awakening

The giant resting in the ground for nearly 30 years in good ol' Hains Point has found a new home.

J. Seward Johnson's "The Awakening" –– the cast aluminum sculpture of a man eternally climbing out from the earth's core –– will now be struggling for freedom in P.G. County (in Maryland, in case you folks were wondering). Turns out that Milt Peterson bought the giant from the Sculpture Foundation. He's the one who thinks that Mr. Giant looks better in Maryland.

I have had a lot of fond memories of hanging out in Hains Point amongst this giant. Even though P.G. County isn't really all that far from DC, the chances of me visiting "The Awakening" are pretty slim. So have a heart, Milt. Give DC back our sculpture. He has many more party's to attend on this side of the Potomac.

falling walls, historical blunders

Back in the day, Berliners were more than ready to tear down the infamous Berlin Wall when the Cold War ended in 1989. Alas, some of the wall remained, and was donned a tourist attraction.

Thanks to car emissions, Mother Nature and aging, this very wall is now crumbling away. City officials and artists are bickering about how to restore this historical site.

See, in 1990, 118 international artists were commissioned by Berlin to graffiti a stretch of the eastern side of the wall—to which the East Side Gallery belongs. Currently, 850,000 euros are needed to fly in all of these artists and have them re-graffiti their works. It's also estimated that $1.8 million are need to restore the wall's structure.

You may be wondering what's the big controversy. Just rebuild the darn thing like we did with, oh say, Williamsburg. Well, the restoration is on hold due to—what else—a lack of funding. Where's Mr. Rockefeller when you need him?

performance art

Right at this very moment, there is performance art taking place on 14th St., NW (DC, silly).

Columbian-born Kata Mejia is dealing with the loss of her brother in a four-day outdoor performance installation entitled Healing, which happens to be presented by Randall Scott Gallery. During this time span, she will be processing the violent death of her brother at the hands of Columbia's [FARC] terrorists.

So go and witness this powerful piece before it disappears (tomorrow's the last day). The address is the BodySmith parking lot located at 1622 14th St., NW, and starts at 6:00 p.m., people. And guess what. It's free.

art power!

I know that we all miss Sister Wendy Beckett's televised art appreciation tours, but never fear. There's a new guy in town who has stepped up to the plate to conduct our summer art history class.

Running on PBS until the end of July, Simon Schama will wow us with Simon Schama's Power of Art. This fab quote from Mr. Schama ought to inspire you to take a couch potato tour of cultural treasures:

The power of the greatest art is to shake us into revelation and rip us from our default mode of seeing.

Prepare to be dazzled with eight works by eight different artists – two Dutch, one Spanish, one French, one English, one American, and two Italians. Hey, where did all the other nationalities go?! Guess that's all that can be covered in one summer. But between you and me, you gotta love a Rothko!

greenies – not just for pets

In today's newspaper, I just read several local articles about combating global warming. I know that you're thinking to yourself, "Hmmm, this is not an art posting". I know, I know, just consider this something else that is near and dear to me.

Fairfax, VA's largest county, has decided to become a Cool County. This program encourages 3,000 plus counties to reduce greenhouse gases. Soon, we'll be seeing aerial views of lush rooftop gardens during the evening traffic report.

Next in line is the fact that my beloved IKEA is bringing home a little more of that Scandinavian love by charging for plastic bags. So, walk like a European and BYOB (bring your own bag, silly). Take that you indestructible plastic beast. 

Lastly, hang out on the west front lawn of the Capitol on March 20 for Climate Crisis action day. While your at it, you might as well enjoy a sneak preview of our lavish cherry trees.

Go VA!

calling all artists!

Today, whilst browsing DC's very own Craig's List I stumbled upon this interesting little tid-bit pertaining to the Dumbarton Concert Gallery in Georgetown. Go get 'em tiger(s)!


Dumbarton Concert Gallery – Call for Entries
Deadline for submissions December 29, 2006

Dumbarton Concert Gallery call for artists for art exhibitions for 2007 spring and fall season. Deadline for submissions: December 29, 2006. Dumbarton Concert Gallery is accepting applications from MD, DC, and VA artists. The Concert Gallery is operated in conjunction with Dumbarton Concerts, a series of chamber and jazz musical performances

The artist’s opening occurs in conjunction with a one-night concert performance, with an average of attendance of 350 people. The exhibit stays up for one and a half weeks, during which time the gallery is open by appointment. Artists can submit cds of jpgs or slides independently or as a group. Decisions are made by a jury. The gallery takes 25% commission on sales.

Submission requirements:
1. Ten to twenty images, slides or CD
2. $15 Non-refundable entry fee
3. Name, address, phone, email and curriculum vitae.
4. Dimensions, price, and medium of each piece (If pieces on slides are not available, they must be accurate representation of the type of work that will be hung).
4. If applicable- Enclose self-addressed envelope for return of materials.
5. Only work that can be hung on walls will be accepted- no free standing sculpture

Mailing Info and Questions please contact:
JWhitArt@aol.com

Notifications- mid January, 2006

sacre bleu!

Freedom of speech being infringed upon? Ever been bullied / fired for postings on your blog? According to my web browsing, several bloggers have. Know your rights as a blogger and as an artist (or are you referring to yourself as a designer these days?).

While perusing the resources at Designers who Blog, I came across some very useful information. Meet the fine folks at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Apparently there is a movement underway that will entitle bloggers to the same safeguards afforded to journalists who are given First Amendment protections. Further insight can be found through the following resources dating from 2005: BBC, C|Net and The Washington Post. (Look ma, all the research that I performed while obtaining my art history degree came in handy after all.)

Even if you don’t personally blog, artists need to be aware of the helpfulness offered by this nifty organization, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. Wouldn’t you know that they also have a handy dandy resource list. And let's not forget the freedom 0f speech work done by the ever-popular American Civil Liberties Union and the National Coalition Against Censorship.

Don’t make me sing Bob Marley’s Get Up Stand Up. And stay tuned for another fine visual communication from yours truly.

the art of storyboarding

Today, I have been researching video podcasting, i.e. vidcasting, and....

Looky what I just found while doing my [almost] daily research. It's none other than the Temple of the Seven Golden Camels How keen.

OK. I must confess that the title of this blog reminds me of the song Ali Baba by Dark Lotus. You know the one with the phrase "unknown apocalypse of the seven churches". This song also kind of reminds me of downtown Fredericksburg with all of its church steeples.

Well, there you have it, folks. Insight into my thought processes as well as my daily career maneuvers.

working artists

I have the fortune of working near and dear to the Library of Congress. Being the fortress of our nation's treasures and resources, they occasionally enjoy dusting off our nation's treasures and putting them on display. Much like the Kennedy Center, they also invite many fascinating artists to showcase their wares.

Today, I was fortunate enough to attend (on my lunch break, of course) a lecture featuring guest artist, Mark Wheatley. He is one of the sequential artists known as the Insight Studios Group. He has had a sterling career creating the likes of Frankenstein Mobster, Tarzan, and Heavy Metal. Not that I am the comic book fan, but I always enjoy shmoozing with fellow artists.

In 2004, I spent another one of my lunch breaks listening to Ann Telnaes. One of the few women in the field of editorial cartooning, she was in DC presenting several of her drawings as gifts to the Library's Prints and Photographs Division. And I learned that at the time, she was also one of the faculty members of the Illustration Academy, which happens to be affiliated with one of my old stomping grounds, VCU's School of the Arts. I feel so special.

Pretty cool and productive lunch breaks, wouldn't you say?

hurricane katrina

I know that my blog specifically deals with the life and times of my art career, but I'd like to take a moment to post my personal opinions about the horrific conditions surrounding Hurricane Katrina.

What has taken place is a completely inept handling of the situation. Why has it taken a week to help the people in need? It would seem that our government has turned its back on those who it is supposed to support. If we can unite as a country during the tragedies of 9/11, can we not come together to aid those who have survived a disaster whose scope is simply incomprehensible.

Many other countries around the world have responded immediately and appropriately to the devastation from Hurricane Katrina. However, the reality is that these countries' efforts have been put on hold as they wade trough all of our government's red tape. Being the super power that we are, I understand that we very rarely seek assistance from others, but when other countries want to come to our aid, why do we thwart the efforts? We as a country and as a government body need to set aside our pride and accept the fact that this crisis requires more resources than we presently have available. Open the doors America, receiving assistance is quite alright.

Want to do your part to help? You can donate housing, services, clothing, etc. through the National Emergency Resource Registry. You can also help to feed the masses through America's Second Harvest. And let's not forget our friends who hang with us: donate to the rescue efforts of the Humane Society of the US.