DC Music Salon Wednesday, June 15

Wednesday, June 15, from 7 to 9pm is the next meeting of the DC Music Salon. As you may recall, DC Music Salon is a free film and book series about different topics related to music, featuring discussions with expert guests. They show films and have discussions with musicians, filmmakers, authors and other fellow music lovers. These aren’t lectures, and all are welcome to join the conversation. Most meetings start with a quick introduction of a guest or topic, then show appropriate footage; they may discuss a relevant book and likely ask questions of the expert guests. Washington, DC, especially the Shaw neighborhood, has a musical heritage second to none and our salon celebrates it. All are encouraged to attend.

This month's music salon is about Joyce Bryant. "The black Marilyn Monroe," "The Bronze Blond Bombshell, "the Voice You'll Always Remember," Joyce Bryant was a singer/celebrity all of us would have known in the 1950's. With her sexy skintight gowns, metallic-silver hair, incredible voice and "pioneering stances against racial discrimination" it's shocking she's not better remembered. Joyce Bryant's story is a case-study of how popular culture's 'celebrity machine' shapes who we remember - and who we forget.” DC Music Salon will show excerpts from “JOYCE BRYANT: The Lost Diva” the first feature length documentary film about one of DC— and America's-- “most enigmatic entertainers.”

Jim Byers -- music critic, WPFW radio host -- will discuss his film and help answer other questions about Bryant: Why were her records banned? Who cut her from the Hollywood films she made? What forced her to give up her career? How did she reappear as a leading lady in the New York City Opera? Why don't more people know Joyce Bryant?!

Upcoming DC Music Salon programs include August 10 Ska Dance Craze and October 12 on dc space. Facebook is the best way to keep in touch with DC Music Salon.


DC Music Salon on Joyce Bryant
June 15, 7 to 9 p.m.
Watha T Daniel Shaw Neighborhood Library

Civilian Art Projects Presents Dan Tague and Billy Friebele

This Friday (June 10, 2011) from 7 to 9 p.m., Civlian Art Projects will host an opening reception for its two new solo exhibitions, "The Kids Are Alright" by New Orleans-based Dan Tague and "New Loops" by Washington, DC-based artist Billy Friebele. The shows will be on view until July 23.

From the press releases:

"The Kids are Alright "
Dan Tague

New Orleanian Dan Tague is an artist and social justice advocate. Using a variety of media, techniques, and wordplay, Tague's work points to inadequacies in government policy toward education, environmental health, and financial reform. He incorporates dollar bills, screen prints, paintings, video, restored furniture, and propaganda poster art to create visual riddles and biting -- yet funny, and sometimes sad -- social commentary.

Installing artwork in a layout reminiscent of a classroom, Tague presents discrete works and editions including posters of U.S. Presidents distilled to facial hair; a Mobil oil sign screen-printed using oil from the Deep Water Horizon oil spill; deconstructed movie posters including the word "American"; and folded dollar bill pieces, some folded 100 times to create statements like "The Kids are Alright" (specially made for his show at Civilian) and "Lest we forget."

"New Loops"
Billy Friebele

For his first solo exhibition at Civilian, Billy Friebele will present three interrelated video projects; "Walking as Drawing," "Target Loop," and "Commute Loop" in the project space and The Entrance.

Exploring the spatial experience of contemporary culture, Friebele's works re-contextualize common notions of everyday public spaces and mundane routines. For "Commute Loop," the artist videotaped his lengthy daily commute to and from work for one year. Sections of the trek are sequenced into a time-lapse, looped, and mirrored on the wall, creating an endless journey of an all too familiar landscape. For "Target Loop," he attached a video camera and GPS unit to a shopping cart and traversed the aisles looking for a birthday present. For "Walking as Drawing," an on-going project the artist creates in varying locations, he invites participants to take a dérive walk within a contained space, and tracks their movements. He then color-codes and animates their paths to make a time-based collaborative drawing.

Civilian Art Projects
1019 7th Street NW
202.607.3804
Hours: Wed-Thur-Sat 1-6pm

Touchstone Presents Nancy Novick and Janathel Shaw

Touchstone Gallery celebrates its latest exhibition with an opening reception tonight (Friday, June 3) from 6 to 8:30. The exhibition runs until June 26 and includes two shows: "A Fine Line" by Nancy Novick and "Grieving, Grooving and Growing" by Janathel Shaw. Below are the press releases regarding each show:

“A Fine Line”
Nancy Novick

Acrylic artist, Nancy Novick, presents a new body of work. Line integrates the paintings in this show especially in one large installation of multiple 5” x 5” canvases in a variety of reds. The lines in this piece seem to float and create movement.

The work begins with a single fine line then is built on mark making layering, editing, and finding balance. The artist engages one, then rewards them through careful consideration and thoughtful scrutiny. The paintings hint at the passage of time and the vastness of space, turning what appears to be random diversity into a quiet ordered beauty.

Nancy Novick has taught art in Georgia and in Japan for Overseas Dependent Schools. Her award winning work has been exhibited nationwide and is included in many private and corporate collections.

"Grieving, Grooving and Growing"
Janathel Shaw

Change requires sacrifice and flexibility. Change is the crucial ingredient in all three stages. This exhibit examines the stages of personal evolution as a mature individual. Janathel Shaw’s latest sculptures reveal a deep introspection, emotional gravitas, and heightened creative expression. She has experienced the loss of a job and the fear, shame and questioning of identity resulting in the loss. The loss of friends to cancer and heart attack has required her to limit their voices to echoes in her memories. Like many of her role models, she also learned the fine art of placing one foot in front of the other, strengthening her resolve and smiling through it all.

Grief represents the loss of love, of materials, excess baggage and unrealized expectations. Grooving is a state of mind and a lifestyle choice. It requires personal acceptance and an active pursuit of joy/peace when challenges seem insurmountable. Janathel’s path requires a spiritual outlook. The act of Growing is circular and continuous like a root. It is assumed that wisdom, also, is strengthened by age. In reality both require nourishment, warmth, watering and pruning. Otherwise, the end result is a muddied product resulting in death.

The body of work in this exhibit is personal, sometimes raw and expressive and layered. Although most of the work is inspired by private experiences, there are works that are born of larger universal concerns (natural disasters and the human condition and genocide or despots). For example, Solace was inspired by the current plight of Haitians. It centers on the loss of family, wavering hope and the indomitable spirit of a people.

Janathel Shaw’s ceramic sculptures have usually centered on universal and social themes. She has always been intrigued by provocative and historical scenarios regarding the human condition. Janathel has drawn from her experience as a parent and educator to enlighten her audience. An interesting marriage of clay, glazes and oil paints are used in this series. Emphasis is placed on form, surface and color.

She is a transplanted Floridian that was raised in Washington, DC. Her family held onto its small town sensibilities that included a strong belief in education, faith, a strong work ethic and community service. Janathel received a M.F.A. from George Washington University, B.S. from George Washington University and an A.A. from Prince George’s Community College.

This is her second solo show at Touchstone Gallery. She has shown at the Jazz Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, The National Museum of American Art, Washington, DC, Rock Creek Gallery, Washington, DC, Montpelier Arts Center, Laurel Maryland, and The Eclipse Gallery in Arlington, Virginia.

Touchstone Gallery
901 New York Avenue, NW
202.347.2787



Image credits: “Continuum” Diptych, Acrylic, 30” x 54" by Nancy Novick, and “Fulfillment” Ceramic stoneware and oils and glazes, by Janathel Shaw.

Touchstone Presents Marcia Coppel and Harvey Kupferberg

Two new shows open this Friday (May 6) at Touchstone Gallery with a reception from 6 to 8:30. One show is called "Life Is Too Serious," comprised of paintings and drawings by by Marcia Coppel, and the other show is called "Infrared - The Invisible Light," comprised of photographic images by Harvey Kupferberg. Both shows run through May 29, 2011.

From the Marcia Coppel press release:

It would be hard to imagine what Marcia Coppel’s paintings would look like if she had never been to Mexico. They would surely be interesting. Her characteristic laid back, whimsical drawings might be the same and her interest in ordinary people relaxing at lunch or at the beach might even be similar. But her colors - no, no! The colors come from Mexico.

And she is a true colorist. The figures she draws are rudimentary and the drawing merely gives her a framework to play with the colors she loves. She paints mostly tête-à-tête but sometimes there are three folk sitting at an umbrella covered table in an outdoor patio or on the beach.

Image credit: I Need Your Help With This”, Acrylic on canvas by Marcia Coppel

From the Harvey Kupferberg press release:

Infrared photography is one of many different ways of capturing light. Light comes in two forms, visible and invisible. An example of visible light is the rainbow. Its color palette starts with violet changing to blue, yellow, orange and finally red. The invisible light cannot be seen with the human eye. Examples of invisible light below the visible blue wavelength are the X-ray and ultraviolet light. The invisible infrared spectrum lies just beyond the visible red at the other end of the visible spectrum.

Film photographers capture the infrared spectrum with an infrared sensitive film and an opaque filter to block visible light. The modern digital camera can be modified for infrared photography. An infrared filter is placed in front the camera’s sensor to prevent visible light to pass while allowing infrared light to pass through to the digital sensor.

Infrared photography is influenced by environmental conditions. Seasonal changes, atmospheric conditions, time of day and the position of the sun all play an important part in producing the tonal range of an infrared print.

This exhibition of black and white prints at Touchstone Gallery demonstrates the variety of different tonal qualities produced on clear
and hazy days. Some images are different from what viewers normally expect while other cannot be differentiated from visible light photographs.

Image Credit: “Trees at Lock 24”, Giclee print by Harvey Kupferberg

Touchstone Gallery
901 New York Avenue, NW
202.347.2787

Touchstone Presents Grasses and Nests with a Twist

Two new shows open tonight (April 1) at Touchstone Gallery with a reception from 6 to 8:30. One show is entitled Grasses and features works by Mary D. Ott; the other show is entitled Nests with a Twist and features works by Janet Wheeler. Both shows run through May 1, and there will be an artist talk, coffee and cake for both on Sunday April 10, from 2-4 pm.

From the Grasses press release:

Wide Grass by Mary D. Ott

This exhibit of original hand-pulled prints—etchings, screenprints, monotypes, and mixed-media prints—comprises diverse images with grasses as their theme. Ott’s etching "Wide Grass" is seen in a number of variations, including single images, multiple images, and combinations of a number of prints in hanging cascades. The etching "Grass Bouquet" is combined with screenprinting to create mixed-media prints. Monotypes (one-of-a-kind prints) that are part of Ott’s series ―Bouquet of Grasses are displayed in an array that highlights their bright and contrasting colors. The prints are all variations on the theme of grasses.

From the Nests with a Twist press release:

Nest XIII by Janet Wheeler

Nature's endless cycle of renewal depicted through these Nests… With a Twist!

The pieces in this new series of nests absolutely do not evoke a reaction of "awww what a cute little nest." There is clearly something "off" about each one of them. Eggs and bones do not suggest a cozy breakfast! And why is there an uber-egg sitting atop a box of smaller eggs? These are the
newest works in Janet Wheeler s ongoing Spirit Box series.

Wheeler's spirit boxes induce an assumption of something sacramental and ritual, of objects untroubled by time, relics of some long vanished civilization. As nature always plays a major role in cultures, from the earliest to the present with the images of animals and birds in almost every sacred object, so too in Wheeler's pantheon.

In this body of work she focuses on nature's endless cycle of renewal
through her mysterious and ambiguous nests.

Touchstone Gallery
901 New York Avenue, NW
202.347.2787

Long View Gallery Presents Michelle Peterson-Albandoz's Revive

Long View's newly hung show of works by Michelle Peterson-Albanoz

Long View Gallery's latest show is called Revive and features new works by Chicago-based artist Michelle Peterson-Albandoz.  The gallery will celebrate the show's opening with a reception on Thursday (March 31) from 6:30 to 8:30pm (to rsvp,e-mail info@longviewgallery.com or call 202.232.4788), and the show will run through May 1.

From the press release:

An accomplished painter and mixed-media artist, Michelle Peterson-Albandoz is well known for her unique use of reclaimed wood. She works with both constructions on panel as well as sculpture from discarded wood surrounding her Chicago neighborhood.Peterson-Albandoz sees her creative process as a kind of reversal of time and waste. The backwards journey begins with the gathering of discarded wooden planks from lots, alleys and dumpsters. She says, “I remove the nails, erasing the man-made elements that bound the wood together – stripping, sawing and cutting the wood pieces, reducing them further away from structural forms.” Sorting them to like-colors and textures helps her stay open to rhythm and patterns during the building of the work. Layers of old wood still containing the cracked paint and rusty nail holes begin to build up like a living tree once more. It is at the same time a reminder of the tree that once grew in the forest, the harvesting and manipulating of it into architectural structures and the ultimate rebirth as an aesthetic object.

Michael O'Sullivan of the Washington Post named this the editor's pick for opening of the week!

Long View Gallery
1234 Ninth Street, Northwest
202.232.4788

Restore: Japan Thursday at Lamont Bishop

Mark your calendar for a neat and arty fundraiser called RESTORE: Japan this Thursday Night (March 31, 2010) from 7 to 9pm at Lamont Bishop Gallery. Here's the information:

As the waters recede on the coasts of Japan the DC art community joins together to provide relief for all those who have lost everything in one of the most devastating natural disasters in the history of man.

On Thursday, March 31st, 2011, ReadysetDC and Curating for a Cause team up to host RESTORE: Japan at Lamont Bishop Gallery.

RESTORE: Japan will feature artwork by 32 of the area’s top visual artists. The exhibition is curated by ReadysetDC's, Peter Chang and Curating for a Cause's, Jackie Cantwell and Allison Byers. The exhibition will feature an art auction.

Proceeds benefit The Japanese Red Cross Society.

$10 Suggested Donation

Cash Bar

Artists: Jackie Cantwell, Adam Lister, John Blee, Dana Ellyn, Matt Sesow, Joan Belmar, Judy Southerland, Joel D'Orazio, Diana Adams, Lauren Rice, Bobby Coleman, Rodger Schultz, Andrew Kozlowski, Jamin Sheard, Craig Hill, Peter Chang, Kelly Towles, Asad Walker, Tim Conlon, Aniekan Udofia, Brandon Hill, Juan Pineda, Jacqueline Levine, Dafna Steinberg, Cory Oberndorfer, Decoy, Francisco Esteban, Cory Stowers, Victoria Milko, Justin Young, Paul Mericle, and Sean Baker.

RESTORE: Japan
Thursday, March 31, 2011 7 to 9pm
Lamont Bishop Gallery
1314 Ninth Street, Northwest

Civilian Art Projects Launches "The Entrance" with "Opening Act" Friday

This Friday (March 25) from 7 to 9 pm, Civilian Art Projects will host an opening reception for its latest show of works, "Opening Act" by Patrick McDonough. The show will be in a new space for Cilvilian Arts at 1019 Seventh dubbed "The Entrance" and will run from Friday through May 28.

From the press release:

Civilian Art Projects announces Patrick McDonough's exhibition "Opening Act" in "The Entrance," our new project space at 1019 7th Street.

Vinyl Record by Patrick McDonough

Utilizing all of the square footage of the 1019 space on 7th Street, Civilian excitedly launches a site-specific project space called "The Entrance." Literally the entrance of 1019, the space lends itself to installation-based projects including sound, video, and other concept based, metamorphosing opportunities for artists to experiment and unveil new work to the community for an extended period of time. Seeking to host up to four projects a year, each exhibition will be on view for at least two months.

Civilian launches "The Entrance" with "Opening Act," new work by Patrick McDonough, a recent MFA graduate of George Washington University whose work has made a splash at Flashpoint Gallery and many other places in recent years.

For the exhibition, McDonough creates four discrete, yet interrelated projects on the topic of fan behavior. The pieces include: an accent wall painted to match the digital color hex hue corresponding to two Soundgarden's song titles from the "Ultramega OK" album; a handmade birdhouse based on the Smart Studios building (in the artist's hometown) where sound engineer Butch Vig mixed albums by Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Garbage, and many others; a sound piece reversing the audio from an episode of Bob Ross' Joy of Painting, embodying the back-masking purportedly used by bands to subliminally influence listeners; and, a tattoo piece featuring lyrics from the band The Hold Steady tattooed on the artist's back.

According to the artist, "these pieces deal in issues of fan behavior, relationships between music and art production, decoration, sites of creative invention, class, accessible custom culture, free time, use value, and interactions between artists and their audiences and supporters. Below the surface this exhibition furthers my investigation into who art is for, what art is and does, and what it can and should be about."

Civilian Art Projects
1019 Seventh Street, Northwest
202.607.3804

Lamont Bishop Gallery Opens at 1314 Ninth

A new gallery opened its doors on Ninth Street in the former Cre8 Space gallery space at 1314 Ninth. The Lamont Bishop Gallery “aims to shape the next era of the arts by uniting the nation’s emerging contemporary artists with budding collectors. LBG provides the vibrant DC community with a myriad of opportunities to forge the future of the arts through art creation, exhibition and collection.” The gallery space also encompasses an Art Bar that holds selected wines and is available for special events.

The gallery caught my attention this weekend because of its cool new signage and the show visible through the windows (its inaugural show of sculptures and prints by Annie Kielman runs through April 2). I am behind the times, though, as ReadyssetDC and Thrillist have already have already covered Lamont Bishop Gallery.

As I proclaimed last week (in reporting on the soon-to-open Seasonal Pantry store in 1314 1/2 Ninth), what a wonderful center of commerce 1314 has become!  Thanks to its owners for working so hard to restore the gorgeous building and for making it such a source of community pride!


Lamont Bishop Gallery
1314 Ninth Street, NW
info@lamontbishop.com

Touchstone Presents Works by Betsy Forster and Michele Cormier

Tonight (Friday, March 4, 2011) from 6 to 8:30, Touchstone Gallery celebrates the opening of two new shows of works. One includes paintings by Betsy Forster and is called "Inspiration," while the second includes paintings by Michele Cormier and is called "Surfaces." From the press releases:

SURFACES

Paintings by Michele Cormier

From cracking sidewalks to weathered façades, Michele captures the deterioration of urban surfaces over time. Erosion, decay and traffic take their toll. What was once a blank canvas becomes a landscape of the inevitable urban condition.



Just Because by Michele Cormier



Whether it is a child’s chalk drawing, a gouge in a curb, or traces of rusted detritus, every sidewalk, stone or wall offers evidence of life and tells a story. These are surfaces where a child explores his imagination, where you catch a glimpse of your shadow or where the debris of daily living leaves layers of history that create infinitely varying shapes.

Michele’s work interprets these transformations through multiple layers of paint, glazes, imprints, and mysterious details with random lines and markings.

Raised in Shediac, a small Acadian village in New Brunswick, Canada, Michele’s work is influenced by the French Canadian culture where her ancestors lived principally off the sea and the land. Her work reflects this tug between those simple rural influences and the sophisticated urban life she leads.

This is Michele’s second solo exhibit at Touchstone. Her work is also represented by Gallery 555 in Washington DC, and she has shown in many juried art venues in her short (three year) stay here. She has also exhibited in many Canadian galleries and art shows in Ottawa, Ontario and her native hometown. See more images at: www.michelecormier.com

INSPIRATION

Paintings by Betsy Forster



Golden Hills by Betsy Forster



Betsy Forster receives the inspiration for her work from nature. She has a tremendous love for and feels a great spiritual connection with nature. As with a number of northern romantic painters, Forster seeks the supernatural in the natural.

She creates for us a wide variety of delightful views: from the forests, fields and mountains of Wyoming and Montana to the hills and valleys of the Virginia countryside. She shows us her incredible ability to depict uninhabited spots that are becoming more difficult to find in our increasingly urbanized society.

The work in this exhibition includes pieces painted in oil, pastel and mixed media. When asked what her favorite medium is, she responds, “pastel, as I love to draw and the pastel stick is a wonderful drawing tool”.

Born in Madera, California, Forster spent most of her childhood in Dallas, Texas. Her childhood memories of the brown hills of California and the big skies of Texas are reflected in her desire to produce landscape paintings. She received a BA in Art from Auburn University, Montgomery, Alabama and later an MFA in painting from the American University in Washington, DC.

For more information please contact Ksenia Grishkova, Director, at 202-347-2787 or e mail info@touchstonegallery.com

Touchstone Gallery
901 New York Avenue, NW
202.347.2787

Long View Gallery Presents New Artists, New Art

This Thursday night (February 17, 2011) from 6:30 to 8:30, Long View Gallery celebrates the opening of a new group show entitled “New Artists, New Art.”  To attend the opening reception, RSVP to info@longviewgallery.com today. The show will run through March 13.

From the Press Release:

Meat Market by Shuan Richards (48” x 72”, acrylic, graphite, and oil on canvas)

Since re-opening in October of 2009, Long View Gallery has expanded its artist list to include talents from across the United States. This month we choose to celebrate the works of several standout new artists showing with Long View Gallery including Ryan McCoy, Shaun Richards, Jordan Bruns, Zach Sherif, Thomas Burkett, Amy Genser, Shawna Moore, Michelle Peterson-Albandoz, and Clyde Fowler. In addition to highlighting the incredible work by each of these artists, several of Long View Gallery’s favorites will be showing new and exciting pieces as a preview of what is to come. Join us, and many of the artists, at the opening reception to see the exciting new things happening at Long View Gallery!

Long View Gallery
1234 Ninth Street, Northwest
202.232.4788

Touchstone Gallery Presents Color of Love

This Friday (February 4, 2011), Touchstone Gallery celebrates the opening of its latest, fifty artist group show called “Color of Love.” The reception runs from 6 to 8:30. From the press release:

Image Credit:  Common Ground by Michele Cormier

"WHEREVER YOUR HEART IS, THAT IS WHERE YOU’LL FIND YOUR TREASURE." Paulo Coehlo

Touchstone Gallery announces COLOR OF LOVE, the upcoming February Member Show featuring many interpretations on the theme the "color of love".

This year, February is doubly the month of the heart: As well as containing Valentine's Day, it is also the American Heart Association's declared American Heart Month.

Fifty artists will have work on exhibition and their materials and color palettes will be as varied as their definitions of LOVE, including oil, water media, photography, sculpture, clay, wood + metals. And for many of the artists, also on view will be their venture in haiku to introduce their pieces.

Join us for a multifaceted exploration of the COLOR OF LOVE, and consider indulging your own exploration.

This heartfelt opening is on February 4, 6-8:30pm and can be enjoyed thru February 27, 2011.

For more information please contact Ksenia Grishkova, Director, at 202-347-2787 or e mail info@touchstonegallery.com

Touchstone Gallery
901 New York Avenue, NW
202.347.2787

Civillian Art Projects Presents Climate Control

Civilian Art Projects relocated to our neighborhood in 2009 and has since been doing very exciting things from its home base on Seventh Street. Its latest group show -- which opens Friday (January 21, 2011) with a reception from 7 to 9 p.m. -- is no exception. From the press release:

Civilian Art Projects presents climate, control, a three-person exhibition curated by Kristina Bilonick and Karyn Miller featuring J.J. McCracken, Jan Razauskas, and Millicent Young. The name climate, control refers to the artists' response to their immediate surroundings, as well as the exacting nature of their practice. The artists in this exhibition work in drastically different materials – from clay and horsehair to drawing and paint – but in each of their works, there is an intense focus on the precision of artistic production, and a sense of significance in the medium they chose to work in.

Civilian Art Projects
1019 Seventh Street, Northwest
202.607.3804



image credit: SHAWL 2009 by Millicent Young (grapevine, horse hair 2 x 20 x 4' (variable))

Long View Gallery Presents Ernesto Santalla

Long View Gallery celebrates the opening of its latest show of work by Ernesto Santalla this Thursday night (January 20, 2011) from 6 to 8:30 p.m.  The show will run through February 13. From the press release:

Ernesto Santalla's photographs from his collage series uniquely document Washington's record-breaking snows of 2010. With camera in hand, he trudged through the inhibited landscape and captured monotonous images from the storm. His shots were not wholly unlike the thousands of photographs many amateurs captured on their camera phones, but, according to Santalla, his otherwise "uneventful, uninspired and often mundane images evolve into fascinating kaleidoscopic photographs." Santalla's process of repeating and mirroring images results in a view of our city, under the blanket of a blizzard, unlike anything you've seen before. The images that emerge from the process are images that speak to the viewer on an individual level, from the prurient to the metaphysical, similar to inkblots.

The preview images from this show look really cool; I cannot wait to check them out in person.

Long View Gallery
1234 Ninth Street, Northwest
202.232.4788


image credit:  Second Impressions VII, Ernesto Santalla

Touchstone Gallery Presents Off-Kilter, Paintings by Leslie Nolan

Last year, the amazing Touchstone Gallery relocated to a space along our southern border in 901 New York Avenue, NW (Acadiana is in the same building).  Their new home has a sidewalk-level entrance facing the old convention center site, and the interior is gorgeous. 

Touchstone's current show is called Off-Kilter and features paintings by Leslie Nolan.  The show runs through January 30.  If you've not yet checked out their great new space, this Friday (January 14) from 6 to 8:30 is your chance.  At that time, Touchstone is hosting a reception for the show, with a wine tasting (courtesy of Bistro Blanc) and live music!  From the press release:

Leslie Nolan's color drenched figurative paintings capture the uncertainties of our world. OFF-KILTER, Nolan's solo exhibit at the newly reopened Touchstone Gallery, conveys the emotional intensity shared by its subjects.

There is nothing tentative about these paintings: Nolan's bold brush strokes and vivid colors create a blur between the real and the imagined, resulting in an impression of physical solidity threatened by emotional disintegration. These strong works convey a sense of society on the edge.

During studies abroad and a career with the State Department, Nolan lived and worked all over the world. The often uneasy situations experienced in exotic, sometimes unstable places subtly influence her work.

A Washington, DC region award-winning artist, Nolan has exhibited throughout the country and internationally. See images and her resume at:   http://www.leslienolan.com/. She is currently represented by Touchstone Gallery.

Touchstone Gallery
901 New York Avenue, NW
202.347.2787


Image Credit: Where Now # 4, Acrylic on canvas by Leslie M. Nolan

Don't Miss Arts on N this Weekend and Next

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the Walter E. Washington Convention Center partnered to organize Arts on N Festival, a free affordable art festival featuring work by District artists, organizations and local businesses.  The festival will take place this weekend (August 7th and 8th) and next (August 14th and 15th) from 10 am to 4 pm along N Street between 7 Seventh and Ninth Streets, NW.

The festival features indie talents of the handmade expression. This initiative provides free spaces for district artists and organizations to sell their handmade goods and bring exposure to their artwork. The diverse mediums represented range from paper goods, photography, graffiti to chic and cool tees.

At Arts on N, you can purchase work by local artists, hear interesting music and get to know your local businesses. Artists and organizations from all eight wards are represented and events for all age groups such as gardening tutorials, painting workshops and cupcake decoration will be offered.

Click here for a listing of vendors that will be displaying their arts and crafts.

Anna Davis's The Dance Before the Kill at Long View Gallery

Tonight (June 3, 2010), Long View Gallery celebrates the opening of its latest show, “The Dance Before the Kill” by Anna Davis. The opening reception is from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The show will be up through July 1.


From the press release:

In her first exhibition of works on paper, "The Dance before the Kill," Anna Davis continues her investigation of contemporary feminist concerns, this time giving form to the sexually charged hostilities that pervade both gender and race relations. Her new series adopts the pasodoble as a metaphor to contrast the fluidity of women's roles with the aggressive, prideful posturing of paternal authority. She has translated the gray Frocasian characters of her vibrant mixed media paintings into starkly black and white illustrations of entangled bodies. An amalgam of the terms Afro and Caucasian, Frocasian designates the artist's construal of Primitivism's noble savage and symbolizes the utopist aim to transcend identity politics. On paper, however, these figures lose their uniformly gray hue, underscoring their cultural oppositions and differences in appearance. This tension, along with the flamboyant garb and histrionic facial expression of each character, evokes the dance of the bullfight.

Long View Gallery
1234 Ninth Street, Northwest
202.232.4788

Mike Weber at Long View Gallery

Tonight marks the opening of Long View Gallery's latest exhibition, original works by D.C. artist Mike Weber. A reception will take place from 6:30 until 9:30 p.m. and will feature food and beverage provided by José Andrés Catering with Ridgewells and live music by jazz quartet Laissez Foure. The show will be on display through May 20, 2010.


Weber's mixed media work is stunning. In his first solo show with the gallery, Weber explores concepts of commemoration and heritage (including his own lineage), as he symbolically reinvents the life stories of his unknown or forgotten subjects. He selectively edits and reframes vintage photographs, which derive from both his family's collection and estate sales, into newly composed digital prints on canvas. This process of converting an analog photograph into a digital copy unearths previously overlooked details that shed light on the biography of the sitter and his/her relationship with the faceless photographer. Weber augments these details with layers of paint, unorthodox collage materials, and high-gloss resin, intensifying the mood of the original photograph. The inclusion of scant, stenciled text invites the viewer to speculate the historical importance of the depicted sitter. Ultimately, Weber's artistic praxis ascribes a new narrative to his source materials and re-presents them as glossy, modern images.

Long View Gallery
1234 Ninth Street, Northwest
202.232.4788

"Here or There" Art Project Seeks Residents' Collaboration

An interesting art project is about to hit the streets of Shaw soliciting items from residents to become part of an art installation. The following description is from the project's leaders:

"Here or There," the name of the upcoming art installation, was conceived by an artist, architect and real estate developer, all of which work locally in the area. This unusual collaboration explores value in the community; the value of art, space and commerce. Ultimately, the installation will consist of mementos and objects from residents of the Shaw and U Street neighborhoods that show how these residents make a living.

In order obtain these items, the team will provide 100 bags to homes along the Ninth Street corridor from U Street to N Street today (Friday April 9) by leaving the bags at doorsteps along the way. These bags will then be retrieved on April 12 to be assembled for display.

The path of the bag distribution is guided by the locations of the installation. The initial installation will take place April 19 in the retail space of Moderno, a mid-rise residential building at Twelfth and U Street, developed by one of the members of the team. The collection of items will follow a path to the second and final point, Long View Gallery at Ninth and N Streets. The installation will be displayed in the gallery at the beginning of May.

Each bag provided contains a Shaw Buck (pictured). The Shaw Buck is a community currency created for the purpose of this art process and installation. In exchange for a personal memento or object, residents may redeem the Shaw Buck at a handful of local businesses for discounts or gifts.

Check out the Pop Up Gala Website for more information on the Here or There project as developed by Team WORK as well as the Pop Up project as a whole: http://popupgala.tumblr.com/

This project is sponsored by the Cultural Development Corporation (CuDC). CuDC is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC that creates space and builds the capacity of artists to prosper within that space.

CuDC ensures the continuing creation of affordable spaces for artists to live and work. Each year CuDC serves 5,600 artists, 75 arts organizations and touches over 150,000 greater DC metro area residents by providing space, funds, knowledge, marketing, advocacy and presentation opportunities.

Through programs, such as Flashpoint, Source and the Creative Communities Initiative, CuDC works with artists and arts organizations to build the creative infrastructure that fuels the arts and economy in Washington, DC.

http://www.culturaldc.org/

Interesting, right?! I look forward to posting more about this project soon.

Maruka Gallery Features Wainright Dawson III

This month, Maruka Gallery is featuring new works by mixed media artist Wainright Dawson III. Wainright Dawson III is a creative and prolific talent living and working in Washington, DC. He works in mixed media, weaving material, yarn, foil, and daily items into his art. Wainright brings iconic figures to life and captures the essence of capital cities and cultural populace with uncanny brilliance. His pieces are truly unique and innovative creations. So stop by Maruka on this gorgeous weekend and check out their latest show!

Also worth noting is that Maruka has a great sale going on currently -- select items are on sale for up to 50 percent off at the Maruka Boutique.


Maruka Gallery and Boutique
1300 Ninth Street NW (corner of 9th and N streets NW)202.745.1881
info@marukadc.com