first sentence from the about section on their website:

Since 1968, the District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) has developed and promoted local artists, organizations, and activities.


one would think that sentence would guide them to foster and ultimately choose local artists for public commissions. Sometimes they do, ( i felt the panda-mania, didn't you? I wanted to party like an animal!) but when it comes to a project that may be the most visible, the Bridge Tenders House Project on the 14th street bridge, no DC artist ( that applied ) was deemed worthy enough to represent our powerful city.

There were five finalists hailing from Baltimore, Tucson, Providence, New York and Brookline Mass.

It seems to me that the DCCAH fails to live up to what they say they are "about". From the about section again:

The Mission of the DCCAH is to provide grants, programs and education activities that encourage diverse artistic expressions and learning opportunities so that all District of Columbia residents and visitors can experience the rich culture of our city.

Is the rich culture of our city to be found in Rhode Island?
Seems contrary to their stated mission, no?


It very well may be, that the finest artists in the country (or those that applied) do not live in dc. But, what then is the "rich culture of our city", if it's not good enough to represent our city?

Perhaps our artists are really section 8 artists, and the mission of the DCCAH should be changed to promote the "welfare culture of our city", since the riches are buried beyond our borders.


It's quite sad when none of us are good enough for our own city.

a new gallery in bethesda

i just got a call from Zoe Myers saying that the grand opening for
Heineman Myers Contemporary Art will be on Saturday April 8th

4728 Hampden Ln
Bethesda.
(301) 951-7900

I expect ( and hope) that we will find Zoe to be of the type of gallarist that treats their artist very well.


no website yet.

Small Space, BIG STYLE is looking for homes!

If you or someone you know has a fabulous pad that's under 1000 sq ft, with lots of ingenuity, multi-functional ideas, or just great color and design we'd love to hear about it. To learn more about Small Space, Big Style and how you and your home could be featured in an episode, please visit www.brainboxtalent.com/smallspace to sign up, or contact Lauren at BrainBox Productions: Lauren@brainbox.tv. **NOTE: This is NOT a make-over show. All spaces must be small, stylish, and completed**

A condo i faux painted was on one of the first episodes.. check it out here


http://www.scenicartisans.com/featured/project/penn_quarter/entrance.php

i want my SI free

here is a post article


please don't charge admission!

Something petty i do to amuse myself (and, now that she's noticed, my wife)

Every call for entry requires a self addressed stamped envelope for the return of your slides/cd and and a letter stating whether or not you are accepted.
I like to add

ACCEPTANCE LETTER!

before my name.and then i laugh and laugh.

but you know, it doesn't ever seem to sway the jurors.
someday.someday my mind control will work.







if you came here from DC BLOGS LIVE,
you clicked on this because of the heading, right?

not a critique.... since i'm not a critic...

Hiroshi Sugimoto



In addition to checking out the kite festival this past weekend, the amazingly prolific artist Rania Hassan and i went to see the Hiroshi Sugimoto exhibit at the Hirshhorn.

Generally speaking photography isnt my thing. its very rare when i LOVE a photographer, and when i do it's depite the medium. But i loved this show. the series from which the pic above is taken, a magic vista from the inside of a temple, amazing blury buildings, and a series of seascapes were truly transcendant.

the studies of shadows ( or whatever) series was amazingly ( and yep typically) dull.

nonetheless i highly encourage you to see this. not for all the philosophical critical nonesense, but because he is a fine artist. that link by the way is to a fine critical review.


I should note that i do have a particular weakness in my attraction to toy cameras.

***Totally Revamped!!!***

Please check this out and tell me what you think. I have just relaunched my website
click there ----->Scenic Artisans <----- click there


Please pass it along to anyone that you think might be interested in having some decorative work done.

thanks,
-the management

a handful of new sculptures...

you can see my....

go here and you can see the blogs i read. why on earth would you want to do that? maybe YOURS is there! after all, don't only bloggers read blogs?


we all like links to our own stuff, right?

last artisan leaves naylor court...

i have but few blogging interests. pretty much ART, and DC. I am both an artist and a dc resident.

and im passionate about both. i write this blog, obviously, and i write a blog about my neighborhood and community of bloomingdale. I'm interested in the growth ( and regrowth) of inner city communities so i read other neighborhood sites.

I came across this this morning. i found it somewhat sad. not to say that i'm not pro-gentrification. i am, sometimes. but i am definitely and always more pro artist/artisan.

screen shot of my new site

takes a long time to get a website up. mine is just about done.

a small drawing.

from our art monday outing.
click here to bid on it! it's cheap!
you know you want it!

shows to apply for....

deadline: Saturday, June 17

Languages of Silence

2006 Annual Juried Show
June 23 through August 18, 2006

'Languages of Silence,' an exhibition to be selected by J.W. Mahoney, will seek to show the wide array of possibilities open to artists to convey the qualities, beauties - and contradictions - in quiet content.

'That which is real is given and received in silence,' a great Indian thinker once wrote, and 'Languages of Silence,' whether spoken in sculpture, painting, photography, or graphic and digital media will demonstrate the nature of that silent reality. J.W. Mahoney is Washington's Corresponding Editor for Art in America and an Affiliate Professor at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.

Please drop all artwork off at the art center from June 13th through the 17th.

The Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) is located at 12001 Market St., Suite 103, in the Reston Town Center on the corner of Market and Saint Francis streets. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11am-5pm. Visit the GRACE website at: www.restonarts.org, or phone 703.471.9242.

for more info:
Greater Reston Arts Center
t: 703.471.9242 or www.restonarts.com

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Arlington Arts Center's Solo Exhibitions 2007
deadline: Saturday, July 01

Artists working in the six Mid-Atlantic states (VA, DC, MD, WV, DE, PA) may apply for solo exhibitions between January-December 2007 in one of the Arlington Arts Center galleries, which include 525 combined running feet of hanging wall space and two experimental galleries designed to accommodate installation, video, or other work requiring a complete environment. All media will be considered. The grounds surrounding the building can accommodate outdoor sculpture. Applicants must submit a proposal, images (CD or slides), a modest application fee, and an application form for consideration.

More information and the application form may be downloaded from our website at www.arlingtonartscenter.org, under Exhibitions/Artist Opportunities.

for more info:
Arlington Arts Center
www.arlingtonartscenter.org or www.arlingtonartscenter.org
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SCHOOL 33 ART CENTER'S ANNUAL CALL FOR ENTRIES
Deadline: April 1 (Postmarked)
School 33 Art Center, a program of the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, is currently accepting applications for its Annual Call for Entries For the Exhibition Season Sept. 2006 – July 2007. Artists may apply for an exhibit during the 2006-07 gallery season (September 2006 – July 2007) in Gallery I, Gallery II and the Installation Space. The postmark deadline for applications is Saturday, April 1, 2006. This competition is open to all artists within a 100-mile radius of Baltimore. Artists may submit an individual application, group proposal or an Installation Space proposal. Artists who have exhibited at School 33 in the past two years, students who will be enrolled in a degree-granting program and employees of the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts are ineligible to apply. All artists will be reviewed and selected by the Gallery Selection Panel, an independent panel of artists and curators representing a variety of disciplines. For a prospectus, floor plan, or further information please call School 33 Monday – Friday 9 am - 5 pm, Saturday 12-4 pm at 410.396.4641 or email school33@promotionandarts.com.
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THE JANET & WALTER SONDHEIM ARTSCAPE PRIZE
Deadline: April 7
Beginning with its landmark 25th anniversary year, Artscape is awarding a $25,000 prize to a visual artist working in the Baltimore region. The Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize is designed specifically to assist area artists further their careers by allowing them to pursue tracks in their work that may not otherwise be possible. The first year of this new annual prize will focus on the visual arts. The competition is open to artists in Maryland; Washington D.C.; Delaware; Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties in Virginia; and Adams, Chester, Franklin and Lancaster counties in Pennsylvania, working in all visual media. The project culminates with ten finalists showing their work in the Meyerhoff and Decker galleries at the Maryland Institute College of Art during Artscape, July 21-23. For the Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize application, visit http://www.artscape.org or call 410.752.8632.
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OUTDOOR SCULPTURE ANNUAL: ARTSCAPE 2006
Deadline: April 7
Artscape and the Maryland Institute College of Art have joined forces this year to create an expanded outdoor sculpture exhibition. Works will be located on the site for up to 10 months. $300 to $4,000 stipends will be awarded to artists for installation and fabrication of their works. Visit http://www.promotionandarts.com/resources/up171.aspx to download applications that contain complete details. All deadlines are Friday, April 7, 2006.
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+ES+ PA++ERNS; AN EXHIBITION OF ALTERNATE SURFACE TREATMENTS ON UBIQUITOUS SURFACES
Deadline: April 7
Pinkard Gallery, MICA and City Wide. This exhibition will address multiple site installations and test projects. Sites will include billboards, MTA bus sides, bus shelter ads, street signs, street poles, architectural façade modifications and city vehicles. Artscape will be responsible for the production and installation of selected proposals. Visit http://www.promotionandarts.com/resources/up171.aspx to download applications that contain complete details. All deadlines are Friday, April 7, 2006.
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CALL FOR THE 3RD ANNUAL ‘ART & ADDICTION EXHIBITION’
Thursday, March 23
Innovators Combating Substance Abuse Awards Program at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine announces the Third Annual Art & Addicition Exhibition and Contest. The exhibition will be held at the Grand Hyatt Washington, Washington DC April 5-8, 2006 as part of the Dr. Lonnie Mitchell HBCU Substance Abuse Conference. Artists are invited to submit up to three original works of art that depict aspects of the “human side” of addiction. Five works of art that are judged most creative and compelling in communicating the human side of addiction and recovery will be awarded $500 prizes. For guidelines, instructions, and downloadable submission forms, visit http://www.innovatorsawards.org.
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CARROLL COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL CALL FOR ARTISTS
Deadline: April 7
The Carroll County Arts Council invites artists to submit their work for display and sale at “Art in the Park” to be held at the Westminster City Hall Park on Saturday, June 3 from 10 am – 5 pm. The annual juried, outdoor festival has become a Carroll County tradition and attracts hundreds of visitors. In addition to the show and sale of visual art, there will be continuous musical entertainment, hands-on art activities for kids, and food vendors. Acceptable mediums include oil, acrylic, watercolor, sculpture, photography, drawing, collage, fine printmaking, mixed media and fine crafts. Fees for display spaces are $35 for Arts Council Members and $50 for Non-Members. The Non-Members’ rate includes a complimentary membership. Artists may use their own display systems or a wire display fence that is provided free of charge by the Arts Council. Interested artists should contact the Carroll County Arts Council at 410.848.7272 to receive a copy of the guidelines and application form or send a self-addressed stamped #10 envelope to: Carroll County Arts Council, 91 West Main Street, Westminster, MD 21157.
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CALL FOR FINE CRAFT ARTISTS
Post Date: January 20
For fine craft artists of all mediums who have decided that wholesale exhibiting is the best way to spend more time in the studio and less time on the road, the Philadelphia Buyers Market of American Craft offers the largest venue for artists to meet qualified buyers. We review applications all year. To download an application visit http://www.AmericanCraft.com. For more information about being a Buyers Market exhibitor call 410.889.2933 or e-mail info@rosengrp.com.

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general goings on.

last two weeks i havent hit the studio that much. i taught a class at the arlington arts center, i was working on a display backdrop, and working on my website (so close to done). i did a bit of concrete casting.. maybe six pieces.. but they arent done yet. I showed my work to a few gallery owners and am still looking for exhibit possibilities and the right gallery for me.

I'm back into applying for stuff mode. I sent off ten or so applications in january and need to refill that quota, i think. theres the open call from Fraser gallery, the trawick prize, the arlington arts center open show, and the blackrock center that i'm applying for.

the constant marketing is not something that is entriely appealing about working in art. while i love talking about my art and showing my portfolio of art works and faux finishes, its the paperwork that drives me batty. its that showing your art porfolio often costs money! 15- 40 dollars in application fees. crazy.


today has been mostly bookkeeping and looking up shows and general business housekeeping. i do need to find some walls for all the pieces i've got!

a few more things on etsy...

i've posted a few more concrete pieces on etsy. i will continue to be putting stuff up, including a fire sale of some older pieces.

and i'm almost done with my scenic artisans website. so close. you'll see a whole new set of finishes that are pretty hot. plus i'm using some new paint materials that are only available to those in the trade. amazing stuff.

where to buy the stuff....

i am just starting an online store for my art work. please visit here i'll be putting up more stuff this week.

also, we have been ebaying our art monday group art. click here to see which ones are available to bid on.

martin luther king library. eyesore?

yes, definitely. we need a new library. it is SHAMEFUL to consider anything else. Let us build a new library in the old convention center and revitalize the use of libraries in this city. update. modernize.

Then after we build this new library, lets turn the "old" MLK into a city funded multidisciplinary ARTS CENTER.

Being across the street from the soon to be reopened American Art Museum it is in a wonderful location to serve the needs of dc residents and for that of tourists craving art...dc art.

DC has NO PUBLIC ART CENTER. we have a golf course, gyms, rec centers, libraries, a future publically funded baseball stadium, parks, bulk trash removal, but no art center.

Isn't it time we had an arts center?




read the post aricle about the MLK

an interesting art article in the post

read it here

its very sad to me to think of a world where there are some that have no use, or even hate art.

i dont even comprehend it. not that this is what the article is mainly about... still.

moving a mural

check this out.

mold making class....

i just finished teaching another beginners mold making and concrete/fiberglass casting class with the washington glass school

I always worry that the students learned enough. each time i teach i get a better sense of that and learn small ways to improve the class for the next time.

i havent offered an advanced mold making class yet, but i think i'll start working on it. Bringing in the addition of brush on molds, two/three part molds, and mother molds will be an exciting class. My main problem with trying to figure it out is how to cost out materials for an unknown project. i'll work on it.

leave it to me....

i took on a large mural project that was supposed to be a two week deal. well.. designs changed and the clients ideas changed, so designs changed again and by then, the deadline was a week away.

what does that really mean? means i'm missing out on this nice weather, is what it means. i gotta finish by tuesday.

i think i'll have a three day weekend next weekend though.

i find this VERY disturbing

learned of this from DCARTNEWS.


The Art of Compromise
Higher Ground Academy grappled with a quandary: How do we teach art to Muslim students who can't create human images? The school found a solution.

read the article


here's my favorite quote:
But projects that would naturally lead to figure drawing are no longer assigned, Langworthy said, which isn't a huge loss when it comes to meeting the state standards.

not a huge loss? they took mask and puppet making out of their curriculum!


This is troubling in a few ways to me.

1. It obviously limits a students growth in the arts. a limit in growth in the arts limits ones imagination. limiting students imaginations limits what might be possible for our nation. limiting what's possible for our nation will cause us to stagnate. heaven forbide (literally!) that we open a students mind rather than reinforce the limitations their interpretive teachings have given them.

2. it kowtows to religion. we see this happening in science classes too.....
3. We have a culture that we must negate in order to placate those that don't agree with it. Rather than adding traditions, we are eliminating them. perhaps we should stop teaching English, since many immigrants come from non english speaking countries and might be offended by our language. We most certainly ought to stop teaching that abomination of "evolution" since obviously we are now devolving.
4. It limits choices rather than opens choices. it makes us smaller rather than larger.

i find it very troublesome that this article was complete with positive spin.
here is another quote:

Second-grader Hawi Muhammed said her parents don't mind if she draws people once in a while, but "God … doesn't like people to draw a lot," she said.


???????!oh, that poor child.




please keep religion out of schools. please.
please bring your culture to our country. share it with us, but don't deny ours, because we have a lot to share too.

our group art project....

Since three other artists and i started doing weekly collaborative works last year, we have amassed quite a collection.

We decided to start ebaying them.

If you are interested in checking them out/ purchasing some for your very own, go here

Idiotarod. this saturday.

Idiotarod website

in my hood even.... New ART space!

New art space

87Florida is a new art venue located at 1st and Florida NW, and their grand opening reception is Saturday, March 11 from 5-7 pm.

DC artist Ceci Cole Mcinturff recently purchased the building and it houses her studios upstairs and on the mainfloor she has an exhibition space. There she will host a series of fine art exhibitions, musical events, digital mixed media events, as well as some "Art in Community" events.

The initial exhibition, titled "Little Differences," features the work of Melissa Glasser and runs through March 20, 2006. The reception is Saturday, March 11 from 5-7 pm. There are also viewing hours Fridays 4:30-7:00pm, Saturdays 1-6:00pm, Sundays 1-5pm and Mon-Thurs by appt.

My "Making an Entrance" door proposal

my door proposal, The Possibilities Ahead is now on the Making an Entrance website.

capitol building visitors center

i just heard on npr that there is a group of people trying to get the capitol building visitor center named after the artist,Constantino Brumidi, who did much of the painting inside.

that kinda warmed my heart to hear.





UPDATE:
here's a post blurb about it

also talk of it on rebuilding place in the urban space