Gaia event will dazzle you

You really ought to put this on your calendar. It's not just another night club party; it's going to be an experience!

Pink smash! (You should not miss this!)

Beer + Drag + Opera
Creative thinking... it's not just for artists!

Tuesday, July 7, 2009
6:30 to 8:30 PM
@ 1405 Florida Avenue, NW
(Two short blocks up from U Street.)

Find out how you can help define a live-work home in the creative economy!
www.definelive-work.com

Visual artist Kate McGraw and playwright Allyson Currin performing "Combustion."
Image: C. Stanley Photography

The Source Festival 2009 Mash-Ups!

Mash-ups are creative blind dates where artists mesh disciplines to create inventive performance pieces. Combinations include: a dancer, a filmmaker and a writer; a hip hop musician and a theatre director; a composer, a playwright and a visual artist.

Performances are Tuesday, June 30 through Sunday, July 5 at Source (1835 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20001). Full details at sourcedc.org/sourcefestival.

Art is nice

Watch CBS Videos Online
Using art to transform people's lives for the better. I like it.
(Thanks for sharing this with me Amy!)

Arty stuff this week...

Phillips After 5

Poet Night

5 - 8pm

Summer Films at the Phillips:

FRANKENSTEIN

6:30pm

Gallery Talks

Paint Made Flesh:

Nip/Tuck- Perfection & Distortion of the Modern Body

6pm, 7pm

Film screening and gallery talks included in admissiong to special exhibition.

$12, $10 for students, visitors 62 & over, Free to Members

@The Phillips Collection

1600 21st Street, NW

Fringe Festival Preview

Wednesday, July 1

7 - 10pm

Free and Open to All

*Must be 21 to enter

@RFD - Back Room

810 7th Street, NW

Last week to experience Artomatic!!

Now - July 5

Fri-Sat: Noon - 1am

Sun, Wed, Thurs: Noon - 10pm

@55 M Street SE

Six in the Mix: Selections by Renee Stout

July 3 - August 26

First Friday Reception

Friday, July 3

6 - 9pm

Food and refreshments will be served.

$5 suggested donation.

@Hillyer Art Space

9 Hillyer Court, NW

DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities

Art Salon

Wednesday, July 1

7 - 9pm

@Merdian International Center

1624 Crescent Place, NW

Barbara Bell, Entrance

Double Artists

by Foundry Members and Guest Artists

July 1 - August 1

Opening Reception

Friday, July 3

6 - 8pm

@Foundry Gallery

1314 18th Street, NW

Washington Printmakers Gallery presents

An exhibition of printed matter from

40 printmaking studios from around the world

June 29 - July 26

Opening Reception

Friday, July 3

5:30 - 8:30pm

visit http://blog.meetyourprintmaker.com

@Washington Printmakers Gallery

1732 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Landscapes for Lucy by Brian Williams

and

New Member Show: All in Color

June 24 - July 18

First Friday Reception

Friday, July 3

6 - 8pm

@Studio Gallery

2108 R Street, NW

WASHINGTON PROJECT FOR THE ARTS PRESENTS:

The Mapplethorpe Demonstration - Twenty Years Later

Tuesday, June 30

6:30pm

(doors open at 6:00pm)

@Warehouse Gallery & Theater

1021 7th Street, NW

WALA 25th anniversary celebration

As a recovering lawyer, I often conveniently forget that there are a lot of lawyers out there who are extremely supportive of the arts and of creatives. Especially the lawyers who volunteer for Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts (WALA!) and provide support for "artists in their creative endeavors through education, advocacy and pro bono legal assistance." They're throwing themselves a 25th anniversary party "to celebrate WALA’s work helping the arts community to grow and thrive." An excellent mission!

July 14, 2009
6:30 - 8:30 pm
Baldacchino Gypsy Tent Bar
Capital Fringe Headquarters
607 New York Avenue, NW

$100 includes 2 tickets to Capital Fringe performances

More info here.

DC arts commission doing good stuff

Even though I'm a DC arts commissioner now, I can't take credit for some great programming that's coming out of the Commission these days. Like Art Unplugged, a series of summertime acoustic performances throughout the city that showcase DC talent. See performance schedule here.

And the Art Salon on Wednesday from 7pm to 9pm at the White-Meyer house of the Meridian International Center @ 1624 Crescent Place, NW, just off 16th Street. Mix and mingle with creative folks in DC.

Anything pink rocks!

Photo: Sarah Chadha

Synchronized Swimming competition

This is the best call for artists I have seen in a long time! The WPA will hold a synchronized swimming competition at the newly-hip Capitol Skyline Hotel on July 19. You must register your team by July 3. There will be prizes and I will be judging so feel free to try to buy my vote. Call 202-234-7103 for more info!

Save the Date: DCCAH Art Salon

DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities
Art Salon

Wednesday, July 1
7 to 9 PM
@ Meridian International Center
1624 Crescent Place, NW

Remarks by Regie Cabico, Poet/DCCAH Grantee
Dr. Curtis Sandberg, Curator, White-Meyer House
Yosi Sergant, NEA, Director of Communications

Soundscapes by Brian Liu

More art ideas for the White House

Ken Ashton, "The Ontario Theater" (1993)

ArtInfo asked DC's own awesome gallerist and arts activist Jayme McLellan what art she suggested for the White House and here are her ideas:

“The Obamas would most definitely benefit from having the work of Sam Gilliam in the White House. Gilliam is internationally recognized as the foremost contemporary African-American Color Field painter and lyrical abstractionist. Further, he has called Washington, D.C., his home since 1962. Adding his work to the collection would contribute to the breadth of the White House collection and support D.C. as a place for historical, living artists.

“Ken Ashton resides in Washington, D.C., and has spent the past decade photographing neighborhoods throughout the world. He has undertaken an encyclopedic project of photographing communities in the Northeastern corridor of the U.S., from D.C. to Boston, entitled ‘Megalopolis.’

“Iona Rozeal Brown’s most recent paintings are an unprecedented mixture of anonymous courtesans, geisha, and other Japanese subjects. She explores the theme of Afro-Asiatic allegory, addressing the global influence of African-American culture as fetish. Brown’s work signals the energy, critical direction, and complexity of contemporary practice that is engaged in a tenuous marriage of commerce and resistance. Brown brings a subversion to her art and manipulates hyper-self-conscious imagery to articulate contemporary concerns regarding race, gender, and class.”

Majorly recommended: A very pink weekend!

Love Thy Neighbor
Policy Brand Trunk Show and Happy Hour
Featuring new DC-inspired clothing

Friday, June 26
6 - 10 pm
@1240 9th Street, NW
(enter through Blagden Alley...next to Fight Club)

Yummy food by Chix
Killer beats by DJ Obeyah and DJ Small Axe

Art Chat
The Passionate Collector: Look at this art. It'll change your life.

Saturday June 27
8 PM
@ Artomatic
55 M Street, NE
(Navy Yard metro station on the green line)
In the Education Room on the 4th Floor

Panelists:
Philippa Hughes
Veronica Jackson

Anything pink rocks!



THE NAKED TRUTH from ABOVE on Vimeo.

Awesome installation art piece in Copenhagen.

Thanks Nik!

Arty stuff this week...

"Ceramics in Mainland Southeast Asia" Webinar

Tuesday, June 23

8pm

Webinar Address: 

http://connect.johnshopkins.edu/AsiaCeramicsForum

RSVP: Lyz Bridgforth

bridgforthe@si.edu or 202.633.0521 by June 20, 2009

 For more information: http://www.asia.si.edu/CeramicsForum/

Lu Zhang, Hairpiece, 2008

PAUSE

Elizabeth Crisman, Laura Hughes and Lu Zhang

June 25 - July 24

Opening Reception

Tuesday, June 25

6 - 8pm

@ Stamp Gallery

University of Maryland, College Park 

Flashpoint Business Center presents:

New Space Roundtable: GALLERIES IN FLUX

Navigating the real estate challengers around visual arts space

Wednesday, June 24

9:30 - 11am

RSVP: redcircle@flashpointdc.org by Monday, June 22

@ Conner Contemporary Art

1358 Florida Ave, NE

A Preview of Paintings by Danish Artist

Lars H.U.G.

Wednesday, June 24

6 - 8pm

RSVP: jackie@hamiltoniangallery.com

@ Royal Danish Embassy

3200 Whitehaven Street, NW

Paper Jam: The Art and Grime of the East Coast Rock Poster

Q&A Session with Artists

Thursday, June 25

The reception: 6:30pm

Talking: 7pm

Free with refreshments provided.

@ Civilian Arts Projects

406 7th Street NW, Third Floor

Lecture with Painter: 

John Currin

Thursday, June 25

6:30 pm

@ The Phillips Collection

1600 21st Street, NW

Faraway Nearby:

Artists' Roundtable

Thursday, June 25

7:30pm

@ Greater Reston Arts Center

12001 Market Street, Suite 103, Reston

Artist Victor Ekpuk

at National Museum of African Art 

Friday, June 26

12 - 1pm

@ National Museum of African Art, Lecture Hall

950 Independence Avenue, SW 

Idylls

May 29 - July 3

in partnership with the World Bank Art Program

Take a public tour of the exhibit

Friday, June 26th

12pm and 4pm

To sign up for a tour, contact kbilonick@wpadc.org by Wednesday, June 24. Note which tour you would like (noon or 4pm).

The works can also be viewed from the glass exterior of the building on H Street between 18th and 19th Streets, NW

@ The World Bank, Main Complex, Front Lobby Gallery

1818 H Street, NW

Landscape Biology

Natalie Cheung, Melissa Dickenson, Kim Manfredi, Katherine Mann

June 26 - August 28

Opening Reception

Friday, June 26

6 - 8pm

@ Carroll Square Gallery

975 F Street, NW

The Pink Line Project and Policy Brand present

Love Thy Neighbor

Trunk Show/Happy Hour

with a preview of new D.C. inspired clothing by Policy Brand Clothing. Co.

Music by

DJ's Obeyah and Small Axe

Chop-Chop Food Bar by Chix

Friday, June 26th

6 - 10pm

@ Vacant Warehouse

(enter through the rear of the building on Blagden Alley)

1240 9th Street, NW

Mixed Media Multiplied

Del Ray Artisans Opening Party

Opening Party

Friday, June 26

7 - 10pm

@ Del Ray Artisans Gallery Nicholas A Colasanto Center

2704 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria

Sam Gilliam: New Paintings

May 22 - June 27

Exhibit closing

Saturday, June 27

http://wheretraveler.com/classic/us/dc/wdc/fe/feature.html?dest=FE0000002826/article.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203771904574180412518614666.html 

@ Marsha Mateyka Gallery

2012 R St., NW

 iona rozeal brown, all falls down, 2008, Mixed media on panel, 62.25” x 50.125” x 1.5”

Figurative Art Today: Between East and West

a Symposium at The Phillips Collection

Saturday, June 27th

1 - 5pm

@ the Phillips Collection

1600 21st Street, NW

 Landscapes For Lucy by Brian Williams

and 

New Member Show: All In Color

June 24 - July 18

Meet the Artists Reception

Saturday, June 27

3 - 6pm

@ Studio Gallery

2108 R Street

Burning Desires: 

Exhibition, Music, and Artist Graduation

Support international women artists as they begin their journeys as leaders, art educators and entrepreneurs.

 Saturday, June 27

3-6 pm

@ Convergence Gallery

1801 N. Quaker Lane, Alexandria 

The Sickness 3 Closing Party

Artist-in-Residence Aniekan

Saturday, June 27

6 - 9pm

@ Dissident Display Gallery

416 H Street, NE

Aurora Robson

Opening Reception

Saturday, June 27

6 - 9pm

@ Project 4 Gallery

1353 U Street, NW, 3rd floor

Margaret Boozer

Dirt  Drawings

June 27- August 16

Opening Reception

Saturday, June 27

6-9pm

@ American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center

4400 Massachusetts Ave  NW

Leslie Holt, Hello Picasso (dancers), oil on canvas, 6" x 4", 2009

Leslie Holt   |   Hello Masterpiece

June 27 - August 1

Opening Reception

Saturday, June 27

6:30 - 8pm

in conjunction with the opening reception at Adamson Gallery next door

and in celebration of Hello Kitty's 35th Birthday!

@ curator's office

1515 14th Street nw

suite 201

This District Moment: 

Report from the Streets

Closing Reception

Saturday, June 27

7 - 11pm

@ Pyramid Atlantic Art Center

8230 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring

ART CHAT

The Passionate Collector: 

Look at this Art. It'll Change Your Life

Saturday, June 27

8pm

@ Artomatic

55 M Street, SE

James Renwick Alliance

Education Room (4th Floor)

New York Night Train Happening

Saturday, June 27

11pm

$10 at the door/21+

@ Civilian Art Projects

406 7th Street NW

Workshop and Chalk Art Event for Children and Families 

(all are invited to attend)

Sunday, June 28

12p- 1ish 

@ Artomatic 

8th floor, Children’s Workshop Room

For more information: www.chalk4peace.org

GOLD LEAF STUDIOS 

Summer Open House

Sunday, June 28

2 - 6pm

@ Gold Leaf Studios

443 I Street NW

Cover of Artforum, September 1989. Photo © Frank Herrera

Washington Project for the Arts Presents:

The Mapplethorpe Demonstration - Twenty Years Later

Tuesday, June 30

6:30pm 

(doors open at 6:00pm)

@ Warehouse Gallery and Theater

1021 7th St NW 

Sleeping Tree 

Catalog Signing and Film Screening

Tuesday, June 30

7:30pm

@ Greater Reston Arts Center

12001 Market Street, Suite 103, Reston

Mash-Ups: COMBUSTION

Created by Scott Burgess, Allyson Currin and Kate McGraw

Tuesday, June 30 - Sunday, July 5

Source Festival date

Tuesday, June 30

8pm

$18/person

@ Source

1835 14th Street, NW

Party pics from Not From Concentrate

Chanan Delivuk's work pictured above.

Fun pictures from Saturday night's opening of Not From Concentrate. Some really fantastic art and it's all for sale. Let me know if you're interested and I can take you by the Hounshell space to take a closer look without hundreds of people jostling you. You can also see Josh Yospyn's work here.

Many many thanks to Eat Well DC for providing the wine for the event! They are great neighborhood supporters so please support them at Logan Tavern and Commissary, both on P Street.

Ginormous thanks to DJ Anish and his partner in musical crime Chris for spinning the best vinyl I've heard in a long long while!

And yummy cupcakes for all you Pink Line Project fans provided by Yours Truly cupcakes.

Two revelers wearing delicious fruity colors that work quite well with Josh Yospyn's photographs.

Anything pink rocks!

Check this girl's pink skateboard! Awesome! Pictures of Go Skate Day by maxedaperture.

First look at awesome new street art in Irvine's alley

I was practically in bed last night when I got the call to get over to the alley behind Irvine Contemporary right away to check out new street art being installed for tonight's opening and block party for Street/Studio. This work is so sweet! Two of my absolute favorite artists, Gaia and Oliver Vernon, are shown above pasting up Gaia's magnificent piece. Below is Oliver's rockin' piece. Can't wait to go back and see the finished products tonight. But only after the opening for Not From Concentrate at the Hounshell office at 1506 14th Street, NW, from 6 to 8 pm. :)

More pictures here from last night.

Pink Line Project: Not From Concentrate

Not From Concentrate:
A Juicy Art Exhibit

Chanan Delivuk + Joshua Yospyn

Vegan creatures and freshly squeezed fruit. Delicious!

Saturday, June 20
6 - 8 pm

Tunes + Sips + Vegan Eats

Featuring DJ Anish!

@ Hounshell
1506 14th Street, NW

Thank you Logan Tavern for providing the wine!

Join the Pink Line Project Facebook Fan Page and receive an extra special treat from Yours Truly. Join here.

Brought to you by The Pink Line Project.

"two smart young artists address athleticism and play"

Nice Washington Post review of a show at DCAC that I liked called The Twelfth Man featuring two faboo artists Patrick McDonough and Kenny George. Wait til you see what we've got in store for these two later this year!

Workbook teaser

This is a teaser version of the Workbook video, which documents the making of the installation by the same name at Flashpoint a few months ago. I love the sound of them making art! Prints from the show are still available at www.wedrawdc.com.

TJ Bilonick rocks the house

Awesome friend Kristina Bilonick is featured in today's Daily Candy. Soooo awesome! And she's got a show coming up at Honfleur too, curated by another awesome friend Steve Frost! So much awesomeness!

See Daily Candy piece here: Sure as Shirt

Banksy v. Bristol Museum

The Bristol Museum invited Bansky to install wry multi-media objets d'arts throughout the museum. Totally fun!

Bristol's City Museum & Art Gallery is proud to present a unique collaboration between the city's foremost cultural institution and one of the region's most infamous artists.

Throughout the summer, visitors will find some unusual specimens amongst the museum's permanent collection - a stonehenge made from portable toilets greets visitors on arrival, a burnt out ice cream van now replaces the enquiries desk and the life size historic biplane suspended from the ceiling now provides refuge for a Guantanamo bay escapee. Banksy has filled the museum with his own wry take on classical art.

More about the installation on Coolhunter.

The Screamers

A few weeks ago, I reported on a Floating Lab Collective art project that allowed you to scream at the crummy economy. Here are some pictures of screamers.

Maestro!

What a huge and pleasant surprise to run into Maestro Ralph Herndon last week at the Chorale Arts Society gig at the Canadian Embassy. I worked with him years ago in one of my first jobs out of college when we bonded over music. Not only can this man tickle the ivories like nobody's business, but his singing will give you goosebumps. Soooooo cool to run into him again after all this time.

It's official!

Woot!

Arty stuff this week...

Cambodia Past, Present, Future:

"Producing Angkor: The Material, Spatial, and Cultural Generation of the Khmer Empire"

Mitch Hendrickson, University of Sydney

and

"Keeping Watch: The Role of Heritage Watch in Protecting Cambodia's Cultural Legacy"

Dougald O'Reilly, Yale University

Tuesday, June 16

2pm

@ Freer + Sackler

Meyer Auditorium

1050 Independence Ave. SW

Stimulus

July 16 - July 11

Opening Reception

Tuesday, June 16

5:30 - 8:30pm

For more information go to www.nevinkellygallery.com

@ Nevin Kelly Gallery

1400 Irving St NW #132